{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_7440/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_7440","id":"gutenberg_7440","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/7440","summary":null,"tags":["Category: History - Religious","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Harvard Classics","Islam","Qur'an"],"text":"Note: This eBook still needs better formatting, especially for\nextensive footnotes, so is posted as version 09 rathern than 10.  See\nProject Gutenberg's eBooks #3434 and 2800 for other translations of\nThe Koran.\n\n\nThanks to Brett Zamir for work on this eBook.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE KORAN:\n\nCOMMONLY CALLED THE\n\nALKORAN OF MOHAMMED.\n\nTranslated into English from the Original Arabic,\n\nWITH EXPLANATORY NOTES TAKEN FROM THE MOST\nAPPROVED COMMENTATORS.\n\nTO WHICH IS PREFIXED\n\nA PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE,\n\nBY GEORGE SALE.\n\n\nTO THE\nRIGHT HON. JOHN LORD CARTERET.\n\nONE OF THE LORDS OF HIS MAJESTY'S MOST HONOURABLE PRIVY COUNCIL.\n\n\n\n____________\n\n\n\tMY LORD,\n\nNOTWITHSTANDING the great honour and respect generally and deservedly paid to\nthe memories of those who have founded states, or obliged a people by the\ninstitution of laws which have made them prosperous and considerable in the\nworld, yet the legislator of the Arabs has been treated in so very different a\nmanner by all who acknowledge not his claim to a divine mission, and by\nChristians especially, that were not your lordship's just discernment\nsufficiently known, I should think myself under a necessity of making an\napology for presenting the following translation.\n\n   The remembrance of the calamities brought on so many nations by the\nconquests of the Arabians may possibly raise some indignation against him who\nformed them to empire; but this being equally applicable to all conquerors,\ncould not, of itself, occasion all the detestation with which the name of\nMohammed is loaded.  He has given a new system of religion, which has had\nstill greater success than the arms of his followers, and to establish this\nreligion made use of an imposture; and on this account it is supposed that he\nmust of necessity have been a most abandoned villain, and his memory is become\ninfamous.  But as Mohammed gave his Arabs the best religion he could, as well\nas the best laws, preferable. at least, to those of the ancient pagan\nlawgivers, I confess I cannot see why he deserves not equal respect-though not\nwith Moses or Jesus Christ, whose laws came really from Heaven, yet, with\nMinos or Numa, notwithstanding the distinction of a learned writer, who seems\nto think it a greater crime to make use of an imposture to set up a new\nreligion, founded on the acknowledgment of one true God, and to destroy\nidolatry, than to use the same means to gain reception to rules and\nregulations for the more orderly practice of heathenism already established.\n\n   To be acquainted with the various laws and constitutions of civilized\nnations, especially of those who flourish in our own time, is, perhaps, the\nmost useful part of knowledge: wherein though your lordship, who shines with\nso much distinction in the noblest assembly in the world, peculiarly excels;\nyet as the law of Mohammed, by reason of the odium it lies under, and the\nstrangeness of the language in which it is written, has been so much\nneglected.  I flatter myself some things in the following sheets may be new\neven to a person of your lordship's extensive learning; and if what I have\nwritten may be any way entertaining or acceptable to your lordship, I shall\nnot regret the pains it has cost me.\n\n   I join with the general voice in wishing your lordship all the honour and\nhappiness your known virtues and merit deserve, and am with perfect respect,\n\n\t\t\t\t\tMY LORD,\n\t\t\t\tYour lordship's most humble\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAnd most obedient servant,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGEORGE SALE.\n\n\nA SKETCH\n\nOF THE\n\nLIFE OF GEORGE SALE.\n\n\n_________\n\nOF the life of GEORGE SALE, a man of extensive learning, and considerable\nliterary talent, very few particulars have been transmitted to us by his\ncontemporaries.  He is said to have been born in the county of Kent, and the\ntime of his birth must have been not long previous to the close of the\nseventeenth century.  His education he received at the King's School,\nCanterbury.  Voltaire, who bestows high praise on the version of the Kor\u00e2n,\nasserts him to have spent five-and-twenty years in Arabia, and to have\nacquired in that country his profound knowledge of the Arabic language and\ncustoms.  On what authority this is asserted it would now be fruitless to\nendeavour to ascertain.  But that the assertion is an erroneous one, there can\nbe no reason to doubt; it being opposed by the stubborn evidence of dates and\nfacts.  It is almost certain that Sale was brought up to the law, and that he\npractised it for many years, if not till the end of his career.  He is said,\nby a co-existing writer, to have quitted his legal pursuits, for the purpose\nof applying himself to the study of the eastern and other languages, both\nancient and modern.  His guide through the labyrinth of the oriental dialects\nwas Mr. Dadichi, the king's interpreter.  If it be true that he ever\nrelinquished the practice of the law, it would appear that he must have\nresumed it before his decease; for, in his address to the reader, prefixed to\nthe Kor\u00e2n, he pleads, as an apology for the delay which had occurred in\npublishing the volume, that the work \"was carried on at leisure times only,\nand amidst the necessary avocations of a troublesome profession.\"  This alone\nwould suffice to show that Voltaire was in error.  But to this must be added,\nthat the existence of Sale was terminated at an early period, and that, in at\nleast his latter years, he was engaged in literary labours of no trifling\nmagnitude.  The story of his having, during a quarter of a century, resided in\nArabia, becomes, therefore, an obvious impossibility, and must be dismissed to\ntake its place among those fictions by which biography has often been\nencumbered and disgraced.\n   Among the few productions of which Sale is known to be the author is a part\nof \"The General Dictionary,\" in ten volumes, folio.  To the translation of\nBayle, which is incorporated with this voluminous work, he is stated to have\nbeen a large contributor.\n   When the plan of the Universal History was arranged, Sale was one of those\nwho were selected to carry it into execution.  His coadjutors were Swinton,\neminent as an antiquary, and remarkable for absence of mind; Shelvocke,\noriginally a naval officer; the well informed, intelligent, and laborious\nCampbell; that singular character, George Psalmanazar; and Archibald Bower,\nwho afterwards became an object of unenviable notoriety.  The portion of the\nhistory which was supplied by Sale comprises \"The Introduction, containing the\nCosmogony, or Creation of the World;\" and the whole, or nearly the whole, of\nthe succeeding chapter, which traces the narrative of events from the creation\nto the flood.  In the performance of his task, he displays a thorough\nacquaintance with his subject; and his style, though not polished into\nelegance, is neat and perspicuous.  In a French biographical dictionary, of\nanti-liberal principles, a writer accuses him of having adopted a system\nhostile to tradition and the Scriptures, and composed his account of the\nCosmogony with the view of giving currency to his heretical opinions.  Either\nthe accuser never read the article which he censures, or he has wilfully\nmisrepresented it; for it affords the fullest contradiction to the charge, as\ndoes also the sequent chapter; and he must, therefore, be contented to choose\nbetween the demerit of being a slanderer through blundering and reckless\nignorance, or through sheer malignity of heart.\n   Though his share in these publications affords proof of the erudition and\nability of Sale, it probably would not alone have been sufficient to preserve\nhis name from oblivion.  His claim to be remembered rests principally on his\nversion of the Kor\u00e2n, which appeared in November, 1734, in a quarto volume,\nand was inscribed to Lord Carteret.  The dedicator does not disgrace himself\nby descending to that fulsome adulatory style which was then too frequently\nemployed in addressing the great.  As a translator, he had the field almost\nentirely to himself; there being at that time no English translation of the\nMohammedan civil and spiritual code, except a bad copy of the despicable one\nby Du Ryer.  His performance was universally and justly approved of, still\nstill remains in repute, and is not likely to be superseded by any other of\nthe kind.  It may, perhaps, be regretted, that he did not preserve the\ndivision into verses, as Savary has since done, instead of connecting them\ninto a continuous narrative.  Some of the poetical spirit is unavoidably lost\nby the change.  But this is all that can be objected to him.  It is, I\nbelieve, admitted, that he is in no common degree faithful to his original;\nand his numerous notes, and Preliminary Discourse, manifest such a perfect\nknowledge of Eastern habits, manners, traditions, and laws, as could have been\nacquired only by an acute mind, capable of submitting to years of patient\ntoil.\n   But, though his work passed safely through the ordeal of criticism, it has\nbeen made the pretext for a calumny against him.  It has been declared, that\nhe puts the Christian religion on the same footing with the Muhammedan; and\nsome charitable persons have even supposed him to have been a disguised\nprofessor of the latter.  The origin of this slander we may trace back to the\nstrange obliquity of principles, and the blind merciless rage which are\ncharacteristic of bigotry.  Sale was not one of those who imagine that the end\nsanctifies the means, and that the best interests of mankind can be advanced\nby violence, by railing, or by deviating form the laws of truth, in order to\nblacken an adversary.  He enters into the consideration of the character of\nMohammed with a calm philosophic spirit; repeatedly censuring his imposture,\ntouching upon his subterfuges and inventions, but doing justice to him on\nthose points on which the pretended prophet is really worthy of praise.  The\nrules which, in his address to the reader, he lays down for the conversion of\nMohammedans, are dictated by sound sense and amiable feelings.  They are,\nhowever, not calculated to satisfy those who think the sword and the fagot to\nbe the only proper instruments for the extirpation of heresy.  That he places\nIslamism on an equality with Christianity is a gross falsehood.  \"As\nMohammed,\" says he, \"gave his Arabs the best religion he could, preferable, at\nleast, to those of the ancient pagan lawgivers, I confess I cannot see why he\ndeserves not equal respect, though not with Moses or Jesus Christ, whose laws\ncame really from heaven, yet with Minos or Numa, notwithstanding the\ndistinction of a learned writer, who seems to think it a greater crime to make\nuse of an imposture to set up a new religion, founded on the acknowledgment of\none true God, and to destroy idolatry, than to use the same means to gain\nreception to rules and regulations for the more orderly practice of heathenism\nalready established.\"  This, and no more, is \"the very head and front of his\noffending;\" and from this it would, I think, be difficult to extract any proof\nof his belief in the divine mission of Mohammed.  If the charge brought\nagainst him be not groundless, he must have added to his other sins that of\nbeing a consummate hypocrite, and that, too, without any obvious necessity; he\nhaving been, till the period of his decease, a member of the Society for the\nPromoting of Christian Knowledge.\n   In 1736 a society was established for the encouragement of learning.  It\ncomprehended many noblemen, and some of the most eminent literary men of that\nday.  Sale was one of the founders of it, and was appointed on the first\ncommittee.  The meetings were held weekly, and the committee decided upon what\nworks should be printed at the expense of the society, or with its assistance,\nand what should be the price of them.  When the cost of printing was repaid,\nthe property of the work reverted to the author.  This establishment did not,\nI Imagine, exist for any length of time.  The attention of the public has been\nrecently called to a plan of a similar kind.\n   Sale did not long survive the carrying of this scheme into effect.  He died\nof a fever, on the 13th of November, 1736, at his house in Surrey-street,\nStrand, after an illness of only eight days, and was buried at St. Clement\nDanes.  He was under the age of forty when he was thus suddenly snatched from\nhis family, which consisted of a wife and five children.  Of his sons, one was\neducated at New College, Oxford, of which he became Fellow, and he was\nsubsequently elected to a Fellow-ship in Winchester College.  Sale is\ndescribed as having had \"a healthy constitution, and a communicative mind in a\ncomely person.\"  His library was valuable, and contained many rare and\nbeautiful manuscripts in the Persian, Turkish, Arabic, and other languages; a\ncircumstance which seems to show that poverty, so often the lot of men whose\nlives are devoted to literary pursuits, was not one of the evils with which he\nwas compelled to encounter.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tR. A. DAVENPORT.\n\n[from 1891 version]\n\n\n\n\nINTRODUCTION\n\nTHERE is surely no need to-day to insist on the importance of a close study of\nthe Kor\u00e2n for all who would comprehend the many vital problems connected with\nthe Islamic World; and yet few of us, I imagine, among the many who possess\ntranslations of this book have been at pains to read it through.  It must,\nhowever, be borne in mind that the Kor\u00e2n plays a far greater r\u00f4le among the\nMuhammadans than does the Bible in Christianity in that it provides not only\nthe canon of their faith, but also the text-book of their ritual and the\nprinciples of their Civil Law.\n\tIt was the Great Crusades that first brought the West into close touch\nwith Islam, but between the years 1096 and 1270 we only hear of one attempt to\nmake known to Europe the Sacred Book of the Moslems, namely, the Latin version\nmade in 1143, by Robert of Retina (who, Sale tells us, was an Englishman), and\nHermann of Dalmatia, on the initiative of Petrus Venerabilis, the Abbot of\nClugny, which version was ultimately printed by T. Bibliander in Basel in\n1543, nearly a hundred years after the fall of Constantinople.\n\tDuring the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, several translations\nappeared both in Latin and in French, and one of the latter, by Andr\u00e9 du Ryer,\nwas translated into English by Alexander Ross in 1649.  But by far the most\nimportant work on the Kor\u00e2n was that of Luigi Marracci which was published in\nPadua in 1698.\n\tGeorge Sale's translation first appeared in November, 1734, in a quarto\nvolume; in 1764 it was first printed in medium octavo, and the reprint of 1825\ncontained the sketch of Sale's life by Richard Alfred Davenant which has been\nutilized in the article on Sale in the Dictionary of National Bibliography.\nThe Chandos Classics edition in crown octavo was first issued in 1877.\n\tSoon after the death of the Prophet, early Muhammadan theologians began\nto discuss, not only the correct reading of the text itself, but also to work\nout on the basis of first-hand reports the story connected with the revelation\nof each chapter.  As the book at present stands in its original form the\nchapters are arranged more or less according to their respective length,\nbeginning with the longest; except in the case of the opening chapter, which\nholds a place by itself, not only in the sacred book of Islam, corresponding\nas it does in a manner to our Pater Noster, but also in its important\nceremonial usages.  The presumed order in which the various chapters were\nrevealed is given in the tabular list of Contents, but it may be mentioned\nthat neither Muhammadan theologians, nor, in more recent times, European\nscholars, are in entire agreement upon the exact chronological position of all\nthe chapters.\n\tIt is well for all who study the Kor\u00e2n to realize that the actual text\nis never the composition of the Prophet, but is the word of God addressed to\nthe Prophet; and that in quoting the Kor\u00e2n the formula is \"He (may he be\nexalted) said\" or some such phrase.  The Prophet himself is of course quoted\nby Muhammadan theologians, but such quotations refer to his traditional\nsayings known as \"Had\u00ees,\" which have been handed down from mouth to mouth with\nthe strictest regard to genealogical continuity.\n\tIt would probably be impossible for any Arabic scholar to produce a\ntranslation of the Kor\u00e2n which would defy criticism, but this much may be said\nof Sale's version: just as, when it first appeared, it had no rival in the\nfield, it may be fairly claimed to-day that it has been superseded by no\nsubsequent translations.  Equally remarkable with his translation is the\nfamous Preliminary Discourse which constitutes a tour de force when we\nconsider how little critical work had been done in his day in the field of\nIslamic research.  Practically the only works of first-class importance were\nDr. Pocock's Specimen Historio Arabum, to which, in his original Address to\nthe Reader, Sale acknowledges his great indebtedness, and Maracci's Kor\u00e2n.\n\tIn spite of the vast number of eminent scholars who have worked in the\nsame field since the days of George Sale, his Preliminary Discourse still\nremains the best Introduction in any European language to the study of the\nreligion promulgated by the Prophet of Arabia; but as Wherry says: \"Whilst\nreading the Preliminary Discourse as a most masterly, and on the whole\nreliable, presentation of the peculiar doctrines, rites, ceremonies, customs,\nand institutions of Islam, we recognize the fact that modern research has\nbrought to light many things concerning the history of the ancient Arabs which\ngreatly modify the statements made in the early paragraphs.\"\n\tFor many centuries the acquaintance which the majority of Europeans\npossessed of Muhammadanism was based almost entirely on distorted reports of\nfanatical Christians which led to the dissemination of a multitude of gross\ncalumnies.  What was good in Muhammadanism was entirely ignored, and what was\nnot good, in the eyes of Europe, was exaggerated or misinterpreted.\n\tIt must not, however, be forgotten that the central doctrine preached by\nMuhammad to his contemporaries in Arabia, who worshipped the Stars; to the\nPersians, who acknowledged Ormuz and Ahriman; the Indians, who worshipped\nidols; and the Turks, who had no particular worship, was the unity of God, and\nthat the simplicity of his creed was probably a more potent factor in the\nspread of Islam than the sword of the Ghazis.\n\tIslam, although seriously affecting the Christian world, brought a\nspiritual religion to one half of Asia, and it is an amazing circumstance that\nthe Turks, who on several occasions let loose their Central Asian hordes over\nIndia, and the Middle East, though irresistible in the onslaught of their\narms, were all conquered in their turn by the Faith of Islam, and founded\nMuhammadan dynasties.\n\tThe Mongols of the thirteenth century did their best to wipe out all\ntraces of Islam when they sacked Baghdad, but though the Caliphate was\nrelegated to obscurity in Egypt the newly founded Empires quickly became\nMuhammadan states, until finally it was a Turk who took the title of Caliph\nwhich has been held by the house of Othman ever since.\n\tThus through all the vicissitudes of thirteen hundred years the Kor\u00e2n\nhas remained the sacred book of all the Turks and Persians and of nearly a\nquarter of the population of India.  Surely such a book as this deserves to be\nwidely read in the West, more especially in these days when space and time\nhave been almost annihilated by modern invention, and when public interest\nembraces the whole world.\n\tIt is difficult to decide to what extent Sale's citations in the notes\nrepresent first-hand use of the Arabic commentators, but I fear that the\nresult of a close inquiry only points to very little original research on his\npart.  He says himself in his Address to the Reader: \"As I have no opportunity\nof consulting public libraries, the manuscripts of which I have made use\nthroughout the whole work have been such as I had in my own study, except only\nthe Commentary of Al Baidh\u00e2wi\" . . . which \"belongs to the library of the\nDutch Church in Austin Friars.\"\n\tNow with regard to these manuscripts which Sale had in his \"own study\"\nwe happen to possess first-hand information, for a list of them was printed by\nthe executor of his will under the following title: \"A choice collection of\nmost curious and inestimable manuscripts in the Turkish, Arabic and Persian\nlanguages from the library of the late learned and ingenious Mr. George Sale.\nWhich books are now in the possession of Mr. William Hammerton Merchant in\nLothbury where they may be seen on Wednesdays and Fridays till either they are\nsold or sent abroad.  N.B. These MSS. are to be sold together and not\nseparately.\"  They were purchased in the first instance by the Rev. Thomas\nHunt of Oxford for the Radcliffe Library, and they are now permanently housed\nin the Bodleian Library.\n\tThe British Museum possesses a copy of this list which is drawn up in\nEnglish and French on opposite pages and comprises eighty-six works in all.\nThe list contains very few Arabic works of first-rate importance, but is rich\nin Turkish and Persian Histories.  What is most significant, however, is the\nfact that it contains hardly any of the Arabic works and none of the\nCommentaries which are referred to on every page of Sale's translation of the\nKor\u00e2n.\n\tI have therefore been forced to the conclusion that with the exception\nof Al-Baidh\u00e2wi, Sale's sources were all consulted at second hand; and an\nexamination of Marracci's great work makes the whole matter perfectly clear.\nSale says of Marracci's translation that it is \"generally speaking very exact;\nbut adheres to the Arabic idiom too literally to be easily understood . . . by\nthose who are not versed in the Muhammadan learning.  The notes he has added\nare indeed of great use; but his refutations, which swell the work to a large\nvolume, are of little or none at all, being often unsatisfactory, and\nsometimes impertinent.  The work, however, with all its faults is very\nvaluable, and I should be guilty of ingratitude, did I not acknowledge myself\nmuch obliged thereto; but still being in Latin it can be of no use to those\nwho understand not that tongue.\"\n\tSuch is Sale's own confession of his obligation to Marracci-but it does\nnot go nearly far enough.  A comparison of the two versions shows that so much\nhad been achieved by Marracci that Sale's work might almost have been\nperformed with a knowledge of Latin alone, as far as regards the quotations\nfrom Arabic authors.  I do not wish to imply that Sale did not know Arabic,\nbut I do maintain that his work as it stands gives a misleading estimate of\nhis original researches, and that his tribute to Marracci falls far short of\nhis actual indebtedness.\n\tIt must be mentioned that Marracci not only reproduced the whole of the\nArabic text of the Kor\u00e2n but furthermore gives the original text and the\ntranslation of all his quotations from Arabic writers.  It is indeed a\nprofoundly learned work and has never received the recognition it deserves.\nMarracci had at his disposal rich collections of MSS. belonging to the\nLibraries of Italy.  How he learnt his Arabic we do not know.  Voltaire says\nhe was never in the East.  He was confessor to Pope Innocent XI, and his work\nwhich appeared in Padua in 1698 is dedicated to the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold\nI.  By way of Introduction to his Kor\u00e2n Marracci published a companion folio\nvolume called Prodromus which contains practically all that was known in his\nday regarding Muhammad and the Religion of Islam.\n\tIt may in any case be claimed that the present work presents to the\nWestern student all the essentials of a preliminary study of Islam: for Sale's\ntranslation and footnotes will give him as clear an idea as can be obtained,\nwithout laborious years of study in Arabic, of what is regarded by so many\nmillions of men from Fez to the Far East as the revealed word of God and the\nunshakable basis of their faith.\n\tGeorge Sale was born about 1697 and died in 1736.  Every biography calls\nattention to the statement made by Voltaire in his Dictionnaire Philosophique\nto the effect that Sale spent over twenty years among the Arabs.  I think this\nmust have been a lapsus calami on Voltaire's part, because it is unlikely that\nhe would have invented such a story.  Sale must also have been well versed in\nHebrew, both biblical and post-biblical, as his numerous allusions to\nRabbinical writings testify.\n\tTwo years after the publication of his great work Sale died in Surrey\nStreet, Strand, his age being then under forty.  In 1720 he had been admitted\na student of the Inner Temple-son of Samuel Sale, citizen and merchant of\nLondon-and the same year the Patriarch of Antioch had sent Solomon Negri\n(Suleiman Alsadi) to London from Damascus to urge the Society for Promoting\nChristian Knowledge, then established in the Middle Temple, to issue an Arabic\nNew Testament for the Syrian Christians.  It is surmised that Negri was Sale's\nfirst instructor in Arabic, though Dadichi, the King's Interpreter, a learned\nGreek of Aleppo, guided him, we are told, \"through the labyrinth of oriental\ndialects.\"\n\tWhatever Sale may have known before-and he certainly had the gift of\nlanguages-it is on the Society's records that on August 30, 1726, he offered\nhis services as one of the correctors of the Arabic New Testament and soon\nbecame the chief worker on it, besides being the Society's solicitor and\nholding other honorary offices.  That translation of the New Testament into\nArabic was followed by the translation of the Kor\u00e2n into English.\n\tIn this edition the proper names have been left for the most part as in\nthe original, but the reader must understand that in Sale's day there was a\nfreedom in regard to oriental orthography that allowed of many variations.  In\nspite, however, of the want of a scientific system, Sale's transcription is on\nthe whole clear, and far less confusing than those adopted by contemporary\nAnglo-Indian scholars, who utterly distorted Muhammadan names-including place\nnames in India-by rendering the short a by u and so forth.  As a few examples\nof names spelled in more than one way, the correct modern way being given\nfirst, we have Al-Qor'\u00e1n, Coran, Kor\u00e2n, etc.; Muhammad, Mohammed, Mahomet,\netc.; Al-Baidh\u00e2wi, Al-Beid\u00e2wi; Muttalib, Motalleb, Motaleb, etc.; Jal\u00e2l ud-\nD\u00een, Jall\u00e2lo'dd\u00een; Anas, Ans; Khal\u00eefa, Caliph, Khalif, etc.\n\tIt is only within quite recent times that scholars have troubled to\nrender each letter of the Arabic alphabet by an equivalent and distinct letter\nof the Roman alphabet-and although no particular system has been universally\nadopted by European orientalists, every writer has some system by which any\nreader with a knowledge of Arabic is able to turn back every name into the\noriginal script.  The chief advantage of any such system is that a distinction\nis made between the two varieties of s, k, and t, and the presence of the\nillusive Arabic letter 'ayn is always indicated.\n\t\t\t\t\tE. DENISON ROSS.\n\n\n\nSir Edward Denison Ross\nC.I.E., Ph.D., ETC.\n\n[Written apparently sometime after 1877]\n\n\nTO THE READER.\n\n_______\n\nI IMAGINE it almost needless either to make an apology for publishing the\nfollowing translation, or to go about to prove it a work of use as well as\ncuriosity.  They must have a mean opinion of the Christian religion, or be but\nill grounded therein, who can apprehend any danger from so manifest a forgery:\nand if the religious and civil institutions of foreign nations are worth our\nknowledge, those of Mohammed, the lawgiver of the Arabians, and founder of an\nempire which in less than a century spread itself over a greater part of the\nworld than the Romans were ever masters of, must needs be so; whether we\nconsider their extensive obtaining, or our frequent intercourse with those who\nare governed thereby.  I shall not here inquire into the reasons why the law\nof Mohammed has met with so unexampled a reception in the world (for they are\ngreatly deceived who imagine it to have been propagated by the sword alone),\nor by what means it came to be embraced by nations which never felt the force\nof the Mohammedan arms, and even by those which stripped the Arabians of their\nconquests, and put an end to the sovereignty and very being of their Khal\u00eefs:\nyet it seems as if there was something more than what is vulgarly imagined in\na religion which has made so surprising a progress.  But whatever use an\nimpartial version of the Kor\u00e2n may be of in other respects, it is absolutely\nnecessary to undeceive those who, from the ignorant or unfair translations\nwhich have appeared, have entertained too favourable an opinion of the\noriginal, and also to enable us effectually to expose the imposture; none of\nthose who have hitherto undertaken that province, not excepting Dr. Prideaux\nhimself, having succeeded to the satisfaction of the judicious, for want of\nbeing complete masters of the controversy.  The writers of the Romish\ncommunion, in particular, are so far from having done any service in their\nrefutations of Mohammedism, that by endeavouring to defend their idolatry and\nother superstitions, they have rather contributed to the increase of that\naversion which the Mohammedans in general have to the Christian religion, and\ngiven them great advantages in the dispute.  The Protestants alone are able to\nattack the Kor\u00e2n with success; and for them, I trust, Providence has reserved\nthe glory of its overthrow.  In the meantime, if I might presume to lay down\nrules to be observed by those who attempt the conversion of the Mohammedans,\nthey should be the\n\n\n\nsame which the learned and worthy Bishop Kidder* has prescribed for the\nconversion of the Jews, and which may, mutatis mutandis, be equally applied to\nthe former, notwithstanding the despicable opinion that writer, for want of\nbeing better acquainted with them, entertained of those people, judging them\nscarce fit to be argued with.  The first of these rules is, To avoid\ncompulsion; which, though it be not in our power to employ at present, I hope\nwill not be made use of when it is.  The second is, To avoid teaching\ndoctrines against common sense; the Mohammedans not being such fools (whatever\nwe may think of them) as to be gained over in this case.  The worshipping of\nimages and the doctrine of transubstantiation are great stumbling-blocks to\nthe Mohammedans, and the Church which teacheth them is very unfit to bring\nthose people over.  The third is, To avoid weak arguments: for the Mohammedans\nare not to be converted with these, or hard words.  We must use them with\nhumanity, and dispute against them with arguments that are proper and cogent.\nIt is certain that many Christians, who have written against them, have been\nvery defective this way: many have used arguments that have no force, and\nadvanced propositions that are void of truth.  This method is so far from\nconvincing, that it rather serves to harden them.  The Mohammedans will be apt\nto conclude we have little to say, when we urge them with arguments that are\ntrifling or untrue.  We do but lose ground when we do this; and instead of\ngaining them, we expose ourselves and our cause also.  We must not give them\nill words neither; but must avoid all reproachful language, all that is\nsarcastical and biting: this never did good from pulpit or press.  The softest\nwords will make the deepest impression; and if we think it a fault in them to\ngive ill language, we cannot be excused when we imitate them.  The fourth rule\nis, Not to quit any article of the Christian faith to gain the Mohammedans.\nIt is a fond conceit of the Socinians, that we shall upon their principles be\nmost like to prevail upon the Mohammedans: it is not true in matter of fact.\nWe must not give up any article to gain them: but then the Church of Rome\nought to part with many practices and some doctrines.  We are not to design to\ngain the Mohammedans over to a system of dogma, but to the ancient and\nprimitive faith.  I believe nobody will deny but that the rules here laid down\nare just: the latter part of the third, which alone my design has given me\noccasion to practise, I think so reasonable, that I have not, in speaking of\nMohammed or his Kor\u00e2n, allowed myself to use those opprobrious appellations,\nand unmannerly expressions, which seem to be the strongest arguments of\nseveral who have written against them.  On the contrary, I have thought myself\nto treat both with common decency, and even to approve such\n\n\t\t\t\t*  In his Demonstr. of the Messias, Part III. chap. 2.\n\n\n\nparticulars as seemed to me to deserve approbation: for how criminal soever\nMohammed may have been in imposing a false religion on mankind, the praises\ndue to his real virtues ought not to be denied him; nor can I do otherwise\nthan applaud the candour of the pious and learned Spanhemius, who, though he\nowned him to have been a wicked impostor, yet acknowledged him to have been\nrichly furnished with natural endowments, beautiful in his person, of a subtle\nwit, agreeable behaviour, showing liberality to the poor, courtesy to every\none, fortitude against his enemies, and above all a high reverence for the\nname of GOD; severe against the perjured, adulterers, murderers, slanderers,\nprodigals, covetous, false witnesses, &c., a great preacher of patience,\ncharity, mercy, beneficence, gratitude, honouring of parents and superiors,\nand a frequent celebrator of the divine praises.*\n\tOf the several translations of the Kor\u00e2n now extant, there is but one\nwhich tolerably represents the sense of the original; and that being in Latin,\na new version became necessary, at least to an English reader.  What\nBibliander published for a Latin translation of that book deserves not the\nname of a translation; the unaccountable liberties therein taken and the\nnumberless faults, both of omission and commission, leaving scarce any\nresemblance of the original.  It was made near six hundred years ago, being\nfinished in 1143, by Robertus Retenensis, an English-man, with the assistance\nof Hermannus Dalmata, at the request of Peter, Abbot of Clugny, who paid them\nwell for their pains.\n\tFrom this Latin version was taken the Italian of Andrea Arrivabene,\nnotwithstanding the pretences in his dedication of its being done immediately\nfrom the Arabic;? wherefore it is no wonder if the transcript be yet more\nfaulty and absurd than the copy.?\n\tAbout the end of the fifteenth century, Johannes Andreas, a native of\nXativa in the kingdom of Valencia, who from a Mohammedan doctor became a\nChristian priest, translated not only the Kor\u00e2n, but also its glosses, and the\nseven books of the Sonna, out of Arabic into the Arragonian tongue, at the\ncommand of Martin Garcia,\u00a7 Bishop of Barcelona and Inquisitor of Arragon.\nWhether this translation were ever published or not I am wholly ignorant: but\nit may be presumed to have been the better done for being the work of one bred\nup in the\n\n\t*  Id certum, naturalibus egregi\u00e8 dotibus instructum Muhammedera, forma\npr\u00e6stanti, ingenio calido, moribus facetis, ac pr\u00e6 se ferentem liberalitatem\nin egenos. comitatem in singulos, fortitudinem in hostes, ac pr\u00e6 c\u00e6teris\nreverentiam divini nominis.-Severus fuit in perjuros, adulteros, homicidas,\nobtrectatores, prodigos, avaros, falsos testes, &c.  Magnus idem patienti\u00e6,\ncharitatis, misericordi\u00e6, beneficenti\u00e6, gratitudinis, honoris in parentes ac\nsuperiores pr\u00e6co, ut et divinarum laudum.  Hist. Eccles. Sec. VII. c. 7, lem.\n5 and 7.\n\t?  His words are: Questo libro, che gi\u00e0 havevo \u00e0 commune utilit\u00e0 di\nmolti fatto dal proprio testo Arabo tradurre nella nostra volgar lingua\nItaliana, &c.  And afterwards; Questo \u00e8 l'Alcorano di Macometto, il quale,\ncome ho gia detto, ho fatto dal suo idioma tradurre, &c.\n\t?  Vide Jos. Scalig. Epist. 361 et 362; et Selden. de Success. ad Leges\nEbr\u00e6or. p. 9.\n\t\u00a7  J. Andreas, in Pr\u00e6f. ad Tractat. suum de Confusione Sect\u00e6 Mahometan\u00e6.\n\n\n\nMohammedan religion and learning; though his refutation of that religion,\nwhich has had several editions, gives no great idea of his abilities.\n\tSome years within the last century, Andrew du Ryer, who had been consul\nof the French nation in Egypt, and was tolerably skilled in the Turkish and\nArabic languages, took the pains to translate the Kor\u00e2n into his own tongue:\nbut his performance, though it be beyond comparison preferable to that of\nRetenensis, is far from being a just translation; there being mistakes in\nevery page, besides frequent transpositions, omissions, and additions,* faults\nunpardonable in a work of this nature.  And what renders it still more\nincomplete is, the want of Notes to explain a vast number of passages, some of\nwhich are difficult, and others impossible to be understood, without proper\nexplications, were they translated ever so exactly; which the author is so\nsensible of that he often refers his reader to the Arabic commentators.\n\tThe English version is no other than a translation of Du Ryer's, and\nthat a very bad one; for Alexander Ross, who did it, being utterly\nunacquainted with the Arabic, and no great master of the French, has added a\nnumber of fresh mistakes of his own to those of Du Ryer; not to mention the\nmeanness of his language, which would make a better book ridiculous.\n\tIn 1698, a Latin translation of the Kor\u00e2n, made by Father Lewis\nMarracci, who had been confessor to Pope Innocent XI., was published at Padua,\ntogether with the original text, accompanied by explanatory notes and a\nrefutation.  This translation of Marracci's, generally speaking, is very\nexact; but adheres to the Arabic idiom too literally to be easily understood,\nunless I am much deceived, by those who are not versed in the Mohammedan\nlearning.  The notes he has added are indeed of great use; but his\nrefutations, which swell the work to a large volume, are of little or none at\nall, being often unsatisfactory, and sometimes impertinent.  The work,\nhowever, with all its faults, is very valuable, and I should be guilty of\ningratitude, did I not acknowledge myself much obliged thereto; but still,\nbeing in Latin, it can be of no use to those who understand not that tongue.\n\tHaving therefore undertaken a new translation, I have endeavoured to do\nthe original impartial justice; not having, to the best of my knowledge,\nrepresented it, in any one instance, either better or worse than it really is.\nI have thought myself obliged, indeed, in a piece which pretends to be the\nWord of GOD, to keep somewhat scrupulously close to the text; by which means\nthe language may, in some places, seem to express the Arabic a little too\nliterally to be elegant English: but this, I hope, has not happened often; and\nI flatter myself that the\n\n*  Vide Windet. de Vit\u00e2 Functorum statu, Sect. IX.\n\n\n\nstyle I have made use of will not only give a more genuine idea of the\noriginal than if I had taken more liberty (which would have been much more for\nmy ease), but will soon become familiar: for we must not expect to read a\nversion of so extraordinary a book with the same ease and pleasure as a modern\ncomposition.\n\tIn the Notes my view has been briefly to explain the text, and\nespecially the difficult and obscure passages, from the most approved\ncommentators, and that generally in their own words, for whose opinions or\nexpressions, where liable to censure, I am not answerable; my province being\nonly fairly to represent their expositions, and the little I have added of my\nown, or from European writers, being easily discernible.  Where I met with any\ncircumstance which I imagined might be curious or entertaining, I have not\nfailed to produce it.\n\tThe Preliminary Discourse will acquaint the reader with the most\nmaterial particulars proper to be known previously to the entering on the\nKor\u00e2n itself, and which could not so conveniently have been thrown into the\nNotes.  And I have taken care, both in the Preliminary Discourse and the\nNotes, constantly to quote my authorities and the writers to whom I have been\nbeholden; but to none have I been more so than to the learned Dr. Pocock,\nwhose Specimen Histori\u00e6 Arabum is the most useful and accurate work that has\nbeen hitherto published concerning the antiquities of that nation, and ought\nto be read by every curious inquirer into them.\n\tAs I have had no opportunity of consulting public libraries, the\nmanuscripts of which I have made use throughout the whole work have been such\nas I had in my own study, except only the Commentary of al Beid\u00e2wi and the\nGospel of St. Barnabas.  The first belongs to the library of the Dutch church\nin Austin Friars, and for the use of it I have been chiefly indebted to the\nReverend Dr. Bolten, one of the ministers of that church: the other was very\nobligingly lent me by the Reverend Dr. Holme, Rector of Hedley in Hampshire;\nand I take this opportunity of returning both those gentlemen my thanks for\ntheir favours.  The merit of al Beid\u00e2wi's commentary will appear from the\nfrequent quotations I have made thence; but of the Gospel of St. Barnabas\n(which I had not seen when the little I have said of it in the Preliminary\nDiscourse,* and the extract I had borrowed from M. de la Monnoye and M.\nToland,? were printed off), I must beg leave to give some further account.\n\tThe book is a moderate quarto, in Spanish, written in a very legible\nhand, but a little damaged towards the latter end.  It contains two hundred\nand twenty-two chapters of unequal length, and four hundred\n\n\t\t\t*  Sect. IV. p. 58.\t\t?  In not. ad cap. 3, p. 38\n\n\n\nand twenty pages; and is said, in the front, to be translated from the\nItalian, by an Arragonian Moslem, named Mostafa de Aranda.  There is a preface\nprefixed to it, wherein the discoverer of the original MS., who was a\nChristian monk, called Fra Marino, tells us that having accidentally met with\na writing of Iren\u00e6us (among others), wherein he speaks against St. Paul,\nalleging, for his authority, the Gospel of St. Barnabas, he became exceeding\ndesirous to find this gospel; and that GOD, of His mercy, having made him very\nintimate with Pope Sixtus V., one day, as they were together in that Pope's\nlibrary, his Holiness fell asleep, and he, to employ himself, reaching down a\nbook to read, the first he laid his hand on proved to be the very gospel he\nwanted: overjoyed at the discovery, he scrupled not to hide his prize in his\nsleeve, and on the Pope's awaking, took leave of him, carrying with him that\ncelestial treasure, by reading of which he became a convert to Mohammedism.\n\tThis Gospel of Barnabas contains a complete history of Jesus Christ from\nHis birth to His ascension; and most of the circumstances in the four real\nGospels are to be found therein, but many of them turned, and some artfully\nenough, to favour the Mohammedan system.  From the design of the whole, and\nthe frequent interpolations of stories and passages wherein Mohammed is spoken\nof and foretold by name, as the messenger of God, and the great prophet who\nwas to perfect the dispensation of Jesus, it appears to be a most barefaced\nforgery.  One particular I observe therein induces me to believe it to have\nbeen dressed up by a renegade Christian, slightly instructed in his new\nreligion, and not educated a Mohammedan (unless the fault be imputed to the\nSpanish, or perhaps the Italian translator, and not to the original compiler);\nI mean the giving to Mohammed the title of Messiah, and that not once or twice\nonly, but in several places; whereas the title of the Messiah, or, as the\nArabs write it, al Mas\u00eeh, i.e., Christ, is appropriated to Jesus in the Kor\u00e2n,\nand is constantly applied by the Mohammedans to Him, and never to their own\nprophet.  The passages produced from the Italian MS. by M. de la Monnoye are\nto be seen in this Spanish version almost word for word.\n\tBut to return to the following work.  Though I have freely censured the\nformer translations of the Kor\u00e2n, I would not therefore be suspected of a\ndesign to make my own pass as free from faults: I am very sensible it is not;\nand I make no doubt that the few who are able to discern them, and know the\ndifficulty of the undertaking, will give me fair quarter.  I likewise flatter\nmyself that they, and all considerate persons, will excuse the delay which has\nhappened in the publication of this work, when they are informed that it was\ncarried on at leisure times only, and amidst the necessary avocations of a\ntroublesome profession.\n\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n\n_________\n\n\nA TABLE\n\nOF THE\n\nSECTIONS OF THE PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE\n\n_________\n\n\nSECTION\tPage\nI.-Of the Arabs before Mohammed; or, as they express it, in the Time of\n\tIgnorance; their History, Religion, Learning, and Customs\t1\nII.-Of the State of Christianity, particularly of the Eastern Churches, and of\n\tJudaism, at time of Mohammed's appearance; and of the methods taken\n\tby him for the establishing his Religion, and the circumstances which\n\tconcurred thereto\t25\nIII.-Of the Kor\u00e2n itself, the Peculiarities of that Book; the manner of its\nbeing\n\twritten and published, and the General Design of it\t44\nIV.-Of the Doctrines and positive Precepts of the Kor\u00e2n which relate to Faith\nand\n\tReligious Duties\t54\nV.-Of certain Negative Precepts in the Kor\u00e2n\t95\nVI.-Of the Institutions of the Kor\u00e2n in Civil Affairs\t103\nVII.-Of the Months commanded by the Kor\u00e2n to be kept Sacred; and of the\nsetting\n\tapart of Friday for the especial service of God\t114\nVIII.-Of the principal Sects among the Mohammedans; and of those who have pre-\n\ttended to Prophecy among the Arabs, in or since the time of Mohammed\n\t117\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS\n\nOF\n\nTHE KORAN.\n\n\n______________\n\n\nCHAPTER\t\tPage\n1. Entitled, The Preface, or Introduction; containing 7 verses\t1\n2. Entitled, The Cow; containing 286 verses\t2\n3. Entitled, The Family of Imr\u00e2n; containing 200 verses\t32\n4. Entitled, Women; containing 175 verses\t53\n5. Entitled, The Table; containing 120 verses\t73\n6. Entitled, Cattle; containing 165 verses\t89\n7. Entitled, Al Araf; containing 206 verses\t105\n8. Entitled, The Spoils; containing 76 verses\t125\n9. Entitled, The Declaration of Immunity; containing 139 verses\t134\n10. Entitled, Jonas; containing 109 verses\t150\n11. Entitled, Hud; containing 123 verses\t158\n12. Entitled, Joseph; containing 111 verses\t169\n13. Entitled, Thunder; containing 43 verses\t181\n14. Entitled, Abraham; containing 52 verses\t186\n15. Entitled, Al Hejr; containing 99 verses\t191\n16. Entitled, The Bee; containing 128 verses\t195\n17. Entitled, The Night Journey; contianing 110 verses\t206\n18. Entitled, The Cave; containing 111 verses\t216\n19. Entitled, Mary; containing 80 verses\t227\n20. Entitled, T. H.; containing 134 verses\t233\n21. Entitled, The Prophets; containing 112 verses\t242\n22. Entitled, The Pilgrimage; containing 78 verses\t250\n23. Entitled, The True Believers; containing 118 verses\t257\n24. Entitled, Light; containing 74 verses\t262\n25. Entitled, Al Forkan; containing 77 verses\t271\n26. Entitled, The Poets; containing 227 verses\t276\n27. Entitled, The Ant; containing 93 verses\t283\n28. Entitled, The Story; containing 87 verses\t289\n29. Entitled, The Spider; containing 69 verses\t297\n30. Entitled, The Greeks; containing 60 verses\t302\n31. Entitled, Lokm\u00e2n; containing 34 verses\t306\n32. Entitled, Adoration; containing 29 verses\t309\n33. Entitled, The Confederates; containing 73 verses\t312\n34. Entitled, Saba; containing 54 verses\t321\n35. Entitled, The Creator; containing 45 verses\t326\n36. Entitled, Y. S; containing 83 verses\t330\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER\t\tPage\n37. Entitled, Those who rank themselves in Order; containing 182 verses\t334\n38. Entitled, S.; containing 86 verses\t339\n39. Entitled, The Troops; containing 75 verses\t344\n40. Entitled, The True Believer; containing 85 verses\t350\n41. Entitled, Are distinctly explained; containing 54 verses\t355\n42. Entitled, Consultation; containing 53 verses\t359\n43. Entitled, The Ornaments of Gold; containing 89 verses\t362\n44. Entitled, Smoke; containing 57 verses\t367\n45. Entitled, The Kneeling; containing 36 verses\t369\n46. Entitled, Al Ahkaf; containing 35 verses\t371\n47. Entitled, Mohammed; containing 38 verses\t374\n48. Entitled, The Victory; containing 29 verses\t377\n49. Entitled, The Inner Apartments; containing 18 verse\t381\n50. Entitled, K.; containing 45 verses\t383\n51. Entitled, The Dispersing; containing 60 verses\t385\n52. Entitled, The Mountain; containing 48 verses\t387\n53. Entitled, The Star; containing 61 verses\t389\n54. Entitled, The Moon; containing 55 verses\t391\n55. Entitled, The Merciful; containing 78 verses\t394\n56. Entitled, The Inevitable; containing 99 verses\t396\n57. Entitled, Iron; containing 29 verses\t399\n58. Entitled, She who disputed; containing 22 verses\t402\n59. Entitled, The Emigration; containing 24 verses\t404\n60. Entitled, She who is tried; containing 13 verses\t407\n61. Entitled, Battle Array; containing 14 verses\t409\n62. Entitled, The Assembly; containing 11 verses\t410\n63. Entitled, The Hypocrites; containing 11 verses\t412\n64. Entitled, Mutual Deceit; contianing 18 verses\t413\n65. Entitled, Divorce; containing 12 verses\t414\n66. Entitled, Prohibition; containing 12 verses\t415\n67. Entitled, The Kingdom; containing 30 verses\t418\n68. Entitled, The Pen; containing 52 verses\t419\n69. Entitled, The Infallible; containing 52 verses\t421\n70. Entitled, The Steps; containing 44 verses\t423\n71. Entitled, Noah; containing 28 verses\t424\n72. Entitled, The Genii; containing 28 verses\t426\n73. Entitled, The Wrapped up; containing 19 verses\t427\n74. Entitled, The Covered; containing 55 verses\t429\n75. Entitled, The Resurrection; containing 40 verses\t431\n76. Entitled, Man; containing 31 verses\t432\n77. Entitled, Those which are sent; containing 50 verses\t434\n78. Entitled, The News; containing 40 verses\t435\n79. Entitled, Those who tear forth; containing 46 verses\t436\n80. Entitled, He Frowned; containing 42 verses\t437\n81. Entitled, The Folding up; containing 29 verses\t438\n82. Entitled, The Cleaving in Sunder; containing 19 verses\t439\n83. Entitled, Those who give Short Measure or Weight; containing 36 verses\n\t440\n84. Entitled, The Rending in Sunder; containing 23 verses\t441\n85. Entitled, The Celestial Signs; containing 22 verses\t442\n86. Entitled, The Star which appeareth by Night; containing 17 verses\t443\n87. Entitled, The Most High; containing 19 verses\t443\n88. Entitled, The Overwhelming; containing 26 verses\t444\n\n\n\nCHAPTER\t\tPage\n89. Entitled, The Daybreak; containing 30 verses\t445\n90. Entitled, The Territory; containing 20 verses\t447\n91. Entitled, The Sun; containing 15 verses\t447\n92. Entitled, The Night; containing 21 verses\t448\n93. Entitled, The Brightness; containing 11 verses\t448\n94. Entitled, Have we not Opened; containing 8 verses\t449\n95. Entitled, The Fig; containing 8 verses\t449\n96. Entitled, Congealed Blood; containing 19 verses\t450\n97. Entitled, Al Kadr; containing 5 verses\t451\n98. Entitled, The Evidence; containing 8 verses\t451\n99. Entitled, The Earthquake, containing 8 verses\t452\n100. Entitled, The War Horses which run swiftly; containing 11 verses\t453\n101. Entitled, The Striking; containing 10 verses\t453\n102. Entitled, The Emulous Desire of Multiplying; containing 8 verses\t454\n103. Entitled, The Afternoon; containing 3 verses\t454\n104. Entitled, The Slanderer; containing 9 verses\t454\n105. Entitled, The Elephant; containing 5 verses\t455\n106. Entitled, Koreish; containing 4 verses\t456\n107. Entitled, Necessaries; containing 7 verses\t457\n108. Entitled, Al Cawthar; containing 3 verses\t457\n109. Entitled, The Unbelievers; containing 6 verses\t458\n110. Entitled, Assistance; containing 3 verses\t458\n111. Entitled, Abu Laheb; containing 5 verses\t459\n112. Entitled, The Declaration of God's Unity; containing 4 verses\t459\n113. Entitled, The Daybreak; containing 5 verses\t460\n114. Entitled, Men; containing 6 verses\t460\n\n\n\nTHE\n\nPRELIMINARY DISCOURSE\n\n\n\nSECTION I.\n\n\nOF THE ARABS BEFORE MOHAMMED; OR, AS THEY EXPRESS IT, IN THE TIME\n       OF IGNORANCE; THEIR HISTORY, RELIGION, LEARNING, AND CUSTOMS\n\n\nTHE Arabs, and the country they inhabit, which themselves call Jez\u00eerat al\nArab, or the Peninsula of the Arabians, but we Arabia, were so named from\nAraba, a small territory in the province of Teh\u00e2ma;1 to which Yarab the son of\nKaht\u00e2n, the father of the ancient Arabs, gave his name, and where, some ages\nafter, dwelt Ismael the son of Abraham by Hagar.  The Christian writers for\nseveral centuries speak of them under the appellation of Saracens; the most\ncertain derivation of which word is from shark, the east, where the\ndescendants of Joctan, the Kaht\u00e2n of the Arabs, are placed by Moses,2 and in\nwhich quarter they dwelt in respect to the Jews.3\n   The name of Arabia (used in a more extensive sense) sometimes comprehends\nall that large tract of land bounded by the river Euphrates, the Persian Gulf,\nthe Sindian, Indian, and Red Seas, and part of the Mediterranean: above two-\nthirds of which country, that is, Arabia properly so called, the Arabs have\npossessed almost from the Flood; and have made themselves masters of the rest,\neither by settlements or continual incursions; for which reason the Turks and\nPersians at this day call the whole Arabist\u00e2n, or the country of the Arabs.\n   But the limits of Arabia, in its more usual and proper sense, are much\nnarrower, as reaching no farther northward than the Isthmus, which runs from\nAila to the head of the Persian Gulf, and the borders of the territory of\nC\u00fbfa; which tract of land the Greeks nearly comprehended under the name of\nArabia the Happy.  The eastern geographers make Arabia Petr\u00e6a to belong partly\nto Egypt, and partly to Sh\u00e2m or Syria, and the desert Arabia they call the\ndeserts of Syria.4\n   Proper Arabia is by the oriental writers generally divided into five\nprovinces,5 viz., Yaman, Hej\u00e2z, Teh\u00e2ma, Najd, and Yam\u00e2ma; to which\n\n   1  Pocock, Specim. Hist. Arab. 33. \t2  Gen. x. 30.\t3  See Pocock,\nSpecim. 33, 34.\t\t4  Golius ad Alfragan. 78, 79.\n5  Strabo says Arabia Felix was in his time divided into five kingdoms, l. 16,\np. 1129.\n\n\n\n\nsome add Bahrein, as a sixth, but this province the more exact make part of\nIr\u00e1k;6 others reduce them all to two, Yaman and Hej\u00e2z, the last including the\nthree other provinces of Teh\u00e2ma, Najd, and Yam\u00e2ma.\n   The province of Yaman, so called either from its situation to the right\nhand, or south of the temple of Mecca, or else from the happiness and verdure\nof its soil, extends itself along the Indian Ocean from Aden to Cape Rasalgat;\npart of the Red Sea bounds it on the west and south sides, and the province of\nHej\u00e2z on the north.1  It is subdivided into several lesser provinces, as\nHadramaut, Shihr, Om\u00e2n, Najr\u00e2n, &c., of which Shihr alone produces the\nfrankincense.2  The metropolis of Yaman is Sanaa, a very ancient city, in\nformer times called Ozal, and much celebrated for its delightful situation;\nbut the prince at present resides about five leagues northward from thence, at\na place no less pleasant, called Hisn almaw\u00e2heb, or the Castle of delights.3\n   This country has been famous from all antiquity for the happiness of its\nclimate, its fertility and riches,4 which induced Alexander the Great, after\nhis return from his Indian expedition, to form a design of conquering it, and\nfixing there his royal seat; but his death, which happened soon after,\nprevented the execution of this project.5  Yet, in reality, great part of the\nriches which the ancients imagined were the produce of Arabia, came really\nfrom the Indies and the coasts of Africa; for the Egyptians, who had engrossed\nthat trade, which was then carried on by way of the Red Sea, to themselves,\nindustriously concealed the truth of the matter, and kept their ports shut to\nprevent foreigners penetrating into those countries, or receiving any\ninformation thence; and this precaution of theirs on the one side, and the\ndeserts, unpassable to strangers, on the other, were the reason why Arabia was\nso little known to the Greeks and Romans.  The delightfulness and plenty of\nYaman are owing to its mountains; for all that part which lies along the Red\nSea is a dry, barren desert, in some places ten or twelve leagues over, but in\nreturn bounded by those mountains, which being well watered, enjoy an almost\ncontinual spring, and, besides coffee, the peculiar produce of this country,\nyield great plenty and variety of fruits, and in particular excellent corn,\ngrapes, and spices.  There are no rivers of note in this country, for the\nstreams which at certain times of the year descend from the mountains, seldom\nreach the sea, being for the most part drunk up and lost in the burning sands\nof that coast.1\n   The soil of the other provinces is much more barren than that of Yaman; the\ngreater part of their territories being covered with dry sands, or rising into\nrocks, interspersed here and there with some fruitful spots, which receive\ntheir greatest advantages from their water and palm trees.\n   The province of Hej\u00e2z, so named because it divides Najd from Teh\u00e2ma, is\nbounded on the south by Yaman and Teh\u00e2ma, on the west by the Red Sea, on the\nnorth by the deserts of Syria, and on the east by the province of Najd.2  This\nprovince is famous for its two chief cities, Mecca and Medina, one of which is\ncelebrated for its temple, and having given birth to Mohammed; and the other\nfor being the\n\n   6  Gol. ad Alfragan. 79.\t1  La Roque, Voyage de l'Arab, heur. 121.\t2\nGol. ad Alfragan. 79, 87.\t\t3  Voyage de l'Arab, heur. 232.\t4\nVide Dionys. Perieges. v. 927, &c.\t5  Strabo, l. 16, p. 1132.  Arrian, 161.\n\t1  Voy. de l'Arab. heur. 121, 123, 153.\t2  Vide Gol. ad Alfrag. 98.\nAbulfeda Descr. Arab. p. 5.\n\n\n\nplace of his residence for the last ten years of his life, and of his\ninterment.\n   Mecca, sometimes also called Becca, which words are synonymous, and signify\na place of great concourse, is certainly one of the most ancient cities of the\nworld: it is by some3 thought to be the Mesa of the scripture,4 a name not\nunknown to the Arabians, and supposed to be taken form one of Ismael's sons.5\nIt is seated in a stony and barren valley, surrounded on all sides with\nmountains.6  The length of Mecca from south to north is about two miles, and\nits breadth from the foot of the mountain Ajyad, to the top of another called\nKoaika\u00e2n, about a mile.7  In the midst of this space stands the city, built of\nstone cut from the neighbouring mountains.8  There being no springs at Mecca,9\nat least none but what are bitter and unfit to drink,10 except only the well\nZemzem, the water of which, though far the best, yet cannot be drank of any\ncontinuance, being brackish, and causing eruptions in those who drink\nplentifully of it,11 the inhabitants are obliged to use rain-water which they\ncatch in cisterns.1  But this not being sufficient, several attempts were made\nto bring water thither from other places by aqueducts; and particularly about\nMohammed's time, Zobair, one of the principal men of the tribe of Koreish,\nendeavoured at a great expense to supply the city with water from Mount\nArafat, but without success; yet this was effected not many years ago, being\nbegun at the charge of a wife of Solim\u00e2n the Turkish emperor.2  But long\nbefore this, another aqueduct had been made from a spring at a considerable\ndistance, which was, after several years' labour, finished by the Khal\u00eef al\nMoktader.3\n   The soil about Mecca is so very barren as to produce no fruits but what are\ncommon in the deserts, though the prince or Shar\u00eef has a garden well planted\nat his castle of Marbaa, about three miles westward from the city, where he\nusually resides.  Having therefore no corn or grain of their own growth, they\nare obliged to fetch it from other places;4 and Hashem, Mohammed's great-\ngrandfather, then prince of his tribe, the more effectually to supply them\nwith provisions, appointed two caravans to set out yearly for that purpose,\nthe one in summer, and the other in winter: 5 these caravans of purveyors are\nmentioned in the Kor\u00e2n.  The provisions brought by them were distributed also\ntwice a year, viz., in the month of Rajeb, and at the arrival of the pilgrims.\nThey are supplied with dates in great plenty from the adjacent country, and\nwith grapes from Tayef, about sixty miles distant, very few growing at Mecca.\nThe inhabitants of this city are generally very rich, being considerable\ngainers by the prodigious concourse of people of almost all nations at the\nyearly pilgrimage, at which time there is a great fair or mart for all kinds\nof merchandise.  They have also great numbers of cattle, and particularly of\ncamels: however, the poorer sort cannot but live very indifferently in a place\nwhere almost every necessary of life must be purchased with money.\nNotwithstanding this great sterility\n\n   3  R.  Saadias in version.  Arab. Pentat. Sefer Juchasin. 135. b.\t4\nGen. x. 30.\t5  Gol. ad Alfrag. 82  See Gen. xxv. 15.\n6  Gol. ib. 98.  See Pitts' Account of the religion and manners of the\nMohammedans, p. 96.\t\t7  Sharif al Edrisi apud Poc. Specim. 122.\n\t8  Ibid.\t\t9  Gol. ad Alfragan. 99.\t10  Sharif al Edrisi ubi\nsupra, 124.\t11  Ibid. and Pitts ubi supra, p. 107.\t\t1  Gol. ad Alfrag.\n99.\t2  Ibid.\t\t3  Sharif al Edrisi ubi supra.\t\t4  Idem ib.\n5  Poc. Spec. 51\n\n\n\nnear Mecca, yet you are no sooner out of its territory than you meet on all\nsides with plenty of good springs and streams of running water, with a great\nmany gardens and cultivated lands.6\n   The temple of Mecca, and the reputed holiness of this territory, will be\ntreated of in a more proper place.\n   Medina, which till Mohammed's retreat thither was called Yathreb, is a\nwalled city about half as big as Mecca,7 built in a plain, salt in many\nplaces, yet tolerably fruitful, particularly in dates, but more especially\nnear the mountains, two of which, Ohod on the north, and Air on the south, are\nabout two leagues distant.  Here lies Mohammed interred1 in a magnificent\nbuilding, covered with a cupola, and adjoining to the east side of the great\ntemple, which is built in the midst of the city.2\n   The province of Teh\u00e2ma was so named from the vehement heat of its sandy\nsoil, and is also called Gaur from its low situation; it is bounded on the\nwest by the Red Sea, and on the other sides by Hej\u00e2z and Yaman, extending\nalmost from Mecca to Aden.3\n   The province of Najd, which word signifies a rising country, lies between\nthose of Yam\u00e2ma, Yaman, and Hej\u00e2z, and is bounded on the east by Irak.4\n   The province of Yam\u00e2ma, also called Ar\u00fbd from its oblique situation, in\nrespect of Yaman, is surrounded by the provinces of Najd, Teh\u00e2ma, Bahrein,\nOm\u00e2n, Shihr, Hadramaut, and Saba.  The chief city is Yam\u00e2ma, which gives name\nto the province: it was anciently called Jaw, and is particularly famous for\nbeing the residence of Mohammed's competitor, the false prophet Moseilama.5\n   The Arabians, the inhabitants of this spacious country, which they have\npossessed from the most remote antiquity, are distinguished by their own\nwriters into two classes, viz., the old lost Arabians, and the present.\n   The former were very numerous, and divided into several tribes, which are\nnow all destroyed, or else lost and swallowed up among the other tribes, nor\nare any certain memoirs or records extant concerning them;6 though the memory\nof some very remarkable events and the catastrophe of some tribes have been\npreserved by tradition, and since confirmed by the authority of the Kor\u00e2n.\n   The most famous tribes amongst these ancient Arabians were Ad, Tham\u00fbd,\nTasm, Jad\u00ees, the former Jorham, and Amalek.\n\n   6  Sharif al Edrisi ubi supra, 125.\t7  Id. Vulg\u00f2 Geogr. Nubiensis, 5.\n   1  Though the notion of Mohammed's being buried at Mecca has been so long\nexploded, yet several modern writers, whether through ignorance or negligence\nI will not determine, have fallen into it.  It shall here take notice only of\ntwo; one is Dr. Smith, who having lived some time in Turkey, seems to be\ninexcusable: that gentleman in his Epistles de Moribus ac Institutis Turcarum,\nno less than thrice mentions the Mohammedans visiting the tomb of their\nprophet at Mecca, and once his being born at Medina-the reverse of which is\ntrue (see Ep. I, p. 22, Ep. 2, p. 63 and 64).  The other is the publisher of\nthe last edition of Sir J. Mandevile's Travels, who on his author's saying\nvery truly (p. 50) that the said tomb was at Methone, i.e., Medina, undertakes\nto correct the name of the town, which is something corrupted, by putting at\nthe bottom of the page, Mecca.  The Abbot de Vertot, in his History of the\nOrder of Malta (vol. i. p. 410, ed. 8vo.), seems also to have confounded these\ntwo cities together, though he had before mentioned Mohammed's sepulchre at\nMedina.  However, he is certainly mistaken, when he says that one point of the\nreligion, both of the Christians and Mohammedans, was to visit, at least once\nin their lives, the tomb of the author of their respective faith.  Whatever\nmay be the opinion of some Christians, I am well assured the Mohammedans think\nthemselves under no manner of obligation in that respect.\n2  Gol. ad Alfragan. 97, Abulfeda Descr. Arab. p. 40.\t3  Gol. ubi sup. 95.\n\t4  Ibid. 94.\t5  Ibid. 95.\n6  Abulfarag, p. 159.\n\n\n\n   The tribe of Ad were descended from Ad, the son of Aws,1 the son of Aram,2\nthe son of Sem, the son of Noah, who, after the confusion of tongues, settled\nin al Ahk\u00e2f, or the winding sands in the province of Hadramaut, where his\nposterity greatly multiplied.  Their first king was Shed\u00e2d the son of Ad, of\nwhom the eastern writers deliver many fabulous things, particularly that he\nfinished the magnificent city his father had begun, wherein he built a fine\npalace, adorned with delicious gardens, to embellish which he spared neither\ncost nor labour, proposing thereby to create in his subjects a superstitious\nveneration of himself as a god.3  This garden or paradise was called the\ngarden of Irem, and is mentioned in the Kor\u00e2n,4 and often alluded to by the\noriental writers.  The city, they tell us, is still standing in the deserts of\nAden, being preserved by providence as a monument of divine justice, though it\nbe invisible, unless very rarely, when GOD permits it to be seen, a favour one\nColabah pretended to have received in the reign of the Khal\u00eef Mo\u00e2wiyah, who\nsending for him to know the truth of the matter, Colabah related his whole\nadventure; that as he was seeking a camel he had lost, he found himself on a\nsudden at the gates of this city, and entering it saw not one inhabitant, at\nwhich, being terrified, he stayed no longer than to take with him some fine\nstones which he showed the Khal\u00eef.5\n   The descendants of Ad in process of time falling from the worship of the\ntrue God into idolatry, GOD sent the prophet H\u00fbd (who is generally agreed to\nbe Heber6) to preach to and reclaim them.  But they refusing to acknowledge\nhis mission, or to obey him, GOD sent a hot and suffocating wind, which blew\nseven nights and eight days together, and entering at their nostrils passed\nthrough their bodies.7 and destroyed them all, a very few only excepted, who\nhad believed in H\u00fbd and retired with him to another place.8  That prophet\nafterwards returned into Hadramaut, and was buried near Hasec, where there is\na small town now standing called Kabr H\u00fbd, or the sepulchre of H\u00fbd.  Before\nthe Adites were thus severely punished, GOD, to humble them, and incline them\nto hearken to the preaching of his prophet, afflicted them with a drought for\nfour years, so that all their cattle perished, and themselves were very near\nit; upon which they sent Lokm\u00e2n (different from one of the same name who lived\nin David's time) with sixty others to Mecca to beg rain, which they not\nobtaining, Lokm\u00e2n with some of his company stayed at Mecca, and thereby\nescaped destruction, giving rise to a tribe called the latter Ad, who were\nafterward changed into monkeys.1\n   Some commentators on the Kor\u00e2n2 tell us these old Adites were of prodigious\nstature, the largest being 100 cubits high, and the least 60; which\nextraordinary size they pretend to prove by the testimony of the Kor\u00e2n.3\n   The tribe of Tham\u00fbd were the posterity of Tham\u00fbd the son of Gather4 the son\nof Aram, who falling into idolatry, the prophet S\u00e2leh was sent to bring them\nback to the worship of the true GOD.  This prophet lived between the time of\nH\u00fbd and of Abraham, and therefore cannot be the\n\n   1  Or Uz.  Gen. x. 22, 23.\t\t2  Vide Kor. c. 89.  Some make Ad the son\nof Amalek, the son of Ham; but the other is the received opinion.  See\nD'Herbel. 51.\t3  Vide Eund. 498.\t\t4  Cap. 89.\t5  D'Herbel. 51.\n\t6  The Jews acknowledge Heber to have been a great prophet.  Seder Olam.\np. 2.\t\t7  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t8  Poc. Spec. 35, &c.\t1  Ibid, 36.\n\t2  Jall\u00e2lo'ddin et Zamakhshari.\t3  Kor. c. 7.\t4  Or Gether, vide\nGen. x. 23.\n\n\n\nsame with the patriarch S\u00e2leh, as Mr. d'Herbelot imagines.5  The learned\nBochart with more probability takes him to be Phaleg.6  A small number of the\npeople of Tham\u00fbd hearkened to the remonstrances of S\u00e2leh, but the rest\nrequiring, as a proof of his mission, that he should cause a she-camel big\nwith young to come out of a rock in their presence, he accordingly obtained it\nof GOD, and the camel was immediately delivered of a young one ready weaned;\nbut they, instead of believing, cut the hamstrings of the camel and killed\nher; at which act of impiety GOD, being highly displeased, three days after\nstruck them dead in their houses by an earthquake and a terrible noise from\nheaven, which, some7 say, was the voice of Gabriel the archangel crying aloud,\n\"Die, all of you.\"  S\u00e2leh, with those who were reformed by him, were saved\nfrom this destruction; the prophet going into Palestine, and from thence to\nMecca,8 where he ended his days.\n   This tribe first dwelt in Yaman, but being expelled thence by Hamyar the\nson of S\u00e2ba,9 they settled in the territory of Hejr in the province of Hej\u00e2z,\nwhere their habitations cut out of the rocks, mentioned in the Kor\u00e2n,10 are\nstill to be seen, and also the crack of the rock whence the camel issued,\nwhich, as an eye-witness11 hath declared, is 60 cubits wide.  These houses of\nthe Tham\u00fbdites being of the ordinary proportion, are used as an argument to\nconvince those of a mistake who who this people to have been of a gigantic\nstature.12\n   The tragical destructions of these two potent tribes are often insisted on\nin the Kor\u00e2n, as instances of GOD'S judgment on obstinate unbelievers.\n   The tribe of Tasm were the posterity of L\u00fbd the son of Sem, and Jad\u00ees of\nthe descendants of Jether.1  These two tribes dwelt promiscuously together\nunder the government of Tasm, till a certain tyrant made a law that no maid of\nthe tribe of Jad\u00ees should marry unless first defloured by him;2 which the\nJadisians not enduring, formed a conspiracy, and inviting the king and chiefs\nof Tasm to an entertainment, privately hid their swords in the sand, and in\nthe midst of their mirth fell on them and slew them all, and extirpated the\ngreatest part of that tribe; however, the few who escaped obtaining aid of the\nking of Yaman, then (as is said) Dhu Habsh\u00e2n Ebn Akr\u00e2n,3 assaulted the Jad\u00ees\nand utterly destroyed them, there being scarce any mention made from that time\nof either of these tribes.4\n   The former tribe of Jorham (whose ancestor some pretend was one of the\neighty persons saved in the ark of Noah, according to a Mohammedan tradition5)\nwas contemporary with Ad, and utterly perished.6  The tribe of Amalek were\ndescended from Amalek the son of Eliphaz the son of Esau 7, though some of the\noriental authors say Amalek was the son of Ham the son of Noah,8 and others\nthe son of Azd the son of Sem.9  The posterity of this person rendered\nthemselves very powerful,10 and before the time of Joseph conquered the lower\nEgypt under\n\n   5  D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. 740.\t6  Bochart Geogr. Sac.\t7  See D'Herbel.\n366.\t8  Ebn Shohnah\n9  Poc. Spec. 57.\t\t10  Kor. c. 15.\t11  Abu Musa al Ashari.\t12.  Vide\nPoc. Spec. 37.\t1  Abulfeda.\n2  A like custom is said to have been i n some manors in England, and also in\nScotland, where it was called \"culliage,\" having been established by K. Ewen,\nand abolished by Malcolm III.  See Bayle's Dict. Art. Sixte IV., Rem. H.\n\t3  Poc. Spec. 60.\t4  Ibid. 37, &c.\t5  Ibid. p. 38.\t6  Ebn Shohnah.\n\t7  Gen. xxxvi. 12.\t\t8  Vide D'Herbelot, p. 110.\n9  Ebn Shohnah\t\t10  Vide Numb. xxiv. 20.\n\n\n\ntheir king Wal\u00eed, the first who took the name of Pharaoh, as the eastern\nwriters tell us;11 seeming by these Amalekites to mean the same people which\nthe Egyptian histories call Phoenician shepherds.12  But after they had\npossessed the throne of Egypt for some descents, they were expelled by the\nnatives, and at length totally destroyed by the Israelites.13\n   The present Arabians, according to their own historians, are sprung from\ntwo stocks, Kaht\u00e2n, the same with Joctan the son of Eber,14 and Adn\u00e2n\ndescended in a direct line from Ismael the son of Abraham and Hagar; the\nposterity of the former they call al Arab al Ariba,15 i.e., the genuine or\npure Arabs, and those of the latter al Arab al most\u00e1reba, i.e., naturalized or\ninstitious Arabs, though some reckon the ancient lost tribes to have been the\nonly pure Arabians, and therefore call the posterity of Kaht\u00e2n also M\u00f3tareba,\nwhich word likewise signifies insititious Arabs, though in a nearer degree\nthan Most\u00e1reba; the descendants of Ismael being the more distant graff.\n   The posterity of Ismael have no claim to be admitted as pure Arabs, their\nancestor being by origin and language an Hebrew; but having made an alliance\nwith the Jorhamites, by marrying a daughter of Modad, and accustomed himself\nto their manner of living and language, his descendants became blended with\nthem into one nation.  The uncertainty of the descents between Ismael and\nAdn\u00e2n is the reason why they seldom trace their genealogies higher than the\nlatter, whom they acknowledge as father of their tribes, the descents from him\ndownwards being pretty certain and uncontroverted.1\n   The genealogy of these tribes being of great use to illustrate the Arabian\nhistory, I have taken the pains to form a genealogical table from their most\napproved authors, to which I refer the curious.\n   Besides these tribes of Arabs mentioned by their own authors, who were all\ndescended from the race of Sem, others of them were the posterity of Ham by\nhis son Cush, which name is in scripture constantly given to the Arabs and\ntheir country, though our version renders it Ethiopia; but strictly speaking,\nthe Cushites did not inhabit Arabia properly so called, but the banks of the\nEuphrates and the Persian Gulf, whither they came form Chuzest\u00e2n or Susiana,\nthe original settlement of their father.2  They might probably mix themselves\nin process of time with the Arabs of the other race, but the eastern writers\ntake little or no notice of them.\n   The Arabians were for some centuries under the government of the\ndescendants of K\u00e2htan; Y\u00e1rab, one of his sons, founding the kingdom of Yaman,\nand Jorham, another of them, that of Hej\u00e2z.\n   The province of Yaman, or the better part of it, particularly the provinces\nof Saba and Hadramaut, was governed by princes of the tribe of Hamyar, though\nat length the kingdom was translated to the descendants of Cahl\u00e2n, his\nbrother, who yet retained the title of king of Hamyar, and had all of them the\ngeneral title of Tobba, which signifies successor, and was affected to this\nrace of princes, as that of\n\n   11  Mir\u00e2t Ca\u00efn\u00e2t.\t\t12  Vide Joseph. cont. Apion. l. i.\t13  Vide\nExod. xvii. 18, &c.; I Sam. xv. 2, &c.; ibid. xxvii. 8, 9; I Chron. iv. 43.\n\t14  R. Saad. in vers. Arab. Pentat. Gen. x. 25.  Some writers make\nKaht\u00e2n a descendant of Ismael, but against the current of oriental historians.\nSee Poc. Spec. 39.\t\t15  An expression something like that of St.\nPaul, who calls himself \"an Hebrew of the Hebrews,\" Philip. iii. 5.\n\t1  Poc. Spec. p. 40.\t2  Vide Hyde Hist. Rel. veter. Persar. p. 37,\n&c.\n\n\n\n\n\nC\u00e6sar was to the Roman emperors, and Khal\u00eef to the successors of Mohammed.\nThere were several lesser princes who reigned in other parts of Yaman, and\nwere mostly, if not altogether, subject to the king of Hamyar, whom they\ncalled the great king, but of these history has recorded nothing remarkable or\nthat may be depended upon.1\n   The first great calamity that befell the tribes settled in Yaman was the\ninundation of Aram, which happened soon after the time of Alexander the Great,\nand is famous in the Arabian history.  No less than eight tribes were forced\nto abandon their dwellings upon this occasion, some of which gave rise to the\ntwo kingdoms of Ghass\u00e2n and Hira.  And this was probably the time of the\nmigration of those tribes or colonies which were led into Mesopotamia by three\nchiefs,Becr, Modar, and Rab\u00eea, from whom the three provinces of that country\nare still named Diyar Becr, Diyar Modar, and Diyar Rab\u00eea.2  Abdshems, surnamed\nSaba, having built the city from him called Saba, and afterwards Mareb, made a\nvast mound, or dam,3 to serve as a basin or reservoir to receive the water\nwhich came down from the mountains, not only for the use of the inhabitants,\nand watering their lands, but also to keep the country they had subjected in\ngreater awe by being masters of the water.  This building stood like a\nmountain above their city, and was by them esteemed so strong that they were\nin no apprehension of its ever failing.  The water rose to the height of\nalmost twenty fathoms, and was kept in on every side by a work so solid, that\nmany of the inhabitants had their houses built upon it.  Every family had a\ncertain portion of this water, distributed by aqueducts.  But at length, GOD,\nbeing highly displeased at their great pride and insolence, and resolving to\nhumble and disperse them, sent a mighty flood, which broke down the mound by\nnight while the inhabitants were asleep, and carried away the whole city, with\nthe neighbouring towns and people.4\n   The tribes which remained in Yaman after this terrible devastation still\ncontinued under the obedience of the former princes, till about seventy years\nbefore Mohammed, when the king of Ethiopia sent over forces to assist the\nChristians of Yaman against the cruel persecution of their king, Dhu Now\u00e2s, a\nbigoted Jew, whom they drove to that extremity that he forced his horse into\nthe sea, and so lost his life and crown,5 after which the country was governed\nby four Ethiopian princes successively, till Selif, the son of Dhu Yazan, of\nthe tribe of Hamyar, obtaining succours from Khosr\u00fb Anushirw\u00e2n, king of\nPersia, which had been denied him by the emperor Heraclius, recovered the\nthrone and drove out the Ethiopians, but was himself slain by some of them who\nwere left behind.  The Persians appointed the succeeding princes till Yaman\nfell into the hands of Mohammed, to whom Bazan, or rather Badh\u00e2n, the last of\nthem, submitted, and embraced this new religion.1\n   This kingdom of the Hammyarites is said to have lasted 2,020 years,2 or as\nothers say above 3,000;3 the length of the reign of each prince being very\nuncertain.\n   It has been already observed that two kingdoms were founded by those who\nleft their country on occasion of the inundation of Aram:\n\n   1  Poc. Spec. p. 65, 66.\t\t2  Vide Gol. ad Alfrag. p. 232.\t3\nPoc. Spec. p. 57.\t4  Geogr. Nubiens. p. 52.\n5  See Prideaux's Life of Mahomet, p. 61.\t1  Poc. Spec. p. 63, 64.\t2\nAbulfeda.\t3  Al Jann\u00e2bi and Ahmed Ebn Yusef.\n\n\n\n\nthey were both out of the proper limits of Arabia.  One of them was the\nkingdom of Ghass\u00e2n.  The founders of this kingdom were of the tribe of Azd,\nwho, settling in Syria Damascena near a water called Ghass\u00e2n, thence took\ntheir name, and drove out (the Dajaamian Arabs of the tribe of Sal\u00eeh, who\nbefore possessed the country;4 where they maintained their kingdom 400 years,\nas others say 600, or as Abulfeda more exactly computes, 616.  Five of these\nprinces were named H\u00e2reth, which the Greeks write Aretas: and one of them it\nwas whose governor ordered the gates of Damascus to be watched to take St.\nPaul.5  This tribe were Christians, their last king being Jabalah the son of\nal Ayham, who on the Arabs' successes in Syria professed Mohammedism under the\nKhal\u00eef Omar; but receiving a disgust from him, returned to his former faith,\nand retired to Constantinople.6\n   The other kingdom was that of Hira, which was founded by Malec, of the\ndescendants of Cahl\u00e2n7 in Chaldea or Ir\u00e2k; but after three descents the throne\ncame by marriage to the Lakhmians, called also the Mondars (the general name\nof those princes), who preserved their dominion, notwithstanding some small\ninterruption by the Persians, till the Khal\u00eefat of Abubecr, when al Mondar al\nMaghr\u00fbr, the last of them, lost his life and crown by the arms of Khaled Ebn\nal Wal\u00eed.  This kingdom lasted 622 years eight months.8  Its princes were\nunder the protection of the kings of Persia, whose lieutenants they were over\nthe Arabs of Ir\u00e2k, as the kings of Ghass\u00e2n were for the Roman emperors over\nthose of Syria.9\n   Jorham the son of Kaht\u00e2n reigned in Hej\u00e2z, where his posterity kept the\nthrone till the time of Ismael; but on his marrying the daughter of Modad, by\nwhom he had twelve sons, Kidar, one of them, had the crown resigned to him by\nhis uncles the Jorhamites,1 though others say the descendants of Ismael\nexpelled that tribe, who retiring to Johainah, were, after various fortune, at\nlast all destroyed by an inundation.2\n   Of the kings of Hamyar, Hira, Ghass\u00e2n, and Jorham, Dr. Pocock has given us\ncatalogues tolerably exact, to which I refer the curious.3\n   After the expulsion of the Jorhamites, the government of Hej\u00e2z seems not to\nhave continued for many centuries in the hands of one prince, but to have been\ndivided among the heads of tribes, almost in the same manner as the Arabs of\nthe desert are governed at this day.  At Mecca an aristocracy prevailed, where\nthe chief management of affairs till the time of Mohammed was in the tribe of\nKoreish, especially after they had gotten the custody of the Caaba from the\ntribe of Khoz\u00e2ah.4\n   Besides the kingdoms which have been taken notice of, there were some other\ntribes which in latter times had princes of their own, and formed states of\nlesser note, particularly the tribe of Kenda:5 but as I am not writing a just\nhistory of the Arabs, and an account of them would be of no great use ot my\npresent purpose, I shall waive any further mention of them.\n   After the time of Mohammed, Arabia was for about three centuries under the\nKhal\u00eefs his successors.  But in the year 325 of the Hejra,\n\n   4  Poc. Spec. p. 76.\t5  2 Cor. xi. 32; Acts ix. 24.\t6  Vide Ockley's\nHistory of the Saracens, vol. i. p. 174.\t7  Poc. Spec. p. 66.\n8  Ibid. p. 74.\t9  Ibid. and Procop. in Pers. apud Photium. p. 71, &c.\n\t1  Poc. Spec. p. 45.\t2  Ibid. p. 79.\n3  Ibid. p. 55, seq.\t4  Vide ibid. p. 41, and Prideaux's Life of Mahomet,\np. 2.\t\t5  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 79, &c.\n\n\n\n\n\ngreat part of that country was in the hands of the Karmatians,6 a new sect who\nhad committed great outrages and disorders even in Mecca, and to whom the\nKhal\u00eefs were obliged to pay tribute, that the pilgrimage thither might be\nperformed: of this sect I may have occasion to speak in another place.\nAfterwards Yaman was governed by the house of Thabateba, descended from Ali\nthe son-in-law of Mohammed, whose sovereignty in Arabia some place so high as\nthe time of Charlemagne.  However, it was the posterity of Ali, or pretenders\nto be such, who reigned in Yaman and Egypt so early as the tenth century.  The\npresent reigning family in Yaman is probably that of Ayub, a branch of which\nreigned there in the thirteenth century, and took the title of Khal\u00eef and\nIm\u00e2m, which they still retain.7  They are not possessed of the whole province\nof Yaman,8 there being several other independent kingdoms there, particularly\nthat of Fartach.  The crown of Yaman descends not regularly from father to\nson, but the prince of the blood royal who is most in favour with the great\nones, or has the strongest interest, generally succeeds.9\n   The governors of Mecca and Medina, who have always been of the race of\nMohammed, also threw off their subjection to the Khal\u00eefs, since which time\nfour principal families, all descended from Hassan the son of Ali, have\nreigned there under the title of Shar\u00eef, which signifies noble, as they reckon\nthemselves to be on account of their descent.  These are Banu K\u00e2der, Banu M\u00fbsa\nThani, Banu Hashem, and Banu Kit\u00e2da;1 which last family now is, or lately was,\nin the throne of Mecca, where they have reigned above 500 years.  The reigning\nfamily at Medina are the Banu Hashem, who also reigned at Mecca before those\nof Kit\u00e2da.2\n   The kings of Yaman, as well as the princes of Mecca and Medina, are\nalsolutely independent3 and not at all subject to the Turk, as some late\nauthors have imagined.4  These princes often making cruel wars among\nthemselves, gave an opportunity to Selim I. and his son Solim\u00e2n, to make\nthemselves masters of the coasts of Arabia on the Red Sea, and of part of\nYaman, by means of a fleet built at Sues: but their successors have not been\nable to maintain their conquests; for, except the port of Jodda, where they\nhave a Basha whose authority is very small, they possess nothing considerable\nin Arabia.5\n   Thus have the Arabs preserved their liberty, of which few nations can\nproduce so ancient monuments, with very little interruption, from the very\nDeluge; for though very great armies have been sent against them, all attempts\nto subdue them were unsuccessful.  The Assyrian or Median empires never got\nfooting among them.6  The Persian monarchs, though they were their friends,\nand so far respected by them as to have an annual present of frankincense,7\nyet could never make them tributary;8 and were so far from being their\nmasters, that Cambyses, on his expedition against Egypt, was obliged to ask\ntheir leave to pass through their territories;9 and when Alexander had subdued\nthat mighty empire, yet the Arabians had so little apprehension of him, that\nthey alone, of\n\n   6  Vide Elmacin. in vita al R\u00e2di.\t7  Voyage de l-Arab. heur. p. 255.\n\t8  Ibid. 153, 273.\t\t9  Ibid. 254.\t1  Ibid. 143.\t2\nIbid. 145.\t3  Ibid. 143, 148.\t\t4  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p.\n477.\t5  Voy. de l'Arab. heur. p. 148.\t\t6  Diodor. Sic. 1. 2, p. 131.\n\t7  Herodot. 1  3, c. 97.\t\t8  Idem ib. c. 91.  Diodor. ubi sup.\n\t\t9  Herodot. 1. 3, c. 8 and 98.\n\n\n\n\n\nall the neighbouring nations, sent no ambassadors to him, either first or\nlast; which, with a desire of possessing so rich a country, made him form a\ndesign against it, and had he not died before he could put it in execution,10\nthis people might possibly have convinced him that he was not invincible: and\nI do not find that any of his successors, either in Asia or Egypt, ever made\nany attempt against them.1  The Romans never conquered any part of Arabia\nproperly so called; the most they did was to make some tribes in Syria\ntributary to them, as Pompey did one commanded by Sampsiceramus or\nShams'alker\u00e2m, who reigned at Hems or Emesa;2 but none of the Romans, or any\nother nations that we know of, ever penetrated so far into Arabia as \u00c6lius\nGallus under Augustus C\u00e6sar;3 yet he was so far from subduing it, as some\nauthors pretend,4 that he was soon obliged to return without effecting\nanything considerable, having lost the best part of his army by sickness and\nother accidents.5  This ill success probably discouraged the Romans from\nattacking them any more; for Trajan, notwithstanding the flatteries of the\nhistorians and orators of his time, and the medals struck by him, did not\nsubdue the Arabs; the province of Arabia, which it is said he added to the\nRoman empire, scarce reaching farther than Arabia Petr\u00e6a, or the very skirts\nof the country.  And we are told by one author,6 that this prince, marching\nagainst the Agarens who had revolted, met with such a reception that he was\nobliged to return without doing anything.\n   The religion of the Arabs before Mohammed, which they call the state of\nignorance, in opposition to the knowledge of GOD'S true worship revealed to\nthem by their prophet, was chiefly gross idolatry; the Sabian religion having\nalmost overrun the whole nation, though there were also great numbers of\nChristians, Jews, and Magians among them.\n   I shall not here transcribe what Dr. Prideaux7 has written of the original\nof the Sabian religion; but instead thereof insert a brief account of the\ntenets and worship of that sect.  They do not only believe one GOD, but\nproduce many strong arguments for His unity, though they also pay an adoration\nto the stars, or the angels and intelligences which they suppose reside in\nthem, and govern the world under the Supreme Deity.  They endeavour to perfect\nthemselves in the four intellectual virtues, and believe the souls of the\nwicked men will be punished for nine thousand ages, but will afterwards be\nreceived to mercy.  They are obliged to pray three times8 a day; the first,\nhalf an hour or less before sunrise, ordering it so that they may, just as the\nsun rises, finish eight adorations, each containing three prostrations;9 the\nsecond prayer they end at noon, when the sun begins to decline, in saying\nwhich they perform five such adorations as the former: and in the same they do\nthe third time, ending just as the sun sets.  They fast three times a year,\nthe first time thirty days, the next nine days, and the last seven.  They\noffer many sacrifices, but eat no part of them, burning them all.  They\nabstain from beans, garlic, and some other pulse and vegetables.1  As\n\n   10  Strabo, l. 16, p. 1076, 1132.\t\t1  Vide Diodor. Sic. ubi\nsupra.\t2  Strabo, l. 16, p. 1092.\t\t3  Dion Cassius, l. 53, p. m.\n516\t\t4  Huet, Hist. du Commerce et de la Navigation des Anciens, c. 50.\n\t\t5  See the whole expedition described at large by Strabo, l. 16,\np. 1126, &c.\t\t6  Xiphilin. epit.\t\t7  Connect. of the Hist.\nof the Old and New Test. p. 1, bk. 3.\t\t8  Some say seven.  See\nD'Herbelot, p. 726, and Hyde de Rel. Vet. Pers. p. 128\n9  Others say they use no incurvations or prostrations at all; vide Hyde ibid.\n\t\t1  Abulfarag, Hist. Dynast. p. 281, &c.\n\n\n\nto the Sabian Kebla, or part to which they turn their faces in praying,\nauthors greatly differ; one will have it to be the north,2 another the south,\na third Mecca, and a fourth the star to which they pay their devotions:3 and\nperhaps there may be some variety in their practice in this respect.  They go\non pilgrimage to a place near the city of Harran in Mesopotamia, where great\nnumbers of them dwell, and they have also a great respect for the temple of\nMecca, and the pyramids of Egypt;4 fancying these last to be the sepulchres of\nSeth, and of Enoch and Sabi his two sons, whom they look on as the first\npropagators of their religion; at these structures they sacrifice a cock and a\nblack calf, and offer up incense.5  Besides the book of Psalms, the only true\nscripture they read, they have other books which they esteem equally sacred,\nparticularly one in the Chaldee tongue which they call the book of Seth, and\nis full of moral discourses.  This sect say they took the name of Sabians from\nthe above-mentioned Sabi, though it seems rather to be derived from Saba,6 or\nthe host of heaven, which they worship.7  Travellers commonly call them\nChristians of St. John the Baptist, whose disciples also they pretend to be,\nusing a kind of baptism, which is the greatest mark they bear of Christianity.\nThis is one of the religions, the practice of which Mohammed tolerated (on\npaying tribute), and the professors of it are often included in that\nexpression of the Kor\u00e2n, \"those to whom the scriptures have been given,\" or\nliterally, the people of the book.\n   The idolatry of the Arabs then, as Sabians, chiefly consisted in\nworshipping the fixed stars and planets, and the angels and their images,\nwhich they honoured as inferior deities, and whose intercession they begged,\nas their mediators with GOD.  For the Arabs acknowledged one supreme GOD, the\nCreator and LORD of the universe, whom they called Allah Ta\u00e2la, the most high\nGOD; and their other deities, who were subordinate to him, they called simply\nal Ilah\u00e2t, i.e., the goddesses; which words the Grecians not understanding,\nand it being their constant custom to resolve the religion of every other\nnation into their own, and find out gods of their to match the others', they\npretend that the Arabs worshipped only two deities, Orotalt and Alilat, as\nthose names are corruptly written, whom they will have to be the same with\nBacchus and Urania; pitching on the former as one of the greatest of their own\ngods, and educated in Arabia, and on the other, because of the veneration\nshown by the Arabs to the stars.1\n   That they acknowledged one supreme GOD, appears, to omit other proof, from\ntheir usual form of addressing themselves to him, which was this, \"I dedicate\nmyself to thy service, O GOD!  Thou hast no companion, except thy companion of\nwhom thou art absolute master, and of whatever is his.\"2  So that they\nsupposed the idols not to be sui juris, though they offered sacrifices and\nother offerings to them, as well as to GOD, who was also often put off with\nthe least portion, as Mohammed upbraids them.  Thus when they planted fruit\ntrees, or sowed a field, they divided it by a line into two parts, setting one\napart\n\n   2  Idem ibid.\t\t3  Hyde ubi supr. p. 124, &c.\t\t4  D'Herbel. ubi\nsupr.\t5  See Greaves' Pyramidogr. p. 6, 7.\t\t6  Vide Poc. Spec. p.\n138.\t\t7  Thabet Ebn Korrah, a famous astronomer, and himself a Sabian,\nwrote a treatise in Syriac concerning the doctrines, rites, and ceremonies of\nthis sect; from which, if it could be recovered, we might expect much better\ninformation than any taken from the Arabian writers; vide Abulfarag, ubi sup.\n\t1  Vide Herodot. 1. 3, c. 8; Arrian, p. 161, 162, and Strab. l. 16.\n\t2  Al Shahrestani.\n\n\n\n\n\nfor their idols, and the other for GOD; if any of the fruits happened to fall\nfrom the idol's part into GOD'S, they made restitution; but if from GOD'S part\ninto the idol's, they made no restitution.  So when they watered the idol's\ngrounds, if the water broke over the channels made for that purpose, and ran\non GOD'S part, they damned it up again; but if the contrary, they let it run\non, saying, they wanted what was GOD'S, but he wanted nothing.3  In the same\nmanner, if the offering designed for GOD happened to be better than that\ndesigned for the idol, they made an exchange, but not otherwise.4\n   It was from this gross idolatry, or the worship of inferior deities, or\ncompanions of GOD, as the Arabs continue to call them, that Mohammed reclaimed\nhis countrymen, establishing the sole worship of the true GOD among them; so\nthat how much soever the Mohammedans are to blame in other points, they are\nfar from being idolaters, as some ignorant writers have pretended.\n   The worship of the stars the Arabs might easily be led into, from their\nobserving the changes of weather to happen at the rising and setting of\ncertain of them,5 which after a long course of experience induced them to\nascribe a divine power to those stars, and to think themselves indebted to\nthem for their rains, a very great benefit and refreshment to their parched\ncountry: this superstition the Kor\u00e2n particularly takes notice of.1\n   The ancient Arabians and Indians, between which two nations was a great\nconformity of religions, had seven celebrated temples, dedicated to the seven\nplanets; one of which in particular, called Beit Ghomd\u00e2n, was built in Sanaa,\nthe metropolis of Yaman, by Dahac, to the honour of al Zoharah or the planet\nVenus, and was demolished by the Khal\u00eef Othman;2 by whose murder was fulfilled\nthe prophetical inscription set, as is reported, over this temple, viz.,\n\"Ghomd\u00e2n, he who destroyeth thee shall be slain.3  The temple of Mecca is also\nsaid to have been consecrated to Zohal, or Saturn.4\n   Though these deities were generally reverenced by the whole nation, yet\neach tribe chose some one as the more peculiar object of their worship.\n   Thus as to the stars and planets, the tribe of Hamyar chiefly worshipped\nthe sun; Misam,5 al Debar\u00e2n, or the Bull's-eye; Lakhm and Jod\u00e2m, al Moshtari,\nor Jupiter; Tay, Sohail, or Canopus; Kais, Sirius, or the Dog-star; and Asad,\nOt\u00e2red, or Mercury.6  Among the worshippers of Sirius, one Abu Cabsha was very\nfamous; some will have him to be the same with Waheb, Mohammed's grandfather\nby the mother, but others say he was of the tribe of Khoz\u00e2ah.  This man used\nhis utmost endeavours to persuade the Koreish to leave their images and\nworship this star; for which reason Mohammed, who endeavoured also to make\nthem leave their images, was by them nicknamed the son of Abu Cabsha.7  The\nworship of this star is particularly hinted at in the Kor\u00e2n.8\n   Of the angels or intelligences which they worshipped, the Kor\u00e2n,9 makes\nmention only of three, which were worshipped under female names;10  Allat, al\nUzza, and Manah.  These were by them called\n\n   3  Nodhm al dorr.\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t5  Vide Post.\t1\nVide Poc. Spec. p. 163.\t\t2  Shahrestani.\t\t3  Al Jann\u00e2bi.\n\t4  Shahrestani.\t5  This name seems to be corrupted, there being no\nsuch among the Arab tribes.  Poc. Spec. p. 130.\t\t6  Abulfarag, p. 160.\n\t7  Poc. Spec. p. 132.\t8  Cap. 53.\n9  Ibid.\t\t10  Ibid.\n\n\n\ngoddesses, and the daughters of GOD; an appellation they gave not only to the\nangels, but also to their images, which they either believed to be inspired\nwith life by GOD, or else to become the tabernacles of the angels, and to be\nanimated by them; and they gave them divine worship, because they imagined\nthey interceded for them with GOD.\n   All\u00e2t was the idol of the tribe of Thak\u00eef who dwelt at Tayef, and had a\ntemple consecrated to her in a place called Nakhlah.  This idol al Mogheirah\ndestroyed by Mohammed's order, who sent him and Abu Sofi\u00e2n on that commission\nin the ninth year of the Hejra.1  The inhabitants of Tayef, especially the\nwomen, bitterly lamented the loss of this their deity, which they were so fond\nof, that they begged of Mohammed as a condition of peace, that it might not be\ndestroyed for three years, and not obtaining that, asked only a month's\nrespite; but he absolutely denied it.2  There are several derivations of this\nword which the curious may learn from Dr. Pocock:3 it seems most probably to\nbe derived from the same root with Allah, to which it may be a feminine, and\nwill then signify the goddess.\n   Al Uzza, as some affirm, was the idol of the tribes of Koreish and\nKen\u00e2nah,4 and part of the tribe of Salim:5 others6 tell us it was a tree called\nthe Egyptian thorn, or acacia, worshipped by the tribe of Ghatf\u00e2n, first\nconsecrated by one Dh\u00e2lem, who built a chapel over it, called Boss, so\ncontrived as to give a sound when any person entered.  Kh\u00e2led Ebn Wal\u00eed being\nsent by Mohammed in the eighth year of the Hejra to destroy this idol,\ndemolished the chapel, and cutting down this tree or image, burnt it: he also\nslew the priestess, who ran out with her hair dishevelled, and her hands on\nher head as a suppliant.  Yet the author who relates this, in another place\nsays, the chapel was pulled down, and Dh\u00e2lem himself killed by one Zohair,\nbecause he consecrated this chapel with design to draw the pilgrims thither\nfrom Mecca, and lessen the reputation of the Caaba.  The name of this deity is\nderived from the root azza, and signifies the most mighty.\n   Manah was the object of worship of the tribes of Hodhail and Khaz\u00e2ah,7 who\ndwelt between Mecca and Medina, and, as some say,8 of the tribes of Aws,\nKhazraj, and Thak\u00eef also.  This idol was a large stone,9 demolished by one\nSaad, in the eighth year of the Hejra, a year so fatal to the idols of Arabia.\nThe name seems derived from mana, to flow, from the flowing of the blood of\nthe victims sacrificed to the deity; whence the valley of Mina,10 near Mecca,\nhad also its name, where the pilgrims at this day slay their sacrifices.1\n   Before we proceed to the other idols, let us take notice of five more,\nwhich with the former three are all the Kor\u00e2n mentions by name, and they are\nWadd, Saw\u00e2, Yagh\u00fbth, Y\u00e4\u00fbk, and Nasr.  These are said to have been antediluvian\nidols, which Noah preached against, and were afterwards taken by the Arabs for\ngods, having been men of great merit and piety in their time, whose statues\nthey reverenced at first with a\n\n   1  Dr. Prideaux mentions this expedition, but names only Abu Sofi\u00e2n, and\nmistaking the name of the idol for an appellative, supposes he went only to\ndisarm the Tayefians of their weapons and instruments of war.  See his Life of\nMahomet, p. 98.\n2  Abulfeda, Vit Moham. p. 127\t\t3  Spec. p. 90\t\t4  Al\nJauhari, apud eund. p. 91.\t\t5  Al Shahrestani, ibid.\t6  Al\nFirauzab\u00e2di, ibid.\t\t7  Al Jauhari.\t8  Al Shahrestani, Abulfeda,\n&c.\t9  Al Beid\u00e2wi, al Zamakhshari.\t10  Poc. Spec. 91, &c.\t1  Ibid.\n\n\n\n\ncivil honour only, which in process of time became heightened to a divine\nworship.2\n   Wadd was supposed to be the heaven, and was worshipped under the form of a\nman by the tribe of Calb in Daumat al Jandal.3\n   Saw\u00e2 was adored under the shape of a woman by the tribe of Hamadan, or, as\nothers4 write, of Hodhail in Rohat.  This idol lying under water for some time\nafter the Deluge, was at length, it is said, discovered by the devil, and was\nworshipped by those of Hodhail, who instituted pilgrimages to it.5\n   Yagh\u00fbth was an idol in the shape of a lion, and was the deity of the tribe\nof Madhaj and others who dwelt in Yaman.6  Its name seems to be derived from\nghatha, which signifies to help.\n   Y\u00e4\u00fbk was worshipped by the tribe of Mor\u00e2d, or, according to others, by that\nof Hamadan,7 under the figure of a horse.  It is said he was a man of great\npiety, and his death much regretted; whereupon the devil appeared to his\nfriends in a human form, and undertaking to represent him to the life,\npersuaded them, by way of comfort, to place his effigies in their temples,\nthat they might have it in view when at their devotions.  This was done, and\nseven others of extraordinary merit had the same honours shown them, till at\nlength their posterity made idols of them in earnest.8  The name Y\u00e4\u00fbk probably\ncomes from the verb \u00e2ka, to prevent or avert.9\n   Nasr was a deity adored by the tribe of Hamyar, or at Dh\u00fb'l Khalaah in\ntheir territories, under the image of an eagle, which the name signifies.\n   There are, or were, two statues at Bamiy\u00e2n, a city of Cabul in the Indies,\n50 cubits high, which some writers suppose to be the same with Yagh\u00fbth and\nY\u00e4\u00fbk, or else with Manah and All\u00e2t; and they also speak of a third standing\nnear the others, but something less, in the shape of an old woman, called\nNesrem or Nesr.  These statues were hollow within, for the secret giving of\noracles;10 but they seem to have been different from the Arabian idols.  There\nwas also an idol at S\u00fbmenat in the Indies, called L\u00e2t or al L\u00e2t, whose statue\nwas 50 fathoms high, of a single stone, and placed in the midst of a temple\nsupported by 56 pillars of massy gold: this idol Mahm\u00fbd Ebn Sebecteghin, who\nconquered that part of India, broke to pieces with his own hands.1\n   Besides the idols we have mentioned, the Arabs also worshipped great\nnumbers of others, which would take up too much time to have distinct accounts\ngiven of them; and not being named in the Kor\u00e2n, are not so much to our\npresent purpose: for besides that every housekeeper had his household god or\ngods, which he last took leave of and first saluted at his going abroad and\nreturning home,2 there were no less than 360 idols,3 equalling in number the\ndays of their year, in and about the Caaba of Mecca; the chief of whom was\nHobal,4 brought from Belka in Syria into Arabia by Amru Ebn Lohai, pretending\nit would procure them rain when they wanted it.5  It was the statue of a man,\nmade of agate, which having by some accident lost a hand, the\n\n   2  Kor. c. 71.   Comment. Persic.   Vide Hyde de Rel. Vet. Pers. p. 133.\n\t3  Al Jauhari, al Sharestani.\t\t4  Idem, al Firauzab\u00e2di, and\nSafio'ddin.\t\t5  Al Firauzab.\t\t6  Shahrestani.\t\t7  Al\nJauhari.\n8  Al Firauzab.\t\t9  Poc. Spec. 94.\t\t10  See Hyde de Rel. Vet.\nPers. p. 132.\t\t1  D'Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. p. 512.\t\t2  Al\nMostatraf.\t\t3  Al Jann\u00e2b.\t\t4  Abulfed, Shahrest. &c.\n5  Poc. Spec. 95.\n\n\n\nKoreish repaired it with one of gold: he held in his hand seven arrows without\nheads or feathers, such as the Arabs used in divination.6  This idol is\nsupposed to have been the same with the image of Abraham,7 found and destroyed\nby Mohammed in the Caaba, on his entering it, in the eighth year of the Hejra,\nwhen he took Mecca,8 and surrounded with a great number of angels and\nprophets, as inferior deities; among whom, as some say, was Ismael, with\ndivining arrows in his hand also.9\n   As\u00e2f and Nayelah, the former the image of a man, the latter of a woman,\nwere also two idols brought with Hobal from Syria, and placed the one on Mount\nSaf\u00e2, and the other on Mount Merwa.  They tell us As\u00e2f was the son of Amru,\nand Nayelah the daughter of Sah\u00e2l, both of the tribe of Jorham, who committing\nwhoredom together in the Caaba, were by GOD converted into stone,10 and\nafterwards worshipped by the Koreish, and so much reverenced by them, that\nthough this superstition was condemned by Mohammed, yet he was forced to allow\nthem to visit those mountains as monuments of divine justice.11\n   I shall mention but one idol more of this nation, and that was a lump of\ndough worshipped by the tribe of Han\u00eefa, who used it with more respect than\nthe Papists do theirs, presuming not to eat it till they were compelled to it\nby famine.12\n   Several of their idols, as Manah in particular, were no more than large\nrude stones, the worship of which the posterity of Ismael first introduced;\nfor as they multiplied, and the territory of Mecca grew too strait for them,\ngreat numbers were obliged to seek new abodes; and on such migrations it was\nusual for them to take with them some of the stones of that reputed holy land,\nand set them up in the places where they fixed; and these stones they at first\nonly compassed out of devotion, as they had accustomed to do the Caaba.  But\nthis at last ended in rank idolatry, the Ismaelites forgetting the religion\nleft them by their father so far as to pay divine worship to any fine stone\nthey met with.1\n   Some of the pagan Arabs believed neither a creation past, nor a\nresurrection to come, attributing the origin of things to nature, and their\ndissolution to age.  Others believed both, among whom were those who, when\nthey died, had their camel tied by their sepulchre, and so left, without meat\nor drink, to perish, and accompany them to the other world, lest they should\nbe obliged, at the resurrection, to go on foot, which was reckoned very\nscandalous.2  Some believed a metem-psychosis, and that of the blood near the\ndead person's brain was formed a bird named H\u00e2mah, which once in a hundred\nyears visited the sepulchre; though others say this bird is animated by the\nsoul of him that is unjustly slain, and continually cries, Osc\u00fbni, Osc\u00fbni,\ni.e., \"give me to drink\"-meaning of the murderer's blood-till his death be\nrevenged, and then it flies away.  This was forbidden by the Kor\u00e2n to be\nbelieved.3\n   I might here mention several superstitious rites and customs of the ancient\nArabs, some of which were abolished and others retained by Mohammed; but I\napprehend it will be more convenient to take notice\n\n   6  Safio'ddin.\t\t7  Poc. Spec. 97.\t\t8  Abulfeda.\t\t9  Ebn\nal Athir. al Jannab. &c.\n10  Poc. Spec. 98.\t\t11  Kor. c. 2.\t\t12  Al Mostatraf, al\nJauhari.\t\t1  Al Mostatraf, al Jann\u00e2bi.\n2  Abulfarag, p. 160.\t3  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 135.\n\n\n\nof them, hereafter occasionally, as the negative or positive precepts of the\nKor\u00e2n, forbidding or allowing such practices, shall be considered.\n   Let us now turn our view from the idolatrous Arabs, to those among them who\nhad embraced more rational religions.\n   The Persians had, by their vicinity and frequent intercourse with the\nArabians, introduced the Magian religion among some of their tribes,\nparticularly that of Tamim,4 a long time before Mohammed, who was so far from\nbeing unacquainted with that religion, that he borrowed many of his own\ninstitutions from it, as will be observed in the progress of this work.  I\nrefer those who are desirous to have some notion of Magism, to Dr. Hyde's\ncurious account of it,5 a succinct abridgment of which may be read with much\npleasure in another learned performance.6\n   The Jews, who fled in great numbers into Arabia from the fearful\ndestruction of their country by the Romans, made proselytes of several tribes,\nthose of Ken\u00e2nah, al Hareth Ebn Caaba, and Kendah1 in particular, and in time\nbecame very powerful, and possessed of several towns and fortresses there.\nBut the Jewish religion was not unknown to the Arabs, at least above a century\nbefore; Abu Carb Asad, taken notice of in the Kor\u00e2n,2 who was king of Yaman,\nabout 700 years before Mohammed, is said to have introduced Judaism among the\nidolatrous Hamyarites.  Some of his successors also embraced the same\nreligion, one of whom, Yusef, surnamed Dhu Now\u00e2s,3 was remarkable for his zeal\nand terrible persecution of all who would not turn Jews, putting them to death\nby various tortures, the most common of which was throwing them into a glowing\npit of fire, whence he had the opprobrious appellation of the Lord of the Pit.\nThis persecution is also mentioned in the Kor\u00e2n.4\n   Christianity had likewise made a very great progress among this nation\nbefore Mohammed.  Whether St. Paul preached in any part of Arabia, properly so\ncalled,5 is uncertain; but the persecutions and disorders which happened in\nthe eastern church soon after the beginning of the third century, obliged\ngreat numbers of Christians to seek for shelter in that country of liberty,\nwho, being for the most part of the Jacobite communion, that sect generally\nprevailed among the Arabs.6  The principal tribes that embraced Christianity\nwere Hamyar, Ghass\u00e2n, Rabi\u00e2, Taghlab, Bahr\u00e2, Ton\u00fbch,7 part of the tribes of\nTay and Kod\u00e2a, the inhabitants of Najr\u00e2n, and the Arabs of Hira.8  As to the\ntwo last, it may be observed that those of Najr\u00e2n became Christians in the\ntime of Dhu Now\u00e2s,9 and very probably, if the story be true, were some of\nthose who were converted on the following occasion, which happened about that\ntime, or not long before.  The Jews of Hamyar challenged some neighbouring\nChristians to a public disputation, which was held sub dio for three days\nbefore the king and his nobility and all the people, the disputants being\nGregentius, bishop of Tephra (which I take to be Dhaf\u00e2r) for the Christians,\nand Herbanus for the Jews.  On the third day, Herbanus, to end the dispute,\nde-\n\n   4  Al Mostatraf.\t\t5  In his Hist. Relig. Vet. Persar.\t\t6  Dr.\nPrideaux's Connect. of the Hist. of the Old and New Test. part i. book 4.\n\t1  Al Mostatraf.\t\t2  Chap. 50.\t\t3  See before, p. 8, and\nBaronii annal. ad sec. vi.\t\t4  Chap. 85.\t\t5  See Galat. i.\n17.\t\t6  Abulfarag, p. 149.\t7  Al Mostatraf.\t\t8  Vide Poc. Spec.\np. 137.\t\t9  Al Jannab, apud Poc. Spec. p. 63.\n\n\n\n\nmanded that Jesus of Nazareth, if he were really living and in heaven, and\ncould hear the prayers of his worshippers, should appear from heaven in their\nsight, and they would then believe in him; the Jews crying out with one voice,\n\"Show us your Christ, alas! and we will become Christians.\"  Whereupon, after\na terrible storm of thunder and lightning, Jesus Christ appeared in the air,\nsurrounded with rays of glory, walking on a purple cloud, having a sword in\nhis hand, and an inestimable diadem on his head, and spake these words over\nthe heads of the assembly: \"Behold I appear to you in your sight, I, who was\ncrucified by your fathers.\"  After which the cloud received him from their\nsight.  The Christians cried out, \"Kyrie eleeson,\" i.e., \"Lord, have mercy\nupon us;\" but the Jews were stricken blind, and recovered not till they were\nall baptized.1\n   The Christians at Hira received a great accession by several tribes, who\nfled thither for refuge from the persecution of Dhu Now\u00e2s.  Al Nooman,\nsurnamed Abu Kab\u00fbs, king of Hira, who was slain a few months before Mohammed's\nbirth, professed himself a Christian on the following occasion.  This prince,\nin a drunken fit, ordered two of his intimate companions, who overcame with\nliquor had fallen asleep, to be buried alive.  When he came to himself, he was\nextremely concerned at what he had done, and to expiate his crime, not only\nraised a monument to the memory of his friends, but set apart two days, one of\nwhich he called the unfortunate, and the other the fortunate day; making it a\nperpetual rule to himself, that whoever met him on the former day should be\nslain, and his blood sprinkled on the monument, but he that met him on the\nother day should be dismissed in safety, with magnificent gifts.  On one of\nthose unfortunate days there came before him accidentally an Arab, of the\ntribe of Tay, who had once entertained this king, when fatigued with hunting,\nand separated from his attendants.  The king, who could neither discharge him,\ncontrary to the order of the day, nor put him to death, against the laws of\nhospitality, which the Arabians religiously observe, proposed, as an\nexpedient, to give the unhappy man a year's respite, and to send him home with\nrich gifts for the support of his family, on condition that he found a surety\nfor his returning at the year's end to suffer death.  One of the prince's\ncourt, out of compassion, offered himself as his surety, and the Arab was\ndischarged.  When the last day of the term came, and no news of the Arab, the\nking, not at all displeased to save his host's life, ordered the surety to\nprepare himself to die.  Those who were by represented to the king that the\nday was not yet expired, and therefore he ought to have patience till the\nevening: but in the middle of their discourse the Arab appeared.  The king,\nadmiring the man's generosity, in offering himself to certain death, which he\nmight have avoided by letting his surety suffer, asked him what was his motive\nfor his so doing? to which he answered, that he had been taught to act in that\nmanner by the religion he professed; and al Nooman demanding what religion\nthat was, he replied, the Christian.  Whereupon the king desiring to have the\ndoctrines of Christianity explained to him, was baptized, he and his subjects;\nand not only pardoned the man and his surety, but\n\n1  Vide Gregentii disput. cum Herbano Jud\u00e6o.\n\n\n\n abolished his barbarous custom.1  This prince, however, was not the first\nking of Hira who embraced Christianity; al Mondar, his grandfather, having\nalso professed the same faith, and built large churches in his capital.2\n   Since Christianity had made so great a progress in Arabia, we may\nconsequently suppose they had bishops in several parts, for the more orderly\ngoverning of the churches.  A bishop of Dhaf\u00e2r has been already named, and we\nare told that Najr\u00e2n was also a bishop's see.3  The Jacobites (of which sect\nwe have observed the Arabs generally were) had two bishops of the Arabs\nsubject to their Mafri\u00e2n, or metropolitan of the east; one was called the\nbishop of the Arabs absolutely, whose seat was for the most part at Akula,\nwhich some others make the same with C\u00fbfa,4 others a different town near\nBaghd\u00e2d.5  The other had the title of bishop of the Scenite Arabs, of the\ntribe of Thaalab in Hira, or Hirta, as the Syrians call it, whose seat was in\nthat city.  The Nestorians ahd but one bishop, who presided over both these\ndioceses of Hira and Akula, and was immediately subject to their patriarch.6\n   These were the principal religions which obtained among the ancient Arabs;\nbut as freedom of thought was the natural consequence of their political\nliberty and independence, some of them fell into other different opinions.\nThe Koreish, in particular, were infected with Zendicism,7 an error supposed\nto have very near affinity with that of the Sadducees among the Jews, and,\nperhaps, not greatly different from Deism; for there were several of that\ntribe, even before the time of Mohammed, who worshipped one GOD, and were free\nfrom idolatry,8 and yet embraced none of the other religions of the country.\n   The Arabians before Mohammed were, as they yet are, divided into two sorts,\nthose who dwell in cities and towns, and those who dwell in tents.  The former\nlived by tillage, the cultivation of palm trees, breeding and feeding of\ncattle, and the exercise of all sorts of trades,1 particularly merchandising,2\nwherein they were very eminent, even in the time of Jacob.  The tribe of\nKoreish were much addicted to commerce, and Mohammed, in his younger years,\nwas brought up to the same business; it being customary for the Arabians to\nexercise the same trade that their parents did.3  The Arabs who dwelt in\ntents, employed themselves in pasturage, and sometimes in pillaging of\npassengers; they lived chiefly on the milk and flesh of camels; they often\nchanged their habitations, as the convenience of water and of pasture for\ntheir cattle invited them, staying in a place no longer than that lasted, and\nthen removing in search of other.4  They generally wintered in Ir\u00e2k and the\nconfines of Syria.  This way of life is what the greater part of Ismael's\nposterity have used, as more agreeable to the temper and way of life of their\nfather; and is so well described by a late author,5 that I cannot do better\nthan refer the reader to his account of them.\n\n   1  Al Meidani and Ahmed Ebn Yusef, apud Poc. Spec. p. 72.\t\t2\nAbulfeda ap. eund. p. 74.\t\t3  Safio'ddin apud Poc. Spec. p. 137.\n\t4  Abulfarag in Chron. Syriac, MS.\t\t5  Abulfeda in descr. Irac\u00e6.\n\t6  Vide Assemani Bibl. Orient. T. 2. in Dissert. de Monophysitis, and p.\n459.\t\t7  Al Mostatraf, apud Poc. Spec. p. 136.\n8  Vide Reland. de Relig. Moham. p. 270, and Millium de Mohammedismo ante\nMoham. p. 311.\t\t1  These seem to be the same whom M. La Roque calls\nMoors.  Voy. dans la Palestine, p 110.\t\t2  See Prideaux's Life of\nMahomet, p. 6.\t\t3  Strabo, l. 16, p. 1129.\t\t4  Idem ibid. p.\n1084.\t\t5  La Roque, Voy. dans la Palestine, p. 109, &c.\n\n\n\n\n   The Arabic language is undoubtedly one of the most ancient in the world,\nand arose soon after, if not at, the confusion of Babel.  There were several\ndialects of it, very different from each other: the most remarkable were that\nspoken by the tribes of Hammyar and the other genuine Arabs, and that of the\nKoreish.  The Hamyaritic seems to have approached nearer ot the purity of the\nSyriac, than the dialect of any other tribe; for the Arabs acknowledge their\nfather Yarab to have been the first whose tongue deviated from the Syriac\n(which was his mother tongue, and is almost generally acknowledged by the\nAsiatics to be the most ancient) to the Arabic.  The dialect of the Koreish is\nusually termed the pure Arabic, or, as the Kor\u00e2n, which is written in this\ndialect, calls it, the perspicuous and clear Arabic; perhaps, says Dr. Pocock,\nbecause Ismael, their father, brought the Arabic he had learned of the\nJorhamites nearer to the original Hebrew.  But the politeness and elegance of\nthe dialect of the Koreish, is rather to be attributed to their having the\ncustody of the Caaba, and dwelling in Mecca, the centre of Arabia, as well\nmore remote from intercourse with foreigners, who might corrupt their\nlanguage, as frequented by the Arabs from the country all around, not only on\na religious account, but also for the composing of their differences, from\nwhose discourse and verses they took whatever words or phrases they judged\nmore pure and elegant; by which means the beauties of the whole tongue became\ntransfused into this dialect.  The Arabians are full of the commendations of\ntheir language, and not altogether without reason; for it claims the\npreference of most others in many respects, as being very harmonious and\nexpressive, and withal so copious, that they say no man without inspiration\ncan be a perfect master of it in its utmost extent; and yet they tell us, at\nthe same time, that the greatest part of it has been lost; which will not be\nthought strange, if we consider how late the art of writing was practised\namong them.  For though it was known to Job,1 their countryman, and also the\nHamyarites (who used a perplexed character called al Mosnad, wherein the\nletters were not distinctly separate, and which was neither publicly taught,\nnor suffered to be used without permission first obtained) many centuries\nbefore Mohammed, as appears from some ancient monuments, said to be remaining\nin their character; yet the other Arabs, and those of Mecca in particular,\nwere, for many ages, perfectly ignorant of it, unless such of them as were\nJews or Christians:2 Mor\u00e2mer Ebn Morra of Anbar, a city of Ir\u00e2k, who lived not\nmany years before Mohammed, was the inventor of the Arabic character, which\nBashar the Kendian is said to have learned from those of Anbar, and to have\nintroduced at Mecca but a little while before the institution of Mohammedism.\nThese letters of Mar\u00e2mer were different from the Hamyaritic; and though they\nwere very rude, being either the same with, or very much like the Cufic,3\nwhich character is still found in inscriptions and some ancient books, yet\nthey were those which the Arabs used for many years, the Kor\u00e2n itself being at\nfirst written therein; for the beautiful character they now use was first\nformed from the Cufic by Ebn Moklah, Wazir (or Visir) to the Khal\u00eefs al\nMoktader, al K\u00e2her, and al R\u00e2di, who lived\n\n   1  Job xix. 23, 24.\t\t2  See Prideaux's Life of Mahomet, p. 29, 30.\n\t3  A specimen of the Cufic character may be seen in Sir J. Chardin's\nTravels, vol. iii, p. 119.\n\n\n\n\n\nabout three hundred years after Mohammed, and was brought to great perfection\nby Ali Ebn Bow\u00e2b,4 who flourished in the following century, and whose name is\nyet famous among them on that account; yet, it is said, the person who\ncompleted it, and reduced it to its present form, was Yak\u00fbt al Most\u00e1semi,\nsecretary to al Most\u00e1sem, the last of the Khal\u00eefs of the family of Abb\u00e2s, for\nwhich reason he was surnamed al Khatt\u00e2t, or the Scribe.\n   The accomplishments the Arabs valued themselves chiefly on, were, 1.\nEloquence, and a perfect skill in their own tongue; 2. Expertness in the use\nof arms, and horsemanship; and 3. Hospitality.1  The first they exercised\nthemselves in, by composing of orations and poems.  Their orations were of two\nsorts, metrical, or prosaic, the one being compared to pearls strung, and the\nother to loose ones.  They endeavoured to excel in both, and whoever was able,\nin an assembly, to persuade the people to a great enterprise, or dissuade them\nfrom a dangerous one, or gave them other wholesome advice, was honoured with\nthe title of Kh\u00e2teb, or orator, which is now given to the Mohammedan\npreachers.  They pursued a method very different from that of the Greek and\nRoman orators; their sentences being like loose gems, without connection, so\nthat this sort of composition struck the audience chiefly by the fulness of\nthe periods, the elegance of the expression, and the acuteness of the\nproverbial sayings; and so persuaded were they of their excelling in this way,\nthat they would not allow any nation to understand the art of speaking in\npublic, except themselves and the Persians; which last were reckoned much\ninferior in that respect to the Arabians.2  Poetry was in so great esteem\namong them, that it was a great accomplishment, and a proof of ingenuous\nextraction, to be able to express one's self in verse with ease and elegance,\non any extraordinary occurrence; and even in their common discourse they made\nfrequent applications to celebrated passages of their famous poets.  In their\npoems were preserved the distinction of descents, the rights of tribes, the\nmemory of great actions, and the propriety of their language; for which\nreasons an excellent poet reflected an honour on his tribe, so that as soon as\nany one began to be admired for his performances of this kind in a tribe, the\nother tribes sent publicly to congratulate them on the occasion, and\nthemselves made entertainments, at which the women assisted, dressed in their\nnuptial ornaments, singing to the sound of timbrels the happiness of their\ntribe, who had now one to protect their honour, to preserve their genealogies\nand the purity of their language, and to transmit their actions to posterity;3\nfor this was all performed by their poems, to which they were solely obliged\nfor their knowledge and instructions, moral and economical, and to which they\nhad recourse, as to an oracle, in all doubts and differences.1  No wonder,\nthen, that a public congratulation was made on this account, which honour they\nyet were so far from making cheap, that they never did it but on one of these\nthree occasions, which were reckoned great points of felicity, viz., on the\nbirth of a boy, the rise of a poet, and the\n\n   4  Ebn Khalic\u00e2n.  Yet others attribute the honour of the invention of this\ncharacter to Ebn Moklah's brother, Abdallah al Hasan; and the perfecting of it\nto Ebn Am\u00eed al K\u00e2teb, after it had been reduced to near the present form by\nAbd'alham\u00eed.  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 590, 108, and 194.\t\t1\nPoc. Orat. ante Carmen Tograi, p. 10.\t\t2  Poc. Spec. 161.\n\t3  Ebn Rashik, apud Poc. Spec. 160.\t1  Poc. Orat. pr\u00e6fix. Carm. Tograi,\nubi supra.\n\n\n\n\nfall of a foal of generous breed.  To keep up an emulation among their poets,\nthe tribes had, once a year, a general assembly at Ocadh,2 a place famous on\nthis account, and where they kept a weekly mart or fair, which was held on our\nSunday.3  This annual meeting lasted a whole month, during which time they\nemployed themselves, not only in trading, but in repeating their poetical\ncompositions, contending an vieing with each other for the prize; whence the\nplace, it is said, took its name.4  The poems that were judged to excel, were\nlaid up in their kings' treasuries, as were the seven celebrated poems, thence\ncalled al Moallak\u00e2t, rather than from their being hung upon the Caaba, which\nhonour they also had by public order, being written on Egyptian silk, and inn\nletters of gold; for which reason they had also the name of al Modhahab\u00e2t, or\nthe golden verses.5\n   The fair and assembly at Ocadh were suppressed by Mohammed, in whose time,\nand for some years after, poetry seems to have been in some degree neglected\nby the Arabs, who were then employed in their conquests; which being\ncompleted, and themselves at peace, not only this study was revived,6 but\nalmost all sorts of learning were encouraged and greatly improved by them.\nThis interruption, however, occasioned the loss of most of their ancient\npieces of poetry, which were then chiefly preserved in memory; the use of\nwriting being rare among them, in their time of ignorance.7  Though the Arabs\nwere so early acquainted with poetry, they did not at first use to write poems\nof a just length, but only expressed themselves in verse occasionally; nor was\ntheir prosody digested into rules, till some time after Mohammed;8 for this\nwas done, as it is said, by al Khal\u00eel Ahmed al Far\u00e2h\u00eedi, who lived in the\nreign of the Khal\u00eef Har\u00fbn al Rash\u00eed.9\n   The exercise of arms and horsemanship they were in a manner obliged to\npractise and encourage, by reason of the independence of their tribes, whose\nfrequent jarrings made wars almost continual; and they chiefly ended their\ndisputes in field battles, it being a usual saying among them that GOD had\nbestowed four peculiar things on the Arabs-that their turbans should be to\nthem instead of diadems, their tents instead of walls and houses, their swords\ninstead of entrenchments, and their poems instead of written laws.1\n   Hospitality was so habitual to them, and so much esteemed, that the\nexamples of this kind among them exceed whatever can be produced from other\nnations.  Hatem, of the tribe of Tay,2 and Hasn, of that of Fez\u00e2rah,3 were\nparticularly famous on this account; and the contrary vice was so much in\ncontempt, that a certain poet upbraids the inhabitants of Waset, as with the\ngreatest reproach, that none of their men ad the heart to give, nor their\nwomen to deny.4\n\n   2  Idem, Spec. p. 159.\t\t3  Geogr. Nub. p. 51.\t\t4  Poc.\nSpec. 159.\t\t5  Ibid, and p. 381.  Et in calce Notar. in Carmen Tograi,\np. 233.\t\t6  Jallalo'ddin al Soy\u00fbti, apud Poc. Spec. p. 159, &c.\n\t7  Ibid. 160.\n8  Ibid. 161.  Al Safadi confirms this by a story of a grammarian named Abu\nJaafar, who sitting by the Mikyas or Nilometer in Egypt, in a year when the\nNile did not rise to its usual height, so that a famine was apprehended, and\ndividing a piece of poetry into its parts or feet, to examine them by the\nrules of art, some who passed by not understanding him, imagined he was\nuttering a charm to hinder the rise of the river, and pushed him into the\nwater, where he lost his life.\t\t9  Vide Clericum de Prosod. Arab. p.\n2.\n1  Pocock, in calce Notar. ad Carmen Tograi.\t\t2  Vide. Gentii Notas in\nGulistan Sheikh Sadi, p. 486, &c.\t3  Poc. Spec. p. 48.\t4  Ebn al\nHobeirah, apud Poc. in not. ad Carmen Tograi, p. 107.\n\n\n\n\n   Nor were the Arabs less propense to liberality after the coming of Mohammed\nthan their ancestors had been.  I could produce many remarkable instances of\nthis commendable quality among them,5 but shall content myself with the\nfollowing.  Three men were disputing in the court of the Caaba, which was the\nmost liberal person among the Arabs.  One gave the preference to Abdallah, the\nson of Jaafar, the uncle of Mohammed; another to Kais Ebn Saad Ebn Ob\u00e2dah; and\nthe third gave it to Ar\u00e2bah, of the tribe of Aws.  After much debate, one that\nwas present, to end the dispute, proposed that each of them should go to his\nfriend and ask his assistance, that they might see what every one gave, and\nform a judgment accordingly.  This was agreed to; and Abdallah's friend, going\nto him, found him with his foot in the stirrup, just mounting his camel for a\njourney, and thus accosted him: \"Son of the uncle of the apostle of GOD, I am\ntravelling and in necessity.\"  Upon which Abdallah alighted, and bid him take\nthe camel with all that was upon her, but desired him not to part with a sword\nwhich happened to be fixed to the saddle, because it had belonged to Ali, the\nson of Abut\u00e2leb.  So he took the camel, and found on her some vests of silk\nand 4,000 pieces of gold; but the thing of greatest value was the sword.  The\nsecond went to Kais Ebn Saad, whose servant told him that his master was\nasleep, and desired to know his business.  The friend answered that he came to\nask Kais's assistance, being in want on the road.  Whereupon the servant said\nthat he had rather supply his necessity than wake his master, and gave him a\npurse of 7,000 pieces of gold, assuring him that it was all the money then in\nthe house.  He also directed him to go to those who had the charge of the\ncamels, with a certain token, and take a camel and a slave, and return home\nwith them.  When Kais awoke, and his servant informed him of what he had done,\nhe gave him his freedom, and asked him why he did not call him, \"For,\" says\nhe, \"I would have given him more.\"  The third man went to Ar\u00e2bah, and met him\ncoming out of his house in order to go to prayers, and leaning on two slaves,\nbecause his eyesight failed him.  The friend no sooner made known his case,\nbut Ar\u00e2bah let go the slaves, and clapping his hands together, loudly lamented\nhis misfortune in having no money, but desired him to take the two slaves,\nwhich the man refused to do, till Ar\u00e2bah protested that if he would not accept\nof them he gave them their liberty, and leaving the slaves, groped his way\nalong by the wall.  On the return of the adventurers, judgment was\nunanimously, and with great justice, given by all who were present, that\nAr\u00e2bah was the most generous of the three.\n   Nor were these the only good qualities of the Arabs; they are commended by\nthe ancients for being most exact to their words,1 and respectful to their\nkindred.2  And they have always been celebrated for their quickness of\napprehension and penetration, and the vivacity of their wit, especially those\nof the desert.3\n   As the Arabs have their excellencies, so have they, like other nations,\ntheir defects and vices.  Their own writers acknowledge that they have\n\n   5  Several may be found in D'Herbelot's Bibl. Orient., particularly in the\narticles of Hasan the son of Ali, Maan, Fadhel, and Ebn Yahya.\t\t1\nHerodot. l.3, c. 8.\t\t2  Strabo, l. 16, p. 1129.\t\t3  Vide\nD'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 121.\n\n\n\n\na natural disposition to war, bloodshed, cruelty, and rapine, being so much\naddicted to bear malice that they scarce ever forget an old grudge; which\nvindictive temper some physicians say is occasioned by their frequent feeding\non camel's flesh (the ordinary diet of the Arabs of the desert, who are\ntherefore observed to be most inclined to these vices), that creature being\nmost malicious and tenacious of anger,4 which account suggests a good reason\nfor a distinction of meats.\n   The frequent robberies committed by these people on merchants and\ntravellers have rendered the name of an Arab almost infamous in Europe; this\nthey are sensible of, and endeavour to excuse themselves by alleging the hard\nusage of their father Ismael, who, being turned out of doors by Abraham, had\nthe open plains and deserts given him by GOD for his patrimony, with\npermission to take whatever he could find there; and on this account they\nthink they may, with a safe conscience, indemnify themselves as well as they\ncan, not only on the posterity of Isaac, but also on everybody else, always\nsupposing a sort of kindred between themselves and those they plunder.  And in\nrelating their adventures of this kind, they think it sufficient to change the\nexpression, and instead of \"I robbed a man of such or such a thing,\" to say,\n\"I gained it.\"1  We must not, however, imagine that they are the less honest\nfor this among themselves, or towards those whom they receive as friends; on\nthe contrary, the strictest probity is observed in their camp, where\neverything is open and nothing ever known to be stolen.2\n   The sciences the Arabians chiefly cultivated before Mohammedism, were\nthree; that of their genealogies and history, such a knowledge of the stars as\nto foretell the changes of weather, and the interpretation of dreams.3  They\nused to value themselves excessively on account of the nobility of their\nfamilies, and so many disputes happened on that occasion, that it is no wonder\nif they took great pains in settling their descents.  What knowledge they had\nof the stars was gathered from long experience, and not from any regular\nstudy, or astronomical rules.4  The Arabians, as the Indians also did, chiefly\napplied themselves to observe the fixed stars, contrary to other nations,\nwhose observations were almost confined to the planets, and they foretold\ntheir effects from their influences, not their nature; and hence, as has been\nsaid, arose the difference of the idolatry of the Greeks and Chaldeans, who\nchiefly worshipped the planets, and that of the Indians, who worshipped the\nfixed star.  The stars or asterisms they most usually foretold the weather by,\nwere those they called Anw\u00e2, or the houses of the moon.  These are 28 in\nnumber, and divide the zodiac into as many parts, through one of which the\nmoon passes every night;5 as some of them set in the morning, others rise\nopposite to them, which happens every thirteenth night; and from their rising\nand setting, the Arabs, by long experience, observed what changes happened in\nthe air, and at length, as has been said, came to ascribe divine power to\nthem; saying, that their rain was from such or such a star: which expression\nMohammed condemned, and absolutely forbade them to use it in the old sense;\n\n   4  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 87, Bochart, Hierozoic. l. 2, c. I.\t\t1\nVoyage dans la Palest. p. 220, &c.\t\t2  Ibid. p. 213, &c.\t\t3  Al\nShahrestani, apud Pocock Orat. ubi sup. p. 9, and Spec. 164.\t\t4\nAbulfarag, p. 161.\n5  Vide Hyde, in not. ad Tabulas stellar. fixar. Ulugh Beigh, p. 5.\n\n\n\n\nunless they meant no more by it, than that GOD had so ordered the seasons,\nthat when the moon was in such or such a mansion or house, or at the rising or\nsetting of such and such a star, it should rain or be windy, hot or cold.1\n   The old Arabians therefore seem to have made no further progress in\nastronomy, which science they afterwards cultivated with so much success and\napplause, than to observe the influence of the stars on the weather, and to\ngive them names; and this it was obvious for them to do, by reason of their\npastoral way of life, lying night and day in the open plains.  The names they\nimposed on the stars generally alluded to cattle and flocks, and they were so\nnice in distinguishing them, that no language has so many names of stars and\nasterisms as the Arabic; for though they have since borrowed the names of\nseveral constellations from the Greeks, yet the far greater part are of their\nown growth, and much more ancient, particularly those of the more conspicuous\nstars, dispersed in several constellations, and those of the lesser\nconstellations which are contained within the greater, and were not observed\nor named by the Greeks.2\n   Thus have I given the most succinct account I have been able, of the state\nof the ancient Arabians before Mohammed, or, to use their expression, in the\ntime of ignorance.  I shall now proceed briefly to consider the state of\nreligion in the east, and of the two great empires which divided that part of\nthe world between them, at the time of Mohammed's setting up for a prophet,\nand what were the conducive circumstances and accidents that favoured his\nsuccess.\n\n\n_______\n\n\nSECTION II.\n\nOF THE STATE OF CHRISTIANITY, PARTICULARLY OF THE EASTERN\n\tCHURCHES, AND OF JUDAISM, AT THE TIME OF MOHAMMED'S\n\tAPPEARANCE; AND OF THE METHODS TAKEN BY HIM FOR THE\n\tESTABLISHING OF HIS RELIGION, AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH\n\tCONCURRED THERETO.\n\nIF WE look into the ecclesiastical historians even from the third century, we\nshall find the Christian world to have then had a very different aspect from\nwhat some authors have represented; and so far from being endued with active\ngraces, zeal, and devotion, and established within itself with purity of\ndoctrine, union, and firm profession of the faith,1 that on the contrary, what\nby the ambition of the clergy, and what by drawing the abstrusest niceties\ninto controversy, and dividing and subdividing about them into endless schisms\nand contentions, they had so destroyed that peace, love, and charity from\namong\n\n   1  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 163, &c.\t\t2  Vide Hyde ubi sup. p. 4.\n\t1  Ricaut's State of the Ottoman Empire, p. 187.\n\n\n\n\n\nthem, which the Gospel was given to promote; and instead thereof continually\nprovoked each other to that malice, rancour, and every evil work; that they\nhad lost the whole substance of their religion, while they thus eagerly\ncontended for their own imaginations concerning it; and in a manner quite\ndrove Christianity out of the world by those very controversies in which they\ndisputed with each other about it.2  In these dark ages it was that most of\nthose superstitions and corruptions we now justly abhor in the church of Rome\nwere not only broached, but established; which gave great advantages to the\npropagation of Mohammedism.  The worship of saints and images, in particular,\nwas then arrived at such a scandalous pitch that it even surpassed whatever is\nnow practised among the Romanists.3\n   After the Nicene council, the eastern church was engaged in perpetual\ncontroversies, and torn to pieces by the disputes of the Arians, Sabellians,\nNestorians, and Eutychians: the heresies of the two last of which have been\nshown to have consisted more in the words and form of expression than in the\ndoctrines themselves;4 and were rather the pretences than real motives of\nthose frequent councils to and from which the contentious prelates were\ncontinually riding post, that they might bring everything to their own will\nand pleasure.1  And to support themselves by dependants and bribery, the\nclergy in any credit at court undertook the protection of some officer in the\narmy, under the colour of which justice was publicly sold, and all corruption\nencouraged.\n   In the western church Damasus and Ursicinus carried their contests at Rome\nfor the episcopal seat so high, that they came to open violence and murder,\nwhich Viventius the governor not being able to suppress, he retired into the\ncountry, and left them to themselves, till Damasus prevailed.  It is said that\non this occasion, in the church of Sicininus, there were no less than 137\nfound killed in one day.  And no wonder they were so fond of these seats, when\nthey became by that means enriched by the presents of matrons, and went abroad\nin their chariots and sedans in great state, feasting sumptuously even beyond\nthe luxury of princes, quite contrary to the way of living of the country\nprelates, who alone seemed to have some temperance and modesty left.2\n   These dissensions were greatly owing to the emperors, and particularly to\nConstantius, who, confounding the pure and simple Christian religion with\nanile superstitions, and perplexing it with intricate questions, instead of\nreconciling different opinions, excited many disputes, which he fomented as\nthey proceeded with infinite altercations.3  This grew worse in the time of\nJustinian, who, not to be behind the bishops to the fifth and sixth centuries\nin zeal, thought it no crime to condemn to death a man of a different\npersuasion from his own.4\n   This corruption of doctrine and morals in the princes and clergy, was\nnecessarily followed by a general depravity of the people;5 those of all\nconditions making it their sole business to get money by any means,\n\n   2  Prideaux's preface to his Life of Mahomet.\t\t3  Vide La Vie de\nMahommed, par Boulainvilliers, p. 219, &c.\n4  Vide Simon, Hist. Crit. de la Cr\u00e9ance, &c. des Nations du Levant.\n\t1  Ammian. Marcellin. l. 2I.  Vide etiam Euseb. Hist. Eccles. l. 8, c.\nI.  Sozom. l. I, c. 114, &c.  Hilar. and Sulpic. Sever. in Hist. Sacr. p. 112,\n&c.\t\t2  Ammian.  Marcellin. lib. 27.\n3  Idem, l. 2I.\t\t4  Procop. in Anecd. p. 60.\t\t5  See an instance\nof the wickedness of the Christian army, even when they were under the terror\nof the Saracens, in Ockley's Hist. of the Sarac., vol. i. p. 239.\n\n\n\n\nand then to squander it away when they had got it in luxury and debauchery.6\n   But, to be more particular as to the nation we are now writing of, Arabia\nwas of old famous for heresies;7 which might be in some measure attributed to\nthe liberty and independency of the tribes.  Some of the Christians of that\nnation believed the soul died with the body, and was to be raised again with\nit at the last day:1 these Origen is said to have convinced.2  Among the Arabs\nit was that the heresies of Ebion, Beryllus, and the Nazar\u00e6ns,3 and also that\nof the Collyridians, were broached, or at least propagated; the latter\nintroduced the Virgin Mary for GOD, or worshipped her as such, offering her a\nsort of twisted cake called collyris, whence the sect had its name.4\n   This notion of the divinity of the Virgin Mary was also believed by some at\nthe council of Nice, who said there were two gods besides the Father, viz.,\nChrist and the Virgin Mary, and were thence named Mariamites.5  Others\nimagined her to be exempt from humanity, and deified; which goes but little\nbeyond the Popish superstition in calling her the complement of the Trinity,\nas if it were imperfect without her.  This foolish imagination is justly\ncondemned in the Kor\u00e2n6 as idolatrous, and gave a handle to Mohammed to attack\nthe Trinity itself.\n   Other sects there were of many denominations within the borders of Arabia,\nwhich took refuge there from the proscriptions of the imperial edicts; several\nof whose notions Mohammed incorporated with his religion, as may be observed\nhereafter.\n   Though the Jews were an inconsiderable and despised people in other parts\nof the world, yet in Arabia, whither many of them fled from the destruction of\nJerusalem, they grew very powerful, several tribes and princes embracing their\nreligion; which made Mohammed at first show great regard to them, adopting\nmany of their opinions, doctrines, and customs; thereby to draw them, if\npossible, into his interest.  But that people, agreeably to their wonted\nobstinacy, were so far from being his proselytes, that they were some of the\nbitterest enemies he had, waging continual war with him, so that their\nreduction cost him infinite trouble and danger, and at last his life.  This\naversion of theirs created at length as great a one in him to them, so that he\nused them, for the latter part of his life, much worse than he did the\nChristians, and frequently exclaims against them in his Kor\u00e2n; his followers\nto this day observe the same difference between them and the Christians,\ntreating the former as the most abject and contemptible people on earth.\n   It has been observed by a great politician,7 that it is impossible a person\nshould make himself a prince and found a state without opportunities.  If the\ndistracted state of religion favoured the designs of Mohammed on that side,\nthe weakness of the Roman and Persian monarchies might flatter him with no\nless hopes in any attempt on those once formidable empires, either of which,\nhad they been in their full vigour, must have crushed Mohammedism in its\nbirth; whereas nothing nourished it more than the success the Arabians met\nwith in\n\n   6  Vide Boulainvill. Vie de Mahom. ubi sup.\t\t7  Vide Sozomen. Hist.\nEccles. l. r, c. 16, 17. Sulpic. Sever. ubi supra.\n1  Euseb. Hist. Eccles. l. 6, c. 33.\t\t\t2  Idem ibid. c. 37.\n\t3  Epiphan. de H\u00e6resi. l, I; H\u00e6r. 40.\n4  Idem ibid. l. 3; H\u00e6res. 75, 79.\t\t\t5  Elmacin.  Eutych.\n\t6  Cap. 5.\n7  Machiavelli, Princ. c. 6, p. 19.\n\n\n\ntheir enterprises against those powers, which success they failed not to\nattribute to their new religion and the divine assistance thereof.\n   The Roman empire declined apace after Constantine, whose successors were\nfor the generality remarkable for their ill qualities, especially cowardice\nand cruelty.  By Mohammed's time, the western half of the empire was overrun\nby the Goths; and the eastern so reduced by the Huns on the one side, and the\nPersians on the other, that it was not in a capacity of stemming the violence\nof a powerful invasion.  The emperor Maurice paid tribute to the Khag\u00e2n or\nking of the Huns; and after Phocas had murdered his master, such lamentable\nhavoc there was among the soldiers, that when Heraclius came, not above seven\nyears after, to muster the army, there were only two soldiers left alive, of\nall those who had borne arms when Phocas first usurped the empire.  And though\nHeraclius was a prince of admirable courage and conduct, and had done what\npossibly could be done to restore the discipline of the army, and had had\ngreat success against the Persians, so as to drive them not only out of his\nown dominions, but even out of part of their own; yet still the very vitals of\nthe empire seemed to be mortally wounded; that there could no time have\nhappened more fatal to the empire or more favourable to the enterprises of the\nArabs, who seem to have been raised up on purpose by GOD, to be a scourge to\nthe Christian church, for not living answerably to that most holy religion\nwhich they had received.1\n   The general luxury and degeneracy of manners into which the Grecians were\nsunk, also contributed not a little to the enervating their forces, which were\nstill further drained by those two great destroyers, monachism and\npersecution.\n   The Persians had also been in a declining condition for some time before\nMohammed, occasioned chiefly by their intestine broils and dissensions; great\npart of which arose from the devilish doctrines of Manes and Mazdak.  The\nopinions of the former are tolerably well known: the latter lived in the reign\nof Khosru Kob\u00e2d, and pretended himself a prophet sent from GOD to preach a\ncommunity of women and possessions, since all men were brothers and descended\nfrom the same common parents.  This he imagined would put an end to all feuds\nand quarrels among men, which generally arose on account of one of the two.\nKob\u00e2d himself embraced the opinions of this impostor, to whom he gave leave,\naccording to his new doctrine, to lie with the queen his wife; which\npermission Anushirw\u00e2n, his son, with much difficulty prevailed on Mazdak not\nto make use of.  These sects had certainly been the immediate ruin of the\nPersian empire, had not Anushirw\u00e2n, as soon as he succeeded his father, put\nMazdek to death with all his followers, and the Manicheans also, restoring the\nancient Magian religion.2\n   In the reign of this prince, deservedly surnamed the Just, Mohammed was\nborn.  He was the last king of Persia who deserved the throne, which after him\nwas almost perpetually contended for, till subverted by the Arabs.  His son\nHorm\u00fbz lost the love of his subjects by his excessive cruelty; having had his\neyes put out by his wife's brothers, he was\n\n\t1  Ockley's Hist. of the Saracens, vol. i. p. 19, &c.\t2  Vide Poc. Spec.\np. 70.\n\n\n\n\nobliged to resign the crown to his son Khosr\u00fb Parv\u00eez, who at the instigation\nof Bahr\u00e2m Chub\u00een had rebelled against him, and was afterwards strangled.\nParv\u00eez was soon obliged to quit the throne to Bahr\u00e2m; but obtaining succours\nof the Greek emperor Maurice, he recovered the crown: yet towards the latter\nend of a long reign he grew so tyrannical and hateful to his subjects, that\nthey held private correspondence with the Arabs; and he was at length deposed,\nimprisoned, and slain by his son Shir\u00fbyeh.1  After Parv\u00eez no less than six\nprinces possessed the throne in less than six years.  These domestic broils\neffectually brought ruin upon the Persians; for though they did rather by the\nweakness of the Greeks, than their own force, ravage Syria, and sack Jerusalem\nand Damascus under Khosr\u00fb Parv\u00eez; and, while the Arabs were divided and\nindependent, had some power in the province of Yaman, where they set up the\nfour last kings before Mohammed; yet when attacked by the Greeks under\nHeraclius, they not only lost their new conquests, but part of their own\ndominions; and no sooner were the Arabs united by Mohammedism, than they beat\nthem in every battle, and in a few years totally subdued them.\n   As these empires were weak and declining, so Arabia, at Mohammed's setting\nup, was strong and flourishing; having been peopled at the expense of the\nGrecian empire, whence the violent proceedings of the domineering sects forced\nmany to seek refuge in a free country, as Arabia then was, where they who\ncould not enjoy tranquility and their conscience at home, found a secure\nretreat.  The Arabians were not only a populous nation, but unacquainted with\nthe luxury and delicacies of the Greeks and Persians, and inured to hardships\nof all sorts; living in a most parsimonious manner, seldom eating any flesh,\ndrinking no wine, and sitting on the ground.  Their political government was\nalso such as favoured the designs of Mohammed; for the division and\nindependency of their tribes were so necessary to the first propagation of his\nreligion, and the foundation of his power, that it would have been scarce\npossible for him to have effected either, had the Arabs been united in one\nsociety.  But when they had embraced his religion, the consequent union of\ntheir tribes was no less necessary and conducive to their future conquests and\ngrandeur.\n   This posture of public affairs in the eastern world, both as to its\nreligious and political state, it is more than probably Mohammed was well\nacquainted with; he having had sufficient opportunities of informing himself\nin those particulars, in his travels as a merchant in his younger years: and\nthough it is not to be supposed his views at first were so extensive as\nafterwards, when they were enlarged by his good fortune, yet he might\nreasonably promise himself success in his first attempts from thence.  As he\nwas a man of extraordinary parts and address, he knew how to make the best of\nevery incident, and turn what might seem dangerous to another, to his own\nadvantage.\n   Mohammed came into the world under some disadvantages, which he soon\nsurmounted.  His father Abd'allah was a younger son2 of Abd'almotalleb, and\ndying very young and in his father's lifetime, left\n\n   1  Vide Teixeira, Relaciones de los Reyes de Persia, p. 195, &c.\n\t2  He was not his eldest son, as Dr. Prideaux tells us, whose\nreflections built on that foundation must necessarily fail (see his Life of\nMahomet, p. 9); nor yet his youngest son, as M. De Boulainvilliers (Vie de\nMahommed, p. 182, &c) supposes; for Hamza and al Abb\u00e2s were both younger than\nAbd'allah.\n\n\n\n\nhis widow and infant son in very mean circumstances, his whole substance\nconsisting but of five camels and one Ethiopian she-slave.1  Abd'almotalleb\nwas therefore obliged to take care of his grandchild Mohammed, which he not\nonly did during his life, but at his death enjoined his eldest son Abu T\u00e2leb,\nwho was brother to Abd'allah by the same mother, to provide for him for the\nfuture; which he very affectionately did, and instructed him in the business\nof a merchant, which he followed; and to that end he took him with him into\nSyria when he was but thirteen, and afterward recommended him to Khad\u00eejah, a\nnoble and rich widow, for her factor, in whose service he behaved himself so\nwell, that by making him her husband she soon raised him to an equality with\nthe richest in Mecca.\n   After he began by this advantageous match to live at his ease, it was that\nhe formed the scheme of establishing a new religion, or, as he expressed it,\nof replanting the only true and ancient one, professed by Adam, Noah, Abraham,\nMoses, Jesus, and all the prophets,2 by destroying the gross idolatry into\nwhich the generality of his countrymen had fallen, and weeding out the\ncorruptions and superstitions which the latter Jews and Christians had, as he\nthought, introduced into their religion, and reducing it to its original\npurity, which consisted chiefly in the worship of the one only GOD.\n   Whether this was the effect of enthusiasm, or only a design to raise\nhimself to the supreme government of his country, I will not pretend to\ndetermine.  The latter is the general opinion of the Christian writers, who\nagree that ambition, and the desire of satisfying his sensuality, were the\nmotives of his undertaking.  It may be so; yet his first views, perhaps, were\nnot so interested.  His original design of bringing the pagan Arabs to the\nknowledge of the true GOD, was certainly noble, and highly to be commended;\nfor I cannot possibly subscribe to the assertion of a late learned writer,3\nthat he made the nation exchange their idolatry for another religion\naltogether as bad.  Mohammed was no doubt fully satisfied in his conscience of\nthe truth of his grand point, the unity of GOD, which was what he chiefly\nattended to; all his other doctrines and institutions being rather accidental\nand unavoidable, than premeditated and designed.\n   Since then Mohammed was certainly himself persuaded of his grand article of\nfaith, which, in his opinion, was violated by all the rest of the world; not\nonly by the idolaters, but by the Christians, as well those who rightly\nworshipped Jesus as GOD, as those who superstitiously adored the Virgin Mary,\nsaints, and images; and also by the Jews, who are accused in the Kor\u00e2n of\ntaking Ezra for the son of GOD;4 it is easy to conceive that he might think it\na meritorious work to rescue the world from such ignorance and superstition;\nand by degrees, with the help of a warm imagination, which an Arab seldom\nwants,5 to suppose himself destined by providence for the effecting that great\nreformation.  And this fancy of his might take still deeper root in his mind,\nduring the solitude he thereupon affected, usually retiring for a month in the\nyear to a cave in Mount Hara, near Mecca.  One thing which may be probably\nurged against the enthusiasm of this prophet of\n\n   1  Abulfeda, Vit. Moham. p. 2.\t\t2  See Kor. c. 2.\t\t3\nPrideaux's Life of Mahomet, p. 76.\t\t4  Kor. c. 9.\t\t5  See\nCasaub. of Enthusiasm, p. 148.\n\n\n\n\nthe Arabs, is the wise conduct and great prudence he all along showed in\npursuing his design, which seem inconsistent with the wild notions of a hot-\nbrained religionist.  But though all enthusiasts or madmen do not behave with\nthe same gravity and circumspection that he did, yet he will not be the first\ninstance, by several, of a person who has been out of the way only quoad hoc,\nand in all other respects acted with the greatest decency and precaution.\n   The terrible destruction of the eastern churches, once so glorious and\nflourishing, by the sudden spreading of Mohammedism, and the great successes\nof its professors against the Christians, necessarily inspire a horror of that\nreligion in those to whom it has been so fatal; and no wonder if they\nendeavour to set the character of its founder, and its doctrines, in the most\ninfamous light.  But the damage done by Mohammed to Christianity seems to have\nbeen rather owing to his ignorance than malice; for his great misfortune was,\nhis not having a competent knowledge of the real and pure doctrines of the\nChristian religion, which was in his time so abominably corrupted, that it is\nnot surprising if he went too far, and resolved to abolish what he might think\nincapable of reformation.\n   It is scarce to be doubted but that Mohammed had a violent desire of being\nreckoned an extraordinary person, which he could attain to by no means more\neffectually, than by pretending to be a messenger sent from GOD, to inform\nmankind of his will.  This might be at first his utmost ambition; and had his\nfellow-citizens treated him less injuriously, and not obliged him by their\npersecutions to seek refuge elsewhere, and to take up arms against them in his\nown defence, he had perhaps continued a private person, and contented himself\nwith the veneration and respect due to his prophetical office; but being once\ngot at the head of a little army, and encouraged by success, it is no wonder\nif he raised his thoughts to attempt what had never before entered his\nimagination.\n   That Mohammed was, as the Arabs are by complexion,1 a great lover of women,\nwe are assured by his own confession; and he is constantly upbraided with it\nby the controversial writers, who fail not to urge the number of women with\nwhom he had to do, as a demonstrative argument of his sensuality, which they\nthink sufficiently proves him to have been a wicked man, and consequently an\nimpostor.  But it must be considered that polygamy, though it be forbidden by\nthe Christian religion, was in Mohammed's time frequently practised in Arabia\nand other parts of the east, and was not counted an immorality, nor was a man\nworse esteemed on that account; for which reason Mohammed permitted the\nplurality of wives, with certain limitations, among his own followers, who\nargue for the lawfulness of it from several reasons, and particularly from the\nexamples of persons allowed on all hands to have been good men; some of  whom\nhave been honoured with the divine correspondence.  The several laws relating\nto marriages and divorces, and the peculiar privileges granted to Mohammed in\nhis Kor\u00e2n, were almost all taken by him from the Jewish decisions, as will\nappear hereafter; and therefore he might think those\n\n1  Ammian.  Marcell. l. 14, c. 4.\n\n\n\n\ninstitutions the more just and reasonable, as he found them practised or\napproved by the professors of a religion which was confessedly of divine\noriginal.\n   But whatever were his motives, Mohammed had certainly the personal\nqualifications which were necessary to accomplish his undertaking.  The\nMohammedan authors are excessive in their commendations of him, and speak much\nof his religious and moral virtues; as his piety, veracity, justice,\nliberality, clemency, humility, and abstinence.  His charity, in particular,\nthey say, was so conspicuous, that he had seldom any money in his house,\nkeeping no more for his own use than was just sufficient to maintain his\nfamily; and he frequently spared even some part of his own provisions to\nsupply the necessities of the poor; so that before the year's end he had\ngenerally little or nothing left:1 \"GOD,\" says al Bokh\u00e2ri, \"offered him the\nkeys of the treasures of the earth, but he would not accept them.\"  Though the\neulogies of these writers are justly to be suspected of partiality, yet thus\nmuch, I think, may be inferred from thence, that for an Arab who had been\neducated in Paganism, and had but a very imperfect knowledge of his duty, he\nwas a man of at least tolerable morals, and not such a monster of wickedness\nas he is usually represented.  And indeed it is scarce possible to conceive,\nthat a wretch of so profligate a character should ever have succeeded in an\nenterprise of this nature; a little hypocrisy and saving of appearances, at\nleast, must have been absolutely necessary; and the sincerity of his\nintentions is what I pretend not to inquire into.\n   He had indisputably a very piercing and sagacious wit, and was thoroughly\nversed in all the arts of insinuation.2  The eastern historians describe him\nto have been a man of an excellent judgment, and a happy memory; and these\nnatural parts were improved by a great experience and knowledge of men, and\nthe observations he had made in his travels.  They say he was a person of few\nwords, of an equal cheerful temper, pleasant and familiar in conversation, of\ninoffensive behaviour towards his friends, and of great condescension towards\nhis inferiors.3  To all which were joined a comely agreeable person, and a\npolite address; accomplishments of no small service in preventing those in his\nfavour whom he attempted to persuade.\n   As to acquired learning, it is confessed he had none at all; having had no\nother education than what was customary in his tribe, who neglected, and\nperhaps despised, what we call literature; esteeming no language in comparison\nwith their own, their skill in which they gained by use and not by books, and\ncontenting themselves with improving their private experience by committing to\nmemory such passages of their poets as they judged might be of use to them in\nlife.  This defect was so far from being prejudicial or putting a stop to his\ndesign, that he made the greatest use of it; insisting that the writings which\nhe produced as revelations from GOD, could not possibly be a forgery of his\nown; because it was not conceivable that a person who could neither write nor\nread should be able to compose a book of such excellent doctrine, and in so\nelegant a style; and thereby obviating\n\n   1  Vide Abulfeda Vit. Moham. p. 144, &c.\t\t2  Vide Prid. Life of\nMahomet, p. 105.\t\t\t3  Vide Abulfed. ubi sup.\n\n\n\nan objection that might have carried a great deal of weight.1  And for this\nreason his followers, instead of being ashamed of their master's ignorance,\nglory in it, as an evident proof of his divine mission, and scruple not to\ncall him (as he is indeed called in the Kor\u00e2n itself2) the \"illiterate\nprophet.\"\n   The scheme of religion which Mohammed framed, and the design and artful\ncontrivance of those written revelations (as he pretended them to be) which\ncompose his Kor\u00e2n, shall be the subject of the following sections: I shall\ntherefore in the remainder of this relate, as briefly as possible, the steps\nhe took towards the effecting of his enterprise, and the accidents which\nconcurred to his success therein.\n   Before he made any attempt abroad, he rightly judged that it was necessary\nfor him to begin by the conversion of his own household.  Having therefore\nretired with his family, as he had done several times before, to the above-\nmentioned cave in Mount Hara, he there opened the secret of his mission to his\nwife Khad\u00eejah; and acquainted her that the angel Gabriel had just before\nappeared to him, and told him that he was appointed the apostle of GOD: he\nalso repeated to her a passage3 which he pretended had been revealed to him by\nthe ministry of the angel, with those other circumstances of his first\nappearance, which are related by the Mohammedan writers.  Khad\u00eejah received\nthe news with great joy,1 swearing by him in whose hands her soul was, that\nshe trusted he would be the prophet of his nation, and immediately\ncommunicated what she had heard to her cousin, Warakah Ebn Nawfal, who, being\na Christian, could write in the Hebrew character, and was tolerably well\nversed in the scriptures;2 and he as readily came into her opinion, assuring\nher that the same angel who had formerly appeared unto Moses was now sent to\nMohammed.3  This first overture the prophet made in the month of Ramad\u00e2n, in\nthe fortieth year of his age, which is therefore usually called the year of\nhis mission.\n   Encouraged by so good a beginning, he resolved to proceed, and try for some\ntime what he could do by private persuasion, not daring to hazard the whole\naffair by exposing it too suddenly to the public.  He soon made proselytes of\nthose under his own roof, viz., his wife Khad\u00eejah, his servant Zeid Ebn\nH\u00e2retha (to whom he gave his freedom4 on that occasion, which afterwards\nbecame a rule to his followers), and his cousin and pupil Ali, the son of Abu\nT\u00e2leb, though then very young: but this last, making no account of the other\ntwo, used to style himself the \"first of believers.\"  The next person Mohammed\napplied to was Abdallah Ebn Abi Koh\u00e2fa, surnamed Abu Becr, a man of great\nauthority among the Koreish, and one whose interest he well knew would be of\ngreat service to him, as it soon appeared, for Abu Becr being gained over,\nprevailed also on Othm\u00e2n Ebn Aff\u00e2n, Abd'alrahm\u00e2n Ebn Awf, Saad Ebn Abi Wakk\u00e2s,\nal Zobeir Ebn al Aw\u00e2m, and Telha Ebn Obeid'allah, all principal men in Mecca,\nto follow his example.\n\n   1  See Kor. c. 29.  Prid. Life of Mahomet, p. 28, &c.\t\t2  Chap. 7.\n\t3  This passage is generally agreed to be the first five verses of the\n96th chapter.\t\t\t1  I do not remember to have read in any eastern\nauthor, that Khad\u00eejah ever rejected her husband's pretences as delusions, or\nsuspected him of any imposture.  Yet see Prideaux's Life of Mahomet, p. 11,\n&c.\t\t2  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 157.\t\t\t3  Vide Abulfed.  Vit.\nMoham. p. 16, where the learned translator has mistaken the meaning of this\npassage.\t\t4  For he was his purchased slave, as Abulfeda expressly\ntells us, and not his cousin-german, as M. de Boulainvill. asserts (Vie de\nMah. p. 273).\n\n\n\n\n\nThese men were the six chief companions, who, with a few more, were converted\nin the space of three years, at the end of which, Mohammed having, as he\nhoped, a sufficient interest to support him, made his mission no longer a\nsecret, but gave out that GOD had commanded him to admonish his near\nrelations;5 and in order to do it with more convenience and prospect of\nsuccess, he directed Ali to prepare an entertainment, and invite the sons and\ndescendants of Abd'almotalleb, intending then to open his mind to them; this\nwas done, and about forty of them came; but Abu Laheb, one of his uncles,\nmaking the company break up before Mohammed had an opportunity of speaking,\nobliged him to give them a second invitation the next day; and when they were\ncome, he made them the following speech: \"I know no man in all Arabia who can\noffer his kindred a more excellent thing than I now do you.  I offer you\nhappiness, both in this life and in that which is to come.  GOD Almighty hath\ncommanded me to call you unto him; who therefore among you will be assisting\nto me herein, and become my brother and my vicegerent?\"  All of them\nhesitating, and declining the matter, Ali at length rose up and declared that\nhe would be his assistant, and vehemently threatened those who should oppose\nhim.  Mohammed upon this embraced Ali with great demonstrations of affection,\nand desired all who were present to hearken to and obey him as his deputy, at\nwhich the company broke out into great laughter, telling Abu T\u00e2leb that he\nmust now pay obedience to his son.\n   This repulse however was so far from discouraging Mohammed, that he began\nto preach in public to the people, who heard him with some patience, till he\ncame to upbraid them with the idolatry, obstinacy, and perverseness of\nthemselves and their fathers, which so highly provoked them that they declared\nthemselves his enemies, and would soon have procured his ruin had he not been\nprotected by Abu T\u00e2leb.  The chief of the Koreish warmly solicited this person\nto desert his nephew, making frequent remonstrances against the innovations he\nwas attempting, which proving ineffectual, they at length threatened him with\nan open rupture if he did not prevail on Mohammed to desist.  At this, Abu\nT\u00e2leb was so far moved that he earnestly dissuaded his nephew from pursuing\nthe affair any farther, representing the great danger he and his friends must\notherwise run.  But Mohammed was not to be intimidated, telling his uncle\nplainly \"that if they set the sun against him on his right hand, and the moon\non his left, he would not leave his enterprise;\" and Abu T\u00e2leb, seeing him so\nfirmly resolved to proceed, used no further arguments, but promised to stand\nby him against all his enemies.6\n   The Koreish, finding they could prevail neither by fair words nor menaces,\ntried what they could do by force and ill-treatment, using Mohammed's\nfollowers so very injuriously that it was not safe for them to continue at\nMecca any longer: whereupon Mohammed gave leave to such of them as had not\nfriends to protect them, to seek for refuge elsewhere.  And accordingly, in\nthe fifth year of the prophet's mission, sixteen of them, four of whom were\nwomen, fled into Ethiopia; and among them Othm\u00e2n Ebn Aff\u00e2n and his wife\nRak\u00eeah, Mohammed's\n\n\t\t5  Kor. c. 74.  See the notes thereon.\t\t6  Abulfeda ubi\nsupra.\n\n\n\ndaughter.  This was the first flight; but afterwards several others followed\nthem, retiring one after another, to the number of eighty-three men and\neighteen women, besides children.1  These refugees were kindly received by the\nNaj\u00e2shi,2 or king of Ethiopia, who refused to deliver them up to those whom\nthe Koreish sent to demand them, and, as the Arab writers unanimously attest,\neven professed the Mohammedan religion.\n   In the sixth year of his mission3 Mohammed had the pleasure of seeing his\nparty strengthened by the conversion of his uncle Hamza, a man of great valour\nand merit, and of Omar Ebn al Khatt\u00e2b, a person highly esteemed, and once a\nviolent opposer of the prophet.  As persecution generally advances rather than\nobstructs the spreading of a religion, Islamism made so great a progress among\nthe Arab tribes, that the Koreish, to suppress it effectually, if possible, in\nthe seventh year of Mohammed's mission,4 made a solemn league or covenant\nagainst the Hashemites and the family of al Motalleb, engaging themselves to\ncontract no marriages with any of them, and to have no communication with\nthem; and to give it the greater sanction, reduced it into writing, and laid\nit up in the Caaba.  Upon this the tribe became divided into two factions; and\nthe family of Hashem all repaired to Abu T\u00e2leb, as their head; except only\nAbd'al Uzza, surnamed Abu Laheb, who, out of his inveterate hatred to his\nnephew and his doctrine, went over to the opposite party, whose chief was Abu\nSofi\u00e2n Ebn Harb, of the family of Ommeya.\n   The families continued thus at variance for three years; but in the tenth\nyear of his mission, Mohammed told his uncle Abu T\u00e2leb that GOD had manifestly\nshowed his disapprobation of the league which the Koreish had made against\nthem, by sending a worm to eat out every word of the instrument except the\nname of GOD.  Of this accident Mohammed had probably some private notice; for\nAbu T\u00e2leb went immediately to the Koreish and acquainted them with it;\noffering, if it proved false, to deliver his nephew up to them; but in case it\nwere true, he insisted that they ought to lay aside their animosity, and annul\nthe league they had made against the Hashemites.  To this they acquiesced, and\ngoing to inspect the writing, to their great astonishment found it to be as\nAbu T\u00e2leb had said; and the league was thereupon declared void.\n   In the same year Abu T\u00e2leb died, at the age of above fourscore; and it is\nthe general opinion that he died an infidel, though others say that when he\nwas at the point of death he embraced Mohammedism, and produce some passages\nout of his poetical compositions to confirm their assertion.  About a month,\nor as some write, three days after the death of this great benefactor and\npatron, Mohammed had the additional mortification to lose his wife Khad\u00eejah,\nwho had so generously made his fortune.  For which reason this year is called\nthe year of mourning.5\n   On the death of these two persons the Koreish began to be more troublesome\nthan ever to their prophet, and especially some who had formerly been his\nintimate friends; insomuch that he found himself\n\n   1  Idem, Ebn Shohnah.\t\t2  Dr. Prideaux seems to take this word\nfor a proper name, but it is only the title the Arabs give to every king of\nthis country.  See his Life of Mahomet, p. 55\t\t3  Ebn Shohnah\n\t4  Al Jann\u00e2bi.\n1  Abulfed. p. 28.  Ebn Shohnah.\n\n\n\n\nobliged to seek for shelter elsewhere, and first pitched upon T\u00e2yet, about\nsixty miles east from Mecca, for the place of his retreat.  Thither therefore\nhe went, accompanied by his servant Zeid, and applied himself to two of the\nchief of the tribe of Thak\u00eef, who were the inhabitants of that place; but they\nreceived him very coldly.  However, he stayed there a month; and some of the\nmore considerate and better sort of men treated him with a little respect: but\nthe slaves and inferior people at length rose against him, and bringing him to\nthe wall of the city, obliged him to depart and return to Mecca, where he put\nhimself under the protection of al Mot\u00e1am Ebn Adi.2\n   This repulse greatly discouraged his followers: however, Mohammed was not\nwanting to himself, but boldly continued to preach to the public assemblies at\nthe pilgrimage, and gained several proselytes, and among them six of the\ninhabitants of Yathreb of the Jewish tribe of Khazraj, who on their return\nhome failed not to speak much in commendation of their new religion, and\nexhorted their fellow-citizens to embrace the same.\n   In the twelfth year of his mission it was that Mohammed gave out that he he\nhad made his night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and thence to heaven,3 so\nmuch spoken of by all that write of him.  Dr. Prideaux4 thinks he invented it\neither to answer the expectations of those who demanded some miracle as a\nproof of his mission, or else, by pretending to have conversed with GOD, to\nestablish the authority of whatever he should think fit to leave behind by way\nof oral tradition, and make his sayings to serve the same purpose as the oral\nlaw of the Jews.  But I do not find that Mohammed himself ever expected so\ngreat a regard should be paid to his sayings, as his followers have since\ndone; and seeing he all along disclaimed any power of performing miracles, it\nseems rather to have been a fetch of policy to raise his reputation, by\npretending to have actually conversing with GOD in heaven, as Moses had\nheretofore done in the mount, and to have received several institutions\nimmediately from him, whereas before he contented himself with persuading them\nthat he had all by the ministry of Gabriel.\n   However, this story seemed so absurd and incredible, that several of his\nfollowers left him upon it, and it had probably ruined the whole design, had\nnot Abu Becr vouched for his veracity, and declared that if Mohammed affirmed\nit to be true, he verily believed the whole.  Which happy incident not only\nretrieved the prophet's credit, but increased it to such a degree, that he was\nsecure of being able to make his disciples swallow whatever he pleased to\nimpose on them for the future.  And I am apt to think this fiction,\nnotwithstanding its extravagance, was one of the most artful contrivances\nMohammed ever put in practice, and what chiefly contributed to the raising of\nhis reputation to that great height to which it afterwards arrived.\n   In this year, called by the Mohammedans the accepted year, twelve men of\nYathreb or Medina, of whom ten were of the tribe of Khazraj, and the other two\nof that of Aws, came to Mecca, and took an oath of fidelity to Mohammed at al\nAkaba, a hill on the north of that city.  This oath was called the women's\noath, not that any women were pre-\n\n   2  Ebn Shohnah.\t\t3  See the notes on the 17th chapter of the\nKor\u00e2n.\t\t4  Life o Mahomet, p. 41, 51, &c.\n\n\n\n\nsent at this time, but because a man was not thereby obliged to take up arms\nin defence of Mohammed or his religion; it being the same oath that was\nafterwards exacted of the women, the form of which we have in the Kor\u00e2n,1 and\nis to this effect, viz.: \"That they should renounce all idolatry; that they\nshould not steal, nor commit fornication, nor kill their children (as the\npagan Arabs used to do when they apprehended they should not be able to\nmaintain them2), nor forge calumnies; and that they should obey the prophet in\nall things that were reasonable.\"  When they had solemnly engaged to do all\nthis, Mohammed sent one of his disciples, named Mas\u00e1b Ebn Omair, home with\nthem, to instruct them more fully in the grounds and ceremonies of his new\nreligion.\n   Mas\u00e1b, being arrived at Medina, by the assistance of those who had been\nformerly converted, gained several proselytes, particularly Osaid Ebn Hodeira,\na chief man of the city, and Saad Ebn Mo\u00e2dh, prince of the tribe of Aws;\nMohammedism spreading so fast, that there was scarce a house wherein there\nwere not some who had embraced it.\n   The next year, being the thirteenth of Mohammed's mission, Mas\u00e1h returned\nto Mecca, accompanied by seventy-three men and two women of Medina, who had\nprofessed Islamism, besides some others who were as yet unbelievers.  On their\narrival, they immediately sent to Mohammed, and offered him their assistance,\nof which he was now in great need, for his adversaries were by this time grown\nso powerful in Mecca, that he could not stay there much longer without\nimminent danger.  Wherefore he accepted their proposal, and met them one\nnight, by appointment, at al Akaba above mentioned, attended by his uncle al\nAbbas, who, though he was not then a believer, wished his nephew well, and\nmade a speech to those of Medina, wherein he told them, that as Mohammed was\nobliged to quit his native city, and seek an asylum elsewhere, and they had\noffered him their protection, they would do well not to deceive him; and that\nif they were not firmly resolved to defend and not betray him, they had better\ndeclare their minds, and let him provide for his safety in some other manner.\nUpon their protesting their sincerity, Mohammed swore to be faithful to them,\non condition that they should protect him against all insults, as heartily as\nthey would their own wives and families.  They then asked him what recompense\nthey were to expect if they should happen to be killed in his quarrel; he\nanswered, Paradise.  Whereupon they pledged their faith to him, and so\nreturned home;3 after Mohammed had chosen twelve out of their number, who were\nto have the same authority among them as the twelve apostles of Christ had\namong his disciples.4\n   Hitherto Mohammed had propagated his religion by fair means, so that the\nwhole success of his enterprise, before his flight to Medina, must be\nattributed to persuasion only, and not to compulsion.  For before this second\noath of fealty or inauguration at al Akaba, he had no permission to use any\nforce at all; and in several places of the Kor\u00e2n, which he pretended were\nrevealed during his stay at Mecca,\n\n   1  Cap. 60.\t\t2  Vide Kor. c. 6.\t\t3  Abulfeda.  Vit.\nMoham. p. 40, &c.\t\t4  Ebn Ish\u00e2k.\n\n\n\n\nhe declares his business was only to preach and admonish; that he had no\nauthority to compel any person to embrace his religion; and that whether\npeople believed, or not, was none of his concern, but belonged solely unto\nGOD.  And he was so far from allowing his followers to use force, that he\nexhorted them to bear patiently those injuries which were offered them on\naccount of their faith; and when persecuted himself, chose rather to quit the\nplace of his birth and retire to Medina, than to make any resistance.  But\nthis great passiveness and moderation seems entirely owing to his want of\npower, and the great superiority of his opposers for the first twelve years of\nhis mission; for no sooner was he enabled, by the assistance of those of\nMedina, to make head against his enemies, than he gave out, that GOD had\nallowed him and his followers to defend themselves against the infidels; and\nat length as his forces increased, he pretended to have the divine leave even\nto attack them, and to destroy idolatry, and set up the true faith by the\nsword; finding by experience that his designs would otherwise proceed very\nslowly, if they were not utterly overthrown, and knowing on the other hand\nthat innovators, when they depend solely on their own strength, and can\ncompel, seldom run any risk; from whence, the politician observes, it follows,\nthat all the armed prophets have succeeded, and the unarmed ones have failed.\nMoses, Cyrus, Theseus, and Romulus would not have been able to establish the\nobservance of their institutions for any length of time had they not been\narmed.1  The first passage of the Kor\u00e2n which gave Mohammed the permission of\ndefending himself by arms, is said to have been that in the twenty-second\nchapter; after which a great number to the same purpose were revealed.\n   That Mohammed had a right to take up arms for his own defence against his\nunjust persecutors, may perhaps be allowed; but whether he ought afterwards to\nhave made use of that means for the establishing of his religion is a question\nI will not here determine.  How far the secular power may or ought to\ninterpose in affairs of this nature, mankind are not agreed.  The method of\nconverting by the sword, gives no very favourable idea of the faith which is\nso propagated, and is disallowed by everybody in those of another religion,\nthough the same persons are willing to admit of it for the advancement of\ntheir own; supposing that though a false religion ought not to be established\nby authority, yet a true one may; and accordingly force is almost as\nconstantly employed in these cases by those who have the power in their hands,\nas it is constantly complained of by those who suffer the violence.  It is\ncertainly one of the most convincing proofs that Mohammedism was no other than\nhuman invention, that it owed its progress and establishment almost entirely\nto the sword; and it is one of the strongest demonstrations of the divine\noriginal of Christianity, that it prevailed against all the forces and powers\nof the world by the mere dint of its own truth, after having stood the\nassaults of all manner of persecutions, as well as other oppositions, for 300\nyears together and at length made the Roman emperors themselves submit\nthereto;2 after which time, indeed, this proof seems to fail, Christianity\nbeing\n\n \t  1  Machiavelli, Princ. c. 6.\t\t\t2  See Prideaux's Letter\nto the Deists, p. 220, &c.\n\n\n\n\nthen established and Paganism abolished by public authority, which has had\ngreat influence in the propagation of the one and destruction of the other\never since.1  But to return.\n   Mohammed having provided for the security of his companions as well as his\nown, by the league offensive and defensive which he had now concluded with\nthose of Medina, directed them to repair thither, which they accordingly did;\nbut himself with Abu Becr and Ali stayed behind, having not yet received the\ndivine permission, as he pretended, to leave Mecca.  The Koreish, fearing the\nconsequence of this new alliance, began to think it absolutely necessary to\nprevent Mohammed's escape to Medina, and having held a council thereon, after\nseveral milder expedients had been rejected, they came to a resolution that he\nshould be killed; and agreed that a man should be chosen out of every tribe\nfor the execution of this design, and that each man should have a blow at him\nwith his sword, that the guilt of his blood might fall equally on all the\ntribes, to whose united power the Hashemites were much inferior, and therefore\ndurst not attempt to revenge their kinsman's death.\n   This conspiracy was scarce formed when by some means or other it came to\nMohammed knowledge, and he gave out that it was revealed to him the angel\nGabriel, who had now ordered him to retire to Medina.  Whereupon, to amuse his\nenemies, he directed Ali to lie down in his place and wrap himself up in his\ngreen cloak, which he did, and Mohammed escape miraculously, as they pretend,2\nto Abu Becr's house, unperceived by the conspirators, who had already\nassembled at the prophet's door.  They in the meantime, looking through the\ncrevice and seeing Ali, whom they took to be Mohammed himself, asleep,\ncontinued watching there till morning, when Ali arose, and they found\nthemselves deceived.\n   From Abu Becr's house Mohammed and he went to a cave in Mount Thur, to the\nsouth-east of Mecca, accompanied only by Amer Ebn Foheirah, Abu Becr's\nservant, and Abd'allah Ebn Oreikat, an idolater, whom they had hired for a\nguide.  In this cave they lay hid three days to avoid the search of their\nenemies, which they very narrowly escaped, and not without the assistance of\nmore miracles than one; for some say that the Koreish were struck with\nblindness, so that they could not find the cave; others, that after Mohammed\nand his companions were got in, two pigeons laid their eggs at the entrance,\nand a spider covered the mouth of the cave with her web,3 which made them look\nno farther.4  Abu Becr, seeing the prophet in such imminent danger, became\nvery sorrowful, whereupon Mohammed comforted him with these words, recorded in\nthe Kor\u00e2n:5 \"Be not grieved, for GOD is with us.\"  Their enemies being\nretired, they left the cave and set out for Medina, by a by-road, and having\nfortunately, or as the Mohammedans tell us, miraculously, escaped some who\nwere sent to pursue them,\n\n   1  See Bayle's Dict. Hist. Art. Mahomet, Rem. O.\t\t2  See the notes\nto chap. 8 and 36.\t\t\t3  It is observable that the Jews have a\nlike tradition concerning David, when he fled from Saul into the cave; and the\nTargum paraphrases these words of the second verse of Psalm lvii., which was\ncomposed on occasion of that deliverance: \"I will pray before the most high\nGOD that performeth all things for me, in this manner; I will pray before the\nmost high GOD, who called a spider to weave a web for my sake in the mouth of\nthe cave.\"\t\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi in Kor. c. 9.  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl.\nOrient p. 445.\t\t5  Cap. 9.\n\n\n\narrived safely at that city; whither Ali followed them in three days, after he\nhad settled some affairs at Mecca.4\n   The first thing Mohammed did after his arrival at Medina, was to build a\ntemple for his religious worship, and a house for himself, which he did on a\nparcel of ground which had before served to put camels in, or as others tell\nus, for a burying-ground, and belonged to Sahal and Soheil the sons of Amru,\nwho were orphans.5  This action Dr. Prideaux exclaims against, representing it\nas a flagrant instance of injustice, for that, says he, he violently\ndispossessed these poor orphans, the sons of an inferior artificer (whom the\nauthor he quotes6 calls a carpenter) of this ground, and so founded the first\nfabric of his worship with the like wickedness as he did his religion.7  But\nto say nothing of the improbability that Mohammed should act in so impolitic a\nmanner at his first coming, the mohammedan writers set this affair ina quite\ndifferent light; one tells us that he treated with the lads about the price of\nthe ground, but they desired he would accept it asa present;8 however, as\nhistorians of good credit assure us, he actually bought it,9 and the money was\npaid by Abu Becr.1  Besides, had Mohammed accepted it as a present, the\norphans were in circumstances sufficient to have afforded it; for they were of\na very good family, of the tribe of Najj\u00e2r, one of the most illustrious among\nthe Arabs, and not the sons of a carpenter, as Dr. Prideaux's author writes,\nwho took the word Najj\u00e2r, which signifies a carpenter, for an appellative,\nwhereas it is a proper name.2\n   Mohammed being securely settled at Medina, and able not only to defend\nhimself against the insults of his enemies, but to attack them, began to send\nout small parties to make reprisals on the Koreish; the first party consisting\nof no more than nine men, who intercepted and plundered a caravan belonging to\nthat tribe, and in the action took two prisoners.  But what established his\naffairs very much, and was the foundation on which he built all his succeeding\ngreatness, was the gaining of the battle of Bedr, which was fought in the\nsecond year of the Hejra, and is so famous in the Mohammedan history.3  As my\ndesign is not to write the life of Mohammed, but only to describe the manner\nin which he carried on his enterprise, I shall not enter into any detail of\nhis subsequent battles and expeditions, which amounted to a considerable\nnumber.  Some reckon no less than twenty-seven expeditions wherein Mohammed\nwas personally present, in nine of which he gave battle, besides several other\nexpeditions in which he was not present:4 some of them, however, will be\nnecessarily taken notice of in explaining several passages of the Kor\u00e2n.  His\nforces he maintained partly by the contributions of his followers for this\npurpose, which he called by the name of Zac\u00e2t or alms, and the paying of which\nhe very artfully made one main article of his religion; and partly by ordering\na fifth part of the plunder to be brought into the public treasury for that\npurpose, in which manner he likewise pretended to act by the divine direction.\n\n   4  Abulfeda.  Vit. Moh. p. 50, &c.  Ebn Shohnah.\t\t5  Abulfeda, ib.\np. 52, 53.\t\t6  Disputatio Christiani contra Saracen. c. 4.\n\t7  Prideaux's Life of Mahomet, p. 58.\t\t\t8  Al Bokh\u00e2ri in\nSonna.\n9  Al Jann\u00e2bi\t\t1  Ahmed Ebn Yusef.\t\t2  Vide Gagnier, not. in\nAbulfed. de Vit. Moh. p. 52, 53.\n3  See the notes on the Kor\u00e2n, chap. 3.\t\t\t4  Vide Abulfed. Vit.\nMoh. p. 158.\n\n\n\n   In a few years by the success of his arms (notwithstanding he sometimes\ncame off by the worst) he considerably raised his credit and power.  In the\nsixth year of the Hejra he set out with 1,400 men to visit the temple of\nMecca, not with any intent of committing hostilities, but in a peaceable\nmanner.  However, when he came to al Hodeibiya, which is situate partly within\nand partly without the sacred territory, the Koreish sent to let him know that\nthey would not permit him to enter Mecca, unless he forced his way; whereupon\nhe called his troops about him, and they all took a solemn oath of fealty or\nhomage to him, and he resolved to attack the city; but those of Mecca sending\nAraw Ebn Mas\u00fad, prince of the tribe of Thak\u00eef, as their ambassador to desire\npeace, a truce was concluded between them for ten years, by which any person\nwas allowed to enter into league either with Mohammed or with the Koreish as\nhe thought fit.\n   It may not be improper, to show the inconceivable veneration and respect\nthe Mohammedans by this time had for their prophet, to mention the account\nwhich the above-mentioned ambassador gave the Koreish, at his return, of their\nbehaviour.  He said he had been at the courts both of the Roman emperor and of\nthe king of Persia, and never saw any prince so highly respected by his\nsubjects as Mohammed was by his companions; for whenever he made the ablution,\nin order to say his prayers, they ran and catched the water that he had used;\nand whenever he spit, they immediately licked it up, and gathered up every\nhair that fell from him with great superstition.1\n   In the seventh year of the Hejra, Mohammed began to think of propagating\nhis religion beyond the bounds of Arabia, and sent messengers to the\nneighbouring princes with letters to invite them to Mohammedism.  Nor was this\nproject without some success.  Khosr\u00fb Parv\u00eez, then king of Persia, received\nhis letter with great disdain, and tore it in a passion, sending away the\nmessenger very abruptly; which when Mohammed heard, he said, \"GOD shall tear\nhis kingdom.\"  And soon after a messenger came to Mohammed from Badh\u00e2n, king\nof Yaman, who was a dependant on the Persians,2 to acquaint him that he had\nreceived orders to send him to Khosr\u00fb.  Mohammed put off his answer till the\nnext morning, and then told the messenger it had been revealed to him that\nnight that Khosr\u00fb was slain by his son Shir\u00fbyeh; adding that he was well\nassured his new religion and empire should rise to as great a height as that\nof Khosr\u00fb; and therefore bid him advise his master to embrace Mohammedism.\nThe messenger being returned, Badh\u00e2n in a few days received a letter from\nShir\u00fbyeh informing him of his father's death, and ordering him to give the\nprophet no further disturbance.  Whereupon Badh\u00e2n and the Persians with him\nturned Mohammedans.3\n   The emperor Heraclius, as the Arabian historians assure us, received\nMohammed's letter with great respect, laying it on his pillow, and dismissed\nthe bearer honourably.  And some pretend that he would have professed this new\nfaith, had he not been afraid of losing his crown.4\n   Mohammed wrote to the same effect to the king of Ethiopia, though he had\nbeen converted before, according to the Arab writers; and to\n\n   1  Abulfeda Vit. Moh. p. 85.\t\t2  See before, p. 8.\t\t3\nAbulfeda, Vit. Moh. p. 92, &c.\t4  Al Jann\u00e2bi.\n\n\n\n\nMokawkas, governor of Egypt, who gave the messenger a very favourable\nreception, and sent several valuable presents to Mohammed, and among the rest\ntwo girls, one of which, named Mary,1 became a great favourite with him.  He\nalso sent letters of the like purport to several Arab princes, particularly\none to al Hareth Ebn Abi Shamer,2 king of Ghass\u00e2n, who, returning for answer\nthat he would go to Mohammed himself, the prophet said, \"May his kingdom\nperish;\" another to Hawdha Ebn Ali, king of Yam\u00e2ma, who was a Christian, and\nhaving some time before professed Islamism, had lately returned to his former\nfaith; this prince sent back a very rough answer, upon which Mohammed cursing\nhim, he died soon after; and a third to al Mondar Ebn S\u00e2wa, king of Bahrein,\nwho embraced Mohammedism, and all the Arabs of that country followed his\nexample.3\n   The eighth year of the Hejra was a very fortunate year to Mohammed.  In the\nbeginning of it Kh\u00e2led Ebn al Wal\u00eed and Amru Ebn al As, both excellent\nsoldiers, the first of whom afterwards conquered Syria and other countries,\nand the latter Egypt, became proselytes of Mohammedism.  And soon after the\nprophet sent 3,000 men against the Grecian forces, to revenge the death of one\nof his ambassadors, who being sent to the governor of Bosra on the same errand\nas those who went to the above-mentioned princes, was slain by an Arab of the\ntribe of Ghass\u00e2n at M\u00fbta, a town in the territory of Balk\u00e2 in Syria, about\nthree days' journey eastward from Jerusalem, near which town they encountered.\nThe Grecians being vastly superior in number (for, including the auxiliary\nArabs, they had an army of 100,000 men), the Mohammedans were repulsed in the\nfirst attack, and lost successively three of their general, viz., Zeid Ebn\nH\u00e2retha, Mohammed's freedman, Jaafar, the son of Abu T\u00e2leb, and Abd\u00e2llah Ebn\nRaw\u00e2ha; but Kh\u00e2led Ebn al Wal\u00eed, succeeding to the command, overthrew the\nGreeks with a great slaughter, and brought away abundance of rich spoil;4 on\noccasion of which action Mohammed gave him the honourable title of Seif min\nsoy\u00fbf Allah, One of the Swords of GOD.5\n   In this year also Mohammed took the city of Mecca, the inhabitants whereof\nhad broken the truce concluded on two years before.  For the tribe of Becr,\nwho were confederates of the Koreish, attacking those of Khoz\u00e2ah, who were\nallies of Mohammed, killed several of them, being supported in the action by a\nparty of the Koreish themselves.  The consequence of this violation was soon\napprehended, and Abu Sofi\u00e2n himself made a journey to Medina on purpose to\nheal the breach and renew the truce,6 but in vain, for Mohammed, glad of this\nopportunity, refused to see him; whereupon he applied to Abu Becr and Ali, but\nthey giving him no answer, he was obliged to return to Mecca as he came.\n   Mohammed immediately gave orders for preparations to be made, that he might\nsurprise the Meccans while they were unprovided to receive him; in a little\ntime he began his march thither, and by the\n\n   1  It is, however, a different name from that of the Virgin Mary, which the\nOrientals always write Maryam, or Miriam-whereas this is written M\u00e2riya.\n\t2  This prince is omitted in Dr. Pocock's list of the kings of Ghass\u00e2n,\nSpec. p. 77.\n3  Abulfeda, bui sup. p. 94, &c.\t\t4  Idem ib. p. 99, 100, &c.\n\t5  Al Bokh\u00e2ri in Sonna.\n6  This circumstance is a plain proof that the Koreish had actually broken the\ntruce, and that it was not a mere pretence of Mohammed's as Dr. Prideaux\ninsinuates.  Life of Mahomet, p. 94.\n\n\n\n\ntime he came near the city his forces were increased to 10,000 men.  Those of\nMecca being not in a condition to defend themselves against so formidable an\narmy, surrendered at discretion, and Abu Sofi\u00e2n saved his life by turning\nMohammedan.  About twenty-eight of the idolaters were killed by a party under\nthe command of Kh\u00e2led; but this happened contrary to Mohammed's orders, who,\nwhen he entered the town, pardoned all the Koreish on their submission, except\nonly six men and four women, who were more obnoxious than ordinary (some of\nthem having apostatized), and were solemnly proscribed by the prophet himself;\nbut of these no more than three men and one woman were put to death, the rest\nobtaining pardon on their embracing Mohammedism, and one of the women making\nher escape.1\n   The remainder of this year Mohammed employed in destroying the idols in and\nround about Mecca, sending several of his generals on expeditions for that\npurpose, and to invite the Arabs to Islamism: wherein it is no wonder if they\nnow met with success.\n   The next year, being the ninth of the Hejra, the Mohammedans call \"the year\nof embassies,\" for the Arabs had been hitherto expecting the issue of the war\nbetween Mohammed and the Koreish; but so soon as that tribe-the principal of\nthe whole nation, and the genuine descendants of Ismael, whose prerogatives\nnone offered to dispute-had submitted, they were satisfied that it was not in\ntheir power to oppose Mohammed, and therefore began to come in to him in great\nnumbers, and to send embassies to make their submissions to him, both to\nMecca, while he stayed there, and also to Medina, whither he returned this\nyear.2  Among the rest, five kings of the tribe of Hamyar professed\nMohammedism, and sent ambassadors to notify the same.3\n   In the tenth year Ali was sent into Yaman to propagate the Mohammedan faith\nthere, and as it is said, converted the whole tribe of Hamd\u00e2n in one day.\nTheir example was quickly followed by all the inhabitants of that province,\nexcept only those of Najr\u00e2n, who, being Christians, chose rather to pay\ntribute.4\n   Thus was Mohammedism established and idolatry rooted out, even in\nMohammed's lifetime (for he died the next year), throughout all Arabia, except\nonly Yam\u00e2ma, where Moseilama, who set up also for a prophet as Mohammed's\ncompetitor, had a great party, and was not reduced till the Khal\u00eefat of Abu\nBecr.  And the Arabs being then united in one faith and under one prince,\nfound themselves in a condition of making those conquests which extended the\nMohammedan faith over so great a part of the world.\n\n\n\n\n______\n\n\n\n\n\n   1  Vide Abulfed. ubi sup. c. 51, 52.\t\t\t\t2  Vide Gagnier,\nnot. ad Abulfed. p. 121.\n3  Abulfed. ubi sup. p. 128.\t\t\t\t4  Ibid. p. 129.\n\n\n\n\n\nSECTION III\n\nOF THE KORAN ITSELF, THE PECULIARITIES OF THAT BOOK; THE MANNER OF\n       ITS BEING WRITTEN AND PUBLISHED, AND THE GENERAL DESIGN OF IT.\n\nTHE word Kor\u00e2n, derived from the verb karaa, to read, signifies properly in\nArabic, \"the reading,\" or rather, \"that which ought to be read;\" by which name\nMohammedans denote not only the entire book or volume of the Kor\u00e2n, but also\nany particular chapter or section of it: just as the Jews call either the\nwhole scripture or any part of it by the name of Kar\u00e2h, or Mikra,1 words of\nthe same origin and import; which observation seems to overthrow the opinion\nof some learned Arabians, who would have the Kor\u00e2n so named because it is a\ncollection of the loose chapters or sheets which compose it-the verb karaa\nsignifying also to gather or collect:2 and may also, by the way, serve as an\nanswer to those who object3 that the Kor\u00e2n must be a book forged at once, and\ncould not possibly be revealed by parcels at different times during the course\nof several years, as the Mohammedans affirm, because the Kor\u00e2n is often\nmentioned and called by that name in the very book  itself.  It may not be\namiss to observe, that the syllable Al in the word Alkoran is only the Arabic\narticle, signifying the, and therefore ought to be omitted when the English\narticle is prefixed.\n   Beside this peculiar name, the Kor\u00e2n is also honoured with several\nappellations, common to other books of scripture: as, al Fork\u00e2n, from the verb\nfaraka, to divide or distinguish; not, as the Mohammedan doctor say, because\nthose books are divided into chapters or sections, or distinguish between good\nand evil; but in the same notion that the Jews use the word Perek, or Pirka,\nfrom the same root, to denote a section or portion of scripture.4  It is also\ncalled al Moshaf, the volume, and al Kitab, the book, by way of eminence,\nwhich answers to the Biblia of the Greeks; and al Dhikr, the admonition, which\nname is also given to the Pentateuch and Gospel.\n   The Kor\u00e2n is divided into 114 larger portions of very unequal length, which\nwe call chapters, but the Arabians Sowar, in the singular S\u00fbra, a word rarely\nused on any other occasion, and properly signifying a row, order, or regular\nseries; as a course of bricks in building, or a rank of soldiers in an army;\nand is the same in use and import with the S\u00fbra, or Tora, of the jews, who\nalso call the fifty-three sections of the Pentateuch Sed\u00e2rim, a word of the\nsame signification.5\n   These chapters are not in the manuscript copies distinguished by their\nnumerical order, though for the reader's ease they are numbered\n\n   1  This name was at first given to the Pentateuch only, Nehem. viii.  Vide\nSimon. hist. Crit. du Vieux Test. l. r, c. 9.\t2  Vide Erpen. not. ad Hist.\nJoseph. p. 3.\t\t3  Marracc. de Alcor. p. 41.\t\t4  Vide Gol. in\nappend. ad Gram. Arab. Erpen. 175.  A chapter or subdivision of the Massictoth\nof the Mishna is also called Perek.  Maimon. pr\u00e6f. in Seder Zeraim, p. 57.\n5  Vide Gol. ubi sup. 177.  Each of the six grand divisions of the Mishna is\nalso called Seder.  Maimon. ubi sup. p. 55.\n\n\n\n\nin this edition, but by particular titles, which (except that of the first,\nwhich is the initial chapter, or introduction to the rest, and by the one\nLatin translator not numbered among the chapters) are taken sometimes from a\nparticular matter of, or person mentioned therein; but usually from the first\nword of note, exactly in the same manner as the Jews have named their Sed\u00e2rim:\nthough the words from which some chapters are denominated be very far distant,\ntowards the middle, or perhaps the end of the chapter; which seems ridiculous.\nBut the occasion of this seems to have been, that the verse or passage wherein\nsuch word occurs, was, in point of time, revealed and committed to writing\nbefore the other verses of the same chapter which precede it in order: and the\ntitle being given to the chapter before it was completed, or the passages\nreduced to their present order, the verse from whence such title was taken did\nnot always happen to begin the chapter.  Some chapters have two or more\ntitles, occasioned by the difference of the copies.\n   Some of the chapters having been revealed at Mecca, and others at Medina,\nthe noting this difference makes a part of the title; but the reader will\nobserve that several of the chapters are said to have been revealed partly at\nMecca, and partly at Medina; and as to others, it is yet a dispute among the\ncommentators to which place of the two they belong.\n   Every chapter is subdivided into smaller portions, of very unequal length\nalso, which we customarily call verses; but the Arabic word is Ay\u00e2t, the same\nwith the Hebrew Ototh, and signifies signs, or wonders; such as are the\nsecrets of GOD, his attributes, works, judgments, and ordinances, delivered in\nthose verses; many of which have their particular titles also, imposed in the\nsame manner as those of the chapters.\n   Notwithstanding this subdivision is common and well known, yet I have never\nyet seen any manuscript wherein the verses in each chapter is set down after\nthe title, which we have therefore added in the table of the chapters.  And\nthe Mohammedans seem to have some scruple in making an actual distinction in\ntheir copies, because the chief disagreement between their several editions of\nthe Kor\u00e2n, consists in the division and number of the verses: and for this\nreason I have not taken upon me to make any such division.\n   Having mentioned the different editions of the Kor\u00e2n, it may not be amiss\nhere to acquaint the reader, that there are seven principal editions, if I may\nso call them, or ancient copies of that book; two of which were published and\nused at Medina, a third at Mecca, a fourth at Cufa, a fifth at Basra, a sixth\nin Syria, and a seventh called the common or vulgar edition.  Of these\neditions, the first of Medina makes the whole number of the verses 6,000; the\nsecond and fifth, 6,214; the third, 6,219; the fourth, 6,236; the sixth,\n6,226; and the last, 6,225.  But they are all said to contain the same number\nof words, namely, 77,639;1 and the same number of letters, viz., 323,015:2 for\nthe Mohammedans have in this also imitated the Jews, that they have\nsuperstitiously numbered the very words and letters of their law; nay, they\nhave\n\n   1  Or as others reckon them, 99, 464.  Reland. de Rel. Moh. p. 25.\n\t2  Or according to another computation, 330,113.  Ibid.  Vide Gol. ubi\nsup. p. 178.  D'Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. p. 87.\n\n\n\ntaken the pains to compute (how exactly I know not) the number of times each\nparticular letter of the alphabet is contained in the Kor\u00e2n.1\n   Besides these unequal divisions of chapter and verse, the Mohammedans have\nalso divided their Kor\u00e2n into sixty equal portions, which they call Ahz\u00e2b, in\nthe singular Hizb, each subdivided into four equal parts; which is also an\nimitation of the Jews, who have an ancient division of their Mishna into sixty\nportions, called Massictoth:2 but the Kor\u00e2n is more usually divided into\nthirty sections only, named Ajz\u00e2, from the singular Joz, each of twice the\nlength of the former, and in the like manner subdivided into four parts.\nThese divisions are for the use of the readers of the Kor\u00e2n in the royal\ntemples, or in the adjoining chapels where the emperors and great men are\ninterred.  There are thirty of these readers belonging to every chapel, and\neach reads his section every day, so that the whole Kor\u00e2n is read over once a\nday.3  I have seen several copies divided in this manner, and bound up in as\nmany volumes; and have thought it proper to mark these divisions in the margin\nof this translation by numeral letters.\n   Next after the title, at the head of every chapter, except only the ninth,\nis prefixed the following solemn form, by the Mohammedans called the\nBismillah, \"In the name of the most merciful GOD;\" which form they constantly\nplace at the beginning of all their books and writings in general, as a\npeculiar mark or distinguishing characteristic of their religion, it being\ncounted a sort of impiety to omit it.  The Jews for the same purpose make use\nof the form, \"In the name of the LORD,\" or, \"In the name of the great GOD:\"\nand the eastern Christians, that of \"In the name of the Father, and of the\nSon, and of the Holy Ghost.\"  But I am apt to believe Mohammed really took\nthis form, as he did many other things, from the Persian Magi, who used to\nbegin their books in these words, Ben\u00e2m Yezd\u00e2n bakhsha\u00efshgher d\u00e2d\u00e2r; that is,\n\"In the name of the most merciful, just GOD.\"4\n   This auspicatory form, and also the titles of the chapters, are by the\ngenerality of the doctors and commentators believed to be of divine original,\nno less than the text itself; but the more moderate are of opinion they are\nonly human additions, and not the very word of GOD.\n   There are twenty-nine chapters of the Kor\u00e2n, which have this peculiarity,\nthat they begin with certain letters of the alphabet, some with a single one,\nothers with more.  These letters the Mohammedans believe to be the peculiar\nmarks of the Kor\u00e2n, and to conceal several profound mysteries, the certain\nunderstanding of which, the more intelligent confess, has not been\ncommunicated to any mortal, their prophet only excepted.  Notwithstanding\nwhich, some will take the liberty of guessing at their meaning by that species\nof Cabbala called by the jews, Notarikon,1 and suppose the letters to stand\nfor as many words expressing the names and attributes of GOD, his works,\nordinances, and decrees; and therefore these mysterious letters, as well as\nthe verses themselves, seem in the Kor\u00e2n to be called signs.  Others explain\nthe intent of these letters from their nature or organ, or else from their\nvalue in numbers, according to another species of the Jewish Cabbala\n\n   1  Vide Reland. de Relig. oh. p. 25.\t\t\t2  Vide Gol. ubi sup. p.\n178.  Maimon. pr\u00e6f. in Seder Zeraim, p. 57.\n3  Vide Smith, de Moribus et Instit. Turcar. p. 58.\t\t4  Hyde, His. Rel.\nVet. Pers. p. 14.\t\t1  Vide Buxtorf. Lexicon Rabbin.\n\n\n\ncalled Gematria;2 the uncertainty of which conjectures sufficiently appears\nfrom their disagreement.  Thus, for example, five chapters, one of which is\nthe second, begin with these letters, A.L.M., which some imagine to stand for\nAllah lat\u00eef mag\u00eed; \"GOD is gracious and to be glorified;\" or, Ana li minni,\n\"to me and from me,\" viz., belongs all perfection, and proceeds all good; or\nelse for Ana Allah \u00e2lam, \"I am the most wise GOD,\" taking the first letter to\nmark the beginning of the first word, the second the middle of the second\nword, and the third the last of the third word: or for \"Allah, Gabriel,\nMohammed,\" the author, revealer, and preacher of the Kor\u00e2n.  Others say that\nas the letter A belongs to the lower part of the throat, the first of the\norgans of speech; L to the palate, the middle organ; and M to the lips, which\nare the last organs; so these letters signify that GOD is the beginning,\nmiddle, and end, or ought to be praised in the beginning, middle, and end of\nall our words and actions: or, as the total value of those three letters in\nnumbers is seventy-one, they signify that in the space of so many years, the\nreligion preached in the Kor\u00e2n should be fully established.  The conjecture of\na learned Christian3 is, at least, as certain as any of the former, who\nsupposes those letters were set there by the amanuensis, for Amar li Mohammed,\ni.e., \"at the command of Mohammed,\" as the five letters prefixed to the\nnineteenth chapter seem to be there written by a Jewish scribe, for Cob yaas,\ni.e., \"thus he commanded.\"\n   The Kor\u00e2n is universally allowed to be written with the utmost elegance and\npurity of language, in the dialect of the tribe of Koreish, the most noble and\npolite of all the Arabians, but with some mixture, though very rarely, or\nother dialects.  It is confessedly the standard of the Arabic tongue, and as\nthe more orthodox believe, and are taught by the book itself, inimitable by\nany human pen (though some sectaries have been of another opinion),1 and\ntherefore insisted on as a permanent miracle, greater than that of raising the\ndead,2 and alone sufficient to convince the world of its divine original.\n   And to this miracle did Mohammed himself chiefly appeal for the\nconfirmation of his mission, publicly challenging the most eloquent men in\nArabia, which was at that time stocked with thousands whose sole study and\nambition it was to excel in elegance of style and composition,3 to produce\neven a single chapter that might be compared with it.4  I will mention but one\ninstance out of several, to show that this book was really admired for the\nbeauty of its composure by those who must be allowed to have been competent\njudges.  A poem of Lab\u00eed Ebn Rab\u00eea, one of the greatest wits in Arabia in\nMohammed's time, being fixed up on the gate of the temple of Mecca, an honour\nallowed to none but the most esteemed performances, none of the other poets\ndurst offer anything of their own in competition with it.  But the second\nchapter of the Kor\u00e2n being fixed up by it soon after, Lab\u00eed\n\n   2  Vide Ibid.  See also Schickardi Bechinat happerushim, p. 62, &c.\n\t3  Golius in append. ad Gram. Erp. p. 182.\n1  See after.\t\t2  Ahmed Abd'alhalim, apud Marracc. de Alc. p. 43.\n\t\t3  A noble writer therefore mistakes the question when he says\nthese eastern religionists leave their sacred writ the sole standard of\nliterate performance by extinguishing all true learning.  For though they were\ndestitute of what we call learning, yet they were far from being ignorant, or\nunable to compose elegantly in their own tongue.  See L. Shaftesbury's\nCharacteristics, vol. iii. p. 235.\t\t4  Al Ghaz\u00e2li, apud Poc. Spec. 191.\nSee Kor. c. 17, and also c. 2, p. 3, and c. II, &c.\n\n\n\n\nhimself (then an idolater) on reading the first verses only, was struck with\nadmiration, and immediately professed the religion taught thereby, declaring\nthat such words could proceed from an inspired person only.  This Lab\u00eed was\nafterwards of great service to Mohammed, in writing answers to the satires and\ninvectives that were made on him and his religion by the infidels, and\nparticularly by Amri al Kais,5 prince of the tribe of Asad,6 and author of one\nof those seven famous poems called al Moallak\u00e2t.7\n   The style of the Kor\u00e2n is generally beautiful and fluent, especially where\nit imitates the prophetic manner and scripture phrases.  It is concise and\noften obscure, adorned with bold figures after the eastern taste, enlivened\nwith florid and sententious expressions, and in many places, especially where\nthe majesty and attributes of GOD are described, sublime and magnificent; of\nwhich the reader cannot but observe several instances, though he must not\nimagine the translation comes up to the original, notwithstanding my\nendeavours to do it justice.\n   Though it be written in prose, yet the sentences generally conclude in a\nlong continued rhyme, for the sake of which the sense is often interrupted,\nand unnecessary repetitions too frequently made, which appear still more\nridiculous in a translation, where the ornament, such as it is, for whose sake\nthey were made, cannot be perceived.  However, the Arabians are so mightily\ndelighted with this jingling, that they employ it in their most elaborate\ncompositions, which they also embellish with frequent passages of, and\nallusions to, the Kor\u00e2n, so that it is next to impossible to understand them\nwithout being well versed in this book.\n   It is probable the harmony of expression which the Arabians find in the\nKor\u00e2n might contribute not a little to make them relish the doctrine therein\ntaught, and give an efficacy to arguments which, had they been nakedly\nproposed without this rhetorical dress, might not have so easily prevailed.\nVery extraordinary effects are related of the power of words well chosen and\nartfully placed, which are no less powerful either to ravish or amaze than\nmusic itself; wherefore as much has been ascribed by the best orators to this\npart of rhetoric as to any other.1  He must have a very bad ear who is not\nuncommonly moved with the very cadence of a well-turned sentence; and Mohammed\nseems not to have been ignorant of the enthusiastic operation of rhetoric on\nthe minds of men; for which reason he has not only employed his utmost skill\nin these his pretended revelations, to preserve the dignity and sublimity of\nstyle, which might seem not unworthy of the majesty of that Being, whom he\ngave out to be the author of them; and to imitate the prophetic manner of the\nOld Testament; but he has not neglected even the other arts of oratory;\nwherein he succeeded so well, and so strangely captivated the minds of his\naudience, that several of his opponents thought it the effect of witchcraft\nand enchantment, as he sometimes complains.2\n   \"The general design of the Kor\u00e2n\" (to use the words of a very learned\nperson) \"seems to be this.  To unite the professors of the\n\n   5  D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 512, &c.\t\t6  Poc. Spec. p. 80.\n\t7  See before, p. 22.\t\t1  See Casaubon, of Enthusiasm, c. 4.\n\t2  Kor. c. 15, 21, &c.\n\n\n\nthree different religions then followed in the populous country of Arabia, who\nfor the most part lived promiscuously, and wandered without guides, the far\ngreater number being idolaters, and the rest Jews and Christians, mostly of\nerroneous and heterodox belief, in the knowledge and worship of one eternal,\ninvisible GOD, by whose power all things were made, and those which are not,\nmay be, the supreme Governor, Judge, and absolute Lord of the creation;\nestablished under the sanction of certain laws, and the outward signs of\ncertain ceremonies, partly of ancient and partly of novel institution, and\nenforced by setting before them rewards and punishments, both temporal and\neternal; and to bring them all to the obedience of Mohammed, as the prophet\nand ambassador of GOD, who after the repeated admonitions, promises, and\nthreats of former ages, was at last to establish and propagate GOD'S religion\non earth by force of arms, and to be acknowledged chief pontiff in spiritual\nmatters, as well as supreme prince in temporal.\"1\n   The great doctrine then of the Kor\u00e2n is the unity of GOD; to restore which\npoint Mohammed pretended was the chief end of his mission; it being laid down\nby him as a fundamental truth, that there never was nor ever can be more than\none true orthodox religion.  For though the particular laws or ceremonies are\nonly temporary, and subject to alteration according to the divine direction,\nyet the substance of it being eternal truth, is not liable to change, but\ncontinues immutably the same.  And he taught that whenever this religion\nbecame neglected, or corrupted in essentials, GOD had the goodness to re-\ninform and re-admonish mankind thereof, by several prophets, of whom Moses and\nJesus were the most distinguished, till the appearance of Mohammed, who is\ntheir seal, no other being to be expected after him.  And the more effectually\nto engage people hearken to him, great part of the Kor\u00e2n is employed in\nrelating examples of dreadful punishments formerly inflicted by God on those\nwho rejected and abused his messengers; several of which stories of some\ncircumstances of them are taken from the Old and New Testament, but many more\nfrom the apocryphal books and traditions of the Jews and Christians of those\nages, set up in the Kor\u00e2n as truths in opposition to the scriptures, which the\nJews and Christians are charged with having altered; and I am apt to believe\nthat few or none of the relations or circumstances in the Kor\u00e2n were invented\nby Mohammed, as is generally supposed, it being easy to trace the greater part\nof them much higher, as the rest might be, were more of the books extant, and\nit was worth while to make the inquiry.\n   The other part of the Kor\u00e2n is taken up in giving necessary laws and\ndirections, in frequent admonitions to moral and divine virtues, and above all\nto the worshipping and reverencing of the only true GOD, and resignation to\nhis will; among which are many excellent things intermixed not unworthy even a\nChristian's perusal.\n   But besides these, there are a great number of passages which are\noccasional, and relate to particular emergencies.  For whenever anything\nhappened which perplexed and gravelled Mohammed, and\n\n1  Golius. in appen. ad Gram. Erp. p. 176.\n\n\n\n\nwhich he could not otherwise get over, he had constant recourse to a new\nrevelation, as an infallible expedient in all nice cases; and he found the\nsuccess of this method answer his expectation.  It was certainly an admirable\nand politic contrivance of his to bring down the whole Kor\u00e2n at once to the\nlowest heaven only, and not to the earth, as a bungling prophet would probably\nhave done; for if the whole had been published at once, innumerable objections\nmight have been made, which it would have been very hard, if not impossible,\nfor him to solve: but as he pretended to have received it by parcels, as GOD\nsaw proper that they should be published for the conversion and instruction of\nthe people, he had a sure way to answer all emergencies, and to extricate\nhimself with honour from any difficulty which might occur.  If any objection\nbe hence made to that eternity of the Kor\u00e2n, which the Mohammedans are taught\nto believe, they easily answer it by their doctrine of absolute\npredestination; according to which all the accidents for the sake of which\nthese occasional passages were revealed, were predetermined by GOD from all\neternity.\n   That Mohammed was really the author and chief contriver of the Kor\u00e2n is\nbeyond dispute; though it be highly probably that he had no small assistance\nin his design from others, as his countrymen failed not to object to him;1\nhowever, they differed so much in their conjectures as to the particular\npersons who gave him such assistance,2 that they were not able, it seems, to\nprove the charge; Mohammed, it is to be presumed, having taken his measures\ntoo well to be discovered.  Dr. Prideaux3 has given the most probably account\nof this matter, though chiefly from Christian writers, who generally mix such\nridiculous fables with what they deliver, that they deserve not much credit.\n   However, it be, the Mohammedans absolutely deny the Kor\u00e2n was composed by\ntheir prophet himself, or any other for him; it being their general and\northodox belief that it is of divine original, any, that it is eternal and\nuncreated, remaining, as some express it, in the very essence of GOD; that the\nfirst transcript has been from everlasting by GOD'S throne, written on a\ntablet of vast bigness, called the preserved table, in which are also recorded\nthe divine decrees past and future: that a copy from this table, in one volume\non paper, was by the ministry of the angel Gabriel sent down to the lowest\nheaven, in the month of Ramad\u00e2n, on the night of power;4 from whence Gabriel\nrevealed it to Mohammed by parcels, some at Mecca, and some at Medina, at\ndifferent times, during the space of twenty-three years, as the exigency of\naffairs required; giving him, however, the consolation to show him the whole\n(which they tell us was bound in silk, and adorned with gold and precious\nstones of paradise) once a year; but in the last year of his life he had the\nfavour to see it twice.  They say that few chapters were delivered entire, the\nmost part being revealed piecemeal, and written down form time to time by the\nprophet's amanuenses in such or such a part of such or such a chapter till\nthey were completed, according to the directions of the angel.1  The first\nparcel that was\n\n   1  Vide Kor. c. 16, and c. 25.\t\t2  See the notes on those passages.\n\t3  Life of Mahomet, p. 31, &c.\n4  Vide Kor. c. 97, and note ibid.\t\t1  Therefore it is a mistake of Dr.\nPrideaux to say it was brought him chapter by chapter.  Life of Mahomet, p. 6.\nThe Jews also say the Law was given to Moses by parcels.  Vide Millium, de\nMohammedismo ante Moham. p. 365.\n\n\n\n\nrevealed, is generally agreed to have ben the first five verses of the ninety-\nsixth chapter.2\n   After the new revealed passages had been from the prophet's mouth taken\ndown in writing by his scribe, they were published to his followers, several\nof whom took copies for their private use, but the far greater number got them\nby heart.  The originals when returned were put promiscuously into a chest,\nobserving no order of time, for which reason it is uncertain when many\npassages were revealed.\n   When Mohammed died, he left his revelations in the same disorder I have\nmentioned, and not digest into the method, such as it is, which we now find\nthem in.  This was the work of his successor, Abu Becr, who considering that a\ngreat number of passages were committed to the memory of Mohammed's followers,\nmany of whom were slain in their wars, ordered the whole to be collected, not\nonly from the palm-leaves and skins on which they had been written, and which\nwere kept between two boards or covers, but also from the mouths of such as\nhad gotten them by heart.  And this transcript when completed he committed to\nthe custody of Hafsa the daughter of Omar, one of the prophet's widows.3\n   From this relation it is generally imagined that Abu Becr was really the\ncompiler of the Kor\u00e2n; though for aught appears to the contrary, Mohammed left\nthe chapters complete as we now have them, excepting such passages as his\nsuccessor might add or correct from those who had gotten them by heart; what\nAbu Becr did else being perhaps no more than to range the chapters in their\npresent order, which he seems to have done without any regard to time, having\ngenerally placed the longest first.\n   However, in the thirtieth year of the Hejra, Othm\u00e2n being then Khal\u00eef, and\nobserving the great disagreement in the copies of the Kor\u00e2n in the several\nprovinces of the empire-those of Irak, for example, following the reading of\nAbu Musa al Ashari, and the Syrians that of Macd\u00e2d Ebn Aswad-he, by advice of\nthe companions, ordered a great number of copies to be transcribed from that\nof Abu Becr, in Hafsa's care, under the inspection of Zeid Ebn Thabet,\nAbd'allah Ebn Zobair, Sa\u00efd Ebn al As, and Abd'alrahm\u00e2n Ebn al H\u00e2reth, the\nMakhzumite; whom he directed that wherever they disagreed about any word, they\nshould write it in the dialect of the Koreish, in which it was first\ndelivered.1  These copies when made were dispersed in the several provinces of\nthe empire, and the old ones burnt and suppressed.  Though many things in\nHafsa's copy were corrected by the above-mentioned supervisors, yet some\nvarious readings still occur; the most material of which will be taken notice\nof in their proper places.\n   The want of vowels2 in the Arabic character made Mokr\u00ees, or readers whose\npeculiar study and profession it was to read the Kor\u00e2n with its proper vowels,\nabsolutely necessary.  But these differing in their\n\n   2  Not the whole chapter, as Golius says.  Append. ad Gr. Erp. p. 180.\n\t3  Elmacin. in Vita Abu Becr.  Abulfeda.\n1  Abulfeda, in Vitis Abubecr and Othm\u00e2n.\t\t2  The characters or marks of\nthe Arabic vowels were not used till several years after Mohammed.  Some\nascribe the invention of them to Yahya Ebn Y\u00e2mer, some to Nasr Ebn Asam,\nsurnamed al Leithi, and others to Abu'laswad al D\u00eeli-all three of whom were\ndoctors of Basra, and immediately succeeded the companions.  See D'Herbel.\nBibl. Orient. p. 87.\n\n\n\nmanner of reading, occasioned still further variations in the copies of the\nKor\u00e2n, as they are now written with the vowels; and herein consist much the\ngreater part of the various readings throughout the book.  The readers whose\nauthority the commentators chiefly allege, in admitting these various\nreadings, are seven in number.\n   There being some passages in the Kor\u00e2n which are contradictory, the\nMohammedan doctors obviate any objection from thence by the doctrine of\nabrogation; for they say, that GOD in the Kor\u00e2n commanded several things which\nwere for good reasons afterwards revoked and abrogated.\n   Passages abrogated are distinguished into three kinds: the first where the\nletter and the sense are both abrogated; the second, where the letter only is\nabrogated, but the sense remains; and the third, where the sense is abrogated,\nthough the letter remains.\n   Of the first kind were several verses, which, by the tradition of Malec Ebn\nAns, were in the prophet's lifetime read in the chapter of Repentance, but are\nnot now extant, one of which, being all he remembered of them, was the\nfollowing: \"If a son of Adam had two rivers of gold, he would covet yet a\nthird; and if he had three, he would covet yet a fourth (to be added) unto\nthem; neither shall the belly of a son of Adam be filled, but with dust.  GOD\nwill turn unto him who shall repent.\"  Another instance of this kind we have\nfrom the tradition of Abd'allah Ebn Mas\u00fbd, who reported that the prophet gave\nhim a verse to read which he wrote down; but the next morning looking in his\nbook, he found it was vanished, and the leaf blank: this he acquainted\nMohammed with, who assured him the verse was revoked the same night.\n   Of the second kind is a verse called the verse of stoning, which, according\nto the tradition of Omar, afterwards Khal\u00eef, was extant while Mohammed was\nliving, though it be not now to be found.  The words are these: \"Abhor not\nyour parents, for this would be ingratitude in you.  If a man and woman of\nreputation commit adultery, ye shall stone them both; it is a punishment\nordained by GOD; for GOD is mighty and wise.\"\n   Of the last kind are observed several verses in sixty-three different\nchapters, to the number of 225.  Such as the precepts of turning in prayer to\nJerusalem; fasting after the old custom; forbearance towards idolaters;\navoiding the ignorant, and the like.1  The passages of this sort have been\ncarefully collected by several writers, and are most of them remarked in their\nproper places.\n   Though it is the belief of the Sonnites or orthodox that the Kor\u00e2n is\nuncreated and eternal, subsisting in the very essence of GOD, and Mohammed\nhimself is said to have pronounced him an infidel who asserted the contrary,2\nyet several have been of a different opinion; particularly the sect of the\nM\u00f3tazalites,3 and the followers of Isa Ebn Sobeih Abu Musa, surnamed al\nMozd\u00e2r, who struck not to accuse those who held the Kor\u00e2n to be uncreated of\ninfidelity, as asserters of two eternal beings.4\n   This point was controverted with so much heat that it occasioned\n\n   1  Abu Hashem Hebatallah, apud Marracc. de Alc. p. 42.\t\t2  Apud Poc.\nSpec. 220.\t\t3  See after, in Sect. VIII.\t\t4  Vide Poc. Spec. p.\n219, &c.\n\n\n\nmany calamities under some of the Khal\u00eefs of the family of Abb\u00e2s, al Mam\u00fbn5\nmaking a public edict declaring the Kor\u00e2n to be created, which was confirmed\nby his successors Al M\u00f3tasem6 and Al W\u00e2thek,7 who whipped, imprisoned, and put\nto death those of the contrary opinion.  But at length Al Motawakkel,1 who\nsucceeded Al W\u00e2thek, put an end to these persecutions, by revoking the former\nedicts, releasing those that were imprisoned on that account, and leaving\nevery man at liberty as to his belief in this point.2\n   Al Ghaz\u00e2li seems to have tolerably reconciled both opinions, saying, that\nthe Kor\u00e2n is read and pronounced with the tongue, written in books, and kept\nin memory; and is yet eternal, subsisting in GOD'S essence, and not possible\nto be separated thence by any transmission into men's memories or the leaves\nof books;3 by which he seems to mean no more than that the original idea of\nthe Kor\u00e2n only is really in GOD, and consequently co-essential and co-eternal\nwith him, but that the copies are created and the work of man.\n   The opinion of Al Jahedh, chief of a sect bearing his name, touching the\nKor\u00e2n, is too remarkable to be omitted: he used to say it was a body, which\nmight sometimes be turned into a man,4 and sometimes into a beast;5 which\nseems to agree with the notion of those who assert the Kor\u00e2n to have two\nfaces, one of a man, the other of a beast;6 thereby, as I conceive, intimating\nthe double interpretation it will admit of, according to the letter or the\nspirit.\n   As some have held the Kor\u00e2n to be created, so there have not been wanting\nthose who have asserted that there is nothing miraculous in that book in\nrespect to style or composition, excepting only the prophetical relations of\nthings past, and predictions of things to come; and that had GOD left men to\ntheir natural liberty, and not restrained them in that particular, the\nArabians could have composed something not only equal, but superior to the\nKor\u00e2n in eloquence, method, and purity of language.  This was another opinion\nof the M\u00f3tazalites, and in particular of al Mozd\u00e2r, above mentioned, and al\nNodh\u00e2m.7\n   The Kor\u00e2n being the Mohammedans' rule of faith and practice, it is no\nwonder its expositors and commentators are so very numerous.  And it may not\nbe amiss to take notice of the rules they observe in expounding it.\n   One of the most learned commentators1 distinguishes the contents of the\nKor\u00e2n into allegorical and literal.  The former comprehends the more obscure,\nparabolical, and enigmatical passages, and such as\n\n   5  Anno Hej. 218.  Abulfarag, p. 245, v. etiam Elmacin. in Vita al Mam\u00fbn.\n\t6  In the time of al M\u00f3tasem, a doctor named Abu Har\u00fbn Ebn al Baca found\nout a distinction to screen himself, by affirming that the Kor\u00e2n was ordained,\nbecause it is said in that book, \"And I have ordained thee the Kor\u00e2n.\"  He\nwent still farther to allow that what was ordained was created, and yet he\ndenied it thence followed that the Kor\u00e2n was created.  Abulfarag, p. 253.\n\t7  Ibid. p. 257.\t\t1  Anno Hej. 242.\t\t2  Abulfarag, p. 262.\n\t3  Al Ghaz\u00e2li, in prof. fid.\t\t4  The Khal\u00eef al Wal\u00eed Ebn Yaz\u00eed,\nwho was the eleventh of the race of Emmeya, and is looked on by the\nMohammedans as a reprobate, and one of no religion, seems to have treated this\nbook as a rational creature; for, dipping into it one day, the first words he\nmet with were these: \"Every rebellious perverse person shall not prosper.\"\nWhereupon he stuck it on a lance, and shot it to pieces with arrows, repeating\nthese verses: \"Dost thou rebuke every rebellious perverse person?  Behold, I\nam that rebellious, perverse person.  When thou appearest before thy LORD on\nthe day of resurrection, say, O LORD, al Wal\u00eed has torn me thus.\"  Ebn\nShohnah. v. Poc. Spec. p. 223.\n5  Poc. Spec. p. 222.\t\t6  Herbelot, p. 87.\t\t7  Abulfeda,\nShahrestani, &c. apud Poc. Spec. p. 222, et Marracc. de Kor. p. 44.\n\t1  Al Kamakhshari.  Vide Kor. c. 3.\n\n\n\nare repealed or abrogated; the latter those which are plain, perspicuous,\nliable to no doubt, and in full force.\n   To explain these severally in a right manner, it is necessary from\ntradition and study to know the time when each passage was revealed, its\ncircumstances, state, and history, and the reasons or particular emergencies\nfor the sake of which it was revealed.2  Or, more explicitly, whether the\npassage was revealed at Mecca, or at Medina; whether it be abrogated, or does\nitself abrogate any other passage; whether it be anticipated in order of time,\nor postponed; whether it be distinct from the context, or depends thereon;\nwhether it be particular or general; and, lastly, whether it be implicit by\nintention, or explicit in words.3\n   By what has been said the reader may easily believe this book is in the\ngreatest reverence and esteem among the Mohammedans.  They dare not so much as\ntouch it without being first washed or legally purified;4 which, lest they\nshould do by inadvertence, they write these words on the cover or label, \"Let\nnone touch it but they who are clean.\"  They read it with great care and\nrespect, never holding it below their girdles.  They swear by it, consult it\nin their weighty occasions,5 carry it with them to war, write sentences of it\non their banners, adorn it with gold and precious stones, and knowingly suffer\nit not to be in the possession of any of a different persuasion.\n   The Mohammedans, far from thinking the Kor\u00e2n to be profaned by a\ntranslation, as some authors have written,6 have taken care to have their\nscriptures translated not only into the Persian tongue, but into several\nothers, particularly the Javan and Malayan,7 though out of respect to the\noriginal Arabic, these versions are generally (if not always) intermediary.\n\n\n______\n\n\n\nSECTION IV.\n\nOF THE DOCTRINES AND POSITIVE PRECEPTS OF THE KORAN, WHICH\n\t           \t RELATE TO FAITH AND RELIGIOUS DUTIES.\n\nIT has been already observed more than once, that the fundamental position on\nwhich Mohammed erected the superstructure of his religion was, that from the\nbeginning to the end of the world there has been, and for ever will be, but\none true orthodox belief; consisting, as to matter of faith, in the\nacknowledging of the only true GOD, and the believing in and obeying such\nmessengers or prophets as he should from time to time send, with proper\ncredential, to reveal his will to\n\n   2  Ahmed Ebn Moh. al Thalebi, in Princip. Expos. Alc.\t\t3  Yahya Ebn\nal Sal\u00e2m al Basri, in Princep. Expos. Alc.\n4  The Jews have the same veneration for their law; not daring to touch it\nwith unwashed hands, nor then neither without a cover.  Vide Millium, de\nMohammedismo ante Moh. p. 366.\t\t5  This they do by dipping into it,\nand taking an omen from the words which they first light on: which practise\nthey also learned of the Jews, who do the same with the scriptures.  Vide\nMillium, ubi sup.\n6  Sionita, de Urb. Orient. p. 41, et Marracc. de Alc. p. 33.\t\t7\nReland. de Rel. Moh. p. 265.\n\n\n\n\nmankind; and as to matter of practice, in the observance of the immutable and\neternal laws of right and wrong, together with such other precepts and\nceremonies as GOD should think fit to order for the time being, according to\nthe different dispensations in different ages of the world: for these last he\nallowed were things indifferent in their own nature, and became obligatory by\nGOD'S positive precept only; and were therefore temporary, and subject to\nalteration according to his will and pleasure.  And to this religion he gives\nthe name of Isl\u00e2m, which word signifies resignation, or submission to the\nservice and commands of GOD;1 and is used as the proper name of the Mohammedan\nreligion, which they will also have to be the same at bottom with that of all\nthe prophets from Adam.\n   Under pretext that this eternal religion was in his time corrupted, and\nprofessed in its purity by no one sect of men, Mohammed pretended to be a\nprophet sent by GOD to reform those abuses which had crept into it, and to\nreduce it to its primitive simplicity; with the addition, however, of peculiar\nlaws and ceremonies, some of which had been used in former times, and others\nwere now first instituted.  And he comprehended the whole substance of his\ndoctrine under these two propositions, or articles of faith; viz., that there\nis but one GOD, and that himself was the apostle of GOD; in consequence of\nwhich latter article, all such ordinances and institutions as he thought fit\nto establish must be received as obligatory and of divine authority.\n   The Mohammedans divide their religion, which, as I just now said, they call\nIsl\u00e2m, into two distinct parts: Im\u00e2n, i.e., faith, or theory, and D\u00een, i.e.,\nreligion, or practice; and teach that it is built on five fundamental points,\none belonging to faith, and the other four to practice.\n   The first is that confession of faith which I have already mentioned; that\n\"there is no god but the true GOD; and that Mohammed is his apostle.\"  Under\nwhich they comprehend six distinct branches; viz., 1.  Belief in GOD; 2.  In\nhis angels; 3.  In his scriptures; 4.  In his prophets; 5.  In the\nresurrection and day of judgment; and, 6.  In GOD'S absolute decree and\npredetermination both of good and evil.\n   The four points relating to practice are: 1.  Prayer, under which are\ncomprehended those washings or purifications which are necessary preparations\nrequired before prayer; 2.  Alms; 3.  Fasting; and, 4.  The pilgrimage to\nMecca.  Of each of these I shall speak in their order.\n   That both Mohammed and those among his followers who are reckoned orthodox,\nhad and continue to have just and true notions of GOD and his attributes\n(always excepting their obstinate and impious rejecting of the Trinity),\nappears so plain from the Kor\u00e2n itself and all the Mohammedan divines, that it\nwould be loss of time to refute those who suppose the GOD of Mohammed to be\ndifferent from the true GOD, and only a fictitious deity or idol of his own\ncreation.2  Nor shall I enter into any of the Mohammedan controversies\nconcerning the divine nature and attributes, because I shall have a more\nproper opportunity of doing it elsewhere.3\n\n   1  The root Salama, from whence Isl\u00e2m is formed, in the first and fourth\nconjugations, signifies also to be saved, or to enter into a state of\nsalvation; according to which, Isl\u00e2m may be translated the religion or state\nof salvation: but the other sense is more approved by the Mohammedans, and\nalluded to in the Kor\u00e2n itself.  See c. 2 and c. 3.\n   2  Marracc. in Alc. p. 102.\t\t3  Sect VIII.\n\n\n\n\n   The existence of angels and their purity are absolutely required to be\nbelieved in the Kor\u00e2n; and he is reckoned an infidel who denies there are such\nbeings, or hates any of them,4 or asserts any distinction of sexes among them.\nThey believe them to have pure and subtle bodies, created of fire;5 that they\nneither eat nor drink, nor propagate their species; that they have various\nforms and offices; some adoring GOD in different postures, others singing\npraises to him, or interceding for mankind.  They hold that some of them are\nemployed in writing down the actions of men; others in carrying the throne of\nGOD and other services.\n   The four angels whom they look on as more eminently in GOD'S favour, and\noften mention on account of the offices assigned them, are Gabriel, to whom\nthey give several titles, particularly those of the holy spirit,1 and the\nangel of revelations,2 supposing him to be honoured by GOD with a greater\nconfidence than any other, and to be employed in writing down the divine\ndecrees;3 Michael, the friend and protector of the Jews;4 Azra\u00ebl, the angel of\ndeath, who separates men's souls from their bodies;5 and Israf\u00eel, whose office\nit will be to sound the trumpet at the resurrection.6  The Mohammedans also\nbelieve that two guardian angels attend on every man, to observe and write\ndown his actions,7 being changed every day, and therefore called al Moakkib\u00e2t,\nor the angels who continually succeed one another.\n   This whole doctrine concerning angels Mohammed and his disciples have\nborrowed from the Jews, who learned the names and offices of those beings from\nthe Persians, as themselves confess.8  The ancient Persians firmly believed\nthe ministry of angels, and their superintendence over the affairs of this\nworld (as the Magians still do), and therefore assigned them distinct charges\nand provinces, giving their names to their months and the days of their\nmonths.  Gabriel they called Sor\u00fbsh and Rev\u00e2n bakhsh, or the giver of souls,\nin opposition to the contrary office of the angel of death, to whom among\nother names they gave that of Mord\u00e2d, or the giver of death; Michael they\ncalled Beshter, who according to them provides sustenance for mankind.9  The\nJews teach that the angels were created of fire;10 that they have several\noffices;11 that they intercede for men,12 and attend them.13  The angel of death\nthey name D\u00fbma, and say he calls dying persons by their respective names at\ntheir last hour.14\n   The devil, whom Mohammed names Ebl\u00ees from his despair, was once one of\nthose angels who are nearest to GOD'S presence, called Azaz\u00eel,15 and fell,\naccording to the doctrine of the Kor\u00e2n, for refusing to pay homage to Adam at\nthe command of GOD.16\n   Besides angels and devils, the Mohammedans are taught by the\n\n   4  Kor. c. 2, p. 13.\t\t5  Ibid. c. 7 and 38.\t\t1  Ibid. c. 2, p.\n12.\t\t2  See the notes, Ibid, p. 13.\n3  Vide Hyde, Hist. Rel. Vet. Pers. p. 262.\t\t4  Vide Ibid. p. 271,\nand not. in Kor. p. 13.\t\t5  Vide not. Ibid. p. 4.\t\t6  Kor. c.\n6, 13, and 86.  The offices of these four angels are described almost in the\nsame manner in the apocryphal gospel of Barnabas, where it is said that\nGabriel reveals the secrets of GOD, Michael combats against his enemies,\nRaphael receives the souls of those who die, and Uriel is to call every one to\njudgment on the last day.  See the Menagiana, tom. iv. p. 333.\n7  Kor. c. 10.\t\t8  Talmud Hieros. in Rosh hashan.\t\t\t9\nVide Hyde, ubi sup. c. 19 and 20.\n10  Gemar. in Hagig. and Bereshit rabbah, &c.  Vide Psalm civ. 4.\t\t11\nYalkut hadash.\t\t12  Gemar. in Shebet, and Bava Bathra, &c.\n\t13  Midrash, Yalkut Shem\u00fbni.\t\t14  Gemar.  Berachoth.\t\t15\nVide Reland. de Rel. Moh. p. 189, &c.\t\t16  Kor. c. 2.  See also c.7,\n38, &c.\n\n\n\nKor\u00e2n to believe an intermediate order of creatures, which they call Jin or\nGenii, created also of fire,17 but of a grosser fabric than angels; since they\neat and drink, and propagate their species, and are subject to death.1  Some\nof these are supposed to be good, and others bad, and capable of future\nsalvation or damnation, as men are; whence Mohammed pretended to be sent for\nthe conversion of genii as well as men.2  The orientals pretend that these\ngenii inhabited the world for many ages before Adam was created, under the\ngovernment of several successive princes, who all bore the common name of\nSolomon; but falling at length into an almost general corruption, Ebl\u00ees was\nsent to drive them into a remote part of the earth, there to be confined: that\nsome of that generation still remaining, were by Tahm\u00fbrath, one of the ancient\nkings of Persia, who waged war against them, forced to retreat into the famous\nmountains of K\u00e2f.  Of which successions and wars they have many fabulous and\nromantic stories.  They also make different ranks and degrees among these\nbeings (if they be not rather supposed to be of a different species), some\nbeing called absolutely Jin, some Peri or fairies, some Div or giants, others\nTacw\u00eens or fates.3\n   The Mohammedan notions concerning these genii agree almost exactly with\nwhat the Jews write of a sort of demons, called Shed\u00eem, whom some fancy to\nhave been begotten by two angels named Aza and Aza\u00ebl, on Naamah the daughter\nof Lamech, before the Flood.4  However, the Shed\u00eem, they tell us, agree in\nthree things with the ministering angels; for that, like them, they have\nwings, and fly from one end of the world to the other, and have some knowledge\nof futurity; and in three things they agree with men, like whom they eat and\ndrink, are propagated, and die.5  They also say that some of them believe in\nthe law of Moses, and are consequently good, and that others of them are\ninfidels and reprobates.6\n   As to the scriptures, the Mohammedans are taught by the Kor\u00e2n that GOD, in\ndivers ages of the world, gave revelations of his will in writing to several\nprophets, the whole and every word of which it is absolutely necessary for a\ngood Moslem to believe.  The number of these sacred books were, according to\nthem, 104.  Of which ten were given to Adam, fifty to Seth, thirty to Edr\u00ees or\nEnoch, ten to Abraham; and the other four, being the Pentateuch, the Psalms,\nthe Gospel, and the Kor\u00e2n, were successively delivered to Moses, David, Jesus,\nand Mohammed; which last being the seal of the prophets, those revelations are\nnow closed, and no more are to be expected.  All these divine books, except\nthe four last, they agree to be now entirely lost, and their contents unknown;\nthough the Sabians have several books which they attribute to some of the\nantediluvian prophets.  And of those four the Pentateuch, Psalms, and Gospel,\nthey say, have undergone so many alterations and corruptions, that though\nthere may possibly be some part of the true word of GOD therein, yet no credit\nis to be given to the present copies in the hands of the Jews and Christians.\nThe Jews in particular are frequently reflected on in the Kor\u00e2n for falsifying\nand corrupting their copies of their law; and some instances of such pre-\n\n   17  Kor. c. 55.  See the notes there.\t\t1  Jallalo'ddin, in Kor. c. 2\nand 18.\t\t2  Vide Kor. c. 55, 72, and 74.\n3  See D'Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. p. 369, 820, &c.\t\t4  In libro Zohar.\n\t\t5  Gemara, in Hagiga.\n6  Igrat Baale hayyim. c. 15.\n\n\n\ntended corruptions, both in that book and the two others, are produced by\nMohammedan writers, wherein they merely follow their own prejudices, and the\nfabulous accounts of spurious legends.  Whether they have any copy of the\nPentateuch among them different from that of the Jews or not, I am not\nentirely satisfied, since a person who travelled into the east was told that\nthey had the books of Moses, though very much corrupted;1 but I know nobody\nthat has ever seen them.  However, they certainly have and privately read a\nbook which they call the Psalms of David, in Arabic and Persian, to which are\nadded some prayers of Moses, Jonas, and others.2  This Mr. Reland supposes to\nbe a translation from our copies (though no doubt falsified in more places\nthan one); but M. D'Herbelot says it contains not the same Psalms which are in\nour Psalter, being no more than an extract from thence mixed with other very\ndifferent pieces.3  The easiest way to reconcile these two learned gentlemen,\nis to presume that they speak of different copies.  The Mohammedans have also\na Gospel in Arabic, attributed to St. Barnabas, wherein the history of Jesus\nChrist is related in a manner very different from what we find in the true\nGospels, and correspondent to those traditions which Mohammed has followed in\nhis Kor\u00e2n.  Of this Gospel the Moriscoes in Africa have a translation in\nSpanish;4 and there is in the library of Prince Eugene of Savoy, a manuscript\nof some antiquity, containing an Italian translation of the same Gospel,5\nmade, it is to be supposed, for the use of renegades.  This book appears to be\nno original forgery of the Mohammedans, though they have no doubt interpolated\nand altered it since, the better to serve their purpose; and in particular,\ninstead of the Paraclete or Comforter,6 they have in this apocryphal gospel\ninserted the word Periclyte, that is, the famous or illustrious, by which they\npretend their prophet was foretold by name, that being the signification of\nMohammed in Arabic:1 and this they say to justify that passage of the Kor\u00e2n,2\nwhere Jesus Christ is formally asserted to have foretold his coming, under his\nother name of Ahmed; which is derived from the same root as Mohammed, and of\nthe same import.  From these or some other forgeries of the same stamp it is\nthat the Mohammedans quote several passages, of which there are not the least\nfootsteps in the New Testament.  But after all we must not hence infer that\nthe Mohammedans, much less all of them, hold these copies of theirs to be the\nancient and genuine scriptures themselves.  If any argue, from the corruption\nwhich they insist has happened to the Pentateuch and Gospel, that the Kor\u00e2n\nmay possibly be corrupted also; they answer, that GOD has promised that he\nwill take care of the latter, and preserve it from any addition or\ndiminution;3 but that he left the two other to the care of men.  However, they\nconfess there are some various readings in the Kor\u00e2n,4 as has been observed.\n   Besides the books above mentioned, the Mohammedans also take notice of the\nwritings of Daniel and several other prophets, and even\n\n   1  Terry's Voyage to the East Indies, p. 277.\t\t2  De Rel. Moham.\np. 23.\t\t3  A copy of this kind, he tells us, is in the library of\nthe Duke of Tuscany, Bibl. Orient. p. 924.\t\t4  Reland, ubi sup.\n\t5  Menagian, tom. iv. p. 321, &c.\t\t6  John xiv. 16, 26, xv. 26,\nand xvi.\t\t7 , compared with Luke  xxiv. 49.\t\t1  See Toland's\nNazarenus, the first eight chapters.\t\t\t2  Cap. 61.\t\t3\nKor. c. 15.\n4  Reland, ubi sup. p. 24, 27.\n\n\n\nmake quotations thence; but these they do not believe to be divine scripture,\nor of any authority in matters of religion.5\n   The number of the prophets, which have been from time to time sent by GOD\ninto the world, amounts to no less than 224,000, according to one Mohammedan\ntradition, or to 124,000, according to another; among whom 313 were apostles,\nsent with special commissions to reclaim mankind from infidelity and\nsuperstition; and six of them brought new laws or dispensations, which\nsuccessively abrogated the preceding: these were Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses,\nJesus, and Mohammed.  All the prophets in general the Mohammedans believe to\nhave been free from great sins and errors of consequence, and professors of\none and the same religion, that is Isl\u00e2m, notwithstanding the different laws\nand institutions which they observed.  They allow of degrees among them, and\nhold some of them to be more excellent and honourable than others.6  The first\nplace they give to the revealers and establishers of new dispensations, and\nthe next to the apostles.\n   In this great number of prophets, they not only reckon divers patriarchs\nand persons named in scripture, but not recorded to have been prophets\n(wherein the Jewish and Christian writers have sometimes led the way1), as\nAdam, Seth, Lot, Ismael, Nun, Joshua, &c., and introduce some of them under\ndifferent names, as Enoch, Heber, and Jethro, who are called in the Kor\u00e2n,\nEdr\u00ees, H\u00fbd, and Shoaib; but several others whose very names do not appear in\nscripture (though they endeavour to find some persons there to fix them on),\nas Saleh, Khedr, Dhu'lkefl, &c.  Several of their fabulous traditions\nconcerning these prophets we shall occasionally mention in the notes on the\nKor\u00e2n.\n   As Mohammed acknowledged the divine authority of the Pentateuch, Psalms,\nand Gospel, he often appeals to the consonancy of the Kor\u00e2n with those\nwritings, and to the prophecies which he pretended were therein concerning\nhimself, as proofs of his mission; and he frequently charges the Jews and\nChristians with stifling the passages which bear witness to him.2  His\nfollowers also fail not to produce several texts even from our present copies\nof the Old and New Testament, to support their master's cause.3\n   The next article of faith required by the Kor\u00e2n is the belief of a general\nresurrection and a future judgment.  But before we consider the Mohammedan\ntenets in those points, it will be proper to mention what they are taught to\nbelieve concerning the intermediate state, both of the body and of the soul,\nafter death.\n   When a corpse is laid in the grave, they say he is received by an angel,\nwho gives him notice of the coming of the two examiners; who are two black\nlivid angels, of a terrible appearance, named Monker and Nak\u00eer.  These order\nthe dead person to sit upright, and examine him concerning his faith, as to\nthe unity of GOD, and the mission of Mohammed: if he answer rightly, they\nsuffer the body to rest in peace, and it is refreshed by the air of paradise;\nbut if not, they beat him on the temples with iron maces, till he roars out\nfor anguish so loud, that\n\n   5  Idem, ibid. p. 41.\t\t6  Kor. c 2, p. 27, &c.\t\t1  Thus\nHeber is said to have been a prophet by the Jews (Seder Olam. p. 2), and Adam\nby Epiphanius (Adv. H\u00e6res. p. 6).  See also Joseph. Ant. l. I, c. 2.\n\t2  Kor. c. 2, p. 5, 10, 16; c. 3, &c.\t\t3  Some of these texts\nare produced by Dr. Prideaux at the end of his Life of Mahomet, and more by\nMarracci in Alcor. p. 26, &c.\n\n\n\n\nhe is heard by all from east to west, except men and genii.  Then they press\nthe earth on the corpse, which is gnawed and stung till the resurrection by\nninety-nine dragons, with seven heads each; or as others say, their sins will\nbecome venomous beasts, the grievous ones stinging like dragons, the smaller\nlike scorpions, and the others like serpents: circumstances which some\nunderstand in a figurative sense.4\n   The examination of the sepulchre is not only founded on an express\ntradition of Mohammed, but is also plainly hinted at, though not directly\ntaught, in the Kor\u00e2n,1 as the commentators agree.  It is therefore believed by\nthe orthodox Mohammedans in general, who take care to have their graves made\nhollow, that they may sit up with more ease while they are examined by the\nangels;2 but is utterly rejected by the sect of the M\u00f3tazalites, and perhaps\nby some others.\n   These notions Mohammed certainly borrowed from the Jews, among whom they\nwere very anciently received.3  They say that the angel of death coming and\nsitting on the grave, the soul immediately enters the body and raises it on\nits feet; that he then examines the departed person, and strikes him with a\nchain half of iron and half of fire; at the first blow all his limbs are\nloosened, at the second his bones are scattered, which are gathered together\nagain by the angels, and the third stroke reduces the body to dust and ashes,\nand it returns into the grave.  This rack or torture they call Hibb\u00fbt\nhakkeber, or the beating of the sepulchre, and pretend that all men in general\nmust undergo it, except only those who die on the evening of the sabbath, or\nhave dwelt in the land of Israel.4\n   It it be objected to the Mohammedans that the cry of the persons under such\nexamination has been never heard; or if they be asked how those can undergo it\nwhose bodies are burnt or devoured by beasts or birds, or otherwise consumed\nwithout burial; they answer, that it is very possible notwithstanding, since\nmen are not able to perceive what is transacted on the other side the grave;\nand that it is sufficient to restore to life any part of the body which is\ncapable of understanding the questions put by the angels.5\n   As to the soul, they hold that when it is separated from the body by the\nangel of death, who performs his office with ease and gentleness towards the\ngood, and with violence towards the wicked,6 it enters into that state which\nthey call Al Berzakh,7 or the interval between death and the resurrection.  If\nthe departed person was a believer, they say two angels meet it, who convey it\nto heaven, that its place there may be assigned, according to its merit and\ndegree.  For they distinguish the souls of the faithful into three classes:\nthe first of prophets, whose souls are admitted into paradise immediately; the\nsecond of martyrs; whose spirits, according to a tradition of Mohammed, rest\nin the crops of green birds which eat of the fruits and drink of the rivers of\nparadise; and the third of other believers, concerning the state of whose\nsouls before the resurrection there are various opinions.  For, I.  Some say\nthey stay near the sepulchres, with liberty, however, of going wherever they\nplease; which they confirm with Mohammed's manner of saluting\n\n   4  Al Ghaz\u00e2li.  Vide Poc. not. in Port. Mosis, p. 241, &c.\t\t1\nCap. 8 and 47, &c.\t\t2  Smith, de Morib. et Instit. Turcar. Ep. 2, p.\n57.\t\t3  Vide Hyde, in Notisad Bobov. de Visit. \u00c6grot. p. 19.\n\t4  R. Elias, in Tishbi.  See also Buxtorf. Synag. Judaic. and Lexic.\nTalmud.\t\t5  Vide Poc. ubi sup.\t\t6  Kor. c. 79.  The Jews say\nthe same, in Nishmat bayim. f. 77.\t\t7  Vide Kor. c. 23, and not. ib.\n\n\n\n\nthem at their graves, and his affirming that the dead heard those salutations\nas well as the living, though they could not answer.  Whence perhaps proceeded\nthe custom of visiting the tombs of relations, so common among the\nMohammedans.1  2.  Others imagine they are with Adam, in the lowest heaven;\nand also support their opinion by the authority of their prophet, who gave out\nthat in his return from the upper heavens in his pretended night journey, he\nsaw there the souls of those who were destined to paradise on the right hand\nof Adam, and of those who were condemned to hell on his left.2  3.  Others\nfancy the souls of believers remain in the well Zemzem, and those of infidels\nin a certain well in the province of Hadramaut, called Borh\u00fbt; but this\nopinion is branded as heretical.  4.  Others say they stay near the graves for\nseven days; but that whither they go afterwards is uncertain.  5.  Others that\nthey are all in the trumpet whose sound is to raise the dead.  And, 6.  Others\nthat the souls of the good dwell in the forms of white birds, under the throne\nof GOD.3  As to the condition of the souls of the wicked, besides the opinions\nthat have been already mentioned, the more orthodox hold that they are offered\nby the angels to heaven, from whence being repulsed as stinking and filthy,\nthey are offered to the earth, and being also refused a place there, are\ncarried down to the seventh earth, and being also refused a place there, are\ncarried down to the seventh earth, and thrown into a dungeon, which they call\nSaj\u00een, under a green rock, or according to a tradition of Mohammed, under the\ndevil's jaw,4 to be there tormented, till they are called up to be joined\nagain to their bodies.\n   Though some among the Mohammedans have thought that the resurrection will\nbe merely spiritual, and no more than the returning of the soul to the place\nwhence it first came (an opinion defended by Ebn Sina,5 and called by some the\nopinion of the philosophers6); and others, who allow man to consist of body\nonly, that it will be merely corporeal; the received opinion is, that both\nbody and soul will be raised, and their doctors argue strenuously for the\npossibility of the resurrection of the body, and dispute with great subtlety\nconcerning the manner of it.7  But Mohammed has taken care to preserve one\npart of the body, whatever becomes of the rest, to serve for a basis of the\nfuture edifice, or rather a leaven for the mass which is to be joined to it.\nFor he taught that a man's body was entirely consumed by the earth, except\nonly the bone called al Ajb, which we name the os coccygis, or rump-bone; and\nthat as it was the first formed in the human body, it will also remain\nuncorrupted till the last day, as a seed from whence the whole is to be\nrenewed: and this he said would be effected by a forty days' rain which GOD\nshould send, and which would cover the earth to the height of twelve cubits,\nand cause the bodies to sprout forth like plants.1  Herein also is Mohammed\nalso beholden to the Jews, who say the same things of the bone Luz,2 excepting\nthat what he attributes to a great rain, will be effected according to them by\na dew, impregnating the dust of the earth.\n   The time of the resurrection the Mohammedans allow to be a perfect\n\n   1  Poc. ubi sup. p. 247.\t\t2  Ibid. p. 248.  Consonant hereto are the\nJewish notions of the souls of the just being on high, under the throne of\nglory.  Vide ibid. p. 156.\t\t3  Ibid. p. 250.\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\nVide Poc. ubi sup. p. 252.\n5  Or, as we corruptly name him, Avicenna.\t\t6  Kenz al afr\u00e2r.\n\t7  Vide Poc. ubi sup. p. 254.\n1  Idem, ibid. p. 255, &c.\t\t2  Bereshit. rabbah, &c.  Vide Poc. ubi\nsup. p. 117, &c.\n\n\n\n\n\nsecret to all but GOD alone: the angel Gabriel himself acknowledging his\nignorance on this point when Mohammed asked him about it.  However, they say\nthe approach of that day may be known from certain signs which are to precede\nit.  These signs they distinguish into two sorts-the lesser and the greater-\nwhich I shall briefly enumerate after Dr. Pocock.3\n   The lesser signs are: I.  They decay of faith among men.4  2.  The\nadvancing of the meanest persons to eminent dignity.  3.  That a maid-servant\nshall become the mother of her mistress (or master); by which is meant either\nthat towards the end of the world men shall be much given to sensuality, or\nthat the Mohammedans shall then take many captives.  4.  Tumults and\nseditions.  5.  A war with the Turks.  6.  Great distress in the world, so\nthat a man when he passes by another's grave shall say \"Would to GOD I were in\nhis place.\"  7.  That the provinces of Ir\u00e2k and Syria shall refuse to pay\ntheir tribute.  And, 8.  That the buildings of Medina shall reach to Ah\u00e2b, or\nYah\u00e2b.\n   The greater signs are:\n   1.  The sun's rising in the west: which some have imagined it originally\ndid.5\n   2.  The appearance of the beast, which shall rise out of the earth, in the\ntemple of Mecca, or on Mount Saf\u00e2, or in the territory of T\u00e2yef, or some other\nplace.  This beast they say is to be sixty cubits high: though others, not\nsatisfied with so small a size, will have her reach to the clouds and to\nheaven when her head only is out; and that she will appear for three days, but\nshow only a third part of her body.  They describe this monster, as to her\nform, to be a compound of various species, having the head of a bull, the eyes\nof a hog, the ears of an elephant, the horns of a stag, the neck of an\nostrich, the breast of a lion, the colour of a tiger, the back of a cat, the\ntail of a ram, the legs of a camel, and the voice of an ass.  Some say this\nbeast is to appear three times in several places, and that she will bring with\nher the rod of Moses and the seal of Solomon; and being so swift that none can\novertake or escape her, will with the first strike all the believers on the\nface and mark them with the word M\u00fbmen, i.e., believer; and with the latter\nwill mark the unbelievers, on the face likewise, with the word C\u00e2fer, i.e.,\ninfidel, that every person may be known for what he really is.  They add that\nthe same beast is to demonstrate the vanity of all religions except Isl\u00e2m, and\nto speak Arabic.  All this stuff seems to be the result of a confused idea of\nthe beast in the Revelations.6\n   3.  War with the Greeks, and the taking of Constantinople by 70,000 of the\nposterity of Isaac, who shall not win that city by force of arms, but the\nwalls shall fall down while they cry out, \"There is no god but GOD: GOD is\nmost great!\"  As they are dividing the spoil, news will come to them of the\nappearance of the Antichrist, whereupon they shall leave all, and return back.\n   4.  The coming of Antichrist, whom the Mohammedans call al Mas\u00eeh al Dajj\u00e2l,\ni.e., the false or lying Christ, and simply al Dajj\u00e2l.  He is to be one-eyed,\nand marked on the forehead with the letters C.F.R., signifying C\u00e2fer, or\ninfidel.  They say that the Jews give him the name of Messiah\n\n   3  Ibid. p. 258, &c.\t\t4  See Luke xviii. 8.\t\t5  See Whiston's\nTheory of the Earth, bk. ii. p. 98, &c.\n6  Chap. xiii.\n\n\n\nBen David, and pretend he is to come in the last days and to be lord both of\nland and sea, and that he will restore the kingdom to them.  According to the\ntraditions of Mohammed, he is to appear first between Ir\u00e2k and Syria, or\naccording to others, in the province of Khoras\u00e2n; they add that he is to ride\non an ass, that he will be followed by 70,000 Jews of Ispah\u00e2n, and continue on\nearth forty days, of which one will be equal in length to a year, another to a\nmonth, another to a week, and the rest will be common days; that he is to lay\nwaste all places, but will not enter Mecca or Medina, which are to be guarded\nby angels; and that at length he will be slain by Jesus, who is to encounter\nhim at the gate of Lud.  It is said that Mohammed foretold several Anti-\nchrists, to the number of about thirty, but one of greater note than the rest.\n   5.  The descent of Jesus on earth.  They pretend that he is to descend near\nthe white tower to the east of Damascus, when the people are returned from the\ntaking of Constantinople; that he is to embrace the Mohammedan religion, marry\na wife, get children, kill Antichrist, and at length die after forty years',\nor, according to others, twenty-four years',1 continuance on earth.  Under him\nthey say there will be great security and plenty in the world, all hatred and\nmalice being laid aside; when lions and camels, bears and sheep, shall live in\npeace, and a child shall play with serpents unhurt.2\n   6.  War with the Jews; of whom the Mohammedans are to make a religious\nslaughter, the very trees and stones discovering such of them as hide\nthemselves, except only the tree called Gharkad, which is the tree of the\nJews.\n   7.  The eruption of Gog and Magog, or, as they are called in the east,\nY\u00e2j\u00fbj and M\u00e2j\u00fbj; of whom many things are related in the Kor\u00e2n,3 and the\ntraditions of Mohammed.  These barbarians, they tell us, having passed the\nlake of Tiberias, which the vanguard of their vast army will drink dry, will\ncome to Jerusalem, and there greatly distress Jesus and his companions; till\nat his request GOD will destroy them, and fill the earth with their carcasses,\nwhich after some time GOD will send birds to carry away, at the prayers of\nJesus and his followers.  Their bows, arrows, and quivers the Moslems will\nburn for seven years together;4 and at last GOD will send a rain to cleanse\nthe earth, and to make it fertile.\n   8.  A smoke, which shall fill the whole earth.5\n   9.  An eclipse of the moon.  Mohammed is reported to have said that there\nwould be three eclipses before the last hour; one to be seen in the east,\nanother in the west, and the third in Arabia.\n   10.  The returning of the Arabs to the worship of All\u00e2t and al Uzza, and\nthe rest of their ancient idols; after the decrease of every one in whose\nheart there was faith equal to the grain of mustard-seed, none but the very\nworst of men being left alive.  For GOD, they say, will send a cold\nodoriferous wind, blowing from Syria Damascena, which shall sweep away the\nsouls of all the faithful, and the Kor\u00e2n itself, so that men will remain in\nthe grossest ignorance for a hundred years.\n\n   1  Al Thalabi, in Kor. c. 4. \t\t2  See Isaiah xi. 6, &c.\n\t3  Cap. 18 and 21.\t4  See Ezek. xxxix. 9; Rev. xx. 8.\t\t5  See\nKor. c. 44, and the notes thereon.  Compare also Joel ii. 30, and Rev. ix. 2.\n\n\n\n   11.  The discovery of a vast heap of gold and silver by the retreating of\nthe Euphrates, which will be the destruction of many.\n   12.  The demolition of the Caaba, or temple of Mecca, by the Ethiopians.1\n   13.  The speaking of beasts and inanimate things.\n   14.  The breaking out of fire in the province of Hej\u00e2z; or, according to\nothers, in Yaman.\n   15.  The appearance of a man of the descendants of Kaht\u00e2n, who shall drive\nmen before him with his staff.\n   16.  The coming of the Mohdi, or director; concerning whom Mohammed\nprophesied that the world should not have an end till one of his own family\nshould govern the Arabians, whose name should be the same with his own name,\nand whose father's name should also be the same with his father's name; and\nwho should fill the earth with righteousness.  This person the Shiites believe\nto be now alive, and concealed in some secret place, till the time of his\nmanifestation; for they suppose him to be no other than the last of the twelve\nIm\u00e2ms, named Mohammed Abu'lkasem, as their prophet was, and the son of Hassan\nal Askeri, the eleventh of that succession.  He was born at Sermanrai in the\n255th year of the Hejra.2  From this tradition, it is to be presumed, an\nopinion pretty current among the Christians took its rise, that the\nMohammedans are in expectation of their prophet's return.\n   17.  A wind which shall sweep away the souls of all who have but a grain of\nfaith in their hearts, as has been mentioned under the tenth sign.\n   These are the greater signs, which, according to their doctrine, are to\nprecede the resurrection, but still leave the hour of it uncertain: for the\nimmediate sign of its being come will be the first blast of the trumpet; which\nthey believe will be sounded three times.  The first they call the blast of\nconsternation; at the hearing of which all creatures in heaven and earth shall\nbe struck with terror, except those whom GOD shall please to exempt from it.\nThe effects attributed to this first sound of the trumpet are very wonderful:\nfor they say the earth will be shaken, and not only all buildings, but the\nvery mountains levelled; that the heavens shall melt, the sun be darkened, the\nstars fall, on the death of the angels, who, as some imagine, hold them\nsuspended between heaven and earth, and the sea shall be troubled and dried\nup, or, according ot others, turned into flames, the sun, moon, and stars\nbeing thrown into it: the Kor\u00e2n, to express the greatness of the terror of\nthat day, adds that women who give suck shall abandon the care of their\ninfants, and even the she-camels which have gone ten months with young (a most\nvaluable part of the substance of that nation) shall be utterly neglected.  A\nfarther effect of this blast will be that concourse of beasts mentioned in the\nKor\u00e2n,1 though some doubt whether it be to precede the resurrection or not.\nThey who suppose it will precede, think that ll kinds of animals, forgetting\ntheir respective natural fierceness and timidity, will run together into one\nplace, being terrified by the sound of the trumpet and the sudden shock of\nnature.\n\n\n\n\n   The Mohammedans believe that this first blast will be followed by a second,\nwhich they call the blast of examination,2 when all creatures, both in heaven\nand earth, shall die or be annihilated, except those which GOD shall please to\nexempt from the common fate;3 and this, they say, shall happen in the\ntwinkling of an eye, nay, in an instant; nothing surviving except GOD alone,\nwith paradise and hell, and the inhabitants of those two places, and throne of\nglory.4  The last who shall die will be the angel of death.\n   Forty years after this will be heard the blast of resurrection, when the\ntrumpet shall be sounded the third time by Israf\u00eel, who, together with Gabriel\nand Michael, will be previously restored to life, and standing on the rock of\nthe temple of Jerusalem,5 shall, at GOD'S command, call together all the dry\nand rotten bones, and other dispersed parts of the bodies, and the very hairs,\nto judgment.  This angel having, by the divine order, set the trumpet to his\nmouth, and called together all the souls from all parts, will throw them into\nhis trumpet, from whence, on his giving the last sound, at the command of GOD,\nthey will fly forth like bees, and fill the whole space between heaven and\nearth, and then repair to their respective bodies, which the opening earth\nwill suffer to arise; and the first who shall so arise, according to a\ntradition of Mohammed, will be himself.  For this birth the earth will be\nprepared by the rain above mentioned, which is to fall continually for forty\nyears,6 and will resemble the seed of a man, and be supplied from the water\nunder the throne of GOD, which is called living water; by the efficacy and\nvirtue of which the dead bodies shall spring forth from their graves, as they\ndid in their mother's womb, or as corn sprouts forth by common rain, till they\nbecome perfect; after which breath will be breathed into them, and they will\nsleep in their sepulchres till they are raised to life at the last trump.\n   As to the length of the last day of judgment the Kor\u00e2n in one place tells\nus that it will last 1,000 years,1 and in another 50,000.2  To reconcile this\napparent contradiction, the commentators use several shifts: some saying they\nknow not what measure of time GOD intends in those passages; others, that\nthese forms of speaking are figurative and not to be strictly taken, and were\ndesigned only to express the terribleness of that day, it being usual for the\nArabs to describe what they dislike as of long continuance, and what they\nlike, as the contrary; and others suppose them spoken only in reference to the\ndifficulty of the business of the day, which, if GOD should commit to any of\nhis creatures, they would not be able to go through it in so many thousand\nyears; to omit some other opinions which we may take notice of elsewhere.\n   Having said so much in relation to the time of the resurrection, let us now\nsee who are to be raised from the dead, in what manner and\n\n   2  Several writers, however, make no distinction between this blast and the\nfirst, supposing the trumpet will sound but twice.  See the notes to Kor. c.\n39.\t\t3  Kor. c 39.\t\t4  To these some add the spirit who bears\nthe waters on which the throne is placed, the preserved table, wherein the\ndecrees of GOD are registered, and the pen wherewith they are written; all\nwhich things the Mohammedans imagine were created before the world.\n\t5  In this circum-cumstance the Mohammedans follow the Jews, who also\nagree that the trumpet will sound more than once.  Vide R. Bechai in Biur\nhattorah, and Otioth shel R. Akiba.\t\t6  Elsewhere (see before p. 61) this\nrain is said to continue only forty days; but it rather seems that it is to\nfall during the whole interval between the second and third blasts.\n\t1  Kor. c. 32.\t\t2  Ibid. c. 70.\n\n\n\n\nform they shall be raised, in what place they shall be assembled, and to what\nend, according to the doctrine of the Mohammedans.\n   That the resurrection will be general, and extend to all creatures both\nangels, genii, men, and animals, is the received opinion, which they support\nby the authority of the Kor\u00e2n, though that passage which is produced to prove\nthe resurrection of brutes be otherwise interpreted by some.3\n   The manner of their resurrection will be very different.  Those who are\ndestined to be partakers of eternal happiness will arise in honour and\nsecurity; and those who are doomed to misery, in disgrace and under dismal\napprehensions.  As to mankind, they say that they will be raised perfect in\nall their parts and members, and in the same state as they came out of their\nmother's wombs, that is, barefooted, naked, and uncircumcised; which\ncircumstances when Mohammed was telling his wife Ayesha, she, fearing the\nrules of modesty might be thereby violated, objected that it would be very\nindecent for men and women to look upon one another in that condition; but he\nanswered her, that the business of the day would be too weighty and serious to\nallow them the making use of that liberty.  Others, however, allege the\nauthority of their prophet for a contrary opinion as to their nakedness, and\npretend he asserted that the dead should arise dressed in the same clothes in\nwhich they died;1 unless we interpret these words, as some do, not so much of\nthe outward dress of the body, as the inward clothing of the mind; and\nunderstand thereby that every person will rise again in the same state as to\nhis faith or infidelity, his knowledge or ignorance, his good or bad works.\nMohammed is also said to have farther taught, by another tradition, that\nmankind shall be assembled at the last day, distinguished into three classes.\nThe first, of those who go on foot; the second, of those who ride; and the\nthird, of those who creep groveling with their faces on the ground.  The first\nclass is to consist of those believers whose good works have been few; the\nsecond of those who are in greater honour with GOD, and more acceptable to\nhim; whence Ali affirmed that the pious when they come forth from their\nsepulchres, shall find ready prepared for them white-winged camels, with\nsaddles of gold; wherein are to be observed some footsteps of the doctrine of\nthe ancient Arabians;2 and the third class, they say, will be composed of the\ninfidels, whom GOD shall cause to make their appearance with their faces on\nthe earth, blind, dumb, and deaf.  But the ungodly will not be thus only\ndistinguished; for, according to a tradition of the prophet, there will be ten\nsorts of wicked men on whom GOD shall on that day fix certain discretory\nmarks.  The first will appear in the form of apes; these are the professors of\nZendicism: the second in that of swine; these are they who have been greedy of\nfilthy lucre, and enriched themselves by public oppression: the third will be\nbrought with their heads reversed and their feet distorted; these are the\nusurers: the fourth will wander about blind; these are unjust judges: the\nfifth will be deaf, dumb, and blind, understanding nothing; these are they\n\n   3 See the notes to Kor. c. 81, and the preceding page.\t\t1  In this\nalso they follow their old guides, the Jews, who say that if the wheat which\nis sown naked rise clothed, it is no wonder the pious who are buried in their\nclothes should rise with them.  Gemar.  Sanhedr. fol. 90.\t\t2  See\nbefore, Sect. I. p. 16.\n\n\n\n\nwho glory in their own works: the sixth will gnaw their tongues, which will\nhang down upon their breasts, corrupted blood flowing from their mouths like\nspittle, so that everybody shall detest them; these are the learned men and\ndoctors, whose actions contradict their sayings: the seventh will have their\nhands and feet cut off; these are they who have injured their neighbours: the\neighth will be fixed to the trunks of palm trees or stakes of wood; these are\nthe false accusers and informers: the ninth will stink worse than a corrupted\ncorpse; these are they who have indulged their passions and voluptuous\nappetites, but refused GOD such part of their wealth as was due to him: the\ntenth will be clothed with garments daubed with pitch; and these are the\nproud, the vainglorious, and the arrogant.\n   As to the place where they are to be assembled to judgment, the Kor\u00e2n and\nthe traditions of Mohammed agree that it will be on the earth, but in what\npart of the earth it is not agreed.  Some say their prophet mentioned Syria\nfor the place; others, a white and even tract of land, without inhabitants or\nany signs of buildings.  Al Ghaz\u00e2li imagines it will be a second earth, which\nhe supposes to be of silver; and others, an earth which has nothing in common\nwith ours but the name; having, it is possible, heard something of the new\nheavens and new earth mentioned in scripture: whence the Kor\u00e2n has this\nexpression, \"on the day wherein the earth shall be changed into another\nearth.\"1\n   The end of the resurrection the Mohammedans declare to be, that they who\nare so raised may give an account of their actions, and receive the reward\nthereof.  And they believe that not only mankind, but the genii and irrational\nanimals also,2 shall be judged on this great day; when the unarmed cattle\nshall take vengeance on the horned, till entire satisfaction shall be given to\nthe injured.3\n   As to mankind, they hold that when they are all assembled together, they\nwill not be immediately brought to judgment, but the angels will keep them in\ntheir ranks and order while they attend for that purpose; and this attendance\nsome say is to last forty years, others seventy, others 300, nay, some say no\nless than 50,000 years, each of them vouching their prophet's authority.\nDuring this space they will stand looking up to heaven, but without receiving\nany information or orders thence, and are to suffer grievous torments, both\nthe just and the unjust, though with manifest difference.  For the limbs of\nthe former, particularly those parts which they used to wash in making the\nceremonial ablution before prayer, shall shine gloriously, and their\nsufferings shall be light in comparison, and shall last no longer than the\ntime necessary to say the appointed prayers; but the latter will have their\nfaces obscured with blackness, and disfigured with all the marks of sorrow and\ndeformity.  What will then occasion not the least of their\n\n   1  Cap. 14.\t\t2  Kor. c. 6.  Vide Maimonid. More Nev. part iii. c.\n17.\t\t3  This opinion the learned Greaves supposed to have taken its\nrise from the following words of Ezekiel, wrongly understood: \"And as for ye,\nO my flock thus saith the LORD GOD, Behold I, even I, will judge between the\nfat cattle, and between the lean cattle; because ye have thrust with side and\nwith shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have\nscattered them abroad; therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more\nbe a prey, and I will judge between cattle and cattle,\" &c.  Ezek. xxxiv. 17,\n20, 21, 22.  Much might be said concerning brutes deserving future reward and\npunishment.  See Bayle, Dict. Hist. Art. Rorarius, Rem. D. &c.\n\n\n\npain, is a wonderful and incredible sweat, which will even stop their mouths,\nand in which they will be immersed in various degrees according to their\ndemerits, some to the ankles only, some to the knees, some to the middle, some\nso high as their mouth, and others as their ears.  And this sweat, they say,\nwill be provoked not only by that vast concourse of all sorts of creatures\nmutually pressing and treading on one another's feet, but by the near and\nunusual approach of the sun, which will be then no farther from them than the\ndistance of a mile, or, as some translate the word, the signification of which\nis ambiguous, than the length of a bodkin.  So that their skulls will boil\nlike a pot,1 and they will be all bathed in sweat.  From this inconvenience,\nhowever, the good will be protected by the shade of GOD'S throne; but the\nwicked will be so miserably tormented with it, and also with hunger, and\nthirst, and a stifling air, that they will cry out, \"Lord, deliver us from\nthis anguish, though thou send us into hell fire.\"2  What they fable of the\nextraordinary heat of the sun on this occasion, the Mohammedans certainly\nborrowed from the Jews, who say, that for the punishment of the wicked on the\nlast day, that planet shall be drawn from its sheath, in which it is now put\nup, lest it should destroy all things by its excessive heat.3\n   When those who have risen shall have waited the limited time, the\nMohammedans believe GOD will at length appear to judge them; Mohammed\nundertaking the office of intercessor, after it shall have been declined by\nAdam, Noah, Abraham, and Jesus, who shall beg deliverance only for their own\nsouls.  They say that on this solemn occasion GOD will come in the clouds,\nsurrounded by angels, and will produce the books wherein the actions of every\nperson are recorded by their guardian angels,4 and will command the prophets\nto bear witness against those to whom they have been respectively sent.  Then\nevery one will be examined concerning all his words and actions, uttered and\ndone by him in this life; not as if GOD needed any information in those\nrespects, but to oblige the person to make public confession and\nacknowledgment of GOD'S justice.  The particulars of which they shall give an\naccount, as Mohammed himself enumerated them, are-of their time, how they\nspent it; of their wealth, by what means they acquired it, and how they\nemployed it; of their bodies, wherein they exercised them; of their knowledge\nand learning, what use they made of them.  It is said, however, that Mohammed\nhas affirmed that no less than 70,000 of his followers should be permitted to\nenter paradise without any previous examination, which seems to be\ncontradictory to what is said above.  To the questions we have mentioned each\nperson shall answer, and make his defence in the best manner he can,\nendeavouring to excuse himself by casting the blame of his evil deeds on\nothers, so that a dispute shall arise even between the soul and the body, to\nwhich of them their guilt ought to be imputed, the soul saying, \"O Lord, my\nbody I received from thee; for thou createdst me without a hand to lay hold\nwith, a foot to walk with, an eye to see with, or an understanding to\napprehend with, till I came and entered into this body; therefore, punish it\neternally, but deliver me.\"  The body , on the other\n\n   1  Al Ghaz\u00e2li.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Vide Pocock, not. in Port. Mosis,\np. 277.\t\t4  See before, p. 56.\n\n\n\n\n\nside, will make this apology:-\"O Lord, thou createdst me like a stock of wood,\nhaving neither hand that I could lay hold with, nor foot that I could walk\nwith, till this soul, like a ray of light, entered into me, and my tongue\nbegan to speak, my eye to see, and my foot to walk; therefore, punish it\neternally, but deliver me.\"  But GOD will propound to them the following\nparable of the blind man and the lame man, which, as well as the preceding\ndispute, was borrowed by the Mohammedans from the Jews:5 A certain king,\nhaving a pleasant garden, in which were ripe fruits, set two persons to keep\nit, one of whom was blind and the other lame, the former not being able to see\nthe fruit nor the latter to gather it; the lame man, however, seeing the\nfruit, persuaded the blind man to take him upon his shoulders; and by that\nmeans he easily gathered the fruit, which they divided between them.  The lord\nof the garden, coming some time after, and inquiring after his fruit, each\nbegan to excuse himself; the blind man said he had no eyes to see with, and\nthe lame man that he had no feet to approach the trees.  But the king,\nordering the lame man to be set on the blind, passed sentence on and punished\nthem both.  And in the same manner will GOD deal with the body and the soul.\nAs these apologies will not avail on that day, so will it also be in vain for\nany one to deny his evil actions, since men and angels and his own members,\nnay, the very earth itself, will be ready to bear witness against him.\n   Though the Mohammedans assign so long a space for the attendance of the\nresuscitated before their trial, yet they tell us the trial itself will be\nover in much less time, and, according to an expression of Mohammed, familiar\nenough to the Arabs, will last no longer than while one may milk an ewe, or\nthan the space between the two milkings of a she-camel.1  Some, explaining\nthose words so frequently used in the Kor\u00e2n, \"GOD will be swift in taking an\naccount,\" say that he will judge all creatures in the space of half a day, and\nothers that it will be done in less time than the twinkling of an eye.2\n   At this examination they also believe that each person will have the book,\nwherein all the actions of his life are written, delivered to him; which books\nthe righteous will receive in their right hand, and read with great pleasure\nand satisfaction; but the ungodly will be obliged to take them against their\nwills in their left,3 which will be bound behind their backs, their right hand\nbeing tied up to their necks.4\n   To show the exact justice which will be observed on this great day of\ntrial, the next thing they describe is the balance, wherein all things shall\nbe weighted.  They say it will be held by Gabriel, and that it is of so vast a\nsize, that its two scales, one of which hangs over paradise, and the other\nover hell, are capacious enough to contain both heaven and earth.  Though some\nare willing to understand what is said in the Kor\u00e2n concerning this balance,\nallegorically, and only as a figurative representation of GOD'S equity, yet\nthe more ancient and orthodox opinion is that it is to be taken literally; and\nsince words and actions, being mere accidents, are not capable of being\nthemselves\n\n   5  Gemara, Sanhed. c. II.  R. Jos. Albo, Serm. iv. c. 33.  See also\nEpiphan. in Ancorat. sect. 89.\t\t1  The Arabs use, after they have\ndrawn some milk from the camel, to wait a while and let her young one suck a\nlittle, that she may give down her milk more plentifully at the second\nmilking.\t\t2  Pocock, not. in Port. Mosis, p. 278-282.  See also Kor.\nc. 2, p. 21.\n3  Kor. c. 17, 18, 69, and 84.\t\t4  Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n\n\nweighed, they say that the books wherein they are written will be thrown into\nthe scales, and according as those wherein the good or the evil actions are\nrecorded shall preponderate, sentence will be given; those whose balance laden\nwith their good works shall be heavy, will be saved, but those whose balances\nare light will be condemned.5  Nor will any one have cause to complain that\nGOD suffers any good action to pass unrewarded, because the wicked for the\ngood they do have their reward in this life, and therefore can expect no\nfavour in the next.\n   The old Jewish writers make mention as well of the books to be produced at\nthe last day, wherein men's actions are registered,6 as of the balance wherein\nthey shall be weighed;7 and the scripture itself seems to have given the first\nnotion of both.8  But what the Persian Magi believe of the balance comes\nnearest to the Mohammedan opinion.  They hold that on the day of judgment two\nangels, named Mihr and Sor\u00fbsh, will stand on the bridge we shall describe by-\nand-bye, to examine every person as he passes; that the former, who represents\nthe divine mercy, will hold a balance in his hand, to weigh the actions of\nmen; that according to the report he shall make thereof to GOD, sentence will\nbe pronounced, and those whose good works are found more ponderous, if they\nturn the scale but by the weight of a hair, will be permitted to pass forward\nto paradise; but those whose good works shall be found light, will be by the\nother angel, who represents GOD'S justice, precipitated from the bridge into\nhell.1\n   This examination being passed, and every one's works weighed in a just\nbalance, that mutual retaliation will follow, according to which every\ncreature will take vengeance one of another, or have satisfaction made them\nfor the injuries which they have suffered.  And since there will then be no\nother way of returning like for like, the manner of giving this satisfaction\nwill be by taking away a proportionable part of the good works of him who\noffered the injury, and adding it to those of him who suffered it.  Which\nbeing done, if the angels (by whose ministry this is to be performed) say,\n\"Lord, we have given to every one his due; and there remaineth of this\nperson's good works so much as equalleth the weight of an ant,\" GOD will of\nhis mercy cause it to be doubled unto him, that he may be admitted into\nparadise; but if, on the contrary, his good works be exhausted, and there\nremain evil works only, and there be any who have not yet received\nsatisfaction from him, GOD will order that an equal weight of their sins be\nadded unto his, that he may be punished for them in their stead, and he will\nbe sent to hell laden with both.  This will be the method of GOD'S dealing\nwith mankind.  As to brutes, after they shall have likewise taken vengeance of\none another, as we have mentioned above, he will command them to be changed\ninto dust;2 wicked men being reserved to more grievous punishment: so that\nthey shall cry out, on hearing this sentence passed on the brutes, \"Would to\nGOD that we were dust also.\"  As to the genii, many Mohammedans are of opinion\nthat such of them as are true believers will undergo the same fate as the\nirrational animals, and\n\n   5  Kor. c. 23, 7, &c.\t\t6  Midrash, Yalkut Shemuni, f. 153, c. 3.\n\t7  Gemar. Sanhedr. f. 91, &c.\n8  Exod. xxxii. 32, 33, Dan. vii. 10, Revel. xx. 12, &c., and Dan. v. 27.\n\t1  Hyde, de Rel. Vet. Pers. p. 245, 401, &c.\n2  Yet they say the dog of the seven sleepers, and Ezra's ass, which was\nraised to life, will, by peculiar favour, be admitted into paradise.  See Kor.\nc. 18, and c. 3.\n\n\n\n\nhave no other reward than the favour of being converted into dust; and for\nthis they quote the authority of their prophet.  But this, however, is judged\nnot so very reasonable, since the genii, being capable of putting themselves\nin the state of believers as well as men, must consequently deserve, as it\nseems, to be rewarded for their faith, as well as to be punished for\ninfidelity.  Wherefore some entertain a more favourable opinion, and assign\nthe believing genii a place near the confines of paradise, where they will\nenjoy sufficient felicity, though they be not admitted into that delightful\nmansion.  But the unbelieving genii, it is universally agreed, will be\npunished eternally, and be thrown into hell with the infidels of mortal race.\nIt may not be improper to observe, that under the denomination of unbelieving\ngenii, the Mohammedans comprehend also the devil and his companions.1\n   The trials being over and the assembly dissolved, the Mohammedans hold that\nthose who are to be admitted into paradise will take the right-hand way, and\nthose who are destined to hell fire will take the left; but both of them must\nfirst pass the bridge, called in Arabic al Sir\u00e2t, which they say is laid over\nthe midst of hell, and described to be finer than a hair, and sharper than the\nedge of a sword: so that it seems very difficult to conceive how any one shall\nbe able to stand upon it: for which reason most of the sect of the M\u00f3tazalites\nreject it as a fable, though the orthodox think it a sufficient proof of the\ntruth of this article, that it was seriously affirmed by him who never\nasserted a falsehood, meaning their prophet; who to add to the difficulty of\nthe passage, has likewise declared that this bridge is beset on each side with\nbriars and hooked thorns; which will, however, be no impediment to the good,\nfor they shall pass with wonderful ease and swiftness, like lightning or the\nwind, Mohammed and his Moslems leading the way; whereas the wicked, what with\nthe slipperiness and extreme narrowness of the path, the entangling of the\nthorns, and the extinction of the light, which directed the former to\nparadise, will soon miss their footing, and fall down headlong into hell,\nwhich is gaping beneath them.2\n   This circumstance Mohammed seems also to have borrowed from the Magians,\nwho teach that on the last day all mankind will be obliged to pass a bridge\nwhich they call P\u00fbl Ch\u00eenavad, or Ch\u00eenavar, that is, the straight bridge,\nleading directly into the other world; on the midst of which they suppose the\nangels, appointed by GOD to perform that office, will stand, who will require\nof every one a strict account of his actions, and weigh them in the manner we\nhave already mentioned.3  It is true the Jews speak likewise of the bridge of\nhell, which they say is no broader than a thread; but then they do not tell us\nthat any shall be obliged to pass it, except the idolaters, who will fall\nthence into perdition.1\n   As to the punishment of the wicked, the Mohammedans are taught that hell is\ndivided into seven stories, or apartments, one below another, designed for the\nreception of as many distinct classes of the damned.2  The first which they\ncall Jehennam, they say, will be the receptacle of those who acknowledged one\nGOD, that is, the wicked Mohammedans,\n\n   1  Vide Kor. c. 18.\t\t2  Pocock. ubi sup. p. 282-289.\t\t3\nHyde, de Rel. Vet. Pers. p. 245, 402, &c.\n1  Midrash, Yalkut Reubeni. \u00a7 Gehinnom.\t\t2  Kor. c. 15.\n\n\n\n\nwho after having there been punished according to their demerits, will at\nlength be released.  The second, uamed Ladh\u00e2, they assign to the Jews; the\nthird, named al Hotama, to the Christians; the fourth named al S\u00e4ir, to the\nSabians; the fifth, named Sakar, to the Magians; the sixth, named al Jah\u00eem, to\nthe idolaters; and the seventh, which is the lowest and worst of all, and is\ncalled al H\u00e2wiyat, to the hypocrites, or those who outwardly professed some\nreligion, but in their hearts were of none.3  Over each of these apartments\nthey believe there will be set a guard of angels,4 nineteen in number;5 to\nwhom the damned will confess the just judgment of GOD, and beg them to\nintercede with him for some alleviation of their pain, or that they may be\ndelivered by being annihilated.6\n   Mohammed has, in his Kor\u00e2n and traditions, been very exact in describing\nthe various torments of hell, which, according to him, the wicked will suffer\nboth from intense heat and excessive cold.  We shall, however, enter into no\ndetail of them here, but only observe that the degrees of these pains will\nalso vary, in proportion to the crimes of the sufferer, and the apartment he\nis condemned to; and that he who is punished the most lightly of all will be\nshod with shoes of fire, the fervour of which will cause his skull to boil\nlike a cauldron.  The condition of these unhappy wretches, as the same prophet\nteaches, cannot be properly called either life or death; and their misery will\nbe greatly increased by their despair of being ever delivered from that place,\nsince, according to that frequent expression in the Kor\u00e2n, \"they must remain\ntherein for ever.\"  It must be remarked, however, that the infidels alone will\nbe liable to eternity of damnation, for the Moslems, or those who have\nembraced the true religion, and have been guilty of heinous sins, will be\ndelivered thence after they shall have expiated their crimes by their\nsufferings.  The contrary of either of these opinions is reckoned heretical;\nfor it is the constant orthodox doctrine of the Mohammedans that no unbeliever\nor idolater will ever be released, nor any person who in his lifetime\nprofessed an believed the unity of GOD be condemned to eternal punishment.  As\nto the time and manner of the deliverance of those believers whose evil\nactions shall outweigh their good, there is a tradition of Mohammed that they\nshall be released after they shall have been scorched and their skins burnt\nblack, and shall afterwards be admitted into paradise; and when the\ninhabitants of that place shall, in contempt, call them infernals, GOD will,\non their prayers, take from them that opprobrious appellation.  Others say he\ntaught that while they continue in hell they shall be deprived of life, or (as\nhis words are otherwise interpreted) be cast into a most profound sleep, that\nthey may be the less sensible of their torments; and that they shall\nafterwards be received into paradise, and there revive on their being washed\nwith the water of life; though some suppose they will\n\n   3  Others fill these apartments with different company.  Some place in the\nsecond, the idolaters; in the third, Gog and Magog, &c.; in the fourth, the\ndevils; in the fifth, those who neglect alms and prayers; and crowd the Jews,\nChristians, and Magians together in the sixth.  Some, again, will have the\nfirst to be prepared for the Dahrians, or those who deny the creation, and\nbelieve the eternity of the world; the second, for the Dualists, or Manichees,\nand the idolatrous Arabs; the third, for the Bramins of the Indies; the\nfourth, for the Jews; the fifth, for the Christians; and the sixth, for the\nMagians.  But all agree in assigning the seventh to the hypocrites.  Vide\nMillium, de Mohammedismo ante Moham. p. 412; D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 368,\n&c.\t\t4  Kor. c. 40, 43, 74, &c.\n5  Ibid. c. 74.\t\t6  Ibid. c. 40, 43.\n\n\n\n\nbe restored to life before they come forth from their place of punishment,\nthat at their bidding farewell to their pains, they may have some little taste\nof them.  The time which these believers shall be detained there, according to\na tradition handed down from their prophet, will not be less than 900 years,\nnor more than 7,000.  And as to the manner of their delivery, they say that\nthey shall be distinguished by the marks of prostration on those parts of\ntheir bodies with which they used to touch the ground in prayer, and over\nwhich the fire will, therefore, have no power; and that being known by this\ncharacteristic, they will be relieved by the mercy of GOD, at the intercession\nof Mohammed and the blessed; whereupon those who shall have been dead will be\nrestored to life, as has been said; and those whose bodies shall have\ncontracted any sootiness or filth from the flames and smoke of hell, will be\nimmersed in one of the rivers of paradise, called the river of life, which\nwill wash them whiter than pearls.1\n   For most of these circumstances relating to hell and the state of the\ndamned, Mohammed was likewise, in all probability, indebted to the Jews, and\nin part to the Magians; both of whom agree in making seven distinct apartments\nin hell,2 though they vary in other particulars.  The former place an angel as\na guard over each of these infernal apartments, and suppose he will intercede\nfor the miserable wretches there imprisoned, who will openly acknowledge the\njustice of GOD in their condemnation.1  They also teach that the wicked will\nsuffer a diversity of punishments, and that by intolerable cold2 as well as\nheat, and that their faces shall become black;3 and believe those of their own\nreligion shall also be punished in hell hereafter, according to their crimes\n(for they hold that few or none will be found so exactly righteous as to\ndeserve no punishment at all), but will soon be delivered thence, when they\nshall be sufficiently purged from their sins, by their father Abraham, or at\nthe intercession of him or some other of the prophets.4  The Magians allow but\none angel to preside over all the seven hells, who is named by them Van\u00e1nd\nYez\u00e1d, and, as they teach, assigns punishments proportionate to each person's\ncrimes, restraining also the tyranny and excessive cruelty of the devil, who\nwould, if left to himself, torment the damned beyond their sentence.5  Those\nof this religion do also mention and describe various kinds of torments,\nwherewith the wicked will be punished in the next life; among which though\nthey reckon extreme cold to be one, yet they do not admit fire, out of\nrespect, as it seems, to that element, which they take to be the\nrepresentation of the divine nature; and, therefore, they rather choose to\ndescribe the damned souls as suffering by other kinds of punishments: such as\nan intolerable stink, the stinging and biting of serpents and wild beasts, the\ncutting and tearing of the flesh by the devils, excessive hunger and thirst,\nand the like.6\n   Before we proceed to a description of the Mohammedan paradise, we must not\nforget to say something of the wall or partition which they imagine to be\nbetween that place and hell, and seems to be copied\n\n   1  Poc. not. in Port. Mosis, p. 289-291.\t\t2  Nishmat hayim, f. 32;\nGemar. in Arubin, f. 19; Zohar. ad Exod. xxvi. 2, &c.; and Hyde, de Rel. Vet.\nPers. p. 245.\t\t1  Midrash, Yalkut Shemuni, part II, f. 116.\t2\nZohar. ad Exod. xix.\n3  Yalkut Shemuni, ubi sup. f. 86.\t\t4  Nishmat hayim, f. 83; Gemar.\nArubin, f. 19.  Vide Kor. c. 2, p. 10, and 3, p. 34, and notes there.\n\t5  Hyde, de Rel. Vet. Pers. p. 182.\t6  Vide Eundem, ibid. p.\n\n\n\n\nfrom the great gulf of separation mentioned in scripture.7  They call it al\nOrf, and more frequently in the plural, al Ar\u00e2f, a word derived from the verb\narafa, which signifies to distinguish between things, or to part them; though\nsome commentators give another reason for the imposition of this name,\nbecause, they say, those who stand on this partition will know and distinguish\nthe blessed from the damned, by their respective marks or characteristics:8\nand others say the word properly intends anything that is high raised or\nelevated, as such a wall of separation must be supposed to be.9  The\nMohammedan writers greatly differ as to the persons who are to be found on al\nAr\u00e2f.  Some imagine it to be a sort of limbo for the patriarchs and prophets,\nor for the martyrs and those who have been most eminent for sanctity, among\nwhom, they say, there will be also angels in the form of men.  Others place\nhere such whose good and evil works are so equal that they exactly\ncounterpoise each other, and, therefore, deserve neither reward nor\npunishment; and these, they say, will, on the last day, be admitted into\nparadise, after they shall have performed an act of adoration, which will be\nimputed to them as a merit, and will make the scale of their good works to\noverbalance.  Others suppose this intermediate space will be a receptacle for\nthose who have gone to war without their parents' leave, and therein suffered\nmartyrdom; being excluded paradise for their disobedience, and escaping hell\nbecause they are martyrs.  The breadth of this partition wall cannot be\nsupposed to be exceeding great, since not only those who shall stand thereon\nwill hold conference with the inhabitants both of paradise and of hell, but\nthe blessed and the damned themselves will also be able to talk to one\nanother.1\n   If Mohammed did not take his notions of the partition we have been\ndescribing from scripture, he must at least have borrowed it at second-hand\nfrom the Jews, who mention a thin wall dividing paradise form hell.2\n   The righteous, as the Mohammedans are taught to believe, having surmounted\nthe difficulties, and passed the sharp bridge above mentioned, before they\nenter paradise will be refreshed by drinking at the pond of their prophet, who\ndescribes it to be an exact square, of a month's journey in compass: its\nwater, which is supplied by two pipes from al Cawthar, one of the rivers of\nparadise, being whiter than milk or silver and more odoriferous than musk,\nwith as many cups set around it as there are stars in the firmament, of which\nwater, whoever drinks will thirst no more for ever.3  This is the first taste\nwhich the blessed will have of their future and now near-approaching felicity.\n   Though paradise be so very frequently mentioned in the Kor\u00e2n, yet it is a\ndispute among Mohammedans whether it be already created, or be to be created\nhereafter: the M\u00f3tazalites and some other sectaries asserting that there is\nnot at present any such place in nature, and that the paradise which the\nrighteous will inhabit in the next life, will be different form that form\nwhich Adam was expelled.  However, the orthodox profess the contrary,\nmaintaining that it was created even\n\n   7  Luke xvi. 26.\t\t8  Jallalo'ddin.  Vide Kor. c.7.\t\t9  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\t\t1  Kor. ubi sup  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 121, &c.\n\t2 Midrash. Yalkut Sioni. f. II.\t\t3  Al Ghaz\u00e2li.\n\n\n\n\nbefore the world, and describe it, from their prophet's traditions, in the\nfollowing manner.\n   They say it is situate above the seven heavens (or in the seventh heaven)\nand next under the throne of GOD: and to express the amenity of the place,\ntell us that the earth of it is of the finest wheat flour, or of the purest\nmusk, or, as others will have it, of saffron; that its stones are pearls and\njacinths, the walls of its buildings enriched with gold and silver, and that\nthe trunks of all its trees are of gold, among which the most remarkable is\nthe tree called T\u00fbba, or the tree of happiness.  Concerning this tree they\nfable that it stands in the palace of Mohammed, though a breach of it will\nreach to the house of every true believer;1 that it will be laden with\npomegranates, grapes, dates, and other fruits of surprising bigness, and of\ntastes unknown to mortals.  So that if a man desire to eat of any particular\nkind of fruit, it will immediately be presented him, or if he choose flesh,\nbirds ready dressed will be set before him according to his wish.  They add\nthat the boughs of this tree will spontaneously bend down to the hand of the\nperson who would gather of its fruits, and that it will supply the blessed not\nonly with food, but also with silken garments, and beasts to ride on ready\nsaddled and bridled, and adorned with rich trappings, which will burst forth\nfrom its fruits; and that this tree is so large, that a person mounted on the\nfleetest horse would not be able to gallop from one end of its shade to the\nother in a hundred years.2\n   As plenty of water is one of the greatest additions to the pleasantness of\nany place, the Kor\u00e2n often speaks of the rivers of paradise as a principal\nornament thereof; some of these rivers, they say, flow with water, some with\nmilk, some with wine, and others with honey, all taking their rise from the\nroof of the tree T\u00fbba: two of which rivers, named al Cawthar and the river of\nlife, we have already mentioned.  And lest these should not be sufficient, we\nare told this garden is also watered by a great number of lesser springs and\nfountains, whose pebbles are rubies and emeralds, their earth of camphire,\ntheir beds of musk, and their sides of saffron, the most remarkable among them\nbeing Salsab\u00eel and Tasn\u00eem.\n   But all these glories will be eclipsed by the resplendent and ravishing\ngirls of paradise, called, from their large black eyes, H\u00fbr al oy\u00fbn, the\nenjoyment of whose company will be a principal felicity of the faithful.\nThese, they say, are created not of clay, as mortal women are, but of pure\nmusk: being, as their prophet often affirms in his Kor\u00e2n, free from all\nnatural impurities, defects, and inconveniences incident to the sex, of the\nstrictest modesty, and secluded from public view in pavilions of hollow\npearls, so large, that, as some traditions have it, one of them will be no\nless than four parasangs (or, as others say, sixty miles) long, and as many\nbroad.\n   The name which the Mohammedans usually give to this happy mansion, is al\nJannat, or the garden; and sometimes they call it, with an addition, Jannat al\nFerdaws, the garden of paradise, Jannet Aden, the garden of Eden (though they\ngenerally interpret the word Eden, not according to its acceptation in Hebrew,\nbut according to its meaning in their\n\n\t\t1  Yahya, in Kor.c. 13.\t\t\t\t2  Jallal'oddin, ibid.\n\n\n\n\nown tongue, wherein it signifies a settled or perpetual habitation), Jannat al\nM\u00e1wa, the garden of abode, Jannat al Na\u00efm, the garden of pleasure, and the\nlike; by which several appellations some understand so many different gardens,\nor at least places of different degrees of felicity (for they reckon no less\nthan a hundred such in all), the very meanest whereof will afford its\ninhabitants so many pleasures and delights, that one would conclude they must\neven sink under them, had not Mohammed declared, that in order to qualify the\nblessed for a full enjoyment of them, GOD will give to every one the abilities\nof a hundred men.\n   We have already described Mohammed's pond, whereof the righteous are to\ndrink before their admission into this delicious seat; besides which some\nauthors1 mention two fountains, springing from under a certain tree near the\ngate of paradise, and say, that the blessed will also drink of one of them, to\npurge their bodies and carry off all excrementitious dregs, and will wash\nthemselves in the other.  When they are arrived at the gate itself, each\nperson will there be met and saluted by the beautiful youths appointed to\nserve and wait upon him, one of them running before, to carry the news of his\narrival to the wives destined for him; and also by two angels, bearing the\npresents sent him by GOD, one of whom will invest him with a garment of\nparadise, and the other will put a ring on each of his fingers, with\ninscriptions on them alluding to the happiness of his condition.  By which of\nthe eight gates (for so many they suppose paradise to have) they are\nrespectively to enter, is not worth inquiry; but it must be observed that\nMohammed has declared that no person's good works will gain him admittance,\nand that even himself shall be saved, not by his merits, but merely by the\nmercy of GOD.  It is, however, the constant doctrine of the Kor\u00e2n, that the\nfelicity of each person will be proportioned to this deserts, and that there\nwill be abodes of different degrees of happiness; the most eminent degree\nbeing reserved for the prophets, the second for the doctors and teachers of\nGod's worship, the next for the martyrs, and the lower for the rest of the\nrighteous, according to their several merits.  There will also some\ndistinction be made in respect to the time of their admission; Mohammed (to\nwhom, if you will believe him, the gates will first be opened) having\naffirmed, that the poor will enter paradise five hundred years before the\nrich: nor is this the only privilege which they will enjoy in the next life;\nsince the same prophet has also declared, that when he took a view of\nparadise, he saw the majority of its inhabitants to be the poor, and when he\nlooked down into hell, he saw the greater part of the wretches confined there\nto be women.\n   For the first entertainment of the blessed on their admission, they fable\nthat the whole earth will then be as one loaf of bread, which GOD will reach\nto them with his hand, holding it like a cake; and that for meat they will\nhave the ox Bal\u00e2m, and the fish N\u00fbn, the lobs of whose livers will suffice\n70,000 men, being, as some imagine to be set before the principal guests,\nviz., those who, to that number, will be admitted into paradise without\nexamination;2 though others suppose that a definite number is here put for an\nindefinite, and that\n\n\t\t1  Al Ghaz\u00e2li, Kenz al Afr\u00e2r\t\t\t\t2  See before, p.\n68.\n\n\n\n\nnothing more is meant thereby, than to express a great multitude of people.\n   From this feast every one will be dismissed to the mansion designed for\nhim, where (as has been said) he will enjoy such a share of felicity as will\nbe proportioned to his merits, but vastly exceed comprehension or expectation;\nsince the very meanest in paradise (as he who, it is pretended, must know\nbest, has declared) will have eighty thousand servants, seventy-two wives of\nthe girls of paradise, besides the wives he had in this world, and a tent\nerected for him of pearls, jacinths, and emeralds, of a very large extent;\nand, according to another tradition, will be waited on by three hundred\nattendants while he eats, will be served in dishes of gold, whereof three\nhundred shall be set before him at once, containing each a different kind of\nfood, the last morsel of which will be as grateful as the first; and will also\nbe supplied with as many sorts of liquors in vessels of the same metal: and,\nto complete the entertainment, there will be no want of wine, which, though\nforbidden in this life, will yet be freely allowed to be drunk in the next,\nand without danger, since the wine of paradise will not inebriate, as that we\ndrink here.  The flavour of this wine we may conceive to be delicious without\na description, since the water of Tasn\u00eem and the other fountains which will be\nused to dilute it, is said to be wonderfully sweet and fragrant.  If any\nobject to these pleasures, as an impudent Jew did to Mohammed, that so much\neating and drinking must necessarily require proper evacuations, we answer, as\nthe prophets did, that the inhabitants of paradise will not need to ease\nthemselves, nor even to blow their nose, for that all superfluities will be\ndischarged and carried off by perspiration, or a sweat as odoriferous as musk,\nafter which their appetite shall return afresh.\n   The magnificence of the garments and furniture promised by the Kor\u00e2n to the\ngodly in the next life, is answerable to the delicacy of their diet.  For they\nare to be clothed in the richest of silks and brocades, chiefly of green,\nwhich will burst forth from the fruits of paradise, and will be also supplied\nby the leaves of the tree T\u00fbba; they will be adorned with bracelets of gold\nand silver, and crowns set with pearls of incomparable lustre; and will make\nuse of silken carpets, litters of a prodigious size, couches, pillows, and\nother rich furniture embroidered with gold and precious stones.\n   That we may the more readily believe what has been mentioned of the\nextraordinary abilities of the inhabitants of paradise to taste these\npleasures in their height, it is said they will enjoy a perpetual youth; that\nin whatever age they happen to die, they will be raised in their prime and\nvigour, that is, of about thirty years of age, which age they will never\nexceed (and the same they say of the damned); and that when they enter\nparadise they will be of the same stature with Adam, who, as they fable, was\nno less than sixty cubits high.  And to this age and stature their children,\nif they shall desire any (for otherwise their wives will not conceive), shall\nimmediately attain; according to that saying of their prophet, \"If any of the\nfaithful in paradise be desirous of issue, it shall be conceived, born, and\ngrown up within the space of an hour.\"  And in the same manner, if any one\nshall have a fancy to employ himself in agriculture (which rustic pleasure may\nsuit\n\n\n\n\nthe wanton fancy of some), what he shall sow will spring up and come to\nmaturity in a moment.\n   Lest any of the senses should want their proper delight, we are told the\near will there be entertained, not only with the ravishing songs of the angel\nIsraf\u00eel, who has the most melodious voice of all GOD'S creatures, and of the\ndaughters of paradise; but even the trees themselves will celebrate the divine\npraises with a harmony exceeding whatever mortals have heard; to which will be\njoined the sound of the bells hanging on the trees, which will be put in\nmotion by the wind proceeding from the throne of GOD, so often as the blessed\nwish for music: nay, the very clashing of the golden-bodied trees, whose\nfruits are pearls and emeralds, will surpass human imagination; so that the\npleasures of this sense will not be the least of the enjoyments of paradise.\n   The delights we have hitherto taken a view of, it is said, will be common\nto all the inhabitants of paradise, even those of the lowest order.  What\nthen, think we, must they enjoy who shall obtain a superior degree of honour\nand felicity?  To these, they say, there are prepared, besides all this, \"such\nthings as eye hath not seen, nor hath ear heard, nor hath it entered into the\nheart of man to conceive;\" an expression most certainly borrowed from\nscripture.1  That we may know wherein the felicity of those who shall attain\nthe highest degree will consist, Mohammed is reported to have said, that the\nmeanest of the inhabitants of paradise will see his gardens, wives, servants,\nfurniture, and other possessions take up the space of a thousand years'\njourney (for so far and farther will the blessed see in the next life); but\nthat he will be in the highest honour with GOD, who shall behold his face\nmorning and evening: and this favour al Ghaz\u00e2li supposes to be that additional\nor superabundant recompense, promised in the Kor\u00e2n,2 which will give such\nexquisite delight, that in respect thereof all the other pleasures of paradise\nwill be forgotten and lightly esteemed; and not without reason, since, as the\nsame author says, every other enjoyment is equally tasted by the very brute\nbeast who is turned loose into luxuriant pasture.3  The reader will observe,\nby the way, that this is a full confutation of those who pretend that the\nMohammedans admit of no spiritual pleasure in the next life, but make the\nhappiness of the blessed to consist wholly in corporeal enjoyments.4\n   Whence Mohammed took the greatest part of his paradise it is easy to show.\nThe Jews constantly describe the future mansion of the just as a delicious\ngarden, and make it also reach to the seventh heaven.5  They also say it has\nthree gates,6 or, as others will have it, two,7 and four rivers (which last\ncircumstance they copied, to be sure, from those of the garden of Eden8),\nflowing with milk, wine, balsam, and honey.1  Their Behemoth and Leviathan,\nwhich they pretend will be slain for the entertainment of the blessed,2 are so\napparently the Bal\u00e2m and N\u00fbn of Mohammed, that his followers themselves\nconfess he is obliged to them for both.3  The Rabbins likewise mention seven\ndifferent\n\n   1  Isaiah lxiv. 4; I Cor. ii. 9.\t\t2  Cap. 10, &c.\t\t3  Vide Poc.\nin not. ad Port. Mosis, p. 305.\n4  Vide Reland, de Rel. Moh. l. 2, \u00a7 17.\t\t5  Vide Gemar. T\u00e2nith, f. 25,\nBeracoth, f. 34, and Midrash sabboth, f. 37.\n6  Megillah, Amkoth, p. 78.\t\t\t7  Midrash, Yalkut Shemuni.\n\t8  Gen. ii. 10, &c.\n1  Midrash, Yalk. Shem.\t\t2  Gemar. Bava Bathra. f. 78; Rashi, in Job i.\n\t3  Vide Poc. not. in Port. Mosis, p. 298.\n\n\n\ndegrees of felicity,4 and say that the highest will be of those who\nperpetually contemplate the face of GOD.5  The Persian Magi had also an idea\nof the future happy estate of the good, very little different from that of\nMohammed.  Paradise they called Behisht, and M\u00eenu, which signifies crystal,\nwhere they believe the righteous shall enjoy all manner of delights, and\nparticularly the company of the Hur\u00e2ni behisht, or black-eyed nymphs of\nparadise,6 the care of whom, they say, committed to the angel Zamiy\u00e2d;7 and\nhence Mohammed seems to have taken the first hint of his paradisiacal ladies.\n   It is not improbable, however, but that he might have been obliged, in some\nrespect, to the Christian accounts of the felicity of the good in the next\nlife.  As it is scarce possible to convey, especially to the apprehensions of\nthe generality of mankind, an idea of spiritual pleasures without introducing\nsensible objects, the scriptures have been obliged to represent the celestial\nenjoyments by corporeal images; and to describe the mansion of the blessed as\na glorious and magnificent city, built of gold and precious stones, with\ntwelve gates; through the streets of which there runs a river of water of\nlife, and having on either side the tree of life, which bears twelve sorts of\nfruits, and leaves of a healing virtue.8  Our Saviour likewise speaks of the\nfuture state of the blessed as of a kingdom where they shall eat and drink at\nhis table.9  But then these descriptions have none of those puerile\nimaginations10 which reign throughout that of Mohammed, much less any the most\ndistant intimation of sensual delights, which he was so fond of; on the\ncontrary, we are expressly assured, that \"in the resurrection they will\nneither marry nor be given in marriage, but will be as the angels of GOD in\nheaven.\"11  Mohammed, however, to enhance the value of paradise with his\nArabians, chose rather to imitate the indecency of the Magians than the\nmodesty of the Christians in this particular, and lest his beatified Moslems\nshould complain that anything was wanting, bestows on them wives, as well as\nthe other comforts of life; judging, it is to be presumed, from his own\ninclinations, that like Panurgus's ass,1 they would think all the other\nenjoyments not worth their acceptance if they were to be debarred from this.\n   Had Mohammed, after all, intimated to his followers, that what he had told\nthem of paradise was to be taken, not literally, but in a metaphorical sense\n(as it is said the Magians do the description of Zoroaster's2), this might,\nperhaps make some atonement; but the contrary is so evident from the whole\ntenour of the Kor\u00e2n, that although some\n\n   4  Nishmat hayim, f. 32.\t\t5  Midrash, Tehillim, fl. II.\t\t6\nSadder, porta 5.\t\t7 Hyde, de Rel. Vet. Pers. p. 265.\t\t8  Rev. xxi.\n10, &c., and xxii. I, 2.\t\t9  Luke xxii. 29, 30, &c.\n10  I would not, however, undertake to defend all the Christian writers in\nthis particular; witness that one passage of Iren\u00e6us, wherein he introduces a\ntradition of St. John that our LORD should say, \"The days shall come, in which\nthere shall be vines, which shall have each ten thousand branches, and every\nof those branches shall have ten thousand lesser branches, and every of these\nbranches shall have ten thousand twigs, and every one of these twigs shall\nhave ten thousand clusters of grapes, and in every one of these clusters there\nshall be ten thousand grapes, and every one of these grapes being pressed\nshall yield two hundred and seventy-five gallons of wine; and when a man shall\ntake hold of one of these sacred bunches, another bunch shall cry out, I am a\nbetter bunch: take me, and bless the LORD by me,\" &c.  Iren. l. 5, c. 33.\n\t11  Matth. xxii. 30.\t\t1  Vide Rabelais, Pantagr. l. 5, c. 7.  A\nbetter authority than this might, however, be alleged in favour of Mohammed's\njudgment in this respect; I mean that of Plato, who is said to have proposed,\nin his ideal commonwealth, as the reward of valiant men and consummate\nsoldiers, the kisses of boys and beauteous damsels.  Vide Gell. Noct. Att. l.\n18, c. 2.\t\t2  Vide Hyde. de Rel. Vet. Pers. p. 266.\n\n\n\n\nMohammedans, whose understandings are too refined to admit such gross\nconceptions, look on their prophet's descriptions as parabolical, and are\nwilling to receive them in an allegorical or spiritual acceptation,3 yet the\ngeneral and orthodox doctrine is, that the whole is to be strictly believed in\nthe obvious and literal acceptation; to prove which I need only urge the oath\nthey exact from Christians (who they know abhor such fancies) when they would\nbind them in the most strong and sacred manner; for in such a case they make\nthem swear that if they falsify their engagement, they will affirm that there\nwill be black-eyed girls in the next world, and corporeal pleasures.4\n   Before we quite this subject it may not be improper to observe the\nfalsehood of a vulgar imputation on the Mohammedans, who are by several\nwriters5 reported to hold that women have no souls, or, if they have, that\nthey will perish, like those of brute beasts, and will not be rewarded in the\nnext life.  But whatever may be the opinion of some ignorant people among\nthem, it is certain that Mohammed had too great a respect for the fair sex to\nteach such a doctrine; and there are several passages in the Kor\u00e2n which\naffirm that women, in the next life, will not only be punished for their evil\nactions, but will also receive the rewards of their good deeds, as well as the\nmen, and that in this case GOD will make no distinction of sexes.6  It is\ntrue, the general notion is, that they will not be admitted into the same\nabode as the men are, because their places will be supplied by the\nparadisiacal females (though some allow that a man will there also have the\ncompany of those who were his wives in this world, or at least such of them as\nhe shall desire1); but that good women will go into a separate place of\nhappiness, where they will enjoy all sorts of delights;2 but whether one of\nthose delights will be the enjoyment of agreeable paramours created for them,\nto complete the economy of the Mohammedan system, is what I have nowhere found\ndecided.  One circumstance relating to these beatified females, conformable to\nwhat he had asserted of the men, he acquainted his followers with in the\nanswer he returned to an old woman, who, desiring him to intercede with GOD\nthat she might be admitted into paradise, he told her that no old woman would\nenter that place; which setting the poor woman a-crying, he explained himself\nby saying that GOD would then make her young again.3\n   The sixth great point of faith, which the Mohammedans are taught by the\nKor\u00e2n to believe, is GOD'S absolute decree, and predestination both of good\nand evil.  For the orthodox doctrine is, that whether it be bad, proceedeth\nentirely from the divine will, and is irrevocably fixed and recorded from all\neternity in the preserved table;4 GOD having secretly predetermined not only\nthe adverse and prosperous fortune of every person in this world, in the most\nminute particulars, but also his faith or infidelity, his obedience or\ndisobedience, and con\n\n   3  Vide Eund. in not. ad Bobov. Lit. Turcar. p. 21.\t\t4  Poc. ad\nPort. Mos. P. 305.\t\t\t5  Hornbek, Sum. Contr. p. 16.  Grelot,\nVoyage de Constant. p. 275.  Ricaut's Present State of the Ottoman Empire, l.\n2, c. 21.\n6  See Kor. c. 3, p. 52, c. 4, p. 67; and also c. 13, 16, 40, 48, 57, &c.\nVide etiam Reland. de Rel. Moh. l. 2, \u00a7 18; and Hyde, in not. ad Bobov. de\nVisit. \u00e6gr. p. 21.\t\t1  See before, p. 77.\t\t2  Vide Chardin,\nVoy. tom. ii. p. 328, and Bayle, Dict. Hist. Art. Mahomet, Rem. Q.\n\t3  See Kor. c. 56, and the notes there; and Gagnier. not. in Abulfeda\nVit. Moh p. 145.\n4  See before, p. 50.\n\n\n\nsequently his everlasting happiness or misery after death; which fate or\npredestination it is not possible, by any foresight or wisdom, to avoid.\n   Of this doctrine Mohammed makes great use in his Kor\u00e2n for the advancement\nof his designs; encouraging his followers to fight without fear, and even\ndesperately, for the propagation of their faith, by representing to them that\nall their caution could not avert their inevitable destiny, or prolong their\nlives for a moment;5 and deterring them from disobeying or rejecting him as an\nimpostor, by setting before them the danger they might thereby incur of being,\nby the just judgment of GOD, abandoned to seduction, hardness of heart, and a\nreprobate mind, as a punishment for their obstinacy.6\n   As this doctrine of absolute election and reprobation has been thought by\nmany of the Mohammedan divines to be derogatory to the goodness and justice of\nGOD, and to make GOD the author of evil, several subtle distinctions have been\ninvented, and disputes raised, to explicate or soften it; and different sects\nhave been formed, according to their several opinions or methods of explaining\nthis point: some of them going so far as even to hold the direct contrary\nposition of absolute free will in man, as we shall see hereafter.1\n   Of the four fundamental points of religious practice required by the Kor\u00e2n,\nthe first is prayer, under which, as has been said, are also comprehended\nthose legal washings or purifications which are necessary preparations\nthereto.\n   Of these purifications there are two degrees, one called Ghosl, being a\ntotal immersion or bathing of the body in water; and the other called Wod\u00fb (by\nthe Persians, Abdest), which is the washing of their faces, hands, and feet,\nafter a certain manner.  The first is required in some extraordinary cases\nonly, as after having lain with a woman, or been polluted by emission of seed,\nor by approaching a dead body; women also being obliged to it after their\ncourses or childbirth.  The latter is the ordinary ablution in common cases\nand before prayer, and must necessarily be used by every person before he can\nenter upon that duty.2  It is performed with certain formal ceremonies, which\nhave been described by some writers, but are much easier apprehended by seeing\nthem done than by the best description.\n   These purifications were perhaps borrowed by Mohammed of the Jews; at least\nthey agree in a great measure with those used by that nation,3 who in process\nof time burdened the precepts of Moses in this point, with so many\ntraditionary ceremonies, that whole books have been written about them, and\nwho were so exact and superstitious therein, even in our Saviour's time, that\nthey are often reproved by him for it.4  But as it is certain that the pagan\nArabs used lustrations of this kind5 long before the time of Mohammed, as most\nnations did, and still do in the east, where the warmth of the climate\nrequires a greater nicety and degree of cleanliness than these colder parts;\nperhaps Mohammed only recalled his countrymen to a more strict observance of\nthose purifying rites, which had been probably neglected by them, or at least\nperformed in a careless and perfunctory manner.\n\n   5  Kor. c. 3, c. 4, &c.\t\t6  Ibid. c. 4, c. 2, &c. passim.\n\t1  Sect. VIII.\t\t2  Kor. c. 4, and c. 5 Vide Reland. de Rel. Moh.\nl. i., c. 8.\t\t3  Poc. not in Port. Mosis, p. 356, &c.\t\t4\nMark vii. 3, &c.\n5  Vide Herodot. l. 3, c. 198.\n\n\n\nThe Mohammedans, however, will have it that they are as ancient as Abraham,1\nwho, they say, was enjoined by GOD to observe them, and was shown the manner\nof making the ablution by the angel Gabriel, in the form of a beautiful\nyouth.2  Nay, some deduce the matter higher, and imagine that these ceremonies\nwere taught our first parents by the angels.3\n   That his followers might be the more punctual in this duty, Mohammed is\nsaid to have declared, that \"the practice of religion is founded on\ncleanliness,\" which is the one-half of the faith, and the key of prayer,\nwithout which it will not be heard by GOD.4  That these expressions may be the\nbetter understood, al Ghaz\u00e2li reckons four degrees of purification; of which\nthe first is, the cleansing of the body from all pollution, filth, and\nexcrements; the second, the cleansing of the members of the body from all\nwickedness and unjust actions; the third, the cleansing of the heart from all\nblamable inclinations and odious vices; and the fourth, the purging a man's\nsecret thoughts from all affections which may divert their attendance on GOD:\nadding, that the body is but as the outward shell in respect to the heart,\nwhich is as the kernel.  And for this reason he highly complains of those who\nare superstitiously solicitous in exterior purifications, avoiding those\npersons as unclean who are not so scrupulously nice as themselves, and at the\nsame time have their minds lying waste, and overrun with pride, ignorance, and\nhypocrisy.5  Whence it plainly appears with how little foundation the\nMohammedans have been charged, by some writers,6 with teaching or imagining\nthat these formal washings alone cleanse them for their sins.7\n   Lest so necessary a preparation to their devotions should be omitted,\neither where water cannot be had, or when it may be of prejudice to a person's\nhealth, they are allowed in such cases to make use of fine sand or dust in\nlieu of it;8 and then they perform this duty by clapping their open hands on\nthe sand, and passing them over the parts, in the same manner as if they were\ndipped in water.  But for this expedient Mohammed was not so much indebted to\nhis own cunning,1 as to the example of the Jews, or perhaps that of the\nPersian Magi, almost as scrupulous as the Jews themselves in their\nlustrations, who both of them prescribe the same method in cases of\nnecessity;2 and there is a famous instance, in ecclesiastical history, of sand\nbeing used, for the same reason, instead of water, in the administration of\nthe Christian sacrament of baptism, many years before Mohammed's time.3\n   Neither are the Mohammedans contented with bare washing, but\n\n   1  Al Jann\u00e2bi in Vita Abrah.  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 303.\n   2  Herewith agrees the spurious Gospel of St. Barnabas, the Spanish\ntranslation of which (cap. 29) has these words: Dixo Abraham, Que har\u00e8 yo para\nservir al Dios de los sanctos y prophetas?  Respondi\u00f2 el angel, Ve e aquella\nfuente y lavate, porque Dios quiere hablar contigo.  Dixo Abraham, Come tengo\nde lavarme?  Luego el angel se le appareci\u00f2 como uno bello mancebo, y se lav\u00f2\nen la fuente, y le dixo, Abraham, haz como yo.  Y Abraham se lav\u00f2, &c.\n   3  Al Kess\u00e2\u00ef.  Vide Reland. de Rel. Mohamm. p. 81.\t\t4  Al Ghaz\u00e2li, Ebn\nal Ath\u00eer.\t\t5  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 302, &c.\n6  Barthol. Edessen, Confut. Hagaren. p. 360.  G. Sionita and J. Hesronita, in\nTract. de Urb. and Morib. Orient. ad Calcem Geogr. Nubiens. c. 15.  Du Ryer,\ndans le Sommaire de la Rel. des Turcs, mis \u00e0 la t\u00eate de sa version de l'Alcor.\nSt. Olon, Descr. du Royaume de Maroc, c. 2.  Hyde, in not. ad Bobov. de Prec.\nMoh. p. I; Smith, de Morib. et Instit. Turcar. Ep. I, p. 32.\t\t7\nVide Reland. de Rel. Moh. l. 2, c. II.\t\t8  Kor. c. 3, p. 59 and 5, p.\n74.\t\t1  Vide Smith, ubi sup.\t\t2  Gemar.  Berachoth. c 2. Vide Poc.\nnot. ad Port Mosis, p. 380.  Sadder, porta 84.\t\t3  Cedren. p. 250.\n\n\n\n\nthink themselves obliged to several other necessary points of cleanliness,\nwhich they make also parts of this duty; such as combing the hair, cutting the\nbeard, paring the nails, pulling out the hairs of their armpits, shaving their\nprivate parts, and circumcision;4 of which last I will add a word or two, lest\nI should not find a more proper place.\n   Circumcision, though it be not so much as once mentioned in the Kor\u00e2n, is\nyet held by the Mohammedans to be an ancient divine institution, confirmed by\nthe religion of Isl\u00e2m, and though not so absolutely necessary but that it may\nbe dispensed with in some cases,5 yet highly proper and expedient.  The Arabs\nused this rite for many ages before Mohammed, having probably learned it from\nIsmael, though not only his descendants, but the Hamyarites,6 and other\ntribes, practised the same.  The Ismaelites, we are told,7 used to circumcise\ntheir children, not on the eighth day, as is the custom of the Jews, but when\nabout twelve or thirteen years old, at which age their father underwent that\noperation:8 and the Mohammedans imitate them so far as not to circumcise\nchildren before they be able, at least, distinctly to pronounce that\nprofession of their faith, \"There is no GOD but GOD, Mohammed is the apostle\nof GOD;\"9 but pitch on what age they please for the purpose, between six and\nsixteen or thereabouts.10  Though the Moslem doctors are generally of opinion,\nconformably to the scripture, that this precept was originally given to\nAbraham, yet some have imagined that Adam was taught it by the angel Gabriel,\nto satisfy an oath he had made to cut off that flesh which, after his fall,\nhad rebelled against his spirit; whence an odd argument has been drawn for the\nuniversal obligation of circumcision.1  Though I cannot say the Jews led the\nMohammedans the way here, yet they seem so unwilling to believe any of the\nprincipal patriarchs or prophets before Abraham were really uncircumcised,\nthat they pretend several of them, as well as some holy men who lived after\nhis time, were born ready circumcised, or without a foreskin, and that Adam,\nin particular, was so created;2 whence the Mohammedans affirm the same thing\nof their prophet.3\n   Prayer was by Mohammed thought so necessary a duty, that he used to call it\nthe pillar of religion and the key of paradise; and when the Thakifites, who\ndwelt at T\u00e2yef, sending in the ninth year of the Hejra to make their\nsubmission to that prophet, after the keeping of their favourite idol had been\ndenied them,4 begged, at least, that they might be dispensed with as to their\nsaying of the appointed prayers, he answered, \"That there could be no good in\nthat religion wherein was no prayer.\"5\n\n   4  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 303.\t\t5  Vide Bobov. de Circumcis. p. 22.\n\t6  Philostorg. Hist. Eccl. l. 3.\n7  Joseph. Ant. l. I, c. 23.\t\t8  Gen. xvii. 25.\t\t9  Vide Bobov. ubi\nsup. and Poc. Spec. p. 319.\n10  Vide Reland. de Rel. Moh. l. I, p. 75.\n   1  This is the substance of the following passage of the Gospel of Barnabas\n(cap. 23), viz.,Entonces dixo Jesus; Adam el primer hombre aviendo comido por\ne\u00f1gano del demonio la comida prohibida por Dios en el parayso, se le rebel\u00f2 su\ncarne \u00e0 su espiritu; por lo qual jur\u00f2 diziendo, Por Dios que yo te quiero\ncortar; y rompiendo una piedra tom\u00f2 su carne para cortarla con el corte de la\npiedra.  Por loqual fue reprehendido del angel Gabriel, y el le dixo; Yo he\njurado por Dios que lo he de cortar, y mentiroso no lo ser\u00e8 jamas.  Ala hora\nel angel le ense\u00f1o la superfluidad de su earne, y a quella cort\u00f2.  De manera\nque ansi como todo hombre toma carne de Adam, ansi esta obligado a complir\naquello que Adam con juramento prometi\u00f2. \t\t2  Shalshel. hakkabala.  Vide\nPoc. Spec. p. 320; Gagnier not. in Abulfed. Vit. Moh. p. 2.\t\t3  Vide Poc.\nSpec. p. 304.\t\t4  See before, p. 14.\t\t5  Abulfed. Vit. Moh. p.\n127\n\n\n\n   That so important a duty, therefore, might not be neglected, Mohammed\nobliged his followers to pray five times every twenty-four hours, at certain\nstate times; viz., I.  In the morning, before sunrise; 2.  When noon is past,\nand the sun begins to decline form the meridian; 3.  In the afternoon, before\nsunset; 4.  In the evening, after sunset, and before day be shut in; and 5.\nAfter the day is shut in, and before the first watch of the night.6  For this\ninstitution he pretended to have received the divine command from the throne\nof GOD himself, when he took his night journey to heaven; and the observing of\nthe stated times of prayer is frequently insisted on in the Kor\u00e2n, though they\nbe not particularly prescribed therein.  Accordingly, at the aforesaid times,\nof which public notice is given by the Muedhdhins, or Criers, from the\nsteeples of their mosques (for they use no bell), every conscientious Moslem\nprepares himself for prayer, which he performs either in the mosque or any\nother place, provided it be clean, after a prescribed form, and with a certain\nnumber of phrases or ejaculations (which the more scrupulous count by a string\nof beads) and using certain postures of worship; all which have been\nparticularly set down and described, though with some few mistakes, by other\nwriters,1 and ought not to be abridged, unless in some special cases; as on a\njourney, on preparing for battle, &c.\n   For the regular performance of the duty of prayer among the Mohammedans,\nbesides the particulars above mentioned, it is also requisite that they turn\ntheir faces, while they pray, towards the temple of Mecca;2 the quarter where\nthe same is situate being, for that reason, pointed out within their mosques\nby a niche, which they call al Mehr\u00e2b, and without, by the situation of the\ndoors opening into the galleries of the steeples: there are also tables\ncalculated for the ready finding out their Kebla, or part towards which they\nought to pray, in places where they have no other direction.3\n   But what is principally to be regarded in the discharge of this duty, say\nthe Moslem doctors, is the inward disposition of the heart, which is the life\nand spirit of prayer;4 the most punctual observance of the external rites and\nceremonies before mentioned being of little or no avail, if performed without\ndue attention, reverence, devotion, and hope:5 so that we must not think the\nMohammedans, or the considerate part of them at least, content themselves with\nthe mere opu. operatum, or imagine their whole religion to be placed therein.6\n   I had like to have omitted two things which in my mind deserve mention on\nthis head, and may, perhaps, be better defended than our contrary practice.\nOne is, that the Mohammedans never address themselves to GOD in sumptuous\napparel, though they are obliged to be decently clothed; but lay aside their\ncostly habits and pompous ornaments, if they wear any, when they approach the\ndivine presence, lest they should seem proud and arrogant.7  The other is,\nthat they admit not their women to pray with them in public; that sex being\n\n   6  Vide Ibid. p. 38, 39.\t\t1  Vide Hotting. Hist. Eccles. tom. viii.\np. 470-529; Bobov. in Liturg. Turcic p. I, &c.; Grelot, Voyage de Constant. p.\n253-264; Chardin, Voy. de Perse, tom. ii. p. 388, &c.; and Smith, de Moribus\nac Instit. Turcar. Ep. I, p. 33, &c.\n2  Kor. c. 2, p. 16.  See the notes there.\t\t3  Vide Hyde, de Rel.\nVet. Pers. p. 8, 9, and 126.\t\t4  Al Ghaz\u00e2li.\n5  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 305.\t\t6  Vide Smith, ubi sup. p. 40.\n\t7  Reland. de Rel. Moh. p. 96.  See Kor. c.7. p. 107.\n\n\n\nobliged to perform their devotions at home, or if they visit the mosques, it\nmust be at a time when the men are not there: for the Moslems are of opinion\nthat their presence inspires a different kind of devotion from that which is\nrequisite in a place dedicated to the worship of GOD.8\n   The greater part of the particulars comprised in the Mohammedan institution\nof prayer, their prophet seems to have copied from others, and especially the\nJews; exceeding their institutions only in the number of daily prayer.1  The\nJews are directed to pray three times a day,2 in the morning, in the evening,\nand within night; in imitation of Abraham,3 Isaac,4 and Jacob;5 and the\npractice was as early, at least, as the time of Daniel.6  The several postures\nused by the Mohammedans in their prayers are also the same with those\nprescribed by the Jewish Rabbins, and particularly the most solemn act of\nadoration, by prostrating themselves so as to touch the ground with their\nforehead;7 notwithstanding, the latter pretend the practice of the former, in\nthis respect, to be a relic of their ancient manner of paying their devotions\nto Baal-Peor.8  The Jews likewise constantly pray with their faces turned\ntowards the temple of Jerusalem,9 which has been their Kebla from the time it\nwas first dedicated by Solomon;10 for which reason Daniel, praying in Chaldea,\nhad the windows of his chamber open towards that city:11 and the same was the\nKebla of Mohammed and his followers for six or seven months,12 and till he\nfound himself obliged to change it for the Caaba.  The Jews, moreover, are\nobliged by the precepts of their religion to be careful that the place they\npray in, and the garments they have on when they perform their duty, be\nclean:13 the men and women also among them pray apart (in which particular\nthey were imitated by the eastern Christians); and several other conformities\nmight be remarked between the Jewish public worship and that of the\nMohammedans.14\n   The next point of the Mohammedan religion is the giving of alms, which are\nof two sorts, legal and voluntary.  The legal alms are of indispensable\nobligation, being commanded by the law, which directs and determines both the\nportion which is to be given, and of what things it ought to be given; but the\nvoluntary alms are left to every one's liberty, to give more or less, as he\nshall see fit.  The former kind of alms some think to be properly called\nZac\u00e2t, and the latter Sadakat;\n\n   8  A Moor, named Ahmed Ebn Abdalla, in a Latin epistle by him, written to\nMaurice, Prince of Orange, and Emanuel, Prince of Portugal, containing a\ncensure of the Christian religion (a copy of which, once belonging to Mr.\nSelden, who has thence transcribed a considerable passage in his treatise De\nSynedriis vett. Ebr\u00e6or. l. I, c. 12, is now in the Bodleian Library), finds\ngreat fault with the unedifying manner in which mass is said among the Roman\nCatholics, for this very reason, among others.  His words are: Ubicunque\ncongregantur simul viri et fomino, ibi mens non est intenta et devota: nam\ninter celebrandum missam et sacrificia, fomino et viri mutuis aspectibus,\nsignis, ac nutibus accendunt pravorum appetitum, et desideriorum suorum ignes:\net quando hoc non fieret, saltem humana fragilitas delectatur mutuo et\nreciproco aspectu; et ita non potest esse mens quieta, attenta, et devota.\n    1  The Sabians, according to some, exceed the Mohammedans in this point,\npraying seven times a day.  See before, p. 11.\n2  Gemar. Berachoth.\t\t3  Gen. xix. 27.\t\t4  Gen. xxiv. 63.\n\t5  Gen. xxviii. II, &c.\n6  Dan. vi. 10.\t\t7  Vide Millium, de Mohammedismo ante Moham. p. 427,\n&c., and Hyde, de Rel. Vet. Pers. p. 5, &c.\n8  Maimonid. in Epist. ad Proselyt. Relig. Vide Poc. Spec. p. 306.\n\t9  Gemar. Bava Bathra, and Berachoth.\n10  I Kings viii. 29, &c.\t\t11  Dan. vi. 10.\t\t12  Some say\neighteen months.  Vide Abulfed. Vit. Moh. p. 54.\n13  Maimon. in Halachoth Tephilla, c.9, \u00a7 8, 9.  Menura hammeor, fol. 28, 2.\n\t14  Vide Millium, ubi supra, p. 424, et seq.\n\n\n\nthough this name be also frequently given to the legal alms.  They are called\nZac\u00e2t, either because they increase a man's store, by drawing down a blessing\nthereon, and produce in his soul the virtue of liberality,1 or because they\npurify the remaining part of one's substance from pollution, and the soul from\nthe filth of avarice;2 and Sadakat, because they are a proof of a man's\nsincerity in the worship of GOD.  Some writers have called the legal alms\ntithes, but improperly, since in some cases they fall short, and in others\nexceed that proportion.\n   The giving of alms is frequently commanded in the Kor\u00e2n, and often\nrecommended therein jointly with prayer; the former being held of great\nefficacy in causing the latter to be heard of GOD: for which reason the Khal\u00eef\nOmar Ebn Abd'alaziz used to say, \"that prayer and alms carries us half-way to\nGOD, fasting brings us to the door of his palace, and alms procures us\nadmission.\"3  The Mohammedans, therefore, esteem almsdeeds to be highly\nmeritorious, and many of them have been illustrious for the exercise thereof.\nHasan, the son of Ali, and grandson of Mohammed, in particular is related to\nhave thrice in his life divided his substance equally between himself and the\npoor, and twice to have given away all he had:4 and the generality are so\naddicted to the doing of good, that they extend their charity even to brutes.5\n   Alms, according to the prescriptions of the Mohammedan law, are to be given\nof five things-I.  Of cattle, that is to say, of camels, kine, and sheep.  2.\nOf money.  3. Of corn.  4. Of fruits, viz., dates and raisins. And 5. Of wares\nsold.  Of each of these a certain portion is to be given in alms, usually one\npart in forty, or two and a half per cent of the value.  But no alms are due\nfor them, unless they amount to a certain quantity or number; nor until a man\nhas been in possession of them eleven months, he not being obliged to give\nalms thereout before the twelfth month is begun: nor are alms due for cattle\nemployed in tilling the ground, or in carrying of burdens.  In some cases a\nmuch larger portion than the before-mentioned is reckoned due for alms: thus\nof what is gotten out of mines, or the sea, or by any art or profession over\nand above what is sufficient for the reasonable support of a man's family, and\nespecially where there is a mixture or suspicion of unjust gain, a fifth part\nought to be given in alms.  Moreover, at the end of the fast of Ramad\u00e2n, every\nMoslem is obliged to give in alms for himself and for every one of his family,\nif he has any, a measure1 of wheat, barley, dates, raisins, rice, or other\nprovisions commonly eaten.2\n   The legal alms were at first collected by Mohammed himself, who employed\nthem as he thought fit, in the relief of his poor relations and followers, but\nchiefly applied them to the maintenance of those who served in his wars, and\nfought, as he termed it, in the way of GOD.  His successors continued to do\nthe same, till, in the process of time, other taxes and tributes being imposed\nfor the support of the government,\n\n   1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  See Kor. c. 2, p. 29.\t\t2  Idem.  Compare this with\nwhat our Saviour says (Luke xi. 41), \"Give alms of such things as ye have; and\nbehold, all things are clean unto you.\"\t\t\t3  D'Herbel. Bibl.\nOrient. p. 5.\t\t4  Ibid. p. 422.\t\t5  Vide Busbeq. Epist. 3, p.\n178.  Smith, de Morib. Turc. Ep. I, p. 66, &c.  Compare Eccles. xi. I. and\nProv. xii. 10.\n1  This measure is a Sa\u00e1, and contains about six or seven pounds weight.\n\t2  Vide Reland. de Rel. Mahommed. lib. i., p. 99, &c.  Chardin, Voy. de\nPerse. tom. 2, p. 415, &c.\n\n\n\n\nthey seem to have been weary of acting as almoners to their subjects, and to\nhave left the paying them to their consciences.\n   In the foregoing rules concerning alms, we may observe also footsteps of\nwhat the Jews taught and practised in respect thereto.  Alms, which they also\ncall Sedaka, i.e., justice, or righteousness,3 are greatly recommended by\ntheir Rabbins, and preferred even to sacrifices;4 as a duty, the frequent\nexercise whereof will effectually free a man from hell fire,5 and merit\neverlasting life:6 wherefore, besides the corners of the field, and the\ngleanings of their harvest and vineyard, commanded to be left for the poor and\nthe stranger by the law of Moses,7 a certain portion of their corn and fruits\nis directed to be set apart for their relief, which portion is called the\ntithes of the poor.8  The Jews likewise were formerly very conspicuous for\ntheir charity.  Zaccheus gave the half of his goods to the poor;9 and we are\ntold that some gave their whole substance: so that their doctors, at length,\ndecreed that no man should give above a fifth part of his goods in alms.10\nThere were also persons publicly appointed in every synagogue to collect and\ndistribute the people's contributions.11\n   The third point of religious practice is fasting; a duty of so great\nmoment, that Mohammed used to say it was \"the gate of religion,\" and that \"the\nodour of the mouth of him who fasteth is more grateful to GOD than that of\nmusk;\" and al Ghaz\u00e2li reckons fasting one-fourth part of the faith.  According\nto the Mohammedan divines, there are three degrees of fasting: I. The\nrestraining the belly and other parts of the body from satisfying their lusts;\n2. The restraining the ears, eyes, tongue, hands, feet, and other members from\nsin; and 3. The fasting of the heart from worldly cares, and refraining the\nthoughts from everything besides GOD.1\n   The Mohammedans are obliged, by the express command of the Kor\u00e2n, to fast\nthe whole month of Ramad\u00e2n, from the time the new moon first appears, till the\nappearance of the next new moon; during which time they must abstain from\neating, drinking, and women, from daybreak till night,2 or sunset.  And this\ninjunction they observe so strictly, that while they fast they suffer nothing\nto enter their mouths, or other parts of their body, esteeming the fast broken\nand null if they smell perfumes, take a clyster or injection, bathe, or even\npurposely swallow their spittle; some being so cautious that they will not\nopen their mouths to speak, lest they should breathe the air too freely:3 the\nfast is also deemed void if a man kiss or touch a woman, or if he vomit\ndesignedly.  But after sunset they are allowed to refresh themselves, and to\neat and drink, and enjoy the company of their wives till daybreak;4\n\n   3  Hence alms are in the New Testament termed [Greek text]. Matth. vi. I\n(Ed. Steph.), and 2 Cor. ix. 10.\t\t4  Gemar. in Bava Bathra.\n\t5  Ibid. in Gittin.\t\t6  Ibid. in Rosh hashana.\t\t7\nLevit. xix. 9, 10; Deut. xxiv. 19, &c.\t\t8  Vide Gemar. Hierosol. in\nPeah, and Maimon. in Halachoth matanoth Aniyyim. c.6.  Confer Pirke Avoth, v.\n9.\n9  Luke xix. 8.\t\t10  Vide Reland. Ant. Sacr. Vet. Hebr. p. 402.\n\t11  Vide Ibid. p. 138.\n1  Al Ghaz\u00e2li, Al Mostatraf.\t\t2  Kor. c. 2, p. 19, 20.\t3  Hence we\nread that the Virgin Mary, to avoid answering the reflections cast on her for\nbringing home a child, was advised by the angel Gabriel to feign she had vowed\na fast, and therefore she ought not to speak.  See Kor. c. 19.\n   4  The words of the Kor\u00e2n (cap. 2, p. 20) are: \"Until ye can distinguish a\nwhite thread from a black thread by the daybreak\"-a form of speaking borrowed\nby Mohammed from the Jews, who determine the time when they are to begin their\nmorning lesson, to be so soon as a man can discern blue form white, i.e., the\nblue threads from the white threads in the fringes of their garments.  But\nthis explication the commentators do not approve, pretending that by the white\n\n\n\nthough the more rigid begin the fast again at midnight.5  This fast is\nextremely rigorous and mortifying when the month of Ramad\u00e2n happens to fall in\nsummer, for the Arabian year being lunar,6 each month runs through all the\ndifferent seasons in the course of thirty-three years, the length and heat of\nthe days making the observance of it much more difficult and uneasy then than\nin winter.\n   The reason given why the month of Ramad\u00e2n was pitched on for this purpose\nis, that on the month the Kor\u00e2n was sent down from heaven.1  Some pretend that\nAbraham, Moses, and Jesus received their respective revelations in the same\nmonth.2\n   From the fast of Ramad\u00e2n none are excused, except only travellers and sick\npersons (under which last denomination the doctors comprehend all whose health\nwould manifestly be injured by their keeping the fast; as women with child and\ngiving suck, ancient people, and young children); but then they are obliged,\nas soon as the impediment is removed, to fast an equal number of other days:\nand the breaking the fast is ordered to be expiated by giving alms to the\npoor.3\n   Mohammed seems to have followed the guidance of the Jews in his ordinances\nconcerning fasting, no less than in the former particulars.  That nation, when\nthey fast, abstain not only from eating and drinking, but from women, and from\nanointing themselves,4 from daybreak until sunset, and the stars begin to\nappear;5 spending the night in taking what refreshments they please.6  And\nthey allow women with child and giving suck, old persons, and young children\nto be exempted from keeping most of the public fasts.7\n   Though my design here be briefly to treat of those points only which are of\nindispensable obligation on a Moslem, and expressly required by the Kor\u00e2n,\nwithout entering into their practice as to voluntary and supererogatory works;\nyet to show how closely Mohammed's institutions follow the Jewish, I shall add\na word or two of the voluntary fasts of the Mohammedans.  These are such as\nhave been recommended either by the example or approbation of their prophet;\nand especially certain days of those months which they esteem sacred: there\nbeing a tradition that he used to say, That a fast of one day in a sacred\nmonth was better than a fast of thirty days in another month; and that the\nfast of one day in Ramad\u00e2n was more meritorious than a fast of thirty days in\na sacred month.8  Among the more commendable days is that of Ash\u00fbra, the tenth\nof Moharram; which, though some writers tell us it was observed by the Arabs,\nand particularly the tribe of Koreish, before Mohammed's time,9 yet, as others\nassure us, that prophet borrowed both the name and the fast from the Jews; it\nbeing with them the tenth of\n\nthread and the black thread are to be understood the light and dark streaks of\nthe daybreak; and they say the passage was at first revealed without the words\n\"of the daybreak;\" but Mohammed's followers, taking the expression in the\nfirst sense, regulated their practice accordingly, and continued eating and\ndrinking till they could distinguish a white thread from a black thread, as\nthey lay before them-to prevent which for the future, the words \"of the\ndaybreak\" were added as explanatory of the former.  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  Vide Pocock.\nnot. in Carmen Tograi, p. 89, &c.  Chardin, Voy. de Perse, tom. 2, p. 423.\n   5  Vide Chardin, ib. p. 421, &c.  Reland. de Relig. Moh. p. 109, &c.\n\t6  See hereafter, Sect. VI.\t\t1  Kor. c. 2, p. 19.  See also c.\n97.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi, ex Trad. Mohammedis.\t\t3  See Kor. c. 2, p. 20.\n\n4  Siphra, f. 252, 2.\t\t5  Tosephoth ad Gemar. Yoma, f. 34.\t\t6\nVide Gemar. Yoma, f. 40, and maimon. in Halachoth T\u00e1nioth, c. 5, \u00a7 5.\n\t7  Vide Gemar. T\u00e1nith, f. 12, and Yoma, f. 83, and Es Hayim, T\u00e1nith, c.\nI.\t\t8  Al Ghaz\u00e2li.\t\t9  Al B\u00e2rezi in Comment. ad Orat. Ebn\nNob\u00e2t\u00e6.\n\n\n\nthe seventh month, or Tisri, and the great day of expiation commanded to be\nkept by the law of Moses.1  Al Kazw\u00eeni relates that when Mohammed came to\nMedina, and found the Jews there fasted on the day of Ash\u00fbra, he asked them\nthe reason of it; and they told him it was because on that day Pharaoh and his\npeople were drowned, Moses and those who were with him escaping: whereupon he\nsaid that he bore a nearer relation to Moses than they, and ordered his\nfollowers to fast on that day.  However, it seems afterwards he was not so\nwell pleased in having imitated the Jews herein; and therefore declared that,\nif he lived another year, he would alter the day, and fast on the ninth,\nabhorring so near an agreement with them.2\n   The pilgrimage to Mecca is so necessary a point of practice that, according\nto a tradition of Mohammed, he who dies without performing it, may as well die\na Jew or a Christian;3 and the same is expressly commanded in the Kor\u00e2n.4\nBefore I speak of the time and manner of performing this pilgrimage, it may be\nproper to give a short account of the temple of Mecca, the chief scene of the\nMohammedan worship; in doing which I need be the less prolix, because that\nedifice has been already described by several writers,5 though they, following\ndifferent relations, have been led into some mistakes, and agree not with one\nanother in several particulars: nor, indeed, do the Arab authors agree in all\nthings, one great reason whereof is their speaking of different times.\n   The temple of Mecca stands in the midst of the city, and is honoured with\nthe title of Masjad al alhar\u00e2m, i.e., the sacred or inviolable temple.  What\nis principally reverenced in this place, and gives sanctity to the whole, is a\nsquare stone building, called the Caaba, as some fancy, from its height, which\nsurpasses that of the other buildings in Mecca,6 but more probably from its\nquadrangular form, and Beit Allah, i.e., the house of GOD, being peculiarly\nhallowed and set apart for his worship.  The length of this edifice, from\nnorth to south, is twenty-four cubits, its breadth from east to west twenty-\nthree cubits, and its height twenty-seven cubits: the door, which is on the\neast side, stands about four cubits from the ground; the floor being level\nwith the bottom of the door.7  In the corner next this door is the black\nstone, of which I shall take notice by-and-bye.  On the north side of the\nCaaba, within a semicircular enclosure fifty cubits long, lies the white\nstone, said to be the sepulchre of Ismael, which receives the rain-water that\nfalls off the Caaba by a spout, formerly of wood,1 but now of gold.  The Caaba\nhas a double roof, supported within by three octangular pillars of aloes wood;\nbetween which, on a bar of iron, hang some silver lamps.  The outside is\ncovered with rich black damask, adorned with an embroidered band of gold,\nwhich is changed every year, and was formerly sent by the Khal\u00eefs, afterwards\nby the Solt\u00e2ns of Egypt, and is now provided by the Turkish emperors.  At a\nsmall distance from the Caaba, on the east side, is the Station or Place of\nAbraham, where is another stone\n\n   1  Levit. xvi. 29, and xxiii. 27.\t\t2  Ebn al Ath\u00eer.  Vide Poc.\nSpec. p. 309.\t\t3  Al Ghaz\u00e2li.\n4  Cap. 3, p. 42.  See also c. 22, p. 252 and c. 2, p. 14, &c.\t\t5\nChardin, Voy. de Perse, t. 2, p. 428, &c.; Bremond, Descrittioni dell' Eitto,\n&c., l. r, c. 29; Pitts' Account of the Rel. &c. of the Mohammedans, p. 98,\n&c.;and Boulainvilliers, Vie de Mahomed, p. 54, &c., which last author is the\nmost particular.\t\t6  Ahmed Ebn Yusef.\t\t7  Sharif al Edrisi, and\nKitab Masalec, apud Poc. Spec. p. 125, &c.\t\t1  Sharif al Edrisi,\nibid.\n\n\n\n\nmuch respected by the Mohammedans, of which something will be said hereafter.\n   The Caaba, at some distance, is surrounded but not entirely, by a circular\nenclosure of pillars, joined towards the bottom by a low balustrade, and\ntowards the top by bars of silver.  Just without this inner enclosure, on the\nsouth, north, and west sides of the Caaba, are three buildings, which are the\noratories, or places where three of the orthodox sects assemble to perform\ntheir devotions (the fourth sect, viz., that of al Sh\u00e2fe\u00ef, making use of the\nstation of Abraham for that purpose), and towards the south-east stands the\nedifice which covers the well Zemzem, the treasury, and cupola of al Abbas.2\n   All these buildings are enclosed, a considerable distance, by a magnificent\npiazza, or square colonnade, like that of the Royal Exchange in London, but\nmuch larger, covered with small domes or cupolas, from the four corners\nwhereof rise as many min\u00e2rets or steeples, with double galleries, and adorned\nwith gilded spires and crescents, as are the cupolas which cover the piazza\nand the other buildings.  Between the pillars of both enclosures hang a great\nnumber of lamps, which are constantly lighted at night.  The first foundations\nof this outward enclosure were laid by Omar, the second Khal\u00eef, who built no\nmore than a low wall to prevent the court of the Caaba, which before lay open,\nfrom being encroached on by private buildings; but the structure has been\nsince raised, by the liberality of many succeeding princes and great men, to\nits present lustre.3\n   This is properly all that is called the temple, but the whole territory of\nMecca being also Har\u00e2m, or sacred, there is a third enclosure, distinguished\nat certain distances by small turrets, some five, some seven, and others ten\nmiles distant from the city.1  Within this compass of ground it is not lawful\nto attack an enemy, or even to hunt or fowl, or cut a branch from a tree:\nwhich is the true reason why the pigeons at Mecca are reckoned sacred, and not\nthat they are supposed to be of the race of that imaginary pigeon which some\nauthors, who should have known better, would persuade us Mohammed made pass\nfor the Holy Ghost.2\n   The temple of Mecca was a place of worship, and in singular veneration with\nthe Arabs from great antiquity, and many centuries before Mohammed.  Though it\nwas most probably dedicated at first to an idolatrous use,3 yet the\nMohammedans are generally persuaded that the Caaba is almost coeval with the\nworld: for they say that Adam, after his expulsion from paradise, begged of\nGOD that he might erect a building like that he had seen there, called Beit al\nM\u00e1m\u00fbr, or the frequented house, and al Dor\u00e2h, towards which he might direct\nhis prayers, and which he might compass, as the angels do the celestial one.\nWhereupon GOD let down a representation of that house in curtains of light,4\nand set it in Mecca, perpendicularly under its original,5 order-\n\n   2 Idem, ibid\t\t3  Poc. Spec. p. 116.\t\t1  Gol. not. in Alfrag.\np. 99.\t\t2  Gab. Sionita, et Joh. Hesronita, de nonnullis Orient.\nurbib. ad calc. Geogr. Nub. p. 21.  Al Mogholta\u00ef, in his Life of Mohammed,\nsays the pigeons of the temple of Mecca are of the breed of those which laid\ntheir eggs at the mouth of the cave where the prophet and Abu Becr hid\nthemselves, when they fled from that city.  See before, p. 39.\t\t3  See\nbefore, p. 13.\t\t4  Some say that the Beit al M\u00e1m\u00fbr itself was the\nCaaba of Adam, which, having been let down to him from heaven, was, at the\nFlood, taken up again into heaven, and is there kept.  Al Zamakh. in Kor. c.\n2.\t\t5 Al\n\n\n\n\ning the patriarch to turn towards it when he prayed, and to compass it by way\nof devotion.6  After Adam's death, his son Seth built a house in the same form\nof stones and clay, which being destroyed by the Deluge, was rebuilt by\nAbraham and Ismael,7 at GOD'S command, in the place where the former had\nstood, and after the same model, they being directed therein by revelation.8\n   After this edifice had undergone several reparations, it was, a few years\nafter the birth of Mohammed, rebuilt by the Koreish on the old foundation,1\nand afterwards repaired by Abd'allah Ebn Zobeir, the Khal\u00eef of Mecca, and at\nlength again rebuilt by al Hej\u00e2j Ebn Y\u00fbsof, in the seventy-fourth year of the\nHejra, with some alterations, in the form wherein it now remains.2  Some years\nafter, however, the Khal\u00eef Har\u00fbn al Rash\u00eed (or, as others write, his father al\nMohdi, or his grandfather al Mans\u00fbr) intended again to change what had been\naltered by al Hej\u00e2j, and to reduce the Caaba to the old form in which it was\nleft by Abd'allah, but was dissuaded from meddling with it, lest so holy a\nplace should become the sport of princes, and being new modelled after every\none's fancy, should lose that reverence which was justly paid it.3  But\nnotwithstanding the antiquity and holiness of this building, they have a\nprophecy, by tradition from Mohammed, that in the last times the Ethiopians\nshall come and utterly demolish it, after which it will not be rebuilt again\nfor ever.4\n   Before we leave the temple of Mecca, two or three particulars deserve\nfurther notice.  One is the celebrated black stone, which is set in silver,\nand fixed in the south-east corner of the Caaba, being that which looks\ntowards Basra, about two cubits and one-third, or, which is the same thing,\nseven spans from the ground.  This stone is exceedingly respected by the\nMohammedans, and is kissed by the pilgrims with great devotion, being called\nby some the right hand of GOD on earth.  They fable that it is one of the\nprecious stones of paradise, and fell down to the earth with Adam, and being\ntaken up again, or otherwise preserved at the Deluge, the angel Gabriel\nafterwards brought it back to Abraham when he was building the Caaba.  It was\nat first whiter than milk, but grew black long since by the touch of a\nmenstruous woman, or, as others tell us, by the sins of mankind,5 or rather by\nthe touches and kisses of so many people, the superficies only being black,\nand the inside still remaining white.6  When the Karmatians,7 among other\nprofanations by them offered to the temple of Mecca, took away this stone,\nthey could not be prevailed on, for love or money, to restore it, though those\nof Mecca offered no less than five thousand pieces of gold for it.8  How-\n\nJ\u00fbzi, ex. trad. Ebn Abbas.  It has been observed that the primitive Christian\nchurch held a parallel opinion as to the situation of the celestial Jerusalem\nwith respect to the terrestrial: for in the apocryphal book of the revelations\nof St. Peter (cap. 27), after Jesus has mentioned unto Peter the creation of\nthe seven heavens-whence, by the way, it appears that this number of heavens\nwas not devised by Mohammed-and of the angels, begins the description of the\nheavenly Jerusalem in these words: \"We have created the upper Jerusalem above\nthe waters, which are above the third heaven, hanging directly over the lower\nJerusalem,\" &c. Vide Gagnier, not. ad Abulfed. Vit. Moh. p. 28.\n   6  Al Shahrestani.\t\t7  Vide Kor. c. 2, p. 15.\t\t8  Al\nJann\u00e2bi, in Vita Abraham.\t\t1  Vide Abulfed.  Vit. Moh. p. 13.\n\t2  Idem, in Hist. Gen. al Jann\u00e2bi, &c.\t\t3  Al Jann\u00e2bi.\t4\nIdem, Ahmed Ebn Yusef.  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 115, &c.\t\t5  Al Zamakh. &c.\nin Kor. Ahmed Ebn Yusef.\t\t6  Poc. Spec. p. 117, &c.\t\t7\nThese Carmatians were a sect which arose in the year of the Hejra 278, and\nwhose opinions overturned the fundamental points of Mohammedism.  See\nD'Herbel. Bibl. Orient Art. Carmath. and hereafter \u00a7 viii.\t\t8  D'Herbel.\np. 40.\n\n\n\never, after they had kept it twenty-two years, seeing they could not thereby\ndraw the pilgrims from Mecca, they sent it back of their own accord; at the\nsame time bantering its devotees by telling them it was not the true stone:\nbut, as it is said, it was proved to be no counterfeit by its peculiar quality\nof swimming on water.1\n   Another thing observable in this temple is the stone in Abraham's place,\nwherein they pretend to show his footsteps, telling us he stood on it when he\nbuilt the Caaba,2 and that it served him for a scaffold, rising and falling of\nitself as he had occasion,3 though another tradition says he stood upon it\nwhile the wife of his son Ismael, whom he paid a visit to, washed his head.4\nIt is now enclosed in an iron chest, out of which the pilgrims drink the water\nof Zemzem,5 and are ordered to pray at it by the Kor\u00e2n.6  The officers of the\ntemple took care to hide this stone when the Karmatians took the other.7\n   The last thing I shall take notice of in the temple is the well Zemzem, on\nthe east side of the Caaba, and which is covered with a small building and\ncupola.  The Mohammedans are persuaded it is the very spring which gushed out\nfor the relief of Ismael, when Hagar his mother wandered with him in the\ndesert;8 and some pretend it was so named from her calling to him, when she\nspied it, in the Egyptian tongue, Zem, zem, that is, \"Stay, stay,\"9 though it\nseems rather to have had the name from the murmuring of its waters.  The water\nof this will is reckoned holy, and is highly reverenced, being not only drunk\nwith particular devotion by the pilgrims, but also sent in bottles, as a great\nrarity, to most parts of the Mohammedan dominions.  Abd'allah, surnamed al\nH\u00e2fedh, from his great memory, particularly as to the traditions of Mohammed,\ngave out that he acquired that faculty by drinking large draughts of Zemzem\nwater,10 to which I really believe it as efficacious as that of Helicon to the\ninspiring of a poet.\n   To this temple every Mohammedan, who has health and means sufficient11\nought once, at least, in his life to go on pilgrimage; nor are women excused\nfrom the performance of this duty.  The pilgrims meet at different places near\nMecca, according to the different parts from whence they come,12 during the\nmonths of Shaw\u00e2l and Dhu'lkaada, being obliged to be there by the beginning of\nDhu'lhajja, which month, as its name imports, is peculiarly set apart for the\ncelebration of this solemnity.\n   At the places above mentioned the pilgrims properly commence such; when the\nmen put on the Ihr\u00e2m, or sacred habit, which consists only of two woolen\nwrappers, one wrapped about the middle to cover their privities, and the other\nthrown over their shoulders, having their heads bare, and a kind of slippers\nwhich cover neither the heel nor the instep, and so enter the sacred territory\nin their way to Mecca.  While they have this habit on they must neither hunt\nnor fowl1 (though they are allowed to fish2), which precept is so punctually\nobserved, that they will not kill even a louse or a flea, if they find them on\ntheir bodies: there are some noxious animals, however, which they have\npermission to kill during the pilgrimage, as kites, ravens, scorpions, mice,\nand dogs\n\n   1  Ahmed Ebn Yusef, Abulfeda.  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 119.\t\t2  Abulfed.\n\t3  Vide Hyde, de Rel. Vet. Pers. p. 35.\t\t4  Ahmed Ebn Yusef,\nSafio'ddin.\t\t5  Ahmed Ebn Yusef.\t\t6  Cap. 2, p. 14.\n7  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 120, &c.\t\t8  Gen. xxi. 19.\t\t9  G.\nSionit. et J. Hesr. de nonnull. urb. Orient. p. 19.\n10  D'Herbel. p. 5.\t\t11  See Kor. c. 3, p. 43, and the notes thereon.\n\t\t12  Vide Bobov. de Peregr. Mecc. p. 12, &c.\t\t1  Kor. c.\n5, p. 85.\t\t2 Ibid.\n\n\n\n\ngiven to bite.3  During the pilgrimage it behoves a man to have a constant\nguard over his words and actions, and to avoid all quarrelling or ill\nlanguage, and all converse with women and obscene discourse, and to apply his\nwhole intention to the good work he is engaged in.\n   The pilgrims, being arrived at Mecca, immediately visit the temple, and\nthen enter on the performance of the prescribed ceremonies, which consist\nchiefly in going in procession round the Caaba, in running between the Mounts\nSaf\u00e2 and Merw\u00e2, in making the station on Mount Arafat, and slaying the\nvictims, and shaving their heads in the valley of Mina.  These ceremonies have\nbeen so particularly described by others,4 that I may be excused if I but just\nmention the most material circumstances thereof.\n   In compassing the Caaba, which they do seven times, beginning at the corner\nwhere the black stone is fixed, they use a short, quick pace the three first\ntimes they go round it, and a grave, ordinary pace, the four last; which, it\nis said, was ordered by Mohammed, that his followers might show themselves\nstrong and active, to cut off the hopes of the infidels, who gave out that the\nimmoderate heats of Medina had rendered them weak.5  But the aforesaid quick\npace they are not obliged to use every time they perform this piece of\ndevotion, but only at some particular times.6  So often as they pass by the\nblack stone, they either kiss it, or touch it with their hand, and kiss that.\n   The running between Saf\u00e2 and Merw\u00e21 is also performed seven times, partly\nwith a slow pace, and partly running:2 for they walk gravely till they come to\na place between two pillars; and there they run, and afterwards walk again;\nsometimes looking back, and sometimes stopping, like one who has lost\nsomething, to represent Hagar seeking water for her son:3 for the ceremony is\nsaid to be as ancient as her time.4\n   On the ninth of Dhu'lhajja, after morning prayer, the pilgrims leave the\nvalley of Mina, whither they come the day before, and proceed in a tumultuous\nand rushing manner to Mount Arafat,5 where they stay to perform their\ndevotions till sunset: then they go to Mozdalifa, an oratory between Arafat\nand Mina, and there spend the night in prayer and reading the Kor\u00e2n.  The next\nmorning, by daybreak, they visit al Mash\u00e9r al har\u00e2m, or the sacred monument,6\nand departing thence before sunrise, haste by Batn Mohasser to the valley of\nMina, where they throw seven stones7 at three marks, or pillars, in imitation\nof Abraham, who, meeting the devil in that place, and being by him disturbed\nin his devotions, or tempted to disobedience, when he was going to sacrifice\nhis son, was commanded by GOD to drive him away by throwing stones at him;8\nthough others pretend this rite to be as old as Adam, who also put the devil\nto flight in the same place and by the same means.9\n\n   3  Al Beid.\t\t4  Bobov. de Peregr. Mecc. p. II, &c.  Chardin, Voy.\nde Perse, t. 2, p. 440, &c.  See also Pitts' Account of the Rel. &c. of the\nMohammedans, p. 92, &c.; Gagnier, Vie de Moh. t. 2, p. 258, &c.; Abulfed. Vit.\nMoh. p. 130, &c.; and Reland. de Rel. Moh. p. 113, &c.\t\t5  Ebn al\nAth\u00eer.\t\t6  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 314.\t\t1  See before, p. 16.\n2  Al Ghaz\u00e2li.\t\t3  Reland. de Rel. Moh. p. 121.\t\t4  Ebn al\nAth\u00eer.\t\t5  See Kor. c. 2, p. 21.\n6  See Ibid.  M. Gagnier has been twice guilty of a mistake in confounding\nthis monument with the sacred enclosure of the Caaba.  Vide Gagn. not. ad\nAbulfed. Vit. Moh. p. 131, and Vie de Moh. tom. 2, p. 262.\t\t7  Dr.\nPocock, from al Ghaz\u00e2li, says seventy, at different times and places.  Spec.\np. 315.\t\t\t8  Al Ghaz\u00e2li, Ahmed Ebn Yusef.\t\t9  Ebn al\nAth\u00eer.\n\n\n\n   This ceremony being over, on the same day, the tenth of Dhu'lhajja, the\npilgrims slay their victims in the said valley of Mina; of which they and\ntheir friends eat part, and the rest is given to the poor.  These victims must\nbe either sheep, goats, kine, or camels; males, if of either of the two former\nkinds, and females if of either of the latter, and of a fit age.10  The\nsacrifices being over, they shave their heads and cut their nails, burying\nthem in the same place; after which the pilgrimage is looked on as\ncompleted:11 though they again visit the Caaba, to take their leave of that\nsacred building.\n   The above-mentioned ceremonies, by the confession of the Mohammedans\nthemselves, were almost all of them observed by the pagan Arabs many ages\nbefore their prophet's appearance; and particularly the compassing of the\nCaaba, the running between Saf\u00e2 and Merw\u00e2, and the throwing of the stones in\nMina; and were confirmed by Mohammed, with some alterations in such points as\nseemed most exceptionable: thus, for example, he ordered that when they\ncompassed the Caaba they should be clothed;1 whereas, before his time, they\nperformed that piece of devotion naked, throwing off their clothes as a mark\nthat they had cast off their sins,2 or as signs of their disobedience towards\nGOD.3\n   It is also acknowledged that the greater part of these rites are of no\nintrinsic worth, neither affecting the soul, nor agreeing with natural reason,\nbut altogether arbitrary, and commanded merely to try the obedience of\nmankind, without any further view; and are therefore to be complied with; not\nthat they are good in themselves, but because GOD has so appointed.4  Some,\nhowever, have endeavoured to find out some reason for the arbitrary\ninjunctions of this kind; and one writer,5 supposing men ought to imitate the\nheavenly bodies, not only in their purity, but in their circular motion, seems\nto argue the procession round the Caaba to be therefore a rational practice.\nReland6 has observed that the Romans had something like this in their worship,\nbeing ordered by Numa to use a circular motion in the adoration of the Gods,\neither to represent the orbicular motion of the world, or the perfecting the\nwhole office of prayer to that GOD who is maker of the universe, or else in\nallusion to the Egyptian wheels, which were hieroglyphics of the instability\nof human fortune.7\n   The pilgrimage to Mecca, and the ceremonies prescribed to those who perform\nit, are, perhaps, liable to greater exception than other of Mohammed's\ninstitutions; not only as silly and ridiculous in themselves, but as relics of\nidolatrous superstition.8  Yet whoever seriously considers how difficult it is\nto make people submit to the abolishing of ancient customs, how unreasonable\nsoever, which they are fond of, especially where the interest of a\nconsiderable party is also concerned,\n\n   10  Vide Reland. ubi sup. p. 117.\t\t11  See Kor. c. 2, p. 21\n\t1  Kor. c. 7, p. 106, 107.\n2  Al Fa\u00efk, de Tempore Ignor. Arabum, apud Millium de Mohammedismo ante Moh.\np. 322. Compare Isa. lxiv. 6.\t3  Jallal. al Beid.  This notion comes very\nnear, if it be not the same with that of the Adamites.\t\t4  Al\nGhaz\u00e2li.  Vide Abulfar. Hist. Dyn p. 171.\t\t5  Abu J\u00e1afar Ebn Tafail, in\nVita Hai Ebn Yokdh\u00e2n, p. 151.  See Mr. Ockley's English translation thereof,\np. 117.\n6  De Rel. Mah. p. 123.\t\t7  Plutarch. in Numa. \t\t8  Maimonides (in\nEpist. ad Prosel. Rel.) pretends that the worship of Mercury was performed by\nthrowing of stones, and that of Chemosh by making bare the head, and putting\non unsewn garments.\n\n\n\n\nand that a man may with less danger change many things than one great one,9\nmust excuse Mohammed's yielding some points of less moment, to gain the\nprincipal.  The temple of Mecca was held in excessive veneration by all the\nArabs in general (if we except only the tribes of Tay, and Khath\u00e1am, and some\nof the posterity of al Hareth Ebn Caab,1 who used not to go in pilgrimage\nthereto), and especially by those of Mecca, who had a particular interest to\nsupport that veneration; and as the most silly and insignificant things are\ngenerally the objects of the greatest superstition, Mohammed found it much\neasier to abolish idolatry itself, than to eradicate, the superstitious\nbigotry with which they were addicted to that temple, and the rites performed\nthere; wherefore, after several fruitless trials to wean them therefrom,2 he\nthought it best to compromise the matter, and rather than to frustrate his\nwhole design, to allow them to go on pilgrimage thither, and to direct their\nprayers thereto; contenting himself with transferring the devotions there paid\nfrom their idols to the true GOD, and changing such circumstances therein as\nhe judged might give scandal.  And herein he followed the example of the most\nfamous legislators, who instituted not such laws as were absolutely the best\nin themselves, but the best their people were capable of receiving: and we\nfind GOD himself had the same condescendence for the Jews, whose hardness of\nheart he humoured in many things, giving them therefore statutes that were not\ngood, and judgments whereby they should not live.3\n\n_______\n\n\n\nSECTION V.\n\nOF CERTAIN NEGATIVE PRECEPTS IN THE KOR\u00c2N.\n\nHAVING in the preceeding section spoken of the fundamental points of the\nMohammedan religion, relating both to faith and to practice, I shall in this\nand the two following discourses, speak in the same brief method of some other\nprecepts and institutions of the Kor\u00e2n which deserve peculiar notice, and\nfirst of certain things which are thereby prohibited.\n   The drinking of wine, under which name all sorts of strong and inebriating\nliquors are comprehended, is forbidden in the Kor\u00e2n in more places than one.1\nSome, indeed, have imagined that excess therein is only forbidden, and that\nthe moderate use of wine is allowed by two passages in the same book:2 but the\nmore received opinion is, that to drink any strong liquors, either in a lesser\nquantity, or in a greater, is absolutely unlawful; and though libertines3\nindulge them-\n\n   9  According to the maxim, Tutius est multa mutare qu\u00e0m unum magnum.\n\t1  Al Shahrestani.\t\t2  See Kor. c. 2, p. 16.\t\t3\nEzek. xx. 25.  Vide Spencer de Urim et l'hummim, c. 4 \u00a7 7.\t\t1  See c. 2,\np. 23, and c. 5, p. 84.\t\t2  Cap. 2, p. 23, and c. 16, p. 200.  Vide\nD'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 696.\t\t3  Vide Smith, de Morib. et Instit.\nTurcar Ep. 2, p. 28, &c.\n\n\n\n\n\nselves in a contrary practice, yet the more conscientious are so strict,\nespecially if they have performed the pilgrimage to Mecca,4 that they hold it\nunlawful not only to taste wine, but to press grapes for the making of it, to\nbuy or to sell it, or even to maintain themselves with the money arising by\nthe sale of that liquor.  The Persians, however, as well as the Turks, are\nvery fond of wine; and if one asks them how it comes to pass that they venture\nto drink it, when it is so directly forbidden by their religion, they answer,\nthat it is with them as with the Christians, whose religion prohibits\ndrunkenness and whoredom as great sins, and who glory, notwithstanding, some\nin debauching girls and married women, and others in drinking to excess.5\n   It has been a question whether coffee comes not under the above-mentioned\nprohibition,6 because the fumes of it have some effect on the imagination.\nThis drink, which was first publicly used at Aden in Arabia Felix, about the\nmiddle of the ninth century of the Hejra, and thence gradually introduced into\nMecca, Medina, Egypt, Syria, and other parts of the Levant, has been the\noccasion of great disputes and disorders, having been sometimes publicly\ncondemned and forbidden, and again declared lawful and allowed.7  At present\nthe use of coffee is generally tolerated, if not granted, as is that of\ntobacco, though the more religious make a scruple of taking the latter, not\nonly because it inebriates, but also out of respect to a traditional saying of\ntheir prophet (which, if it could be made out to be his, would prove him a\nprophet indeed), \"That in the latter days there should be men who should bear\nthe name of Moslems, but should not be really such; and that they should smoke\na certain weed, which should be called TOBACCO.\"  However, the eastern nations\nare generally so addicted to both, that they say, \"A dish of coffee and a pipe\nof tobacco are a complete entertainment;\" and the Persians have a proverb that\ncoffee without tobacco is meat without salt.1\n   Opium and beng (which latter is the leaves of hemp in pills or conserve)\nare also by the rigid Mohammedans esteemed unlawful, though not mentioned in\nthe Kor\u00e2n, because they intoxicate and disturb the understanding as wine does,\nand in a more extraordinary manner: yet these drugs are now commonly taken in\nthe east; but they who are addicted to them are generally looked upon as\ndebauchees.2\n   Several stories have been told as the occasion of Mohammed's prohibiting\nthe drinking of wine:3 but the true reasons are given in the Kor\u00e2n, viz.,\nbecause the ill qualities of that liquor surpass its good ones, the common\neffects thereof being quarrels and disturbances in company, and neglect, or at\nleast indecencies, in the performance of religious duties.4  For these reasons\nit was that the priests were, by the Levitical law, forbidden to drink wine or\nstrong drink when they entered the tabernacle,5 and that the Nazarites6 and\nRechabites,7 and\n\n   4  Vide Chardin, ubi supra, p. 212.\t\t5  Chardin, ubi sup. p. 344.\n\t\t6  Abd'alk\u00e2der Mohammed al Ans\u00e2ri has written a treatise\nconcerning Coffee, wherein he argues for its lawfulness.  Vide D'Herbel. Art.\nCahvah.\n7  Vide Le Trait\u00e9 Historique de l'Origine et du Progr\u00e8s du Caf\u00e9, \u00e0 la fin du\nVoy. de l'Arabie heur. de la Roque.\t\t1  Reland. Dissert. Miscell. t. 2,\np. 280.  Vide Chardin, Voy. de Perse, t. 2, p. 14 and 66.\t\t2  Vide\nChardin, ibid. p. 68, &c., and D'Herbel. p. 200.\t\t3  Vide Prid. Life\nof Mah. p. 82, &c.; Busbeq. Epist. 3, p. 255; and Maundeville's Travels, p. I,\nc.\n4  Kor. c. 2, p. 23, c. 5, p. 84, and c. 4, p. 59.  See Prov. xxiii 29, &c.\n\t5  Levit. x. 9.\t\t\t6  Numb. vi. 2.\t\t7  Jerem. xxxv. 5\n&c.\n\n\n\n\nmany pious persons among the Jews and primitive Christians, wholly abstained\ntherefrom; nay, some of the latter went so far as to condemn the use of wine\nas sinful.8  But Mohammed is said to have had a nearer example than any of\nthese, in the more devout persons of his own tribe.9\n   Gaming is prohibited by the Kor\u00e2n10 in the same passages, and for the same\nreasons, as wine.  The word al Meisar, which is there used, signifies a\nparticular manner of casting lots by arrows, much practised by the pagan\nArabs, and performed in the following manner.  A young camel being bought and\nkilled, and divided into ten or twenty-eight parts, the persons who cast lots\nfor them, to the number of seven, met for that purpose; and eleven arrows were\nprovided, without heads or feathers, seven of which were marked, the first\nwith one notch, the second with two, and so on, and the other four had no mark\nat all.11  These arrows were put promiscuously into a bag, and then drawn by\nan indifferent person, who had another near him to receive them, and to see he\nacted fairly; those to whom the marked arrows fell won shares in proportion to\ntheir lot, and those to whom the blanks fell were entitled to no part of the\ncamel at all, but were obliged to pay the full price of it.  The winners,\nhowever, tasted not of the flesh, any more than the losers, but the whole was\ndistributed among the poor; and this they did out of pride and ostentation, it\nbeing reckoned a shame for a man to stand out, and not venture his money on\nsuch an occasion.1  This custom, therefore, though it was of some use to the\npoor and diversion to the rich, was forbidden by Mohammed2 as the source of\ngreat inconveniences, by occasioning quarrels and heart-burnings, which arose\nfrom the winners insulting of those who lost.\n   Under the name of lots the commentators agree that all other games\nwhatsoever, which are subject to hazard or chance, are comprehended and\nforbidden, as dice, cards, tables, &c.  And they are reckoned so ill in\nthemselves, that the testimony of him who plays at them, is by the more rigid\njudged to be of no validity in a court of justice.  Chess is almost the only\ngame which the Mohammedan doctors allow to be lawful (though it has been a\ndoubt with some),3 because it depends wholly on skill and management, and not\nat all on chance: but then it is allowed under certain restrictions, viz.,\nthat it be no hindrance to the regular performance of their devotions, and\nthat no money or other thing be played for or betted; which last the Turks and\nSonnites religiously observe, but the Persians and Mogols do not.4  But what\nMohammed is supposed chiefly to have dislike in the game of chess, was the\ncarved pieces, or men, with which the pagan Arabs played, being little figures\nof men, elephants, horses, and dromedaries;5 and these are thought, by some\ncommentators, to be truly meant by the images prohibited in one of the\npassages of the Kor\u00e2n6 quoted above.\n\n   8  This was the heresy of those called Encratit\u00e6, and Aquarij. Khw\u00e2f, a\nMagian heretic, also declared wine unlawful; but this was after Mohammed's\ntime.  Hyde, de Rel. Vet. Pers. p. 300.\t\t9  Vide Reland. de Rel. Moh.\np. 271.\t10  Cap. 2, p. 23, c. 5, p. 84.\t\t11  Some writers, as al\nZamakh. and al Shir\u00e2zi, mention but three blank arrows.\t\t\t1\nAuctores Nodhm al dorr, et Nothr al dorr, al Zamakh. al Firauzab\u00e2di, al\nShir\u00e2zi in Orat. al Hariri, al Beid\u00e2wi, &c.  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 324, &c.\n\t2  Kor. c. 5, p. 73.\t\t\t3  Vide Hyde, de Luchs Oriental. in\nProlog. ad Shahiludium.\n4  Vide eund. ibid.\t\t\t5  Vide eundem, ibid. and in Hist.\nShahiludij, p. 135,\t\t6  Cap. 5, p. 84.\n\n\n\nThat the Arabs in Mohammed's time actually used such images for chess-men\nappears from what is related, in the Sonna, of Ali, who passing accidentally\nby some who were playing at chess, asked, \"What images they were which they\nwere so intent upon?\"7 for they were perfectly new to him, that game having\nbeen but very lately introduced into Arabia, and not long before into Persia,\nwhither it was first brought from India in the reign of Khosr\u00fb N\u00fbshirw\u00e2n.8\nHence the Mohammedan doctors infer that the game was disapproved only for the\nsake of the images: wherefore the Sonnites always play with plain pieces of\nwood or ivory; but the Persians and Indians, who are not so scrupulous,\ncontinue to make use of the carved ones.1\n   The Mohammedans comply with the prohibition of gaming much better than they\ndo with that of win; for though the common people among the Turks more\nfrequently, and the Persians more rarely, are addicted to play, yet the better\nsort are seldom guilty of it.2\n   Gaming, at least to excess, has been forbidden in all well-ordered states.\nGaming-houses were reckoned scandalous places among the Greeks, and a gamester\nis declared by Aristotle3 to be no better than a thief: the Roman senate made\nvery severe laws against playing at games of hazard,4 except only during the\nSaturnalia; though the people played often at other times, notwithstanding the\nprohibition: the civil law forbad all pernicious games;5 and though the laity\nwere, in some cases, permitted to play for money, provided they kept within\nreasonable bounds, yet the clergy were forbidden to play at tables (which is a\ngame of hazard), or even to look on while others played.6  Accursius, indeed,\nis of opinion they may play at chess, notwithstanding that law, because it is\na game not subject to chance,7 and being but newly invented in the time of\nJustinian, was not then known in the western parts.  However, the monks for\nsome time were not allowed even chess.8\n   As to the Jews, Mohammed's chief guides, they also highly disapprove\ngaming: gamesters being severely censured in the Talmud, and their testimony\ndeclared invalid.9\n   Another practice of the idolatrous Arabs forbidden also in one of the\nabove-mentioned passages,10 was that of divining by arrows.  The arrows used\nby them for this purpose were like those with which they cast lots, being\nwithout heads or feathers, and were kept in the temple of some idol, in whose\npresence they were consulted.  Seven such arrows were kept at the temple of\nMecca;11 but generally in divination they made use of three only, on one of\nwhich was written, \"My LORD hath commanded me,\" on another, \"My LORD hath\nforbidden me,\" and the third was blank.  If the first was drawn, they looked\non it as an approbation of the enterprise in question; if the second, they\nmade a contrary conclusion; but if the\n\n   7  Sokeiker al Dimishki, and Auctor libri al Mostatraf, apud Hyde, ubi sup.\np. 8.\t\t8  Khondemir. apud eund. ibid. p. 41.\n1  Vide Hyde, ubi sup. p. 9.\t\t2  Vide eundem, in Proleg. and Chardin,\nVoy. de Perse, t. 2, p. 46.\t\t3  Lib. iv. ad Nicom.\t\t4  Vide\nHorat. l. 3.  Carm. Od. 24.\t\t5  ff. de Aleatoribus. Novell. Just. 123,\n&c.  Vide Hyde, ubi sup. in Hist. Ale\u00e6, p. 119.\t\t6  Authent.\ninterdicimus, c. de episcopis.\t\t7  In com. ad Legem Pr\u00e6d.\n8  Du Fresne, in Gloss.\t\t9  Bava Mesia, 84, I; Rosh hashana and Sanhedr.\n24, 2.  Vide etiam Maimon. in Tract. Gezila.  Among the modern civilians,\nMascardus thought common gamesters were not to be admitted as witnesses, being\ninfamous persons.  Vide Hyde, ubi sup. in Proleg. et in Hist. Ale\u00e6, \u00a7 3.\n\t10  Kor. c. 5.\t\t11  See before, p. 16.\n\n\n\nthird happened to be drawn, they mixed them and drew over again, till a\ndecisive answer was given by one of the others.  These divining arrows were\ngenerally consulted before anything of moment was undertaken; as when a man\nwas about to marry, or about to go a journey, or the like.1  This\nsuperstitious practice of divining by arrows was used by the ancient Greeks,2\nand other nations; and is particularly mentioned in scripture,3 where it is\nsaid, that \"the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head\nof the two ways, to use divination; he made his arrows bright\" (or, according\nto the version of the Vulgate, which seems preferable in this place, \"he mixed\ntogether, or shook the arrows\"), \"he consulted with images,\" &c.; the\ncommentary of St. Jerome on which passage wonderfully agrees with what we are\ntold of the aforesaid custom of the old Arabs: \"He shall stand,\" says he, \"in\nthe highway, and consult the oracle after the manner of his nation, that he\nmay cast arrows into a quiver, and mix them together, being written upon or\nmarked with the names of each people, that he may see whose arrow will come\nforth, and which city he ought first to attack.\"4\n   A distinction of meats was so generally used by the eastern nations, that\nit is no wonder that Mohammed made some regulations in that matter.  The\nKor\u00e2n, therefore, prohibits the eating of blood, and swine's flesh, and\nwhatever dies of itself, or is slain in the name or in honour of any idol, or\nis strangled, or killed by a blow, or a fall, or by any other beast.5  In\nwhich particulars Mohammed seems chiefly to have imitated the Jews, by whose\nlaw, as is well known, all those things are forbidden; but he allowed some\nthings to be eaten which Moses did not,6 as camels' flesh7 in particular.  In\ncases of necessity, however, where a man may be in danger of starving, he is\nallowed by the Mohammedan law to eat any of the said prohibited kinds of\nfood;8 and the Jewish doctors grant the same liberty in the same case.9\nThough the aversion to blood and what dies of itself may seem natural, yet\nsome of the pagan Arabs used to eat both: of their eating of the latter some\ninstances will be given hereafter; and as to the former, it is said they used\nto pour blood, which they sometimes drew from a live camel, into a gut, and\nthen broiled it in the fire, or boiled it, and ate it:1 this food they called\nMoswadd, from Aswad which signifies black; the same nearly resembling our\nblack puddings in name as well as composition.2  The eating of meat offered to\nidols I take to be commonly practised by all idolaters, being looked on as a\nsort of communion in their worship, and for that reason esteemed by\nChristians, if not absolutely unlawful, yet as what may be the occasion of\ngreat scandal:3 but the Arabs were particularly superstitious in this matter,\nkilling what they ate on stones erected on purpose around the Caaba, or near\ntheir own houses, and calling, at the same time, on the name of some idol.4\nSwine's flesh, indeed, the old Arabs seem not to have eaten; and their\nprophet, in\n\n   1  Ebn al Ath\u00eer, al Zamakh. and al Beid. in Kor. c. 5.  Al Mostatraf, &c.\nVide poc. Spec. p. 327, &c., and D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art Acd\u00e2h.\n\t2  Vide Potter, Antiq. of Greece, vol. i. p. 334.\t\t3  Ezek.\nxxi. 21.\t\t4  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 329, &c.\t\t5  Cap. 2, p. 18;\nc. 5, p. 73; c. 6; and c. 16.\t\t6  Lev. xi. 4.\t\t7  See Kor. c. 3,\np. 37 and 42, and c. 6.\t\t8  Kor. c. 5, p. 74, and in the other passages\nlast quoted.\t\t9  Vide Maimon. in Halachoth Melachim. c. 8, \u00a7 i., &c.\n\t\t1  Nothr al dorr, al Firauz., al Zamakh., and al Beid.\n\t2  Poc. Spec. p. 320.\n3  Compare Acts xv. 29 with I Cor. viii. 4, &c.\t\t4  See the fifth chapter\nof the Kor. p. 73, and the notes there.\n\n\n\nprohibiting the same, appears to have only confirmed the common aversion of\nthe nation.  Foreign writers tell us that the Arabs wholly abstained from\nswine's flesh,5 thinking it unlawful to feed thereon,6 and that very few, if\nany, of those animals are found in their country, because it produces not\nproper food for them;7 which has made one writer imagine that if a hog were\ncarried thither, it would immediately die.8\n   In the prohibition of usury9 I presume Mohammed also followed the Jews, who\nare strictly forbidden by their law to exercise it among one another, though\nthey are so infamously guilty of it in their dealing with those of a different\nreligion: but I do not find the prophet of the Arabs has made any distinction\nin this matter.\n   Several superstitious customs relating to cattle, which seem to have been\npeculiar to the pagan Arabs, were also abolished by Mohammed.  The Kor\u00e2n10\nmentions four names by them given to certain camels or sheep, which for some\nparticular reasons were left at free liberty, and were not made use of as\nother cattle of the same kind.  These names are Bah\u00eera, S\u00e2\u00efba, Was\u00eela, and\nH\u00e2mi: of each whereof in their order.\n   As to the first, it is said that when a she-camel, or a sheep, had borne\nyoung ten times, they used to slit her ear, and turn her loose to feed at full\nliberty; and when she died, her flesh was eaten by the men only, the women\nbeing forbidden to eat thereof: and such a camel or sheep, from the slitting\nof her ear, they called Bah\u00eera.  Or the Bah\u00eera was a she-camel, which was\nturned loose to feed, and whose fifth young one, if it proved a male, was\nkilled and eaten by men and women promiscuously; but if it proved a female,\nhad its ear slit, and was dismissed to free pasture, none being permitted to\nmake use of its flesh or milk, or to ride on it; though the women were allowed\nto eat the flesh of it when it died: or it was the female young of the S\u00e2\u00efba,\nwhich was used in the same manner as its dam; or else an ewe, which had yeaned\nfive times.1  These, however, are not all the opinions concerning the Bah\u00eera:\nfor some suppose that name was given to a she-camel, which, after having\nbrought forth young five times, if the last was a male, had her ear slit, as a\nmark thereof, and was let go loose to feed, none driving her from pasture or\nwater, nor using her for carriage;2 and others tell us, that when a camel had\nnewly brought forth, they used to slit the ear of her young one, saying, \"O\nGOD, if it live, it shall be for our use, but if it die, it shall be deemed\nrightly slain;\" and when it died, they ate it.3\n   S\u00e2\u00efba signifies a she-camel turned loose to go where she will.  And this\nwas done on various accounts: as when she had brought forth females ten times\ntogether; or in satisfaction of a vow; or when a man had recovered from\nsickness, or returned safe from a journey, or his camel had escaped some\nsignal danger either in battle or otherwise.  A camel so turned loose was\ndeclared to be S\u00e2\u00efba, and, as a mark of it, one of the vertebr\u00e6 or bones was\ntaken out of her back, after which none might drive her from pasture or water,\nor ride on her.4  Some say that the S\u00e2\u00efba, when she had ten times together\nbrought forth females, was suffered to go at liberty, none being allowed to\nride on her, and\n\n   5  Solin. de Arab. c. 33.\t\t6  Hieronym. in Jovin. l. 2, c. 6.\n\t7  Idem, ibid.\n8  Solinus, ubi supra.\t\t9  Kor. c. 2, p. 33, 34.\t\t10  Cap. 5,\np. 86.\t\t1  Al Zamakh., al Beid\u00e2wi, al Mostatraf.\t\t3  Ebn al\nAth\u00eer.\t\t4  Al Firauzab., al Zamakh.\n\n\n\nthat her milk was not to be drank by any but her young one, or a guest, till\nshe died; and then her flesh was eaten by men as well as women, and her last\nfemale young one had her ear slit, and was called Bah\u00eera, and turned loose as\nher dam had been.5\n   This appellation, however, was not so strictly proper to female camels, but\nthat it was given to the male when his young one had begotten another young\none:6 nay, a servant set at liberty and dismissed by his master, was also\ncalled S\u00e2\u00efba;7 and some are of opinion that the word denotes an animal which\nthe Arabs used to turn loose in honour of their idols, allowing none to make\nuses of them, thereafter, except women only.1\n   Was\u00eela is, by one author,2 explained to signify a she-camel which had\nbrought forth ten times, or an ewe which had yeaned seven times, and every\ntime twin; and if the seventh time she brought forth a male and a female, they\nsaid, \"Wosilat akh\u00e2ha,\" i.e., \"She is joined,\" or, \"was brought forth with her\nbrother,\" after which none might drink the dam's milk, except men only; and\nshe was used as the S\u00e2\u00efba.  Or Was\u00eela was particularly meant of sheep; as when\nan ewe brought forth a female, they took it to themselves, but when she\nbrought forth a male, they consecrated it to their gods, but if both a male\nand a female, they said, \"She is joined to her brother,\" and did not sacrifice\nthat male to their gods: or Was\u00eela was an ewe which brought forth first a\nmale, and then a female, on which account, or because she followed her\nbrother, the male was not killed; but if she brought forth a male only, they\nsaid, \"Let this be an offering to our gods.\"3  Another4 writes, that if an ewe\nbrought forth twins seven times together, and the eighth time a male, they\nsacrificed that male to their gods; but if the eighth time she brought both a\nmale and a female, they used to say, \"She is joined to her brother,\" and for\nthe female's sake they spared the male, and permitted not the dam's milk to be\ndrunk by women.  A third writer tell us, that Was\u00eela was an ewe, which having\nyeaned seven times, if that which she brought forth the seventh time was a\nmale, they sacrificed it, but if a female, it was suffered to go loose, and\nwas made use of by women only; and if the seventh time she brought forth both\na male and a female, they held them both to be sacred, so that men only were\nallowed to make any use of them, or to drink the milk of the female: and a\nfourth5 describes it to be an ewe which brought forth ten females at five\nbirths one after another, i.e., every time twins, and whatever she brought\nforth afterwards was allowed to men, and not to women, &c.\n   H\u00e2mi was a male camel used for a stallion, which, if the females had\nconceived ten times by him, was afterwards freed from labour, and let go\nloose, none driving him from pasture or from water; nor was any allowed to\nreceive the least benefit from him, not even to shear his hair.6\n   These things were observed by the old Arabs in honour of their false gods,1\nand as part of the worship which they paid them, and were ascribed to the\ndivine institution; but are all condemned in the Kor\u00e2n, and declared to be\nimpious superstitions.2\n\n   5  Al Jawhari, Ebn al Ath\u00eer.\t\t6  Al Firauz.\t\t7  Idem, al\nJawhari, &c.\t\t1  Nothr al dorr and Nodhm al dorr.\t\t2  Al\nFirauz.\t\t3  Idem, al Zamakh.\t\t4  Al Jawhari.\t5  Al\nMotarrezi.\n6  Al Firauz., al Jawhari.\t\t1  Jallal. in Kor.\t\t2  Kor. c.\n5, p. 86, and c. 6.  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 330-334.\n\n\n\n\nThe law of Mohammed also put a stop to the inhuman custom which had been long\npractised by the Pagan Arabs, of burying their daughters alive, lest they\nshould be reduced to poverty by providing for them, or else to avoid the\ndispleasure and the disgrace which would follow, if they should happen to be\nmade captives, or to become scandalous by their behaviour;3 the birth of a\ndaughter being, for these reasons, reckoned a great misfortune,4 and the death\nof one as a great happiness.5  The manner of their doing this is differently\nrelated: some say that when an Arab had a daughter born, if he intended to\nbring her up, he sent her, clothed in a garment of wool or hair, to keep\ncamels or sheep in the desert; but if he designed to put her to death, he let\nher live till she became six years old, and then said to her mother, \"Perfume\nher, and adorn her, that I may carry her to her mothers;\" which being done,\nthe father led her to a well or pit dug for that purpose, and having bid her\nto look down into it, pushed her in headlong, as he stood behind her, and then\nfilling up the pit, levelled it with the rest of the ground; but others say,\nthat when a woman was ready to fall in labour, they dug a pit, on the brink\nwhereof she was to be delivered, and if the child happened to be a daughter,\nthey threw it into the pit, but if a son, they saved it alive.6  This custom,\nthough not observed by all the Arabs in general, was yet very common among\nseveral of their tribes, and particularly those of Koreish and Kendah; the\nformer using to bury their daughters alive in Mount Abu Dal\u00e2ma, near Mecca.7\nIn the time of ignorance, while they used this method to get rid of their\ndaughters, S\u00e1sa\u00e1, grandfather to the celebrated poet al Farazdak, frequently\nredeemed female children from death, giving for every one two she-camels big\nwith young, and a he-camel; and hereto al Farazdak alluded when, vaunting\nhimself before one of the Khal\u00eefs of the family of Omeyya, he said, \"I am the\nson of the giver of life to the dead;\" for which expression being censured, he\nexcused himself by alleging the following words of the Kor\u00e2n,8 \"He who saveth\na soul alive, shall be as if he had saved the lives of all mankind.\"1  The\nArabs, in thus murdering of their children, were far from being singular; the\npractice of exposing infants and putting them to death being so common among\nthe ancients, that it is remarked as a thing very extraordinary in the\nEgyptians, that they brought up all their children;2 and by the laws of\nLycurgus3 no child was allowed to be brought up without the approbation of\npublic officers.  At this day, it is said, in China, the poorer sort of people\nfrequently put their children, the females especially, to death with\nimpunity.4\n   This wicked practice is condemned by the Kor\u00e2n in several passages;5 one of\nwhich, as some commentators6 judge, may also condemn\n\n   3  Al Beid\u00e2wi, al Zamakh., al Mostatraf.\t\t4  See Kor. c. 16.\n\t5  Al Meid\u00e2ni.\t\t6  Al Zamakh.\n7  Al Mostatraf.\t\t8  Cap. 5, p. 77.\t\t1  Al Mostatraf.  Vide Ebn\nKhalek\u00e2n, in Vita al Farazdak, and Poc Spec. p. 334.\t\t2  Strabo, l. 17.\nVide Diodor. Sic. l. I, c. 80.\t\t3  Vide Plutarch, in Lycurgo.\n\t4  Vide Pufendorf, de Jure Nat. et Gent. l. 6, c. 7, \u00a7 6.  The Grecians\nalso treated daughters especially in this manner-whence that saying of\nPosidippus:\n\t[Greek text],-i.e.,\n\t\"A man, tho' poor, will not expose his son;\n\tBut if he's rich, will scarce preserve his daughter.\"-\nSee Potter's Antiq. of Greece, vol. ii. p. 333.\t\t5  Cap. 6, p. 101, 103;\nc. 16; and c. 17.  See also chap. 81.\n6  Al Zamakh., al Beid.\n\n\n\nanother custom of the Arabians, altogether as wicked, and as common among\nother nations of old, viz., the sacrificing of their children to their idols;\nas was frequently done, in particular, in satisfaction of a vow they used to\nmake, that if they had a certain number of sons born, they would offer one of\nthem in sacrifice.\n   Several other superstitious customs were likewise abrogated by Mohammed,\nbut the same being of less moment, and not particularly mentioned in the\nKor\u00e2n, or having been occasionally taken notice of elsewhere, I shall say\nnothing of them in this place.\n\n\n\n______\n\n\nSECTION VI.\n\nOF THE INSTITUTIONS OF THE KORAN IN CIVIL AFFAIRS.\n\nTHE Mohammedan civil law is founded on the precepts and determinations of the\nKor\u00e2n, as the civil laws of the Jews were on those of the Pentateuch; yet\nbeing variously interpreted, according to the different decisions of their\ncivilians, and especially of their four great doctors, Abu Han\u00eefa, Malec, al\nSh\u00e2fe\u00ef, and Ebn Hanbal,7 to treat thereof fully and distinctly in the manner\nthe curiosity and usefulness of the subject deserves, would require a large\nvolume; wherefore the most that can be expected here, is a summary view of the\nprincipal institutions, without minutely entering into a detail of\nparticulars.  We shall begin with those relating to marriage and divorce.\n   That polygamy, for the moral lawfulness of which the Mohammedan doctors\nadvance several arguments,1 is allowed by the Kor\u00e2n, every one knows, though\nfew are acquainted with the limitations with which it is allowed.  Several\nlearned men have fallen into the vulgar mistake that Mahommed granted to his\nfollowers an unbounded plurality; some pretending that a man may have as many\nwives,2 and others as many concubines,3 as he can maintain: whereas, according\nto the express words of the Kor\u00e2n,4 no man can have more than four, whether\nwives or concubines;5 and if a man apprehend any inconvenience from even that\nnumber of ingenuous wives, it is added, as an advice (which is generally\nfollowed by the middling and inferior people),6 that he marry one only, or, if\nhe cannot be contented with one, that he take up with his she-slaves, not\nexceeding, however, the limited number;7 and this\n\n   7  See Sect. VIII.\t\t1  See before, Sect. II., p. 31.\t\t2\nNic.Cusanus, in Cribrat. Alcor. l. 2, c. 19.  Olearius, in Itinerar.  P. Greg.\nThoslosanus, in Synt. Juris, l. 9, c. 2, \u00a7 22.  Septemcastrensis (de Morib.\nTurc. p. 24) says the Mohammedans may have twelve lawful wives, and no more.\nRicaut falsely asserts the restraint of the number of their wives to be no\nprecept of their religion, but a rule superinduced on a politic consideration.\nPres. State of the Ottoman Empire, bk. iii, c. 21.\n3  Marracc. in Prodr. ad Refut. Alcor. part iv. p. 52 and 71.  Prideaux, Life\nof Mah. p. 114.  Chardin, Voy. de Perse, t. i. p. 166.  Du Ryer, Sommaire de\nla Rel. des Turcs, mis \u00e0 la t\u00eate de sa version de l'Alcor.  Ricaut, ubi supra.\nPufendorf, de Jure Nat. et Gent. l. 6, c. I, \u00a7 18.\t\t4  Cap. 4, p. 53.\n\t5  Vide Gagnier, in Notis and Abulfed\u00e6 Vit. Moh. p. 150 Reland. de Rel.\nMoh. p. 243, &c., and Selden, Ux. Hebr. l. r, c. 9.\t\t6  Vide Reland ubi\nsup. p. 244.\t\t7  Kor. c. 4, p. 53.\n\n\n\nis certainly the utmost Mohammed allowed his followers: nor can we urge as an\nargument against so plain a precept, the corrupt manners of his followers,\nmany of whom, especially men of quality and fortune, indulge themselves in\ncriminal excesses;8 nor yet the example of the prophet himself, who had\npeculiar privileges in this and other points, as will be observed hereafter.\nIn making the above-mentioned limitation, Mohammed was directed by the\ndecision of the Jewish doctors, who, by way of counsel, limit the number of\nwives to four,9 though their law confines them not to any certain number.10\n   Divorce is also well known to be allowed by the Mohammedan law, as it was\nby the Mosaic, with this difference only, that, according to the latter, a man\ncould not take again a woman whom he had divorced, and who had been married or\nbetrothed to another;1 whereas Mohammed, to prevent his followers from\ndivorcing their wives on every light occasion, or out of an inconstant humour,\nordained that, if a man divorced his wife the third time (for he might divorce\nher twice without being obliged to part with her, if he repented of what he\nhad done), it should not be lawful for him to take her again until she had\nbeen first married and bedded by another, and divorced by such second\nhusband.2  And this precaution has had so good an effect that the Mohammedans\nare seldom known to proceed to the extremity of divorce, notwithstanding the\nliberty given them, it being reckoned a great disgrace so to do; and there are\nbut few, besides those who have little or no sense of honour, that will take a\nwife again on the condition enjoined.3  It must be observed that, though a man\nis allowed by the Mohammedan, as by the Jewish law,4 to repudiate his wife\neven on the slightest disgust, yet the women are not allowed to separate\nthemselves from their husbands, unless it be for ill-usage, want of proper\nmaintenance, neglect of conjugal duty, impotency, or some cause of equal\nimport; but then she generally loses her dowry,5 which she does not if\ndivorced by her husband, unless she has been guilty of impudicity or notorious\ndisobedience.6\n   When a woman is divorced she is obliged, by the direction of the Kor\u00e2n, to\nwait till she hath had her courses thrice, or, if there be a doubt whether she\nbe subject to them or not, by reason of her age, three months, before she\nmarry another; after which time expired, in case she be found not with child,\nshe is at full liberty to dispose of herself as she pleases; but if she prove\nwith child, she must wait till she be delivered; and during her whole term of\nwaiting she may continue in the husband's house, and is to be maintained at\nhis expense, it being forbidden to turn the woman out before the expiration of\nthe term, unless she be guilty of dishonesty.7  Where a man divorces a woman\n\n   8  Sir J. Maundeville (who, excepting a few silly stories he tells from\nhearsay, deserves more credit than some travellers of better reputation),\nspeaking of the Alcoran, observes, among several other truths, that Mahomet\ntherein commanded a man should have two wives, or three, or four; though the\nMahometans then took nine wives, and lemans as many as they might sustain.\nMaundev. Travels, p. 164.\t\t9  Maimon. in Halachoth Ishoth. c. 14.\n\t10  Idem, ibid.  Vide Selden, Uxor. Hebr. l. r, c. 9.\n   1  Deut. xxiv. 3-4.  Jerem. iii.  I.  Vide Selden, ubi sup. l. r. c. II.\n\t2  Kor. c. 2, p. 24.\t\t3  Vide Selden, ubi sup. l. 3, c. 21, and\nRicaut's State of the Ottom. Empire, bk. ii. c. 21.\t\t4  Deut. xxiv I.\nLeo Modena, Hist. de gli Riti hebr. part i. c. 6.  Vide Selden, ubi sup.\n\t5  Vide Busbeq. Ep. 3, p. 184; Smith, de Morib. ac Instit. Turcar. Ep.\n2, p. 52; and Chardin, Voy. de Perse, t. I, p. 169.\t\t6  Kor. c. 4, p.\n55.\t7  Kor. c. 2, p. 24, and c. 65.\n\n\n\nbefore consummation, she is not obliged to wait any particular time,8 nor is\nhe obliged to give her more than one-half of her dower.9  If the divorced\nwoman have a young child, she is to suckle it till it be two years old; the\nfather, in the meantime, maintaining her in all respects: a widow is also\nobliged to do the same, and to wait four months and ten days before she marry\nagain.1\n   These rules ar also copied form those of the Jews, according to whom a\ndivorced woman, or a widow, cannot marry another man, till ninety days be\npast, after the divorce or death of the husband:2 and she who gives suck is to\nbe maintained for two years, to be computed from the birth of the child;\nwithin which time she must not marry, unless the child die, or her milk be\ndried up.3\n   Whoredom, in single women as well as married, was, in the beginning\nMohammedism, very severely punished; such being ordered to be shut up in\nprison till they died: but afterwards it was ordained by the Sonna, that an\nadulteress should be stoned,4 and an unmarried woman guilty of fornication\nscourged with a hundred stripes, and banished for a year.5  A she-slave, if\nconvicted of adultery, is to suffer but half the punishment of a free woman,6\nviz., fifty stripes, and banishment for six months; but is not to be put to\ndeath.  To convict a woman of adultery, so as to make it capital, four\nwitnesses are expressly required,7 and those, as the commentators say, ought\nto be men: and if a man falsely accuse a woman of reputation of whoredom of\nany kind, and is not able to support the charge by that number of witnesses,\nhe is to receive fourscore stripes, and his testimony is to be held invalid\nfor the future.8  Fornication, in either sex, is by the sentence of the Kor\u00e2n\nto be punished with a hundred stripes.9\n   If a man accuse his wife of infidelity, and is not able to prove it by\nsufficient evidence, and will swear four times that it is true, and the fifth\ntime imprecate GOD'S vengeance on him if it be false, she is to be looked on\nas convicted, unless she will take the like oaths, and make the like\nimprecation, in testimony of her innocency; which is she do, she is free from\npunishment, though the marriage ought to be dissolved.10\n   In most of the last-mentioned particulars the decisions of the Kor\u00e2n also\nagree with those of the Jews.  By the law of Moses, adultery, whether in a\nmarried women or a virgin betrothed, was punished with death; and the man who\ndebauched them was to suffer the same punishment.1  The penalty of simple\nfornication was scourging, the\n\n   8  Ibid. c. 33.\t\t9  Ibid. c. 2, p. 25.\t\t1  Ibid. c. 2, p.\n25, and c. 65.\t\t2  Mishna, tit. Yabimoth, c. 4.  Gemar. Babyl. ad\neund. tit. Maimon. in Halach.  Girushin, Shylhan Aruch, part iii.\t3  Mishna,\nand Gemara, and Maimon. ubi supra.  Gem. Babyl. ad tit. Cetuboth, c. 5, and\nJos. Karo, in Shylh\u00e2n Aruch, c. 50, \u00a7 2.  Vide Selden, Ux. Hebr. l. 2, c. II,\nand l. 3, c. 10, in fin.\n4  And the adulterer also, according to a passage once extant in the Kor\u00e2n,\nand still in force, as some suppose.  See the notes to Kor. c. 3, p. 34, and\nthe Prel. Disc. p. 52.\t\t5  Kor. c. 4, p. 55.  See the notes there.\n\t6  Ibid. p. 57.\n7  Ibid. p. 55.\t\t8  Ibid. c. 24.\t\t9  Ibid.   This law relates\nnot to married people, as Selden supposes; Ux. Heb. l. 3, c. 12.\t\t10\nIbid. p. 288.  See the notes there.\n   1  Levit. xx. 10; Deut. xxii. 22.  The kind of death to be inflicted on\nadulterers, in common cases being not expressed, the Talmudists generally\nsuppose it to be strangling, which they think is designed wherever the phrase\n\"shall be put to death,\" or \"shall die the death,\" is used, as they imagine\nstoning is by the expression, \"his blood shall be upon him;\" and hence it has\nbeen concluded by some that the woman taken in adultery mentioned in the\nGospel (John viii.) was a betrothed maiden, because such a one and her\naccomplice were plainly ordered to be stoned (Deut. xxii. 23, 24).  But the\nancients seem to have been of a different opinion,\n\n\n\n\ngeneral punishment in cases where none is particularly appointed: and a\nbetrothed bondmaid, if convicted of adultery, underwent the same punishment,\nbeing exempted from death, because she was not free.2  By the same law no\nperson was to be put to death on the oath of one witness:3 and a man who\nslandered his wife was also to be chastised, that is scourged, and fined one\nhundred shekels of silver.4  The method of trying a woman suspected of\nadultery where evidence was wanting, by forcing her to drink the bitter water\nof jealousy,5 though disused by the Jews long before the time of Mohammed,6\nyet, by reason of the oath of cursing with which the woman was charged, and to\nwhich she was obliged to say \"Amen,\" bears great resemblance to the expedient\ndevised by that prophet on the like occasion.\n   The institutions of Mohammed relating to the pollution of women during\ntheir courses,7 the taking of slaves to wife,8 and the prohibiting of marriage\nwithin certain degrees,9 have likewise no small affinity with the institutions\nof Moses;10 and the parallel might be carried farther in several other\nparticulars.\n   As to the prohibited degrees, it may be observed, that the pagan Arabs\nabstained from marrying their mothers, daughters, and aunts both on the\nfather's side and on the mother's, and held it a most scandalous thing to\nmarry two sister, or for a man to take his father's wife;11 which last was,\nnotwithstanding, too frequently practised,12 and is expressly forbidden in the\nKor\u00e2n.13\n   Before I leave the subject of marriages, it may be proper to take notice of\nsome peculiar privileges in relation thereto, which were granted by GOD to\nMohammed, as he gave out, exclusive of all other Moslems.  One of them was,\nthat he might lawfully marry as many wives and have as many concubines as he\npleased, without being confined to any particular number;1 and this he\npretended to have been the privilege of the prophets before him.  Another was,\nthat he might alter the turns of his wives, and take such of them to his bed\nas he thought fit, without being tied to that order and equality which others\nare obliged to observe.2  A third privilege was, that no man might marry any\nof his wives,3 either such as he should divorce during his lifetime, or such\nas he should leave widows at his death: which last particular exactly agrees\nwith what the Jewish doctors have determined concerning the wives of their\nprinces; it being judged by them to be a thing very indecent, and for that\nreason unlawful, for another to marry either the divorced wife or the widow of\na king;4 and Mohammed, it seems, thought an equal respect, at least, due to\nthe prophetic as to the regal dignity, and therefore ordered that his relicts\nshould pass the remainder of their lives in perpetual widowhood.\n\nand to have understood stoning to be the punishment of adulterers in general.\nVide Selden, Ux. Hebr. l. 3, c. 11 and 12.\n   2  Levit. xix. 20.\t\t3  Deut. xix. 15, xvii. 6, and Numb. xxxv. 30.\n\t4 Deut. xxii. 13-19.\t\t5  Numb. v. 11, &c.\t\t6  Vide\nSelden, ubi sup. l. 3, c. 15, and Leon. Modena, de' Riti Hebraici, parte iv.\nc. 6.\t\t7  Kor. c. 2, p. 23.\t\t8  Ibid. c. 4, p. 53 and 57, &c.\n\t9  Ibid. p. 56\t\t10  See Levit. xv. 24, xviii. 19, and xx. 18;\nExod. xxi. 8-11; Deut. xxi. 10-14; Levit. xviii. and xx.\t\t\t11\nAbulfed. Hist. Gen. al Shahrestani, apud Poc. Spec. p. 321 and 338.\n\t12  Vide Poc. ibid. p. 337, &c.\t13  Cap. 4, p. 56.\t\t1\nKor. c. 33.  See also c. 66, and the notes there.\t\t2  Kor. c. 33.\nSee the notes there.\t\t3  Ibid.\t\t4  Mishna, tit. Sanhedr. c. 2,\nand Gemar, in eund. tit. Maimon.  Halachoth Melachim, c. 2.  Vide Selden, Ux.\nHebr. l. I, c. 10.  Prid. Life of Mah. p. 118.\n\n\n\n\n   The laws of the Kor\u00e2n concerning inheritances are also in several respects\nconformable to those of the Jews, though principally designed to abolish\ncertain practices of the pagan Arabs, who used to treat widows and orphan\nchildren with great injustice, frequently denying them any share in the\ninheritance of their fathers or their husbands, on pretence that the same\nought to be distributed among those only who were able to bear arms, and\ndisposing of the widows, even against their consent, as part of their\nhusbands' possessions.5  To prevent such injuries for the future, Mohammed\nordered that women should be respected, and orphans have no wrong done them;\nand in particular that women should not be taken against their wills, as by\nright of inheritance, but should themselves be entitled to a distributive part\nof what their parents, husbands, and near relations should leave behind them,\nin a certain proportion.6\n   The general rule to be observed in the distribution of the deceased's\nestate is, that a male shall have twice as much as a female:1 but to this rule\nthere are some few exceptions; a man's parents, for example, and also his\nbrothers and sisters, where they are entitled not to the whole, but a small\npart of the inheritance, being to have equal shares with one another in the\ndistribution thereof, without making any difference on account of sex.2  The\nparticular proportions, in several cases, distinctly and sufficiently declare\nthe intention of Mohammed; whose decisions expressed in the Kor\u00e2n3 seem to be\npretty equitable, preferring a man's children first, and then his nearest\nrelations.\n   If a man dispose of any part of his estate by will, two witnesses, at the\nleast, are required to render the same valid; and such witnesses ought to be\nof his own tribe, and of the Mohammedan religion, if such can be had.4  Though\nthere be no express law to the contrary, yet the Mohammedan doctors reckon it\nvery wrong for a man to give away any part of his substance from his family,\nunless it be in legacies for pious uses; and even in that case a man ought not\nto give all he has in charity, but only a reasonable part in proportion to his\nsubstance.  On the other hand, though a man make no will, and bequeath nothing\nfor charitable uses, yet the heirs are directed, on the distribution of the\nestate, if the value will permit, to bestow something on the poor, especially\nsuch as are of kin to the deceased, and to the orphans.5\n   The first law, however, laid down by Mohammed touching inheritances, was\nnot very equitable; for he declared that those who had fled with him from\nMecca, and those who had received and assisted him at Medina, should be deemed\nthe nearest of kin, and consequently heirs to one another, preferably to and\nin exclusion of their relations by blood; nay, though a man were a true\nbeliever, yet if he had not fled his country for the sake of religion and\njoined the prophet, he was to be looked on as a stranger:6 but this law\ncontinued not long in force, being quickly abrogated.7\n   It must be observed that among the Mohammedans the children of their\nconcubines or slaves are esteemed as equally legitimate with those\n\n   5  See c. 4, p. 53, 54, and 56, and the notes there.  Vide etiam Poc. Spec.\np. 337.\t\t6  Kor. c. 4, ubi supra.\n1  Ibid. p. 54 and 72.  Vide Chardin, Voy. de Perse, t. 2, p. 293.\n\t2  Kor. ibid. p. 54.\t3  Ibid. and p. 72.\n4  Kor. c. 5, p. 86.\t\t5  Kor. c. 4, p. 54.\t\t\t6  Cap. 8.\n\t7  Ibid. and c. 33\n\n\n\nof their legal and ingenuous wives; none being accounted bastards, except such\nonly as are born of common women, and whose fathers are unknown.\n   As to private contracts between man and man, the conscientious performance\nof them is frequently recommended in the Kor\u00e2n.1  For the preventing of\ndisputes, all contracts are directed to be made before witnesses,2 and in case\nsuch contracts are not immediately executed, the same ought to be reduced into\nwriting in the presence of two witnesses3 at least, who ought to be Moslems\nand of the male sex; but if two men cannot be conveniently had, then one man\nand two women may suffice.  The same method is also directed to be taken for\nthe security of debts to be paid at a future day; and where a writer is not to\nbe found, pledges are to be taken.4  Hence, if people trust one another\nwithout writing, witnesses, or pledge, the party on whom the demand is made is\nalways acquitted if he denies the charge on oath, and swears that he owes the\nplaintiff nothing, unless the contrary be proved by very convincing\ncircumstances.5\n   Wilful murder, though forbidden by the Kor\u00e2n under the severest penalties\nto be inflicted in the next life,6 is yet, by the same book, allowed to be\ncompounded for, on payment of a fine to the family of the deceased, and\nfreeing a Moslem from captivity; but it is in the election of the next of kin,\nor the revenger of blood, as he is called in the Pentateuch, either to accept\nof such satisfaction, or to refuse it; for he may, if he pleases, insist on\nhaving the murderer delivered into his hands, to be put to death in such\nmanner as he shall think fit.7  In this particular Mohammed has gone against\nthe express letter of the Mosaic law, which declare that no satisfaction shall\nbe taken for the life of a murderer;8 and he seems, in so doing, to have had\nrespect to the customs of the Arabs in his time, who, being of a vindictive\ntemper, used to revenge murder in too unmerciful a manner,9 whole tribes\nfrequently engaging in bloody wars on such occasions, the natural consequence\nof their independency, and having no common judge of superior.\n   If the Mohammedan laws seem light in case of murder, they may perhaps be\ndeemed too rigorous in case of manslaughter, or the killing of a man\nundesignedly, which must be redeemed by fine (unless the next of kin shall\nthink fit to remit it out of charity), and the freeing of a captive: but if a\nman be not able to do this, he is to fast two months together, by way of\npenance.1  The fine for a man's blood is set in the Sonna at a hundred\ncamels,2 and is to be distributed among the relations of the deceased,\naccording to the laws of inheritances; but it must be observed that, though\nthe person slain be a Moslem, yet if he be of a nation or party at enmity, or\nnot in confederacy with those to whom the slayer belongs, he is not then bound\nto pay any fine at all, the redeeming a captive being, in such case, declared\na sufficient penalty.3  I\n\n   1  Cap. 5, p. 73; c. 17; c. 2, p. 31, &c.\t\t2  Cap. 2, p. 31.\n\t3  The same seems to have been required by the Jewish law, even in cases\nwhere life was not concerned.  See Deut. xix. 15, Matth. xviii. 16, John viii.\n17, 2 Cor. xiii. I.\n4  Kor. c. 2, p. 30, 31. \t\t5  Vide Chardin, Voy. de Perse, t. 2, p.\n294, &c., and the notes to Kor. c. 5, p. 86.\n6  Kor. c. 4, p. 64.\t\t7  Cap. 2, p. 18, 19; c. 17.  Vide Chardin, ubi\nsup. p. 299, &c.\t\t8  Numb. xxxv. 31.\n9  This is particularly forbidden in the Kor\u00e2n, c. 17.\t\t1  Kor. c.\n4, p. 64.\t\t2  See the notes to c. 37\n3  Kor. c. 4, p. 64.\n\n\n\nimagine that Mohammed, by these regulations, laid so heavy a punishment on\ninvoluntary manslaughter, not only to make people beware incurring the same,\nbut also to humour, in some degree, the revengeful temper of his countrymen,\nwhich might be with difficulty, if at all, prevailed on to accept a lighter\nsatisfaction.  Among the Jews, who seem to have been no less addicted to\nrevenge than their neighbours, the manslayer who had escaped to a city of\nrefuge was obliged to keep himself within that city, and to abide there till\nthe death of the person who was high priest at the time the fact was\ncommitted, that his absence and time might cool the passion and mitigate the\nresentment of the friends of the deceased; but if he quitted his asylum before\nthat time, the revenger of blood, if he found him, might kill him without\nguilt;4 nor could any satisfaction be made for the slayer to return home\nbefore the prescribed time.5\n   Theft is ordered to be punished by cutting off the offending part, the\nhand,6 which, at first sight, seems just enough; but the law of Justinian,\nforbidding a thief to be maimed,7 is more reasonable; because, stealing being\ngenerally the effect of indigence, to cut off that limb would be to deprive\nhim of the means of getting his livelihood in an honest manner.8  The Sonna\nforbids the inflicting of this punishment, unless the thing stolen be of a\ncertain value.  I have mentioned in another place the further penalties which\nthose incur who continue to steal, and of those who rob or assault people on\nthe road.9\n   As to injuries done to men in their persons, the law of retaliation, which\nwas ordained by the law of Moses,10 is also approved by the Kor\u00e2n:1 but this\nlaw, which seems to have been allowed by Mohammed to his Arabians for the same\nreasons as it was to the Jews, viz., to prevent particular revenges, to which\nboth nations were extremely addicted,2 being neither strictly just nor\npracticable in many cases, is seldom put in execution, the punishment being\ngenerally turned into a mulct or fine, which is paid to the party injured.3\nOr rather Mohammed designed the words of the Kor\u00e2n relating thereto should be\nunderstood in the same manner as those of the Pentateuch most probably ought\nto be; that is, not of an actual retaliation, according to the strict literal\nmeaning, but of a retribution proportionable to the injury: for a criminal had\nnot his eyes put out, nor was a man mutilated, according to the law of Moses,\nwhich, besides, condemned those who had wounded any person, where death did\nnot ensue, to pay a fine only,4 the expression \"eye for eye and tooth for\ntooth\" being only a proverbial manner of speaking, the sense whereof amounts\nto this, that every one shall be punished by the judges according to the\nheinousness of the fact.5\n   In injuries and crimes of an inferior nature, where no particular\npunishment is provided by the Kor\u00e2n, and where a pecuniary compensation will\nnot do, the Mohammedans, according to the practice of the\n\n   4  See Numb. xxxv. 26, 27, 28.\t\t5  Ibid. v. 32.\t\t6  Kor. c.\n5, p. 78.  \t7  Novell. 134, c. 13.\n8  Vide Pufendorf, de Jure Nat. et Gent. l. 8, c. 3, \u00a7 26.\t\t9  See the\nnotes to c. 5, p. 78.\t\t10  Exod. xxi. 24, &c., Levit. xxiv. 20, Deut.\nxix. 21.\t\t1  Cap. 5, p. 79.\t\t2  Vide Grotium , de Jure Belli et\nPacis, l. I, c. 2, \u00a7 8.\n3  Vide Chardin, t. 2, p. 299.  The talio, likewise established among the old\nRomans by the laws of the twelve tables, was not to be inflicted, unless the\ndelinquent could not agree with the person injured.  Vide A. Gell. Noct.\nAttic. l. 20, c. I, and Festum, in voce Talio.\n4  See Exod. xxi. 18, 19, and 22.\t\t5  Barbeyrac, in Grot. ubi supra.\nVide Cleric. in Exod. xxi. 24, and Deut. xix. 21.\n\n\n\nJews in the like case,6 have recourse to stripes or drubbing, the most common\nchastisement used in the east at this day, as well as formerly; the cudgel,\nwhich for its virtue and efficacy in keeping their people in good order, and\nwithin the bounds of duty, they say came down from heaven, being the\ninstrument wherewith the judge's sentence is generally executed.7\n   Notwithstanding the Kor\u00e2n is by the Mohammedans in general regarded as the\nfundamental apart of their civil law, and the decisions of the Sonna among the\nTurks, and of the Im\u00e2ms among those of the Persian sect, with the explications\nof their several doctors, are usually followed in judicial determinations, yet\nthe secular tribunals do not think themselves bound to observe the same in all\ncases, but frequently give judgment against those decisions, which are not\nalways consonant to equity and reason; and therefore distinction is to be made\nbetween the written civil law, as administered in the ecclesiastical courts,\nand the law of nature or common law (if I may so call it) which takes place in\nthe secular courts, and has the executive power on its side.1\n   Under the head of civil laws may be comprehended the injunction of warring\nagainst infidels, which is repeated in several passages of the Kor\u00e2n,2 and\ndeclared to be of high merit in the sight of GOD, those who are slain fighting\nin defence of the faith being reckoned martyrs, and promised immediate\nadmission into paradise.3  Hence this duty is greatly magnified by the\nMohammedan divines, who call the sword the key of heaven and hell, and\npersuade their people that the least drop of blood spilt in the way of GOD, as\nit is called, is most acceptable unto him, and that the defending the\nterritories of the Moslems for one night is more meritorious than a fast of\ntwo months:4 on the other hand, desertion, or refusing to serve in these holy\nwars, or to contribute towards the carrying them on, if a man has ability, is\naccounted a most heinous crime, being frequently declaimed against in the\nKor\u00e2n.5  Such a doctrine, which Mohammed ventured not to teach till his\ncircumstances enabled him to put it in practice,6 it must be allowed, was well\ncalculated for his purpose, and stood him and his successors in great stead:\nfor what dangers and difficulties may not be despised and overcome by the\ncourage and constancy which these sentiments necessarily inspire?  Nor have\nthe Jews and Christians, how much soever they detest such principles in\nothers, been ignorant of the force of enthusiastic heroism, or omitted to\nspirit up their respective partisans by the like arguments and promises.  \"Let\nhim who has listed himself in defence of the law,\" says Maimonides,7 \"rely on\nhim who is the hope of Israel, and the saviour thereof in the time of\ntrouble;8 and let him know that he fights for the profession of the divine\nunity: wherefore let him put his life in his hand,9 and think neither of wife\nnor children, but banish the memory of them from his heart, having his mind\nwholly fixed on the war.  For if he should begin to waver in his thoughts, he\nwould not only confound himself, but sin against the law;\n\n   6  See Deut. xxv. 2, 3.\t\t7  Vide Grelot, Voy. de Constant. p. 220,\nand Chardin, ubi supra, p. 302.\t\t1  Vide Chardin, ubi supra, p. 290,\n&c.\t\t2  Cap. 22; c. 2, p. 20; c . 4, p. 62, &c.; c. 8; c. 9; c. 47 and\nc. 61, &c.\t\t3  Cap. 2, p. 17; c. 3, p. 47; c. 47; c. 61.\t\t4\nReland. de Jure Milit. Moham. p. 5, &c.\t5  Vide c. 9; c. 3, p. 47, &c.\n\t6  See before, p. 37.\t\t7  Halach. Melachim, c. 7.\t\t8\nJerem. xiv. 8.\t\t9  Job xiii. 14.\n\n\n\nnay, the blood of the whole people hangeth on his neck; for if they are\ndiscomfited, and he has not fought stoutly with all his might, it is equally\nthe same as if he had shed the blood of them all; according to that saying,\nlet him return, lest his brethren's heart fail as his own.\"1  To the same\npurpose doth the Kabala accommodate that other passage, \"Cursed be he who doth\nthe work of the LORD negligently, and cursed be he who keepeth back his sword\nfrom blood.2  On the contrary, he who behaveth bravely in battle, to the\nutmost of his endeavour, without trembling, with intent to glorify GOD'S name,\nhe ought to expect the victory with confidence, and to apprehend no danger or\nmisfortune, but may be assured that he will have a house built him in Israel,\nappropriated to him and his children for ever; as it is said, GOD shall\ncertainly make my lord a sure house, because he hath fought the battles of the\nLORD, and his life shall be bound up in the bundle of life with the LORD his\nGOD.\"3  More passages of this kind might be produced from the Jewish writers;\nand the Christians come not far behind them.  \"We are desirous of knowing,\"\nsays one4 writing to the Franks engaged in the holy war, \"the charity of you\nall; for that every one (which we speak not because we wish it) who shall\nfaithfully lose his life in this warfare, shall be by no means denied the\nkingdom of heaven.\"  And another5 gives the following exhortation: \"Laying\naside all fear and dread, endeavour to act effectually against the enemies of\nthe holy faith, and the adversaries of all religions: for the Almighty\nknoweth, if any of you die, that he dieth for the truth of the faith, and the\nsalvation of his country, and the defence of Christians; and therefore he\nshall obtain of him a celestial reward.\"  The Jews, indeed, had a divine\ncommission, extensive and explicit enough, to attack, subdue, and destroy the\nenemies of their religion; and Mohammed pretended to have received one in\nfavour of himself and his Moslems, in terms equally plain and full; and\ntherefore it is no wonder that they should act consistently with their avowed\nprinciples: but that Christians should teach and practise a doctrine so\nopposite to the temper and whole tenour of the Gospel, seems very strange; and\nyet the latter have carried matters farther, and shown a more violent spirit\nof intolerance than either of the former.\n   The laws of war, according to the Mohammedans, have been already so exactly\nset down by the learned Reland,6 that I need say very little of them.  I\nshall, therefore, only observe some conformity between their military laws and\nthose of the Jews.\n   While Mohammedism was in its infancy, the opposers thereof taken in battle\nwere doomed to death, without mercy; but this was judged too severe to be put\nin practice when that religion came to be sufficiently established, and past\nthe danger of being subverted by its enemies.1  The same sentence was\npronounced not only against the seven Canaanitish nations,2 whose possessions\nwere given to the Israelites, and without whose destruction, in a manner, they\ncould not have settled themselves in the country designed them, but against\nthe\n\n   1  Deut. xx. 8.\t\t2  Jerem. xlviii. 10.\t\t3  I Sam. xxv. 28,\n29.\t\t4  Nicolaus, in Jure Canon. c. omnium, 23, qu\u00e6st. 5. \t\t5  Leo\nIV. ibid. qu\u00e6st. 8.\t\t6  In his treatise De Jure Militari\nMohammedanor. in the third vol. of his Dissertationes Miscellan\u00e6e.\n\t1  See Kor. c. 47. and the notes there; and c. 4, p. 64; c. 5, p. 77.\n2  Deut. xx. 16-18.\n\n\n\nAmalekites3 and Midianites,4 who had done their utmost to cut them off in\ntheir passage thither.  When the Mohammedans declare war against people of a\ndifferent faith, they give them their choice of three offers, viz., either to\nembrace Mohammedism, in which case they become not only secure in their\npersons, families, and fortunes, but entitled to all the privileges of other\nMoslems; or to submit and pay tribute,5 by doing which they are allowed to\nprofess their own religion, provided it be not gross idolatry or against the\nmoral law; or else to decide the quarrel by the sword, in which last case, if\nthe Moslems prevail, the women and children which are made captives become\nabsolute slaves, and the men taken in the battle may either be slain, unless\nthey turn Mohammedans, or otherwise disposed of at the pleasure of the\nprince.6  Herewith agree the laws of war given to the Jews, which relate to\nthe nations not devoted to destruction;7 and Joshua is said to have sent even\nto the inhabitants of Canaan, before he entered the land, three schedules, in\none of which was written, \"Let him fly, who will;\" in the second, \"Let him who\nsurrender, who will;\" and in the third, \"Let him fight, who will;\"8 though\nnone of those nations made peace with the Israelites (except only the\nGibeonites, who obtained terms of security by stratagem, after they had\nrefused those offered by Joshua), \"it being of the LORD to harden their\nhearts, that he might destroy them utterly.\"9\n   On the first considerable success of Mohammed in war, the dispute which\nhappened among his followers in relation to the dividing of the spoil,\nrendered it necessary for him to make some regulation therein; he therefore\npretended to have received the divine commission to distribute the spoil among\nhis soldiers at his own discretion,1 reserving thereout, in the first place,\none-fifth part2 for the uses after mentioned; and, in consequence hereof, he\ntook himself to be authorized on extraordinary occasions, to distribute it as\nhe thought fit, without observing an equality.  Thus he did, for example, with\nthe spoil of the tribe of Haw\u00e2zen taken at the battle of Honein, which he\nbestowed by way of presents on the Meccans only, passing by those of Medina,\nand highly distinguishing the principal Korashites, that he might ingratiate\nhimself with them, after he had become master of their city.3  He was also\nallowed in the expedition against those of al Nad\u00eer to take the whole booty to\nhimself, and to dispose thereof as he pleased, because no horses or camels\nwere made use of in that expedition,4 but the whole army went on foot; and\nthis became thenceforward a law:5 the reason of which seems to be, that the\nspoil taken by a party consisting of infantry\n\n   3  Ibid. c. xxv. 17-19.\t\t4  Numb. xxxi. 17.\t\t5  See c. 9,\nand the notes there.\t\t6  See the notes to c. 47.\t\t7  Deut. xx.\n10-15.\t\t8  Talmud Hierosol. apud Maimonid.  Halach. Melachim, c. 6,\n\u00a7 5.  R. Bechai, ex. lib. Siphre.  Vide Selden, de Jure Nat. et Gent.  Sec.\nHebr. l. 6, c. 13 and 14; and Schickardi Jus Regium Hebr. c. 5, Theor. 16.\n   9  Josh. xi. 20.  The Jews, however, say that the Girgashites, believing\nthey could not escape the destruction with which they were threatened by GOD,\nif they persisted to defend themselves, fled into Africa in great numbers.\n(Vide Talm. Hieros. ubi sup.)  And this is assigned as the reason why the\nGirgashites are not mentioned among the other Canaanitish nations who\nassembled to fight against Joshua (Josh. ix. I0, and who were doomed to utter\nextirpation (Deut. xx. 17).  But it is observable, that the Girgashites are\nnot omitted by the Septuagint in either of those texts, and that their name\nappears in the latter of them in the Samaritan Pentateuch: they are also\njoined with the other Canaanites as having fought against Israel, in Josh.\nxxiv. II.\t\t1  Kor. c. 8.\n2  Ibid.\t\t3  Abulfed. in Vit. Moh. p. 118, &c.  Vide Kor. c. 9. and\nthe notes there.\t\t4  Kor. c. 59, see the notes there.\t\t5  Vide\nAbulfed. ubi sup. p. 91.\n\n\n\nonly, should be considered as the more immediate gift of GOD,6 and therefore\nproperly left to the disposition of his apostle.  According to the Jews, the\nspoil ought to be divided into two equal parts, one to be shared among the\ncaptors, and the other to be taken by the prince,7 and by him employed for his\nown support and the use of the public.  Moses, it is true, divided one-half of\nthe plunder of the Midianites among those who went to battle, and the other\nhalf among all congregation:8 but this, they say, being a peculiar case, and\ndone by the express order of GOD himself, must not be looked on as a\nprecedent.9  It should seem, however, from the words of Joshua to the two\ntribes and a half, when he sent them home into Gilead after the conquest and\ndivision of the land of Canaan , that they were to divide the spoil of their\nenemies with their brethren, after their return:10 and the half which was in\nsucceeding times taken by the king, was in all probability taken by him as\nhead of the community, and representing the whole body.  It is remarkable that\nthe dispute among Mohammed's men about sharing the booty at Bedr,11 arose on\nthe same occasion as did that among David's soldiers in relation to the spoils\nrecovered from the Amalekites;1 those who had been in the action insisting\nthat they who tarried by the stuff should have no part of the spoil; and that\nthe same decision was given in both cases, which became a law for the future,\nto wit, that they should part alike.\n   The fifth part directed by the Kor\u00e2n to be taken out of the spoil before it\nbe divided among the captors, is declared to belong to GOD, and to the apostle\nand his kindred, and the orphans, and the poor, and the traveller:2 which\nwords are variously understood.  al Sh\u00e2fe\u00ef was of opinion that the whole ought\nto be divided into five parts; the first, which he called GOD'S part, to go to\nthe treasury, and be employed in building and repairing fortresses, bridges,\nand other public works, and in paying salaries to magistrates, civil officers,\nprofessors of learning, ministers of public worship, &c.: the second part to\nbe distributed among the kindred of Mohammed, that is, the descendants of his\ngrandfather H\u00e2shem, and of his great-uncle al Motalleb,3 as well the rich as\nthe poor, the children as the adult, the women as the men; observing only to\ngive a female but half the share of a male: the third part to go to the\norphans: the fourth part to the poor, who have not wherewithal to maintain\nthemselves the year round, and are not able to get their livelihood: and the\nfifth part to travellers, who are in want on the road, notwithstanding they\nmay be rich men in their own country.4  According to Malec Ebn Ans the whole\nis at the disposition of the Im\u00e2m or prince, who may distribute the same at\nhis own discretion, where he sees most need.5  Abu'l Aliya wen according to\nthe letter of the Kor\u00e2n, and declared his opinion to be that the whole should\nbe divided into six parts, and that GOD'S part should be applied to the\nservice of the Caaba: while others supposed GOD'S part and the apostle's to be\none and the same.6  Abu Han\u00eefa thought that the share of Mohammed and his\nkindred sank at that prophet's death, since which the whole\n\n   6  Vide Kor. c. 59, ubi supra.\t\t7  Gemar. Babyl. ad tit. Sanhedr. c.\n2.  Vide Selden, de Jure Nat. et Gent. Sec. Hebr. lib. 6, c. 16.\t\t8\nNumb. xxxi. 27.\t\t9  Vide Maim. Halach, Melach. c. 4.\t10  Josh. xxii. 8.\n11  See Kor. c. 8., and the notes there.\t\t1  I Sam. xxx. 21-25.\t2\nKor. c. 8.\t\t3  Note, al Sh\u00e2fe\u00ef himself was descended from this latter.\n\t4  Al Beid.  Vide Reland. de Jure Milit. Moham. p. 42, &c.\n5  Idem.\t\t6  Idem.\n\n\n\nought to be divided among the orphans, the poor, and the traveller.7  Some\ninsist that the kindred of Mohammed entitled to a shire of the spoils are the\nposterity of H\u00e2shem only; but those who think the descendants of his brother\nal Motalleb have also a right to a distributive part, allege a tradition in\ntheir favour purporting that Mohammed himself divided the share belonging to\nhis relations among both families, and when Othm\u00e2n Ebn Ass\u00e2n and Jobeir Ebn\nMat\u00e1m (who were descended from Abdshams and Nawfal the other brothers of\nH\u00e2shem) told him, that though they disputed not the preference of the\nH\u00e2shemites, they could not help taking it ill to see such difference made\nbetween the family of al Motalleb and themselves, who were related to him in\nan equal degree, and yet had no part in the distribution, the prophet replied\nthat the descendants of al Motalleb had forsaken him neither in the time of\nignorance, nor since the revelation of Isl\u00e2m; and joined his fingers together\nin token of the strict union between them and the H\u00e2shemites.8  Some exclude\nnone of the tribe of Koreish from receiving a part in the division of the\nspoil, and make no distinction between the poor and the rich; though,\naccording to the more reasonable opinion, such of them as are poor only are\nintended by the text of the Kor\u00e2n, as is agreed in the case of the stranger:\nand others go so far as to assert that the whole fifth commanded to be\nreserved belongs to them only, and that the orphans, and the poor, and the\ntraveller, are to be understood of such as are of that tribe.9  It must be\nobserved that immovable possessions, as lands, &c., taken in war, are subject\nto the same laws as the movable; excepting only that the fifth part of the\nformer is not actually divided, but the income and profits thereof, or of the\nprice thereof, if sold, are applied to public and pious uses, and distributed\nonce a year, and that the prince may either take the fifth part of the land\nitself, or the fifth part of the income and produce of the whole, as he shall\nmake his election.\n\n\n_______\n\n\n\n\nSECTION VII.\n\nOF THE MONTHS COMMANDED BY THE KORAN TO BE KEPT SACRED; AND\n \tOF THE SETTING APART OF FRIDAY FOR THE ESPECIAL SERVICE OF\n\tGOD.\n\nIT was a custom among the ancient Arabs to observe four months in the year as\nsacred, during which they held it unlawful to wage war, and took off the heads\nfrom their spears, ceasing from incursions and other hostilities.  During\nthose months whoever was in fear of his enemy lived in full security; so that\nif a man met the murderer of his\n\n\t\t\t\t7  Idem.\t\t8  Idem.\t\t9  Idem.\n\n\n\n\nfather or his brother, he durst not offer him any violence:1 A great\nargument,\" says a learned writer, \"of a humane disposition in that nation; who\nbeing by reason of the independent governments of their several tribes, and\nfor the preservation of their just rights, exposed to frequent quarrels with\none another, had yet learned to cool their inflamed breasts with moderation,\nand restrain the rage of war by stated times of truce.\"2\n   This institution obtained among all the Arabian tribes, except only those\nof Tay and Khath\u00e1am, and some of the descendants of Al Hareth Ebn Caab (who\ndistinguished no time or place as sacred),3 and was so religiously observed,\nthat there are but few instances in history (four, say some, six, say\nothers),4 of its having been transgressed; the wars which were carried on\nwithout regard thereto being therefore termed impious.  One of those instances\nwas in the war between the tribes of Koreish and Kais Ail\u00e2n, wherein Mohammed\nhimself served under his uncles, being then fourteen,5 or, as others say,\ntwenty6 years old.\n   The months which the Arabs held sacred were al Moharram, Rajeb. Dhu'lkaada,\nand Dhu'lhajja; the first, the seventh, the eleventh, and the twelfth in the\nyear.7  Dhu'lhajja being the month wherein they performed the pilgrimage to\nMecca, not only that month, but also the preceding and the following, were for\nthat reason kept inviolable, that every one might safely and without\ninterruption pass and repass to and from the festival.8  Rajeb is said to have\nbeen more strictly observed than any of the other three,9 probably because in\nthat month the pagan Arabs used to fast;10 Ramad\u00e2n, which was afterwards set\napart by Mohammed for that purpose, being in the time of ignorance dedicated\nto drinking in excess.11  By reason of the profound peace and security enjoyed\nin this month, one part of the provisions brought by the caravans of purveyors\nannually set out by the Koreish for the supply of Mecca,12 was distributed\namong the people; the other part being, for the like reason, distributed at\nthe pilgrimage.1\n   The observance of the aforesaid months seemed so reasonable to Mohammed,\nthat it met with his approbation; and the same is accordingly confirmed and\nenforced by several passages of the Kor\u00e2n,2 which forbid war to be waged\nduring those months against such as acknowledge them to be sacred, but grant,\nat the same time, full permission to attack those who make no such\ndistinction, in the sacred months as well as in the profane.3\n   One practice, however, of the pagan Arabs, in relation to these sacred\n\n   1  Al Kazw\u00eeni, apud Golium in notis ad Alfrag. p. 4, &c.  Al Shahrestani,\napud Poc. Spec. p. 311.  Al Jawhari, al Firauzab.\n2  Golius, ubi supra, p. 5.\t\t3  Al Shahrestani, ubi supra.  See before,\np. 95.\t\t4  Al Mogholta\u00ef.\n5  Abulfeda, Vit. Moh. p. II.\t\t6  al Kod\u00e2\u00ef, al Firauz. apud Poc. Spec. p.\n174.  Al Mogholta\u00ef mentions both opinions.\n7  Mr. Bayle (Dict. Hist. et Crit. Art. la Mecque, Rem. F.) accuses Dr.\nPrideaux of an inconsistency for saying in one place (Life of Mahomet, p. 64)\nthat these sacred months were the first, the seventh, the eleventh, and the\ntwelfth, and intimating in another place (ibid. p. 89) that three of them were\ncontiguous.  But this must be mere absence of mind in Mr Bayle; for are not\nthe eleventh, the twelfth, and the first months contiguous?  The two learned\nprofessors, Golius and Reland, have also made a small slip in speaking of\nthese sacred months, which, they tell us, are the two first and the two last\nin the year.  Vide Golii Lex. Arab. col. 601, and Reland. de Jure Milit.\nMohammed anor. p. 5.\t\t8  Vide Gol. in Alfrag. p. 9.\t\t9  Vide\nibid. p. 6.\t10  Al Makr\u00eezi, apud Poc ubi supra.\t\t11  Idem, and Auctor\nNeshk al Azh\u00e2r, ibid.\t\t12  See Kor. c. 106.\n1  A. Edr\u00eesi apud Poc. Specim. p. 127.\t\t2  Cap. 9; c. 2, p. 20; c. 5,\np. 73; c. 5, p. 85, &c.\t\t3  Cap. 9; c. 2, p. 20.\n\n\n\nmonths, Mohammed thought proper to reform: for some of them, weary of sitting\nquiet for three months together, and eager to make their accustomed incursions\nfor plunder, used, by way of expedient, whenever it suited their inclinations\nor conveniency, to put off the observing of al Moharram to the following month\nSafar,4 thereby avoiding to keep the former, which they supposed it lawful for\nthem to profane, provided they sanctified another month in lieu of it, and\ngave public notice thereof at the preceding pilgrimage.  This transferring the\nobservation of a sacred month to a profane month, is what is truly meant by\nthe Arabic word al Nas\u00ee, and is absolutely condemned, and declared to be an\nimpious innovation, in a passage of the Kor\u00e2n5 which Dr. Prideaux,6 misled by\nGolius,7 imagines to relate to the prolonging of the year, by adding an\nintercalary month thereto.  It is true, the Arabs, who imitated the Jews in\ntheir manner of computing by lunar years, had also learned their method of\nreducing them to solar years, by intercalating a month sometimes in the third,\nand sometimes in the second year;8 by which means they fixed the pilgrimage of\nMecca (contrary to the original institution) to a certain season of the year,\nviz., to autumn, as most convenient for the pilgrims, by reason of the\ntemperateness of the weather, and the plenty of provisions;9 and it is also\ntrue that Mohammed forbade such intercalation by a passage in the same chapter\nof the Kor\u00e2n; but then it is not the passage above mentioned, which prohibits\na different thing, but one a little before it, wherein the number of months in\nthe year, according to the ordinance of GOD, is declared to be twelve;10\nwhereas, if the intercalation of a month were allowed, every third or second\nyear would consist of thirteen, contrary to GOD'S appointment.\n   The setting apart of one day in the week for the more peculiar attendance\non GOD'S worship, so strictly required by the Jewish and Christian religions,\nappeared to Mohammed to be so proper an institution, that he could not but\nimitate the professors thereof in that particular; though, for the sake of\ndistinction, he might think himself obliged to order his followers to observe\na different day form either.  Several reasons are given why the sixth day of\nthe week was pitched on for this purpose;1 but Mohammed seems to have\npreferred that day chiefly because it was the day on which the people used to\nbe assembled long before his time,2 though such assemblies were had, perhaps,\nrather on a civil than a religious account.  However it be, the Mohammedan\nwriters bestow very extraordinary encomiums on this day, calling it the prince\nof day, and the most excellent day on which the sun rises;3 pretending also\nthat it will be the day whereon the last judgment will be solemnized;4 and\nthey esteem it a peculiar honour to Isl\u00e2m, that GOD has been pleased to\nappoint this day to be the feast-day of the Moslems, and granted them the\nadvantage of having first observed it.5\n   Though the Mohammedans do not think themselves bound to keep their day of\npublic worship so holy as the Jews and Christians are cer-\n\n   4  See the notes to c. 9, ubi sup.\t\t5  Cap. 9, ibid.\t\t6\nLife of Mah. p. 66.\n7  In Alfrag. p. 12.\t\t8  See Prid. Preface to the first vol. of his\nConnect. p. vi., &c.\t\t9  Vide Gol. ubi supra.\n10  Kor. c. 9.  See also c. 2, . 20.\t\t1  See c. 63, and the notes\nthere. \t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n3  Ebn al Ath\u00eer et al Ghaz\u00e2li, apud Poc. Spec. p. 317.\t\t\t4\nVide Ibid.\t5  Al Ghaz\u00e2li, ibid.\n\n\n\ntainly obliged to keep theirs, there being a permission, as is generally\nsupposed, in the Kor\u00e2n,6 allowing them to return to their employments or\ndiversion after divine service is over; yet the more devout disapprove the\napplying of any part of that day to worldly affairs, and require it to be\nwholly dedicated to the business of the life to come.7\n   Since I have mentioned the Mohammedan weekly feast, I beg leave just to\ntake notice of their two Beir\u00e2ms,8 or principal annual feasts.  The first of\nthem is called, in Arabic, Id al fetr, i.e., The feast of breaking the fast,\nand begins the first of Shaw\u00e2l, immediately succeeding the fast of Ramad\u00e2n;\nand the other is called Id al korb\u00e2n, or Id al adh\u00e2, i.e., The feast of the\nsacrifice, and begins on the tenth of Dhu'lhajja, when the victims are slain\nat the pilgrimage of Mecca.9  The former of these feasts is properly the\nlesser Beir\u00e2m, and the latter, the greater Beir\u00e2m:1 but the vulgar, and most\nauthors who have written of the Mohammedan affairs,2 exchange the epithets,\nand call that which follows Ramad\u00e2n the greater Beir\u00e2m, because it is observed\nin an extraordinary manner, and kept for three days together at Constantinople\nand in other parts of Turkey, and in Persia for five or six days, by the\ncommon people, at least, with great demonstrations of public joy, to make\nthemselves amends, as it were, for the mortification of the preceding month;3\nwhereas, the feast of sacrifices, though it be also kept for three days, and\nthe first of them be the most solemn day of the pilgrimage, the principal act\nof devotion among the Mohammedans is taken much less notice of by the\ngenerality of people, who are not struck therewith, because the ceremonies\nwith which the same is observed are performed at Mecca, the only scene of that\nsolemnity.\n\n\n\n_______\n\n\n\n\nSECTION VIII.\n\nOF THE PRINCIPAL SECTS AMONG THE MOHAMMEDANS; AND OF THOSE\n\tWHO HAVE PRETENDED TO PROPHECY AMONG THE ARABS, IN OR\n\tSINCE THE TIME OF MOHAMMED.\n\nBEFORE we take a view of the sects of the Mohammedans, it will be necessary to\nsay something of the two sciences by which all disputed questions among them\nare determined, viz., their Scholastic and Practical Divinity.\n   Their scholastic divinity is a mongrel science, consisting of logical,\nmetaphysical, theological, and philosophical disquisitions, and built on\n\n   6  Cap. 63, ubi supra.\t\t7  Al Ghaz\u00e2li, ubi sup. p. 318.\n\t8  The word Beir\u00e2m is Turkish, and properly signifies a feast-day or\nholiday.\t\t9  See c. 9, and before, Sect. IV. p. 94.\t\t1  Vide\nReland. de Relig. Moh. p. 109, and D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Beir\u00e2m.\n\t2  Hyde, in notis ad Bobov. p. 16; Chardin, Voy. de Perse, tom. ii. p.\n450; Ricaut's State of the Ottoman Empire, l. 2. c. 24, &c.\t\t3  Vide\nChardin and Ricaut, ubi supra.\n\n\n\n\nprinciples and methods of reasoning very different from what are used by those\nwho pass among the Mohammedans themselves for the sounder divines or more able\nphilosophers,1 and, therefore, in the partition of the sciences this is\ngenerally left out, as unworthy a place among them.2  The learned Maimonides3\nhas laboured to expose the principles and systems of the scholastic divines,\nas frequently repugnant to the nature of the world and the order of the\ncreation, and intolerably absurd.\n   This art of handling religious disputes was not known in the infancy of\nMohammedism, but was brought in when sects sprang up, and articles of religion\nbegan to be called in question, and was at first made use of to defend the\ntruth o those articles against innovators;1 and while it keeps within those\nbounds is allowed to be a commendable study, being necessary for the defence\nof the faith: but when it proceeds farther, out of an itch of disputation, it\nis judged worthy of censure.\n   This is the opinion of al Ghaz\u00e2li,2 who observes a medium between those who\nhave too high a value for this science, and those who absolutely reject it.\nAmong the latter was al Sh\u00e2fe\u00ef, who declared that, in his judgment, if any man\nemployed his time that way, he deserved to be fixed to a stake, and carried\nabout through all the Arab tribes, with the following proclamation to be made\nbefore him: 'This is the reward of him who, leaving the Kor\u00e2n and the Sonna,\napplied himself to the study of scholastic divinity.\"3  Al Ghaz\u00e2li, on the\nother hand, thinks that as it was introduced by the invasion of heresies, it\nis necessary to be retained in order to quell them: but then in the person who\nstudies this science he requires three things, diligence, acuteness of\njudgment, and probity of manners; and is by no means for suffering the same to\nbe publicly explained.4  This science, therefore, among the Mohammedans, is\nthe art of controversy, by which they discuss points of faith concerning the\nessence and attributes of GOD, and the conditions of all possible things,\neither in respect to their creation, or final restoration, according to the\nrules of the religion of Isl\u00e2m.5\n   The other science is practical divinity or jurisprudence, and is the\nknowledge of the decisions of the law which regard practice, gathered from\ndistinct proofs.\n   Al Ghaz\u00e2li declares that he had much the same opinion of this science as of\nthe former, its original being owing to the corruption of religion and\nmorality; and therefore judged both sciences to be necessary, not in\nthemselves, but by accident only, to curb the irregular imaginations and\npassions of mankind (as guards become necessary in the highways by reason of\nrobbers), the end of the first being the suppressing of heresies, and of the\nother the decision of legal controversies, for the quiet and peaceable living\nof mankind in this world, and for the preserving the rule by which the\nmagistrate may prevent one man from injuring another, by declaring what is\nlawful and what is unlawful, by determining the satisfaction to be given, or\npunishment to be\n\n   1  Poc. Spec. p. 196.\t\t2  Apud Ebn Sina, in Libello de Divisione\nScientiar, et Nasiro'ddin al T\u00fbsi, in Pr\u00e6fat. ad Ethic.\n3  More Nevoch. l. I, c. 71 and 73.\t\t1  Al Ghaz\u00e2li, apud Poc. ubi supra.\n\t2  Ibid.\n3  Vide Poc. ibid. p. 197.\t\t\t4  Al Ghaz\u00e2li, ibid.\t\t5  Ebn\nal Koss\u00e1 apud eund. ibid. p. 198.\n\n\n\ninflicted, and by regulating other outward actions; and not only so, but to\ndecide of religion itself, and its conditions, so far as relates to the\nprofession made by the mouth, it not being the business of the civilian to\ninquire into the heart:1 the depravity of men's manners, however, has made\nthis knowledge of the laws so very requisite, that it is usually called the\nScience, by way of excellence, nor is any man reckoned learned who has not\napplied himself thereto.2\n   The points of faith, subject to the examination and discussion of the\nscholastic divines, are reduced to four general heads, which they call the\nfour bases, or great fundamental articles.3\n   The first basis relates to the attributes of GOD, and his unity consistent\ntherewith.  Under this head are comprehended the questions concerning the\neternal attributes, which are asserted by some, and denied by others; and also\nthe explication of the essential attributes, and attributes of action; what is\nproper for GOD to do, and what may be affirmed of him, and what it is\nimpossible for him to do.  These things are controverted between the\nAsh\u00e1rians, the Ker\u00e2mians, the Mojassemians or Corporalists, and the\nM\u00f3tazalites.4\n   The second basis regards predestination, and the justice thereof: which\ncomprises the questions concerning GOD'S purpose and decree, man's compulsion\nor necessity to act, and his co-operation in producing actions, by which he\nmay gain to himself good or evil; and also those which concern GOD'S willing\ngood and evil, and what things are subject to his power, and what to his\nknowledge; some maintaining the affirmative, and others the negative.  These\npoints are disputed among the Kadarians, the Najarians, the Jabarians, the\nAsh\u00e1rians, and the Ker\u00e2mians.5\n   The third basis concerns the promises and threats, the precise acceptation\nof names used in divinity, and the divine decisions; and comprehends questions\nrelating to faith, repentance, promises, threats, forbearance, infidelity, and\nerror.  The controversies under this head are on foot between the Morgians,\nthe Wa\u00efdians, the M\u00f3tazalites, the Ash\u00e1rians, and the Ker\u00e2mians.1\n   The fourth basis regards history and reason, that is, the just weight they\nought to have in matters belonging to faith and religion; and also the mission\nof prophets, and the office of Im\u00e2m, or chief pontiff.  Under this head are\ncomprised all casuistical questions relating to the moral beauty or turpitude\nof actions; inquiring whether things are allowed or forbidden by reason of\ntheir own nature, or by the positive law; and also questions concerning the\npreference of actions, the favour or grace of GOD, the innocence which ought\nto attend the prophetical office, and the conditions requisite in the office\nof Im\u00e2m; some asserting it depends on right of succession, others on the\nconsent of the faithful; and also the method of transferring it with the\nformer, and of confirming it with the latter.  These matters are the subjects\nof dispute between the Shiites, the M\u00f3tazalites, the Ker\u00e2mians, and the\nAsh\u00e1rians.2\n   The different sects of Mohammedans may be distinguished into two\n\n   1  Al Ghaz\u00e2li.  Vide ibid. p. 198-204.\t\t2  Vide ibid. p. 204.\n\t3  Vide Abulfarag, Hist. Dynast. p. 166.\n4  Al Shahrestani, apud Poc. ubi. sup. p. 204, &c.\t\t5  Idem, ibid.\np.205.\t\t1  Idem, ibid. p. 206.\n2  Idem, ibid.\n\n\n\nsorts; those generally esteemed orthodox, and those which are esteemed\nheretical.\n   The former, by a general name, are called Sonnites or Traditionists;\nbecause they acknowledge the authority of the Sonna, or collection of moral\ntraditions of the sayings and actions of their prophet, which is a sort of\nsupplement to the Kor\u00e2n, directing the observance of several things omitted in\nthat book, and in name, as well as design, answering to the Mishna of the\nJews.3\n   The Sonnites are subdivided into four chief sects, which, notwithstanding\nsome differences as to legal conclusions in their interpretation of the Kor\u00e2n,\nand matters of practice, are generally acknowledge to be orthodox in radicals,\nor matters of faith, and capable of salvation, and have each of them their\nseveral stations or oratories in the temple of Mecca.4  The founders of these\nsects are looked upon as the great masters of jurisprudence, and are said to\nhave been men of great devotion and self-denial, well versed in the knowledge\nof those things which belong to the next life and to man's right conduct here,\nand directing all their knowledge to the glory of GOD.  This is al Ghaz\u00e2li's\nencomium of them, who thinks it derogatory to their honour that their names\nshould be used by those who, neglecting to imitate the other virtues which\nmake up their character, apply themselves only to attain their skill, and\nfollow their opinions in matters of legal practice.1\n   The first of the four orthodox sects is that of the Hanefites, so named\nfrom their founder, Abu Han\u00eefa al N\u00f3m\u00e2n Ebn Th\u00e2bet, who was born at Cufa, in\nthe 80th year of the Hejra, and died in the 150th, according to the more\npreferable opinion as to the time.2  He ended his life in prison at Baghd\u00e2d,\nwhere he had been confined because he refused to be made K\u00e2di or judge;3 on\nwhich account he was very hardly dealt with by his superiors, yet could not be\nprevailed on, either by threats or ill-treatment, to undertake the charge,\n\"choosing rather to be punished by them than by GOD,\" says Al Ghaz\u00e2li; who\nadds, that when he excused himself from accepting the office by alleging that\nhe was unfit for it, being asked the reason, he replied, \"If I speak the\ntruth, I am unfit; but if I tell a lie, a liar is not fit to be a judge.\"  It\nis said that he read the Kor\u00e2n in the prison where he died, no less than 7,000\ntimes.4\n   The Hanefites are called by an Arabian writer5 the followers of reason, and\nthose of the three other sects, followers of tradition; the former being\nprincipally guided by their own judgment in their decisions, and the latter\nadhering more tenaciously to the traditions of Mohammed.\n   The sect of Abu Han\u00eefa heretofore obtained chiefly in Ir\u00e2k,6 but now\ngenerally prevails among the Turks and Tartars: his doctrine was brought into\ngreat credit by Abu Y\u00fbsof, chief justice under the Khal\u00eefs al H\u00e2di and Har\u00fbn\nal Rash\u00eed.7\n\n   3  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 298.  Prid. Life of Mahomet, p. 51, &c.  Reland. de\nRel. Moh. p. 68, &c. Millium, de Mohammedismo ante Moh. p. 368, 369.\n\t4  See before, p. 90.\t\t1  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 293.\t\t2  Ebn\nKhalec\u00e2n.\n   3  This was the true cause of his imprisonment and death, and not his\nrefusing to subscribe to the opinion of absolute predestination, as D'Herbelot\nwrites (Bibl. Orient. p. 21), misled by the dubious acceptation of the word\n\"kad\u00e2,\" which signifies not only GOD'S decree in particular, but also the\ngiving sentence as a judge in general; nor could Abu Han\u00eefa have been reckoned\northodox had he denied one of the principal articles of faith.\t\t4\nPoc. Spec. p. 297, 298.\t\t5  Al Shahrestani, ibid.\n6  Idem.\t\t7  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 21 and 22.\n\n\n\n   The second orthodox sect is that of M\u00e2lec Ebn Ans, who was born at Medina,\nin the year of the Hejra 90, 93, 94,8 or 95,9 and died there in 177,10 178,11 or\n17912 (for so much do authors differ).  This doctor is said to have paid great\nregard to the traditions of Mohammed.13  In his last illness, a friend going\nto visit him found him in tears, and asking him the reason of it, he answered,\n\"How should I not weep? and who has more reason to weep than I?  Would to GOD\nthat for every question decided by me according to my own opinion, I had\nreceived so many stripes! then would my accounts be easier.  Would to GOD I\nhad never given any decision of my own!\"1  Al Ghaz\u00e2li thinks it a sufficient\nproof of Malec's directing his knowledge to the glory of GOD, that being once\nasked his opinion as to forty-eight questions, his answer to thirty-two of\nthem was, that he did not know; it being no easy matter for one who has any\nother view than God's glory to make so frank a confession of his ignorance.2\n   The doctrine of Malec is chiefly followed in Barbary and other parts of\nAfrica.\n   The author of the third orthodox sect was Mohammed Ebn Edr\u00ees al Sh\u00e2fe\u00ef,\nborn either at Gaza or Ascalon, in Palestine, in the year of the Hejra 150,\nthe same day (as some will have it) that Abu Han\u00eefa died, and was carried to\nMecca at two years of age, and there educated.3  He died in 204,4 in Egypt,\nwhither he went about five years before.5  This doctor is celebrated for his\nexcellency in all parts of learning, and was much esteemed by Ebn Hanbal his\ncontemporary, who used to say that \"he was as the sun to the world, and as\nhealth to the body.\"  Ebn Hanbal, however, had so ill an opinion of al Sh\u00e2fe\u00ef\nat first, that he forbad his scholars to go near him; but some time after one\nof them, meeting his master trudging on foot after al Sh\u00e2fe\u00ef, who rode on a\nmule, asked him how it came about that he forbad them to follow him, and did\nit himself? to which Ebn Hanbal replied, \"Hold thy peace; if thou but attend\nhis mule thou wilt profit thereby.\"6\n   Al Sh\u00e2fe\u00ef is said to have been the first who discoursed of jurisprudence,\nand reduced that science into a method;7 one wittily saying, that the relators\nof the traditions of Mohammed were asleep till al Sh\u00e2fe\u00ef came and waked them.8\nHe was a great enemy to the scholastic divines, as has been already observed.9\nAl Ghaz\u00e2li tells us that al Sh\u00e2fe\u00ef used to divide the night into three parts,\none for study, another for prayer, and the third for sleep.  It is also\nrelated of him that he never so much as once swore by GOD, either to confirm a\ntruth, or to affirm a falsehood; and that being once asked his opinion, he\nremained silent for some time, and when the reason of his silence was\ndemanded, he answered, \"I am considering first whether it be better to speak\nor to hold my tongue.\"  The following saying is also recorded of him, viz.,\n\"Whoever pretends to love the world and its Creator at the same time, is a\nliar.\"1  The followers of this doctor are from him called Sh\u00e2fe\u00eftes, and were\nformerly spread into M\u00e2wara'lnahr and other parts eastward, but are now\nchiefly of Arabia and Persia.\n\n   8  Abulfeda.\t\t9  Ebn Khalec\u00e2n.\t\t10  Idem.\t\t11\nAbulfeda.\t\t12  Elmacinus, p. 114.\t\t13  Ebn Khalec.  Vide Poc.\nSpec. p. 294.\t\t1  Idem, apud eund. ibid.\t2  Al Ghaz\u00e2li, ibid.\n3  Ebn Khalec\u00e2n.\t\t\t4  Yet Abulfeda says he lived fifty-eight years.\n\t\t5  Ebn Khalec\u00e2n.\n6  Idem.\t\t7  Idem.\t\t8  Al Z\u00e1far\u00e2ni, apud Poc. Spec. p. 296.\n\t9  See before, p. 118.\n1  Vide Poc. Spec. 295-297.\n\n\n\n   Ahmed Ebn Hanbal, the founder of the fourth sect, was born in the year of\nthe Hejra 164; but as to the place of his birth there are two traditions: some\nsay he was born at Mer\u00fb in Khoras\u00e2n, of which city his parents were, and that\nhis mother brought him from thence to Baghd\u00e2d at her breast; while others\nassure us that she was with child of him when she came to Baghd\u00e2d, and that he\nwas born there.2  Ebn Hanbal in process of time attained a great reputation on\naccount of his virtue and knowledge; being so well versed in the traditions of\nMohammed, in particular, that it is said he could repeat no less than a\nmillion of them.3  He was very intimate with al Sh\u00e2fe\u00ef, from whom he received\nmost of his traditionary knowledge, being his constant attendant till his\ndeparture for Egypt.4  Refusing to acknowledge the Kor\u00e2n to be created,5 he\nwas, by order of the Khal\u00eef al M\u00f3tasem, severely scourged and imprisoned.6\nEbn Hanbal died at Baghd\u00e2d, in the year 241, and was followed to his grave by\neight hundred thousand men, and sixty thousand women.  It is relate, as\nsomething very extraordinary, if not miraculous, that on the day of his death\nno less than twenty thousand Christians, Jews, and Magians, embraced the\nMohammedan faith.7  This sect increased so fast, and became so powerful and\nbold, that in the year 323, in the Khal\u00eefat of al R\u00e2di, they raised a great\ncommotion in Baghd\u00e2d, entering people's houses, and spilling their wine, if\nthey found any, and beating the singing-women they met with, and breaking\ntheir instruments; and a severe edict was published against them, before they\ncould be reduced to their duty:8 but the Hanbalites at present are not very\nnumerous, few of them being to be met with out of the limits of Arabia.\n   The heretical sects among the Mohammedans are those which hold heterodox\nopinions in fundamental, or matters of faith.\n   The first controversies relating to fundamentals began when most of the\ncompanions of Mohammed were dead:9 for in their days was no dispute, unless\nabout things of small moment, if we except only the dissensions concerning the\nIm\u00e2ms, or rightful successors of their prophet, which were stirred up and\nfomented by interest and ambition; the Arabs' continual employment in the\nwars, during that time, allowing them little or no leisure to enter into nice\ninquiries and subtle distinctions: but no sooner was the ardour of conquest a\nlittle abated than they began to examine the Kor\u00e2n more nearly; whereupon\ndifferences in opinion became unavoidable, and at length so greatly\nmultiplied, that the number of their sects, according to the common opinion,\nare seventy-three.  For the Mohammedans seem ambitious that their religion\nshould exceed others even in this respect; saying, that the Magians are\ndivided into seventy sects, the Jews into seventy-one, the Christians into\nseventy-two, and the Moslems into seventy-three, as Mohammed had foretold;1 of\nwhich sects they reckon one to be always orthodox, and entitled to salvation.2\n   The first heresy was that of the Kh\u00e2rejites, who revolted from Ali in the\nthirty-seventh year of the Hejra; and not long after, M\u00e1bad a.\n\n   2  Ebn Khalec\u00e2n.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t\t4  Idem.\n\t5  See before, Sect. III. p. 53, &c.\n6  Ebn Khalec\u00e2n, Abulfarag, Hist. Dyn. p. 252, &c.\t\t7  Ebn Khalec\u00e2n.\n\t\t8  Abulfar. ubi sup. p. 301, &c.\n9  Al Shahrestani, apud Poc. Spec. p. 194.  Auctor Sharh al Maw\u00e2kef, apud\neund. p. 210.\t\t1  Vide Poc. ibid.\n2  Al Shahrestani, apud eund. p. 211.\n\n\n\nJohni, Ghail\u00e2n of Damascus, and Jonas al Asw\u00e2ri broached heterodox opinions\nconcerning predestination, and the ascribing of good and evil unto GOD; whose\nopinions were followed by W\u00e2sel Ebn At\u00e2.3  This latter was the scholar of\nHasan of Basra, in whose school a question being proposed, whether he who had\ncommitted a grievous sin was to be deemed an infidel or not, the Kh\u00e2rejites\n(who used to come and dispute there) maintaining the affirmative, and the\northodox the negative, W\u00e2sel, without waiting his master's decision, withdrew\nabruptly, and began to publish among his fellow-scholars a new opinion of his\nown, to wit, that such a sinner was in a middle state; and he was thereupon\nexpelled the school; he and his followers being thenceforth called\nM\u00f3tazalites, or Separatists.4\n   The several sects which have arisen since this time are variously\ncompounded and decompounded of the opinions of four chief sects, the\nM\u00f3tazalites, the Sef\u00e2tians, the Kh\u00e2rejites, and the Shiites.5\n   I.  The M\u00f3tazalites were the followers of the before-mentioned W\u00e2sel Ebn\nAt\u00e2.  As to their chief and general tenets, I.  They entirely rejected all\neternal attributes of GOD, to avoid the distinction of persons made by the\nChristians; saying that eternity is the proper or formal attribute of his\nessence; that GOD knows by his essence, and not by his knowledge;1 and the\nsame they affirmed of his other attributes2 (though all the M\u00f3tazalites do not\nunderstand these words in one sense); and hence this sect were also named\nMoattatlites, from their divesting GOD of his attributes:3 and they went so\nfar as to say, that to affirm these attributes is the same thing as to make\nmore eternals than one, and that the unity of GOD is inconsistent with such an\nopinion;4 and this was the true doctrine of W\u00e2sel their master, who declared\nthat whoever asserted an eternal attribute, asserted there were two GODS.5\nThis point of speculation concerning the divine attributes was not ripe at\nfirst, but was at length brought to maturity by W\u00e2sel's followers, after they\nhad read the books of the philosophers.6  2.  They believed the word of GOD to\nhave been created in subjecto (as the schoolmen term it), and to consist of\nletters and sound; copies thereof being written in books to express or imitate\nthe original.  They also went farther, and affirmed that whatever is created\nin subjecto is also an accident, and liable to perish.7  3.  They denied\nabsolute predestination, holding that GOD was not the author of evil, but of\ngood only; and that man was a free agent:8 which being properly the opinion of\nthe Kadarians, we defer what may be farther said thereof till we come to speak\nof that sect.  On account of this tenet and the first, the M\u00f3ta-\n\n   3  Idem, and Auctor Sharh al Maw\u00e2kef, ubi sup.\t\t4  Idem, ibid. p.\n211, 212, and Ebu Khalec\u00e2n, in Vita Waseli.\n   5  Al Shahrestani, who also reduces them to four chief sects, puts the\nKadarians in the place of the M\u00f3tazalites.  Abulfaragius (Hist. Dyn. p. 166)\nreckons six principal sects, adding the Jabarians and the Morgians; and the\nauthor of Sharh al Maw\u00e2kef eight, viz., the M\u00f3tazalites, the Shiites, the\nKh\u00e2rejites, the Morgians, the Najarians, the Jabarians, the Moshabbehites, and\nthe sect which he calls al N\u00e2jia, because that alone will be saved, being\naccording to him the sect of the Asharians.  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 209.\n   1  Maimonides teaches the same, not as the doctrine of the M\u00f3tazalites, but\nhis own.  Vide More Nev. l. I, c. 57.\t\t2  Al Shahrestani, apud Poc.\nSpec. p. 214.  Abulfarag, p. 167.\t\t3  Vide Poc. Spec. 224.\t\t4\nSharh al Maw\u00e2kef, and al Shahrest. apud Poc. p. 216.  Maimonides (in Proleg ad\nPirke Aboth. \u00a7 8) asserts the same thing.\t\t5  Vide Poc. ibid.\n6  Al Shahrest. ibid. p. 215.\t\t7  Abulfarag, and al Shahrest. ubi sup. p.\n217.  See before, Sect. III, p. 112\n8  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 240.\n\n\n\nzalites look on themselves as the defenders of the unity and justice of GOD.9\n4.  They held that if a professor of the true religion be guilty of a grievous\nsin, and die without repentance, he will be eternally damned, though his\npunishment will be lighter than that of the infidels.10  5.  They denied all\nvision of GOD in paradise by the corporeal eye, and rejected all comparisons\nor similitudes applied to GOD.11\n   This sect are said to have been the first inventors of scholastic\ndivinity,11 and are subdivided into several inferior sects, amounting, as some\nreckon, to twenty, which mutually brand one another with infidelity:13 the\nmost remarkable of them are:-\n   I.  The Hodeilians, or followers of Hamd\u00e2n Abu Hodeil, a M\u00f3tazalite doctor,\nwho differed something from the common form of expression used by this sect,\nsaying that GOD knew by his knowledge, but that his knowledge was his essence;\nand so of the other attributes: which opinion he took from the philosophers,\nwho affirm the essence of GOD to be simple and without multiplicity, and that\nhis attributes are not posterior or accessory to his essence, or subsisting\ntherein, but are his essence itself: and this the more orthodox take to be\nnext kin to making distinctions in the deity, which is the thing they so much\nabhor in the Christians.1  As to the Kor\u00e2n's being created, he made some\ndistinction; holding the word of GOD to be partly not in subjecto (and\ntherefore uncreated), as when he spake the word K\u00fbn, i.e., Fiat, at the\ncreation, and partly in subjecto, as the precepts, prohibitions, &c.2\nMarracci3 mentions an opinion of Abu Hodeil's concerning predestination, from\nan Arab writer,4 which being by him expressed in a manner not very\nintelligible, I choose to omit.\n   2.  The Jobb\u00e2\u00efans, or followers of Abu Ali Mohammed Ebn Abd al Wahh\u00e2b,\nsurnamed al Jobb\u00e2\u00ef, whose meaning when he made use of the common expression of\nthe M\u00f3tazalites, that \"GOD knows by his essence,\" &c., was, that GOD'S being\nknowing is not an attribute, the same with knowledge, nor such a state as\nrendered his being knowing necessary.5  He held GOD'S word to be created in\nsubjecto, as in the preserved table, for example, the memory of Gabriel,\nMohammed, &c.6  This sect, if Marracci has given the true sense of his author,\ndenied that GOD could be seen in paradise without the assistance of corporeal\neyes; and held that man produced his acts by a power superadded to health of\nbody and soundness of limbs; that he who was guilty of a mortal sin was\nneither a believer nor an infidel, but a transgressor (which was the original\nopinion of W\u00e2sel), and if he died in his sins, would be doomed to hell for\neternity; and that GOD conceals nothing of whatever he knows from his\nservants.7\n   3.  The Hashemians, who were so named from their master Abu H\u00e2shem Abd al\nSal\u00e2m, the son of Abu Ali al Jabb\u00e2\u00ef, and whose tenets nearly agreed with those\nof the preceding sect.8  Abu H\u00e2shem took the M\u00f3tazalite form of expression,\nthat \"GOD knows by his essence,\" in a different sense from others, supposing\nit to mean that GOD hath or\n\n   9  Al Shahrest. and Sharh al Maw\u00e2kef. apud Poc, ubi sup. p. 214.\n\t10  Marracc. Prodr. ad ref. Alcor. part iii. p. 74.\n11  Idem, ibid.\t\t12  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 213, and D'Herbel. Art.\nMotazelah.\t\t13  Auctor al Maw\u00e2kef, apud Poc. ibid.\t\t1  Al\nShahrestani, apud Poc. p. 215, 216, 217.\t\t2  Idem, apud eund. p. 217,\n&c.\n3  In Prodr. part iii. p. 74.\t\t4  Al Shahrest. \t\t5  Idem, apud Poc.\nSpec. p. 215.\t\t6  Idem, and Auctor al Maw\u00e2kef, ibid. p. 218.\n\t7  Marracci, ubi sup. p. 75, ex al Shahrest.\t\t8  Vide eund.\nibid.\n\n\n\nis endued with a disposition, which is a known property, or quality, posterior\nor accessory to his existence.1  His followers were so much afraid of making\nGOD the author of evil that they would not allow him to be said to create an\ninfidel; because, according to their way of arguing, an infidel is a compound\nof infidelity and man, and GOD is not the creator of infidelity.2  Abu H\u00e2shem,\nand his father Abu Ali al Jobb\u00e2\u00ef, were both celebrated for their skill in\nscholastic divinity.3\n   4.  The Nodh\u00e2mians, or followers of Ibrahim al Nodh\u00e2m, who having read\nbooks of philosophy, set up a new sect, and imagining he could not\nsufficiently remove GOD from being the author of evil, without divesting him\nof his power in respect thereto, taught that no power ought to be ascribed to\nGOD concerning evil and rebellious actions: but this he affirmed against the\nopinion of his own disciples, who allowed that GOD could do evil, but did not,\nbecause of its turpitude.4  Of his opinion as to the Kor\u00e2n's being created we\nhave spoken elsewhere.5\n   5.  The H\u00e2yetians, so named from Ahmed Ebn H\u00e2yet, who had been of the sect\nof the Nodh\u00e2mians, but broached some new notions on reading the philosophers.\nHis peculiar opinions were-I.  That Christ was the eternal Word incarnate, and\ntook a true and real body, and will judge all creatures in the life to come:6\nhe also farther asserted that there are two GODS or Creators-the one eternal,\nviz., the most high GOD, and the other not eternal, viz., Christ7-which\nopinion, though Dr. Pocock urges the same as an argument that he did not\nrightly understand the Christian mysteries8 is not much different from that of\nthe Arians and Socinians.  2.  That there is successive transmigration of the\nsoul from one body into another; and that the last body will enjoy the reward\nor suffer the punishment due to each soul:9 and, 3.  That GOD will be seen at\nthe resurrection, not with the bodily eyes, but those of the understanding.10\n   6.  The J\u00e2hedhians, or followers of Amru Ebn Bahr, surnamed al J\u00e2hedh, a\ngreat doctor of the M\u00f3tazalites, and very much admired for the elegance of his\ncomposures;11 who differed from his brethren in that he imagined the damned\nwould not be eternally tormented in hell, but would be changed into the nature\nof fire, and that the fire would of itself attract them, without any necessity\nof their going into it.1  He also taught that if a man believed GOD to be his\nLord, and Mohammed the apostle of GOD, he became one of the faithful, and was\nobliged to nothing farther.2  His peculiar opinion as to the Kor\u00e2n has been\ntaken notice of before.3\n   7.  The Mozd\u00e2rians, who embraced the opinions of Isa Ebn Sobeih al Mozd\u00e2r,\nand those very absurd ones: for, besides his notions relating to the Kor\u00e2n,4\nhe went so directly counter to the opinion of those who abridged GOD of the\npower to do evil, that he affirmed it possible for GOD to be a liar and\nunjust.5  He also pronounced him to\n\n   1  Al Shahrest. apud Poc. p. 215.\t\t\t2  Idem, ibid. p. 242.\n\t3  Ebn Khalec\u00e2n, in Vitis Eorum.\n4  Al Shahrest. ubi sup. p. 241, 242.  Vide Marracc. Prod. part iii. p. 74.\n\t5  See before, Sect. III. p. 53.\n6  Al Shahrest. ubi sup. p. 218.  Abulfarag, p. 167.\t\t7  Al Shahrest. al\nMaw\u00e2kef, et Ebn Koss\u00e1, apud Poc. ubi sub. p. 219.\n8  Vide Poc. ibid\t\t9  Marracc. et al Shahrest. ubi sup.\t\t10\nMarracc. ibid. p. 75.\n11  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Giahedh.\t\t1  Al Shahrest. ubi sup.\np. 260.\t\t\t2  Marracc. ubi sup.\n3  Sect. III. p. 53.\t\t4  Vide ibid. and p. 52.\t\t5  Al\nShahrest. apud Poc. p. 241.\n\n\n\nbe an infidel who thrust himself into the supreme government:6 nay, he went so\nfar as to assert men to be infidels while they said \"There is no GOD but GOD,\"\nand even condemned all the rest of mankind as guilty of infidelity; upon which\nIbrahim Ebn al Sendi asked him whether paradise, whose breadth equals that of\nheaven and earth, was created only for him and two or three more who thought\nas he did? to which it is said he could return no answer.7\n   8.  The Basharians, who maintained the tenets of Bashar Ebn M\u00f3tamer, the\nmaster of al Mozd\u00e2r,8 and a principal man among the M\u00f3tazalites.  He differed\nin some things from the general opinion of that sect, carrying man's free\nagency to a great excess, making it even independent: and yet he thought God\nmight doom an infant to eternal punishment, but granted he would be unjust in\nso doing.  He taught that God is not always obliged to do that which is best,\nfor, if he pleased, he could make all men true believers.  These sectaries\nalso held that if a man repent of a mortal sin, and afterwards return to it,\nhe will be liable to suffer the punishment due to the former transgression.9\n   9.  The Thamamians, who follow Tham\u00e2ma Ebn Bashar, a chief M\u00f3tazalite.\nTheir peculiar opinions were-I.  That sinners should remain in hell for ever.\n2.  That free actions have no producing author.  3.  That at the resurrection\nall infidels, idolaters, atheists, Jews, Christians, Magians, and heretics\nshall be reduced to dust.10\n   10.  The Kadarians, which is really a more ancient name than that of\nM\u00f3tazalites, M\u00e1bad al Johni and his adherents being so called, who disputed\nthe doctrine of predestination before W\u00e2sel quitted his master:1 for which\nreason some use the denomination of Kadarians as more extensive than the\nother, and comprehend all the M\u00f3tazalites under it.2  This sect deny absolute\npredestination, saying that evil and injustice ought not to be attributed to\nGOD, but to man, who is a free agent, and may therefore be rewarded or\npunished for his actions, which GOD has granted him power either to do or to\nbe let alone.3  And hence it is said they are called Kadarians, because they\ndeny al Kadr, or GOD'S absolute decree; though others, thinking it not so\nproper to come from Kadr, or Kodrat, i.e., power, because they assert man's\npower to act freely.4  Those, however, who give the name of Kadarians to the\nM\u00f3tazalites are their enemies, for they disclaim it, and give it to their\nantagonists the Jabarians, who likewise refuse it as an infamous appellation,5\nbecause Mohammed is said to have declared the Kadarians to be the Magians of\nhis followers.6  But what the opinion of these Kadarians in Mohammed's time\nwas, is very uncertain: the M\u00f3tazalites say the name belongs to those who\nassert predestination, and make GOD the author of good and evil,7 viz., the\nJabarians; but all the other Mohammedan sects agree to fix it on the\nM\u00f3tazalites, who, they say, are like the Magians in establishing two\nprinciples, light, or GOD, the author of good; and darkness, or the devil, the\nauthor of evil: but this cannot absolutely be said of the M\u00f3tazalites,\n\n  6  Marracc. ubi sup. p. 75.\t\t7  Al Shahrest. ubi sup. p. 220.\n\t8  Poc. Spec. p. 221\t9  Marracc. ubi sup.\n10  Idem, ibid.\t\t1  Al Shahrest.\t\t2  Al Firauzab.  Vide Poc.\nSpec. p. 231, 232, and 214.\n3  Al Shahrest.  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 235 and 240, &c.\t\t4  Vide Poc. ibid.\np. 238.\t\t5  Al Motarrezi, al Shahrest.  Vide ibid. p. 232.\n\t6  Idem, &c. ibid.\t\t7  Idem, ibid.\n\n\n\nfor they (at least the generality of them) ascribe men's good deeds to GOD,\nbut their evil deeds to themselves; meaning thereby that man has a free\nliberty and power to do either good or evil, and is master of his actions; and\nfor this reason it is that the other Mohammedans call them Magians, because\nthey assert another author of actions besides GOD.8  And, indeed, it is a\ndifficult matter to say what Mohammed's own opinion was in this matter; for on\nthe one side the Kor\u00e2n itself is pretty plain for absolute predestination, and\nmany sayings of Mohammed are recorded to that purpose,9 and one in particular,\nwherein he introduces Adam and Moses disputing before GOD in this manner:\n\"Thou,\" says Moses, \"art Adam; whom GOD created, and animated with the breath\nof life, and caused to be worshipped by the angels, and placed in paradise,\nfrom whence mankind have been expelled for thy fault:\" whereto Adam answered,\n\"Thou art Moses; whom GOD chose for his apostle, and entrusted with his word,\nby giving thee the tables of the law, and whom he vouchsafed to admit to\ndiscourse with himself: how many years dost thou find the law was written\nbefore I was created?\"  Says Moses, \"Forty.\" \"And dost thou not find,\" replied\nAdam, \"these words therein: 'And Adam rebelled against his Lord and\ntransgressed'?\" which Moses confessing, \"Dost thou therefore blame me,\"\ncontinued he, \"for doing that which GOD wrote of me that I should do forty\nyears before I was created? nay, for what was decreed concerning me fifty\nthousand years before the creation of heaven and earth?\"  In the conclusion of\nwhich dispute Mohammed declared that Adam had the better of Moses.1  On the\nother side, it is urged in the behalf of the M\u00f3tazalites, that Mohammed\ndeclaring that the Kadarians and Morgians had been cursed by the tongues of\nseventy prophets, and being asked who the Kadarians were, answered, \"Those who\nassert that GOD predestinated them to be guilty of rebellion, and yet punishes\nthem for it:\" al Hasan is also said to have declared, that GOD sent Mohammed\nto the Arabs while they were Kadarians, or Jabarians, and laid their sins upon\nGOD: and to confirm the matter, this sentence of the Kor\u00e2n is quoted:2 \"When\nthey commit a filthy action, they say, We found our fathers practising the\nsame, and GOD hath commanded us so to do: Say, Verily GOD commandeth not\nfilthy actions.\"3\n   11.  The Sef\u00e2tians held the opposite opinion to the M\u00f3tazalites in respect\nto the eternal attributes of GOD, which they affirmed; making no distinction\nbetween the essential attributes and those of operation: and hence they were\nnamed Sef\u00e2tians, or Attributists.  Their doctrine was that of the first\nMohammedans, who were not yet acquainted with these nice distinctions: but\nthis sect afterwards introduced another species of declarative attributes, or\nsuch as were necessarily used in historical narration, as hands, face, eyes,\n&c., which they did not offer to explain, but contented themselves with saying\nthey were in the law, and that they called them declarative attributes.4\nHowever, at length, by giving various explications and interpretations of\nthese attributes they divided into many different opinions: some, by taking\nthe words\n\n   8  Vide Poc. ibid. p. 233, &c.\t\t9  Vide ibid. p. 237.\t\t1  Ebn\nal Ath\u00eer, al Bokhari, apud Poc. p. 236.\n2  Cap. 7, p. 107.\t\t3  Al Motarrezi, apud eund. p. 237, 238.\n\t4  Al Shahrest. apud Poc. Spec. p. 223.\n\n\n\nin the literal sense, fell into the notion of a likeness or similitude between\nGOD and created beings; to which it is said the kara\u00eftes among the Jews, who\nare for the literal interpretation of Moses's law, had shown them the way:5\nothers explained them in another manner, saying that no creature was like GOD,\nbut that they neither understood nor thought i necessary to explain the\nprecise signification of the words which seem to affirm the same of both; it\nbeing sufficient to believe that GOD hath no companion or similitude.  Of this\nopinion was Malec Ebn Ans, who declared as to the expression of GOD'S sitting\non his throne, in particular, that though the meaning is known, yet the manner\nis unknown; and that it is necessary to believe it, but heresy to make any\nquestions about it.1\n   The sects of the Sef\u00e2tians are:\n   I.  The Ash\u00e1rians, the followers of Abu'l Hasan al Ash\u00e1ri, who was first a\nM\u00f3tazalite, and the scholar of Abu Ali al Jobb\u00e2\u00ef, but disagreeing from his\nmaster in opinion as to GOD'S being bound (as the M\u00f3tazalites assert) to do\nalways that which is best or most expedient, left him, and set up a new sect\nof himself.  The occasion of this difference was the putting a case concerning\nthree brothers, the first of whom lived in obedience to GOD, the second in\nrebellion against him, and the third died an infant.  Al Jobb\u00e2i being asked\nwhat he thought would become of them, answered, that the first would be\nrewarded in paradise, the second punished in hell, and the third neither\nrewarded nor punished: \"But what,\" objected al Ash\u00e1ri, \"if the third say, O\nLORD, if thou hadst given me longer life, that I might have entered paradise\nwith my believing brother, it would have been better for me?\" to which al\nJobb\u00e2\u00ef replied, \"That GOD would answer, I knew that if thou hadst lived\nlonger, thou wouldst have been a wicked person, and therefore cast into hell.\"\n\"Then,\" retorted al Ash\u00e1ri, \"the second will say, O LORD, why didst thou not\ntake me away while I was an infant, as thou didst my brother, that I might not\nhave deserved to be punished for my sins, nor to be cast into hell?\"  To which\nal Jobb\u00e2\u00ef could return no other answer than that GOD prolonged his life to\ngive him an opportunity of obtaining the highest degree of perfection, which\nwas best for him: but al Ash\u00e1ri demanding farther, why he did not for the same\nreason grant the other a longer life, to whom it would have been equally\nadvantageous, al Jobb\u00e2\u00ef was so put to it, that he asked whether the devil\npossessed him?  \"No,\" says al Ash\u00e1ri, \"but the master's ass will not pass the\nbridge;\"2 i.e., he is posed.\n   The opinions of the Ash\u00e1rians were-I.  That they allowed the attributes of\nGOD to be distinct from his essence, yet so as to forbid any comparison to be\nmade between GOD and his creatures.3  This was also the opinion of Ahmed Ebn\nHanbal, and David al Ispah\u00e2ni, and others, who herein followed Malec Ebn Ans,\nand were so cautious of any assimilation of GOD to created beings, that they\ndeclared whoever moved his hand while he read these words, \"I have created\nwith my hand,\" or \"stretched forth his finger,\" in repeating this saying of\nMohammed, \"The heart of the believer is between two fingers of the\n\n   5  Vide Poc. ibid. p. 224.\t\t1  Vide eund. ibid.\t\t2  Auctor al\nMaw\u00e2kef, et al Safadi, apud Poc. ubi  sup. p. 230, &c.  Ebn Khalec. in Vita al\nJabb\u00e2\u00ef.\t\t3  Al Shahrest. apud Poc. Spec. p. 230.\n\n\n\nMerciful,\" ought to have his hand and finger cut off;1 and the reasons they\ngave for not explaining any such words were, that it is forbidden in the\nKor\u00e2n, and that such explications were necessarily founded on conjecture and\nopinion, from which no man ought to speak of the attributes of GOD, because\nthe words of the Kor\u00e2n might by that means come to be understood differently\nform the author's meaning: nay, some have been so superstitiously scrupulous\nin this matter as not to allow the words hand, face, and the like, when they\noccur in the Kor\u00e2n, to be rendered into Persian or any other language, but\nrequire them to be read in the very original words, and this they call the\nsafe way.2  2.  As to predestination, they held that GOD hath one eternal will\nwhich is applied to whatsoever he willeth, both of his own actions and, those\nof men, so far as they are created by him, but not as they are acquired or\ngained by them; that he willeth both their good and their evil, their profit\nand their hurt, and as he willeth and knoweth, he willeth concerning men that\nwhich he knoweth, and hath commanded the pen to write the same in the\npreserved table: and this is his decree, and eternal immutable counsel and\npurpose.3  They also went so far as to say, that it may be agreeable to the\nway of GOD that man should be commanded what he is not able to perform.4  But\nwhile they allow man some power, they seem to restrain it to such a power as\ncannot produce anything new; only GOD, say they, so orders his providence that\nhe creates, after, or under, and together with every created or new power, an\naction which is ready whenever a man will sit, and sets about it: and this\naction is called Casb, i.e., Acquisition, being in respect to its creation,\nfrom GOD, but in respect to its being produced, employed, and acquired, from\nman.5  And this being generally esteemed the orthodox opinion, it may not be\nimproper farther to explain the same in the words of some other writers.  The\nelective actions of men, says one, fall under the power of GOD alone; nor is\ntheir own power effectual thereto; but GOD causeth to exist in man power and\nchoice; and if there be no impediment, he causeth his action to exist also,\nsubject to his power, and joined with that and his choice; which action, as\ncreated, is to be ascribed to GOD, but as produced, employed, or acquired, to\nman.  So that by the acquisition of an action is properly meant a man's\njoining or connecting the same with his power and will, yet allowing herein no\nimpression or influence on the existence thereof, save only that it is subject\nto his power.1  Others, however, who are also on the side of al Ash\u00e1ri, and\nreputed orthodox, explain the matter in a different manner, and grant the\nimpression or influence of the created power of man on his action, and that\nthis power is what is called Acquisition.2  But the point will be still\nclearer if we hear a third author, who rehearses the various opinions, or\nexplications of the opinion of this sect, in the following words, viz.: Abu'l\nHasan al Ash\u00e1ri asserts all the actions of men to be subject to the power of\nGOD, being created by him, and that the power of man hath no influence at all\non that which he is empowered to do; but that both the power, and what is\nsubject thereto, fall under the power of GOD:\n\n   1  Idem, apud eund. p. 228, &c.\t\t2  Vide Poc. ibid.\n\t3  Al Shahrest. apud eund. p. 245, &c.\n4  Idem, ibid. p. 246.\t\t5  Al Shahrest. apud Poc. p. 245, &c.\n\t1  Auctor Sharh al Maw\u00e2kef, apud eund. p. 247.\n2  Al Shahrest. ibid. p. 248.\n\n\n\nal K\u00e2di Abu Becr says that the essence or substance of the action is the\neffect of the power of GOD, but its being either an action of obedience, as\nprayer, or an action of disobedience, as fornication, are qualities of the\naction, which proceed from the power of man: Abd'almalec, known by the title\nof Im\u00e2m al Haramein, Abu'l Hosein of Basra, and other learned men, held that\nthe actions of men are effected by the power which GOD hath created in man,\nand that GOD causeth to exist in man both power and will, and that this power\nand will do necessarily produce that which man is empowered to do: and Abu\nIsh\u00e2k al Isfar\u00e2yeni taught that that which maketh impression, or hath\ninfluence on an action, is a compound of the power of GOD and the power of\nman.3  The same author observes that their ancestors, perceiving a manifest\ndifference between those things which are the effects of the election of man\nand those things which are the necessary effects of inanimate agents,\ndestitute both of knowledge and choice, and being at the same time pressed by\nthe arguments which prove that GOD is the Creator of all things, and\nconsequently of those things which are done by men, to conciliate the matter,\nchose the middle way, asserting actions to proceed from the power of GOD, and\nthe acquisition of man; GOD'S way of dealing with his servants being, that\nwhen man intendeth obedience, GOD createth in him an action of obedience, and\nwhen he intendeth disobedience, he createth in him an action of disobedience;\nso that man seemeth to be the effective producer of his action, though he\nreally be not.1  But this, proceeds the same writer, is again pressed with its\ndifficulties, because the very intention of the mind is the work of GOD, so\nthat no oman hath any share in the production of his own actions; for which\nreason the ancients disapproved of too nice an inquiry into this point, the\nend of the dispute concerning the same being, for the most part, either the\ntaking away of all precepts positive as well as negative, or else the\nassociating of a companion with GOD, by introducing some other independent\nagent besides him.  Those, therefore, who would speak more accurately, use\nthis form: there is neither compulsion nor free liberty, but the way lies\nbetween the two; the power and will in man being both created by GOD, though\nthe merit or guilt be imputed unto man.  Yet, after all, it is judged the\nsafest way to follow the steps of the primitive Moslems, and, avoiding subtle\ndisputations and too curious inquiries, to leave the knowledge of this matter\nwholly unto GOD.2  3.  As to mortal sin, the Ash\u00e1rians\n\n   3  Auctor Sharh al Taw\u00e2lea, apud eund. ibid. p. 248, &c.\t\t1  Idem,\nibid. p. 249, 250.\n   2  Idem, ibid. p. 250, 251.  I trust the reader will not be offended if, as\na farther illustration of what has been said on this subject (in producing of\nwhich I have purposely kept to the original Mohammedan expressions) I\ntranscribe a passage or two from a postscript subjoined to the epistle I have\nquoted above (\u00a74, p. 85), in which the point of free will is treated ex\nprofesso.  Therein the Moorish author, having mentioned the two opposite\nopinions of the Kadarians, who allow free will, and the Jabarians, who make\nman a necessary agent (the former of which opinions, he says, seems to\napproach nearest to that of the greater part of Christians and of the Jews),\ndeclares the true opinion to be that of the Sonnites, who assert that man hath\npower and will to choose good and evil, and can moreover know he shall be\nrewarded if he do well, and shall be punished if he do ill; but that he\ndepends, notwithstanding, on GOD'S power, and shall be punished if he do ill;\nbut that he depends, notwithstanding, on GOD'S power, and willeth, if GOD\nwilleth, but not otherwise.  Then he proceeds briefly to refute the two\nextreme opinions, and first to prove that of the Kadarians, though it be\nagreeable to GOD'S justice, inconsistent with his attributes of wisdom and\npower: \"Sapientia enim Dei,\" says he, \"comprehendit quicquid fuit et futurum\nest ab \u00e6ternitate in finem usque mundi et postea.  Et ita novit ab \u00e6terno\nomnia opera creaturarum, sive bona, sive mala, qu\u00e6 fuerint creata cum potentia\nDei, et ejus libera et determinate voluntate, sicut ipsi visum fuit.  Denique\nnovit eum qui futurus\n\n\n\ntaught, that if a believer guilty of such sin die without repentance, his\nsentence is to be left with GOD, whether he pardon him out of mercy, or\nwhether the prophet intercede for him (according to that saying recorded of\nhim, \"My intercession shall be employed for those among my people who shall\nhave been guilty of grievous crimes\"), or whether he punish him in proportion\nto his demerit, and afterwards, through his mercy, admit him into paradise:\nbut that it is not to be supposed he will remain for ever in hell with the\ninfidels, seeing it is declared that whoever shall have faith in his heart but\nof the weight of an ant, shall be delivered from hell fire.1  And this is\ngenerally received for the orthodox doctrine in this point, and is\ndiametrically opposite to that of the M\u00f3tazalites.\n   These were the more rational Sef\u00e2tians, but the ignorant part of them, not\nknowing how otherwise to explain the expressions of the Kor\u00e2n relating to the\ndeclarative attributes, fell into most gross and\n\nerat malus, et tamen creavit: neque negari potest quin, si ipsi libuisset,\npotuisset omnes creare bonos: placuit tamen Deo creare bonos et malos, c\u00f9m Deo\nsoli sit absoluta et libera voluntas, et perfecta electio, et non homini.  Ita\nenim Salomon in suis proverbiis dixit. Vitam et mortem, bonum et malum,\ndivitias et paupertatem, esse et venire \u00e0 Deo.  Christiani etiam dicunt S.\nPaulum dixisse in suis epistolis; Dicet etiam lutum figulo, quare facis unum\nvas ad honorem, et aliud vas ad contumeliam?  Cum igitur miser homo fuerit\ncreatus \u00e0 voluntate Dei et potentia, nihil aliud potest tribui ipsi qu\u00e0m ipse\nsensus cognoscendi et sentiendi an bene vel male faciat.  Qu\u00e6 unica causa (id\nest, sensus cognoscendi) erit ejus glori\u00e6 vel pon\u00e6 causa: per talem enim\nsensum novit quid boni vel mali adversus Dei pr\u00e6cepta fecerit.\"  The opinion\nof the Jabarians, on the other hand, he rejects as contrary to man's\nconsciousness of his own power and choice, and inconsistent with GOD'S\njustice, and his having given mankind laws, to the observing or transgressing\nof which he was annexed rewards and punishments.  After this he proceeds to\nexplain the third opinion in the following words: \"Tertia opinio Zunis (i.e.,\nSonnitarum) qu\u00e6 vera est, affirmat homini potesttatem esse, sed limitatem \u00e0\nsua causa, id est, dependentem \u00e0 Dei potentia et voluntate, et proper illam\ncognitionem qua deliberat ben\u00e8 vel mal\u00e8 facere, esse dignum pona vel pr\u00e6mio.\nManifestum est in \u00e6ternitate non fuisse aliam potentiam pr\u00e6ter Dei nostri\nomnipotentis, e cujus potentia pendebant omnia possibilia, id est, qu\u00e6\npoterant esse, cum ab ipso fuerint creata.  Sapientia ver\u00f2 Dei novit etiam qu\u00e6\nnon sunt futura; et potentia ejus, etsi non creaverit ea, potuit tamen, si ita\nDeo placuisset.  Ita novit sapientia Dei qu\u00e6 erant impossibilia, id est, qu\u00e6\nnon poterant esse; qu\u00e6 tamen nullo pacto pendent ab ejus potentia: ab ejus\nenim potentia mulla pendent nisi possibilia.-Dicimus enim \u00e0 Dei potentia non\npendere creare Deum alium ipsi similem, nec creare aliquid quod moveatur et\nquiescat simul eodem tempore, c\u00f9m h\u00e6c sint ex impossibilibus: comprehendit\ntamen su\u00e2 sapienti\u00e2 tale aliquid non pendere ab ejus potenti\u00e2.-A potenti\u00e2\nigitur Dei pendet sol\u00f9m quod potest esse, et possibile est esse; qu\u00e6 semper\nparata est dare esse possibilibus.  Et si hoc penitus cognoscamus,cognoscemus\npariter omne quod est, seu futurum est, sive sint opera nostra, sive quidvis\naliud, pendere \u00e0 sola potentia Dei.  Et hoc non privatim intelligitur, sed in\ngenere de omni eo quod est et movetur, sive in colis sive in terr\u00e2; et nec\naliqu\u00e2 potenti\u00e2 potest impediri Dei potentia, c\u00f9m nulla alia potentia absoluta\nsit, pr\u00e6ter Dei; potentia ver\u00f2 nostra non est \u00e0 se, nisi \u00e0 Dei potentia: et\ncum potentia nostra dicitur esse a causa sua, ideo dicimus potentiam nostram\nesse straminis comparatam cum potentia Dei: eo enim modo quo stramen movetur \u00e0\nmotu maris, ita nostra potentia et voluntas \u00e0 Dei potentia.  Itaque Dei\npotentia semper est parata etiam ad occidendum aliquem; ut si quis hominem\noccidat, non dicimus potenti\u00e2 hominis id factum, sed \u00e6terna potentia Dei:\nerror enim  est id tribuere potenti\u00e6 hominis.  Potentia enim Dei, c\u00f9m semper\nsit parata, et ante ipsum hominem, ad occidendum; si sol\u00e2 hominis potenti\u00e2 id\nfactum esse diceremus, et moreretur, potentia san\u00e8 Dei (qu\u00e6 ant\u00e8 erat) jam ibi\nesset frustra: quia post mortem non potest potentia Dei eum iterum occidere;\nex quo sequeretur potentiam Dei impediri \u00e0 potentia hominis, et potentiam\nhominis anteire et antecellere potentiam Dei; quod est absurdum et\nimpossibile.  Igitur Deus est qui operatur \u00e6tern\u00e2 su\u00e2 potenti\u00e2: si ver\u00f2 homini\ninjiciatur culpa, sive in tali homicidio, sive in aliis, hoc est quant\u00f9m ad\npr\u00e6cepta et legem.  Homini tribuitur sol\u00f9m opus extern\u00e8, et ejus electio, qu\u00e6\nest a voluntate ejus et potentia; non ver\u00f2 intern\u00e8.-Hoc est punctum illud\nindivisibile et secretum, quod \u00e0 paucissimis capitur, ut sapientissimus Sidi\nAbo Hamet Elgaceli (i.e., Dominus Abu H\u00e2med al Ghaz\u00e2li) affirmat (cujus\nspiritui Deus concedat gloriam, Amen!) Sequentibus verbis: Ita abditum et\nprofundum et abstrusum est intelligere punctum illud Liberi Arbitrii, ut neque\ncharacteres ad scribendum, neque ull\u00e6 rationes ad exprimendum sufficiant, et\nomnes, quotquot de hac re locuti sunt, h\u00e6serunt confusi in ripa tanti et tam\nspaciosi maris.\"\n   1  Al Shahrest. apud Poc. Spec. p. 258.\n\n\n\nabsurd opinions, making GOD corporeal, and like created beings.2  Such were-\n   2.  The Moshabbehites, or Assimilators; who allowed a resemblance between\nGOD and his creatures,3 supposing him to be a figure composed of members or\nparts, either spiritual or corporeal, and capable of local motion, of ascent\nand descent, &c.1  Some of this sect inclined to the opinion of the Hol\u00fblians,\nwho believed that the divine nature might be united with the human in the same\nperson; for they granted it possible that GOD might appear in a human form, as\nGabriel did: and to confirm their opinion they allege Mohammed's words, that\nhe saw his LORD in a most beautiful form, and Moses talking with GOD face to\nface.2  And\n   3.  The Ker\u00e2mians, or followers of Mohammed Ebn Ker\u00e2m, called also\nMojassemians, or Corporalists; who not only admitted a resemblance between GOD\nand created beings, but declared GOD to be corporeal.3  The more sober among\nthem, indeed, when they applied the word body to GOD, would be understood to\nmean, that he is a self-subsisting being, which with them is the definition of\nbody: but yet some of them affirmed him to be finite, and circumscribed,\neither on all sides, or on some only (as beneath, for example), according to\ndifferent opinions;4 and others allowed that he might be felt by the hand, and\nseen by the eye.  Nay, one David al Jaw\u00e2ri went so far as to say, that his\ndeity was  body composed of flesh and blood, and that he had members, as\nhands, feet, a head, a tongue, eyes, and ears; but that he was a body,\nhowever, not like other bodies, neither was he like to any created being: he\nis also said farther to have affirmed that from the crown of the head to the\nbreast he was hollow, and from the breast downward solid, and that he had\nblack curled hair.5  These most blasphemous and monstrous notions were the\nconsequence of the literal acceptation of those passages in the Kor\u00e2n which\nfiguratively attribute corporeal actions to GOD, and of the words of Mohammed,\nwhen he said, that GOD created man in his own image, and that himself had felt\nthe fingers of GOD, which he laid on his back, to be cold: besides which, this\nsect are charged with fathering on their prophet a great number of spurious\nand forged traditions to support their opinion, the greater part whereof they\nborrowed from the Jews, who are accused as naturally prone to assimilate GOD\nto men, so that they describe him as weeping for Noah's flood till his eyes\nwere sore.6  and, indeed, though we grant the Jews may have imposed on\nMohammed and his followers in many instances, and told them as solemn truths\nthings which themselves believed not or had invented, yet many expressions of\nthis kind are to be found in their writings; as when they introduce GOD\nroaring like a lion at every watch of the night, and crying, \"Alas! that I\nhave laid waste my house, and suffered my temple to be burnt, and sent my\nchildren into banishment among the heathen,\" &c.1\n   4.  The jabarians-who are the direct opponents of the Kadarians-denying\nfree agency in man, and ascribing his actions wholly unto\n\n   2  Vide Poc. ibid. p. 255, &c.  Abulfar. p. 167, &c.\t\t3  Al\nMaw\u00e2kef, apud Poc. ibid.\t\t1  Al Shahrest. apud eund. ibid. p. 226.\n\t2  Vide Marracc. Prodr. part iii. p. 76.\t\t3  Al Shahrest. ubi sup.\n\t\t4  Idem, ibid. p. 225.\n5  Idem, ibid. p. 226, 227.\t\t6  Idem, ibid. p. 227, 228.\t1  Talm.\nBerachoth, c. I.  Vide Poc. ubi supra, p 228.\n\n\n\nGOD.2  They take their denomination from al Jabr, which signifies necessity,\nor compulsion; because they hold man to be necessarily and inevitably\nconstrained to act as he does, by force of GOD'S eternal and immutable\ndecree.3  This sect is distinguished into several species; some being more\nrigid and extreme in their opinion, who are thence called pure Jabarians, and\nothers more moderate, who are therefore called middle Jabarians.  The former\nwill not allow men to be said either to act, or to have any power at all,\neither operative or acquiring; asserting that man can do nothing, but produces\nall his actions by necessity, having neither power, nor will, nor choice, any\nmore than an inanimate agent: they also declare that rewarding and punishing\nare also the effects of necessity; and the same they say of the imposing of\ncommands.  This was the doctrine of the Jahmians, the followers of Jahm Ebn\nSafw\u00e2n, who likewise held that paradise and hell will vanish, or be\nannihilated, after those who are destined thereto respectively shall have\nentered them, so that at last there will remain no existing being besides\nGOD;4 supposing those words of the Kor\u00e2n which declare that the inhabitants of\nparadise and of hell shall remain therein for ever, to be hyperbolical only,\nand intended for corroboration, and not to denote an eternal duration in\nreality.5  The moderate Jabarians are those who ascribe some power to man, but\nsuch a power as hath no influence on the action: for as to those who grant the\npower of man to have a certain influence on the action, which influence is\ncalled Acquisition, some6 will not admit them to be called Jabarians; though\nothers reckon those also to be called middle Jabarians, and to contend for the\nmiddle opinion between absolute necessity and absolute liberty, who attribute\nto man acquisition, or concurrence in producing the action, whereby he gaineth\ncommendation or blame (yet without admitting it to have any influence on the\naction), and, therefore, make the Ash\u00e1rians a branch of this sect.7  Having\nagain mentioned the term Acquisition, we may, perhaps, have a clearer idea of\nwhat the Mohammedans mean thereby, when told, that it is defined to be an\naction directed to the obtaining of profit, or the removing of hurt, and for\nthat reason never applied to any action of GOD, who acquireth to himself\nneither profit nor hurt.1  Of the middle or moderate Jabarians were the\nNaj\u00e2rians and the Der\u00e2rians.  The Naj\u00e2rians were the adherents of al Hasan Ebn\nMohammed al Naj\u00e2r, who taught that GOD was he who created the actions of men,\nboth good and bad, and that man acquired them, and also that man's power had\nan influence on the action, or a certain co-operation, which he called\nacquisition; and herein he agreed with al Ash\u00e1ri.2  The Der\u00e2rians were the\ndisciples of Der\u00e2r Ebn Amru, who held also that men's actions are really\ncreated by GOD, and that man really acquired them.3  The Jabarians also say,\nthat GOD is absolute Lord of his creatures, and may deal with them according\nto his own pleasure, without rendering account to any, and that if he should\nadmit all men, without distinction, into paradise, it would be no\nimpartiality, or if he should cast them all into hell it would\n\n   2  Vide Abulfarag, p. 168.\t\t3  Al Shahrest. al Maw\u00e2kef, et Ebn al\nKoss\u00e1, apud Poc. ibid. p. 238, &c.\t\t4  Al Shahrest. al Motarezzi, et Ebn\nal Koss\u00e1, apud eund. p. 239, 243, &c.\t\t5  Idem, ibid. p. 260.\t6  Al\nShahrest.\n7  Ebn al Koss\u00e1, et al Maw\u00e2kef.\t\t1  Ebn al Koss\u00e1 apud Poc. ubi sup.\np. 240.\t2  Al Shahrest. apud eund. p. 245.\n3  Idem, ibid.\n\n\n\nbe no injustice.4  And in this particular, likewise, they agree with the\nAsh\u00e1rians, who assert the same,5 and say that reward is a favour from GOD, and\npunishment a piece of justice; obedience being by them considered as a sign\nonly of future reward, and transgression as a sign of future punishment.6\n   5.  The Morgians; who are said to be derived from the Jabarians.7  These\nteach that the judgment of every true believer, who hath been guilty of a\ngrievous sin, will be deferred till the resurrection; for which reason they\npass no sentence on him in this world, either of absolution or condemnation.\nThey also hold that disobedience with faith hurteth not; and that, on the\nother hand, obedience with infidelity profiteth not.1  As to the reason of\ntheir name the learned differ, because of the different significations of its\nroot, each of which they accommodate to some opinion of the sect.  Some think\nthem so called because they postpone works to intention, that is, esteem works\nto be inferior in degree to intention and profession of the faith;2 others,\nbecause they allow hope, by asserting that disobedience with faith hurteth\nnot, &c.; others take the reason of the name to be, their deferring the\nsentence of the heinous sinner till the resurrection;3 and others, their\ndegrading of Ali, or removing him from the first degree to the fourth:4 for\nthe Morgians, in some points relating to the office of Im\u00e2m, agree with the\nKh\u00e2rejites, the Kadarians, or the Jabarians, are distinguished as Morgians of\nthose sects, and the fourth is that of the pure Morgians; which last species\nis again subdivided into five others.5  The opinions of Mok\u00e2tel and Bashar,\nboth of a sect of the Morgians called Thaubanians, should not be omitted.  The\nformer asserted that disobedience hurts not him who professes the unity of\nGOD, and is endued with faith; and that no true believer shall be cast into\nhell: he also taught that GOD will surely forgive all crimes besides\ninfidelity; and that a disobedient believer will be punished, at the day of\nresurrection, on the bridge6 laid over the midst of hell, where the flames of\nhell fire shall catch hold on him, and torment him in proportion to his\ndisobedience, and that he shall then be admitted into paradise.7  The latter\nheld that if GOD do cast the believers guilty of grievous sins into hell, yet\nthey will be delivered thence after they shall have been sufficiently\npunished; but that it is neither possible nor consistent with justice that\n\n   4  Abulfarag, p. 168, &c.\t\t5  Al Shahrestani, ubi sup. p. 252, &c.\n   6  Sharh al Taw\u00e2lea, ibid.  To the same effect writes the Moorish author\nquotes above, from whom I will venture to transcribe the following passage,\nwith which he concludes his Discourse on Freewill.  \"Intellectus fer\u00e8 lumine\nnaturali novit Deum esse rectum judicem et justum, qui non aliter afficit\ncreaturam qu\u00e0m juste: etiam Deum esse absolutum Dominum, et hanc orbis\nmachinam esse ejus, et ab eo creatam; Deum mullis debere rationem reddere, c\u00f9m\nquicquid agat, agat jure proprio sibi: et ita absolute poterit afficere pr\u00e6mio\nvel pona quem vult, c\u00f9m omnis creatura sit ejus, nec facit cuiquam injuriam,\netsi eam tormentis et ponis \u00e6ternis afficiat: plus enim boni et commodi\naccepit creatura quando accepit esse a suo creatore, qu\u00e0m incommodi et damni\nquando ab eo damnata est et affecta tormentis et ponis.  Hoc autem\nintelligitur si Deus absolute id faceret.  Quando enim Deus, pietate et\nmisericordia motus, eligit aliquos ut ipsi serviant, Dominus Deus grati\u00e2 su\u00e2\nid facit ex infinit\u00e2 bonitate; et quando aliquos derelingquit, et ponis et\ntormentis afficit, ex justitia et rectitudine.  Et tandem dicim\u00f9 omnes ponas\nesse justas qu\u00e6 a Deo Veniunt, et nostr\u00e2 tant\u00f9m culp\u00e2, et omnia bona esse \u00e0\npietate et misericordia ejus infinita.\"\t\t7  Al Shahrest. ubi sup. p.\n256.\t\t1  Abulfar. p. 169.\n2  Al Firauz.\t\t3  Ebn al Ath\u00eer, al Motarrezi.\t\t4  Al\nShahrest. ubi sup. p. 254, &c.\t\t5  Idem, ibid.\t\t6  See\nbefore, Sect. IV. p. 71.\t\t7  al Shahrest. ubi sup. p. 257.\n\n\n\nthey should remain therein for ever; which, as has been observed, was the\nopinion of al Ash\u00e1ri.\n   III.  The Kh\u00e2rejites are they who depart or revolt from the lawful prince\nestablished by public consent; and thence comes their name, which signifies\nrevolters or rebels.8  The first who were so called were twelve thousand men\nwho revolted from Ali, after they had fought under him at the battle of\nSeffein, taking offence at his submitting the decision of his right to the\nKhal\u00eefat, which Mo\u00e2wiyah disputed with him, to arbitration, though they\nthemselves had first obliged him to it.1 These were also called Mohakkemites,\nor Judiciarians; because the reason which they gave for their revolt was, that\nAli had referred a matter concerning the religion of GOD to the judgment of\nmen, whereas the judgment, in such case, belonged only unto GOD.2  The heresy\nof the Kh\u00e2rejites consisted chiefly in two things.  I.  In that they affirmed\na man might be promoted to the dignity of the Im\u00e2m, or prince, though he was\nnot of the tribe of Koreish, nor even a freeman, provided he was a just and\npious person, and endued with the other requisite qualifications; and also\nheld that if the Im\u00e2m turned aside from the truth, he might be put to death or\ndeposed; and that there was no absolute necessity for any Im\u00e2m at all in the\nworld.  2.  In that they charged Ali with sin, for having left an affair to\nthe judgment of men, which ought to have been determined by GOD alone; and\nwent so far as to declare him guilty of infidelity, and to curse him on that\naccount.3  In the 38th year of the Hejra, which was the year following the\nrevolt, all these Kh\u00e2rejites who persisted in their rebellion, to the number\nof four thousand, were cut to pieces by Ali, and, as several historians4\nwrite, even to a man: but others say nine of them escaped, and that two fled\ninto Om\u00e2n, two into Kerm\u00e2n, two into Sejest\u00e2n, two into Mesopotamia, and one\nto Tel Mawr\u00fbn; and that these propagated their heresy in those places, the\nsame remaining there to this day.5  The principal sects of the Kh\u00e2rejites,\nbesides the Mohakkemites above mentioned, are six; which, though they greatly\ndiffer among themselves in other matters, yet agree in these, viz., that they\nabsolutely reject Othm\u00e2n and Ali, preferring the doing of this to the greatest\nobedience, and allowing marriages to be contracted on no other terms; that\nthey account those who are guilty of grievous sins to be infidels; and that\nthey hold it necessary to resist the Im\u00e2m when he transgresses the law.  One\nsect of them deserves more particular notice, viz.-\n   The Wa\u00efdians, so called from al Wa\u00efd, which signifies the threats denounced\nby GOD against the wicked.  These are the antagonists of the Morgians, and\nassert that he who is guilty of a grievous sin ought to be declared an infidel\nor apostate, and will be eternally punished in hell, though he were a true\nbeliever:6 which opinion of theirs, as has been observed, occasioned the first\nrise of the M\u00f3tazalites.  One Jaafar Ebn Mobashshar, of the sect of the\nNodh\u00e2mians, was yet more severe than the Wa\u00efdians, pronouncing him to be a\nreprobate and an apostate who steals but a grain of corn.1\n\n   8  Idem, ibid. p. 269.\t\t1  See Ockley's Hist. of the Sarac. vol.\ni. p. 60, &c.\t\t2  Al Shahrest. ubi sup. p. 270.\n3  Idem, ibid.\t\t4  Abulfeda, al Jann\u00e2bi, Elmacinus, p. 40.\n\t5  Al Shahrestani.  See Ockley's Hist. of the Saracens, ubi sup. p. 63.\n\t6  Abulfar. p. 169.  Al Shahrest. apud Poc. Spec. p. 256.\t\t1\nVide Poc. ibid. p. 257\n\n\n\n   IV. The Shiites are the opponents of the Kh\u00e2rejites: their name properly\nsignifies sectaries or adherents in general, but is peculiarly used to denote\nthose of Ali Ebn T\u00e2leb; who maintain him to be lawful Khal\u00eef and Im\u00e2m, and\nthat the supreme authority, both in spirituals and temporals, of right belongs\nto his descendants, notwithstanding they may be deprived of it by the\ninjustice of others, or their own fear.  They also teach that the office of\nIm\u00e2m is not a common thing, depending on the will of the vulgar, so that they\nmay set up whom they please; but a fundamental affair of religion, and an\narticle which the prophet could not have neglected, or left to the fancy of\nthe common people:2 nay, some, thence called Im\u00e2mians, go so far as to assert,\nthat religion consists solely in the knowledge of the true Im\u00e2m.3  The\nprincipal sects of the Shiites are five, which are subdivided into an almost\ninnumerable number; so that some understand Mohammed's prophecy of the seventy\nodd sects, of the Shiites only.  Their general opinions are-I.  That the\npeculiar designation of the Im\u00e2m, and the testimonies of the Kor\u00e2n and\nMohammed concerning him, are necessary points.  2.  That the Im\u00e2ms ought\nnecessarily to keep themselves free from light sins as well as more grievous.\n3.  That every one ought publicly to declare who it is that he adheres to, and\nfrom whom he separates himself, by word, deed, and engagement; and that herein\nthere should be no dissimulation.  But in this last point some of the\nZeidians, a sect so named from Zeid, the son of Ali surnamed Zein al \u00e2bed\u00een,\nand great-grandson of Ali, dissented from the rest of the Shiites.4  As to\nother articles, wherein they agreed not, some of them came pretty near to the\nnotions of the M\u00f3tazalites, others to those of the Moshabbehites, and others\nto those of the Sonnites.5  Among the latter of these Mohammed al B\u00e2ker,\nanother son of Zein al \u00e2bed\u00een's, seems to claim a place: for his opinion as to\nthe will of GOD was, that GOD willeth something in us, and something from us,\nand that what he willeth from us he hath revealed to us; for which reason he\nthought it preposterous that we should employ our thoughts about those things\nwhich GOD willeth in us, and neglect those which he willeth from us: and as to\nGOD'S decree, he held that the way lay in the middle, and that there was\nneither compulsion nor free liberty.1  A tenet of the Khatt\u00e2bians, or\ndisciples of one Abu'l Khattab, is too peculiar to be omitted.  These\nmaintained paradise to be no other than the pleasures of this world, and hell\nfire to be the pains thereof, and that the world will never decay: which\nproposition being first laid down, it is no wonder they went farther, and\ndeclared it lawful to indulge themselves in drinking wine and whoring, and to\ndo other things forbidden by the law, and also to omit doing the things\ncommanded by the law.2\n   Many of the Shiites carried their veneration for Ali and his descendants so\nfar, that they transgressed all bounds of reason and decency; though some of\nthem were less extravagant than others.  The Ghol\u00e2\u00eftes, who had their name\nfrom their excessive zeal for their Im\u00e2ms, were so highly transported\ntherewith, that they raised them above the degree of created beings, and\nattributed divine properties to them; trans-\n\n   2  Al Shahrest. ibid. p. 261.  Abulfar. p. 169.\t\t3  Al Shahrest.\nibid. p. 262.\t\t4  Idem, ibid.  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art.\nSchiah.\t\t5  Vide Poc. ibid.\t\t\t1  Al Shahrest. ibid. p.\n263.\t\t2  Idem. et Ebn al Koss\u00e1, ibid. p. 260, &c.\n\n\n\ngressing on either hand, by deifying of mortal men, and by making GOD\ncorporeal: for one while they liken one of their Im\u00e2ms to GOD, and another\nwhile they liken GOD to a creature.3  The sects of these are various, and have\nvarious appellations in different countries.  Abd'allah Ebn Saba (who had been\na Jew, and had asserted the same thing of Joshua the son of Nun) was the\nringleader of one of them.  This man gave the following salutation to Ali,\nviz., \"Thou art Thou,\" i.e., Thou art GOD: and hereupon the Ghol\u00e2\u00eftes became\ndivided into several species; some maintaining the same thing, or something\nlike it, of Ali, and others of some of one of his descendants; affirming that\nhe was not dead, but would return again in the clouds, and fill the earth with\njustice.4  But howmuchsoever they disagreed in other things, they unanimously\nheld a metempsychosis, and what they call al Hol\u00fbl, or the descent of GOD on\nhis creatures; meaning thereby that GOD is present in every place, and speaks\nwith every tongue, and appears in some individual person:5 and hence some of\nthem asserted their Im\u00e2ms to be prophets, and at length gods.6  The Nosairians\nand the Ish\u00e2kians taught that spiritual substances appear in grosser bodies;\nand that the angels and the devil have appeared in this manner.  They also\nassert that GOD hath appeared in this manner.  They also assert that GOD hath\nappeared in the form of certain men; and since, after Mohammed, there hath\nbeen no man more excellent than Ali, and, after him, his sons have excelled\nall other men, that GOD hath appeared in their form, spoken with their tongue,\nand made use of their hands; for which reason, say they, we attribute divinity\nto them.1  And to support these blasphemies, they tell several miraculous\nthings of Ali, as his moving the gates of Khaibar,2 which they urge as a plain\nproof that he was endued with a particle of divinity and with sovereign power,\nand that he was the person in whose form GOD appeared, with whose hands he\ncreated all things, and with whose tongue he published his commands; and\ntherefore they say he was in being before the creation of heaven and earth.3\nIn so impious a manner do they seem to wrest those things which are said in\nscripture of CHRIST by applying them to Ali.  These extravagant fancies of the\nShiites, however, in making their Im\u00e2ms in laying claim thereto, are so far\nfrom being peculiar to this sect, that most of the other Mohammedan sects are\ntainted with the same madness; there being many found among them, and among\nthe S\u00fbfis especially, who pretend to be nearly related to heaven, and who\nboast of strange revelations before the credulous people.4  It may not be\namiss to hear what al Ghaz\u00e2li has written on this occasion.  \"Matters are come\nto that pass,\" says he, \"that some boast of an union with GOD, and of\ndiscoursing familiarly with him, without the interposition of a veil, saying,\n'It hath been thus said to us,' and 'We have thus spoken;' affecting to\nimitate Hosein al Hall\u00e2j, who was put to death for some words of this kind\nuttered by him, he having said (as was proved by credible witnesses), 'I am\nthe Truth,'5 or Abu Yaz\u00eed al Bast\u00e2mi, of whom it is related that he often used\nthe expression,\n\n   3  Idem, ibid.\t\t4  Idem, ibid. p. 264.  Vide Marracc. Prodr. part iii.\np. 80, &c.\t\t5  Idem, ibid. p. 265.\n6  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Or. Art. Hakem Beamrillah.\t\t1  Idem, ibid.\nAbulfar. p. 169.\t2  See Prid. Life of Mah. p. 93.\n3  Al Shah. ubi sup. p. 266.\t\t\t4  Poc. Spec. p. 267.\t5  Vide\nD'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Hallage.\n\n\n\n'Sobh\u00e2ni,' i.e., 'Praise be unto me!'6  But this way of talking is the cause\nof great mischief among the common people; insomuch that husbandmen,\nneglecting the tillage of their land, have pretended to the like privileges;\nnature being tickled with discourses of this kind, which furnish men with an\nexcuse for leaving their occupations, under pretence of purifying their souls,\nand attaining I know not what degrees and conditions.  Nor is there anything\nto hinder the most stupid fellows from forming the like pretensions and\ncatching at such vain expressions: for whenever what they say is denied to be\ntrue, they fail not to reply that our unbelief proceeds from learning and\nlogic; affirming learning to be a veil, and logic the work of the mind;\nwherein what they tell us appears only within, being discovered by the light\nof truth.  But this is that truth the sparks whereof have flown into several\ncountries and occasioned great mischiefs; so that it is more for the advantage\nof GOD'S true religion to put to death one of those who utter such things than\nto bestow life on ten others.\"1\n   Thus far have we treated of the chief sects among the Mohammedans of the\nfirst ages, omitting to say anything of the more modern sects, because the\nsame are taken little or no notice of by their own writers, and would be of no\nuse to our present design.2  It may be proper, however, to mention a word or\ntwo of the great schism at this day subsisting between the Sonnites and the\nShiites, or partisans of Ali, and maintained on either side with implacable\nhatred and furious zeal.  Though the difference arose at first on a political\noccasion, it has, notwithstanding, been so well improved by additional\ncircumstances and the spirit of contradiction, that each party detest and\nanathematize the other as abominable heretics, and farther from the truth than\neither the Christians or the Jews.3  The chief points wherein they differ are-\nI.  That the Shiites reject Abu Becr, Omar, and Othm\u00e2n, the three first\nKhal\u00eefs, as usurpers and intruders; whereas the Sonnites acknowledge and\nrespect them as rightful Im\u00e2ms.  2.  The Shiites prefer Ali to Mohammed, or,\nat least, esteem them both equal; but the Sonnites admit neither Ali nor any\nof the prophets to be equal to Mohammed.  3.  The Sonnites charge the Shiites\nwith corrupting the Kor\u00e2n and neglecting its precepts, and the Shiites retort\nthe same charge on the Sonnites.  4.  The Sonnites receive the Sonna, or book\nof traditions of their prophet, as of canonical authority; whereas the Shiites\nreject it as apocryphal and unworthy of credit.  And to these disputes, and\nsome others of less moment, is principally owing to the antipathy which has\nlong reigned between the Turks, who are Sunnites, and the Persians, who are of\nthe sect of Ali.  It seems strange that Spinosa, had he known of no other\nschism among the Mohammedans, should yet never have heard of one so publicly\nnotorious as this between the Turks and Persians; but it is plain he did not,\nor he would never have assigned it as the reason of his preferring the order\nof the Mohammedan church to that of the Roman, that there have arisen no\nschisms in the former since its birth.4\n\n   6  Vide Ibid. Art. Bastham.\t\t1  Al Ghaz\u00e2li, apud Poc. ubi sup.\n\t2  The reader may meet with some account of them in Ricaut's State of\nthe Ottom. Empire, l. 2, c. 12.\t\t3  Vide ibid. c. 10, and Chardin,\nVoy. de Perse, t. ii. p. 169, 170, &c.\n   4  The words of the Spinosa are: \"Ordinem Roman\u00e6 ecclesi\u00e6-politicum et\nplurimis lucrosum esse fateor; nec ad decipiendam plebem, et hominum animos\ncoercendrum commo-\n\n\n\n   As success in any project seldom fails to draw in imitators, Mohammed's\nhaving raised himself to such a degree of power and reputation by acting the\nprophet, induced others to imagine they might arrive at the same height by the\nsame means.  His most considerable competitors in the prophetic office were\nMoseilama and al Aswad, whom the Mohammedans usually call the two liars.\n   The former was of the tribe of Honeifa, who inhabited the province of\nYam\u00e2ma, and a principal man among them.  He headed an embassy sent by his\ntribe to Mohammed in the ninth year of the Hejra, and professed himself a\nMoslem:1 but on his return home, considering that he might possibly share with\nMohammed in his power, the next year he set up for a prophet also, pretending\nto be joined with him the commission to recall mankind from idolatry to the\nworship of the true GOD;2 and he published written revelations, in imitation\nof the Kor\u00e2n, of which Abulfargius3 has preserved the following passage, viz.:\n\"now hath GOD been gracious unto her that was with child, and hath brought\nforth from her the soul, which runneth between the periton\u00e6um and the bowels.\"\nMoseilama, having formed a considerable party among those of Honeifa, began to\nthink himself upon equal terms with Mohammed, and sent him a letter, offering\nto go halves with him,4 in these words: \"From Moseilama the apostle of GOD, to\nMohammed the apostle of GOD.  Now let the earth be half mine, and half thine.\"\nBut Mohammed, thinking himself too well established to need a partner, wrote\nhim this answer: \"From Mohammed the apostle of GOD, to Moseilama the liar.\nThe earth is GOD'S: he giveth the same for inheritance unto such of his\nservants as he pleaseth; and the happy issue shall attend those who fear\nhim.\"5  During the few months which Mohammed lived after this revolt,\nMoseilama rather gained than lost ground, and grew very formidable; but Abu\nBecr, his successor, in the eleventh year of the Hejra, sent a great army\nagainst him, under the command of that consummate general, Kh\u00e2led Ebn al\nWal\u00eed, who engaged Moseilama in a bloody battle, wherein the false prophet,\nhappening to be slain by Wahsha, the negro slave who had killed Hamza at Ohod,\nand by the same lance,6 the Moslems gained an entire victory, ten thousand of\nthe apostates being left dead on the spot, and the rest returning to\nMohammedism.7\n   Al Aswad, whose name was Aihala, was of the tribe of Ans, and governed that\nand the other tribes of Arabs descended from Madhhaj.1  This man was likewise\nan apostate from Mohammedism, and set up for himself the very year that\nMohammed died.2  He was surnamed Dhu'lhem\u00e2r, or the master of the ass, because\nhe used frequently to say, \"The master of the ass is coming unto me;\"3 and\npretended to receive his revelations from two angels, named Sohaik and\nShoraik.4  Having a good hand at legerdemain, and a smooth tongue, he gained\nmightily on the multitude by the strange feats which he showed them,\n\ndiorem isto crederem, ni ordo Mahumedan\u00e6 ecclesi\u00e6 esset, qui long\u00e8 eundem\nantecellit.  Nam \u00e0 quo tempore h\u00e6c superstitio incepit, nulla in eorum\necclesia schismata orta sunt.\"  Opera Posth. p. 613.\t\t1  Abulfed. p.\n160.\t\t2  Idem, Elmac. p. 9.\n3  Hist. Dynast. p. 164.\t\t4  Abulfed. ubi sup.\t\t5  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi, in Kor. c. 5.\t\t6  Abulfed. ubi sup.\n7 Idem, ibid. Abulfarag, p. 173.  Elmac. p. 16, &c.  See Ockley's Hist. of the\nSaracens, vol. i. p. 15, &c.\t\t1  Al Soheili, apud Gagnier. in not. ad\nAbulf. Vit. Moh. p. 158.\t\t2  Elmac. p. 9.\t\t3  Abulfed ubi\nsup.\t\t4  Al Soheili, ubi sup.\n\n\n\nand the eloquence of his discourse:5 by these means he greatly increased his\npower, and having made himself master of Najr\u00e2n, and the territory of al\nT\u00e2yef,6 on the death of Badh\u00e2n, the governor of Yaman for Mohammed, he seized\nthat province also, killing Shahr, the son of Badh\u00e2n, and taking to wife his\nwidow, whose father, the uncle of Fir\u00fbz the Deilamite, he had also slain.7\nThese news being brought to Mohammed, he sent to his friends, and to those of\nHamd\u00e2n, a party of whom, conspiring with Kais Ebn Abd'al Yagh\u00fbth, who bore Al\nAswad a grudge, and with Fir\u00fbz, and al Aswad's wife, broke by night into his\nhouse, where Fir\u00fbz surprised him and cut off his head.  While he was\ndispatching he roared like a bull; at which his guards came to the chamber\ndoor, but were sent away by his wife, who told them the prophet was only\nagitated by the divine inspiration.  This was done the very night before\nMohammed died.  The next morning the conspirators caused the following\nproclamation to be made, viz.: \"I bear witness that Mohammed is the apostle of\nGOD, and that Aihala is a liar;\" and letters were immediately sent away to\nMohammed, with an account of what had been done: but a messenger from heaven\noutstripped them, and acquainted the prophet with the news, which he imparted\nto his companions but a little before his death; the letters themselves not\narriving till Abu Becr was chosen Khal\u00eef.  It is said that Mohammed, on this\noccasion, told those who attended him that before the day of judgment thirty\nmore impostors, besides Moseilama and al Aswad, should appear, and every one\nof them set up for a prophet.  The whole time, from the beginning of al\nAswad's rebellion to his death, was about four months.8\n   In the same eleventh year of the Hejra, but after the death of Mohammed, as\nseems most probable, Toleiha Ebn Khowailed set up for a prophet, and Sej\u00e2j\nBint al Mondar1 for a prophetess.\n   Toleiha was of the tribe of Asad, which adhered to him, together with great\nnumbers of the tribes of Ghatf\u00e2n and Tay.  Against them likewise was Kh\u00e2led\nsent, who engaged and put them to flight, obliging Toleiha, with his shattered\ntroops, to retire into Syria, where he stayed till the death of Abu Becr: then\nhe went to Omar and embraced Mohammedism in his presence, and, having taken\nthe oath of fidelity to him, returned to his own country and people.2\n   Sej\u00e2j, surnamed Omm S\u00e2der, was of the tribe of Tam\u00eem, and the wife of Abu\nCahdala, a soothsayer of Yam\u00e2ma.  She was followed not only by those of her\nown tribe, but by several others.  Thinking a prophet the most proper husband\nfor her, she went to Moseilama, and married him; but after she had stayed with\nhim three days, she left him and returned home.3  What became of her\nafterwards I do not find.  Ebn Shohnah has given us part of the conversation\nwhich passed at the interview between those two pretenders to inspiration; but\nthe same is a little too immodest to be translated.\n   In succeeding ages several impostors from time to time started up most of\nwhom quickly came to nothing: but some made a considerable figure, and\npropagated sects which continued long after their decease.\n\n   5  Abulfed. ubi sup.\t\t\t6  Idem, et Elmac. ubi sup.\t\t7\nIdem, al Jann\u00e2bi, ubi sup.\t\t8  Idem, ibid.\t\t1  Ebn Shohnah and\nElmacinus call her the daughter of al Hareth.\t\t2  Elmac, p. 16, al\nBeid\u00e2wi, in Kor. c. 5.\t\t3  Ebn Shohnah.  Vide Elmac. p. 16.\n\n\n\nI shall give a brief account of the most remarkable of them, in order of time.\n   In the reign of al Mohdi, the third Khal\u00eef of the race of al Abb\u00e2s, one\nHakem Ebn H\u00e2shem4, originally of Mer\u00fb, in Khoras\u00e2n, who had been an under-\nsecretary to Abu Moslem, the governor of that province, and afterwards turned\nsoldier, passed thence into Mawar\u00e2lnahr, where he gave himself out for a\nprophet.  He is generally named by the Arab writers al Mokanna, and sometimes\nal Borka\u00ed, that is, \"the veiled,\" because he used to cover his face with a\nveil, or a gilded mask, to conceal his deformity, having lost an eye in the\nward, and being otherwise of a despicable appearance; though his followers\npretended he did it for the same reasons as Moses did, viz., lest the\nsplendour of his countenance should dazzle the eyes of the beholders.  He made\na great many proselytes at Nakhshab and Kash, deluding the people with several\njuggling performances, which they swallowed for miracles, and particularly by\ncausing the appearance of a moon to rise out of a well, for many nights\ntogether; whence he was also called, in the Persian tongue, S\u00e2zendeh mah, or\nthe moonmaker.  This impious impostor, not content with being reputed a\nprophet, arrogated divine honours to himself, pretending that the deity\nresided in his person: and the doctrine whereon he built this was the same\nwith that of the Ghol\u00e2\u00eftes above mentioned, who affirmed a transmigration or\nsuccessive manifestation of the divinity through and in certain prophets and\nholy men, from Adam to these latter days (of which opinion was also Abu Moslem\nhimself);1 but the particular doctrine of al Mokanna was, that the person in\nwhom the deity had last resided was the aforesaid Abu Moslem, and that the\nsame had, since his death, passed into himself.  The faction of al Mokanna,\nwho had made himself master of several fortified places in the neighbourhood\nof the cities above mentioned, growing daily more and more powerful, the\nKhal\u00eef was at length obliged to send an army to reduce him; at the approach\nwhereof al Mokanna retired into one of his strongest fortresses, which he had\nwell provided for a siege, and sent his emissaries abroad to pursuade people\nthat he raised the dead to life, and knew future events.  But, being straitly\nbesieged by the Khal\u00eef's forces, when he found there was no possibility for\nhim to escape, he gave poison, in wine, to his whole family, and all that were\nwith him in the castle; and when they were dead he burnt their bodies,\ntogether with their clothes, and all the provisions and cattle; and then, to\nprevent his own body's being found, he threw himself into the flames, or, as\nothers say, into a tub of aqua fortis, or some other preparation, which\nconsumed every part of him, except only his hair: so that when the besiegers\nentered the place, they found no creature in it, save one of al Mokanna's\nconcubines, who, suspecting his design, had hid herself, and discovered the\nwhole matter.  This contrivance, however, failed not to produce the effect\nwhich the impostor designed among the remaining part of his followers; for he\nhad promised them that his soul should transmigrate into the form of a grey-\nheaded man riding on a greyish beast, and that after so many years he would\nreturn\n\n   4  Or Ebn At\u00e2, according to Ebn Shohnan.\t\t1  This explain a doubt\nof Mr. Bayle concerning a passage of Elmacinus, as translated by Erpenius, and\ncorrected by Bespier.  Vide Bayle, Dic. Hist. Art. Abumuslimus, vers la fin,\net Rem. B.\n\n\n\n\nto them, and give them the earth for their possession: the expectation of\nwhich  promise kept the sect in being for several ages after under the name of\nMobeyyidites, or, as the Persians call them, Sefid j\u00e2mehghi\u00e2n, i.e., the\nclothed in white, because they wore their garments of that colour, in\nopposition, as is supposed, to the Khal\u00eefs of the family of Abb\u00e2s, whose\nbanners and habits were black.  The historians place the death of al Mokanna\nin the 162nd or 163rd year of the Hejra.2\n   In the year of the Hejra 201, B\u00e2bec, surnamed al Khorremi, and Khorremd\u00een,\neither because he was of a certain district near Ardeb\u00eel in Adherbij\u00e2n, called\nKhorrem, or because he instituted a merry religion, which is the signification\nof the word in Persian, began to take on him the title of a prophet.  I do not\nfind what doctrine he taught; but it is said he professed none of the\nreligions then known in Asia.  He gained a great number of devotees in\nAdherbij\u00e2n and the Persian Ir\u00e2k, and grew powerful enough to wage war with the\nKhal\u00eef al M\u00e1m\u00fan, whose troops he often beat, killing several of his generals,\nand one of them with his own hand; and by these victories he became so\nformidable that al M\u00f3tasem, the successor of al M\u00e1m\u00fbn, was obliged to employ\nthe forces of the whole empire against him.  The general sent to reduce B\u00e2bec\nwas Afsh\u00eed, who having overthrown him in battle, took his castles one after\nanother with invincible patience, notwithstanding the rebels gave him great\nannoyance, and at last shut up the impostor in his principal fortress; which\nbeing taken, B\u00e2bec found means to escape thence in disguise, with some of his\nfamily and principal followers; but taking refuge in the territories of the\nGreeks, was betrayed in the following manner.  Sahel, an Armenian officer,\nhappening to know B\u00e2bec, enticed him, by offers of service and respect, into\nhis power, and treated him as a mighty prince, till, when he sat down to eat,\nSahel clapped himself down by him; at which B\u00e2bec being surprised, asked him\nhow he dared to take that liberty unasked?  \"It is true, great king,\" replied\nSahel, \"I have committed a fault; for who am I, that I should sit at your\nmajesty's table?\"  And immediately sending for a smith, he made use of this\nbitter sarcasm, \"Stretch forth your legs, great king, that this man may put\nfetters on them.\"  After this Sahel sent him to Afsh\u00eed, though he had offered\na large sum for his liberty, having first served him in his own kind, by\ncausing his mother, sister, and wife to be ravished before his face; for so\nB\u00e2bec used to treat his prisoners.  Afsh\u00eed, having the arch-rebel in his\npower, conducted him to al M\u00f3tasem, by whose order he was put to an\nignominious and cruel death.  This man had maintained his ground against the\npower of the Khal\u00eefs for twenty years, and had cruelly put to death above two\nhundred and fifty thousand people; it being his custom never to spare man,\nwoman, or child, either of the Mohammedans or their allies.3  The sectaries of\nB\u00e2bec which remained after his death seem to have been entirely dispersed,\nthere being little or no mention made of them by historians.\n\n   1  They were a sect in the days of Abulfaragius, who lived about five\nhundred years after this extraordinary event; and may, for aught I know, be so\nstill.\t\t2  Ex Abulfarag, Hist. Dyn. p. 226.  Lobb al Taw\u00e2rikh, Ebn\nShohnah, al Tabari, and Khondamir.  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Hakem\nBen Haschem.\t\t\t3  Ex Abulfarag, p. 252, &c.  Elmacin. p. 141,\n&c., and Khondamir.  Vide D'Herbel. Art B\u00e2bec.\n\n\n\n   About the year 235, one Mahm\u00fbd Ebn Faraj pretended to be Moses\nresuscitated, and played his part so well that several people believed on him,\nand attended him when he was brought before the Khal\u00eef al Motawakkel.  That\nprince, having been an ear-witness of his extravagant discourses, condemned\nhim to receive ten buffets from every one of his followers, and then to be\ndrubbed to death; which was accordingly executed; and his disciples were\nimprisoned till they came to their right minds.4\n   The Karmatians, a sect which bore an inveterate malice against the\nMohammedans, began first to raise disturbances in the year of the Hejra 278,\nand the latter end of the reign of al M\u00f3tamed.  Their origin is not well\nknown; but the common tradition is, that  poor fellow, whom some call Karmata,\ncame from Kh\u00fbzist\u00e2n to the villages near C\u00fbfa, and there feigned great\nsanctity and strictness of life, and that GOD had enjoined him to pray fifty\ntimes a day, pretending also to invite people to the obedience of a certain\nIm\u00e2m of the family of Mohammed: and this way of life he continued till he had\nmade a very great party, out of whom he chose twelve, as his apostles, to\ngovern the rest, and to propagate his doctrines.  But the governor of the\nprovince, finding men neglected their work, and their husbandry in particular,\nto say those fifty prayers a day, seized the fellow, and having put him into\nprison, swore that he should die; which being overheard by a girl belonging to\nthe governor, she, pitying the man, at night took the key of the dungeon from\nunder her master's head as he slept, and having let the prisoner out, returned\nthe key to the place whence she had it.  The next morning the governor found\nthe bird flown; and the accident being publicly known, raised great\nadmiration, his adherents giving it out that GOD had taken him into heaven.\nAfterwards he appeared in another province, and declared to a great number of\npeople he had got about him that it was not in the power of any to do him\nhurt; notwithstanding which, his courage failing him, he retired into Syria,\nand was not heard of any more.  His sect, however, continued and increased,\npretending that their master had manifested himself to be a true prophet, and\nhad left them a new law, wherein he had change the ceremonies and form of\nprayer used by the Moslems, and introduced a new kind of fast; and that he had\nalso allowed them to drink wine, and dispensed with several things commanded\nin the Kor\u00e2n.  They also turned the precepts of that book into allegory;\nteaching that prayer was the symbol of obedience to their Im\u00e2m, and fasting\nthat of silence, or concealing their dogmas from strangers: they also believed\nfornication to be the sin of infidelity; and the guilt thereof to be incurred\nby those who revealed the mysteries of their religion, or paid not a blind\nobedience to their chief.  They are said to have produced a book, wherein was\nwritten (among other things), \"In the name of the most merciful GOD.  Al Faraj\nEbn Othm\u00e2n of the town of Nasr\u00e2na, saith that Christ appeared unto him in a\nhuman form, and said, 'Thou art the invitation: thou art the demonstration:\nthou art the camel: thou art the beast: thou art John the son of Zacharias:\nthou art the Holy Ghost.'\"1  From the year above mentioned the\n\n\t\t4  Ebn Shohnah.  Vide D'Herbel. p. 537.\t\t1  Apud Abulfar.\np. 275.\n\n\n\nKarmatians, under several leaders, gave almost continual disturbance to the\nKhal\u00eefs and their Mohammedan subjects for several years; committing great\ndisorders and outrages in Chaldea, Arabia, Syria, and Mesopotamia, and at\nlength establishing a considerable principality, the power whereof was in its\nmeridian in the reign of Abu Dh\u00e2her, famous for his taking of Mecca, and the\nindignities by him offered to the temple there, but which declined soon after\nhis time and came to nothing.2\n   To the Karmatians the Ismaelians of Asia were very near of kin, if they\nwere not a branch of them.  For these, who were also called al Mol\u00e2hedah, or\nthe Impious, and by the writers of the history of the holy wars, Assassins,\nagreed with the former in many respects; such as their inveterate malice\nagainst those of other religions, and especially the Mohammedan, their\nunlimited obedience to their prince, at whose command they were ready for\nassassinations, or any other bloody and dangerous enterprise, their pretended\nattachment to a certain Im\u00e2m of the house of Ali, &c.  These Ismaelians in the\nyear 483 possessed themselves of al Jeb\u00e2l, in the Persian Ir\u00e2k, under the\nconduct of Hasan Sabah; and that prince and his descendants enjoyed the same\nfor a hundred and seventy-one years, till the whole race of them was destroyed\nby Holagu the Tartar.1\n   The B\u00e2tenites, which name is also given to the Ismaelians by some authors,\nand likewise to the Karmatians,2 were a sect which professed the same\nabominable principles, and were dispersed over several parts of the east.3\nThe word signifies Esoterics, or people of inward or hidden light or\nknowledge.\n   Abu'l Teyyeb Ahmed, surnamed al Motanabbi, of the tribe of J\u00f3fa, is too\nfamous on another account not to claim a place here.  He was one of the most\nexcellent poets among the Arabians, there being none besides Abu Tem\u00e2m who can\ndispute the prize with him.  His poetical inspiration was so warm and exalted\nthat he either mistook it or thought he could persuade others to believe it to\nbe prophetical, and therefore gave himself out to be a prophet indeed; and\nthence acquired his surname, by which he is generally known.  His\naccomplishments were too great not to have some success; for several tribes of\nthe Arabs of the deserts, particularly that of Kel\u00e2b, acknowledged him to be\nwhat he pretended.  But L\u00fbl\u00fb, governor in those parts for Akhsh\u00eed king of\nEgypt and Syria, soon put a stop to the further progress of this new sect by\nimprisoning their prophet and obliging him to renounce his chimerical dignity;\nwhich having done, he regained his liberty, and applied himself solely to his\npoetry, by means whereof he got very considerable riches, being in high esteem\nat the courts of several princes.  Al Motanabbi lost his life, together with\nhis son, on the bank of the Tigris, in defending the money which had been\ngiven him by Adado'ddawla, solt\u00e2n of Persia, against some Arabian robbers who\ndemanded it of him, with which money he was returning to C\u00fbfa, his native\ncity.  This accident happened in the year 354.4\n\n   2  Ex Abulfar. ibid. Elmacino, p. 174, &c.  Ebn Shohnah, Khondamir.  Vide\nD'Herbel. Art. Carmath.\t\t1  Vide Abulfar. p. 505, &c.  D'Herbel. p. 104,\n437, 505, 620, and 784.\t\t2  Vide Elmacin. p. 174 and 286.  D'Herb. p.\n194.\n3  Vide Abulfar. p. 361, 374, 380, 483.\t\t4  Pr\u00e6f. in opera Motannabbis\nMS.  Vide D'Herbel. p. 638, &c.\n\n\n\n   The last pretender to prophecy I shall now take notice of is one who\nappeared in the city of Amasia, in Natolia, in the year 638, and by his\nwonderful feats seduced a great multitude of people there.  He was by nation a\nTurkm\u00e2n, and called himself B\u00e2ba, and had a disciple named Isaac, whom he sent\nabout to invite those of his own nation to join him.  Isaac accordingly,\ncoming to the territory of Someisat, published his commission, and prevailed\non many to embrace his master's sect, especially among the Turkm\u00e2ns; so that\nat last he had six thousand horse at his heels, besides foot.  With these Baba\nand his disciple made open war on all who would not cry out with them, \"There\nis no GOD but GOD; B\u00e2ba is the apostle of GOD:\" and they put great numbers of\nMohammedans, as well as Christians, to the sword in those parts; till at\nlength both Mohammedans and Christians, joining together, gave them battle,\nand having entirely routed them, put them all to the sword, except their two\nchiefs, who being taken alive, had their heads struck off by the executioner.1\n   I could mention several other impostors of the same kind, which have arisen\namong the Mohammedans since their prophet's time, and very near enough to\ncomplete the number foretold by him: but I apprehend the reader is by this\ntime tired as well as myself, and shall therefore here conclude this\ndiscourse, which may be thought already too long for an introduction.\n\n\n\t   1  Abulfar. p. 479.  Ebn Shohnah, D'Herb. Art. B\u00e2ba\n\n\nAL KORAN.\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nENTITLED, THE PREFACE, OR INTRODUCTION;a REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD\n\n     PRAISE be to GOD, the LORD of all creatures;b\n     the most merciful,\n     the king of the day of judgment.\n     Thee do we worship, and of thee do we beg assistance.\n     Direct us in the right way,\n     in the way of those to whom thou hast been gracious; not of those against\nwhom thou art incensed, nor of those who go astray.c\n\n\ta  In Arabic al F\u00e2tihat.  This chapter is a prayer, and held in great\nveneration by the Mohammedans, who give it several other honourable titles; as\nthe chapter of prayer, of praise, of thanksgiving, of treasure, &c.  They\nesteem it as the quintessence of the whole Kor\u00e2n, and often repeat it in their\ndevotions both public and private, as the Christians do the Lord's Prayer.1\n\tb  The original words are, Rabbi 'l\u00e2lam\u00eena, which literally signify Lord\nof the worlds; but \u00e2lam\u00eena in this and other places of the Kor\u00e2n properly mean\nthe three species of rational creatures, men, genii, and angels.  Father\nMarracci has endeavoured to prove from this passage that Mohammed believed a\nplurality of worlds, which he calls the error of the Manichees, &c.:2 but this\nimputation the learned Reland has shown to be entirely groundless.3\n\tc  This last sentence contains a petition, that GOD would lead the\nsupplicants into the true religion, by which is meant the Mohammedan, in the\nKor\u00e2n often called the right way; in this place more particularly defined to\nbe, the way of those to whom GOD hath been gracious, that is, of the prophets\nand faithful who preceded Mohammed; under which appellations are also\ncomprehended the Jews and Christians, such as they were in the times of their\nprimitive purity, before they had deviated from their respective institutions;\nnot the way of the modern Jews, whose signal calamities are marks of the just\nanger of GOD against them for their obstinacy and disobedience: nor of the\nChristians of this age, who have departed from the true doctrine of Jesus, and\nare bewildered in a labyrinth of error.4\n\tThis is the common exposition of the passage; though al Zamakhshari, and\nsome others, by a different application of the negatives, refer the whole to\nthe true believers; and then the sense will run thus: The way of those to whom\nthou hast been gracious, against whom thou art not incensed, and who have not\nerred.  Which translation the original will very well bear.\n\n\t1  Vide Bobovium de Precib. Mohammed. p. 3, et seq.\t\t2  In\nProdromo ad Refut. Alcorani part iv. p. 76, et in notis ad Alc. c. I.\n3  De Religion. Mohammed. p. 262\t\t1  Jallalo'ddin.  Al Beidawi, &c.\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nENTITLED, THE COW;d REVEALED PARTLY AT MECCA, AND PARTLY AT MEDINA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     A. L. M.e  There is no doubt in this book; it is a direction to the\npious,\n     who believe in the mysteriesf of faith, who observe the appointed times\nof prayer, and distribute alms out of what we have bestowed on them,\n     and who believe in that revelation, which hath been sent down unto thee\nand that which hath been sent down unto the prophets before thee,g and have\nfirm assurance of the life to come:h\n     these are directed by their LORD, and they shall prosper.\n     As for the unbelievers, it will be equal to them whether thou admonish\nthem, or do not admonish them; they will not believe.\n     GOD hath sealed up their hearts and their hearing; a dimness covereth\ntheir sight, and they shall suffer a grievous punishment.\n     There are some who say, We believe in GOD, and the last day; but are not\nreally believers:\n     they seek to deceive GOD, and those who do believe, but they deceive\nthemselves only, and are not sensible thereof.\n     There is an infirmity in their hearts, and GOD hath increased that\ninfirmity;i and they shall suffer a most painful punishment, because they have\ndisbelieved.\n10\tWhen one saith unto them, Act not corruptlyk in the earth; they reply,\nVerily we are men of integrity.l\n     Are not they themselves corrupt doers? but they are not sensible thereof.\n     And when one saith unto them, Believe ye as othersm believe; they answer,\nShall we believe as fools believe?  Are not they themselves fools?  but they\nknow it not.\n     When they meet those who believe, they say, We do believe: but when they\nretire privately to their devils,n they say, We really hold with you, and only\nmock at those people:\n\n\td  This title was occasioned by the story of the red heifer, mentioned\np. 9.\n\te  As to the meaning of these letters, see the Preliminary Discourse,\nSect. III.\n\tf  The Arabic word is gheib, which properly signifies a thing that is\nabsent, at a great distance, or invisible, such as the resurrection, paradise,\nand hell.  And this is agreeable to the language of scripture, which defines\nfaith to be the evidence of things not seen.1\n\tg  The Mohammedans believe that GOD gave written revelations not only to\nMoses, Jesus, and Mohammed, but to several other prophets;2 though they\nacknowledge none of those which preceded the Kor\u00e2n to be now extant, except\nthe Pentateuch of Moses, the Psalms of David, and the Gospel of Jesus; which\nyet they say were even before Mohammed's time altered and corrupted by the\nJews and Christians; and therefore will not allow our present copies to be\ngenuine.\n\th  The original word al-\u00e2kherhat properly signifies the latter part of\nanything, and by way of excellence the next life, the latter or future state\nafter death; and is opposed to al-donya, this world; and al-oula, the former\nor present life.  The Hebrew word ahharith, from the same root, is used by\nMoses in this sense, and is translated latter end.3\n\ti  Mohammed here, and elsewhere frequently, imitates the truly inspired\nwriters, in making GOD by operation on the minds of reprobates to prevent\ntheir conversion.  This fatality or predestination, as believed by the\nMohammedans, hath been sufficiently treated of in the Preliminary Discourse.\n\tk  Literally corrupt not in the earth, by which some expositors\nunderstand the sowing of false doctrine, and corrupting people's principles.\n\tl  According to the explication in the preceding note, this word must be\ntranslated reformers, who promote true piety by their doctrine and example.\n\tm  The first companions and followers of Mohammed.4\n\tn  The prophet, making use of the liberty zealots of all religions have,\nby prescription, of giving ill language, bestows this name on the Jewish\nrabbins and Christian priests; though he seems chiefly to mean the former,\nagainst whom he had by much the greater spleen.\n\n\t1  Heb. xi. I.  See also Rom. xxiv. 25; 2 Cor. iv. 18 and v. 7.\n\t2  Vide Reland. de Relig. Moham. p. 34 and Dissert. de Samaritanis, p.\n34, &c.\t\t3  Numb. xxiv. 20; Deut. viii. 16.\t\t4  Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     GOD shall mock at them, and continue them in their impiety; they shall\nwander in confusion.\n     There are the the men who have purchased error at the price of true\ndirection: but their traffic hath not been gainful, neither have they been\nrightly directed.\n     They are like unto one who kindleth a fire,o and when it hath enlightened\nall around him,p GOD taketh away their lightq and leaveth them in darkness,\nthey shall not see;\n     they are deaf, dumb, and blind, therefore will they not repent.\n     Or like a stormy cloud from heaven, fraught with darkness, thunder, and\nlightning,r they put their fingers in their ears because of the noise of the\nthunder, for fear of death; GOD encompasseth the infidels:\n     the lightning wanteth but little of taking away their sight; so often as\nit enlighteneth them, they walk therein, but when darkness cometh on them,\nthey stand still; and if GOD so pleased, he would certainly deprive them of\ntheir hearing and their sight, for GOD is almighty.  O men of Mecca, serve\nyour LORD who hath created you, and those who have been before you:\nperadventure ye will fear him;\n20\twho hath spread the earth as a bed for you, and the heaven as a\ncovering, and hath caused water to descend from heaven, and thereby produced\nfruits for your sustenance.  Set not up therefore any equals unto GOD, against\nyour own knowledge.\n     If ye be in doubt concerning that revelation which we have sent down unto\nour servant, produce a chapter like unto it, and call upon your witnesses\nbesides GOD,s if ye say truth.\n     But if ye do it not, nor shall ever be able to do it; justly fear the\nfire whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for the unbelievers.\n     But bear good tidings unto those who believe, and do good works, that\nthey shall have gardens watered by rivers; so often as they eat of the fruit\nthereof for sustenance, they shall say, this is what we have formerly eaten\nof; and they shall be supplied with several sorts of fruit having a mutual\nresemblance to one another.t  There shall they enjoy wives subject to no\nimpurity, and there shall they continue forever.\n\n\to  In this passage, Mohammed compares those who believed not on him, to\na man who wants to kindle a fire, but as soon as it burns up, and the flames\ngive a light, shuts his eyes, lest he should see.  As if he had said, You, O\nArabians, have long desired a prophet of your own nation, and now I am sent\nunto you, and have plainly proved my mission by the excellence of my doctrine\nand revelation, you resist conviction, and refuse to believe in me; therefore\nshall God leave you in your ignorance.\n\tp  The sense seems to be here imperfect, and may be completed by adding\nthe words, He turns from it, shuts his eyes, or the like.\n\tq  That is of the unbelievers, to whom the word their being in the\nplural, seems to refer; though it is not unusual for Mohammed, in affectation\nof the prophetic style, suddenly to change the number against all rules of\ngrammar.\n\tr  Here he compares the unbelieving Arabs to people caught in a violent\nstorm.  To perceive the beauty of this comparison, it must be observed, that\nthe Mohammedan doctors say, this tempest is a type or image of the Kor\u00e2n\nitself: the thunder signifying the threats therein contained; the lightning,\nthe promises; and the darkness, the mysteries.  The terror of the threats\nmakes them stop their ears, unwilling to hear truths so disagreeable; when the\npromises are read to them, they attend with pleasure; but when anything\nmysterious or difficult of belief occurs, they stand stock still, and will not\nsubmit to be directed.\n\ts  i.e., Your false gods and idols.\n\tt  Some commentators1 approve of this sense, supposing the fruits of\nparadise, though of various tastes, are alike in colour and outward\nappearance: but others2 think the meaning to be, that the inhabitants of that\nplace will find there fruits of the same or the like kinds as they used to eat\nwhile on earth.\n\n\t\t\t1  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Al Zamakhshari.\n\n\n     Moreover, GOD will not be ashamed to propound in a parable a gnat, or\neven a more despicable thing:u for they who believe will know it to be the\ntruth from their LORD; but the unbelievers will say, What meaneth GOD by this\nparable?  he will thereby mislead many, and will direct many thereby: but he\nwill not mislead any thereby, except the transgressors,\n     who make void the covenant of GOD after the establishing thereof, and cut\nin sunder that which GOD hath commanded to be joined, and act corruptly in the\nearth; they shall perish.\n     How is it that ye believe not in GOD?  Since ye were dead, and he gave\nyou life;x he will hereafter cause you to die, and will again restore you to\nlife; then shall ye return unto him.\n     It is he who hath created for you whatsoever is on earth, and then set\nhis mind to the creation of heaven, and formed it into seven heavens; he\nknoweth all things.\n     When thy LORD said unto the angels, I am going to place a substitute on\nearth;y they said, Wilt thou place there one who will do evil therein, and\nshed blood? but we celebrate thy praise, and sanctify thee.  GOD answered,\nVerily I know that which ye know not;\n     and he taught Adam the names of all things, and then proposed them to the\nangels, and said, Declare unto me the names of these things if ye say truth.\n30\tThey answered, Praise be unto thee; we have no knowledge but what thou\nteachest us, for thou art knowing and wise.\n     GOD said, O Adam, tell them their names.  And when he had told them their\nnames, GOD said, Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of heaven and\nearth, and know that which ye discover, and that which ye conceal?z\n     And when we said unto the angels, Worshipa Adam, they all worshipped him,\nexcept Eblis, who refused, and was puffed up with pride, and became of the\nnumber of unbelievers.b\n\n\tu  This was revealed to take off an objection made to the Kor\u00e2n by the\ninfidels, for condescending to speak of such insignificant insects as the\nspider, the pismire, the bee, &c.3\n\tx  i.e., Ye were dead while in the loins of your fathers, and he gave\nyou life in your mothers wombs; and after death ye shall be again raised at\nthe resurrection.4\n\ty  Concerning the creation of Adam, here intimated, the Mohammedans have\nseveral peculiar traditions.  They say the angels, Gabriel, Michael, and\nIsrafil, were sent by God, one after another, to fetch for that purpose seven\nhandfuls of earth from different depths, and of different colours (whence some\naccount for the various complexion of mankind5); but the earth being\napprehensive of the consequence, and desiring them to represent her fear to\nGod that the creature he designed to form would rebel against him, and draw\ndown his curse upon her, they returned without performing God's command;\nwhereupon he sent Azra\u00efl on the same errand, who executed his commission\nwithout remorse, for which reason God appointed that angel to separate the\nsouls from the bodies, being therefore called the angel of death.  The earth\nhe had taken was carried into Arabia, to a place between Mecca and Tayef,\nwhere, being first kneaded by the angels, it was afterwards fashioned by God\nhimself into a human form, and left to dry6 for the space of forty days, or,\nas others say, as many years, the angels in the meantime often visiting it,\nand Eblis (then one of the angels who are nearest to God's presence,\nafterwards the devil) among the rest; but he, not contented with looking on\nit, kicked it with his foot till it rung and knowing God designed that\ncreature to be his superior, took a secret resolution never to acknowledge him\nas such.  After this, God animated the figure of clay and endued it with an\nintelligent soul, and when he had placed him in paradise, formed Eve out of\nhis left side.7\n\tz  This story Mohammed borrowed from the Jewish traditions, which say\nthat the angels having spoken of man with some contempt when God consulted\nthem about his creation, God made answer that the man was wiser than they; and\nto convince them of it, he brought all kinds of animals to them, and asked\nthem their names; which they not being able to tell, he put the same question\nto the man, who named them one after another; and being asked his own name and\nGod's name, he answered very justly, and gave God the name of JEHOVAH1.  The\nangels' adoring of Adam is also mentioned in the Talmud.2\n\ta  The original word signifies properly to prostrate one's self till the\nforehead touches the ground, which is the humblest posture of adoration, and\nstrictly due to GOD only; but it is sometimes, as in this place, used to\nexpress that civil worship or homage, which may be paid to creatures.3\n\tb  This occasion of the devil's fall has some affinity with an opinion\nwhich has been pretty much entertained among Christians,4 viz., that the\nangels being informed of GOD'S intention to create man after his own image,\nand to dignify human nature by CHRIST'S assuming it, some of them, thinking\ntheir glory to be eclipsed thereby, envied man's happiness, and so revolted.\n\n\t3  Yahya.\t\t4  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t5  Al Termedi, from a\ntradition of Abu Musa al Ashari\t\t6  Kor. c. 55.\t\t7\nKhondamir.  Jallalo'ddin.  Comment. in Kor\u00e2n, &c.  Vide D'Herbelot, Biblioth.\nOrient. p. 55.\t\t1  Vide Rivin. Serpent. seduct. p. 56.\t\t2  R.\nMoses Haddarshan, in Bereshit rabbah.\t\t3  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t4\nIren\u00e6us, Lact. Greg. Nyssen. &c.\n\n\n     And we said, O Adam, dwell thou and thy wife in the garden,c and eat of\nthe fruit thereof plentifully wherever ye will; but approach not this tree,d\nlest ye become of the number of the transgressors.\n     But Satan caused them to forfeit paradise,e and turned them out of the\nstate of happiness wherein they had been; whereupon we said, Get ye down,f the\none of you an enemy unto the other; and there shall be a dwelling-place for\nyou on earth, and a provision for a season.\n     And Adam learned words of prayer from his LORD, and GOD turned unto him,\nfor he is easy to be reconciled and merciful.\n     We said, Get ye all down from hence; hereafter shall there come unto you\na direction from me,g and whoever shall follow my direction, on them shall no\nfear come, neither shall they be grieved;\n     but they who shall be unbelievers, and accuse our signsh of falsehood,\nthey shall be the companions of hell fire, therein shall they remain forever.\n     O children of Israeli, remember my favor wherewith I have favored you;\nand perform your covenant with me, and I will perform my covenant with you;\nand revere me: and believe in the revelation which I have sent down,\nconfirming that which is with you, and be not the first who believe not\ntherein, neither exchange my signs for a small price; and fear me.\n\n\tc  Mohammed, as appears by what presently follows, does not place this\ngarden or paradise on earth, but in the seventh heaven.5\n\td  Concerning this tree or the forbidden fruit, the Mohammedans, as well\nas the Christians, have various opinions.  Some say it was an ear of wheat;\nsome will have it to have been a fig-tree, and others a vine.6  The story of\nthe Fall is told, with some further circumstances, in the beginning of the\nseventh chapter.\n\te  They have a tradition that the devil offering to get into paradise to\ntempt Adam, was not admitted by the guard; whereupon he begged of the animals,\none after another, to carry him in, that he might speak to Adam and his wife;\nbut they all refused him except the serpent, who took him between two of his\nteeth, and so introduced him.  They add that the serpent was then of a\nbeautiful form, and not in the shape he now bears.7\n\tf  The Mohammedans say that when they were cast down from paradise, Adam\nfell on the isle of Ceylon or Serendib, and Eve near Joddah (the port of\nMecca) in Arabia; and that after a separation of 200 years, Adam was, on his\nrepentance, conducted by the angel Gabriel to a mountain near Mecca, where he\nfound and knew his wife, the mountain being thence named Arafat; and that he\nafterwards retired with her to Ceylon, where they continued to propagate their\nspecies.8\n\tIt may not be improper here to mention another tradition concerning the\ngigantic stature of our first parents.  Their prophet, they say, affirmed Adam\nto have been as tall as a high palm-tree;9 but this would be too much in\nproportion, if that were really the print of his foot, which is pretended to\nbe such, on the top of a mountain in the isle of Ceylon, thence named Pico de\nAdam, and by the Arab writers Rah\u00fbn, being somewhat above two spans long10\n(though others say it is 70 cubits long, and that when Adam set one foot here,\nhe had the other in the sea)11; and too little, if Eve were of so enormous a\nsize, as is said, when her head lay on one hill near Mecca, her knees rested\non two others in the plain, about two musket-shots asunder.12\n\tg  GOD here promises Adam that his will should be revealed to him and\nhis posterity; which promise the Mohammedans believe was fulfilled at several\ntimes by the ministry of several prophets, from Adam himself, who was the\nfirst, to Mohammed, who was the last.  The number of books revealed unto Adam\nthey say was ten.1\n\th  This word has various significations in the Kor\u00e2n; sometimes, as in\nthis passage, it signifies divine revelation, or scripture in general;\nsometimes the verses of the Kor\u00e2n in particular, and at other times visible\nmiracles.  But the sense is easily distinguished by the context.\n\ti  The Jews are here called upon to receive the Kor\u00e2n, as verifying and\nconfirming the Pentateuch, particularly with respect to the unity of God and\nthe mission of Mohammed.2  And they are exhorted not to conceal the passages\nof their law which bear witness to those truths, nor to corrupt them by\npublishing false copies of the Pentateuch, for which the writers were but\npoorly paid.3\n\n\t5  Vide Marracc. in Alc. p. 24.\t\t6  Vide ibid. p. 22.\n\t7  Vide ibid.\t\t8  D'Herbelot, Bib. Orient. p. 55.\n9  Yahya.\t\t10  Moncony's Voyage, part i. p. 372, &c.  See Knox's\nAccount of Ceylon.\t\t11  Anciennes Relations des Indes, &c. p. 3.\n12  Moncony's, ubi sup.\t\t1  Vide Hottinger Hist. Orient. p. 11.  Reland.\nde Relig. Mohammed, p. 21.\t\t2  Yahya.\n3  Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     Clothe not the truth with vanity, neither conceal the truth against your\nown knowledge;\n40\tobserve the stated times of prayer, and pay your legal alms, and bow\ndown yourselves with those who bow down.\n     Will ye command men to do justice, and forget your own souls?  yet ye\nread the book of the law: do ye not therefore understand?\n     Ask help with perseverance and prayer; this indeed is grievous unless to\nthe humble,\n     who seriously think they shall meet their LORD and that to him they shall\nreturn.\n     O children of Israel, remember my favor wherewith I have favored you, and\nthat I have preferred you above all nations;\n     dread the day wherein one soul shall not make satisfaction for another\nsoul, neither shall any intercession be accepted from them, nor shall any\ncompensation be received, neither shall they be helped.\n     Remember when we delivered you from the people of Pharaoh, who grievously\noppressed you, they slew your male children, and let your females live:\ntherein was a great trial from your LORD.\n     And when we divided the sea for you and delivered you, and drowned\nPharaoh's people while ye looked on.k\n     And when we treated with Moses forty nights; then ye took the calfl for\nyour God, and did evil;\n     yet afterwards we forgave you, that peradventure ye might give thanks.\n50\tAnd when we gave Moses the book of the law, and the distinction between\ngood and evil, that peradventure ye might be directed.\n     And when Moses said unto his people, O my people, verily ye have injured\nyour own souls, by your taking the calf for your God; therefore be turned unto\nyour Creator, and slay those among you who have been guilty of that crime;m\nthis will be better for you in the sight of your Creator: and thereupon he\nturned unto you, for he is easy to be reconciled, and merciful.\n     And when ye said, O Moses, we will not believe thee, until we see GOD\nmanifestly; therefore a punishment came upon you, while ye looked on;\n     then we raised you to life after ye had been dead, that peradventure ye\nmight give thanks.n\n\n\tk  See the story of Moses and Pharaoh more particularly related, chapter\nvii. and xx. &c.\n\tl  The person who cast this calf, the Mohammedans say, was (not Aaron\nbut) al S\u00e2meri, one of the principal men among the children of Israel, some of\nwhose descendants it is pretended still inhabit an island of that name in the\nArabian Gulf.4  It was made of the rings5 and bracelets of gold, silver, and\nother materials, which the Israelites had borrowed of the Egyptians; for\nAaron, who commanded in his brother's absence, having ordered al S\u00e2meri to\ncollect those ornaments from the people, who carried on a wicked commerce with\nthem, and to keep them together till the return of Moses; al S\u00e2meri,\nunderstanding the founder's art, put them altogether into a furnace to melt\nthem down into one mass, which came out in the form of a calf.1  The\nIsraelites, accustomed to the Egyptian idolatry, paying a religious worship to\nthis image, al S\u00e2meri went farther, and took some dust from the footsteps of\nthe horse of the angel Gabriel, who marched at the head of the people, and\nthrew it into the mouth of the calf, which immediately began to low, and\nbecame animated;2 for such was the virtue of that dust.3  One writer says that\nall the Israelites adored this calf, except only 12,000.4\n\tm  In this particular, the narration agrees with that of Moses, who\nordered the Levites to slay every man his brother:5 but the scripture says,\nthere fell of the people that day about 3,000 (the Vulgate says 23,000) men;6\nwhereas the commentators of the Kor\u00e2n make the number of the slain to amount\nto 70,000; and add, that GOD sent a dark cloud which hindered them from seeing\none another, lest the sight should move those who executed the sentence to\ncompassion.7\n\tn  The persons here meant are said to have been seventy men, who were\nmade choice of by Moses and heard the voice of GOD talking with him.  But not\nbeing satisfied with that, they demanded to see GOD; whereupon they were all\nstruck dead by lightning, and on Moses's intercession restored to life.8\n\n\t4  Geogr. Nubiens. p. 45.\t\t\t5  Kor. c. 7.\t\t1  See\nExod. xxxii. 24.\t\t2  Kor. c. 7.\n3  Jallalo'ddin.  Vide D'Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. p. 650.\t\t4  Abulfeda.\n\t\t5  Exod. xxxii. 26, 27.\t\t6  Ibid. 28.\n7  Jallalo'ddin, &c.\t\t8  Ismael Ebn Ali.\n\n\n     And we caused clouds to overshadow you, and manna and quailso to descend\nupon you, saying, Eat of the good things which we have given you for food: and\nthey injured not us, but injured their own souls.\n     And when we said, Enter into this city,p and eat of the provisions\nthereof plentifully as ye will; and enter the gate worshipping, and say,\nForgiveness!q we will pardon you your sins, and give increase unto the well-\ndoers.\n     But the ungodly changed the expression into another,r different from what\nhad been spoken unto them; and we sent down upon the ungodly indignation from\nheaven,s because they had transgressed.\n     And when Moses asked drink for his people, we said, Strike the rockt with\nthy rod; and there gushed thereout twelve fountainsu according to the number\nof the tribes, and all men knew their respective drinking-place.  Eat and\ndrink of the bounty of GOD, and commit not evil on the earth, acting unjustly.\n     And when ye said, O Moses, we will by no means be satisfied with one kind\nof food; pray unto thy LORD therefore for us, that he would produce for us of\nthat which the earth bringeth forth, herbs and cucumbers, and garlic, and\nlentils, and onions;x Moses answered, Will ye exchange that which is better,\nfor that which is worse?  Get ye down into Egypt, for there shall ye find what\nye desire: and they were smitten with vileness and misery, and drew on\nthemselves indignation from GOD.  This they suffered, because they believed\nnot in the signs of GOD, and killed the prophets unjustly; this, because they\nrebelled and transgressed.\n\n\to  The eastern writers say these quails were of a peculiar kind, to be\nfound nowhere but in Yaman, from whence they were brought by a south wind in\ngreat numbers to the Israelites' camp in the desert.9  The Arabs call these\nbirds Salw\u00e2, which is plainly the same with the Hebrew Salwim, and say they\nhave no bones, but are eaten whole.10\n\tp  Some commentators suppose it to be Jericho, others Jerusalem.\n\tq  The Arabic word is Hittaton, which some take to signify that\nprofession of the unity of GOD so frequently used by the Mohammedans, La il\u00e2ha\nilla 'llaho, There is no god but GOD.\n\tr  According to Jallalo'ddin, instead of Hittaton, they cried Habbat fi\nsha\u00efrat-i.e., a grain in an ear of barley; and in ridicule of the divine\ncommand to enter the city in an humble posture, they indecently crept in upon\ntheir breech.\n\ts  A pestilence which carried off near 70,000 of them.11\n\tt  The commentators say this was a stone which Moses brought from Mount\nSinai, and the same that fled away with his garments which he laid upon it one\nday while he washed; they add that Moses ran after the stone naked, till he\nfound himself, ere he was aware, in the midst of the people, who, on this\naccident, were convinced of the falsehood of a report which had been raised of\ntheir prophet, that he was bursten, or, as others write, an hermaphrodite.1\n\tThey describe it to be a square piece of white marble, shaped like a\nman's head; wherein they differ not much from the accounts of European\ntravellers, who say this rock stands among several lesser ones, about 100\npaces from Mount Horeb, and appears to have been loosened from the\nneighbouring mountains, having no coherence with the others; that it is a huge\nmass of red granite, almost round on one side, and flat on the other, twelve\nfeet high, and as many thick, but broader than it is high, and about fifty\nfeet in circumference.2\n\tu  Marracci thinks this circumstance looks like a Rabbinical fiction, or\nelse that Mohammed confounds the water of the rock at Horeb with the twelve\nwells at Elim;3 for he says several who have been on the spot affirm there are\nbut three orifices whence the water issued.4  But it is to be presumed that\nMohammed had better means of information in this respect than to fall into\nsuch a mistake; for the rock stands within the borders of Arabia, and some of\nhis countrymen must needs have seen it, if he himself did not, as it is most\nprobable he did.  And in effect he seems to be in the right.  For one who went\ninto those parts in the end of the fifteenth century tells us expressly that\nthe water issued from twelve places of the rock, according to the number of\nthe tribes of Israel; egress\u00e6 sunt aqu\u00e6 largissim\u00e6 in duodecim locis petr\u00e6,\njuxta numerum duodecim tribuum Israel.5  A late curious traveller6 observes\nthat there are twenty-four holes in the stone, which may be easily counted-\nthat is to say, twelve on the flat side, and as many on the opposite round\nside, every one being a foot deep, and an inch wide; and he adds, that the\nholes on one side do not communicate with those on the other, which a less\naccurate spectator not perceiving (for they are placed horizontally, within\ntwo feet of the top of the rock), might conclude they pierced quite through\nthe stone, and so reckon them to be but twelve.\n\tx  See Numb. xi. 5, &c.\n\n\t9  See Psalm lxxviii. 26.\t\t10  Vide D'Herbelot, Bibl. Orient.\np. 477.\t\t11  Jallalo'ddin.\n1  Jallalo'ddin, Yahya.\t\t2  Breydenbach, Itinerar. Chart\u00e2 m. p. 1.\nSicard, dans les M\u00e9moires des Missions, vol. vii. p. 14.\t\t3  Exod. xv.\n27; Numb. xxxiii. 9.\t\t4  Marracc. Prodr. part iv. p. 80.\t\t5\nBreydenbach, ubi sup.\t\t6  Sicard, ubi sup.\n\n\n     Surely those who believe, and those who Judaize, and Christians, and\nSabians,y whoever believeth in GOD, and the last day, and doth that which is\nright, they shall have their reward with their LORD; there shall come no fear\non them, neither shall they be grieved.\n60\tCall to mind also when we accepted your covenant, and lifted up the\nmountain of Sinai over you,z saying, Receive the law which we have given you,\nwith a resolution to keep it, and remember that which is contained therein,\nthat ye may beware.\n     After this ye again turned back, so that if it had not been for GOD's\nindulgence and mercy towards you, ye had certainly been destroyed.  Moreover\nye know what befell those of your nation who transgressed on the sabbath day;a\nWe said unto them, Be ye changed into apes, driven away from the society of\nmen.\n     And we made them an example unto those who were contemporary with them,\nand unto those who came after them, and a warning to the pious.\n\n\ty  From these words, which are repeated in the fifth chapter, several\nwriters7 have wrongly concluded that the Mohammedans hold it to be the\ndoctrine of their prophet that every man may be saved in his own religion,\nprovided he be sincere and lead a good life.  It is true, some of their\ndoctors do agree this to be the purport of the words;1 but then they say the\nlatitude hereby granted was soon revoked, for that this passage is abrogated\nby several others in the Kor\u00e2n, which expressly declare that none can be saved\nwho is not of the Mohammedan faith, and particularly by those words of the\nthird chapter, Whoever followeth any other religion than Isl\u00e2m (i.e., the\nMohammedan) it shall not be accepted of him, and at the last day he shall be\nof those who perish.2  However, others are of opinion that this passage is not\nabrogated, but interpret it differently, taking the meaning of it to be that\nno man, whether he be a Jew, a Christian, or a Sabian, shall be excluded from\nsalvation, provided he quit his erroneous religion and become a Moslem, which\nthey say is intended by the following words, Whoever believeth in GOD and the\nlast day, and doth that which is right.  And this interpretation is approved\nby Mr. Reland, who thinks the words here import no more than those of the\napostle, In every nation he that feareth GOD, and worketh righteousness, is\naccepted with him;3 from which it must not be inferred that the religion of\nnature, or any other, is sufficient to save, without faith in Christ.4\n\tz  The Mohammedan tradition is, that the Israelites refusing to receive\nthe law of Moses, GOD tore up the mountain by the roots, and shook it over\ntheir heads, to terrify them into a compliance.5\n\ta  The story to which this passage refers, is as follows:  In the days\nof David some Israelites dwelt at Ailah, or Elath, on the Red Sea, where on\nthe night of the sabbath the fish used to come in great numbers to the shore,\nand stay there all the sabbath, to tempt them; but the night following they\nreturned into the sea again.  At length some of the inhabitants, neglecting\nGOD'S command, catched fish on the sabbath, and dressed and ate them; and\nafterward cut canals from the sea, for the fish to enter, with sluices, which\nthey shut on the sabbath, to prevent their return to the sea.  The other part\nof the inhabitants, who strictly observed the sabbath, used both persuasion\nand force to stop this impiety, but to no purpose, the offenders growing only\nmore and more obstinate; whereupon David cursed the sabbath-breakers, and God\ntransformed them into apes.  It is said that one going to see a friend of his\nthat was among them, found him in the shape of an ape, moving his eyes about\nwildly; and asking him whether he was not such a one, the ape made a sign with\nhis head that it was he; whereupon the friend said to him, Did not I advise\nyou to desist? at which the ape wept.  They add that these unhappy people\nremained three days in this condition, and were afterwards destroyed by a wind\nwhich swept them all into the sea.6\n\n\t7  Selden, de Jure Nat. et Gent. sec. Hebr. l. 6, c. 12.  Angel, a St.\nJoseph. Gazophylac. Persic. p. 365.  Nic. Cusanus in Cribratione Alcorani, l.\n3, c. 2, &c.\t\t1  See Chardin's Voyages, vol. ii. p. 326, 331.\n\t2  Abu'lkasem Hebatallah de abrogante et abrogato.\t\t3  Acts x.\n35.\t\t4  Vide Reland. de Rel. Moham. p. 128, &c.\t\t5\nJallalo'ddin.\t\t6  Abulfeda.\n\n\n     And when Moses said unto his people, Verily GOD commandeth you to\nsacrifice a cow;b they answered, Dost thou make a jest of us!  Moses said, GOD\nforbid that I should be one of the foolish.  They said, Pray for us unto thy\nLORD, that he would show us what cow it is.  Moses answered, He saith, She is\nneither an old cow, nor a young heifer, but of a middle age between both: do\nye therefore that which ye are commanded.\n     They said, Pray for us unto thy LORD, that he would show us what colour\nshe is of.  Moses answered, He saith, She is a red cow,c intensely red, her\ncolour rejoiceth the beholders.\n     They said, Pray for us unto thy LORD, that he would further show us what\ncow it is, for several cows with us are like one another, and we, if GOD\nplease, will be directed.\n     Moses answered, He saith, She is a cow not broken to plough the earth, or\nwater the field, a sound one, there is no blemish in her.  They said, Now hast\nthou brought the truth.  Then they sacrificed her; yet they wanted but little\nof leaving it undone.d\n     And when ye slew a man, and contended among yourselves concerning him,\nGOD brought forth to light that which ye concealed.\n     For we said, Strike the dead body with part of the sacrificed cow:e so\nGOD raiseth the dead to life, and showeth you his signs, that peradventure ye\nmay understand.\n     Then were your hearts hardened after this, even as stones, or exceeding\nthem in hardness: for from some stones have rivers bursted forth, others have\nbeen rent in sunder, and water hath issued from them, and others have fallen\ndown for fear of GOD.  But GOD is not regardless of that which ye do.\n70\tDo ye therefore desire that the Jews should believe you? yet a part of\nthem heard the word of GOD, and then perverted it, after they had understood\nit, against their own conscience.\n     And when they meet the true believers, they say, We believe: but when\nthey are privately assembled together, they say, Will ye acquaint them with\nwhat GOD hath revealed unto you, that they may dispute with you concerning it\nin the presence of your LORD?  Do ye not therefore understand?\n     Do not they know that GOD knoweth that which they conceal as well as that\nwhich they publish?\n\n\tb  The occasion of this sacrifice is thus related.  A certain man at his\ndeath left his son, then a child, a cow-calf, which wandered in the desert\ntill he came to age; at which time his mother told him the heifer was his, and\nbid him fetch her, and sell her for three pieces of gold.  When the young man\ncame to the market with his heifer, an angel in the shape of a man accosted\nhim, and bid him six pieces of gold for her; but he would not take the money\ntill he had asked his mother's consent; which when he had obtained, he\nreturned to the market-place, and met the angel, who now offered him twice as\nmuch for the heifer, provided he would say nothing of it to his mother; but\nthe young man refusing, went and acquainted her with the additional offer.\nThe woman perceiving it was an angel, bid her son go back and ask him what\nmust be done with the heifer; whereupon the angel told the young man that in a\nlittle time the children of Israel would buy that heifer of him at any price.\nAnd soon after it happened that an Israelite, named Hammiel, was killed by a\nrelation of his, who, to prevent discovery, conveyed the body to a place\nconsiderably distant from that where the fact was committed.  The friends of\nthe slain man accused some other persons of the murder before Moses; but they\ndenying the fact, and there being no evidence to convict them, God commanded a\ncow, of such and such particular marks, to be killed; but there being no other\nwhich answered the description except the orphan's heifer, they were obliged\nto buy her for as much gold as her hide would hold; according to some, for her\nfull weight in gold, and as others say, for ten times as much.  This heifer\nthey sacrificed, and the dead body being, by divine direction, struck with a\npart of it, revived, and standing up, named the person who had killed him;\nafter which it immediately fell down dead again.1  The whole story seems to be\nborrowed from the red heifer, which was ordered by the Jewish law to be burnt,\nand the ashes kept for purifying those who happened to touch a dead corpse;2\nand from the heifer directed to be slain for the expiation of an uncertain\nmurder.  See Deut. xxi. 1-9.\n\tc  The epithet in the original is yellow; but this word we do not use in\nspeaking of the colour or cattle.\n\td  Because of the exorbitant price which they were obliged to pay for\nthe heifer.\n\te  i.e., Her tongue, or the end of her tail.3\n\n\t\t\t1  Abulfeda.\t\t2  Numb. xix.\t\t3\nJallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     But there are illiterate men among them, who know not the book of the\nlaw, but only lying stories, although they think otherwise.  And woe unto\nthem, who transcribe corruptly the book of the lawf with their hands, and then\nsay, This is from GOD: that they may sell it for a small price.  Therefore woe\nunto them because of that which their hands have written; and woe unto them\nfor that which they have gained.\n     They say, The fire of hell shall not touch us but for a certain number of\ndays.g  Answer, Have ye received any promise from GOD to that purpose? for GOD\nwill not act contrary to his promise: or do ye speak concerning GOD that which\nye know not?\n     Verily whoso doth evil,h and is encompassed by his iniquity, they shall\nbe the companions of hell fire, they shall remain therein forever:\n     but they who believe and do good works, they shall be the companions of\nparadise, they shall continue therein forever.\n     Remember also, when we accepted the covenant of the children of Israel,\nsaying, Ye shall not worship any other except GOD, and ye shall show kindness\nto your parents and kindred, and to orphans, and to the poor, and speak that\nwhich is good unto men, and be constant at prayer, and give alms.  Afterwards\nye turned back, except a few of you, and retired afar off.\n     And when we accepted your covenant, saying, Ye shall not shed your\nbrother's blood nor dispossess one another of your habitations; then ye\nconfirmed it, and were witnesses thereto.\n     Afterwards ye were they who slew one another,i and turned several of your\nbrethren out of their houses, mutually assisting each other against them with\ninjustice and enmity; but if they come captives unto you, ye redeem them: yet\nit is equally unlawful for you to dispossess them.  Do ye therefore believe in\npart of the book of the law, and reject other part thereof?  But whoso among\nyou doth this, shall have no other reward than shame in this life, and on the\nday of resurrection they shall be sent to a most grievous punishment; for GOD\nis not regardless of that which ye do.\n80\tThese are they who have purchased this present life, at the price of\nthat which is to come; wherefore their punishment shall not be mitigated,\nneither shall they be helped.\n     We formerly delivered the book of the law unto Moses, and caused apostles\nto succeed him, and gave evident miracles to Jesus the son of Mary, and\nstrengthened him with the holy spirit.k  Do ye therefore, whenever an apostle\ncometh unto you with that which your souls desire not, proudly reject him, and\naccuse some of imposture, and slay others?\n\n\tf  Mohammed again accuses the Jews of corrupting their scripture.\n\tg  That is, says Jallalo'ddin, forty; being the number of days that\ntheir forefathers worshipped the golden calf; after which they gave out that\ntheir punishment should cease.  It is a received opinion among the Jews at\npresent, that no person, be he ever so wicked, or of whatever sect, shall\nremain in hell above eleven months, or at most a year; except Dathan and\nAbiram, and atheists, who will be tormented there to all eternity.1\n\th  By evil in this place the commentators generally understand\npolytheism or idolatry; which sin the Mohammedans believe, unless repented of\nin this life, is unpardonable and will be punished by eternal damnation; but\nall other sins they hold will at length be forgiven.  This therefore is that\nirremissible impiety, in their opinion, which in the New Testament is called\nthe sin against the Holy Ghost.\n\ti  This passage was revealed on occasion of some quarrels which arose\nbetween the Jews of the tribes of Koreidha, and those of al Aws, al Nadh\u00eer,\nand al Khazraj, and came to that height that they took arms and destroyed one\nanother's habitations, and turned one another out of their houses; but when\nany were taken captive, they redeemed them.  When they were asked the reason\nof their acting in this manner, they answered, That they were commanded by\ntheir law to redeem the captives, but that they fought out of shame, lest\ntheir chiefs should be despised.2\n\tk  We must not imagine Mohammed here means the Holy Ghost in the\nChristian acceptation.  The commentators says this spirit was the angel\nGabriel, who sanctified Jesus and constantly attended on him.1\n\n\n\t1  Vide Bartoloccii Biblioth. Rabbinic. tom. ii. p. 128, et tom. iii. p.\n421.\t\t2  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t1  Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     The Jews say, Our hearts are uncircumcised: but GOD hath cursed them with\ntheir infidelity; therefore few shall believe.\n     And when a book came unto them from GOD, confirming the scriptures which\nwere with them, although they had before prayed for assistance against those\nwho believed not,l yet when that came unto them which they knew to be from\nGod, they would not believe therein: therefore the curse of GOD shall be on\nthe infidels.\n     For a vile price have they sold their souls, that they should not believe\nin that which GOD hath sent down;m out of envy, because GOD sendeth down his\nfavors to such of his servants as he pleaseth: therefore they brought on\nthemselves indignation on indignation; and the unbelievers shall suffer an\nignominious punishment.\n     When one saith unto them, Believe in that which GOD hath sent down; they\nanswer, We believe in that which hath been sent down unto us:n and they reject\nwhat hath been revealed since, although it be the truth, confirming that which\nis with them.  Say, Why therefore have ye slain the prophets of GOD in times\npast, if ye be true believers?\n     Moses formerly came unto you with evident signs, but ye afterwards took\nthe calf for your god and did wickedly.\n     And when we accepted your covenant, and lifted the mountain of Sinai over\nyou,o saying Receive the law which we have given you, with a resolution to\nperform it, and hear; they said, We have heard, and have rebelled: and they\nwere made to drink down the calf into their heartsp for their unbelief.  Say,\nA grievous thing hath your faith commanded you, if ye be true believers?q\n     Say, if the future mansion with GOD be prepared peculariarly for you,\nexclusive of the rest of mankind, wish for death, if ye say truth;\n     but they will never wish for it, because of that which their hands have\nsent before them;r GOD knoweth the wicked-doers;\n90\tand thou shalt surely find them of all men the most covetous of life,\neven more than the idolaters: one of them would desire his life to be\nprolonged a thousand years, but none shall reprieve himself from punishment,\nthat his life may be prolonged: GOD seeth that which they do.\n     Say, Whoever is an enemy to Gabriels (for he hath caused the Koran to\ndescend on thy heart, by the permission of GOD, confirming that which was\nbefore revealed, a direction, and good tidings to the faithful);\n\n\tl  The Jews in expectation of the coming of Mohammed (according to the\ntradition of his followers) used this prayer, O God, help us against the\nunbelievers by the prophet who is to be sent in the last times.2\n\tm  The Kor\u00e2n.\n\tn  The Pentateuch.\n\to  See before p. 8.\n\tp  Moses took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire,\nand ground it to powder, and strewed it upon the water (of the brook that\ndescended from the mount), and made the children of Israel drink of it.3\n\tq  Mohammed here infers from their forefathers' disobedience in\nworshipping the calf, at the same time that they pretended to believe in the\nlaw of Moses, that the faith of the Jews in his time was as vain and\nhypocritical, since they rejected him, who was foretold therein, as an\nimpostor.4\n\tr  That is, by reason of the wicked forgeries which they have been\nguilty of in respect to the scriptures.  An expression much like that of St.\nPaul, where he says, that some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to\njudgment.5\n\ts  The commentators say that the Jews asked what angel it was that\nbrought the divine revelations to Mohammed; and being told that it was\nGabriel, they replied that he was their enemy, and the messenger of wrath and\npunishment; but if it had been Michael, they would\n\n\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Exod. xxxii. 20; Deut. ix. 21.\t\t4\nJallalo'ddin, Yahya, al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t5  1 Tim. v. 24.\n\n\n     whosoever is an enemy to GOD, or his angels, or his apostles, or to\nGabriel, or Michael, verily GOD is an enemy to the unbelievers.\n     And now we have sent down unto thee evident signs,t and none will\ndisbelieve them but the evil-doers.\n     Whenever they make a covenant, will some of them reject it? yea, the\ngreater part of them do not believe.\n     And when there came unto them an apostle from GOD, confirming that\nscripture which was with them, some of those to whom the scriptures were given\ncast the book of GOD behind their backs, as if they knew it not:\n     and they followed the device which the devils devised against the kingdom\nof Solomon;u and Solomon was not an unbeliever; but the devils believed not,\nthey taught men sorcery, and that which was sent down to the two angels at\nBabel, Har\u00fbt and Mar\u00fbt:v yet those two taught no man until they had said,\nVerily we are a temptation, therefore be not an unbeliever.  So men learned\nfrom those two a charm by which they might cause division between a man and\nhis wife; but they hurt none thereby, unless by GOD'S permission, and they\nlearned that which would hurt them, and not profit them; and yet they knew\nthat he who bought that art should have no part in the life to come, and woful\nis the price for which they have sold their souls, if they knew it.\n     But if they had believed, and feared GOD, verily the reward they would\nhave had from GOD would have been better, if they had known it.\n\nhave believed on him, because that angel was their friend, and the messenger\nof peace and plenty.  And on this occasion, they say, this passage was\nrevealed.1\n\tThat Michael was really the protector or guardian angel of the Jews, we\nknow from scripture;2 and it seems that Gabriel was, as the Persians call him,\nthe angel of revelations, being frequently sent on messages of that kind;3 for\nwhich reason it is probable Mohammed pretended he was the angel from whom he\nreceived the Kor\u00e2n.\n\tt  i.e., the revelations of this book.\n\tu  The devils having, by GOD'S permission, tempted Solomon without\nsuccess, they made use of a trick to blast his character.  For they wrote\nseveral books of magic, and hid them under that prince's throne, and after his\ndeath, told the chief men that if they wanted to know by what means Solomon\nhad obtained his absolute power over men, genii, and the winds, they should\ndig under his throne; which having done, they found the aforesaid books, which\ncontained impious superstitions.  The better sort refused to learn the evil\narts therein delivered, but the common people did; and the priests published\nthis scandalous story of Solomon, which obtained credit among the Jews, till\nGOD, say the Mohammedans, cleared that king by the mouth of their prophet,\ndeclaring that Solomon was no idolater.4\n\tv  Some say only that these were two magicians, or angels sent by GOD to\nteach men magic, and to tempt them.5  But others tell a longer fable; that the\nangels expressing their surprise at the wickedness of the sons of Adam, after\nprophets had been sent to them with divine commissions, GOD bid them choose\ntwo out of their own number to be sent down to be judges on earth.  Whereupon\nthey pitched upon Har\u00fbt and Mar\u00fbt, who executed their office with integrity\nfor some time, till Zohara, or the planet Venus, descended and appeared before\nthem in the shape of a beautiful woman, bringing a complaint against her\nhusband (though others say she was a real woman).  As soon as they saw her,\nthey fell in love with her, and endeavoured to prevail on her to satisfy their\ndesires; but she flew up again to heaven, whither the two angels also\nreturned, but were not admitted.  However, on the intercession of a certain\npious man, they were allowed to choose whether they would be punished in this\nlife, or in the other; whereupon they chose the former, and now suffer\npunishment accordingly in Babel, where they are to remain till the day of\njudgment.  They add that if a man has a fancy to learn magic, he may go to\nthem, and hear their voice, but cannot see them.1\n\tThis story Mohammed took directly from the Persian Magi, who mention two\nrebellious angels of the same names, now hung up by the feet, with their heads\ndownwards, in the territory of Babel.2  And the Jews have something like this,\nof the angel Shamhozai, who, having debauched himself with women, repented,\nand by way of penance hung himself up between heaven and earth.3\n\n\t1  Jallalo'ddin; al Zamakh.  Yahya.\t\t2  Dan. xii. I.\t\t3\nIbid.. c. viii. 16, and ix. 21; Luke i. 19, 26.  See Hyde de Rel. Vet. Persar.\np. 263.\t\t4  Yahya, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t5  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t1\nYahya, &c.\t\t2  Vide Hyde, ubi sup. c. 12.\n\n\n     O true believers, say not to our apostle, Ra\u00efna; but say Ondhorna;x and\nhearken: the infidels shall suffer a grievous punishment.\n     It is not the desire of the unbelievers, either among those unto whom the\nscriptures have been given, or among the idolaters, that any good should be\nsent down unto you from your LORD: but GOD will appropriate his mercy unto\nwhom he pleaseth; for GOD is exceeding beneficent.\n100\tWhatever verse we shall abrogate, or cause thee to forget, we will bring\na better than it, or one like unto it.  Dost thou not know that God is\nalmighty?\n     Dost thou not know that unto GOD belongeth the kingdom of heaven and\nearth? neither have ye any protector or helper except GOD.\n     Will ye require of your apostle according to that which was formerly\nrequired of Moses?y but he that hath exchanged faith for infidelity, hath\nalready erred from the straight way.\n     Many of those unto whom the scriptures have been given, desire to render\nyou again unbelievers, after ye have believed; out of envy from their souls,\neven after the truth is become manifest unto them; but forgive them, and avoid\nthem, till GOD shall send his command; for GOD is omnipotent.\n     Be constant in prayer, and give alms; and what good ye have sent before\nfor your souls, ye shall find it with GOD; surely GOD seeth that which ye do.\n     They say, Verily none shall enter paradise, except they who are Jews or\nChristians:z this is their wish.  Say, Produce your proof of this, if ye speak\ntruth.\n     Nay, but he who resigneth himselfa to GOD, and doth that which is right,b\nhe shall have his reward with his LORD: there shall come no fear on them,\nneither shall they be grieved.\n     The Jews say, The Christians are grounded on nothing;c and the Christians\nsay, The Jews are grounded on nothing; and the Christians say, The Jews are\ngrounded on nothing; yet they both read the scriptures.  So likewise say they\nwho know not the scripture, according to their saying.  But GOD shall judge\nbetween them on the day of the resurrection, concerning that about which they\nnow disagree.\n     Who is more unjust than he who prohibiteth the temples of GOD,d that his\nname should be remembered therein, and who hasteth to destroy them?  Those men\ncannot enter therein, but with fear: they shall have shame in this world, and\nin the next a grievous punishment.\n     To GOD belongeth the east and the west; therefore whithersoever ye turn\nyourselves to pray, there is the face of GOD; for GOD is omnipresent and\nomniscient.\n\n\tx  Those two Arabic words have both the same signification, viz., Look\non us; and are a kind of salutation.  Mohammed had a great aversion to the\nfirst, because the Jews frequently used it in derision, it being a word of\nreproach in their tongue.4  They alluded, it seems, to the Hebrew verb [Hebrew\nText] ru\u00e1, which signifies to be bad or mischievous.\n\ty  Namely, to see GOD manifestly.5\n\tz  This passage was revealed on occasion of a dispute which Mohammed had\nwith the Jews of Medina, and the Christians of Najr\u00e2n, each of them asserting\nthat those of their religion only should be saved.6\n\ta  Literally, resigneth his face, &c.\n\tb  That is, asserteth the unity of GOD.7\n\tc  The Jews and Christians are here accused of denying the truth of each\nother's religion, notwithstanding they read the scriptures.  Whereas the\nPentateuch bears testimony to Jesus, and the Gospel bears testimony to Moses.1\n\td  Or hindereth men from paying their adorations to GOD in those sacred\nplaces.  This passage, says Jallalo'ddin, was revealed on news being brought\nthat the Romans had spoiled the temple of Jerusalem; or else when the\nidolatrous Arabs obstructed Mohammed's visiting the temple of Mecca, in the\nexpedition of al Hodeibiya, which happened in the sixth year of the Hejra.2\n\n\t3  Bereshit rabbah, in Gen. vi. 2.\t\t4  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t5  See\nbefore, p. 7.\t\t6  Jallalo'ddin.\n7  Idem.\t\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Vide Abulfeda. Vit. Moham. p. 84, &c.\n\n\n110\tThey say, GOD hath begotten children:e GOD forbid!  To him belongeth\nwhatever is in heaven, and on earth; all is possessed by him,\n     the Creator of heaven and earth; and when he decreeth a thing, he only\nsaith unto it, Be, and it is.\n     And they who know not the scriptures say, Unless GOD speak unto us, or\nthou show us a sign, we will not believe.  So said those before them,\naccording to their saying: their hearts resemble each other.  We have already\nshown manifest signs unto people who firmly believe;\n     we have sent thee in truth, a bearer of good tidings and a preacher; and\nthou shalt not be questioned concerning the companions of hell.\n     But the Jews will not be pleased with thee, neither the Christians, until\nthou follow their religion; say, The direction of GOD is the true direction.\nAnd verily if thou follow their desires, after the knowledge which hath been\ngiven thee, thou shalt find no patron or protector against GOD.\n     They to whom we have given the book of the Koran, and who read it with\nits true reading, they believe therein; and whoever believeth not therein,\nthey shall perish.\n     O children of Israel, remember my favor wherewith I have favored you, and\nthat I have preferred you before all nations;\n     and dread the day wherein one soul shall not make satisfaction for\nanother soul, neither shall any compensation be accepted from them, nor shall\nany intercession avail, neither shall they be helped.\n     Remember when the LORD tried Abraham by certain words,f which he\nfulfilled: GOD said, Verily I will constitute thee a model of religiong unto\nmankind; he answered, And also of my posterity; GOD said, My covenant doth not\ncomprehend the ungodly.\n     And when we appointed the holy househ of Mecca to be a place of resort\nfor mankind, and a place of security; and said, Take the station of Abrahami\nfor a place of prayer; and we covenanted with Abraham for a place of prayer;\nand we covenanted with Abraham and Ismael, that they should cleanse my house\nfor those who should compass it, and those who should be devoutly assiduous\nthere, and those who should bow down and worship.\n120\tAnd when Abraham said, LORD make this a territory of security, and\nbounteously bestow fruits on its inhabitants, such of them as believe in GOD\nand the last day; GOD answered, And whoever believeth not, I will bestow on\nhim little; after wards I will drive him to the punishment of hell fire; an\nill journey shall it be!\n     And when Abraham and Ismael raised the foundations of the house, saying,\nLORD, accept it from us, for thou art he who heareth and knoweth:\n     LORD, make us also resignedk unto thee, and of our posterity a people\nresigned unto thee, and show us our holy ceremonies, and be turned unto us,\nfor thou art easy to be reconciled, and merciful:\n\n\te  This is spoken not only of the Christians and of the Jews (for they\nare accused of holding Ozair, or Ezra, to be the Son of GOD), but also the\npagan Arabs, who imagined the angels to be the daughters of GOD.\n\tf  GOD tried Abraham chiefly by commanding him to leave his native\ncountry, and to offer his son.  But the commentators suppose the trial here\nmeant related only to some particular ceremonies, such as circumcision,\npilgrimage to the Caaba, several rites of purification, and the like.3\n\tg  I have rather expressed the meaning, than truly translated the Arabic\nword Im\u00e2m, which answers to the Latin Antistes.  This title the Mohammedans\ngive to their priests, who begin the prayers in their mosques, and whom all\nthe congregation follow.\n\th  That is, the Caaba, which is usually called, by way of eminence, the\nHouse.  Of the sanctity of this building, and other particulars relating to\nit, see the Preliminary Discourse, Sect. IV.\n\ti  A place so called within the inner enclosure of the Caaba, where they\npretend to show the print of his foot in a stone.4\n\tk  The Arabic word is Moslem\u00fbna, in the singular Moslem, which the\nMohammedans take as a title peculiar to themselves.  The Europeans generally\nwrite and pronounce it Musulman.\n\n\t\t\t3  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t\t4  See the Prelim. Disc.,\nSect. IV.\n\n\n     LORD, send them likewise an apostle from among them, who may declare thy\nsigns unto them, and teach them the book of the Koran and wisdom, and may\npurify them; for thou art mighty and wise.\n     Who will be averse to the religion of Abraham, but he whose mind is\ninfatuated?  Surely we have chosen him in this world, and in that which is to\ncome he shall be one of the righteous.\n     When his LORD said unto him, Resign thyself unto me; he answered, I have\nresigned myself unto the LORD of all creatures.\n     And Abraham bequeathed this religion to his children, and Jacob did the\nsame, saying, My children, verily GOD hath chosen this religion for you,\ntherefore die not, unless ye also be resigned.\n     Were ye present when Jacob was at the point of death? when he said to his\nsons, Whom will ye worship after me?  They answered, We will worship thy GOD,\nand the GOD of thy fathers Abraham, and Ismael, and Isaac, one GOD, and to him\nwill we be resigned.\n     That people are now passed away, they have what they have gained,l and ye\nshall have what ye gain; and ye shall not be questioned concerning that which\nthey have done.\n     They say, Become Jews or Christians that ye may be directed.  Say, Nay we\nfollow the religion of Abraham the orthodox, who was no idolater.\n130\tSay, We believe in GOD, and that which hath been sent down unto us, and\nthat which hath been sent down unto Abraham, and Ismael, and Isaac, and Jacob,\nand the tribes, and that which was delivered unto Moses, and Jesus, and that\nwhich was delivered unto the prophets from their LORD: We make no distinction\nbetween any of them, and to GOD are we resigned.\n     Now if they believe according to what ye believe, they are surely\ndirected, but if they turn back, they are in schism.  GOD shall support thee\nagainst them, for he is in the hearer, the wise.\n     The baptism of GODm have we received, and who is better than GOD to\nbaptize? him do we worship.\n     Say, Will ye dispute with us concerning GOD,n who is our LORD, and your\nLORD? we have our works, and ye have your works, and unto him are we sincerely\ndevoted.\n     Will ye say, truly Abraham, and Ismael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the\ntribes were Jews or Christians?  Say, are ye wiser, or GOD?  And who is more\nunjust than he who hideth the testimony which he hath received from GOD?o  But\nGOD is not regardless of that which ye do.\n     That people are passed away, they have what they have gained, and ye\nshall have what ye gain, nor shall ye be questioned concerning that which they\nhave done.\n\n\tl  Or deserved.  The Mohammedan notion, as to the imputation of moral\nactions to man, which they call gain, or acquisition, is sufficiently\nexplained in the Preliminary Discourse.\n\tm  By baptism is to be understood the religion which GOD instituted in\nthe beginning; because the signs of it appear in the person who professes it,\nas the signs of water appear in the clothes of him that is baptized.1\n\tn  These words were revealed because the Jews insisted that they first\nreceived the scriptures, that their Keblah was more ancient, and that no\nprophets could arise among the Arabs; and therefore if Mohammed was a prophet,\nhe must have been of their nation.2\n\to  The Jews are again accused of corrupting and suppressing the\nprophecies in the Pentateuch relating to Mohammed.\n\n\t\t\t\t1  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t\t2  Idem.\n\n\n     The foolish men will say, What hath turned them from their Keblah,\ntowards which they formerly prayed?p  Say unto GOD belongeth the east and the\nwest: he directeth whom he pleaseth into the right way.\n     Thus have we placed you, O Arabians, an intermediate nation,q that ye may\nbe witness against the rest of mankind, and that the apostle may be a witness\nagainst you.\n     We appointed the Keblah, towards which thou didst formerly pray, only\nthat we might know him who followeth the apostle, from him who turneth back on\nthe heels;r though this change seem a great matter, unless unto those whom GOD\nhath directed.  But GOD will not render your faith of none effect;s for GOD is\ngracious and merciful unto man.\n     We have seen thee turn about thy face towards heaven with uncertainty,\nbut we will cause thee to turn thyself towards a Keblah that will please thee.\nTurn, therefore, thy face towards the holy temple of Mecca; and wherever ye\nbe, turn your faces towards that place.  They to whom the scripture hath been\ngiven, know this to be truth from their LORD.  GOD is not regardless of that\nwhich ye do.\n140\tVerily although thou shouldest show unto those to whom the scripture\nhath been given all kinds of signs, yet they will not follow thy Keblah,\nneither shalt thou follow their Keblah; nor will one part of them follow the\nKeblah of the other.  And if thou follow their desires, after the knowledge\nwhich hath been given thee, verily thou wilt become one of the ungodly.\n     They to whom we have given the scripture know our apostle, even as they\nknow their own children, but some of them hide the truth, against their own\nknowledge.\n     Truth is from thy LORD, therefore thou shalt not doubt.\n     Every sect hath a certain tract of heaven to which they turn themselves\nin prayer; but do ye strive to run after good things; wherever ye be, GOD will\nbring you all back at the resurrection, for GOD is almighty.\n     And from what place soever thou comest forth, turn thy face towards the\nholy temple, for this is truth from thy LORD; neither is GOD regardless of\nthat which ye do.\n     From what place soever thou comest forth, turn thy face towards the holy\ntemple; and wherever ye be, thitherward turn your faces, lest men have matter\nof dispute against you; but as for those among them who are unjust doers, fear\nthem not, but fear me, that I may accomplish my grace upon you, and that ye\nmay be directed.\n     As we have sent unto you an apostle from among you,t to rehearse our\nsigns unto you, and to purify you, and to teach you the book of the Koran and\nwisdom, and to teach you that which ye knew not:\n     therefore remember me, and I will remember you, and give thanks unto me,\nand be not unbelievers.\n     O true believers, beg assistance with patience and prayer, for GOD is\nwith the patient.\n\n\tp  At first, Mohammed and his followers observed no particular rite in\nturning their faces towards any certain place, or quarter of the world, when\nthey prayed; it being declared to be perfectly indifferent.3  Afterwards, when\nthe prophet fled to Medina, he directed them to turn towards the temple of\nJerusalem (probably to ingratiate himself with the Jews), which continued to\nbe their Keblah for six or seven months; but either finding the Jews too\nintractable, or despairing otherwise to gain the pagan Arabs, who could not\nforget their respect to the temple of Mecca, he ordered that prayers for the\nfuture should be towards the last.  This change was made in the second year of\nthe Hejra,4 and occasioned many to fall from him, taking offence at his\ninconstancy.5\n\tq  This seems to be the sense of the words; though the commentators6\nwill have the meaning to be that the Arabians are here declared to be a most\njust and good nation.\n\tr  i.e., Returneth to Judaism.\n\ts  Or will not suffer it to go without its reward, while ye prayed\ntowards Jerusalem.\n\tt  That is, of your own nation.\n\n\t3  See before, p. 13.\t\t4  Vide Abulfeda, Vit. Moham. p. 54.\n\t5  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t6  Idem. Yahya, &c.\n\n\n     And say not of those who are slain in fight for the religion of GOD,u\nthat they are dead; yea, they are living:x but ye do not understand.\n150\tWe will surely prove you by afflicting you in some measure with fear,\nand hunger, and decrease of wealth, and loss of lives, and scarcity of fruits:\nbut bear good tidings unto the patient,\n     who, when a misfortune befalleth them, say, We are GOD'S and unto him\nshall we surely return.y\n     Upon them shall be blessings from their LORD and mercy, and they are the\nrightly directed.\n     Moreover Safa and Merwah are two of the monuments of God: whoever\ntherefore goeth on pilgrimage to the temple of Mecca or visiteth it, it shall\nbe no crime in him, if he compass them both.z  And as for him who voluntarily\nperformeth a good work; verily GOD is grateful and knowing.\n     They who conceal any of the evident signs, or the direction which we have\nsent down, after what we have manifested unto men in the scripture, GOD shall\ncurse them; and they who curse shall curse them.a\n     But as for those who repent and amend, and make known what they\nconcealed, I will be turned unto them, for I am easy to be reconciled and\nmerciful.\n     Surely they who believe not, and die in their unbelief, upon them shall\nbe the curse of GOD, and of the angels, and of all men;\n     they shall remain under it forever, their punishment shall not be\nalleviated, neither shall they be regarded.b\n     Your GOD is one GOD; there is no GOD but He, the most merciful.\n     Now in the creation of heaven and earth, and the vicissitude of night and\nday, and in the ship which saileth in the sea, loaden with what is profitable\nfor mankind, and in the rain water which GOD sendeth from heaven, quickening\nthereby the dead earth, and replenishing the same with all sorts of cattle,\nand in the change of winds, and the clouds that are compelled to do servicec\nbetween heaven and earth, are signs to people of understanding:\n\n\tu  The original words are literally, who are slain in the way of GOD; by\nwhich expression, frequently occurring in the Kor\u00e2n, is always meant war\nundertaken against unbelievers for the propagation of the Mohammedan faith.\n\tx  The souls of martyrs (for such they esteem those who die in battle\nagainst infidels), says Jallalo'ddin, are in the crops of green birds, which\nhave liberty to fly wherever they please in paradise, and feed on the fruits\nthereof.\n\ty  An expression frequently in the mouths of the Mohammedans, when under\nany great affliction, or in any imminent danger.\n\tz  Saf\u00e2 and Merw\u00e2 are two mountains near Mecca, whereon were anciently\ntwo idols, to which the pagan Arabs used to pay a superstitious veneration.1\nJallalo'ddin says this passage was revealed because the followers of Mohammed\nmade a scruple of going round these mountains, as the idolaters did.  But the\ntrue reason of his allowing this relic of ancient superstition seems to be the\ndifficulty he found in preventing it.  Abul K\u00e2sem Hebato'llah thinks these\nlast words are abrogated by those other, Who will reject the religion of\nAbraham, except he who hath infatuated his souls?2  So that he will have the\nmeaning to be quite contrary to the letter, as if it had been, it shall be no\ncrime in him if he do not compass them.  However, the expositors are all\nagainst him3, and the ceremony of running between these two hills is still\nobserved at the pilgrimage.4\n\ta  That is, the angels, the believers, and all things in general.5  But\nYahya interprets it of the curses which will be given to the wicked, when they\ncry out because of the punishment of the sepulchre,6 by all who hear them,\nthat is, by all creatures except men and genii.\n\tb  Or, as Jallalo'ddin expounds it, GOD will not wait for their\nrepentance.\n\tc  The original word signifies properly that are pressed or compelled to\ndo personal service without hire; which kind of service is often exacted by\nthe eastern princes of their subjects, and is called by the Greek and Latin\nwriters, Angaria.  The scripture often mentions this sort of compulsion by\nforce.7\n\n\t1  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. I.\t\t2  See before, p. 15.\n\t3  Vide Marracci in Alc. p. 69, &c\t\t4  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect.\nIV.\t\t5  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t6  See Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV\t\t7\nMatth. v. 41; xxvii. 32, &c.\n\n\n160\tyet some men take idols beside GOD, and love them as with the love due\nto GOD; but the true believers are more fervent in love towards GOD.  Oh that\nthey who act unjustly did perceive,d when they behold their punishment, that\nall power belongeth unto GOD, and that he is severe in punishing!\n     When those who have been followed shall separate themselves from their\nfollowers,e and shall see the punishment, and the cords of relation between\nthem shall be cut in sunder;\n     the followers shall say, If we could return to life, we would separate\nourselves from them, as they have now separated themselves from us.  So GOD\nwill show them their works; they shall sigh grievously, and shall not come\nforth from the fire of hell.\n     O men, eat of that which is lawful and good on the earth; and tread not\nin the steps of the devil, for he is your open enemy.\n     Verily he commandeth you evil and wickedness, and that ye should say that\nof GOD which ye know not.\n     And when it is said unto them who believe not, Follow that which GOD hath\nsent down; they answer, Nay, but we will follow that which we found our\nfathers practise.  What?  though their fathers knew nothing, and were not\nrightly directed?\n     The unbelievers are like unto one who crieth aloud to that which heareth\nnot so much as his calling, or the sound of his voice.  They are deaf, dumb,\nand blind, therefore do they not understand.\n     O true believers, eat of the good things which we have bestowed on you\nfor food, and return thanks unto GOD, if ye serve him.\n     Verily he hath forbidden you to eat that which dieth of itself, and blood\nand swine's flesh, and that on which any other name but GOD'S hath been\ninvocated.f  But he who is forced by necessity, not lusting, nor returning to\ntransgress, it shall be no crime in him if he eat of those things, for GOD is\ngracious and merciful.\n     Moreover they who conceal any part of the scripture which GOD hath sent\ndown unto them, and sell it for a small price, they shall swallow into their\nbellies nothing but fire; GOD shall not speak unto them on the day of\nresurrection, neither shall he purify them, and they shall suffer a grievous\npunishment.\n170\tThese are they who have sold direction for error, and pardon for\npunishment: but how great will their suffering be in the fire!\n     This they shall endure, because GOD sent down the book of the Koran with\ntruth, and they who disagree concerning that book are certainly in a wide\nmistake.\n     It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces in prayer towards the\neast and the west, but righteousness is of him who believeth in GOD and the\nlast day, and the angels, and the scriptures, and the prophets; who giveth\nmoney for GOD'S sake unto his kindred, and unto orphans, and the needy, and\nthe stranger, and those who ask, and for redemption of captives; who is\nconstant at prayer, and giveth alms; and of those who perform their covenant,\nwhen they have covenanted, and who behave themselves patiently in adversity,\nand hardships, and in time of violence; these are they who are true, and these\nare they who fear GOD.\n\n\td  Or it may be translated, Although the ungodly will perceive, &c.  But\nsome copies instead of yara, in the third person, read tara, in the second;\nand then it must be rendered, Oh if thou didst see when the ungodly behold\ntheir punishment, &c.\n\te  That is, when the broachers or heads of new sects shall at the last\nday forsake or wash their hands of their disciples, as if they were not\naccomplices in their superstitions.\n\tf  For this reason, whenever the Mohammedans kill any animal for food,\nthey always say, Bismi llah, or In the name of GOD; which, if it be neglected,\nthey think it not lawful to eat of it.\n\n\n     O true believers, the law of retaliation is ordained you for the slain:\nthe free shall die for the free, and the servant for the servant, and a woman\nfor a woman:g but he whom his brother shall forgive may be prosecuted, and\nobliged to make satisfaction according to what is just, and a fine shall be\nset on himh with humanity.\n     This is indulgence from your LORD, and mercy.  And he who shall\ntransgress after this, by killing the murderer, shall suffer a grievous\npunishment.\n     And in this law or retaliation ye have life, O ye of understanding, that\nperadventure ye may fear.\n     It is ordained you, when any of you is at the point of death, if he leave\nany goods, that he bequeath a legacy to his parents, and kindred, according to\nwhat shall be reasonable.i  This is a duty incumbent on those who fear GOD.\nBut he who shall change the legacy, after he hath heard it bequeathed by the\ndying person, surely the sin thereof shall be on those who change it, for GOD\nis he who heareth and knoweth.\n     Howbeit he who apprehendeth from the testator any mistake or injustice,\nand shall compose the matter between them, that shall be no crime in him, for\nGOD is gracious and merciful.\n     O true believers, a fast is ordained you, as it was ordained unto those\nbefore you, that ye may fear GOD.\n     A certain number of days shall ye fast: but he among you who shall be\nsick, or on a journey, shall fast an equal number of other days.  And those\nwho cank keep it, and do not, must redeem their neglect by maintaining of a\npoor man.l  And he who voluntarily dealeth better with the poor man than he is\nobliged, this shall be better for him.  But if ye fast, it will be better for\nyou, if ye knew it.\n180\tThe month of Ramadan shall ye fast, in which the Koran was sent down\nfrom heaven,n a direction unto men, and declarations of direction, and the\ndistinction between good and evil.  Therefore, let him among you who shall be\npresent in this month, fast the same month; but he who shall be sick, or on a\njourney, shall fast the like number of other days.  GOD would make this an\nease unto you, and would not make it a difficulty unto you; that ye may fulfil\nthe number of days, and glorify GOD, for that he hath directed you, and that\nye may give thanks.\n\n\tg  This is not to be strictly taken; for according to the Sonna, a man\nalso is to be put to death for the murder of a woman.  Regard is also to be\nhad to difference in religion, so that a Mohammedan, though a slave, is not to\nbe put to death for an infidel, though a freeman.1  But the civil magistrates\ndo not think themselves always obliged to conform to this last determination\nof the Sonna.\n\th  This is the common practice in Mohammedan countries, particularly in\nPersia,2 where the relations of the deceased may take their choice, either to\nhave the murderer put into their hands to be put to death, or else to accept\nof a pecuniary satisfaction.\n\ti  That is, the legacy was not to exceed a third part of the testator's\nsubstance, nor to be given where there was no necessity.  But this injunction\nis abrogated by the law concerning inheritances.\n\tk  The expositors differ much about the meaning of this passage,\nthinking it very improbable that people should be left entirely at liberty\neither to fast or not, on compounding for it in this manner.  Jallalo'ddin,\ntherefore, supposes the negative particle not to be understood, and that this\nis allowed only to those who are not able to fast, by reason of age or\ndangerous sickness; whether they would fast or maintain a poor man, which\nliberty was soon after taken away, and this passage abrogated by the\nfollowing, Therefore let him who shall be present in this month, fast the same\nmonth.  Yet this abrogation, he says, does not extend to women with child or\nthat give suck, lest the infant suffer.\n\tAl Zamakhshari, having first given an explanation of Ebn Abb\u00e2s, who, by\na different interpretation of the Arabic word Yotik\u00fbnaho, which signifies can\nor are able to fast, renders it, Those who find great difficulty therein, &c.,\nadds an exposition of his own, by supposing something to be understood,\naccording to which the sense will be, Those who can fast and yet have a legal\nexcuse to break it, must redeem it, &c.\n\tl  According to the usual quantity which a man eats in a day and the\ncustom of the country.3\n\tm  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.\n\tn  i.e., At home, and not in a strange country, where the fact cannot be\nperformed, or on a journey.\n\n\t1  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Vide Chardin  Voyage de Perse, t. ii. p. 299,\n&c.\t\t3  Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     When my servants ask thee concerning me, Verily I am near; I will hear\nthe prayer of him that prayeth, when he prayeth unto me: but let them hearken\nunto me, and believe in me, that they may be rightly directed.\n     It is lawful for you, on the night of the fast, to go in unto your\nwives;o they are a garmentp unto you, and ye are a garment unto them.  GOD\nknoweth that ye defraud yourselves therein, wherefore he turneth unto you, and\nforgiveth you.  Now, therefore, go in unto them; and earnestly desire that\nwhich GOD ordaineth you, and eat and drink, until ye can plainly distinguish a\nwhite thread from a black thread by the daybreak: then keep the fast until\nnight, and go not in unto them, but be constantly present in the places of\nworship.  These are the prescribed bounds of GOD, therefore draw not near them\nto transgress them.  Thus GOD declareth his signs unto men, that ye may fear\nhim.\n     Consume not your wealth among yourselves in vain; nor present it unto\njudges, that ye may devour part of men's substance unjustly, against your own\nconsciences.\n     They will ask thee concerning the phases of the moon:  Answer, They are\ntimes appointed unto men, and to show the season of the pilgrimage to Mecca.\nIt is not righteousness that ye enter your houses by the back parts thereof,q\nbut righteousness is of him who feareth GOD.  Therefore enter your houses by\ntheir doors; and fear GOD, that ye may be happy.\n     And fight for the religion of GOD against those who fight against you;\nbut transgress not by attacking them first, for GOD loveth not the\ntransgressors.\n     And kill them wherever ye find them, and turn them out of that whereof\nthey have dispossessed you; for temptation to idolatry is more grievous than\nslaughter; yet fight not against them in the holy temple, until they attack\nyou therein; but if they attack you, slay them there.  This shall be the\nreward of infidels.\n     But if they desist, GOD is gracious and merciful.\n     Fight therefore against them, until there be no temptation to idolatry,\nand the religion be GOD'S; but if they desist, then let there be no hostility,\nexcept against the ungodly.\n     A sacred month for a sacred month,r and the holy limits of Mecca, if they\nattack you therein, do ye also attack them therein in retaliation; and whoever\ntransgresseth against you by so doing, do ye transgress against him in like\nmanner as he hath transgressed against you, and fear GOD, and know that GOD is\nwith those who fear him.\n190\tContribute out of your substance toward the defence of the religion of\nGOD, and throw not yourselves with your own hands into perdition;s and do\ngood, for GOD loveth those who do good.\n\n\to  In the beginning of Mohammedism, during the fast, they neither lay\nwith their wives, nor ate nor drank after supper.  But both are permitted by\nthis passage.1\n\tp  A metaphorical expression, to signify the mutual comfort a man and\nhis wife find in each other.\n\tq  Some of the Arabs had a superstitious custom after they had been at\nMecca (in pilgrimage, as it seems), on their return home, not to enter their\nhouse by the old door, but to make a hole through the back part for a passage,\nwhich practice is here reprehended.\n\tr  As to these sacred months, wherein it was unlawful for the ancient\nArabs to attack one another, see the Prelim. Disc. Sect. VII.\n\ts  i.e., Be not accessory to your own destruction, by neglecting your\ncontributions towards the wars against infidels, and thereby suffering them to\ngather strength.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     Perform the pilgrimage of Mecca, and the visitation of GOD; and, if ye be\nbesieged, send that offering which shall be the easiest; and shave not your\nheads,t until your offering reacheth the place of sacrifice.  But, whoever\namong you is sick, or is troubled with any distemper of the head, must redeem\nthe shaving his head, by fasting, or alms, or some offering.u  When ye are\nsecure from enemies, he who tarrieth in the visitation of the temple of Meccax\nuntil the pilgrimage, shall bring that offering which shall be the easiest.\nBut he who findeth not anything to offer, shall fast three days in the\npilgrimage, and seven when ye are returned: they shall be ten days complete.\nThis is incumbent on him whose family shall not be present at the holy temple.\nAnd fear GOD, and know that GOD is severe in punishing.\n     The pilgrimage must be performed in the known months:y whosoever\ntherefore purposeth to go on pilgrimage therein, let him not know a woman, nor\ntransgress, nor quarrel in the pilgrimage.  The good which ye do, GOD knoweth\nit.  Make provision for your journey; but the best provision is piety and fear\nme, O ye of understanding.\n     It shall be no crime in you, if ye seek an increase from your LORD, by\ntrading during the pilgrimage.  And when ye go in processionz from Arafat,a\nremember GOD near the holy monument;b and remember him for that he hath\ndirected you, although ye were before this of the number of those who go\nastray.\n     Therefore go in procession from whence the people go in procession, and\nask pardon of GOD, for GOD is gracious and merciful.\n     And when ye have finished your holy ceremonies, remember GOD, according\nas ye remember your fathers, or with a more reverent commemoration.  There are\nsome men who say, O LORD, give us our portion in this world; but such shall\nhave no portion in the next life:\n     and there are others who say, O LORD, give us good in this world and also\ngood in the next world, and deliver us from the torment of hell fire.\n     They shall have a portion of that which they have gained: GOD is swift in\ntaking an account.c\n     Remember GOD the appointed number of days:d but if any haste to depart\nfrom the valley of Mina in two days, it shall be no crime in him.  And if any\ntarry longer, it shall be no crime in him, in him who feareth GOD.  Therefore\nfear GOD, and know that unto him ye shall be gathered.\n\n\tt  For this was a sign they had completed their vow, and performed all\nthe ceremonies of the pilgrimage.1\n\tu  That is, either by fasting three days, or feeding six poor people, or\nsacrificing a sheep.\n\tx  This passage is somewhat obscure.  Yahya interprets it of him who\nmarries a wife during the visitation, and performs the pilgrimage the year\nfollowing.  But Jallalo'ddin expounds it of him who stays within the sacred\nenclosures, in order to complete the ceremonies which (as it should seem) he\nhad not been able to do within the prescribed time.\n\ty  i.e., Shaw\u00e2l, Dhu'lkaada, and Dhu'lhajja.  See the Preliminary\nDiscourse, Sect. IV.\n\tz  The original word signifies to rush forward impetuously; as the\npilgrims do when they proceed from Arafat to Mozdalifa.\n\ta  A mountain near Mecca, so called because Adam there met and knew his\nwife, after a long separation.2  Yet others say that Gabriel, after he had\ninstructed Abraham in all the sacred ceremonies, coming to Arafat, there asked\nhim if he knew the ceremonies which had been shown him; to which Abraham\nanswering in the affirmative, the mountain had thence its name.3\n\tb  In Arabic, al Masher al har\u00e2m.  It is a mountain in the farther part\nof Mozdalifa, where it is said Mohammed stood praying and praising God, till\nhis face became extremely shining.4  Bobovious calls it Farkh5, but the true\nname seems to be Kazah; the variation being occasioned only by the different\npointing of the Arabic letters.\n\tc  For he will judge all creatures, says Jallalo'ddin, in the space of\nhalf a day.\n\td  i.e., Three days after slaying the sacrifices.\n\n\t1  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  See before, p. 5, note f.\t\t3  Al Hasan.\n\t\t4  Jallalo'ddin.\n5  Bobov. de Peregr. Meccana, p. 15.\n\n\n     There is a man who causeth thee to marvele by his speech concerning this\npresent life, and calleth God to witness that which is in his heart, yet he is\nmost intent in opposing thee;\n200\tand when he turneth away from thee, he hasteth to act corruptly in the\nearth, and to destroy that which is sown, and springeth up:f but GOD loveth\nnot corrupt doing.\n     And if one say unto him, Fear GOD; pride seizeth him, together with\nwickedness; but hell shall be his reward, and an unhappy couch shall it be.\n     There is also a man who selleth his soul for the sake of those things\nwhich are pleasing unto GOD;g and GOD is gracious unto his servants.\n     O true believers, enter into the true religion wholly, and follow not the\nsteps of Satan, for he is your open enemy.\n     If ye have slipped after the declarations of our will have come unto you,\nknow that GOD is mighty and wise.\n     Do the infidels expect less than that GOD should come down to them\novershadowed with clouds, and the angels also?  but the thing is decreed, and\nto GOD shall all things return.\n     Ask the children of Israel how many evident signs we have showed them;\nand whoever shall change the grace of GOD after it shall have come unto him,\nverily GOD will be severe in punishing him.\n     The present life was ordained for those who believe not, and they laugh\nthe faithful to scorn; but they who fear GOD shall be above them, on the day\nof the resurrection: for GOD is bountiful unto whom he pleaseth without\nmeasure.\n     Mankind was of one faith, and GOD sent prophets bearing good tidings, and\ndenouncing threats and sent down with them the scripture in truth, that it\nmight judge between men of that concerning which they disagreed: and none\ndisagreed concerning it, except those to whom the same scriptures were\ndelivered, after the declarations of GOD'S will had come unto them, out of\nenvy among themselves.  And GOD directed those who believed, to that truth\nconcerning which they disagreed, by his will: for GOD directeth whom he\npleaseth into the right way.\n     Did ye think ye should enter paradise, when as yet no such thing had\nhappened unto you, as hath happened unto those who have been before you?  They\nsuffered calamity, and tribulation, and were afflicted; so that the apostle,\nand they who believed with him, said: When will the help of GOD come?  Is not\nthe help of GOD nigh?\n210\tThey will ask thee what they shall bestow in alms: Answer, The good\nwhich ye bestow, let it be given to parents, and kindred, and orphans, and the\npoor and the stranger.  Whatsoever good ye do, GOD knoweth it.\n     War is enjoined you against the Infidels; but this is hateful unto you:\n     yet perchance ye hate a thing which is better for you, and perchance ye\nlove a thing which is worse for you: but GOD knoweth and ye know not.\n\n\te  This person was al Akhnas Ebn Shoraik, a fair-spoken dissembler, who\nswore that he believed in Mohammed, and pretended to be one of his friends,\nand to contemn this world.  But GOD here reveals to the prophet his hypocrisy\nand wickedness.1\n\tf  Setting fire to his neighbour's corn, and killing his asses by\nnight.2\n\tg  The person here meant was one Soheib, who being persecuted by the\nidolaters of Mecca, forsook all he had, and fled to Medina.3\n\n\t\t\t1  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\n\n\n     They will ask thee concerning the sacred month, whether they may war\ntherein: Answer, To war therein is grievous; but to obstruct the way of GOD,\nand infidelity towards him, and to keep men from the holy temple, and to drive\nout his people from thence, is more grievous in the sight of GOD, and the\ntemptation to idolatry is more grievous than to kill in the sacred months.\nThey will not cease to war against you, until they turn you from your\nreligion, if they be able: but whoever among you shall turn back from his\nreligion, and die an infidel, their works shall be vain in this world, and the\nnext; they shall be the companions of hell fire, they shall remain therein\nforever.\n     But they who believe, and who fly for the sake of religion, and fight in\nGOD's cause, they shall hope for the mercy of GOD; for GOD is gracious and\nmerciful.\n     They will ask thee concerning wineh and lots:i  Answer, In both there is\ngreat sin, and also some things of use unto men;k but their sinfulness is\ngreater than their use.  They will ask thee also what they shall bestow in\nalms:\n     Answer, What ye have to spare.  Thus GOD showeth his signs unto you, that\nperadventure ye might seriously think\n     of this present world, and of the next.  They will also ask thee\nconcerning orphans: Answer, To deal righteously with them is best;\n     and if ye intermeddle with the management of what belongs to them, do\nthem no wrong; they are your brethren: GOD knoweth the corrupt dealer from the\nrighteous; and if GOD please, he will surely distress you,l for GOD is mighty\nand wise.\n     Marry not women who are idolaters, until they believe: verily a maid-\nservant who believeth, is better than an idolatress, although she please you\nmore.  And give not women who believe in marriage to the idolaters, until they\nbelieve: for verily a servant who is a true believer, is better than an\nidolater, though he please you more.\n220\tThey invite unto hell fire, but GOD inviteth unto paradise and pardon\nthrough his will, and declareth his signs unto men, that they may remember.\n     They will ask thee also concerning the courses of women: Answer, They are\na pollution: therefore separate yourselves from women in their courses, and go\nnot near them, until they be cleansed.  But when they are cleansed, go in unto\nthem as GOD hath commanded you,m for GOD loveth those who repent, and loveth\nthose who are clean.\n     Your wives are your tillage, go in therefore unto your tillage in what\nmanner soever ye will:n and do first some act that may be profitable unto your\nsouls;o and fear GOD, and know that ye must meet him; and bear good tidings\nunto the faithful.\n\n\th  Under the name of wine all sorts of strong and inebriating liquors\nare comprehended.1\n\ti  The original word, al Meiser, properly signifies a particular game\nperformed with arrows, and much in use with the pagan Arabs.  But by lots we\nare here to understand all games whatsoever, which are subject to chance or\nhazard, as dice, cards, &c.2\n\tk  From these words some suppose that only drinking to excess and too\nfrequent gaming are prohibited.3  And the moderate use of wine they also think\nis allowed by these words of the 16th chapter, And of the fruits of palm-trees\nand grapes ye obtain inebriating drink, and also good nourishment.  But the\nmore received opinion is, that both drinking wine or other strong liquors in\nany quantity, and playing at any game of chance, are absolutely forbidden.4\n\tl  viz., By his curse, which shall certainly bring to nothing what ye\nshall wrong the orphans of.\n\tm  But not while they have their courses, nor by using preposterous\nvenery.1\n\tn  It has been imagined that these words allow that preposterous lust,\nwhich the commentators say is forbidden by the preceding; but I question\nwhether this can be proved.2\n\to  i.e., Perform some act of devotion or charity.\n\n\t1  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. V.\t\t2  See ibid.\t\t3\nVide Jallalo'ddin et al Zamakhshari.\t\t4  See the Prelim. Disc. ubi\nsup.\t\t1  Ebn Abbas, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Jallalo'ddin, Yahya, al\nZamakhshari    Vide Lucret. de Rer. Nat. l. 4, v. 1258, &c.\n\n\n     Make not GOD the object of your oaths,p that ye will deal justly, and be\ndevout, and make peace among men;q for God is he who heareth and knoweth.\n     GOD will not punish you for an inconsiderate wordr in your oaths; but he\nwill punish you for that which your hearts have assented unto: GOD is merciful\nand gracious.\n     They who vow to abstain from their wives, are allowed to wait four\nmonths:s but if they go back from their vow, verily GOD is gracious and\nmerciful;t\n     and if they resolve on a divorce, GOD is he who heareth and knoweth.\n     The women who are divorced shall wait concerning themselves until they\nhave their courses thrice,u and it shall not be lawful for them to conceal\nthat which GOD hath created in their wombs,x if they believe in GOD and the\nlast day; and their husbands will act more justly to bring them back at this\ntime, if they desire a reconciliation.  The women ought also to behave towards\ntheir husbands in like manner as their husbands should behave towards them,\naccording to what is just: but the men ought to have a superiority over them.\nGOD is mighty and wise.\n     Ye may divorce your wives twice; and then either retain them with\nhumanity, or dismiss them with kindness.  But it is not lawful for you to take\naway anything of what ye have given them, unless both fear that they cannot\nobserve the ordinances of GOD.y  And if ye fear that they cannot observe the\nordinance of GOD, it shall be no crime in either of them on account of that\nfor which the wife shall redeem herself.z  These are the ordinances of GOD;\ntherefore transgress them not; for whoever transgresseth the ordinances of\nGOD, they are unjust doers.\n     But if the husband divorce her a third time, she shall not be lawful for\nhim again, until she marry another husband.  But if he also divorce her, it\nshall be no crime in them if they return to each other, if they think they can\nobserve the ordinances of GOD, and these are the ordinances of GOD, he\ndeclareth them to people of understanding.\n\n\tp  So as to swear frequently by him.  The word translated object,\nproperly signifies a butt to shoot at with arrows.3\n\tq  Some commentators4 expound this negatively, That ye will not deal\njustly, nor be devout, &c.  For such wicked oaths, they say, were customary\namong the idolatrous inhabitants of Mecca; which gave occasion to the\nfollowing saying of Mohammed: When your swear to do a thing, and afterwards\nfind it better to do otherwise, do that which is better, and make void your\noath.\n\tr  When a man swears inadvertently, and without design.\n\ts  That is, they may take so much time to consider; and shall not, by a\nrash oath, be obliged actually to divorce them.\n\tt  i.e., If they be reconciled to their wives within four months, or\nafter, they may retain them, and GOD will dispense with their oath.\n\tu  This is to be understood of those only with whom the marriage has\nbeen consummated; for as to the others there is no time limited.  Those who\nare not quite past childbearing (which a woman is reckoned to be after her\ncourses cease, and she is fifty-five lunar years, or about fifty-three solar\nyears old), and those who are too young to have children, are allowed three\nmonths only; but they who are with child must wait till they be delivered.5\n\tx  That is, they shall tell the real truth, whether they have their\ncourses, or be with child, or not; and shall not, by deceiving their husband,\nobtain a separation from him before the term be accomplished: lest the first\nhusband's child should, by that means, go to the second; or the wife, in case\nof the first husband's death, should set up her child as his heir, or demand\nher maintenance during the time she went with such child, and the expenses of\nher lying-in, under pretence that she waited not her full prescribed time.6\n\ty  For if there be a settled aversion on either side, their continuing\ntogether may have very ill, and perhaps fatal consequences.\n\tz  i.e., If she prevail on her husband to dismiss her, by releasing part\nof her dowry.\n\n\t3  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t4  Idem.  Yahya.\t\t5  Jallalo'ddin.\n\t6  Yahya.\n\n\n230\tBut when ye divorce women, and they have fulfilled their pre-scribed\ntime, either retain them with humanity, or dismiss them with kindness; and\nretain them not by violence, so that ye transgress;a for he who doth this\nsurely injureth his own soul.  And make not the signs of GOD a jest: but\nremember GOD'S favor towards you, and that he hath sent down unto you the book\nof the Koran, and wisdom admonishing you thereby; and fear GOD, and know that\nGOD is omniscient.\n     But when ye have divorced your wives, and they have fulfilled their\nprescribed time, hinder them not from marrying their husbands, when they have\nagreed among themselves according to what is honourable.  This is given in\nadmonition unto him among you who believeth in GOD, and the last day.  This is\nmost righteous for you, and most pure.  GOD knoweth, but ye know not.\n     Mothers after they are divorced shall give suck unto their children two\nfull years, to him who desireth the time of giving suck to be completed; and\nthe father shall be obliged to maintain them and clothe them in the mean time,\naccording to that which shall be reasonable.  No person shall be obliged\nbeyond his ability.  A mother shall not be compelled to what is unreasonable\non account of her child nor a father on account of his child.  And the heir of\nthe father shall be obliged to do in like manner.  But if they choose to wean\nthe child before the end of two years, by common consent, and on mutual\nconsideration, it shall be no crime in them.  And if ye have a mind to provide\na nurse for your children, it shall be no crime in you, in case ye fully pay\nwhat ye offer her, according to that which is just.  And fear GOD, and know\nthat GOD seeth whatsoever ye do.\n     Such of you as die, and leave wives, their wives must wait concerning\nthemselves four months and ten days,b and when they shall have fulfilled their\nterm, it shall be no crime in you, for that which they shall do with\nthemselves,c according to what is reasonable.  GOD well knoweth that which ye\ndo.\n     And it shall be no crime in you, whether ye make public overtures of\nmarriage unto such women, within the said four months and ten days, or whether\nye conceal such your designs in your minds: GOD knoweth that ye will remember\nthem.  But make no promises unto them privately, unless ye speak honourable\nwords;\n     and resolve not on the knot of marriage until the prescribed time be\naccomplished; and know that GOD knoweth that which is in your minds, therefore\nbeware of him and know that GOD is gracious and merciful.\n     It shall be no crime in you, if ye divorce your wives, so long as ye have\nnot touched them, nor settled any dowry on them.  And provide for them (he who\nis at his ease must provide according to his circumstances) necessaries,\naccording to what shall be reasonable.  This is a duty incumbent on the\nrighteous.\n     But if ye divorce them before ye have touched them, and have already\nsettled a dowry on them, ye shall give them half of what ye have settled,\nunless they release any part, or he release part in whose hand the knot of\nmarriage is;d and if ye release the whole, it will approach nearer unto piety.\nAnd not forget liberality among you, for GOD seeth that which ye do.\n\n\ta  viz., By obliging them to purchase their liberty with part of their\ndowry.\n\tb  That is to say, before they marry again; and this, not only for\ndecency sake, but that it may be known whether they be with child by the\ndeceased or not.\n\tc  That is, if they leave off their mourning weeds, and look out for new\nhusbands.\n\td  i.e., Unless the wife agree to take less than half her dowry, or\nunless the husband be so generous as to give her more than half, or the whole,\nwhich is here approved of as most commendable.\n\n\n     Carefully observe the appointed prayers, and the middle prayer,e and be\nassiduous therein, with devotion towards GOD.\n     But if ye fear any danger, pray on foot or on horseback; and when ye are\nsafe remember GOD, how he hath taught you what as yet ye knew not.\n240\tAnd such of you as shall die and leave wives ought to bequeath their\nwives a year's maintenance, without putting them out of their houses: but if\nthey go out voluntarily, it shall be no crime in you, for that which they\nshall do with themselves, according to what shall be reasonable; GOD is mighty\nand wise.\n     And unto those who are divorced, a reasonable provision is also due; this\nis a duty incumbent on those who fear GOD.\n     Thus GOD declareth his signs unto you, that ye may understand.\n     Hast thou not considered those, who left their habitations, (and they\nwere thousands,) for fear of death?f  And GOD said unto them, Die; then he\nrestored them to life, for GOD is gracious towards mankind; but the greater\npart of men do not give thanks.\n     Fight for the religion of GOD, and know that GOD is he who heareth and\nknoweth.\n     Who is he that will lend unto GOD on good usury?g verily he will double\nit unto him manifold; for GOD contracteth and extendeth his hand as he\npleaseth, and to him shall ye return.\n     Hast thou not considered the assembly of the children of Israel, after\nthe time of Moses; when they said unto their prophet Samuel, Set a king over\nus, that we may fight for the religion of GOD.  The prophet answered, If ye\nare enjoined to go to war, will ye be near refusing to fight?  They answered,\nAnd what should ail us that we should not fight for the religion of GOD,\nseeing we are dispossessed of our habitations, and deprived of our children?\nBut when they were enjoined to go to war, they turned back, except a few of\nthem: and GOD knew the ungodly.\n     And their prophet said unto them, Verily GOD hath set Tal\u00fbt,h king over\nyou: they answered, How shall he reign over us, seeing we are more worthy of\nthe kingdom than he, neither is he possessed of great riches?  Samuel said,\nVerily GOD hath chosen him before you, and hath caused him to increase in\nknowledge and stature, for GOD giveth his kingdom unto whom he pleaseth; GOD\nis bounteous and wise.\n\n\te  Yahya interprets this from a tradition of Mohammed, who, being asked\nwhich was the middle prayer, answered, The evening prayer, which was\ninstituted by the prophet Solomon.  But Jallalo'ddin allows a greater\nlattitude, and supposes it may be the afternoon prayer, the morning prayer,\nthe noon prayer, or any other.\n\tf  These were some of the children of Israel, who abandoned their\ndwellings because of a pestilence, or, as others say, to avoid serving in a\nreligious war; but, as they fled, God struck them all dead in a certain\nvalley.  About eight days or more after, when their bodies were corrupted, the\nprophet Ezekiel, the son of Buzi, happening to pass that way, at the sight of\ntheir bones wept; whereupon God said to him, Call to them, O Ezekiel, and I\nwill restore them to life.  And accordingly on the prophet's call they all\narose, and lived several years after; but they retained the colour and stench\nof dead corpses as long as they lived, and the clothes they wore changed as\nblack as pitch, which qualities they transmitted to their posterity.1  As to\nthe number of these Israelites the commentators are not agreed; they who\nreckon least say they were 3,000, and they who reckon most, 70,000.  This\nstory seems to have been taken from Ezekiel's vision of the resurrection of\ndry bones.2\n\tSome of the Mohammedan writers will have Ezekiel to have been one of the\njudges of Israel, and to have succeeded Othoniel the son of Caleb.  They also\ncall this prophet Ebn al aj\u00fbz, or the son of the old woman; because they say\nhis mother obtained him by her prayers in her old age.3\n\tg  viz., By contributing towards the establishment of his true religion.\n\th  So the Mohammedans name Saul.\n\n\t1  Jallalo'ddin, Yahya, Abulfeda, &c.\t\t2  Ezek. xxxvii. 1-10.\n\t3  Al Thalabi, Abu Ishak, &c.\n\n\n     And their prophet said unto them, Verily the sign of his kingdom shall\nbe, that the ark shall come unto you:i therein shall be tranquility from your\nLORD,k and the relicsl which have been left by the family of Moses and the\nfamily of Aaron; the angels shall bring it.  Verily this shall be a sign unto\nyou, if ye believe.\n     And when Talut departed with his soldiers he said, Verily GOD will prove\nyou by the river: for he who drinketh thereof, shall not be on my side (but he\nwho shall not taste thereof he shall be on my side), except he who drinketh a\ndraught out of his hand.  And they drank thereof, except a few of them.m  And\nwhen they had passed the river, he and those who believed with him, they said,\nWe have no strength to-day, against Jalutn and his forces.  But they who\nconsidered that they should meet GOD at the resurrection, said, How often hath\na small army discomfited a great one, by the will of GOD! and GOD is with\nthose who patiently persevere.\n250\tAnd when they went forth to battle against Jalut and his forces, they\nsaid, O LORD, pour on us patience, and confirm our feet, and help us against\nthe unbelieving people.\n     Therefore they discomfited them, by the will of GOD, and David slew\nJalut.  And GOD gave him the kingdom and wisdom, and taught him his will;o and\nif GOD had not prevented men, the one by the other, verily the earth had been\ncorrupted: but GOD is beneficent towards his creatures.\n     These are the signs of GOD: we rehearse them unto thee with truth, and\nthou art surely one of those who have been sent by GOD.\n     These are the apostles; we have preferred some of them before others;\nsome of them hath GOD spoken unto, and hath exalted the degree of others of\nthem.  And we gave unto Jesus the son of Mary manifest signs, and strengthened\nhim with the holy spirit.p  And if GOD had pleased, they who came after those\napostles would not have contended among themselves, after manifest signs had\nbeen shown unto them.  But they fell to variance; therefore some of them\nbelieved, and some of them believed not; and if GOD had so pleased, they would\nnot have contended among themselves; but GOD doth what he will.\n\n\ti  This ark, says Jallalo'ddin, contained the images of the prophets,\nand was sent down from heaven to Adam, and at length came to the Israelites,\nwho put great confidence therein, and continually carried it in the front of\ntheir army, till it was taken by the Amalekites.  But on this occasion the\nangels brought it back, in the sight of all the people, and placed it at the\nfeet of Tal\u00fbt; who was thereupon unanimously acknowledged for their king.\n\tThis relation seems to have arisen from some imperfect tradition of the\ntaking and sending back the ark by the Philistines.4\n\tk  That is, because of the great confidence the Israelites placed in it,\nhaving won several battles by its miraculous assistance.  I imagine, however,\nthat the Arabic word Sak\u00eenat, which signifies tranquillity or security of\nmind, and is so understood by the commentators, may not improbably mean the\ndivine presence or glory, which used to appear on the ark, and which the Jews\nexpress by the same word Shechinah.\n\tl  These were the shoes and rod of Moses, the mitre of Aaron, a pot of\nmanna, and the broken pieces of the two tables of the law.5\n\tm  The number of those who drank out of their hands was about 313.1  It\nseems that Mohammed has here confounded Saul with Gideon, who by the divine\ndirection took with him against the Midianites such of his army only as lapped\nwater out of their hands, which were 300 men.2\n\tn  Or Goliath.\n\to  Or what he pleased to teach him.  Yahya most rationally understands\nhereby the divine revelations which David received from GOD; but Jallalo'ddin\nthe art of making coats of mail (which the Mohammedans believe was that\nprophet's peculiar trade), and the knowledge of the language of birds.\n\tp  See before p. 10, note k.\n\n\t4  I Sam. iv. v. and vi.\t\t5  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t1  Idem,\nYahya.\t\t2  Judges vii.\n\n\n     O true believers, give alms of that which we have bestowed unto you,\nbefore the day cometh wherein there shall be no merchandizing, nor friendship,\nnor intercession.  The infidels are unjust doers.\n     GOD! there is no GOD but he;q the living, the self-subsisting: neither\nslumber nor sleep seizeth him; to him belongeth whatsoever is in heaven, and\non earth.  Who is he than can intercede with him, but through his good\npleasure?  He knoweth that which is past, and that which is to come unto them,\nand they shall not comprehend anything of his knowledge, but so far as he\npleaseth.  His throne is extended over heaven and earth,r and the preservation\nof both is no burden unto him.  He is the high, the mighty.\n     Let there be no violence in religion.s  Now is right direction manifestly\ndistinguished from deceit: whoever therefore shall deny Tagut,t and believe in\nGOD, he shall surely take hold on a strong handle, which shall not be broken;\nGOD is he who heareth and seeth.\n     GOD is the patron of those who believe; he shall lead them out of\ndarkness into light:\n     but as to those who believe not, their patrons are Tagut; they shall lead\nthem from the light into darkness; they shall be the companions of hell fire,\nthey shall remain therein forever.\n     Hast thou not considered him who disputed with Abraham concerning his\nLORD,u because GOD had given him the kingdom?  When Abraham said, My LORD is\nhe who giveth life, and killeth: he answered, I give life, and I kill.\nAbraham said, Verily GOD bringeth the sun from the east, now do thou bring it\nfrom the west.  Whereupon the infidel was confounded; for GOD directeth not\nthe ungodly people.\n260\tOr hast thou not considered how he behaved who passed by a city which\nhad been destroyed, even to her foundations?x  He said, How shall GOD quicken\nthis city, after she hath been dead?  And GOD caused him to die for an hundred\nyears, and afterwards raised him to life.  And GOD said, how long hast thou\ntarried here?  He answered, A day, or part of a day.  GOD said, Nay, thou hast\ntarried here a hundred years.  Now look on thy food and thy drink, they are\nnot yet corrupted; and look on thine ass: and this have we done that we might\nmake thee a sign unto men.  And look on the bones of thine ass, how we raise\nthem, and afterwards clothe them with flesh.  And when this was shown unto\nhim, he said, I know that GOD is able to do all things.\n\n\tq  The following seven lines contain a magnificent description of the\ndivine majesty and providence; but it must not be supposed the translation\ncomes up to the dignity of the original.  This passage is justly admired by\nthe Mohammedans, who recite it in their prayers; and some of them wear it\nabout them, engraved on an agate or other precious stone.3\n\tr  This throne, in Arabic called Corsi, is by the Mohammedans supposed\nto be God's tribunal, or seat of justice; being placed under that other called\nal Arsh, which they say is his imperial throne.  The Corsi allegorically\nsignifies the divine providence, which sustains and governs the heaven and the\nearth, and is infinitely above human comprehension.4\n\ts  This passage was particularly directed to some of Mohammed's first\nproselytes, who, having sons that had been brought up in idolatry or Judaism,\nwould oblige them to embrace Mohammedism by force.1\n\tt  This word properly signifies an idol, or whatever is worshipped\nbesides GOD-particularly the two idols of the Meccans, All\u00e2t and al Uzza; and\nalso the devil, or any seducer.\n\tu  This was Nimrod, who, as the commentators say, to prove his power of\nlife and death by ocular demonstration, caused two men to be brought before\nhim at the same time, one of whom he slew, and saved the other alive.  As to\nthis tyrant's persecution of Abraham, see chapter 21, and the notes thereon.\n\tx  The person here meant was Ozair or Ezra, who riding on an ass by the\nruins of Jerusalem, after it had been destroyed by the Chaldeans, doubted in\nhis mind by what means God could raise the city and its inhabitants again;\nwhereupon God caused him to die, and he remained in that condition 100 years;\nat the end of which God restored him to life, and he found a basket of figs\nand a cruse of wine he had with him not in the least spoiled or corrupted; but\nhis ass was dead, the bones only remaining, and these, while the prophet\nlooked on, were raised and clothed with flesh, becoming an ass again, which\nbeing inspired with life, began immediately to bray.2\n\tThis apocryphal story may perhaps have taken its rise from Nehemiah's\nviewing of the ruins of Jerusalem.3\n\n\t3  Vide Bobov. de Prec. Moham. p. 5, et Reland. Dissert. de Gemmis Arab\np. 235, 239.\t\t4  Vide D'Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. Art. Corsi.\n1  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Jallalo'ddin, Yahya, &c   See D'Herbel. Bibl.\nOrient. Art. Ozair.\t\t3  Nehem. ii. 12, &c.\n\n\n     And when Abraham said, O LORD, show me how thou wilt raise the dead;y God\nsaid, Dost thou not yet believe?  He answered, Yea, but I ask this that my\nheart may rest at ease.  GOD said, take therefore four birds, and divide\nthem;z then lay a part of them on every mountain; then call them, and they\nshall come swiftly unto thee: and know that GOD is mighty and wise.\n     The similitude of those who lay out their substance, for advancing the\nreligion of GOD, is as a grain of corn which produceth seven ears, and in\nevery ear an hundred grains; for GOD giveth twofold unto whom he pleaseth: GOD\nis bounteous and wise.\n     They who lay out their substance for the religion of GOD, and afterwards\nfollow not what they have so laid out by reproaches or mischief,a they shall\nhave their reward with their LORD; upon them shall no fear come, neither shall\nthey be grieved.\n     A fair speech and to forgive, is better than alms followed by mischief.\nGOD is rich and merciful.\n     O true believers, make not your alms of none effect by reproaching, or\nmischief, as he who layeth out what he hath to appear unto men to give alms,\nand believeth not in GOD and the last day.  The likeness of such a one is as a\nflint covered with earth, on which a violent rain falleth, and leaveth it\nhard.  They cannot prosper in anything which they have gained, for GOD\ndirecteth not the unbelieving people.\n     And the likeness of those who lay out their substance from a desire to\nplease GOD, and for an establishment for their souls, is as a garden on a\nhill, on which a violent rain falleth, and it bringeth forth its fruits\ntwofold; and if a violent rain falleth not on it, yet the dew falleth thereon:\nand GOD seeth that which ye do.\n     Doth any of you desire to have a garden of palm-trees and vines,b through\nwhich rivers flow, wherein ye may have all kinds of fruits, and that he may\nattain to old age, and have a weak offspring? then a violent fiery wind shall\nstrike it, so that it shall be burned.  Thus GOD declareth his signs unto you,\nthat ye may consider.\n     O true believers, bestow alms of the good things which ye have gained,\nand of that which we have produced for you out of the earth, and choose not\nthe bad thereof, to give it in alms,\n\n\ty  The occasion of this request of Abraham is said to have been on a\ndoubt proposed to him by the devil, in human form, how it was possible for the\nseveral parts of the corpse of a man which lay on the sea-shore, and had been\npartly devoured by the wild beasts, the birds, and the fish, to be brought\ntogether at the resurrection.4\n\tz  These birds, according to the commentators, were an eagle (a dove,\nsay others), a peacock, a raven and a cock, which Abraham cut to pieces, and\nmingled their flesh and feathers together, or, as some tell us, pounded all in\na mortar, and dividing the mass into four parts, laid them on so many\nmountains, but kept the heads, which he had preserved whole, in his hand.\nThen he called them each by their name, and immediately one part flew to the\nother, till they all recovered their first shape, and then came to be joined\nto their respective heads.1\n\tThis seems to be taken from Abraham's sacrifice of birds mentioned by\nMoses,2 with some additional circumstances.\n\ta  i.e., Either by reproaching the person whom they have relieved with\nwhat they have done for him, or by exposing his poverty to his prejudice.3\n\tb  This garden is an emblem of alms given out of hypocrisy, or attended\nwith reproaches, which perish, and will be of no service hereafter to the\ngiver.4\n\n\t4  See D'Herbelot, p. 13.\t\t1  Jallalo'ddin.  See D'Herbelot,\nubi supra.\t\t2  Gen. xv\t\t3  Jallalo'ddin.\n4  Idem.\n\n\n     such as ye would not accept yourselves, otherwise than by connivance:c\nand know that GOD is rich and worthy to be praised.\n270\tThe devil threateneth you with poverty, and commandeth you filthy\ncovetousness; but GOD promiseth you pardon from himself and abundance: GOD is\nbounteous and wise.\n     He giveth wisdom unto whom he pleaseth; and he unto whom wisdom is given\nhath received much good: but none will consider, except the wise of heart.\n     And whatever alms ye shall give, or whatever vow ye shall vow, verily GOD\nknoweth it; but the ungodly shall have none to help them.  If ye make your\nalms to appear, it is well; but if ye conceal them, and give them unto the\npoor, this will be better for you, and will atone for your sins; and GOD is\nwell informed of that which ye do.\n     The direction of them belongeth not unto thee; but GOD directeth whom he\npleaseth.  The good that ye shall give in alms shall redound unto yourselves;\nand ye shall not give unless out of desire of seeing the face of GOD.d  And\nwhat good thing ye shall give in alms, it shall be repaid you, and ye shall\nnot be treated unjustly; unto the poor who are wholly employed in fighting for\nthe religion of GOD, and cannot go to and fro on the earth; whom the ignorant\nman thinketh rich, because of their modesty: thou shalt know them by this\nmark, they ask not men with importunity; and what good ye shall give in alms,\nverily GOD knoweth it.\n     They who distribute alms of their substance night and day, in private and\nin public, shall have their reward with the LORD; on them shall no fear come,\nneither shall they be grieved.\n     They who devour usury shall not arise from the dead, but as he ariseth\nwhom Satan hath infected by a touch:e this shall happen to them because they\nsay, Truly selling is but as usury: and yet GOD hath permitted selling and\nforbidden usury.  He therefore who when there cometh unto him an admonition\nfrom his LORD abstaineth from usury for the future, shall have what is past\nforgiven him, and his affair belongeth unto GOD.  But whoever returneth to\nusury, they shall be the companions of hell fire, they shall continue therein\nforever.\n     GOD shall take his blessing from usury, and shall increase alms: for GOD\nloveth no infidel, or ungodly person.  But they who believe and do that which\nis right, and observe the stated times of prayer, and pay their legal alms,\nthey shall have their reward with their LORD: there shall come no fear on\nthem, neither shall they be grieved.\n     O true believers, fear GOD, and remit that which remaineth of usury,f if\nye really believe;\n     but if ye do it not, hearken unto war, which is declared against you from\nGOD and his apostle: yet if ye repent, ye shall have the capital of your\nmoney.  Deal not unjustly with others, and ye shall not be dealt with\nunjustly.\n\n\tc  That is, on having some amends made by the seller of such goods,\neither by abatement of the price, or giving something else to the buyer to\nmake up the value.\n\td  i.e., For the sake of a reward hereafter, and not for any worldly\nconsideration.1\n\te  viz., Like demoniacs or possessed persons, that is, in great horror\nand distraction of mind and convulsive agitation of body.\n\tf  Or the interest due before usury was prohibited.  For this some of\nMohammed's followers exacted of their debtors, supposing they lawfully might.2\n\n\t\t\t\t1  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Idem.\n\n\n     If there be any debtor under a difficulty of paying his debt, let his\ncreditor wait till it be easy for him to do it; but if ye remit it as alms, it\nwill be better for you, if ye knew it.\n280\tAnd fear the day wherein ye shall return unto GOD; then shall every soul\nbe paid what it hath gained, and they shall not be treated unjustly.\n     O true believers, when ye bind yourselves one to the other in a debt for\na certain time, write it down; and let a writer write between you according to\njustice, and let not the writer refuse writing according to what GOD hath\ntaught him; but let him write, and let him who oweth the debt dictate, and let\nhim fear GOD his LORD, and not diminish aught thereof.  But if he who oweth\nthe debt be foolish, or weak, or be not able to dictate himself, let his\nagentg dictate according to equity; and call to witness two witnesses of your\nneighboring men; but if there be not two men, let there be a man and two women\nof those whom ye shall choose for witnesses: if one of those women should\nmistake, the other of them will cause her to recollect.  And the witnesses\nshall not refuse, whensoever they shall be called.  And disdain not to write\nit down, be it a large debt, or be it a small one, until its time of payment:\nthis will be more just in the sight of GOD, and more right for bearing\nwitness, and more easy, that ye may not doubt.  But if it be a present bargain\nwhich ye transact between yourselves, it shall be no crime in you, if ye write\nit not down.  And take witnesses when ye sell one to the other, and let no\nharm be done to the writer, nor to the witness; which if ye do, it will surely\nbe injustice in you: and fear GOD, and GOD will instruct you, for GOD knoweth\nall things.\n     And if ye be on a journey, and find no writer, let pledges be taken: but\nif one of you trust the other, let him who is trusted return what he is\ntrusted with, and fear GOD his LORD.  And conceal not the testimony, for he\nwho concealeth it hath surely a wicked heart: GOD knoweth that which ye do.\n     Whatever is in heaven and on earth is GOD'S: and whether ye manifest that\nwhich is in your minds, or conceal it, GOD will call you to account for it,\nand will forgive whom he pleaseth, and will punish whom he pleaseth, for GOD\nis almighty.\n     The apostle believeth in that which hath been sent down unto him from his\nLORD, and the faithful also.  Every one of them believeth in GOD, and his\nangels, and his scriptures, and his apostles: we make no distinction at all\nbetween his apostles.h  And they say, We have heard, and do obey: we implore\nthy mercy, O LORD, for unto thee must we return.\n     GOD will not force any one beyond its capacity: it shall have the good\nwhich it gaineth, and it shall suffer the evil which it gaineth.  O LORD,\npunish us not, if we forget, or act sinfully: O LORD, lay not on us a burden\nlike that which thou hast laid on those who have been before us;i neither make\nus, O LORD, to bear what we have not strength to bear, but be favorable unto\nus, and spare us, and be merciful unto us.  Thou art our patron, help us\ntherefore against the unbelieving nations.\n\n\tg  Whoever manages his affairs, whether his father, heir, guardian, or\ninterpreter.1\n\th  But this, say the Mohammedans, the Jews do, who receive Moses but\nreject Jesus; and the Christians, who receive both those prophets, but reject\nMohammed.2\n\ti  That is, on the Jews, who, as the commentators tell us, were ordered\nto kill a man by way of atonement, to give one-fourth of their substance in\nalms, and to cut off an unclean ulcerous part,3 and were forbidden to eat fat,\nor animals that divided the hoof, and were obliged to observe the sabbath, and\nother particulars wherein the Mohammedans are at liberty.4\n\n\t\t1  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t4\nYahya.\n\n\n  CHAPTER III.\n\nENTITLED, THE FAMILY OF IMRAN;k REVEALED AT MEDINA\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     AL. M.l  There is no GOD but GOD, the living, the self-subsisting:\n     he hath sent down unto thee the book of the Koran with truth, confirming\nthat which was revealed before it; for he had formerly sent down the law, and\nthe gospel a direction unto men; and he had also sent down the distinction\nbetween good and evil.\n     Verily those who believe not the signs of GOD shall suffer a grievous\npunishment; for GOD is mighty, able to revenge.\n     Surely nothing is hidden from GOD, of that which is on earth, or in\nheaven: it is he who formeth you in the wombs, as he pleaseth; there is no GOD\nbut he, the mighty, the wise.\n     It is he who hath sent down unto thee the book, wherein are some verses\nclear to be understood, they are the foundation of the book; and others are\nparabolical.m  But they whose hearts are perverse will follow that which is\nparabolical therein, out of love of schism, and a desire of the interpretation\nthereof; yet none knoweth the interpretation thereof, except God.  But they\nwho are well grounded in the knowledge say, We believe therein, the whole is\nfrom our LORD; and none will consider except the prudent.\n     O LORD, cause not our hearts to swerve from truth, after thou hast\ndirected us: and give us from thee mercy, for thou art he who giveth.\n     O LORD, thou shalt surely gather mankind together, unto a day of\nresurrection: there is no doubt of it, for GOD will not be contrary to the\npromise.\n     As for the infidels, their wealth shall not profit them anything, nor\ntheir children, against GOD: they shall be the fuel of hell fire.\n     According to the wont of the people of Pharaoh, and of those who went\nbefore them, they charged our signs with a lie; but GOD caught them in their\nwickedness, and GOD is severe in punishing.\n10\tSay unto those who believe not, Ye shall be overcome, and thrown\ntogether into hell; and an unhappy couch shall it be.\n     Ye have already had a miracle shown you in two armies, which attacked\neach other:n one army fought for GOD'S true religion, but the other were\ninfidels; they saw the faithful twice as many as themselves in their eyesight;\nfor GOD strengthened with his help whom he pleaseth.  Surely herein was an\nexample unto men of understanding.\n\n\tk  This name is given in the Kor\u00e2n to the father of the Virgin Mary.\nSee below, p. 35.\n\tl  For the meaning of these letters the reader is referred to the\nPreliminary Discourse, Sect. III.\n\tm  This passage is translated according to the exposition of al\nZamakhshari and al Beid\u00e2wi, which seems to be the truest.\n\tThe contents of the Kor\u00e2n are here distinguished into such passages as\nare to be taken in the literal sense, and such as require a figurative\nacceptation.  The former being plain and obvious to be understood, compose the\nfundamental part, or, as the original expresses it, the mother of the book,\nand contain the principal doctrines and precepts; agreeably to and\nconsistently with which, those passages which are wrapt up in metaphors, and\ndelivered in an enigmatical, allegorical style, are always to be interpreted.5\n\tn  The sign or miracle here meant, was the victory gained by Mohammed in\nthe second year of the Hejra, over the idolatrous Meccans, headed by Abu\nSofi\u00e2n, in the valley of Bedr, which is situate near the sea, between Mecca\nand Medina.  Mohammed's forces consisted of no more than three hundred and\nnineteen men, but the enemy's army of near a thousand, notwithstanding which\nodds he put them to flight, having killed seventy of the principal Koreish,\nand taken as many prisoners, with the loss of only fourteen of his own men.1\nThis was the first victory obtained by the prophet, and though it may seem no\nvery considerable action, yet it\n\n\t5  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III.\t\t1  Elmacin. p. 5.  Hottinger.\nHist. Orient. l. 2, c. 4.  Abulfed. Vit. Moham. p. 56, &c.  Prideaux's Life of\nMahom. p. 71, &c.\n\n\n     The love and eager desire of wives, and children, and sums heaped up of\ngold and silver, and excellent horses, and cattle, and land, is prepared for\nmen: this is the provision of the present life; but unto GOD shall be the most\nexcellent return.\n     Say, Shall I declare unto you better things than this?  For those who are\ndevout are prepared with their LORD gardens through which rivers flow; therein\nshall they continue forever: and they shall enjoy wives free from impurity,\nand the favor of GOD; for GOD regardeth his servants\n     who say, O LORD, we do sincerely believe; forgive us therefore our sins,\nand deliver us from the pain of hell fire:\n     the patient, and the lovers of truth, and the devout, and the almsgivers,\nand those who ask pardon early in the morning.\n     GOD hath borne witness that there is no GOD but he; and the angels, and\nthose who are endowed with wisdom, profess the same; who executeth\nrighteousness; there is no GOD but he; the mighty, the wise.\n     Verily the true religion in the sight of GOD is Isl\u00e2m;o and they who had\nreceived the scriptures dissented not therefrom, until after the knowledge of\nGod's unity had come unto them, out of envy among themselves; but whosoever\nbelieveth not in the signs of GOD, verily GOD will be swift in bringing him to\naccount.\n     If they dispute with thee, say, I have resigned myself unto GOD, and he\nwho followeth me doth the same;\n     and say unto them who have received the scriptures, and to the ignorant,p\nDo ye profess the religion of Islam? now if they embrace Islam, they are\nsurely directed; but if they turn their backs, verily unto thee belongeth\npreaching only; for GOD regardeth his servants.\n20\tAnd unto those who believe not in the signs of GOD, and slay the\nprophets without a cause, and put those men to death who teach justice;\ndenounce unto them a painful punishment.\n     These are they whose works perish in this world, and in that which is to\ncome; and they shall have none to help them.\n\nwas of great advantage to him, and the foundation of all his future power and\nsuccess.  For which reason it is famous in the Arabian history, and more than\nonce vaunted in the Kor\u00e2n,2 as an effect of the divine assistance.  The\nmiracle, it is said, consisted in three things:  1. Mohammed, by the direction\nof the angel Gabriel, took a handful of gravel and threw it toward the enemy\nin the attack, saying, May their faces be confounded; whereupon they\nimmediately turned their backs and fled.  But though the prophet seemingly\nthrew the gravel himself, yet it is told in the Kor\u00e2n,3 that it was not he,\nbut God, who threw it, that is to say, by the ministry of his angel.  2.  The\nMohammedan troops seemed to the infidels to be twice as many in number as\nthemselves, which greatly discouraged them.  And 3.  God sent down to their\nassistance first a thousand and afterwards three thousand angels, led by\nGabriel, mounted on his horse Haiz\u00fbm; and, according to the Kor\u00e2n,4 these\ncelestial auxiliaries really did all the execution, though Mohammed's men\nimagined themselves did it, and fought stoutly at the same time.\n\to  The proper name of the Mohammedan religion, which signifies the\nresigning or devoting one's self entirely to GOD and his service.  This they\nsay is the religion which all the prophets were sent to teach, being founded\non the unity of GOD.5\n\tp  i.e., The pagan Arabs, who had no knowledge of the scriptures.1\n\n\t2  See this chapter below, and c. 8 and 32.\t\t3  Cap. 8, not far\nfrom the beginning.\t\t4  Ibid.\n5  Jallalo'ddin, al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t1  Idem.\n\n\n     Hast thou not observed those unto whom part of the scripture was given?q\nThey were called unto the book of GOD, that it might judge between them;r then\nsome of them turned their backs, and retired afar off.\n     This they did because they said, the fire of hell shall by no means touch\nus, but for a certain number of days;s and that which they had falsely devised\nhath deceived them in their religion.\n     How then will it be with them, when we shall gather them together at the\nday of judgment,t of which there is no doubt; and every soul shall be paid\nthat which it hath gained, neither shall they be treated unjustly?\n     Say, O GOD, who possessest the kingdom; thou givest the kingdom unto whom\nthou wilt, and thou takest away the kingdom from whom thou wilt: thou exaltest\nwhom thou wilt, and thou humblest whom thou wilt: in thy hand is good, for\nthou art almighty.\n     Thou makest the night to succeed the day: thou bringest forth the living\nout of the dead, and thou bringest forth the dead out of the living;u and\nprovidest food for whom thou wilt without measure.\n     Let not the faithful take the infidels for their protectors, rather than\nthe faithful: he who doth this shall not be protected of GOD at all; unless ye\nfear any danger from them: but GOD warneth you to beware of himself; for unto\nGOD must ye return.  Say, Whether ye conceal that which is in your breasts, or\nwhether ye declare it, GOD knoweth it; for he knoweth whatever is in heaven,\nand whatever is on earth: GOD is almighty.\n     On the last day every soul shall find the good which it hath wrought,\npresent; and the evil which it hath wrought, it shall wish that between itself\nand that were a wide distance: but GOD warneth you to beware of himself; for\nGOD is gracious unto his servants.\n     Say, If ye love GOD, follow me: then GOD shall love you, and forgive you\nyour sins; for GOD is gracious and merciful.  Say, Obey GOD, and his apostle;\nbut if ye go back, verily GOD loveth not the unbelievers.\n\n\tq  That is, the Jews.\n\tr  This passage was revealed on occasion of a dispute Mohammed had with\nsome Jews, which is differently related by the commentators.\n\tAl Beid\u00e2wi says that Mohammed going one day into a Jewish synagogue,\nNa\u00efm Ebn Amru and al Hareth Ebn Zeid asked him what religion he was of?  To\nwhich he answering, \"Of the religion of Abraham;\" they replied, \"Abraham was a\nJew.\"  But on Mohammed's proposing that the Pentateuch might decide the\nquestion, they would by no means agree to it.\n\tBut Jallalo'ddin tells us that two persons of the Jewish religion having\ncommitted adultery, their punishment was referred to Mohammed, who gave\nsentence that they should be stoned, according to the law of Moses.  This the\nJews refused to submit to, alleging there was no such command in the\nPentateuch; but on Mohammed's appealing to the book, the said law was found\ntherein.  Whereupon the criminals were stoned, to the great mortification of\nthe Jews.\n\tIt is very remarkable that this law of Moses concerning the stoning of\nadulterers is mentioned in the New Testament2 (though I know some dispute the\nauthenticity of that whole passage), but is not now to be found, either in the\nHebrew or Samaritan Pentateuch, or in the Septuagint; it being only said that\nsuch shall be put to death.3  This omission is insisted on by the Mohammedans\nas one instance of the corruption of the law of Moses by the Jews.\n\tIt is also observable that there was a verse once extant in the Kor\u00e2n,\ncommanding adulterers to be stoned; and the commentators say the words only\nare abrogated, the sense or law still remaining in force.4\n\ts  i.e., Forty; the time their forefathers worshipped the calf.5  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi adds, that some of them pretended their punishment was to last but\nseven days, that is, a day for every thousand years which they supposed the\nworld was to endure; and that they imagined they were to be so mildly dealt\nwith, either by reason of the intercession of their fathers the prophets, or\nbecause GOD had promised Jacob that his offspring should be punished but\nslightly.\n\tt  The Mohammedans have a tradition that the first banner of the\ninfidels that shall be set up, on the day of judgment, will be that of the\nJews; and that GOD will first reproach them with their wickedness, over the\nheads of those who are present, and then order them to hell.6\n\tu  As a man from seed, and a bird from an egg; and vice vers\u00e2.1\n\n\t2  John viii. 5.\t\t3  Levit. xx. 10.  See Whiston's Essay towards\nrestoring the true text of the Old Test. p. 99, 100.\n4  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III.\t\t5  See before, p. 10, note g.\n\t6  Al Beid\u00e5wi.\t\t1  Jallalo'ddin\n\n\n30\tGOD hath surely chosen Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and\nthe family of Imr\u00e2nx above the rest of the world; a race descending the one\nfrom the other: GOD is he who heareth and knoweth.\n     Remember when the wife of Imr\u00e2ny said, LORD, verily I have vowed unto\nthee that which is in my womb, to be dedicated to thy service;z accept it\ntherefore of me; for thou art he who heareth and knoweth.  And when she was\ndelivered of it, she said, LORD, verily I have brought forth a female (and GOD\nwell knew what she had brought forth), and a male is not as a female.a  I have\ncalled her MARY; and I commend her to thy protection, and also her issue,\nagainst Satan driven away with stones.b\n\n\tx  Or Amr\u00e2n, is the name of two several persons, according to the\nMohammedan tradition.  One was the father of Moses and Aaron; and the other\nwas the father of Moses and Aaron; and the other was the father of the Virgin\nMary;2 but he is called by some Christian writers Joachim.  The commentators\nsuppose the first, or rather both of them, to be meant in this place; however,\nthe person intended in the next passage, it is agreed, was the latter; who\nbesides Mary the mother of Jesus, had also a son named Aaron,3 and another\nsister, named Ish\u00e1 (or Elizabeth), who married Zacharias, and was the mother\nof John the Baptist; whence that prophet and Jesus are usually called by the\nMohammedans, The two sons of the aunt, or the cousins german.\n\tFrom the identity of names it has been generally imagined by Christian\nwriters4 that the Kor\u00e2n here confounds Mary the mother of Jesus, with Mary or\nMiriam the sister of Moses and Aaron; which intolerable anachronism, if it\nwere certain, is sufficient of itself to destroy the pretended authority of\nthis book.  But though Mohammed may be supposed to have been ignorant enough\nin ancient history and chronology to have committed so gross a blunder, yet I\ndo not see how it can be made out from the words of the Kor\u00e2n.  For it does\nnot follow, because two persons have the same name, and have each a father and\nbrother who bear the same names, that they must therefore necessarily be the\nsame person: besides, such a mistake is inconsistent with a number of other\nplaces in the Kor\u00e2n, whereby it manifestly appears that Mohammed well knew and\nasserted that Moses preceded Jesus several ages.  And the commentators\naccordingly fail not to tell us that there had passed about one thousand eight\nhundred years between Amr\u00e2n the father of Moses, and Amr\u00e2n the father of the\nVirgin Mary: they also make them the sons of different persons; the first,\nthey say, was the son of Yeshar, or Izhar (though he was really his brother),5\nthe son of K\u00e2hath, the son of Levi; and the other was the son of Math\u00e2n,6\nwhose genealogy they trace, but in a very corrupt and imperfect manner, up to\nDavid, and thence to Adam.7\n\tIt must be observed that though the Virgin Mary is called in the Kor\u00e2n1\nthe sister of Aaron, yet she is nowhere called the sister of Moses; however,\nsome Mohammedan writers have imagined that the same individual Mary, the\nsister of Moses, was miraculously preserved alive from his time till that of\nJesus Christ, purposely to become the mother of the latter.2\n\ty  The Imr\u00e2n here mentioned was the father of the Virgin Mary, and his\nwife's name was Hannah, or Ann, the daughter of Fakudh.  This woman, say the\ncommentators, being aged and barren, on seeing a bird feed her young ones,\nbecame very desirous of issue, and begged a child of GOD, promising to\nconsecrate it to his service in the temple; whereupon she had a child, but it\nproved a daughter.3\n\tz  The Arabic word is free, but here signifies particularly one that is\nfree or detached from all worldly desires and occupations, and wholly devoted\nto GOD'S service.4\n\ta  Because a female could not minister in the temple as a male could.5\n\tb  This expression alludes to a tradition, that Abraham, when the devil\ntempted him to disobey God in not sacrificing his son, drove the fiend away by\nthrowing stones at him; in memory of which, the Mohammedans, at the pilgrimage\nof Mecca, throw a certain number of stones at the devil, with certain\nceremonies, in the valley of Mina.6\n\tIt is not improbable that the pretended immaculate conception of the\nVirgin Mary is intimated in this passage; for according to a tradition of\nMohammed, every person that comes into the world is touched at his birth by\nthe devil, and therefore cries out: Mary and her son only excepted, between\nwhom and the evil spirit God placed a veil, so that his touch did not reach\nthem.7  And for this reason, they say, neither of them were guilty of any sin,\nlike the rest of the children of Adam:8 which peculiar grace they obtained by\nvirtue of this recommendation of them by Hannah to God's protection.\n\n\t2  Al Zamakhshari, al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Kor. c. 19.\t\t4\nVide Reland. de Rel. Moh. p. 211  Marracc. in Alc. p. 115, &c.  Prideaux,\nLetter to the Deists, p. 185.\t\t5  Exod. vi. 18.\t\t6  Al Zamakh. al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\t\t7  Vide Reland. ubi sup.  D'Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. p. 583.\n1 Cap. 19.\t\t2  Vide Guadagnol. Apolog. pro Rel. Christ. contra Ahmed Ebn\nZein al Abedin. p. 279.\n3  Al Beid\u00e2wi, al Thalabi.\t\t4  Jallalo'ddin, al Zamakhshari.\n\t5  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t6  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.\n7  Jallalo'ddin, al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t8  Kitada.\n\n\n     Therefore the LORD accepted her with a gracious acceptance,c and caused\nher to bear an excellent offspring.  And Zacharias took care of the child;\nwhenever Zacharias went into the chamber to her, he found provisions with\nher:d and he said, O Mary, whence hadst thou this? she answered, This is from\nGOD, for GOD provideth for whom he pleaseth without measure.e\n     There Zacharias called on his LORD, and said, LORD, give me from thee a\ngood offspring, for thou art the hearer of prayer.  And the angelsf called to\nhim, while he stood praying in the chamber,\n     saying, Verily GOD promiseth thee a son named John, who shall bear\nwitness to the Wordg which cometh from GOD; and honourable person, chaste,h\nand one of the righteous prophets.\n     He answered, LORD, how shall I have a son, when old age hath overtaken\nme,i and my wife is barren?  The angel said, So GOD doth that which he\npleaseth.\n     Zacharias answered, LORD, give me a sign.  The angel said, Thy sign shall\nbe, that thou shalt speak unto no mank for three days, otherwise than by\ngesture: remember thy LORD often, and praise him evening and morning.\n     And when the angels said, O Mary, verily GOD hath chosen thee, and hath\npurified thee and hath chosen thee above all the women of the world:\n     O Mary, be devout towards thy LORD, and worship, and bow down with those\nwho bow down.\n     This is a secret history: we reveal it unto thee, although thou wast not\npresent with them when they threw in their rods to cast lots which of them\nshould have the education of Mary;l neither wast thou with them, when they\nstrove among themselves.\n40\tWhen the angels said; O Mary, verily GOD sendeth thee good tidings, that\nthou shalt bear the Word proceeding from himself; his name shall be CHRIST\nJESUS the son of Mary, honourable in this world and in the world to come, and\none of those who approach near to the presence of GOD;\n\n\tc  Though the child happened not to be a male, yet her mother presented\nher to the priests who had the care of the temple, as one dedicated to GOD;\nand they having received her, she was committed to the care of Zacharias, as\nwill be observed by-and-bye, and he built her an apartment in the temple, and\nsupplied her with necessaries.9\n\td  The commentators say that none went into Mary's apartment but\nZacharias himself, and that he locked seven doors upon her, yet he found she\nhad always winter fruits in summer, and summer fruits in winter.10\n\te  There is a story of F\u00e2tema, Mohammed's daughter, that she once\nbrought two loaves and a piece of flesh to her father, who returned them to\nher, and having called for her again, when she uncovered the dish, it was full\nof bread and meat; and on Mohammed's asking her whence she had it, she\nanswered in the words of this passage: This is from GOD; for GOD provideth for\nwhom he pleaseth without measure.  Whereupon he blessed GOD, who thus favoured\nher, as he had the most excellent of the daughters of Israel.1\n\tf  Though the word be in the plural, yet the commentators say it was the\nangel Gabriel only.  The same is to be understood where it occurs in the\nfollowing passages.\n\tg  That is, Jesus, who, al Beid\u00e2wi says, is so called because he was\nconceived by the word or command of GOD without a father.\n\th  The original word signifies one who refrains not only from women, but\nfrom all other worldly delights and desires.  Al Beid\u00e2wi mentions a tradition,\nthat during his childhood some boys invited him to play, but he refused,\nsaying that he was not created to play.\n\ti  Zacharias was then ninety-nine years old, and his wife eighty-nine.2\n\tk  Though he could not speak to anybody else, yet his tongue was at\nliberty to praise GOD as he is directed to do by the following words.\n\tl  When Mary was first brought to the temple, the priests, because she\nwas the daughter of one of their chiefs, disputed among themselves who should\nhave the education of her.  Zacharias insisted that he ought to be preferred,\nbecause he had married her aunt; but the others not consenting that it should\nbe so, they agreed to decide the matter by casting of lots; whereupon twenty-\nseven of them went to the river Jordan and threw in their rods (or arrows\nwithout heads or feathers, such as the Arabs used for the same purpose), on\nwhich they had written some passages of the law; but they all sank except that\nof Zacharias, which floated on the water; and he had thereupon the care of the\nchild committed to him.3\n\n\t9  Jallalo'ddin, al Beid\u00e2wi.  Vide Lud. de Dieu, in not. ad Hist.\nChristi Xaverii, p. 542.\t\t\t10  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  Vide de Dieu, ubi\nsup. p. 548.\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\nJallalo'ddin, &c.\n\n\n     and he shall speak unto men in the cradle,m and when he is grown up;n and\nhe shall be one of the righteous:\n     she answered, LORD, how shall I have a son, since a man hath not touched\nme? the angel said, So GOD createth that which he pleaseth: when he decreeth a\nthing, he only saith unto it, Be, and it is:\n     GOD shall teach him the scripture, and wisdom, and the law, and the\ngospel; and shall appoint him his apostle to the children of Israel; and he\nshall say, Verily I come unto you with a sign from your LORD; for I will make\nbefore you, of clay, as it were the figure of a bird;o then I will breathe\nthereon, and it shall become a bird, by the permission of GOD;p and I will\nheal him that hath been blind from his birth; and the leper: and I will raise\nthe deadq by the permission of GOD: and I will prophesy unto you what ye eat,\nand what ye lay up for store in your houses.  Verily herein will be a sign\nunto you, if ye believe.\n     And I come to confirm the law which was revealed before me and to allow\nunto you as lawful part of that which hath been forbidden you:r and I come\nunto you with a sign from your LORD; therefore fear GOD, and obey me.  Verily\nGOD is my LORD, and your LORD; therefore serve him.  This is the right way.\n\n\tm  Besides an instance of this given in the Kor\u00e2n itself,1 which I shall\nnot here anticipate, a Mohammedan writer, (of no very great credit, indeed)\ntells two stories, one of Jesus's speaking while in his mother's womb, to\nreprove her cousin Joseph for his unjust suspicions of her;2 and another of\nhis giving an answer to the same person soon after he was born.  For Joseph\nbeing sent by Zacharias to seek Mary (who had gone out of the city by night to\nconceal her delivery) and having found her began to expostulate with her, but\nshe made no reply; whereupon the child spoke these words:  Rejoice, O Joseph,\nand be of good cheer; for God hath brought me forth from the darkness of the\nwomb, to the light of the world; and I shall go to the children of Israel, and\ninvite them to the obedience of God.3\n\tThese seem all to have been taken from some fabulous traditions of the\neastern Christians, one of which is preserved to us in the spurious gospel of\nthe Infancy of Christ; where we read that Jesus spoke while yet in the cradle,\nand said to his mother, Verily I am Jesus the Son of God, the word which thou\nhast brought forth, as the angel Gabriel did declare unto thee; and my father\nhath sent me to save the world.4\n\tn  The Arabic word properly signifies a man in full age, that is,\nbetween thirty or thirty-four, and fifty-one; and the passage may relate to\nChrist's preaching here on earth.  But as he had scarce attained this age when\nhe was taken up into heaven, the commentators choose to understand it of his\nsecond coming.5\n\to  Some say it was a bat,6 though others suppose Jesus made several\nbirds of different sorts.\n\tThis circumstance is also taken from the following fabulous tradition,\nwhich may be found in the spurious gospel above mentioned.  Jesus being seven\nyears old, and at play with several children of his age, they made several\nfigures of birds and beasts, for their diversion, of clay; and each preferring\nhis own workmanship, Jesus told them, that he would make his walk and leap;\nwhich accordingly, at his command, they did.  He made also several figures of\nsparrows and other birds, which flew about or stood on his hands as he ordered\nthem, and also ate and drank when he offered them meat and drink.  The\nchildren telling this to their parents, were forbidden to play any more with\nJesus, whom they held to be a sorcerer.8\n\tp  The commentators observe that these words are added here, and in the\nnext sentence, lest it should be thought Jesus did these miracles by his own\npower, or was GOD.9\n\tq  Jallalo'ddin mentions three persons whom Christ restored to life, and\nwho lived several years after, and had children, viz., Lazarus, the widow's\nson, and the publican's (I suppose he means the ruler of the synagogue's)\ndaughter.  He adds that he also raised Shem the son of Noah, who, as another\nwrites10 thinking he had been called to judgment, came out of his grave with\nhis head half grey, whereas men did not grow grey in his days; after which he\nimmediately died again.\n\tr  Such as the eating of fish that have neither fins nor scales, the\ncaul and fat of animals, and camel's flesh, and to work on the sabbath.  These\nthings, say the commentators, being arbitrary institutions in the law of\nMoses, were abrogated by Jesus; as several of the same kind, instituted by the\nlatter, have been since abrogated by Mohammed.1\n\n\t1  Cap. 19.\t\t2  Vide Sikii notas in Evang. Infant. p. 5.\n\t3  Al Kessai, apud eundem\t\t4  Evang. Infant. p. 5.\t\t5\nJallalo'ddin.  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t6  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t7  Al Thalabi\n\t8  Evang. Infant. p. 111, &c\t\t9  Al Beid\u00e2wi, &c.\t\t10  Al\nThalabi.\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     But when Jesus perceived their unbelief, he said, Who will be my helpers\ntowards GOD?  The apostles answered,s We will be the helpers of GOD; we\nbelieve in GOD, and do thou bear witness that we are true believers.\n     O LORD, we believe in that which thou hast sent down, and we have\nfollowed thy apostle; write us down therefore with those who bear witness of\nhim.\n     And the Jews devised a stratagem against him;t but GOD devised a\nstratagem against them;u and GOD is the best deviser of stratagems.\n\n\ts  In Arabic, al Haw\u00e2riy\u00fbn; which word they derive from H\u00e2ra, to be\nwhite, and suppose the apostles were so called either from the candour and\nsincerity of their minds, or because they were princes and wore white\ngarments, or else because they were by trade fullers.2  According to which\nlast opinion, their vocation is thus related; that as Jesus passed by the\nseaside, he saw some fullers at work, and accosting them, said, Ye cleanse\nthese clothes, but cleanse not your hearts; upon which they believed on him.\nBut the true etymology seems to be from the Ethiopic verb Hawyra, to go;\nwhence Haw\u00e2rya signifies one that is sent, a messenger or apostle.3\n\tt  i.e., They laid a design to take away his life.\n\tu  This stratagem of God's was the taking of Jesus up into heaven, and\nstamping his likeness on another person, who was apprehended and crucified in\nhis stead.  For it is the constant doctrine of the Mohammedans that it was not\nJesus himself who underwent that ignominious death, but somebody else in his\nshape and resemblance.4  The person crucified some will have to be a spy that\nwas sent to entrap him; others, that it was one Titian, who by the direction\nof Judas entered in at a window of the house where Jesus was, to kill him; and\nothers that it was Judas himself, who agreed with the rulers of the Jews to\nbetray him for thirty pieces of silver, and led those who were sent to take\nhim.\n\tThey add, that Jesus after his crucifixion in effigy, was sent down\nagain to the earth, to comfort his mother and disciples and acquaint them how\nthe Jews were deceived; and was then taken up a second time into heaven.5\n\tIt is supposed by several that this story was an original invention of\nMohammed's; but they are certainly mistaken; for several sectaries held the\nsame opinion, long before his time.  The Basilidians,6 in the very beginning\nof Christianity, denied that Christ himself suffered, but that Simon the\nCyrenean was crucified in his place.  The Cerinthians before them, and the\nCarpocratians next (to name no more of those who affirmed Jesus to have been a\nmere man), did believe the same thing; that it was not himself, but one of his\nfollowers very like him that was crucified.  Photius tells us, that he read a\nbook entitled, \"The Journeys of the Apostles,\" relating the acts of Peter,\nJohn, Andrew, Thomas and Paul; and among other things contained therein, this\nwas one, that Christ, was not crucified, but another in his stead, and that\ntherefore he laughed at his crucifiers,7 or those who thought they had\ncrucified him.8\n\tI have in another place9 mentioned an apocryphal gospel of Barnabas, a\nforgery originally of some nominal Christians, but interpolated since by\nMohammedans; which gives this part of the history of Jesus with circumstances\ntoo curious to be omitted.  It is therein related, that the moment the Jews\nwere going to apprehend Jesus in the garden, he was snatched up into the third\nheaven by the ministry of four angels, Gabriel, Michael, Raphael and Uriel;\nthat he will not die till the end of the world, and that it was Judas who was\ncrucified in his stead; God having permitted that traitor to appear so like\nhis master, in the eyes of the Jews, that they took and delivered him to\nPilate.  That this resemblance was so great, that it deceived the Virgin Mary\nand the Apostles themselves; but that Jesus Christ afterward obtained leave of\nGod to go and comfort them.  That Barnabas having then asked him, why the\ndivine goodness had suffered the mother and disciples of so holy a prophet to\nbelieve even for one moment that he had died in so ignominious a manner?\nJesus returned the following answer.  \"O Barnabas, believe me that every sin,\nhow small soever, is punished by God with great torment, because God is\noffended with sin.  My mother therefore and faithful disciples, having loved\nme with a mixture of earthly love, the just God has been pleased to punish\nthis love with their present grief, that they might not be punished for it\nhereafter in the flames of hell.  And as for me, though I have myself been\nblameless in the world, yet other men having called me God and the Son of God;\ntherefore God, that I might not be mocked by the devils at the day of\njudgment, has been pleased that in this world I should be mocked by men with\nthe death of Judas, making everybody believe that I died upon the cross.  And\nhence it is that this mocking is still to continue till the coming of\nMohammed, the messenger of God; who, coming into the world, will undeceive\nevery one who shall believe in the law of God from this mistake.1\n\n\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Vide Ludolfi Lexic. \u00c6thiop. col. 40, et Golii notas\nad cap. 61 Kor\u00e2ni, p. 205.\t\t4  See Kor. c. 4.\n5  Vide Marracc. in Alc. p. 113, &c., et in Prodr. part iii. p. 63, &c.\n\t6  Iren\u00e6us, l. I, c. 23, &c.  Epiphan. H\u00e6res. 24, num. iii.\n7  Photius, Bibl. Cod. 114, col. 291.\t\t8  Toland's Nararenus, p 17,\n&c.\t\t9  Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.\t\t1  See the Menagiana.  tom.\niv. p. 326, &c.\n\n\n     When GOD said, O Jesus, verily I will cause thee to die,x and I will take\nthee up unto me,y and I will deliver thee from the unbelievers; and I will\nplace those who follow thee above the unbelievers, until the day of\nresurrection:z then unto me shall ye return, and I will judge between you of\nthat concerning which ye disagree.\n     Moreover, as for the infidels, I will punish them with a grievous\npunishment in this world, and in that which is to come; and there shall be\nnone to help them.\n50\tBut they who believe, and do that which is right, he shall give them\ntheir reward: for GOD loveth not the wicked doers.\n     These signs and this prudent admonition do we rehearse unto thee.\n     Verily the likeness of Jesus in the sight of GOD is as the likeness of\nAdam; he created him out of the dust, and then said unto him, Be; and he was.a\n     This is the truth from thy LORD; be not therefore one of those who doubt;\n     and whoever shall dispute with thee, concerning him,b after the knowledge\nwhich hath been given thee, say unto them, Come, let us call together our sons\nand your sons, and our wives and your wives, and ourselves and yourselves;\nthen let us make imprecations, and lay the curse of GOD on those who lie.c\n     Verily this is a true history: and there is no GOD, but GOD; and GOD is\nmost mighty and wise.\n     If they turn back, GOD well knoweth the evil doers.\n     Say, O ye who have received the scripture, come to a just determination\nbetween us and you;d that we worship not any except GOD, and associate no\ncreature with him; and that the one of us take not the other for lords,e\nbeside GOD.  But if they turn back, say, Bear witness that we are true\nbelievers.\n\n\tx  It is the opinion of a great many Mohammedans that Jesus was taken up\ninto heaven without dying; which opinion is consonant to what is delivered in\nthe spurious gospel above mentioned.  Wherefore several of the commentators\nsay that there is a hysteron proteron in these words, I will cause thee to\ndie, and I will take thee up unto me; and that the copulative does not import\norder, or that he died before his assumption; the meaning being this, viz.,\nthat GOD would first take Jesus up to heaven, and deliver him from the\ninfidels, and afterwards cause him to die; which they suppose is to happen\nwhen he shall return into the world again, before the last day.2  Some,\nthinking the order of the words is not to be changed, interpret them\nfiguratively, and suppose their signification to be that Jesus was lifted up\nwhile he was asleep, or that GOD caused him to die a spiritual death to all\nworldly desires.  But others acknowledge that he actually died a natural\ndeath, and continued in that state three hours, or, according to another\ntradition, seven hours; after which he was restored to life, and then taken up\nto heaven.3\n\ty  Some Mohammedans say this was done by the ministry of Gabriel; but\nothers that a strong whirlwind took him up from Mount Olivet.4\n\tz  That is, they who believe in Jesus (among whom the Mohammedans reckon\nthemselves) shall be for ever superior to the Jews, both in arguments and in\narms.  And accordingly, says al Beid\u00e2wi, to this very day the Jews have never\nprevailed either against the Christians or Moslems, nor have they any kingdom\nor established government of their own.\n\ta  He was like to Adam in respect of his miraculous production by the\nimmediate power of GOD.1\n\tb  Namely, Jesus.\n\tc  To explain this passage their commentators tell the following story.\nThat some Christians, with their bishop named Abu Hareth, coming to Mohammed\nas ambassadors from the inhabitants of Najr\u00e2n, and entering into some disputes\nwith him touching religion and the history of Jesus Christ, they agreed the\nnext morning to abide the trial here mentioned, as a quick way of deciding\nwhich of them were in the wrong.  Mohammed met them accordingly, accompanied\nby his daughter F\u00e2tema, his son-in-law Ali, and his two grandsons, Hasan and\nHosein, and desired them to wait till he had said his prayers.  But when they\nsaw him kneel down, their resolution failed them, and they durst not venture\nto curse him, but submitted to pay him tribute.2\n\td  That is, to such terms of agreement as are indisputably consonant to\nthe doctrine of all the prophets and scriptures, and therefore cannot be\nreasonably rejected.3\n\te  Besides other charges of idolatry on the Jews and Christians,\nMohammed accused them of paying too implicit an obedience to their priests and\nmonks, who took upon them to pronounce what things were lawful, and what\nunlawful, and to dispense with the laws of GOD.4\n\n\t2  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t4  Al\nThalabi.  See 2 Kings ii. I, II\n1  Jallalo'ddin, &c\t\t2  Jallalo'ddin, al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Idem.\n\t4  Idem.\n\n\n     O ye to whom the scriptures have been given, why do ye dispute concerning\nAbraham,f since the Law and the Gospel were not sent down until after him?  Do\nye not therefore understand?\n     Behold ye are they who dispute concerning that which ye have some\nknowledge in; why therefore do you dispute concerning that which ye have no\nknowledge of?g  GOD knoweth, but ye know not.\n60\tAbraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian; but he was of the true\nreligion, one resigned unto God, and was not of the number of the idolaters.\n     Verily the men who are the nearest of kin unto Abraham are they who\nfollow him; and this prophet, and they who believed on him: GOD is the patron\nof the faithful.\n     Some of those who have received the scriptures desire to seduce you;h but\nthey seduce themselves only, and they perceive it not.\n     O ye who have received the scriptures, why do ye not believe in the signs\nof GOD, since ye are witnesses of them?\n     O ye who have received the scriptures, why do you clothe truth with\nvanity, and knowingly hide the truth?i\n     And some of those to whom the scriptures were given say, Believe in that\nwhich hath been sent down unto those who believe, in the beginning of the day,\nand deny it in the end thereof; that they may go back from their faith;k\n     and believe him only who followeth your religion.  Say, Verily the true\ndirection is the direction of GOD, that there may be given unto some other a\nrevelation like unto what hath been given unto you.  Will they dispute with\nyou before your Lord?  Say, Surely excellence is in the hand of GOD, he giveth\nit unto whom he pleaseth; GOD is bounteous and wise:\n     he will confer peculiar mercy on whom he pleaseth; for GOD is endued with\ngreat beneficence.\n\n\tf  viz., By pretending him to have been of your religion.\n\tg  i.e., Ye perversely dispute even concerning those things which ye\nfind in the law and the gospel, whereby it appears they were both sent down\nlong after Abraham's time; why then will ye offer to dispute concerning such\npoints of Abraham's religion, of which your scriptures say nothing, and of\nwhich ye consequently can have no knowledge?5\n\th  This passage was revealed when the Jews endeavoured to pervert\nHodheifa, Amm\u00e2r, and Mo\u00e2dh to their religion.1\n\ti  The Jews and Christians are again accused of corrupting the\nscriptures and stifling the prophecies concerning Mohammed.\n\tk  The commentators, to explain this passage, say that Caab Ebn al\nAshraf and Malec Ebn al Seif (two Jews of Medina) advised their companions,\nwhen the Keblah was changed,2 to make as if they believed it was done by the\ndivine direction, and to pray towards the Caaba in the morning, but that in\nthe evening they should pray, as formerly, towards the temple of Jerusalem;\nthat Mohammed's followers, imagining the Jews were better judges of this\nmatter than themselves, might imitate their example.  But others say these\nwere certain Jewish priests of Khaibar, who directed some of their people to\npretend in the morning that they had embraced Mohammedism, but in the close of\nthe day to say that they had looked into their books of scripture, and\nconsulted their Rabbins, and could not find that Mohammed was the person\ndescribed and intended in the law, by which trick they hoped to raise doubts\nin the minds of the Mohammedans.3\n\n\tAl Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t1  Idem.\t\t2  See before, c. 2, p. 16.\n\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi\n\n\n     There is of those who have received the scriptures, unto whom if thou\ntrust a talent he will restore it unto thee;l and there is also of them, unto\nwhom if thou trust a din\u00e2r, he will not restore it unto thee, unless thou\nstand over him continually with great urgency.m\n     This they do because they say, We are not obliged to observe justice with\nthe heathen: but they utter a lie against GOD, knowingly.\n70\tYea, whoso keepeth his covenant, and feareth God, GOD surely loveth\nthose who fear him.\n     But they who make merchandise of GOD'S covenant, and of their oaths, for\na small price, shall have no portion in the next life, neither shall GOD speak\nto them or regard them on the day of resurrection, nor shall he cleanse them;\nbut they shall suffer a grievous punishment.\n     And there are certainly some of them who read the scriptures perversely,\nthat ye may think what they read to be really in the scriptures, yet it is not\nin the scripture; and they say, This is from GOD; but it is not from GOD: and\nthey speak that which is false concerning GOD, against their own knowledge.\n     It is not fit for a man, that GOD should give him a book of revelations,\nand wisdom, and prophecy; and then he should say unto men, Be ye worshippers\nof me, besides GOD; but he ought to say, Be ye perfect in knowledge and in\nworks, since ye know the scriptures, and exercise yourselves therein.n\n     GOD hath not commanded you to take the angels and the prophets for your\nlords: Will he command you to become infidels, after ye have been true\nbelievers?\n     And remember when GOD accepted the covenant of the prophets,o saying,\nThis verily is the scripture and the wisdom which I have given you: hereafter\nshall an apostle come unto you, confirming the truth of that scripture which\nis with you; ye shall surely believe in him, and ye shall assist him.  GOD\nsaid, Are ye firmly resolved, and do ye accept my covenant on this condition?\nThey answered, We are firmly resolved: God said, Be ye therefore witnesses;\nand I also bear witness with you:\n     and whosoever turneth back after this, they are surely the transgressors.\n     Do they therefore seek any other religion but GOD'S? since to him is\nresigned whosoever is in heaven or on earth, voluntarily or of force: and to\nhim shall they return.\n\n\tl  As an instance of this, the commentators bring Abd'allah Ebn Sal\u00e2m, a\nJew, very intimate with Mohammed,4 to whom one of the Koreish lent 1,200\nounces of gold, which he very punctually repaid at the time appointed.5\n\tm  Al Beid\u00e2wi produces an example of such a piece of injustice in one\nPhineas Ebn Az\u00fbra, a Jew, who borrowed a din\u00e2r, which is a gold coin worth\nabout ten shillings, of a Koreishite, and afterwards had the conscience to\ndeny it.\n\tBut the person more directly struck at in this passage was the above-\nmentioned Caab Ebn al Ashraf, a most inveterate enemy of Mohammed and his\nreligion, of whom Jallalo'ddin relates the same story as al Beid\u00e2wi does of\nPhineas.  This Caab, after the battle of Bedr, went to Mecca, and there, to\nexcite the Koreish to revenge themselves, made and recited verses lamenting\nthe death of those who were slain in that battle, and reflecting very severely\non Mohammed; and he afterwards returned to Medina, and had the boldness to\nrepeat them publicly there also, at which Mohammed was so exceedingly provoked\nthat he proscribed him, and sent a party of men to kill him, and he was\ncircumvented and slain by Mohammed Ebn Moslema, in the third year of the\nHejra.1  Dr. Prideaux2 has confounded the Caab we are now speaking of with\nanother very different person of the same name, and a famous poet, but who was\nthe son of Zohair, and no Jew, as a learned gentleman has already observed.3\nIn consequence of which mistake, the doctor attributes what the Arabian\nhistorians write of the latter to the former, and wrongly affirms that he was\nnot put to death by Mohammed.\n\tSome of the commentators, however, suppose that in the former part of\nthis passage the Christians are intended, who, they say, are generally people\nof some honour and justice; and in the latter part the Jews, who, they think,\nare more given to cheating and dishonesty.4\n\tn  This passage was revealed, say the commentators, in answer to the\nChristians, who insisted that Jesus had commanded them to worship him as GOD.\nAl Beid\u00e2wi adds that two Christians, named Abu R\u00e2f\u00e9 al Koradhi and al Seyid al\nNajr\u00e2ni, offered to acknowledge Mohammed for their Lord, and to worship him;\nto which he answered, GOD forbid that we should worship any besides GOD.\n\to  Some commentators interpret this of the children of Israel\nthemselves, of whose race the prophets were.  But others say the souls of all\nthe prophets, even of those who were not then born, were present on Mount\nSinai when GOD gave the law to Moses, and that they entered into the covenant\nhere mentioned with him.  A story borrowed by Mohammed from the Talmudists,\nand therefore most probably his true meaning in this place.\n\n\t4  See Prideaux's Life of Mahom. p. 33.\t\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi,\nJallalo'ddin.\t\t1  Al Jann\u00e2bi, Elmacin.\n2  Life of  Mahom. p. 78, &c.\t\t3  Vide Gagnier, in not. ad Abulfed. Vit.\nMoh. p. 64 and 122.\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     Say, We believe in GOD, and that which hath been sent down unto us, and\nthat which was sent down unto Abraham, and Ismael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and\nthe tribes, and that which was delivered to Moses, and Jesus, and the prophets\nfrom their LORD; we make no distinction between any of them; and to him are we\nresigned.\n     Whoever followeth any other religion than Islam, it shall not be accepted\nof him: and in the next life he shall be of those who perish.p\n80\tHow shall GOD direct men who have become infidels after they had\nbelieved, and borne witness that the apostle was true, and manifest\ndeclarations of the divine will had come unto them? for GOD directeth not the\nungodly people.\n     Their reward shall be, that on them shall fall the curse of GOD and of\nangels, and of all mankind:\n     they shall remain under the same forever; their torment shall not be\nmitigated, neither shall they be regarded;\n     except those who repent after this, and amend; for GOD is gracious and\nmerciful.\n     Moreover they who become infidels after they have believed, and yet\nincrease in infidelity, their repentance shall in no wise be accepted, and\nthey are those who go astray.\n     Verily they who believe not, and die in their unbelief, the world full of\ngold shall in nowise be accepted from any of them, even though he should give\nit for his ransom; they shall suffer a grievous punishment, and they shall\nhave none to help them.\n     Ye will never attain unto righteousness until ye give in alms of that\nwhich ye love: and whatever ye give, GOD knoweth it.\n     All food was permitted unto the children of Israel, except what Israel\nforbade unto himself,q before the Pentateuch was sent down.r  Say unto the\nJews, Bring hither the Pentateuch and read it, if ye speak truth.\n     Whoever therefore contriveth a lie against GOD after this, they will be\nevil doers.\n     Say, GOD is true: follow ye therefore the religion of Abraham the\northodox; for he was no idolater.\n90\tVerily the first house appointed unto men to worship in was that which\nwas in Becca;s blessed, and a direction to all creatures.t\n\n\tp  See before, chapter 2, p. 8, note y.\n\tq  This passage was revealed on the Jews reproaching Mohammed and his\nfollowers with their eating of the flesh and milk of camels,1 which they said\nwas forbidden Abraham, whose religion Mohammed pretended to follow.  In answer\nto which he tells them that GOD ordained no distinction of meats before he\ngave the law to Moses, though Jacob voluntarily abstained from the flesh and\nmilk of camels; which some commentators say was the consequence of a vow made\nby that patriarch, when afflicted with the sciatica, that if he were cured he\nwould eat no more of that meat which he liked best; and that was camel's\nflesh: but others suppose he abstained from it by the advice of physicians\nonly.2\n\tThis exposition seems to be taken from the children of Israel's not\neating of the sinew on the hollow of the thigh, because the angel, with whom\nJacob wrestled at Peniel, touched the hollow of his thigh in the sinew that\nshrank.3\n\tr  Wherein the Israelites, because of their wickedness and perverseness,\nwere forbidden to eat certain animals which had been allowed their\npredecessors.4\n\ts  Mohammed received this passage when the Jews said that their Keblah,\nor the temple of Jerusalem, was more ancient than that of the Mohammedans, or\nthe Caaba.5  Becca is another name of Mecca.6  Al Beid\u00e2wi observes that the\nArabs used the \"M\" and \"B\" promiscuously in several words.\n\tt  i.e., The Keblah, towards which they are to turn their faces in\nprayer.\n\n\t1  See Levit. xi. 4; Deut. xiv. 7.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\n\t3  Gen. xxxii. 32.\t\t4  Kor. c. 4.  See the notes there.\n\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t6  See the Prelim. Disc Sect. I. p.\n3.\n\n\n     Therein are manifest signs:u the place where Abraham stood; and whoever\nentereth therein, shall be safe.  And it is a duty towards GOD, incumbent on\nthose who are able to go thither,x to visit this house;\n     but whosoever disbelieveth, verily GOD needeth not the service of any\ncreature.\n     Say, O ye who have received the scriptures, why do ye not believe in the\nsigns of GOD?\n     Say, O ye who have received the scriptures, why do ye keep back from the\nway of GOD, him who believeth?  Ye seek to make it crooked, and yet are\nwitnesses that it is the right: but GOD will not be unmindful of what ye do.\n     O true believers, if ye obey some of those who have received the\nscripture, they will render you infidels, after ye have believed:y\n     and how can ye be infidels, when the signs of GOD are read unto you, and\nhis apostle is among you?  But he who cleaveth firmly unto GOD, is already\ndirected in the right way.\n     O believers, fear GOD with his true fear, and die not unless ye also be\ntrue believers.\n     And cleave all of you unto the covenantz of GOD, and depart not from it,\nand remember the favor of GOD towards you: since ye were enemies, and he\nreconciled your hearts, and ye became companions and brethren by his favor:\n     and ye were on the brink of a pit of fire, and he delivered you thence.\nThus GOD declareth unto you his signs, that ye may be directed.\n100\tLet there be people among you who invite to the best religion; and\ncommand that which is just, and forbid that which is evil; and they shall be\nhappy.\n     And be not as they who are divided, and disagree in matters of religion,a\nafter manifest proofs have been brought unto them: they shall suffer a great\ntorment.\n     On the day of resurrection some faces shall become white, and other faces\nshall become black.b  And unto them whose faces shall become black, GOD will\nsay, Have ye returned unto your unbelief, after ye had believed? therefore\ntaste the punishment, for that ye have been unbelievers:\n     but they whose faces shall become white shall be in the mercy of GOD,\ntherein shall they remain for ever.\n\n\tu  Such is the stone wherein they show the print of Abraham's feet, and\nthe inviolable security of the place immediately mentioned; that the birds\nlight not on the roof of the Caaba, and wild beasts put off their fierceness\nthere; that none who came against it in a hostile manner ever prospered,1 as\nappeared particularly in the unfortunate expedition of Abraha al Ashram;2 and\nother fables of the same stamp which the Mohammedans are taught to believe.\n\tx  According to an exposition of this passage attributed to Mohammed, he\nis supposed to be able to perform the pilgrimage, who can supply himself with\nprovisions for the journey, and a beast to ride upon.  Al Sh\u00e2fe\u00ef has decided\nthat those who have money enough, if they cannot go themselves, must hire some\nother to go in their room.  Malec Ebn Ans thinks he is to be reckoned able who\nis strong and healthy, and can bear the fatigue of the journey on foot, if he\nhas no beast to ride, and can also earn his living by the way.  But Abu Han\u00eefa\nis of opinion that both money sufficient and health of body are requisite to\nmake the pilgrimage a duty.3\n\ty  This passage was revealed on occasion of a quarrel excited between\nthe tribes of al Aws and al Khazraj, by one Sh\u00e2s Ebn Kais, a Jew; who, passing\nby some of both tribes as they were sitting and discoursing familiarly\ntogether, and being inwardly vexed at the friendship and harmony which reigned\namong them on their embracing Mohammedism, whereas they had been, for 120\nyears before, most inveterate and mortal enemies, though descendants of two\nbrothers; in order to set them at variance, sent a young man to sit down by\nthem, directing him to relate the story of the battle of Bo\u00e2th (a place near\nMedina), wherein, after a bloody fight, al Aws had the better of al Khazraj,\nand to repeat some verses on that subject.  The young man executed his orders;\nwhereupon those of each tribe began to magnify themselves, and to reflect on\nand irritate the other, till at length they called to arms, and great numbers\ngetting together on each side, a dangerous battle had ensued, if Mohammed had\nnot stepped in and reconciled them; by representing to them how much they\nwould be to blame if they returned to paganism, and revived those animosities\nwhich Isl\u00e2m had composed; and telling them that what had happened was a trick\nof the devil to disturb their present tranquility.4\n\tz  Literally, Hold fast by the cord of God.  That is, Secure yourselves\nby adhering to Isl\u00e2m, which is here metaphorically expressed by a cord,\nbecause it is as sure a means of saving those who profess it from perishing\nhereafter, as holding by a rope is to prevent one's falling into a well, or\nother like place.  It is said that Mohammed used for the same reason to call\nthe Kor\u00e2n, Habl Allah al mat\u00een, i.e., the sure cord of GOD.5\n\ta  i.e., As the Jews and Christians, who dispute concerning the unity of\nGOD, the future state, &c.1\n\tb  See the Preliminary Discourse, Sect. IV.\n\n\t1  Jallalo'ddin, al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  See Kor. c. 105.\t\t3  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\t\t4  Idem.\n5  Idem.\t\t1  Idem\n\n\n     These are the signs of GOD: we recite them unto thee with truth.  GOD\nwill not deal unjustly with his creatures.\n     And to GOD belongeth whatever is in heaven and on earth; and to GOD shall\nall things return.\n     Ye are the best nation that hath been raised up unto mankind: ye command\nthat which is just, and ye forbid that which is unjust, and ye believe in GOD.\nAnd if they who have received the scriptures had believed, it had surely been\nthe better for them: there are believers among them,c but the greater part of\nthem are transgressors.\n     They shall not hurt you, unless with a slight hurt; and if they fight\nagainst you, they shall turn their backs to you; and they shall not be\nhelped.d\n     They are smitten with vileness wheresoever they are found; unless they\nobtain security by entering into a treaty with GOD, and a treaty with men:f\nand they draw on themselves indignation from GOD, and they are afflicted with\npoverty.  This they suffer, because they disbelieved the signs of GOD,g and\nslew the prophets unjustly; this, because they were rebellious, and\ntransgressed.\n     Yet they are not all alike: there are of those who have received the\nscriptures, upright people; they meditate on the signs of GOD in the night\nseason, and worship;\n110\tthey believe in GOD, and the last day; and command that which is just,\nand forbid that which is unjust, and zealously strive to excel in good works;\nthese are of the righteous.\n     And ye shall not be denied the reward of the good which ye do;h for GOD\nknoweth the pious.\n     As for the unbelievers, their wealth shall not profit them at all,\nneither their children, against GOD: they shall be the companions of hell\nfire; they shall continue therein forever.\n     The likeness of that which they lay out in this present life, is as a\nwind wherein there is a scorching cold: it falleth on the standing corn of\nthose men who have injured their own souls, and destroyeth it.  And GOD\ndealeth not unjustly with them; but they injure their own souls.\n     O true believers, contract not an intimate friendship with any besides\nyourselves;i they will not fail to corrupt you.  They wish for that which may\ncause you to perish: their hatred hath already appeared from out of their\nmouths; but what their breasts conceal is yet more inveterate.  We have\nalready shown you signs of their ill will towards you, if ye understand.\n     Behold, ye love them, and they do not love you: ye believe in all the\nscriptures, and when they meet you, they say, We believe; but when they\nassemble privately together, they bite their fingers' ends out of wrath\nagainst you.  Say unto them, Die in your wrath: verily GOD knoweth the\ninnermost part of your breasts.\n     If good happen unto you, it grieveth them; and if evil befall you, they\nrejoice at it.  But if ye be patient, and fear God, their subtlety shall not\nhurt you at all; for GOD comprehendeth whatever they do.\n\n\tc  As Abd'allah Ebn Sal\u00e2m and his companions,2 and those of the tribes\nof al Aws and al Khazraj who had embraced Mohammedism.\n\td  This verse, al Beid\u00e2wi says, is one of those whose meaning is\nmysterious, and relates to something future: intimating the low condition to\nwhich the Jewish tribes of Koreidha, Nad\u00eer, Banu Kainok\u00e2, and those who dwelt\nat Khaibar, were afterwards reduced by Mohammed.\n\te  i.e., Unless they either profess the Mohammedan religion, or submit\nto pay tribute.\n\tf  Those namely who have embraced Isl\u00e2m.\n\tg  That is, the Kor\u00e2n.\n\th  Some copies have a different reading in this passage, which they\nexpress in the third person: They shall not be denied, &c.\n\ti  i.e., Of a different religion.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t2 Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     Call to mind when thou wentest forth early from thy family, that thou\nmightest prepare the faithful a camp for war;k and GOD hear and knew it;\n     when two companies of you were anxiously thoughtful, so that ye became\nfaint-hearted;l but GOD was the supporter of them both; and in GOD let the\nfaithful trust.\n     And GOD had already given you the victory at Bedr,m when ye were inferior\nin number; therefore fear GOD, that ye may be thankful.\n120\tWhen thou saidst unto the faithful, Is it not enough for you, that your\nLORD should assist you with three thousand angels sent down from heaven?\n     Verily if ye persevere, and fear God, and your enemies come upon you\nsuddenly, your LORD will assist you with five thousand angels, distinguished\nby their horses and attire.n\n     And this GOD designed only as good tidings for youo that your hearts\nmight rest secure; for victory is from GOD alone, the mighty, the wise.  That\nhe should cut off the uttermost part of the unbelievers, or cast them down, or\nthat they should be overthrown and unsuccessful is nothing to thee.\n     It is no business of thine; whether God be turned unto them, or whether\nhe punish them; they are surely unjust doers.p\n     To GOD belongeth whatsoever is in heaven and on earth: he spareth whom he\npleaseth, and he punisheth whom he pleaseth; for GOD is merciful.\n     O true believers, devour nor usury, doubling it twofold; but fear GOD,\nthat ye may prosper:\n     and fear the fire which is prepared for the unbelievers; and obey GOD,\nand his apostle that ye may obtain mercy.\n     And run with emulation to obtain remission from your LORD, and paradise,\nwhose breath equalleth the heavens and the earth, which is prepared for the\ngodly;\n\n\tk  This was at the battle of Ohod, a mountain about four miles to the\nnorth of Medina.  The Koreish, to revenge their loss at Bedr,1 the next year\nbeing the third of the Hejra, got together an army of 3,000 men, among whom\nthere were 200 horse, and 700 armed with coats of mail.  These forces marched\nunder the conduct of Abu Sofi\u00e2n and sat down at Dhu'lholeifa, a village about\nsix miles from Medina.  Mohammed, being much inferior to his enemies in\nnumbers, at first determined to keep himself within the town, and receive them\nthere; but afterwards, the advice of some of his companions prevailing, he\nmarched out against them at the head of 1,000 men (some say he had 1,050 men,\nothers but 900), of whom 100 were armed with coats of mail, but he had no more\nthan one horse, besides his own, in his whole army.  With these forces he\nformed a camp in a village near Ohod, which mountain he contrived to have on\nhis back; and the better to secure his men from being surrounded, he placed\nfifty archers in the rear, with strict orders not to quit their post.  When\nthey came to engage, Mohammed had the better at first, but afterwards by the\nfault of his archers, who left their ranks for the sake of the plunder, and\nsuffered the enemies' horse to encompass the Mohammedans and attack them in\nthe rear, he lost the day, and was very near losing his life, being struck\ndown by a shower of stones, and wounded in the face with two arrows, on\npulling out of which his two foreteeth dropped out.  Of the Moslems seventy\nmen were slain, and among them Hamza the uncle of Mohammed, and of the\ninfidels twenty-two.2  To excuse the ill success of this battle, and to raise\nthe drooping courage of his followers, is Mohammed's drift in the remaining\npart of this chapter.\n\tl  These were some of the families of Banu Salma of the tribe of al\nKhazraj, and Banu'l Hareth of the tribe of al Aws, who composed the two wings\nof Mohammed's army.  Some ill impression had been made on them by Abda'llah\nEbn Obba Sol\u00fbl, then an infidel, who having drawn off 300 men, told them that\nthey were going to certain death, and advised them to return back with him;\nbut he could prevail on but a few, the others being kept firm by the divine\ninfluence, as the following words intimate.3\n\tm  See before, p. 32.\n\tn  The angels who assisted the Mohammedans at Bedr, rode, say the\ncommentators, on black and white horses, and had on their heads white and\nyellow sashes, the ends of which hung down between their shoulders.\n\to  i.e., As an earnest of future success.\n\tp  This passage was revealed when Mohammed received the wounds above\nmentioned at the battle of Ohod, and cried out, How shall that people prosper\nwho have stained their prophet's face with blood, while he called them to\ntheir Lord?  The person who wounded him was Otha the son of Abu Wakkas.4\n\n\t1  See before, p. 32.\t\t2  Abulfeda, in Vita Moham. p. 64, &c.  El\nMacin. l. x.  Prideaux's Life of Mahomet, p. 80.\n3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     who give alms in prosperity and adversity; who bridle their anger, and\nforgive men; for GOD loveth the beneficent.q\n     And who, after they have committed a crime, or dealt unjustly with their\nown souls, remember GOD, and ask pardon for their sins, (for who forgiveth\nsins except GOD?) and persevere not in what they have done knowingly;\n130\ttheir reward shall be pardon from their LORD, and gardens wherein rivers\nflow, they shall remain therein forever: and how excellent is the reward of\nthose who labor!\n     There have already been before you examples of punishment of infidels,\ntherefore go through the earth, and behold what hath been the end of those who\naccuse God's apostles of imposture.\n     This book is a declaration unto men, and a direction and an admonition to\nthe pious.\n     And be not dismayed, neither be ye grieved; for ye shall be superior to\nthe unbelievers if ye believe.\n     If a wound hath happened unto you in war,r a like wound hath already\nhappened unto the unbelieving people:s and we cause these days of different\nsuccess interchangeably to succeed each other among men; that GOD may know\nthose who believe, and may have martyrs from among you: (GOD loveth not the\nworkers of iniquity;)\n     and that GOD might prove those who believe, and destroy the infidels.\n     Did ye imagine that ye should enter paradise, when as yet GOD knew not\nthose among you who fought strenuously in his cause; nor knew those who\npersevered with patience?\n     Moreover ye did sometimes wish for death before that ye met it;t but ye\nhave now seen it, and ye looked on, but retreated from it.\n     Mohammed is no more than an apostle; the other apostles have already\ndeceased before him: if he die, therefore, or be slain, will ye turn back on\nyour heels?u but he who turneth back on his heels will not hurt God at all;\nand GOD will surely reward the thankful.\n\n\tq  It is related of Hasan the son of Ali, that a slave having once\nthrown a dish on him boiling hot, as he sat at table, and fearing his master's\nresentment, fell immediately on his knees, and repeated these words, Paradise\nis for those who bridle their anger: Hasan answered, I am not angry.  The\nslave proceeded, and for those who forgive men.  I forgive you, said Hasan.\nThe slave, however, finished the verse, adding, for God loveth the beneficent.\nSince it is so replied Hasan, I give you your liberty, and four hundred pieces\nof silver.5  A noble instance of moderation and generosity.\n\tr  That is, by your being worsted at Ohod.\n\ts  When they were defeated at Bedr.  It is observable that the number of\nMohammedans slain at Ohod, was equal to that of the idolaters slain at Bedr;\nwhich was so ordered by GOD for a reason to be given elsewhere.1\n\tt  Several of Mohammed's followers who were not present at Bedr, wished\nfor an opportunity of obtaining, in another action, the like honour as those\nhad gained who fell martyrs in that battle; yet were discouraged on seeing the\nsuperior numbers of the idolaters in the expedition of Ohod.  On which\noccasion this passage was revealed.2\n\tu  These words were revealed when it was reported in the battle of Ohod\nthat Mohammed was slain; whereupon the idolaters cried out to his followers,\nSince your prophet is slain, return to your ancient religion, and to your\nfriends; if Mohammed had been a prophet he had not been slain.  It is related\nthat a Moslem named Ans Ebn al Nadar, uncle to Malec Ebn Ans, hearing these\nwords, said aloud to his companions, My friends, though Mohammed be slain,\ncertainly Mohammed's Lord liveth and dieth not; therefore value not your lives\nsince the prophet is dead, but fight for the cause for which he fought: then\nhe cried out, O God, I am excused before thee, and acquitted in thy sight of\nwhat they say; and drawing his sword, fought valiantly till he was killed.3\n\n\t4  Idem.  Abulfeda, ubi supra.\t\t5  Vide D'Herbelot, Bibl.\nOrient. Art. Hassan.\t\t1  In not. ad cap. 8.\n2  Al Beid\u00e2wi\t\t3  Idem.\n\n\n     No soul can die unless by the permission of GOD, according to what is\nwritten in the book containing the determination of things.x  And whoso\nchooseth the reward of this world, we will give him thereof: but whoso\nchooseth the reward of the world to come, we will give him thereof: and we\nwill surely reward the thankful.\n140\tHow many prophets have encountered those who had many myriads of troops:\nand yet they desponded not in their mind for what had befallen them in\nfighting for the religion of GOD; and were not weakened, neither behaved\nthemselves in an abject manner?  GOD loveth those who persevere patiently.\n     And their speech was no other than what they said, Our LORD forgive us\nour offences, and our transgressions in our business; and confirm our feet,\nand help us against the unbelieving people.  And GOD gave them the reward of\nthis world, and a glorious reward in the life to come; for GOD loveth the\nwell-doers.\n     O ye who believe, if you obey the infidels, they will cause you to turn\nback on your heels, and ye will be turned back and perish:y\n     but GOD is your LORD; and he is the best helper.\n     We will surely cast a dread into the hearts of the unbelievers,z because\nthey have associated with GOD that concerning which he sent them down no\npower: their dwelling shall be the fire of hell; and the receptacle of the\nwicked shall be miserable.\n     GOD had already made good unto you his promise, when ye destroyed them by\nhis permission,a until ye became faint-hearted, and disputed concerning the\ncommand of the apostle, and were rebellious;b after God had shown you what ye\ndesired.\n     Some of you chose this present world, and others of you chose the world\nto come.c  Then he turned you to flight from before them, that he might make\ntrial of you: (but he hath now pardoned you: for GOD is endued with\nbeneficence towards the faithful;)\n     when ye went up as ye fled, and looked not back on any: while the apostle\ncalled you, in the uttermost part of you.d  Therefore God rewarded you with\naffliction on affliction, that ye be not grieved hereafter for the spoils\nwhich ye fail of, nor for that which befalleth you,e for GOD is well\nacquainted with whatever ye do.\n\n\tx  Mohammed, the more effectually to still the murmurs of his party on\ntheir defeat, represents to them that the time of every man's death is decreed\nand predetermined by God, and that those who fell in the battle could not have\navoided their fate had they stayed at home; whereas they had now obtained the\nglorious advantage of dying martyrs for the faith.  Of the Mohammedan doctrine\nof absolute predestination I have spoken in another place.4\n\ty  This passage was also occasioned by the endeavours of the Koreish to\nseduce the Mohammedans to their old idolatry, as they fled in the battle of\nOhod.\n\tz  To this Mohammed attributed the sudden retreat of Abu Sofi\u00e2n and his\ntroops, without making any farther advantage of their success; only giving\nMohammed a challenge to meet them next year at Bedr, which he accepted.\nOthers say that as they were on their march home, they repented they had not\nutterly extirpated the Mohammedans, and began to think of going back to Medina\nfor that purpose, but were prevented by a sudden consternation or panic fear,\nwhich fell on them from GOD.5\n\ta  i.e., In the beginning of the battle, when the Moslems had the\nadvantage, putting the idolaters to flight, and killing several of them.\n\tb  That is, till the bowmen, who were placed behind to prevent their\nbeing surrounded, seeing the enemy fly, quitted their post, contrary to\nMohammed's express orders, and dispersed themselves to seize the plunder;\nwhereupon Kh\u00e2led Ebn al Wal\u00eed perceiving their disorder, fell on their rear\nwith the horse which he commanded, and turned the fortune of the day.  It is\nrelated that though Abda'llah Ebn Johair, their captain, did all he could to\nmake them keep their ranks, he had not ten that stayed with him out of the\nwhole fifty.6\n\tc  The former were they who, tempted by the spoil, quitted their post;\nand the latter they who stood firm by their leader.\n\td  Crying aloud, Come hither to me, O servants of GOD!  I am the apostle\nof GOD; he who returneth back, shall enter paradise.  But notwithstanding all\nhis endeavours to rally his men, he could not get above thirty of them about\nhim.\n\te  i.e., GOD punished your avarice and disobedience by suffering you to\nbe beaten by your enemies, and to be discouraged by the report of your\nprophet's death; that ye might be inured to patience under adverse fortune,\nand not repine at any loss or disappointment for the future\n\n\t4  Prelim. Disc. Sect IV.\t\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t6  Idem.\nVide Abulfeda, Vit. Moh. p. 65, 66, and note, ibid.\n\n\n     Then he sent down upon you after affliction security; a soft sleep which\nfell on some part of you; but other part were troubled by their own souls;f\nfalsely thinking of GOD, a foolish imagination saying, Will anything of the\nmatter happen unto us?g  Say, Verily, the matter belongeth wholly unto GOD.\nThey concealed in their minds what they declared not unto thee; saying,h If\nanything of the matter had happened unto us,i we had not been slain here.\nAnswer, If ye had been in your houses, verily they would have gone forth to\nfight, whose slaughter was decreed, to the places where they died, and this\ncame to pass that GOD might try what was in your breasts, and might discern\nwhat was in your hearts; for GOD knoweth the innermost parts of the breasts of\nmen.\n     Verily they among you who turned their backs on the day whereon the two\narmies met each other at Ohod, Satan caused them to slip for some crime which\nthey had committed:k but now hath GOD forgiven them; for GOD is gracious and\nmerciful.\n150\tO true believers, be not as they who believed not, and said of their\nbrethren when they had journeyed in the land or had been at war, If they had\nbeen with us, those had not died, nor had these been slain: whereas what\nbefell them was so ordained that GOD might take it matter of sighing in their\nhearts.  GOD giveth life, and causeth to die: and GOD seeth that which ye do.\n     Moreover if ye be slain, or die in defence of the religion of GOD, verily\npardon from GOD, and mercy, is better than what they heap together of worldly\nriches.\n     And if ye die, or be slain, verily unto GOD shall ye be gathered.\n     And as to the mercy granted unto the disobedient from GOD, thou O\nMohammed, hast been mild towards them; but if thou hadst been severe, and\nhard-hearted, they had surely separated themselves from about thee.  Therefore\nforgive them, and ask pardon for them: and consult them in the affair of war;\nand after thou hast deliberated, trust in GOD; for GOD loveth those who trust\nin him.\n     If GOD help you, none shall conquer you; but if he desert you, who is it\nthat will help you after him?  Therefore in GOD let the faithful trust.\n     It is not the part of a  prophet to defraud,l for he who defraudeth shall\nbring with him what he hath defrauded any one of, on the day of the\nresurrection.m  Then shall every soul be paid what he hath gained; and they\nshall not be treated unjustly.\n\n\tf  After the action, those who had stood firm in the battle were\nrefreshed as they lay in the field by falling into an agreeable sleep, so that\nthe swords fell out of their hands; but those who had behaved themselves ill\nwere troubled in their minds, imagining they were now given over to\ndestruction.1\n\tg  That is, is there any appearance of success, or of the divine favour\nand assistance which we have been promised?2\n\th  i.e., To themselves, or to one another in private.\n\ti  If GOD had assisted us according to his promise; or, as others\ninterpret the words, if we had taken the advice of Abda'llah Ebn Obba Sol\u00fbl,\nand had kept within the town of Medina, our companions had not lost their\nlives.3\n\tk  viz., For their covetousness in quitting their post to seize the\nplunder.\n\tl  This passage was revealed, as some say, on the division of the spoil\nat Bedr; when some of the soldiers suspected Mohammed of having privately\ntaken a scarlet carpet made all of silk and very rich, which was missing.4\nOthers suppose the archers, who occasioned the loss of the battle of Ohod,\nleft their station because they imagined Mohammed would not give them their\nshare of the plunder; because, as it is related, he once sent out a party as\nan advanced guard, and in the meantime attacking the enemy, took some spoils\nwhich he divided among those who were with him in the action, and gave nothing\nto the party that was absent on duty.5\n\tm  According to a tradition of Mohammed, whoever cheateth another will\non the day of judgment carry his fraudulent purchase publicly on his neck.\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\n\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\n5  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     Shall he therefore who followeth that which is well-pleasing unto GOD be\nas he who bringeth on himself wrath from GOD, and whose receptacle is hell? an\nevil journey shall it be thither.\n     There shall be degrees of rewards and punishments with GOD, for GOD seeth\nwhat they do.\n     Now hath GOD been gracious unto the believers when he raised up among\nthem an apostle of their own nation,n who should recite his signs unto them,\nand purify them, and teach them the book of the Koran and wisdom:o whereas\nthey were before in manifest error.\n     After a misfortune had befallen you at Ohod, (ye had already obtained two\nequal advantages)p do ye say, Whence cometh this?  Answer, This is from\nyourselves:q for GOD is almighty.\n160\tAnd what happened unto you, on the day whereon the two armies met, was\ncertainly by the permission of GOD; and that he might know the ungodly.  It\nwas said unto them, Come, fight for the religion of GOD, or drive back the\nenemy: they answered, if we had known ye went out to fight, we had certainly\nfollowed you.r  They were on that day nearer unto unbelief, than they were to\nfaith;\n     they spake with their mouths, what was not in their hearts: but GOD\nperfectly knew what they concealed;\n     who said of their brethren, while themselves stayed at home, if they had\nobeyed us, they had not been slain.  Say, Then keep back death from\nyourselves, if ye say truth.\n     Thou shalt in nowise reckon those who have been slain at Ohod, in the\ncause of GOD, dead; nay, they are sustained alive with their LORD,s\n     rejoicing for what GOD of his favor hath granted them; and being glad for\nthose who, coming after them, have not as yet overtaken them;t because there\nshall no fear come on them, neither shall they be grieved.\n     They are filled with joy for the favor which they have received from GOD\nand his bounty; and for that GOD suffereth not the reward of the faithful to\nperish.\n     They who hearkened unto GOD and his apostle, after a wound had befallen\nthem at Ohod,u such of them as do good works, and fear God, shall have a great\nreward;\n\n\tn  Some copies, instead of min anfosihim, i.e., of themselves, read min\nanfasihim, i.e., of the noblest among them; for such was the tribe of Koreish,\nof which Mohammed was descended.1\n\to  i.e., The Sonna.2\n\tp  viz., In the battle of Bedr, where ye slew seventy of the enemy,\nequalling the number of those who lost their lives at Ohod, and also took as\nmany prisoners.3\n\tq  It was the consequence of your disobeying the orders of the prophet,\nand abandoning your post for the sake of plunder.\n\tr  That is, if we had conceived the least hope of success when ye\nmarched out of Medina to encounter the infidels, and had not known that ye\nwent rather to certain destruction than to battle, we had gone with you.  But\nthis Mohammed here tells them was only a feigned excuse; the true reason of\ntheir staying behind being their want of faith and firmness in their\nreligion.4\n\ts  See before, p. 17.\n\tt  i.e., Rejoicing also for their sakes, who are destined to suffer\nmartyrdom, but have not as yet attained it.5\n\tu  The commentators differ a little as to the occassion of this passage.\nWhen news was brought to Mohammed, after the battle of Ohod, that the enemy,\nrepenting of their retreat, were returning towards Medina, he called about him\nthose who had stood by him in the battle, and marched out to meet the enemy as\nfar as Homar\u00e2 al Asad, about eight miles from that town, notwithstanding\nseveral of his men were so ill of their wounds that they were forced to be\ncarried; but a panic fear having seized the army of the Koreish, they changed\ntheir resolution and continued their march home; of which Mohammed having\nreceived intelligence, he also went back to Medina: and, according to some\ncommentators, the Kor\u00e2n here approves the faith and courage of those who\nattended the prophet on this occasion.  Others say the persons intended in\nthis passage were those who went with Mohammed the next year, to meet Abu\nSofi\u00e2n and the Koreish, according to their challenge, at Bedr,1 where they\nwaited some time for the enemy, and then returned home; for the Koreish,\nthough they set out from Mecca, yet never came so far as the place of\nappointment, their hearts failing them on their march; which Mohammed\nattributed to their being struck with a terror from GOD.2  This expedition the\nArabian histories call the second, or lesser expedition of Bedr.\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  See before, p. 32.\t\t4  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\t\t5  Vide Rev. vi. II.\n1  See before, p. 47, note 2.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     unto whom certain men said, Verily the men of Mecca have already gathered\nforces against you, be ye therefore afraid of them:x but this increased their\nfaith, and they said, GOD is our support, and the most excellent patron.\n     Wherefore they returned with favor from GOD, and advantage:y no evil\nbefell them: and they followed what was well pleasing unto GOD: for GOD is\nendowed with great liberality.\n     Verily that devilz would cause you to fear his friends: but be ye not\nafraid of them: but fear me, if ye be true believers.\n170\tThey shall not grieve thee, who emulously hasten unto infidelity; for\nthey shall never hurt GOD at all.  GOD will not give them a part in the next\nlife, and they shall suffer a great punishment.\n     Surely those who purchase infidelity with faith shall by no means hurt\nGOD at all, but they shall suffer a grievous punishment.\n     And let not the unbelievers think, because we grant them lives long and\nprosperous, that it is better for their souls: we grant them long and\nprosperous lives only that their iniquity may be increased; and they shall\nsuffer an ignominious punishment.\n     GOD is not disposed to leave the faithful in the condition which ye are\nnow in,a until he sever the wicked from the good;\n     nor is GOD disposed to make you acquainted with what is a hidden secret,\nbut GOD chooseth such of his apostles as he pleaseth, to reveal his mind\nunto:b believe therefore in GOD, and his apostles; and if ye believe, and fear\nGod, ye shall receive a great reward.\n     And let not those who are covetous of what GOD of his bounty hath granted\nthem imagine that their avarice is better for them: nay, rather it is worse\nfor them.\n     That which they have covetously reserved shall be bound as a collar about\ntheir neck,c on the day of the resurrection: unto GOD belongeth the\ninheritance of heaven and earth; and GOD is well acquainted with what ye do.\n\n\tx  The persons who thus endeavoured to discourage the Mohammedans were,\naccording to one tradition, some of the tribe of Abd Kais, who, going to\nMedina, were bribed by Abu Sofi\u00e2n with a camel's load of dried raisins; and,\naccording to another tradition, it was Noaim Ebn Mas\u00fad al Ashja\u00ef who was also\nbribed with a she-camel ten months gone with young (a valuable present in\nArabia).  This Noaim, they say, finding Mohammed and his men preparing for the\nexpedition, told them that Abu Sofi\u00e2n, to spare them the pains of coming so\nfar as Bedr, would seek them in their own houses, and that none of them could\npossibly escape otherwise than by timely flight.  Upon which Mohammed, seeing\nhis followers a little dispirited, swore that he would go himself though not\none of them went with him.  And accordingly he set out with seventy horsemen,\nevery one of them crying out, Hashna Allah, i.e., GOD is our support.3\n\ty  While they stayed at Bedr expecting the enemy, they opened a kind of\nfair there, and traded to very considerable profit.4\n\tz  Meaning either Noaim, or Abu Sofi\u00e2n himself.\n\ta  That is, he will not suffer the good and sincere among you to\ncontinue indiscriminately mixed with the wicked and hypocritical.\n\tb  This passage was revealed on the rebellious and disobedient\nMohammedans telling Mohammed that if he was a true prophet he could easily\ndistinguish those who sincerely believed from the dissemblers.1\n\tc  Mohammed is said to have declared, that whoever pays not his legal\ncontribution of alms duly shall have a serpent twisted about his neck at the\nresurrection.2\n\n\t3  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t1  Idem.\n\t2  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     GOD hath already heard the saying of those who said, Verily GOD is poor,\nand we are rich:d we will surely write down what they have said, and the\nslaughter which they have made of the prophets without a cause; and we will\nsay unto them, Taste ye the pain of burning.\n     This shall they suffer for the evil which their hands have sent before\nthem, and because GOD is not unjust towards mankind;\n     who also say, Surely GOD hath commanded us, that we should not give\ncredit to any apostle, until one should come unto us with a sacrifice, which\nshould be consumed by fire.e\n180\tSay, Apostles have already come unto you before me,f with plain proofs,\nand with the miracle which ye mention: why therefore have ye slain them, if ye\nspeak truth?\n     If they accuse thee of imposture, the apostles before thee have also been\naccounted impostors, who brought evident demonstrations, and the scriptures,\nand the book which enlighteneth the understanding.\n     Every soul shall taste of death, and ye shall have your reward on the day\nof resurrection; and he who shall be far removed from hell fire, and shall be\nadmitted into paradise, shall be happy: but the present life is only a\ndeceitful provision.\n     Ye shall surely be proved in your possessions, and in your persons; and\nye shall bear from those unto whom the scripture was delivered before you, and\nfrom the idolaters, much hurt: but if ye be patient and fear God, this is a\nmatter that is absolutely determined.\n     And when GOD accepted the covenant of those to whom the book of the law\nwas given, saying, Ye shall surely publish it unto mankind, ye shall not hide\nit: yet they threw it behind their backs, and sold it for a small price: but\nwoful is the price for which they have sold it.g\n     Think not that they who rejoice at what they have done, and expect to be\npraised for what they have not done;h think not, O prophet, that they shall\nescape from punishment, for they shall suffer a painful punishment;\n\n\td  It is related that Mohammed, writing to the Jews of the tribe of\nKainok\u00e2 to invite them to Isl\u00e2m, and exhorting them, among other things, in\nthe words of the Kor\u00e2n,3 to lend unto GOD on good usury, Phineas Ebn Az\u00fbra, on\nhearing that expression, said, Surely GOD is poor, since they ask to borrow\nfor him.  Whereupon Abu Becr, who was the bearer of that letter, struck him on\nthe face, and told him that if it had not been for the truce between them, he\nwould have struck off his head; and on Phineas's complaining to Mohammed of\nAbu Becr's ill usage, this passage was revealed.4\n\te  The Jews, say the commentators, insisted that it was a peculiar proof\nof the mission of all the prophets sent to them, that they could, by their\nprayers, bring down fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice, and therefore\nthey expected Mohammed should do the like.  And some Mohammedan doctors agree\nthat GOD appointed this miracle as the test of all their prophets, except only\nJesus and Mohammed;5 though others say any other miracle was a proof full as\nsufficient as the bringing down fire from heaven.6\n\tThe Arabian Jews seem to have drawn a general consequence from some\nparticular instances of this miracle in the Old Testament.7  And the Jews at\nthis day say, that first the fire which fell from heaven on the altar of the\ntabernacle,8 after the consecration of Aaron and his sons, and afterwards that\nwhich descended on the altar of Solomon's temple, at the dedication of that\nstructure,9 was fed and constantly maintained there by the priests, both day\nand night, without being suffered once to go out, till it was extinguished, as\nsome think, in the reign of Manasses,10 but, according to the more received\nopinion, when the temple was destroyed by the Chaldeans.  Several Christians11\nhave given credit to this assertion of the Jews, with what reason I shall not\nhere inquire; and the Jews, in consequence of this notion, might probably\nexpect that a prophet who came to restore GOD'S true religion, should rekindle\nfor them this heavenly fire, which they have not been favoured with since the\nBabylonish captivity.\n\tf  Among these the commentators reckon Zacharias and John the Baptist.\n\tg  i.e., Dearly shall they pay hereafter for taking bribes to stifle the\ntruth.  Whoever concealeth the knowledge which GOD has given him, says\nMohammed, GOD shall put on him a bridle of fire on the day of resurrection.\n\th  i.e., Who think they have done a commendable deed in concealing and\ndissembling the testimonies in the Pentateuch concerning Mohammed, and in\ndisobeying GOD'S commands to the contrary.  It is said that, Mohammed once\nasking some Jews concerning a passage in their law, they gave him an answer\nvery different from the truth, and were mightily pleased that they had, as\nthey thought, deceived him.  Others, however, think this passage relates to\nsome pretended Mohammedans who rejoiced in their hypocrisy, and expected to be\ncommended for their wickedness.12\n\n\t3  Cap. 2, p. 26.\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t5  Jallalo'ddin.\n\t6  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n7  Levit. ix. 24; I Chron. xxi. 26; 2 Chron. vii. I; 1 Kings xviii. 38.\n\t8  Levit. ix. 24.\t\t9  2 Chron. vii. x.\n10  Talmud, Zebachim, c. 6.\t\t11  See Prideaux's Connect part i. bk.\niii. p. 158.\t\t12  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     and unto GOD belongeth the kingdom of heaven and earth: GOD is almighty.\n     Now in the creation of heaven and earth, and the vicissitude of night and\nday, are signs unto those who are endued with understanding;\n     who remember GOD standing, and sitting, and lying on their sides;i and\nmeditate on the creation of heaven and earth, saying, O LORD, thou hast not\ncreated this in vain; far be it from thee: therefore deliver us from the\ntorment of hell fire:\n     O LORD, surely whom thou shalt throw into the fire, thou wilt also cover\nwith shame: nor shall the ungodly have any to help them.\n190\tO LORD, we have heard a preacherk inviting us to the faith and saying,\nBelieve in your LORD: and we believed.\n     O LORD, forgive us therefore our sins, and expiate our evil deeds from\nus, and make us to die with the righteous.\n     O LORD, give us also the reward which thou hast promised by thy apostles;\nand cover us not with shame on the day of resurrection; for thou art not\ncontrary to the promise.\n     Their LORD therefore answered them, saying, I will not suffer the work of\nhim among you who worketh to be lost, whether he be male, or female:l the one\nof you is from the other.\n     They therefore who have left their country, and have been turned out of\ntheir houses, and have suffered for my sake, and have been slain in battle;\nverily I will expiate their evil deeds from them, and I will surely bring them\ninto gardens watered by rivers;\n     a reward from GOD; and with GOD is the most excellent reward.\n     Let not the prosperous dealing of the unbelievers in the land deceive\nthee;m it is but a slender provision;n and then their receptacle shall be\nhell; an unhappy couch shall it be.\n     But they who fear the LORD shall have gardens through which rivers flow,\nthey shall continue therein forever: this is the gift of GOD for what is with\nGOD shall be better for the righteous than short-lived worldly prosperity.\n     There are some of those who have received the scriptures, who believe in\nGOD, and that which hath been sent down unto you, and that which hath been\nsent down to them, submitting themselves unto GOD;o they tell not the signs of\nGOD for a small price:\n\n\ti  viz., At all times and in all postures.  Al Beid\u00e2wi mentions a saying\nof Mohammed to one Imr\u00e2n Ebn Hosein, to this purpose: Pray standing, if thou\nart able; if not, sitting; and if thou canst not sit up, then as thou liest\nalong.  Al Sh\u00e2fe\u00ef directs that he sick should pray lying on their right side.\n\tk  Namely, Mohammed, with the Kor\u00e2n.\n\tl  These words were added, as some relate, on Omm Salma, one of the\nprophet's wives, telling him that she had observed GOD often made mention of\nthe men who fled their country for the sake of their faith, but took no notice\nof the women.1\n\tm  The original word properly signifies success in the affairs of life,\nand particularly in trade.  It is said that some of Mohammed's followers\nobserving the prosperity the idolaters enjoyed, expressed their regret that\nthose enemies of GOD should live in such ease and plenty, while themselves\nwere perishing for hunger and fatigue; whereupon this passage was revealed.2\n\tn  Because of its short continuance.\n\to  The persons here meant, some will have to be Abda'llah Ebn Sal\u00e2m3 and\nhis companions; others suppose they were forty Arabs of Najr\u00e2n, or thirty-two\nEthiopians, or else eight Greeks, who were converted from Christianity to\nMohammedism; and others say this passage was revealed in the ninth year of the\nHejra, when Mohammed, on Gabriel's bringing him the news of the death of\nAshama king of Ethiopia, who had embraced the Mohammedan religion some years\nbefore,4 prayed for the soul of the departed; at which some of his\nhypocritical followers were displeased, and wondered that he should pray for a\nChristian proselyte whom he had never seen.5\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  See before, p. 44.\t\t4  See\nthe Prelim. Discourse, Sect. II.\t\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     these shall have their reward with their LORD; for GOD is swift in taking\nan account.p\n200\tO true believers, be patient and strive to excel in patience, and be\nconstant-minded, and fear GOD, that ye may be happy.\n\n\n______________\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nENTITLED, WOMEN;q REVEALED AT MEDINA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD\n\n     O MEN, fear your LORD, who hath created you out of one man, and out of\nhim created his wife, and from them two hath multiplied many men, and women:\nand fear GOD by whom ye beseech one another;r and respect womens who have\nborne you, for GOD is watching over you.\n     And give the orphans when they come to age their substance; and render\nthem not in exchange bad for good:t and devour not their substance, by adding\nit to your own substance; for this is a great sin.\n     And if ye fear that ye shall not act with equity towards orphans of the\nfemale sex, take in marriage of such other women as please you, two, or three,\nor four, and not more.u  But if ye fear that ye cannot act equitably towards\nso many, marry one only, or the slaves which ye shall have acquired.x  This\nwill be easier, that ye swerve not from righteousness.  And give women their\ndowry freely; but if they voluntarily remit unto you any part of it, enjoy it\nwith satisfaction and advantage.\n     And give not unto those who are weak of understanding the substance which\nGOD hath appointed you to preserve for them; but maintain them thereout, and\nclothe them, and speak kindly unto them.\n\n\tp  See before, p. 21, and the Preliminary Discourse, Sect. IV.\n\tq  This title was given to this chapter, because it chiefly treats of\nmatters relating to women; as, marriages, divorces, dower, prohibited degrees,\n&c.\n\tr  Saying, I beseech thee for GOD'S sake.1\n\ts  Literally, the wombs.\n\tt  That is, take not what ye find of value among their effects to your\nown use, and give them worse in its stead.\n\tu  The commentators understand this passage differently.  The true\nmeaning seems to be as it is here translated; Mohammed advising his followers\nthat if they found they should wrong the female orphans under their care,\neither by marrying them against their inclinations, ought, by reason of their\nhaving already several wives, they should rather choose to marry other women,\nto avoid all occasion of sin.2  Others say that when this passage was\nrevealed, many of the Arabians, fearing trouble and temptation, refused to\ntake upon them the charge of orphans, and yet multiplied wives to a great\nexcess, and used them ill; or, as others write, gave themselves up to\nfornication; which occasioned this passage.  And according to these, its\nmeaning must be either that if they feared they could not act justly towards\norphans, they had as great reason to apprehend they could not deal equitably\nwith so many wives, and therefore are commanded to marry but a certain number;\nor else, that since fornication was a crime as well as wronging of orphans,\nthey ought to avoid that also, by marrying according to their abilities.3\n\tx  For slaves requiring not so large a dower, nor so good and plentiful\na maintenance as free women, a man might keep several of the former, as easily\nas one of the latter.\n\n\t\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Idem\t\t3  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     And examine the orphansy until they attain the age of marriage:z but if\nye perceive they are able to manage their affairs well, deliver their\nsubstance unto them; and waste it not extravagantly, or hastily,\n     because they grow up.a  Let him who is rich abstain entirely from the\norphans' estates; and let him who is poor take thereof according to what shall\nbe reasonable.b\n     And when ye deliver their substance unto them, call witnesses thereof in\ntheir presence: GOD taketh sufficient account of your actions.\n     Men ought to have a part of what their parents and kindred leavec behind\nthem when they die: and women also ought to have a part of what their parents\nand kindred leave, whether it be little, or whether it be much; a determinate\npart is due to them.\n     And when they who are of kin are present at the dividing of what is left,\nand also the orphans, and the poor; distribute unto them some part thereof;\nand if the estate be too small, at least speak comfortably unto them.\n10\tAnd let those fear to abuse orphans, who if they leave behind them a\nweak offspring, are solicitous for them; let them therefore fear GOD, and\nspeak that which is convenient.d\n     Surely they who devour the possessions of orphans unjustly shall swallow\ndown nothing but fire into their bellies, and shall broil in raging flames.\n     GOD hath thus commanded you concerning your children.  A male shall have\nas much as the share of two females:e but if they be females only, and above\ntwo in number, they shall have two third parts of what the deceased shall\nleave;f and if there be but one, she shall have the half.g  And the parents of\nthe deceased shall have each of them a sixth part of what he shall leave, if\nhe have a child; but if he have no child, and his parents be his heirs, then\nhis mother shall have the third part.h  And if he have brethren, his mother\nshall have a sixth part, after the legaciesi which he shall bequeath, and his\ndebts be paid.  Ye know not whether your parents or your children be of\ngreater use unto you.  This is an ordinance from GOD, and GOD is knowing and\nwise.\n\n\ty  i.e., Try whether they be well grounded in the principles of\nreligion, and have sufficient prudence for the management of their affairs.\nUnder this expression is also comprehended the duty of a curator's instructing\nhis pupils in those respects.\n\tz  Or age of maturity, which is generally reckoned to be fifteen; a\ndecision supported by a tradition of their prophet, though Abu Han\u00eefah thinks\neighteen the proper age.1\n\ta  i.e., Because they will shortly be of age to receive what belongs to\nthem.\n\tb  That is, no more than what shall make sufficient recompense for the\ntrouble of their education.\n\tc  This law was given to abolish a custom of the pagan Arabs, who\nsuffered not women or children to have any part of their husband's or father's\ninheritance, on pretence that they only should inherit who were able to go to\nwar.2\n\td  viz., Either to comfort the children, or to assure the dying father\nthey shall be justly dealt by.3\n\te  This is the general rule to be followed in the distribution of the\nestate of the deceased, as may be observed in the following cases.4\n\tf  Or if there be two and no more, they will have the same share.\n\tg  And the remaining third part, or the remaining moiety of the estate,\nwhich is not here expressly disposed of, if the deceased leaves behind him no\nson, nor a father, goes to the public treasury.  It must be observed that Mr.\nSelden is certainly mistaken when, in explaining this passage of the Kor\u00e2n, he\nsays, that where there is a son and an only daughter, each of them will have a\nmoiety:5 for the daughter can have a moiety but in one case only, that is,\nwhere there is no son; for if there be a son, she can have but a third,\naccording to the above-mentioned rule.\n\th  And his father consequently the other two-thirds.6\n\ti  By legacies, in this and the following passages, are chiefly meant\nthose bequeathed to pious uses; for the Mohammedans approve not of a person's\ngiving away his substance from his family and near relations on any other\naccount.\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t4  Vide\nPrelim. Disc. Sect. VI.\t\t5  Selden, de Success. ad Leges Ebr\u00e6or. l. I, c.\nI.\t\t6  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     Moreover ye may claim half of what your wives shall leave, if they have\nno issue; but if they have issue, then ye shall have the fourth part of what\nthey shall leave, after the legacies which they shall bequeath, and the debts\nbe paid.\n     They also shall have the fourth part of what ye shall leave, in case ye\nhave no issue; but if ye have issue, then they shall have the eighth part of\nwhat ye shall leave, after the legacies which ye shall bequeath, and your\ndebts be paid.\n     And if a man or woman's substance be inherited by a distant relation,k\nand he or she have a brother or sister; each of them two shall have a sixth\npart of the estate.l  But if there be more than this number, they shall be\nequal sharers in a third part, after payment of the legacies which shall be\nbequeathed, and the debts,\n     without prejudice to the heirs.  This is an ordinance from GOD: and GOD\nis knowing and gracious.\n     These are the statutes of GOD.  And whoso obeyeth GOD and his apostle,\nGod shall lead him into gardens wherein rivers flow, they shall continue\ntherein forever; and this shall be great happiness.\n     But whoso disobeyeth GOD, and his apostle, and transgresseth his\nstatutes, God shall cast him into hell fire; he shall remain therein forever,\nand he shall suffer a shameful punishment.\n     If any of your women be guilty of whoredom,m produce four witnesses from\namong you against them, and if they bear witness against them, imprison them\nin separate apartments until death release them, or GOD affordeth them a way\nto escape.n\n20\tAnd if two of you commit the like wickedness,o punish them both:p but if\nthey repent and amend, let them both alone; for GOD is easy to be reconciled\nand merciful.\n     Verily repentance will be accepted with GOD, from those who do evil\nignorantly, and then repent speedily; unto them will GOD be turned: for GOD is\nknowing and wise.\n     But no repentance shall be accepted from those who do evil until the time\nwhen death presenteth itself unto one of them, and he saith, Verily I repent\nnow; nor unto those who die unbelievers; for them have we prepared a grievous\npunishment.\n\n\tk  For this may happen by contract, or on some other special occasion.\n\tl  Here, and in the next case, the brother and sister are made equal\nsharers, which is an exception to the general rule, of giving a male twice as\nmuch as a female; and the reason is said to be because of the smallness of the\nportions, which deserve not such exactness of distribution; for in other cases\nthe rule holds between brother and sister, as well as other relations.1\n\tm  Either adultery or fornication.\n\tn  Their punishment, in the beginning of Mohammedism, was to be immured\ntill they died, but afterwards this cruel doom was mitigated, and they might\navoid it by undergoing the punishment ordained in its stead by the Sonna,\naccording to which the maidens are to be scourged with a hundred stripes, and\nto be banished for a full year; and the married women to be stoned.2\n\to  The commentators are not agreed whether the text speaks of\nfornication or sodomy.  Al Zamakhshari, and from him, al Beid\u00e2wi, supposes the\nformer is here meant: but Jallalo'ddin is of opinion that the crime intended\nin this passage must be committed between two men, and not between a man and a\nwoman; not only because the pronouns are in the masculine gender, but because\nboth are ordered to suffer the same slight punishment, and are both allowed\nthe same repentance and indulgence; and especially for that a different and\nmuch severer punishment is appointed for the women in the preceding words.\nAbu'l K\u00e2sem Hebatallah takes simple fornication to be the crime intended, and\nthat this passage is abrogated by that of the 24th chapter, where the man and\nthe woman who shall be guilty of fornication are ordered to be scourged with a\nhundred stripes each.\n\tp  The original is, Do them some hurt or damage: by which some\nunderstand that they are only to reproach them in public,3 or strike them on\nthe head with their slippers4 (a great indignity in the east), though some\nimagine they may be scourged.5\n\n\t1  See this chapter, near the end.\t\t2  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t3\nJallalo'ddin, Yahya, Abul K\u00e2sem Habatallah, al Beid\u00e2wi.\n4  Jallalo'ddin  al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     O true believers, it is not lawful for you to be heirs of women against\ntheir will,q nor to hinder them from marrying others,r that ye may take away\npart of what ye have given them in dowry; unless they have been guilty of a\nmanifest crime:s but converse kindly with them.  And if ye hate them, it may\nhappen that ye may hate a thing wherein GOD hath placed much good.\n     If ye be desirous to exchange a wife for another wife,t and ye have\nalready given one of them a talent,u take not away anything therefrom:x will\nye take it by slandering her, and doing her manifest injustice?\n     And how can ye take it, since the one of you hath gone in unto the other,\nand they have received from you a firm covenant?\n     Marry not women whom your fathers have had to wife; (except what is\nalready past:) for this is uncleanness, and an abomination, and an evil way.\n     Ye are forbidden to marry your mothers, and your daughters, and your\nsisters, and your aunts both on the father's and on the mother's side, and\nyour brothers' daughters, and your sisters' daughters, and your mothers who\nhave given you suck, and your foster-sisters, and your wives' mothers, and\nyour daughters-in-law which are under your tuition, born of your wives unto\nwhom ye have gone in, (but if ye have not gone in unto them, it shall be no\nsin in you to marry them, ) and the wives of your sons who proceed out of your\nloins; and ye are also forbidden to take to wife two sisters,y except what is\nalready past: for GOD is gracious and merciful.\n     Ye are also forbidden to take to wife free women who are married, except\nthose women whom your right hands shall possess as slaves.z  This is ordained\nyou from GOD.  Whatever is beside this is allowed you; that ye may with your\nsubstance provide wives for yourselves, acting that which is right, and\navoiding whoredom.  And for the advantage which ye receive from them, give\nthem their reward,a according to what is ordained: but it shall be no crime in\nyou to make any other agreement among yourselves,b after the ordinance shall\nbe complied with; for GOD is knowing and wise.\n\n\tq  It was customary among the pagan Arabs, when a man died, for one of\nhis relations to claim a right to his widow, which he asserted by throwing his\ngarment over her; and then he either married her himself, if he thought fit,\non assigning her the same dower that her former husband had done, or kept her\ndower and married her to another, or else refused to let her marry unless she\nredeemed herself by quitting what she might claim of her husband's goods.1\nThis unjust custom is abolished by this passage.\n\tr  Some say these words are directed to husbands who used to imprison\ntheir wives without any just cause, and out of covetousness, merely to make\nthem relinquish their dower or their inheritance.2\n\ts  Such as disobedience, ill behaviour, immodesty, and the like.3\n\tt  That is, by divorcing one, and marrying another.\n\tu  i.e., Ever so large a dower.\n\tx  See chapter 2, p. 25.\n\ty  The same was also prohibited by the Levitical law.4\n\tz  According to this passage it is not lawful to marry a free woman that\nis already married, be she a Mohammedan or not, unless she be legally parted\nfrom her husband by divorce; but it is lawful to marry those who are slaves,\nor taken in war, after they shall have gone through the proper purifications,\nthough their husbands be living.  Yet, according to the decision of Abu\nHan\u00eefah, it is not lawful to marry such whose husbands shall be taken, or in\nactual slavery with them.1\n\ta  That is, assign them their dower.\n\tb  That is, either to increase the dower, or to abate some part or even\nthe whole of it.\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t4  Levit.\nxviii. 18.\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     Whoso among you hath not means sufficient that he may marry free women,\nwho are believers, let him marry with such of your maid-servants whom your\nright hands possess, as are true believers; for GOD well knoweth your faith.\nYe are the one from the other:c therefore marry them with the consent of their\nmasters; and give them their dower according to justice; such as are modest,\nnot guilty of whoredom, nor entertaining lovers.\n30\tAnd when they are married, if they be guilty of adultery, they shall\nsuffer half the punishment which is appointed for the free women.d  This is\nallowed unto him among you, who feareth to sin by marrying free women; but if\nye abstain from marrying slaves, it will be better for you; GOD is gracious\nand merciful.\n     GOD is willing to declare these things unto you, and to direct you\naccording to the ordinances of those who have gone before you,e and to be\nmerciful unto you.  GOD is knowing and wise.\n     GOD desireth to be gracious unto you; but they who follow their lusts,f\ndesire that ye should turn aside from the truth with great deviation.  GOD is\nminded to make his religion light unto you: for man was created weak.g\n     O true believers, consume not your wealth among yourselves in vanity;h\nunless there be merchandising among you by mutual consent: neither slay\nyourselves;i for GOD is merciful towards you:\n     and whoever doth this maliciouslyk and wickedly, he will surely cast him\nto be broiled in hell fire; and this is easy with GOD.\n     If ye turn aside from the grievous sins,l of those which ye are forbidden\nto commit, we will cleanse you from your smaller faults; and will introduce\nyou into paradise with an honourable entry.\n     Covet not that which GOD hath bestowed on some of you preferably to\nothers.m  Unto the men shall be given a portion of what they shall have\ngained, and unto the women shall be given a portion of what they shall have\ngained:n therefore ask GOD of his bounty; for GOD is omniscient.\n\n\tc  Being alike descended from Adam, and of the same faith.2\n\td  The reason of this is because they are not presumed to have had so\ngood education.  A slave, therefore, in such a case, is to have fifty stripes,\nand to be banished for half a year; but she shall not be stoned, because it is\na punishment which cannot be inflicted by halves.3\n\te  viz., Of the prophets, and other holy and prudent men of former\nages.4\n\tf  Some commentators suppose that these words have a particular regard\nto the Magians, who formerly were frequently guilty of incestuous marriages,\ntheir prophet Zerdusht having allowed them to take their mothers and sisters\nto wife; and also to the Jews, who likewise might marry within some of the\ndegrees here prohibited.5\n\tg  Being unable to refrain from women, and too subject to be led away by\ncarnal appetites.6\n\th  That is, employ it not in things prohibited by GOD; such as usury,\nextortion, rapine, gaming, and the like.7\n\ti  Literally, slay not your souls; i.e., says Jallalo'ddin, by\ncommitting mortal sins, or such crimes as will destroy them.  Others, however,\nare of opinion that self-murder, which the gentile Indians did, and still do,\noften practise in honour of their idols, or else the taking away the life of\nany true believer, is hereby forbidden.8\n\tk  See Wisdom xvi. 14, in the Vulgate.\n\tl  These sins al Beid\u00e2wi, from a tradition of Mohammed, reckons to be\nseven (equaling in number the sins called deadly by Christians), that is to\nsay, idolatry, murder, falsely accusing modest women of adultery, wasting the\nsubstance of orphans, taking of usury, desertion in a religious expedition,\nand disobedience to parents.  But Ebn Abb\u00e2s says they amount to near seven\nhundred; and others suppose that idolatry only, of different kinds, in\nworshipping idols or any creature, either in opposition to or jointly with the\ntrue God, is here intended; that sin being generally esteemed by Mohammedans,\nand in a few lines after declared by the Kor\u00e2n itself, to be the only one\nwhich God will not pardon.1\n\tm  Such as honour, power, riches, and other worldly advantages.  Some,\nhowever, understand this of the distribution of inheritances according to the\npreceding determinations, whereby some have a larger share than others.2\n\tn  That is, they shall be blessed according to their deserts; and ought,\ntherefore, instead of displeasing God by envying of others, to endeavor to\nmerit his favour by good works and to apply to him by prayer.\n\n\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t4  Jallalo'ddin.  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t6  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t7  Idem.\n\t8  Idem.\t\t1  Idem.  See before, c. 2, p. 10.\t\t2  Idem,\nJallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     We have appointed unto every one kindred, to inherit part of what their\nparents and relations shall leave at their deaths.  And unto those with whom\nyour right hands have made an alliance, give their part of the inheritance;o\nfor GOD is witness of all things.\n     Men shall have the pre\u00ebminence above women, because of those advantages\nwherein GOD hath caused the one of them to excel the other,p and for that\nwhich they expend of their substance in maintaining their wives.  The honest\nwomen are obedient. careful in the absence of their husbands,q for that GOD\npreserveth them, by committing them to the care and protection of the men.\nBut those, whose perverseness ye shall be apprehensive of, rebuke; and remove\nthem into separate apartments,r and chastise them.s  But if they shall be\nobedient unto you, seek not an occasion of quarrel against them: for GOD is\nhigh and great.\n     And if ye fear a breach between the husband and wife, send a judget out\nof his family, and a judge out of her family: if they shall desire a\nreconciliation, GOD will cause them to agree; for GOD is knowing and wise.\n40\tServe GOD, and associate no creature with him; and show kindness unto\nparents, and relations, and orphans, and the poor, and your neighbor who is of\nkin to you,u and also your neighbor who is a stranger, and to your familiar\ncompanion, and the traveller, and the captives whom your right hands shall\npossess; for GOD loveth not the proud or vain-glorious,\n     who are covetous, and recommend covetousness unto men, and conceal that\nwhich GOD of his bounty hath given themx (we have prepared a shameful\npunishment for the unbelievers;)\n     and who bestow their wealth in charity to be observed of men, and believe\nnot in GOD, nor in the last day; and whoever hath Satan for a companion, an\nevil companion hath he!\n     And what harm would befall them if they should believe in GOD, and the\nlast day, and give alms out of that which GOD hath bestowed on them? since GOD\nknoweth them who do this.\n     Verily GOD will not wrong any one even the weight of an ant:y and if it\nbe a good action, he will double it, and will recompense it in his sight with\na great reward.\n\n\to  A precept conformable to an old custom of the Arabs, that where\npersons mutually entered into a strict friendship or confederacy, the\nsurviving friend should have a sixth part of the deceased's estate.  But this\nwas afterwards abrogated, according to Jallalo'ddin and al Zamakhshari, at\nleast as to infidels.  The passage may likewise be understood of a private\ncontract, whereby the survivor is to inherit a certain part of the substance\nof him that dies first.3\n\tp  Such as superior understanding and strength, and the other privileges\nof the male sex, which enjoys the dignities in church and state, goes to war\nin defence of GOD'S true religion, and claims a double share of their deceased\nancestors' estates.4\n\tq  Both to preserve their husband's substance from loss or waste, and\nthemselves from all degrees of immodesty.5\n\tr  That is, banish them from your bed.\n\ts  By this passage the Mohammedans are in plain terms allowed to beat\ntheir wives, in case of stubborn disobedience; but not in a violent or\ndangerous manner.6\n\tt  i.e., Let the magistrate first send two arbitrators or mediators, one\non each side, to compose the difference, and prevent, if possible, the ill\nconsequences of an open rupture.\n\tu  Either of your own nation or religion.\n\tx  Whether it be wealth, knowledge, or any other talent whereby they may\nhelp their neighbour.\n\ty  Either by diminishing the recompense due to his good actions, or too\nseverely punishing his sins.  On the contrary, he will reward the former in\nthe next life far above their deserts.  The Arabic word dharra, which is\ntranslated an ant, signifies a very small sort of that insect, and is used to\ndenote a thing that is exceeding small, as a mite.\n\n\t3  Vide al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t4  Idem.\t\t5  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\n\t6  Idem.\n\n\n     How will it be with the unbelievers when we shall bring a witness out of\neach nation against itself,z and shall bring thee, O Mohammed, a witness\nagainst these people?a  In that day they who have not believed, and have\nrebelled against the apostle of God, shall wish the earth was levelled with\nthem; and they shall not be able to hide any matter from GOD.\n     O true believers, come not to prayers when ye are drunk,b until ye\nunderstand what ye say; nor when ye are polluted by emission of seed, unless\nye be travelling on the road, until ye wash yourselves.  But if ye be sick or\non a journey, or any of you come from easing nature, or have touched women,\nand find no water; take fine clean sand and rub your faces and your hands\ntherewith;c for GOD is merciful and inclined to forgive.\n     Hast thou not observed those unto whom part of the scriptured was\ndelivered? they sell error, and desire that ye may wander from the right way;\nbut GOD well knoweth your enemies.  GOD is a sufficient patron; and GOD is a\nsufficient helper.\n     Of the Jews there are some who pervert words from their places;e and say,\nWe have heard, and have disobeyed; and do thou hear without understanding our\nmeaning,f and look upon us:g perplexing with their tongues, and reviling the\ntrue religion.\n     But if they had said, We have heard, and do obey; and do thou hear, and\nregard us:h certainly it were better for them, and more right.  But GOD hath\ncursed them by reason of their infidelity; therefore a few of them only shall\nbelieve.\n50\tO ye to whom the scriptures have been given, believe in the revelation\nwhich we have sent down, confirming that which is with you; before we deface\nyour countenances, and render them as the back parts thereof;i or curse them,\nas we cursed those who transgressed on the sabbath day;k and the command of\nGOD was fulfilled.\n     Surely GOD will not pardon the giving him an equal;l but will pardon any\nother sin except that, to whom he pleasethm and whoso giveth a companion unto\nGOD, hath devised a great wickedness.\n\n\tz  When the prophet who was sent to each nation in particular, shall on\nthe last day be produced to give evidence against such of them as refused to\nbelieve on him, or observed not the laws which he brought.\n\ta  That is, the Arabians, to whom Mohammed was, as he pretended, more\npeculiarly sent.1\n\tb  It is related, that before the prohibition of wine, Abd'alrahm\u00e2n Ebn\nAwf made an entertainment, to which he invited several of the apostle's\ncompanions; and after they had ate and drunk plentifully, the hour of evening\nprayer being come, one of the company rose up to pray, but being overcome with\nliquor, made a shameful blunder in reciting a passage of the Kor\u00e2n; whereupon\nto prevent the danger of any such indecency for the future, this passage was\nrevealed.2\n\tc  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.\n\td  Meaning the Jews, and particularly their Rabbins.\n\te  That is (according to the commentators), who change the true sense of\nthe Pentateuch by dislocating passages, or by wresting the words according to\ntheir own fancies and lusts.3  But Mohammed seems chiefly to intend here the\nJews bantering of him in their addresses, by making use of equivocal words,\nseeming to bear a good sense in Arabic, but spoken by them in derision\naccording to their acceptation in Hebrew; an instance of which he gives in the\nfollowing words.\n\tf  Literally, without being made to hear or apprehend what we say.\n\tg  The original word is Ra\u00efna, which being a term of reproach in Hebrew,\nMohammed forbade their using to him.4\n\th  In Arabic, Ondhorna; which having no ill equivocal meaning, the\nprophet ordered them to use instead of the former.\n\ti  That is, perfectly plain, without eyes, nose, or mouth.  The\noriginal, however, may also be translated, and turn them behind, by wringing\ntheir necks backward.\n\tk  And were therefore changed into apes.5\n\tl  That is, idolatry of all kinds.\n\tm  viz., To those who repent.6\n\n\t1  See before, c. 2, p. 16.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Idem,\nJallalo'ddin.\t\t4  See before, c. 2, p. 13.\n5  See before, c. 2, p. 8.\t\t6  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     Hast thou not observed those who justify themselves?n  But GOD justifieth\nwhomsoever he pleaseth, nor shall they be wronged a hair.o\n     Behold, how they imagine a lie against GOD; and therein is iniquity\nsufficiently manifest.\n     Hast thou not considered those to whom part of the scripture hath been\ngiven?  They believe in false gods and idols,p and say of those who believe\nnot, These are more rightly directed in the way of truth, than they who\nbelieve on Mohammed.\n     Those are the men whom God hath cursed and unto him whom GOD shall curse,\nthou shalt surely find no helper.\n     Shall they have a part of the kingdom,q since even then they would not\nbestow the smallest matterr on men?\n     Do they envy other men that which GOD of his bounty hath given them?s  We\nformerly gave unto the family of Abraham a book of revelations and wisdom; and\nwe gave them a great kingdom.t\n     There is of them who believeth on him;u and there is of them who turneth\naside from him: but the raging fire of hell is a sufficient punishment.\n     Verily those who disbelieve our signs, we will surely cast to be broiled\nin hell fire; so often as their skins shall be well burned, we will give them\nother skins in exchange, that they may taste the sharper torment; for GOD is\nmighty and wise.\n60\tBut those who believe and do that which is right, we will bring into\ngardens watered by rivers, therein shall they remain forever, and there shall\nthey enjoy wives free from all impurity; and we will lead them into perpetual\nshades.\n     Moreover GOD commandeth you to restore what ye are trusted with, to the\nowners;x and when ye judge between men, that ye judge according to equity: and\nsurely an excellent virtue it is to which GOD exhorteth you; for GOD both\nheareth and seeth.\n\n\tn  i.e., The Christians and Jews, who called themselves the children of\nGOD, and his beloved people.1\n\to  The original word signifies a little skin in the cleft of a date-\nstone, and is used to express a thing of no value.\n\tp  The Arabic is, in Jibt and Tagh\u00fbt.  The former is supposed to have\nbeen the proper name of some idol; but it seems rather to signify any false\ndeity in general.  The latter we have explained already.8\n\tIt is said that this passage was revealed on the following occasion.\nHoyai Ebn Akhtab and Caab Ebn al Ashraf,9 two chief men among the Jews, with\nseveral others of that religion, went to Mecca, and offered to enter into a\nconfederacy with the Koreish, and to join their forces against Mohammed.  But\nthe Koreish, entertaining some jealousy of them, told them, that the Jews\npretended to have a written revelation from heaven, as well as Mohammed, and\ntheir doctrines and worship approached much nearer to what he taught, than the\nreligion of their tribe; wherefore, said they, if you would satisfy us that\nyou are sincere in the matter, do as we do, and worship our gods.  Which\nproposal, if the story be true, these Jews complied with, out of their\ninveterate hatred to Mohammed.1\n\tq  For the Jews gave out that they should be restored to their ancient\npower and grandeur;2 depending, it is to be presumed, on the victorious\nMessiah whom they expected.\n\tr  The original word properly signifies a small dent on the back of a\ndate-stone, and is commonly used to express a thing of little or no value.\n\ts  viz., The spiritual gifts of prophecy, and divine revelations; and\nthe temporal blessings of victory and success, bestowed on Mohammed and his\nfollowers.\n\tt  Wherefore GOD will doubtless show equal favour to this prophet (a\ndescendant also of Abraham), and those who believe on him.3\n\tu  Namely, on Mohammed.\n\tx  This passage, it is said, was revealed on the day of the taking of\nMecca, the primary design of it being to direct Mohammed to return the keys of\nthe Caaba to Othm\u00e2n Ebn Telha Ebn Abdald\u00e2r, who had then the honour to be\nkeeper of that holy place,4 and not to deliver them to his uncle al Abb\u00e2s, who\nhaving already the custody of the well Zemzem, would fain have had also that\nof the Caaba.  The prophet obeying the divine order, Othm\u00e2n was so affected\nwith the justice of the action, notwithstanding he had at first refused him\nentrance, that he immediately embraced Mohammedism; whereupon the guardianship\nof the Caaba was confirmed to this Othm\u00e2n and his heirs for ever.5\n\n\t7  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.  See c. 5, not far from the beginning.\n\t8  See p. 28, note t.\t\t9  See before, p. 40, note m.\n1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t4  See Prideaux's\nLife of Mahomet, p. 2.\n5  Al Beid\u00e2wi   See D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 220, 221.\n\n\n     O true believers, obey GOD, and obey the apostle; and those who are in\nauthority among you: and if ye differ, in anything, refer it unto GODy and the\napostle, if ye believe in GOD, and the last day: this is better, and a fairer\nmethod of determination.\n     Hast thou not observed those who pretend they believe in what hath been\nrevealed unto thee, and what hath been revealed before thee?  They desire to\ngo to judgment before Tagh\u00fbt,z although they have been commanded not to\nbelieve in him; and Satan desireth to seduce them into a wide error.\n     And when it is said unto them, Come unto the book which GOD hath sent\ndown, and to the apostle; thou seest the ungodly turn aside from thee, with\ngreat aversion.\n     But how will they behave when a misfortune shall befall them, for that\nwhich their hands have sent before them?  Then will they come unto thee, and\nswear by GOD, saying, If we intended any other than to do good, and to\nreconcile the parties.a\n     GOD knoweth what is in the hearts of these men; therefore let them alone,\nand admonish them, and speak unto them a word which may affect their souls.\n     We have not sent any apostle, but that he might be obeyed by the\npermission of GOD: but if they, after they have injured their own souls,b come\nunto thee, and ask pardon of GOD, and the apostle ask pardon for them, they\nshall surely find GOD easy to be reconciled and merciful.\n     And by thy LORD they will not perfectly believe, until they make thee\njudge of their controversies; and shall not afterwards find in their own minds\nany hardship in what thou shalt determine, but shall acquiesce therein with\nentire submission.\n     And if we had commanded them, saying, Slay yourselves, or depart from\nyour houses;c they would not have done it except a few of them.  And if they\nhad done what they were admonished, it would certainly have been better for\nthem, and more efficacious for confirming their faith;\n70\tand we should then have surely given them in our sight an exceeding\ngreat reward, and we should have directed them in the right way.\n     Whoever obeyeth GOD and the apostle, they shall be with those unto whom\nGOD hath been gracious, of the prophets, and the sincere, and the martyrs, and\nthe righteous; and these are the most excellent company.\n\n\ty  i.e., To the decision of the Kor\u00e2n.\n\tz  That is, before the tribunals of infidels.  This passage was\noccasioned by the following remarkable accident.  A certain Jew having a\ndispute with a wicked Mohammedan, the latter appealed to the judgment of Caab\nEbn al Ashraf, a principal Jew, and the former to Mohammed.  But at length\nthey agreed to refer the matter to the prophet singly, who, giving it in favor\nof the Jew, the Mohammedan refused to acquiesce in his sentence, but would\nneeds have it re-heard by Omar, afterwards Khalif.  When they came to him, the\nJew told him that Mohammed had already decided the affair in his favour, but\nthat the other would not submit to his determination; and the Mohammedan\nconfessing this to be true, Omar bid them stay a little, and fetching his\nsword, struck off the obstinate Moslem's head, saying aloud, This is the\nreward of him who refuseth to submit to the judgment of God and his apostle.\nAnd from this action Omar had the surname of al Far\u00fbk, which alludes both to\nhis separating that knave's head from his body, and to his distinguishing\nbetween truth and falsehood.1  The name of Tagh\u00fbt,2 therefore, in this place,\nseems to be given to Caab Ebn al Ashraf.\n\ta  For this was the excuse of the friends of the Mohammedan whom Omar\nslew, when they came to demand satisfaction for his blood.3\n\tb  viz., By acting wickedly, and appealing to the judgment of the\ninfidels.\n\tc  Some understand these words of their venturing their lives in a\nreligious expedition; and others, of their undergoing the same punishments\nwhich the Israelites did for their idolatry in worshipping the golden calf.4\n\n\t1  Jallalo'ddin, al Beid\u00e2wi.  See D'Herbel.  Bibl. Orient. p. 688, and\nOckley's Hist. of the Sarac. v. I, p. 365.\t\t2  See before, p. 28.\n3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t4  Idem, see before, p. 7\n\n\n     This is bounty from GOD; and GOD is sufficiently knowing.\n     O true believers, take your necessary precautiond against your enemies,\nand either go forth to war in separate parties, or go forth all together in a\nbody.\n     There is of you who tarrieth behind;e and if a misfortune befall you, he\nsaith, Verily GOD hath been gracious unto me, that I was not present with\nthem:\n     but if success attend you from GOD, he will say (as if there was no\nfriendship between you and him),f Would to GOD I had been with them, for I\nshould have acquired great merit.\n     Let them therefore fight for the religion of GOD, who part with the\npresent life in exchange for that which is to come;g for whosoever fighteth\nfor the religion of GOD, whether he be slain, or be victorious,h we will\nsurely give him a great reward.\n     And what ails you, that ye fight not for GOD'S true religion, and in\ndefence of the weak among men, women, and children,i who say, O LORD, bring us\nforth from this city, whose inhabitants are wicked; grant us from before thee\na protector, and grant us from before thee a defender.k\n     They who believe fight for the religion of GOD; but they who believe not\nfight for the religion of Tagh\u00fbt.l  Fight therefore against the friends of\nSatan, for the stratagem of Satan is weak.\n     Hast thou not observed those unto whom it was said, Withhold your hands\nfrom war, and be constant at prayers, and pay the legal alms?m  But when war\nis commanded them, behold a part of them fear men as they should fear GOD, or\nwith a great fear, and say, O LORD, wherefore hast thou commanded us to go to\nwar, and hast not suffered us to wait our approaching end?n  Say unto them,\nThe provision of this life is but small; but the future shall be better for\nhim who feareth God; and ye shall not be in the least injured at the day of\njudgment.\n80\tWheresoever ye be, death will overtake you, although ye be in lofty\ntowers.  If good befall them, they say, This is from GOD; but if evil befall\nthem, they say, This is from thee, O Mohammed:o say, All is from GOD; and what\naileth these people, that they are so far from understanding what is said unto\nthem?\n\n\td  i.e., Be vigilant, and provide yourselves with arms and necessaries.\n\te  Mohammed here upbraids the hypocritical Moslems, who, for want of\nfaith and constancy in their religion, were backward in going to war for its\ndefence.\n\tf  i.e., As one who attendeth not to the public, but his own private\ninterest.  Or else these may be the words of the hypocritical Mohammedan\nhimself, insinuating that he stayed not behind the rest of the army by his own\nfault, but was left by Mohammed, who chose to let the others share in his good\nfortune, preferably to him.1\n\tg  By venturing their lives and fortunes in defence of the faith.\n\th  For no man ought to quit the field till he either fall a martyr or\ngain some advantage for the cause.2\n\ti  viz., Those believers who stayed behind at Mecca, being detained\nthere either forcibly by the idolaters, or for want of means to fly for refuge\nto Medina.  Al Beid\u00e2wi observes that children are mentioned here to show the\ninhumanity of the Koreish, who persecuted even that tender age.\n\tk  This petition, the commentators say, was heard.  For GOD afforded\nseveral of them an opportunity and means of escaping, and delivered the rest\nat the taking of Mecca by Mohammed, who left Ot\u00e2b Ebn Osaid governor of the\ncity: and under his care and protection, those who had suffered for their\nreligion became the most considerable men in the place.\n\tl  See before, p. 28.\n\tm  These were some of Mohammed's followers, who readily performed the\nduties of their religion so long as they were commanded nothing that might\nendanger their lives.\n\tn  That is, a natural death.\n\to  As the Jews, in particular, who pretended that their land was grown\nbarren, and provisions scarce, since Mohammed came to Medina.3\n\n\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\n\n\n     Whatever good befalleth thee, O man, it is from GOD; and whatever evil\nbefalleth thee, it is from thyself.p  We have sent thee an apostle unto men,\nand GOD is a sufficient witness thereof.\n     Whoever obeyeth the apostle, obeyeth GOD; and whoever turneth back, we\nhave not sent thee to be a keeper over them.q\n     They say, Obedience: yet when they go forth from thee, part of them\nmeditate by night a matter different from what thou speakest; but GOD shall\nwrite down what they meditate by night: therefore let them alone, and trust in\nGOD, for GOD is a sufficient protector.\n     Do they not attentively consider the Koran? if it had been from any\nbesides GOD, they would certainly have found therein many contradictions.\n     When any news cometh unto them, either of security or fear, they\nimmediately divulge it; but if they told it to the apostle and to those who\nare in authority among them, such of them would understand the truth of the\nmatter, as inform themselves thereof from the apostle and his chiefs.  And if\nthe favor of GOD and his mercy had not been upon you, ye had followed the\ndevil, except a few of you.r\n     Fight therefore for the religion of GOD, and oblige not any to what is\ndifficult,s except thyself; however excite the faithful to war, perhaps GOD\nwill restrain the courage of the unbelievers; for GOD is stronger than they,\nand more able to punish.\n     He who intercedeth between men with a good intercessiont shall have a\nportion thereof; and he who intercedeth with an evil intercession shall have a\nportion thereof; for GOD overlooketh all things.\n     When ye are saluted with a salutation, salute the person with a better\nsalutation,u or at least return the same; for GOD taketh an account of all\nthings.\n     GOD! there is no GOD but he; he will surely gather you together on the\nday of resurrection; there is no doubt of it: and who is more true than GOD in\nwhat he saith?\n90\tWhy are ye divided concerning the ungodly into two parties;x since GOD\nhath overturned them for what they have committed?  Will ye direct him whom\nGOD hath led astray; since for him whom GOD shall lead astray, thou shalt find\nno true path?\n\n\tp  These words are not to be understood as contradictory to the\npreceding, That all proceeds from GOD; since the evil which befalls mankind,\nthough ordered by GOD, is yet the consequence of their own wicked actions.\n\tq  Or, to take an account of their actions, for this is GOD'S part.\n\tr  That is, if GOD had not sent his apostle with the Kor\u00e2n to instruct\nyou in your duty, ye had continued in idolatry and been doomed to destruction;\nexcept only those who, by GOD'S favour and their superior understanding,\nshould have true notions of the divinity; such, for example, as Zeid Ebn Amru\nEbn Nofail1 and Waraka Ebn Nawfal,2 who left idols, and acknowledged but one\nGOD, before the mission of Mohammed.3\n\ts  It is said this passage was revealed when the Mohammedans refused to\nfollow their prophet to the lesser expedition of Bedr, so that he was obliged\nto set out with no more than seventy.4  Some copies vary in this place, and\ninstead of la tokallafo, in the second person singular, read la nokallafo, in\nthe first person plural, We do not oblige, &c.  The meaning being, that the\nprophet only was under an indispensable necessity of obeying GOD'S commands,\nhowever difficult, but others might choose, though at their peril.\n\tt  i.e., To maintain the right of a believer, or to prevent his being\nwronged.\n\tu  By adding something farther.  As when one salutes another by this\nform, Peace be unto thee, he ought not only to return the salutation, but to\nadd, and the mercy of GOD and his blessing.\n\tx  This passage was revealed, according to some, when certain of\nMohammed's followers, pretending not to like Medina, desired leave to go\nelsewhere, and, having obtained it, went farther and farther, till they joined\nthe idolaters; or, as others say, on occasion of some deserters at the battle\nof Ohod; concerning whom the Moslems were divided in opinion whether they\nshould be slain as infidels or not.\n\n\t1  Vide Millium, de Mohammedismo ante Moh. p. 311.\t\t2  See the\nPrelim.  Disc. Sect. II.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n4  See before, c. 3, p. 49.\n\n\n     They desire that ye should become infidels, as they are infidels, and\nthat ye should be equally wicked with themselves.  Therefore take not friends\nfrom among them, until they fly their country for the religion of GOD; and if\nthey turn back from the faith, take them, and kill them wherever ye find them;\nand take no friend from among them, nor any helper,\n     except those who go unto a people who are in alliance with you,y or those\nwho come unto you, their hearts forbidding them either to fight against you,\nor to fight against their own people.z  And if GOD pleased he would have\npermitted them to have prevailed against you, and they would have fought\nagainst you.  But if they depart from you, and fight not against you, and\noffer you peace, GOD doth not allow you to take or kill them.\n     Ye shall find others who are desirous to enter into confidence with you,\nand at the same time to preserve a confidence with their own people:a so often\nas they return to sedition, they shall be subverted therein; and if they\ndepart not from you, and offer you peace, and restrain their hands from\nwarring against you, take them and kill them wheresoever ye find them; over\nthese have we granted you a manifest power.\n     It is not lawful for a believer to kill a believer, unless it happen by\nmistake;b and whoso killeth a believer by mistake, the penalty shall be the\nfreeing of a believer from slavery, and a fine to be paid to the family of the\ndeceased,c unless they remit it as alms: and if the slain person be of a\npeople at enmity with you, and be a true believer, the penalty shall be the\nfreeing of a believer;d but if he be of a people in confederacy with you, a\nfine to be paid to his family, and the freeing of a believer.  And he who\nfindeth not wherewith to do this shall fast two months consecutively as a\npenance enjoined from GOD; and GOD is knowing and wise.\n     But whoso killeth a believer designedly, his reward shall be hell; he\nshall remain therein for ever;e and GOD shall be angry with him, and shall\ncurse him, and shall prepare for him a great punishment.\n     O true believers, when ye are on a march in defence of the true religion,\njustly discern such as ye shall happen to meet, and say not unto him who\nsaluteth you, thou art not a true believer;f seeking the accidental goods of\nthe present life;g for with GOD is much spoil.  Such have ye formerly been;\nbut GOD hath been gracious unto you;h therefore make a just discernment, for\nGOD is well acquainted with that which ye do.\n\n\ty  The people here meant, say some, were the tribe of Khoz\u00e2ah, or,\naccording to others, the Aslamians, whose chief, named Hel\u00e2l Ebn Owaimar,\nagreed with Mohammed, when he set out against Mecca, to stand neuter; or, as\nothers rather think, Banu Becr Ebn Zeid.1\n\tz  These, it is said, were the tribe of Modlaj, who came in to Mohammed,\nbut would not be obliged to assist him in war.2\n\ta  The person hinted at here were the tribes of Asad and Ghatf\u00e2n, or, as\nsome say, Banu Abdald\u00e2r, who came to Medina and pretended to embrace\nMohammedism, that they might be trusted by the Moslems, but when they\nreturned, fell back to their old idolatry.3\n\tb  That is, by accident and without design.  This passage was revealed\nto decide the case of Ay\u00e2sh Ebn Abi Rab\u00eea, the brother, by the mother's side,\nof Abu Jahl, who meeting Hareth Ebn Zeid on the road, and not knowing that he\nhad embraced Mohammedism, slew him.4\n\tc  Which fine is to be distributed according to the laws of inheritances\ngiven in the beginning of this chapter.5\n\td  And no fine shall be paid, because in such case his relations, being\ninfidels and at open war with the Moslems, have no right to inherit what he\nleaves.\n\te  That is, unless he repent.  Others, however, understand not here an\neternity of damnation (for it is the general doctrine of the Mohammedans that\nnone who profess that faith shall continue in hell for ever), but only a long\nspace of time.1\n\tf  On pretence that he only feigns to be a Moslem, that he might escape\nfrom you.  The commentators mention more instances than one of persons slain\nand plundered by Mohammed's men under this pretext, notwithstanding they\ndeclared themselves Moslems by repeating the usual form of words, and saluting\nthem; for which reason this passage was revealed, to prevent such rash\njudgments for the future.\n\tg  That is, being willing to judge him an infidel, only that ye may kill\nand plunder him.\n\th  viz., At your first profession of Isl\u00e2mism, before ye had given any\ndemonstrations of your sincerity and zeal therein.\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Idem.\n\t4  Idem.\t\t5  Idem.\n1  Idem.\n\n\n     Those believers who sit still at home, not having any hurt,i and those\nwho employ their fortunes and their persons for the religion of GOD, shall not\nbe held equal.  GOD hath preferred those who employ their fortunes and their\npersons in that cause to a degree of honour above those who sit at home; GOD\nhath indeed promised every one paradise, but GOD hath preferred those who\nfight for the faith before those who sit still, by adding unto them a great\nreward,\n     by degrees of honour conferred on them from him, and by granting them\nforgiveness and mercy; for GOD is indulgent and merciful.\n     Moreover unto those whom the angels put to death, having injured their\nown souls,k the angels said, Of what religion were ye? they answered, We were\nweak in the earth.l  The angels replied, Was not GOD'S earth wide enough, that\nye might fly therein to a place of refuge?m  Therefore their habitation shall\nbe hell; and an evil journey shall it be thither:\n100\texcept the weak among men, and women, and children, who were not able to\nfind means, and were not directed in the way; these peradventure GOD will\npardon, for GOD is ready to forgive, and gracious.\n     Whosoever flieth from his country for the sake of GOD'S true religion,\nshall find in the earth many forced to do the same, and plenty of provisions.\nAnd whoever departeth from his house, and flieth unto GOD and his apostle, if\ndeath overtake him in the way,n GOD will be obliged to reward him, for GOD is\ngracious and merciful.\n     When ye march to war in the earth, it shall be no crime in you if ye\nshorten your prayers, in case ye fear the infidels may attack you; for the\ninfidels are your open enemy.\n\n\ti  i.e., Not being disabled from going to war by sickness, or other just\nimpediment.  It is said that when the passage was first revealed there was no\nsuch exception therein, which occasioned Ebn Omm Mact\u00fbm, on his hearing it\nrepeated, to object, And what though I be blind?  Whereupon Mohammed, falling\ninto a kind of trance, which was succeeded by strong agitations, pretended he\nhad received the divine direction to add these words to the text.2\n\tk  These were certain inhabitants of Mecca, who held with the hare and\nran with the hounds, for though they embraced Mohammedism, yet they would not\nleave that city to join the prophet, as the rest of the Moslems did, but on\nthe contrary went out with the idolaters, and were therefore slain with them\nat the battle of Bedr.3\n\tl  Being unable to fly, and compelled to follow the infidels to war.\n\tm  As they did who fled to Ethiopia and to Medina.\n\tn  This passage was revealed, says al Beid\u00e2wi, on account of Jondob Ebn\nDamra.  This person being sick, was, in his flight, carried by his sons on a\ncouch, and before he arrived at Medina, perceiving his end approached, he\nclapped his right hand on his left, and solemnly plighting his faith to GOD\nand his apostle, died.\n\to  To defend those who are at prayers, and to face the enemy.\n\n\t\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Idem, Jallalo'ddin\n\n\n     But when thou, O prophet, shalt be among them, and shalt pray with them,\nlet a party of them arise to prayer with thee, and let them take their arms;\nand when they shall have worshipped, let them stand behind you,o and let\nanother party come that hath not prayed, and let them pray with thee, and let\nthem be cautious and take their arms.  The unbelievers would that ye should\nneglect your arms and your baggage while ye pray, that they might turn upon\nyou at once.  It shall be no crime in you, if ye be incommoded by rain, or be\nsick, that ye lay down your arms; but take your necessary precaution:p GOD\nhath prepared for the unbelievers an ignominious punishment.\n     And when ye shall have ended your prayer, remember GOD, standing, and\nsitting, and lying on your sides.q  But when ye are secure from danger,\ncomplete your prayers: for prayer is commanded the faithful, and appointed to\nbe said at the stated times.\n     Be not negligent in seeking out the unbelieving people, though ye suffer\nsome inconvenience; for they also shall suffer as ye suffer, and ye hope for a\nreward from GOD which they cannot hope for; and GOD is knowing and wise.r\n     We have sent down unto thee the book of the Koran with truth, that thou\nmayest judge between men through that wisdom which GOD showeth thee therein;\nand be not an advocate for the fraudulent;s but ask pardon of GOD for thy\nwrong intention, since GOD is indulgent and merciful.\n     Dispute not for those who deceive one another, for GOD loveth not him who\nis a deceiver or unjust.t\n     Such conceal themselves from men, but they conceal not themselves from\nGOD; for he is with them when they imagine by night a saying which pleaseth\nhim not,u and GOD comprehendeth what they do.\n     Behold, ye are they who have disputed for them in this present life; but\nwho shall dispute with GOD for them on the day of resurrection, or who will\nbecome their patron?\n110\tyet he who doth evil, or injureth his own soul, and afterwards asketh\npardon of God, shall find God gracious and merciful.\n     Whoso committeth wickedness, committeth it against his own soul: GOD is\nknowing and wise.\n     And whoso committeth a sin or iniquity, and afterwards layeth it on the\ninnocent, he shall surely bear the guilt of calumny and manifest injustice.\n     If the indulgence and mercy of GOD had not been upon thee, surely a part\nof them had studied to seduce thee;x but they shall seduce themselves only,\nand shall not hurt thee at all.  GOD hath sent down unto thee the book of the\nKoran and wisdom, and hath taught thee that which thou knewest not;y for the\nfavor of GOD hath been great towards thee.\n     There is no good in the multitude of their private discourses, unless in\nthe discourse of him who recommendeth alms, or that which is right, or\nagreement amongst men: whoever doth this out of a desire to please GOD, we\nwill surely give him a great reward.\n\n\tp  By keeping strict guard.\n\tq  That is, in such posture as ye shall be able.1\n\tr  This verse was revealed on occasion of the unwillingness of\nMohammed's men to accompany him in the lesser expedition of Bedr.2\n\ts  Tima Ebn Obeirak, of the sons of Dhafar, one of Mohammed's\ncompanions, stole a coat of mail from his neighbour, Kit\u00e2da Ebn al Nom\u00e2n, in a\nbag of meal, and hid it at a Jew's named Zeid Ebn al Sam\u00een; Tima, being\nsuspected, the coat of mail was demanded of him, but he denying he knew\nanything of it, they followed the track of the meal, which had run out through\na hole in the bag, to the Jew's house, and there seized it, accusing him of\nthe theft; but he producing witnesses of his own religion that he had it of\nTima, the sons of Dhafar came to Mohammed and desired him to defend his\ncompanion's reputation, and condemn the Jew; which he having some thoughts of\ndoing, this passage was revealed, reprehending him for his rash intention, and\ncommanding him to judge not according to his own prejudice and opinion, but\naccording to the merit of the case.3\n\tt  Al Beid\u00e2wi, as an instance of the divine justice, adds, that Tima,\nafter the fact above mentioned, fled to Mecca, and returned to idolatry; and\nthere undermining the wall of a house, in order to commit a robbery, the wall\nfell in upon him and crushed him to death.\n\tu  That is, when they secretly contrive means, by false evidence or\notherwise, to lay their crimes on innocent persons.\n\tx  Meaning the sons of Dhafar.\n\ty  By instructing them in the knowledge of right and wrong, and the\nrules of justice.\n\n\t1  See before, c. 3, p. 52.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Idem,\nJallalo'ddin, Yahya.\n\n\n     But whoso separateth himself from the apostle, after true direction hath\nbeen manifested unto him, and followeth any other way than than of the true\nbelievers, we will cause him to obtain that to which he is inclined,z and will\ncast him to be burned in hell; and an unhappy journey shall it be thither.\n     Verily GOD will not pardon the giving him a companion, but he will pardon\nany crime besides that, unto whom he pleaseth: and he who giveth a companion\nunto GOD is surely led aside into a wide mistake;\n     the infidels invoke beside him only female deities;a and only invoke\nrebellious Satan.\n     GOD cursed him; and he said, Verily I will take of thy servants a part\ncut off from the rest,b and I will seduce them, and will insinuate vain\ndesires into them, and I will command them and they shall cut off the ears of\ncattle;c and I will command them and they shall change GOD'S creature.d  But\nwhoever taketh Satan for his patron, besides GOD,e shall surely perish with a\nmanifest destruction.\n     He maketh them promises, and insinuateth into them vain desires; yet\nSatan maketh them only deceitful promises.\n120\tThe receptacle of these shall be hell, they shall find no refuge from\nit.\n     But they who believe, and do good works, we will surely lead them into\ngardens, through which rivers flow, they shall continue therein forever,\naccording to the true promise of GOD; and who is more true than GOD in what he\nsaith?\n     It shall not be according to your desires, nor according to the desires\nof those who have received the scriptures.f  Whoso doth evil shall be rewarded\nfor it; and shall not find any patron or helper, beside GOD;\n     but whoso doth good works, whether he be male or female, and is a true\nbeliever, they shall be admitted into paradise, and shall not in the least be\nunjustly dealt with.\n     Who is better in point of religion than he who resigneth himself unto\nGOD, and is a worker of righteousness, and followeth the law of Abraham the\northodox?  since GOD took Abraham for his friend:g\n     and to God belongeth whatsoever is in heaven and on earth; GOD\ncomprehendeth all things.\n\n\tz  viz., Error, and false notions of religion.\n\ta  Namely, All\u00e2t, al Uzza, and Men\u00e2t, the idols of the Meccans; or the\nangels, whom they called the daughters of GOD.4\n\tb  Or, as the original may be translated, a part destined or\npredetermined to be seduced by me.\n\tc  Which was done out of superstition by the old pagan Arabs.  Some more\nof this custom in the notes to the fifth chapter.\n\td  Either by maiming it, or putting it to uses not designed by the\nCreator.  Al Beid\u00e2wi supposes the text to intend not only the superstitious\namputations of the ears and other parts of cattle, but the castration of\nslaves, the marking their bodies with figures, by pricking and dyeing them\nwith wood or indigo (as the Arabs did and still do), the sharpening their\nteeth by filing; and also sodomy, and the unnatural amours between those of\nthe female sex, the worship of the sun, moon, and other parts of nature, and\nthe like.\n\te  i.e., By leaving the service of GOD, and doing the works of the\ndevil.\n\tf  That is, the promises of GOD are not to be gained by acting after\nyour own fancies, nor yet after the fancies of the Jews or Christians, but by\nobeying the commands of GOD.  This passage, they say, was revealed on a\ndispute which arose between those of the three religions, each preferring his\nown, and condemning the others.  Some, however, suppose the persons here\nspoken to in the second person were not the Mohammedans, but the idolaters.1\n\tg  Therefore the Mohammedans usually call that patriarch, as the\nscripture also does, Khal\u00eel Allah, the Friend of God, and simply al Khal\u00eel;\nand they tell the following story: That Abraham in a time of dearth sent to a\nfriend of his in Egypt for a supply of corn; but the friend denied him, saying\nin his excuse, that though there was a famine in their country also, yet had\nit been for Abraham's own family, he would have sent what he desired, but he\nknew he wanted it only to entertain his guests and give away to the poor,\naccording to his usual hospitality.  The servants whom Abraham had sent on\nthis message, being ashamed to return empty, to conceal the matter from their\nneighbours, filled their sacks with fine white sand, which in the east pretty\nmuch resembles meal.  Abraham being informed by his servants, on their return\nof their ill success, the concern he was under threw him into a sleep; and in\nthe meantime Sarah, knowing nothing of what had happened, opening one of the\nsacks, found good flour in it, and immediately set out about making of bread.\nAbraham awaking and smelling the new bread, asked her whence she had the\nflour?  Why, says she, from your friend in Egypt.  Nay, replied the Patriarch,\nit must have come from no other than my friend GOD Almighty.2\n\n\t4  See the Prelim. Discourse, Sect. I.\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi,\nJallalo'ddin, Yahya,\n\n\n     They will consult thee concerning women;h Answer, GOD instructeth you\nconcerning them,i and that which is read unto you in the book of the Koran\nconcerning female orphans, to whom ye give not that which is ordained them,\nneither will ye marry them,k and concerning weak infants,l and that ye observe\njustice towards orphans: whatever good ye do, GOD knoweth it.\n     If a woman fear ill usage, or aversion from her husband, it shall be no\ncrime in them if they agree the matter amicably between themselves;m for a\nreconciliation is better than a separation.  Men's souls are naturally\ninclined to covetousness:n but if ye be kind towards women, and fear to wrong\nthem, GOD is well acquainted with what ye do.\n     Ye can by no means carry yourselves equally between women in all\nrespects, although ye study to do it; therefore turn not from a wife with all\nmanner of aversion,o nor leave her like one in suspense:p if ye agree, and\nfear to abuse your wives, GOD is gracious and merciful;\n     but if they separate, GOD will satisfy them both of his abundance;q for\nGOD is extensive and wise,\n130\tand unto GOD belongeth whatsoever is in heaven and on earth.  We have\nalready commanded those unto whom the scriptures were given before you, and we\ncommand you also, saying, Fear GOD; but if ye disbelieve, unto GOD belongeth\nwhatsoever is in heaven and on earth; and GOD is self-sufficient,r and to be\npraised;\n     for unto GOD belongeth whatsoever is in heaven and on earth, and GOD is a\nsufficient protector.\n     If he pleaseth he will take you away, O men, and will produce others in\nyour stead;s for GOD is able to do this.\n     Whoso desireth the reward of this world, verily with GOD is the reward of\nthis world, and also of that which is to come; GOD both heareth and seeth.\n\n\th  i.e., As to the share they are to have in the distribution of the\ninheritances of their deceased relations; for it seems that the Arabs were not\nsatisfied with Mohammed's decision on this point, against the old customs.\n\ti  i.e., He hath already made his will known unto you, by revealing the\npassages concerning inheritances in the beginning of this chapter.\n\tk  Or the words may be rendered in the affirmative, and whom ye desire\nto marry.  For the pagan Arabs used to wrong their female orphans in both\ninstances; obliging them to marry against their inclinations, if they were\nbeautiful or rich; or else not suffering them to marry at all, that they might\nkeep what belonged to them.3\n\tl  That is, male children of tender years, to whom the Arabs, in the\ntime of paganism, used to allow no share in the distribution of their parents'\nestate.4\n\tm  By the wife's remitting part of her dower or other dues.\n\tn  So that the woman, on the one side, is unwilling to part with any of\nher right; and the husband, on the other, cares not to retain one he has no\naffection for; or, if he should retain her, she can scarce expect he will use\nher in all respects as he ought.1\n\to  i.e., Though you cannot use her equally well with a beloved wife, yet\nobserve some measures of justice towards her; for if a man is not able\nperfectly to perform his duty, he ought not, for that reason, entirely to\nneglect it.2\n\tp  Or like one that neither has a husband, nor is divorced, and at\nliberty to marry elsewhere.\n\tq  That is, either will bless them with a better and more advantageous\nmatch, or with peace and tranquility of mind.3\n\tr  Wanting the service of no creature.\n\ts  i.e., Either another race of men or a different species of creatures.\n\n\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  See D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 14, and Morgan's\nMahometism Explained, vol. i. p. 132.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n4  See before, p. 54, note c.\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\n\t3  Idem.\n\n\n     O true believers, observe justice when ye bear witness before GOD,\nalthough it be against yourselves, or your parents, or relations; whether the\nparty be rich, or whether he be poor; for GOD is more worthy than them both:\ntherefore follow not your own lust in bearing testimony so that ye swerve from\njustice.  And whether ye wrest your evidence, or decline giving it, GOD is\nwell acquainted with that which ye do.\n     O true believers, believe in GOD and his apostle, and the book which he\nhath caused to descend unto his apostle, and the book which he hath formerly\nsent down.t  And whosoever believeth not in GOD, and his angels, and his\nscriptures, and his apostles, and the last day, he surely erreth in a wide\nmistake.\n     Moreover they who believed, and afterwards became infidels, and then\nbelieved again, and after that disbelieved, and increased in infidelity,u GOD\nwill by no means forgive them, nor direct them into the right way.\n     Declare unto the ungodlyx that they shall suffer a painful punishment.\n     They who take the unbelievers for their protectors, besides the faithful,\ndo they seek for power with them? since all power belongeth unto GOD.\n     And he hath already revealed unto you, in the book of the Kor\u00e2n,y the\nfollowing passage-When ye shall hear the signs of GOD, they shall not be\nbelieved, but they shall be laughed to scorn.  Therefore sit not with them who\nbelieve not, until they engage in different discourse; for if ye do ye will\ncertainly become like unto them.  GOD will surely gather the ungodly and the\nunbelievers together in hell.\n140\tThey who wait to observe what befalleth you, if victory be granted you\nfrom GOD, say, Were we not with you?z  But if any advantage happen to the\ninfidels, they say unto them, Were we not superior to you,a and have we not\ndefended you against the believers?  GOD shall judge between you on the day of\nresurrection: and GOD will not grant the unbelievers means to prevail over the\nfaithful.\n     The hypocrites act deceitfully with GOD, but he will deceive them; and\nwhen they stand up to pray, they stand carelessly, affecting to be seen of\nmen, and remember not GOD, unless a little,b\n     wavering between faith and infidelity, and adhering neither unto these\nnor unto those:c and for him whom GOD shall lead astray thou shalt find no\ntrue path.\n     O true believers, take not the unbelievers for your protectors besides\nthe faithful.  Will ye furnish GOD with an evident argument of impiety against\nyou?\n\n\tt  It is said that Abda'llah Ebn Sal\u00e2m and his companions told Mohammed\nthat they believed in him, and his Kor\u00e2n, and in Moses, and the Pentateuch,\nand in Ezra, but no farther; whereupon this passage was revealed, declaring\nthat a partial faith is little better than none at all, and that a true\nbeliever must believe in all GOD'S prophets and revelations without\nexception.4\n\tu  These were the Jews, who first believed in Moses, and afterwards fell\ninto idolatry by worshiping the golden calf; and though they repented of that,\nyet in after ages rejected the prophets who were sent to them, and\nparticularly Jesus, the son of Mary, and now filled up the measure of their\nunbelief by rejecting of Mohammed.5\n\tx  Mohammed here means those who hypocritically pretended to believe in\nhim but really did not, and by their treachery did great mischief to his\nparty.1\n\ty  Cap. 6.\n\tz  i.e., Did we not assist you?  Therefore give us part of the spoil.2\n\ta  Would not our army have cut you off if it had not been for our faint\nassistance, or rather desertion, of the Moslems, and our disheartening them?3\n\tb  That is, with the tongue, and not with the heart.\n\tc  Halting between two opinions, and being staunch friends neither to\nthe Moslems nor the infidels.\n\n\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t5  Idem.\t\t1  Idem.\t\t2.  Idem.\n\t3  Idem.\n\n\n     Moreover the hypocrites shall be in the lowest bottom of hell fire,d and\nthou shalt not find any to help them thence.\n     But they who repent and amend, and adhere firmly unto GOD, and approve\nthe sincerity of their religion to GOD, they shall be numbered with the\nfaithful; and GOD will surely give the faithful a great reward.\n     And how should GOD go about to punish you, if ye be thankful and believe?\nfor GOD is grateful and wise.\n     GOD loveth not the speaking ill of any one in public, unless he who is\ninjured call for assistance; and GOD heareth and knoweth:\n     whether ye publish a good action, or conceal it, or forgive evil, verily\nGOD is gracious and powerful.\n     They who believe not in GOD, and his apostles, and would make a\ndistinction between GOD and his apostles,e and say, We believe in some of the\nprophets and reject others of them, and seek to take a middle way in this\nmatter;\n150\tthese are really unbelievers: and we have prepared for the unbelievers\nan ignominious punishment.\n     But they who believe in GOD and his apostles, and make no distinction\nbetween any of them, unto those will we surely give their reward; and GOD is\ngracious and merciful.\n     They who have received the scripturesf will demand of thee, that thou\ncause a book to descend unto them from heaven: they formerly asked of Moses a\ngreater thing than this: for they said, Show us GOD visibly.g  Wherefore a\nstorm of fire from heaven destroyed them, because of their iniquity.  Then\nthey took the calf for their God,h after that evident proofs of the divine\nunity had come unto them: but we forgave them that, and gave Moses a manifest\npower to punish them.i\n     And we lifted the mountain of Sinai over them,k when we exacted from them\ntheir covenant; and said unto them, Enter the gate of the city worshipping.l\nWe also said unto them, Transgress not on the Sabbath-day.  And we received\nfrom them a firm covenant, that they would observe these things.\n     Therefore for thatm they have made void their covenant, and have not\nbelieved in the signs of GOD, and have slain the prophets unjustly, and have\nsaid, Our hearts are circumcised; (but GOD hath sealed them up, because of\ntheir unbelief; therefore they shall not believe, except a few of them:)\n     and for that they have not believed in Jesus, and have spoken against\nMary a grievous calumny;n\n\n\td  See the Preliminary Discourse, Sect. IV.\n\te  See c. 2, p. 31, note h.\n\tf  That is, the Jews; who demanded of Mohammed, as a proof of his\nmission, that they might see a book of revelations descend to him from heaven,\nor that he would produce one written in a celestial character, like the two\ntables of Moses.\n\tg  See chapter 2, p. 6.\n\tThis story seems to be an addition to what Moses says of the seventy\nelders, who went up to the mountain with him, and with Aaron, Nadab, and\nAbihu, and saw the GOD of Israel.1\n\th  See chapter 2, p. 6.\n\ti  See ibid. p. 6, note m.\n\tk  See ibid. p. 8.\n\tl  See ibid. p. 7.\n\tm  There being nothing in the following words of this sentence, to\nanswer to the causal for that, Jallalo'ddin supposes something to be\nunderstood to complete the sense, as therefore we have cursed them, or the\nlike.\n\tn  By accusing her of fornication.2\n\n\t1  Exod. xxiv. 9, 10, 11.\t\t2  See the Kor. c. 19, and that\nvirulent book entitled Toldoth Jesu.\n\n\n     and have said, Verily we have slain Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the\napostle of GOD; yet they slew him not, neither crucified him, but he was\nrepresented by one in his likeness;o and verily they who disagreed concerning\nhimp were in a doubt as to this matter, and had no sure knowledge thereof, but\nfollowed only an uncertain opinion.  They did not really kill him; but GOD\ntook him up unto himself: and GOD is mighty and wise.\n     And there shall not be one of those who have received the scriptures, who\nshall not believe in him, before his death;q and on the day of resurrection he\nshall be a witness against them.r\n     Because of the iniquity of those who Judaize, we have forbidden them good\nthings, which had been formerly allowed them;s\n     and because they shut out many from the way of GOD, and have taken usury,\nwhich was forbidden them by the law, and devoured men's substance vainly: we\nhave prepared for such of them as are unbelievers a painful punishment.\n160\tBut those among them who are well grounded in knowledge,t and the\nfaithful, who believe in that which hath been sent down unto thee, and that\nwhich hath been sent down unto the prophets before thee, and who observe the\nstated times of prayer, and give alms, and believe in GOD and the last day\nunto these will we give a great reward.\n     Verily we have revealed our will unto thee, as we have revealed it unto\nNoah and the prophets who succeeded him; and as we revealed it unto Abraham,\nand Ismael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and unto Jesus, and Job, and\nJonas, and Aaron, and Solomon; and we have given thee the Koran, as we gave\nthe psalms unto David:\n     some apostles have we sent, whom we have formerly mentioned unto thee;\nand other apostles have we sent, whom we have not mentioned unto thee; and GOD\nspake unto Moses, discoursing with him;\n     apostles declaring good tidings, and denouncing threats, lest men should\nhave an argument of excuse against GOD, after the apostles had been sent unto\nthem; GOD is mighty and wise.\n     GOD is witness of that revelation which he hath sent down unto thee; he\nsent it down with his special knowledge: the angels also are witnesses\nthereof; but GOD is a sufficient witness.\n     They who believe not, and turn aside others from the way of GOD, have\nerred in a wide mistake.\n\n\to  See chapter 3, p. 38, and the notes there.\n\tp  For some maintained that he was justly and really crucified; some\ninsisted that it was not Jesus who suffered, but another who resembled him in\nthe face, pretending the other parts of his body, by their unlikeness, plainly\ndiscovered the imposition; some said he was taken up into heaven; and others,\nthat his manhood only suffered, and that his godhead ascended into heaven.3\n\tq  This passage is expounded two ways.\n\tSome, referring the relative his, to the first antecedent, take the\nmeaning to be, that no Jew or Christian shall die before he believes in Jesus:\nfor they say, that when one of either of those religions is ready to breathe\nhis last, and sees the angel of death before him, he shall then believe in\nthat prophet as he ought, though his faith will not then be of any avail.\nAccording to a tradition of Hej\u00e2j, when a Jew is expiring, the angels will\nstrike him on the back and face, and say to him, O thou enemy of GOD, Jesus\nwas sent as a prophet unto thee, and thou didst not believe on him; to which\nhe will answer, I now believe him to be the servant of GOD; and to a dying\nChristian they will say, Jesus was sent as a prophet unto thee, and thou hast\nimagined him to be GOD, or the son of GOD; whereupon he will believe him to be\nthe servant of GOD only, and his apostle.\n\tOthers, taking the above-mentioned relative to refer to Jesus, suppose\nthe intent of the passage to be, that all Jews and Christians in general shall\nhave a right faith in that prophet before his death, that is, when he descends\nfrom heaven and returns into the world, where he is to kill Antichrist, and to\nestablish the Mohammedan religion, and a most perfect tranquility and security\non earth.1\n\tr  i.e., Against the Jews, for rejecting him; and against the\nChristians, for calling him GOD, and the son of GOD.2\n\ts  See chapter 3, p. 38 and 42, and the notes there.\n\tt  As Abda'llah Ebn Sal\u00e2m, and his companions.3\n\n\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t1  Jallalo'ddin, Yahya, al Zamakhshari, and al\nBeid\u00e2wi.  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3\nIdem.\n\n\n     Verily those who believe not, and act unjustly, GOD will by no means\nforgive, neither will he direct them into any other way,\n     than the way of hell; they shall remain therein forever: and this is easy\nwith GOD.\n     O men, now is the apostle come unto you, with truth from your LORD;\nbelieve therefore, it will be better for you.  But if ye disbelieve, verily\nunto GOD belongeth whatsoever is in heaven and on earth; and GOD is knowing\nand wise.\n     O ye who have received the scriptures, exceed not the just bounds in your\nreligion,u neither say of GOD any other than the truth.  Verily Christ Jesus\nthe son of Mary is the apostle of GOD, and his Word, which he conveyed into\nMary, and a spirit proceeding from him.  Believe therefore in GOD, and his\napostles, and say not, There are  three Gods;x forbear this; it will be better\nfor you.  GOD is but one GOD.  Far be it from him that he should have a son!\nunto him belongeth whatever is in heaven and on earth; and GOD is a sufficient\nprotector.\n170\tChrist doth not proudly disdain to be a servant unto GOD; neither the\nangels who approach near to his presence:\n     and whoso disdaineth his service, and is puffed up with pride, God will\ngather them all to himself, on the last day.\n     Unto those who believe, and do that which is right, he shall give their\nrewards, and shall superabundantly add unto them of his liberality: but those\nwho are disdainful and proud, he will punish with a grievous punishment;\n     and they shall not find any to protect or to help them, besides GOD.\n     O men, now is an evident proof come unto you from your LORD, and we have\nsent down unto you manifest light.y  They who believe in GOD and firmly adhere\nto him, he will lead them into mercy from him, and abundance; and he will\ndirect them in the right way to himself.z\n     They will consult thee for thy decision in certain cases; say unto them,\nGOD giveth you these determinations, concerning the more remote degrees of\nkindred.a  If a man die without issue, and have a sister, she shall have the\nhalf of what he shall leave:b and he shall be heir to her,c in case she have\nno issue.  But if there be two sisters they shall have between them two third\nparts of what he shall leave; and if there be several, both brothers and\nsisters, a male shall have as much as the portion of two females.  GOD\ndeclareth unto you these precepts, lest ye err: and GOD knoweth all things.\n\n\tu  Either by rejecting and contemning of Jesus as the Jews do; or\nraising him to an equality with GOD, as do the Christians.4\n\tx  Namely, God, Jesus, and Mary.1  For the eastern writers mention a\nsect of Christians which held the Trinity to be composed of those three;2 but\nit is allowed that this heresy has been long since extinct.3  The passage,\nhowever, is equally levelled against the Holy Trinity, according to the\ndoctrine of the orthodox Christians, who, as al Beid\u00e2wi acknowledges, believe\nthe divine nature to consist of three persons, the Father, the Son, and the\nHoly Ghost; by the Father understanding GOD'S essence; by the Son his\nknowledge, and by the Holy Ghost his life.\n\ty  That is, Mohammed and his Kor\u00e2n.\n\tz  viz., Into the religion of Isl\u00e2m, in this world, and the way to\nparadise in the next.4\n\ta  See the beginning of this chapter, p. 53.\n\tb  And the other half will go to the public treasury.\n\tc  That is, he shall inherit her whole substance.\n\n\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t1  Idem, Jallalo'ddin, Yahya.\t\t2  Elmacin.\np. 227.  Eutych. p. 120.  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. II\t\t3  Ahmed Ebn\nAbd'al Halim.\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n  CHAPTER V.\n\nENTITLED, THE TABLE;d REVEALED AT MEDINA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     O TRUE believers, perform your contracts.  Ye are allowed to eat the\nbrute cattle,e other than what ye are commanded to abstain from; except the\ngame which ye are allowed at other times, but not while ye are on pilgrimage\nto Mecca; GOD ordaineth that which he pleaseth.\n     O true believers, violate not the holy rites of GOD,f nor the sacred\nmonth,g nor the offering, nor the ornaments hung thereon,h nor those who are\ntravelling to the holy house, seeking favor from their LORD, and to please\nhim.\n     But when ye shall have finished your pilgrimage; then hunt.  And let not\nthe malice of some, in that they hindered you from entering the sacred\ntemple,i provoke you to transgress, by taking revenge on them in the sacred\nmonths.  Assist one another according to justice and piety, but assist not one\nanother in injustice and malice: therefore fear GOD; for GOD is severe in\npunishing.\n     Ye are forbidden to eat that which dieth of itself, and blood, and\nswine's flesh, and that on which the name of any besides GOD hath been\ninvocated;k and that which hath been strangled, or killed by a blow, or by a\nfall, or by the horns of another beast, and that which hath been eaten by a\nwild beast,l except what ye shall kill yourselves;m and that which hath been\nsacrificed unto idols.n  It is likewise unlawful for you to make division by\ncasting lots with arrows.o  This is an impiety.  On this day,p woe be unto\nthose who have apostatized from their religion; therefore fear not them, but\nfear me.\n     This day have I perfected your religion for you,q and have completed my\nmercy upon you;r and I have chosen for you Islam, to be your religion.  But\nwhosoever shall be driven by necessity through hunger, to eat of what we have\nforbidden, not designing to sin, surely GOD will be indulgent and merciful\nunto him.\n\n\td  The title is taken from the Table, which, towards the end of the\nchapter, is fabled to have been let down from heaven to Jesus.  It is\nsometimes also called the chapter of Contracts, which word occurs in the first\nverse.\n\te  As camels, oxen, and sheep; and also wild cows, antelopes, &c.;1 but\nnot swine, nor what is taken in hunting during the pilgrimage.\n\tf  i.e., The ceremonies used in the pilgrimage of Mecca.\n\tg  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. VII.\n\th  The offering here meant is the sheep led to Mecca, to be there\nsacrificed, about the neck of which they used to hang garlands, green boughs,\nor some other ornament, that it may be distinguished as a thing sacred.2\n\ti  In the expedition of Al Hodeibiya.3\n\tk  For the idolatrous Arabs used, in killing any animal for food, to\nconsecrate it, as it were, to their idols, by saying, In the name of All\u00e2t, or\nal Uzza.4\n\tl  Or by a creature trained up to hunting.5\n\tm  That is, unless ye come up time enough to find life in the animal,\nand to cut its throat.\n\tn  The word also signifies certain stones, which the pagan Arabs used to\nset up near their houses, and on which they superstitiously slew animals, in\nhonour of their gods.6\n\to  See Prelim. Disc. Sect. V.\n\tp  This passage, it is said, was revealed on Friday evening, being the\nday of the pilgrims visiting Mount Arafat, the last time Mohammed visited the\ntemple of Mecca, therefore called the pilgrimage of valediction.7\n\tq  And therefore the commentators say, that after this time, no positive\nor negative precept was given.1\n\tr  By having given you a true and perfect religion; or, by the taking of\nMecca, and the destruction of idolatry.\n\n\t1  Jallalo'ddin, al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.\n\t3  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. II.\n4  See c. 2, p. 18.\t\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t6  Idem.\t\t7\nIdem.  See Prid. Life of Mahom. p. 99.\n1  Vide Abulfed. Vit. Moh. p. 131.\n\n\n     They will ask thee what is allowed them as lawful to eat?  Answer, Such\nthings as are goods are allowed you; and what ye shall teach animals of prey\nto catch,t training them up for hunting after the manner of dogs, and teaching\nthem according to the skill which GOD hath taught you.  Eat therefore of that\nwhich they shall catch for you; and commemorate the name of GOD thereon;u and\nfear GOD, for GOD is swift in taking an account.\n     This day are ye allowed to eat such things as are good, and the food of\nthose to whom the scriptures were givenx is also allowed as lawful unto you;\nand your food is allowed as lawful unto them.  And ye are also allowed to\nmarry free women that are believers, and also free women of those who have\nreceived the scriptures before you, when ye shall have assigned them their\ndower; living chastely with them, neither committing fornication, nor taking\nthem for concubines.  Whoever shall renounce the faith, his work shall be\nvain, and in the next life he shall be of those who perish.\n     O true believers, when ye prepare yourselves to pray, wash your faces,\nand your hands unto the elbows; and rub your heads, and your feet unto the\nankles;\n     and if ye be polluted by having lain with a woman, wash yourselves all\nover.  But if ye be sick, or on a journey, or any of you cometh from the\nprivy, or if ye have touched women, and ye find no water, take fine clean\nsand, and rub your faces and your hands therewith; GOD would not put a\ndifficulty upon you; but he desireth to purify you, and to complete his favor\nupon you, that ye may give thanks.\n10\tRemember the favor of GOD towards you, and his covenant which he hath\nmade with you, when ye said, We have heard, and will obey.y  Therefore fear\nGod, for God knoweth the innermost parts of the breasts of men.\n     O true believers, observe justice when ye appear as witnesses before GOD,\nand let not hatred towards any induce you to do wrong: but act justly; this\nwill approach nearer unto piety; and fear GOD, for GOD is fully acquainted\nwith what ye do.\n     GOD hath promised unto those who believe, and do that which is right,\nthat they shall receive pardon and a great reward.\n     But they who believe not, and accuse our signs of falsehood, they shall\nbe the companions of hell.\n     O true believers, remember God's favor towards you, when certain men\ndesigned to stretch forth their hands against you, but he restrained their\nhands from hurting you;z therefore fear GOD and in GOD let the faithful trust.\n\n\ts  Not such as are filthy, or unwholesome.\n\tt  Whether beasts or birds.\n\tu  Either when ye let go the hound, hawk, or other animal, after the\ngame; or when ye kill it.\n\tx  viz., Slain or dressed by Jews or Christians.\n\ty  These words are the form used at the inauguration of a prince; and\nMohammed here intends the oath of fidelity which his followers had taken to\nhim at al Akaba.2\n\tz  The commentators tell several stories as the occasion of this\npassage.  One says, that Mohammed and some of his followers being at Osf\u00e2n (a\nplace not far from Mecca, in the way to Medina), and performing their noon\ndevotions, a company of idolaters, who were in view, repented they had not\ntaken that opportunity of attacking them, and therefore waited till the hour\nof evening prayer, intending to fall upon them then: but GOD defeated their\ndesign, by revealing the verse of fear.  Another relates, that the prophet\ngoing to the tribe of Koreidha (who were Jews) to levy a fine for the blood of\ntwo Moslems, who had been killed by mistake, by Amru Ebn Ommeya al Dimri, they\ndesired him to sit down and eat with them, and they would pay the fine;\nMohammed complying with their request, while he was sitting, they laid a\ndesign against his life, one Amru Ebn Jah\u00e2sh undertaking to throw a millstone\nupon him; but GOD withheld his hand, and Gabriel immediately descended to\nacquaint the prophet with their treachery, upon which he rose up and went his\nway.  A third story is, that Mohammed having hung up his arms on a tree, under\nwhich he was resting himself, and his companions being dispersed some distance\nfrom him, an Arab of the desert came up to him and drew his sword, saying, Who\nhindereth me from killing thee? To which Mohammed answered, GOD; and Gabriel\nbeating the sword out of the Arab's hand, Mohammed took it up, and asked him\nthe same question, Who hinders me from killing thee? the Arab replied, nobody,\nand immediately professed Mohammedism.1  Ab\u00fblfeda2 tells the same story, with\nsome variation of circumstances.\n\n\t2  Vide Abulfed. ibid. p. 43, and the Prelim. Disc. Sect. II.\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Vit. Moh. p. 73.\n\n\n     GOD formerly accepted the covenant of the children of Israel, and we\nappointed out of them twelve leaders: and GOD said, Verily I am with you:a if\nye observe prayer, and give alms, and believe in my apostles, and assist them,\nand lend unto GOD on good usury,b I will surely expiate your evil deeds from\nyou, and I will lead you into gardens, wherein rivers flow: but he among you\nwho disbelieveth after this, erreth from the straight path.\n     Wherefore because they have broken their covenant, we have cursed them,\nand hardened their hearts; they dislocate the words of the Pentateuch from\ntheir places, and have forgotten part of what they were admonished; and thou\nwilt not cease to discover deceitful practices among them, except a few of\nthem.  But forgive them,c and pardon them, for GOD loveth the beneficent.\n     And from those who say, We are Christians, we have received their\ncovenant; but they have forgotten part of what they were admonished; wherefore\nwe have raised up enmity and hatred among them, till the day of resurrection;\nand GOD will then surely declare unto them what they have been doing.\n     O ye who have received the scriptures, now is our apostle come unto you,\nto make manifest unto you many things which ye concealed in the scriptures;d\nand to pass overe many things.  Now is light and a perspicuous book of\nrevelations come unto you from God.  Thereby will GOD direct him who shall\nfollow his good pleasure, into the paths of peace; and shall lead them out of\ndarkness into light, by his will, and shall direct them in the right way.\n     They are infidels, who say, Verily GOD is Christ the son of Mary.  Say\nunto them, And who could obtain anything from GOD to the contrary, if he\npleased to destroy Christ the son of Mary, and his mother, and all those who\nare on the earth?\n20\tFor unto GOD belongeth the kingdom of heaven and earth, and whatsoever\nis contained between them; he createth what he pleaseth, and GOD is almighty.\n\n\ta  After the Israelites had escaped from Pharaoh, GOD ordered them to go\nagainst Jericho, which was then inhabited by giants, of the race of the\nCanaanites, promising to give it into their hands; and Moses, by the divine\ndirection, appointed a prince or captain over each tribe, to lead them in that\nexpedition,3 and when they came to the borders of the land of Canaan, sent the\ncaptains as spies to get information of the state of the country, enjoining\nthem secresy; but they being terrified at the prodigious size and strength of\nthe inhabitants, disheartened the people by publicly telling them what they\nhad seen, except only Caleb the son of Yufanna (Jephunneh) and Joshua the son\nof Nun.4\n\tb  By contributing towards this holy war.\n\tc  That is, if they repent and believe, or submit to pay tribute.  Some,\nhowever, think these words are abrogated by the verse of the sword.5\n\td  Such as the verse of stoning adulterers,6 the description of\nMohammed, and Christ's prophecy of him by the name of Ahmed.7\n\te  i.e., Those which it was not necessary to restore.\n\n\t3  See Numb. i. 4. 5.\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  Numb. xiii. and xiv\n\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t6  See c. 3, p. 34.\n7  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     The Jews and the Christians say, We are the children of GOD and his\nbeloved.  Answer, Why therefore doth he punish you for your sins?  Nay, but ye\nare men, of those whom he hath created.  He forgiveth whom he pleaseth, and\npunisheth whom he pleaseth; and unto GOD belongeth the kingdom of heaven and\nearth, and of what is contained between them both; and unto him shall all\nthings return.\n     O ye who have received the scriptures, now is our apostle come unto you,\ndeclaring unto you the true religion, during the cessation of apostles,f lest\nye should say, There came unto us no bearer of good tidings, nor any warner:\nbut now is a bearer of good tidings, and a warner come unto you; for GOD is\nalmighty.\n     Call to mind when Moses said unto his people, O my people, remember the\nfavor of GOD towards you, since he hath appointed prophets among you, and\nconstituted you kings,g and bestowed on you what he hath given to no other\nnation in the world.h\n     O my people, enter the holy land, which GOD hath decreed you, and turn\nnot your backs, lest ye be subverted and perish.\n     They answered, O Moses, verily there are a gigantic people in the land;i\nand we will by no means enter it, until they depart thence; but if they depart\nthence, then will we enter therein.\n     And two menk of those who feared GOD, unto whom GOD had been gracious,\nsaid, Enter ye upon them suddenly by the gate of the city;  and when ye shall\nhave entered the same, ye shall surely be victorious: therefore trust in GOD,\nif ye are true believers.\n     They replied, O Moses, we will never enter the land, while they remain\ntherein: go therefore thou, and thy LORD, and fight; for we will sit here.\n     Moses said, O LORD, surely I am not master of any except myself, and my\nbrother; therefore make a distinction between us and the ungodly people.\n     GOD answered, Verily the land shall be forbidden them forty years; during\nwhich time they shall wander like men astonished on the earth;l therefore be\nnot thou solicitous for the ungodly people.\n\n\tf  The Arabic word al Fatra signifies the intermediate space of time\nbetween two prophets, during which no new revelation or dispensation was\ngiven; as the interval between Moses and Jesus, and between Jesus and\nMohammed, at the expiration of which last, Mohammed pretended to be sent.\n\tg  This was fulfilled either by GOD'S giving them a kingdom, and a long\nseries of princes; or by his having made them kings or masters of themselves,\nby delivering them from the Egyptian bondage.\n\th  Having divided the Red Sea for you, and guided you by a cloud, and\nfed you with quails and manna, &c.1\n\ti  The largest of these giants, the commentators say, was Og, the son of\nAnak; concerning whose enormous stature, his escaping the Flood, and the\nmanner of his being slain by Moses, the Mohammedans relate several absurd\nfables.2\n\tk  Namely, Caleb and Joshua.\n\tl  The commentators pretend that the Israelites, while they thus\nwandered in the desert, were kept within the compass of about eighteen (or as\nsome say twenty-seven) miles; and that though they travelled from morning to\nnight, yet they constantly found themselves the next day at the place from\nwhence they set out.1\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Vide Marraacc. in Alcor. p. 231, &c.\nD'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 336.\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n30\tRelate unto them also the history of the two sons of Adam,m with truth.\nWhen they offeredn their offering, and it was accepted from one of them,o and\nwas not accepted from the other, Cain said to his brother, I will certainly\nkill thee.  Abel answered, GOD only accepteth the offering of the pious;\n     if thou stretchest forth thy hand against me, to slay me, I will not\nstretch forth my hand against thee, to slay thee; for I fear GOD, the LORD of\nall creatures.p\n     I choose that thou shouldest bear my iniquity and thine own iniquity; and\nthat thou become a companion of hell fire; for that is the reward of the\nunjust.q\n     But his soul suffered him to slay his brother, and he slew him;r\nwherefore he became of the number of those who perish.\n     And GOD sent a raven, which scratched the earth, to show him how he\nshould hide the shame of his brother,s and he said, Woe is me! am I unable to\nbe like this raven, that I may hide my brother's shame? and he became one of\nthose who repent.\n     Wherefore we commanded the children of Israel, that he who slayeth a\nsoul, without having slain a soul, or committed wickedness in the earth,t\nshall be as if he had slain all mankind:u but he who saveth a soul alive,\nshall be as if he had saved the lives of all mankind.\n     Our apostles formerly came unto them, with evident miracles; then were\nmany of them after this, transgressors on the earth.\n     But the recompense of those who fight against GOD and his apostle, and\nstudy to act corruptly in the earth, shall be, that they shall be slain, or\ncrucified, or have their hands and their feet cut off on the opposite sides,\nor be banished the land.x  This shall be their disgrace in this world, and in\nthe  next world they shall suffer a grievous punishment;\n     except those who shall repent, before ye prevail against them; for know\nthat GOD is inclined to forgive, and merciful.\n\n\tm  viz., Cain and Abel, whom the Mohammedans call K\u00e2bil and H\u00e2bil.\n\tn  The occasion of their making this offering is thus related, according\nto the common tradition in the east.2  Each of them being born with a twin\nsister, when they were grown up, Adam, by God's direction, ordered Cain to\nmarry Abel's twin sister, and that Abel should marry Cain's (for it being the\ncommon opinion that marriages ought not to be had in the nearest degrees of\nconsanguinity, since they must necessarily marry their sisters, it seemed\nreasonable to suppose they ought to take those of the remoter degree), but\nthis Cain refusing to agree to, because his own sister was the handsomest,\nAdam ordered them to make their offerings to GOD, thereby referring the\ndispute to his determination.3  The commentators say Cain's offering was a\nsheaf of the very worst of his corn, but Abel's a fat lamb, of the best of his\nflock.\n\to  Namely, from Abel, whose sacrifice GOD declared his acceptance of in\na visible manner, by causing fire to descend from heaven and consume it,\nwithout touching that of Cain.4\n\tp  To enhance Abel's patience, al Beid\u00e2wi tells us, that he was the\nstronger of the two, and could easily have prevailed against his brother.\n\tq  The conversation between the two brothers is related somewhat to the\nsame purpose in the Jerusalem Targum and that of Jonathan ben Uzziel.\n\tr  Some say he knocked out his brains with a stone;5 and pretend that as\nCain was considering which way he should effect the murder, the devil appeared\nto him in a human shape, and showed him how to do it, by crushing the head of\na bird between two stones.6\n\ts  i.e., His dead corpse.  For Cain, having committed this fratricide,\nbecame exceedingly troubled in his mind, and carried the dead body about on\nhis shoulders for a considerable time, not knowing where to conceal it, till\nit stank horridly; and then God taught him to bury it by the example of a\nraven, who having killed another raven in his presence, dug a pit with his\nclaws and beak, and buried him therein.7  For this circumstance of the raven\nMohammed was beholden to the Jews, who tell the same story, except only that\nthey make the raven to appear to Adam, and that he thereupon buried his son.8\n\tt  Such as idolatry, or robbing on the highway.1\n\tu  Having broken the commandment which forbids the shedding of blood.\n\tx  The lawyers are not agreed as to the applying of these punishments.\nBut the commentators suppose that they who commit murder only are to be put to\ndeath in the ordinary way; those who murder and rob too, to be crucified;\nthose who rob without committing murder, to have their right hand and their\nleft foot cut off; and they who assault persons and put them in fear, to be\nbanished.2  It is also a doubt whether they who are to be crucified shall be\ncrucified alive, or be first put to death, or whether they shall hang on the\ncross till they die.3\n\n\t2  Vide Abulfarag, p. 6, 7; Eutych. Annal. p. 15, 16; and D'Herbelot,\nBibl. Orient. Art. Cabil.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n4  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t5  Vide Eutych. ubi supra.\t\t6  Vide\nD'Herbelot, ubi sup.\t\t7  Jallalo'ddin, al Beid\u00e2wi.\n8  Vide R. Eliezer, Pirke, c. 20.\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem,\nJallalo'ddin.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     O true believers, fear GOD, and earnestly desire a near conjunction with\nhim, and fight for his religion, that ye may be happy.\n40\tMoreover they who believe not, although they had whatever is in the\nearth, and as much more withal, that they might therewith redeem themselves\nfrom punishment on the day of resurrection; it shall not be accepted from\nthem, but they shall suffer a painful punishment.\n     They shall desire to go forth from the fire, but they shall not go forth\nfrom it, and their punishment shall be permanent.\n     If a man or a woman steal, cut off their hands,y in retribution for that\nwhich they have committed; this is an exemplary punishment appointed by GOD;\nand GOD is mighty and wise.\n     But whoever shall repent after his iniquity, and amend, verily GOD will\nbe turned unto him,z for GOD is inclined to forgive, and merciful.\n     Dost thou not know that the kingdom of heaven and earth is GOD'S?  He\npunisheth whom he pleaseth, and he pardoneth whom he pleaseth; for GOD is\nalmighty.\n     O apostle, let not them grieve thee, who hasten to infidelity,a either of\nthose who say, We believe, with their mouths, but whose hearts believe not;b\nor of the Jews, who hearken to a lie, and hearken to other people;c who come\nunto thee: they pervert the words of the law from their true places,d and say,\nIf this be brought unto you, receive it; but if it be not brought unto you,\nbeware of receiving aught else;e and in behalf of him whom GOD shall resolve\nto seduce, thou shalt not prevail with GOD at all.  They whose hearts GOD\nshall not please to cleanse shall suffer shame in this world, and a grievous\npunishment in the next:\n     who hearken to a lie, and eat that which is forbidden.f  But if they come\nunto thee for judgment, either judge between them, or leave them;g and if thou\nleave them, they shall not hurt thee at all.  But if thou undertake to judge,\njudge between them with equity; for GOD loveth those who observe justice.\n\n\ty  But this punishment, according to the Sonna, is not to be inflicted,\nunless the value of the thing stolen amount to four din\u00e2rs, or about forty\nshillings.  For the first offence, the criminal is to lose his right hand,\nwhich is to be cut off at the wrist; for the second offence, his left foot, at\nthe ankle; for the third, his left hand; for the fourth, his right foot; and\nif he continue to offend, he shall be scourged at the discretion of the\njudge.4\n\tz  That is, GOD will not punish him for it hereafter; but his repentance\ndoes not supersede the execution of the law here, nor excuse him from making\nrestitution.  Yet, according to al Sh\u00e2fe\u00ef, he shall not be punished if the\nparty wronged forgive him before he be carried before a magistrate.5\n\ta  i.e., Who take the first opportunity to throw off the mask, and join\nthe unbelievers.\n\tb  viz., The hypocritical Mohammedans.\n\tc  These words are capable of two senses; and may either mean that they\nattended to the lies and forgeries of their Rabbins, neglecting the\nremonstrances of Mohammed; or else, that they came to hear Mohammed as spies\nonly, that they might report what he said to their companions, and represent\nhim as a liar.1\n\td  See chapter 4, p. 59, note e.\n\te  That is, if what Mohammed tells you agrees with scripture, as\ncorrupted and dislocated by us, then you may accept it as the word of GOD; but\nif not, reject it.  These words, it is said, relate to the sentence pronounced\nby that prophet on an adulterer and an adulteress,2 both persons of some\nfigure among the Jews.  For they, it seems, though they referred the matter to\nMohammed, yet directed the persons who carried the criminals before him, that\nif he ordered them to be scourged, and to have their faces blackened (by way\nof ignominy), they should acquiesce in his determination; but in case he\ncondemned them to be stoned, they should not.  And Mohammed pronouncing the\nlatter sentence against them, they refused to execute it, till Ebn S\u00fbriya (a\nJew), who was called upon to decide the matter, acknowledged the law to be so-\nwhereupon they were stoned at the door of the mosque.3\n\tf  Some understand this of unlawful meats; but others of taking or\ndevouring, as it is expressed, of usury and bribes.4\n\tg  i.e., Take thy choice, whether thou wilt determine their differences\nor not.  Hence al Sh\u00e2fe\u00ef was of opinion that a judge was not obliged to decide\ncauses between Jews or Christians; though if one or both of them be\ntributaries, or under the protection of the Mohammedans, they are obliged:\nthis verse not regarding them.  Abu Han\u00eefa, however, thought that the\nmagistrates were obliged to judge all cases which were submitted to them.6\n\n\t4  Jallalo'ddin, Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t5  Idem.\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\t2  See c. 3, p. 34, note r\n3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t4  Idem.\t\t6  Idem.\n\n\n     And how will they submit to thy decision, since they have the law,\ncontaining the judgment of GOD?h Then will they turn their backs, after this;i\nbut those are not true believers.k\n     We have surely sent down the law, containing direction, and light:\nthereby did the prophets, who professed the true religion, judge those who\njudaized; and the doctors and priests also judged by the book of GOD, which\nhad been committed to their custody; and they were witnesses thereof.l\nTherefore fear not men, but fear me; neither sell my signs for a small price.\nAnd whoso judgeth not according to what GOD hath revealed, they are infidels.\n     We have therein commanded them, that they should give life for life,m and\neye for eye, and nose for nose, and ear for ear, and tooth for tooth; and that\nwounds should also be punished by retaliation:n but whoever should remit it as\nalms, it should be accepted as an atonement for him.  And whoso judgeth not\naccording to what GOD hath revealed, they are unjust.\n50\tWe also caused Jesus the son of Mary to follow the footsteps of the\nprophets, confirming the law which was sent down before him; and we gave him\nthe gospel, containing direction and light; confirming also the law which was\ngiven before it, and a direction and admonition unto those who fear God:\n     that they who have received the gospel might judge according to what GOD\nhath revealed therein: and whoso judgeth not according to what GOD hath\nrevealed, they are transgressors.\n     We have also sent down unto thee the book of the Koran with truth,\nconfirming that scripture which was revealed before it; and preserving the\nsame safe from corruption.  Judge therefore between them according to that\nwhich GOD hath revealed; and follow not their desires, by swerving from the\ntruth which hath come unto thee.  Unto every of you have we given a law, and\nan open path;\n     and if GOD had pleased, he had surely made you one people;o but he hath\nthought fit to give you different laws, that he might try you in that which he\nhath given you respectively.  Therefore strive to excel each other in good\nworks: unto GOD shall ye all return, and then will he declare unto you that\nconcerning which ye have disagreed.\n\n\th  In the following passage Mohammed endeavours to answer the objections\nof the Jews and Christians, who insisted that they ought to be judged, the\nformer by the law of Moses, and the latter by the gospel.  He allows that the\nlaw was the proper rule of judging till the coming revelation of the Kor\u00e2n,\nwhich is so far from being contradictory to either of the former, that it is\nmore full and explicit; declaring several points which had been stifled or\ncorrupted therein, and requiring a rigorous execution of the precepts in both,\nwhich had been too remissly observed, or rather neglected, by the latter\nprofessors of those religions.\n\ti  That is, notwithstanding their outward submission, they will not\nabide by thy sentence, though conformable to the law, if it contradict their\nown false and loose decisions.\n\tk  As gainsaying the doctrine of the books which they acknowledge for\nscripture.\n\tl  That is, vigilant, to prevent any corruptions therein.\n\tm  The original word is soul.\n\tn  See Exod. xxi. 24, &c.\n\to  i.e., He had given you the same laws, which should have continued in\nforce through all ages, without being abolished or changed by new\ndispensations; or he could have forced you all to embrace the Mohammedan\nreligion.1\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Idem.\n\n\n     Wherefore do thou, O prophet, judge between them according to that which\nGOD hath revealed, and follow not their desires; but beware of them, lest they\ncause thee to errp from part of those precepts which GOD hath sent down unto\nthee; and if they turn back,q know that GOD is pleased to punish them for some\nof their crimes; for a great number of men are transgressors.\n     Do they therefore desire the judgment of the time of ignorance?r but who\nis better than GOD, to judge between people who reason aright?\n     O true believers, take not the Jews or Christians for your friends; they\nare friends the one to the other; but whoso among you taketh them for his\nfriends, he is surely one of them: verily GOD directeth not unjust people.\n     Thou shalt see those in whose hearts there is an infirmity, to hasten\nunto them, saying, We fear lest some adversity befall us;s but it is easy for\nGOD to give victory, or a command from him,t that they may repent of that\nwhich they concealed in their minds.\n     And they who believe will say, Are these the men who have sworn by GOD,\nwith a most firm oath, that they surely held with you?u their works are become\nvain, and they are of those who perish.\n     O true believers, whoever of you apostatizeth from his religion, GOD will\ncertainly bring other people to supply his place,x whom he will love, and who\nwill love him; who shall be humble towards the believers; but severe to the\nunbelievers: they shall fight for the religion of GOD, and shall not fear the\nobloquy of the detractor.  This is the bounty of GOD, he bestoweth it on whom\nhe pleaseth: GOD is extensive and wise.\n\n\tp  It is related that certain of the Jewish priests came to Mohammed\nwith a design to entrap him; and having first represented to him that if they\nacknowledged him for a prophet, the rest of the Jews would certainly follow\ntheir example, made this proposal-that if he would give judgment for them in a\ncontroversy of moment which they pretended to have with their own people, and\nwhich was agreed to be referred to his decision, they would believe him; but\nthis Mohammed absolutely refused to comply with.2\n\tq  Or refuse to be judged by the Kor\u00e2n.\n\tr  That is, to be judged according to the customs of paganism, which\nindulge the passions and vicious appetites of mankind: for this, it seems, was\ndemanded by the Jewish tribes of Koreidha and al Nad\u00eer.3\n\ts  These were the words of Ebn Obba, who, when Ob\u00e2dah Ebn al S\u00e2mat\npublicly renounced the friendship of the infidels, and professed that he took\nGOD and his apostle for his patrons, said that he was a man apprehensive of\nthe fickleness of fortune, and therefore would not throw off his old friends,\nwho might be of service to him hereafter.1\n\tt  To extirpate and banish the Jews; or to detect and punish the\nhypocrites.\n\tu  These words may be spoken by the Mohammedans either to one another or\nto the Jews, since these hypocrites had given their oaths to both.2\n\tx  This is one of those accidents which, it is pretended, were foretold\nby the Kor\u00e2n long before they came to pass.  For in the latter days of\nMohammed, and after his death, considerable numbers of the Arabs quitted his\nreligion, and returned to Paganism, Judaism, or Christianity.  Al Beid\u00e2wi\nreckons them up in the following order.  1.  Three companies of Banu Modlaj,\nseduced by Dhu'lham\u00e2r al Aswad al Ansi, who set up for a prophet in Yaman, and\ngrew very powerful there.3  2.  Banu Honeifa, who followed the famous false\nprophet Moseilama.4  3.  Banu Asad, who acknowledged Toleiha Ebn Khowailed,\nanother Banu Asad, who acknowledged Toleiha Ebn Khowailed, another pretender\nto divine revelation,5 for their prophet.  All these fell off in Mohammed's\nlifetime.  The following, except only the last, apostatized in the reign of\nAbu Becr.  4.  Certain of the tribe of Fez\u00e2rah, headed by Oyeyma Ebn Hosein.\n5.  Some of the tribe of Ghatf\u00e2n, whose leader was Korrah Ebn Salma.  6.  Banu\nSoleim, who followed al Faj\u00e2ah Ebn Ad Yal\u00eel.  7.  Banu Yarbu, whose captain\nwas Malec Ebn Noweirah Ebn Kais.  8.  Part of the tribe of Tam\u00eem, the\nproselytes of Saj\u00e2j the daughter of al Mondhar, who gave herself out for a\nprophetess.6  9.  The tribe of Kendah, led by al Ash\u00e1th Ebn Kais.  10.  Banu\nBecr Ebn al Wayel, in the province of Bahrein, headed by al Hotam Ebn Zeid.\nAnd, 11.  Some of the tribe of Ghass\u00e2n, who with their prince Jabalah Ebn al\nAyham, renounced Mohammedism in the time of Omar, and returned to their former\nprofession of Christianity.7\n\tBut as to the persons who fulfilled the other part of this prophecy, by\nsupplying the loss of so many renegades, the commentators are not agreed.\nSome will have them to be the inhabitants of Yaman, and others the Persians;\nthe authority of Mohammed himself being vouched for both opinions.  Others,\nhowever, suppose them to be 2,000 of the tribe of al Nakh\u00e1 (who dwelt in\nYaman), 5,000 of those of Kendah and Baj\u00eelah, and 3,000 of unknown descent,8\nwho were present at the famous battle of Kadesia, fought in the Khal\u00eefat of\nOmar, and which put an end to the Persian empire.9\n\n\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Idem.\n\t3  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. VIII.\n4  See ibid.\t\t5  See Ibid.\t\t6  See ibid.\t\t7  See\nibid. Sect I.\t\t8  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 226.\n9  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n60\tVerily your protector is GOD, and his apostle, and those who believe,\nwho observe the stated times of prayer, and give alms, and who bow down to\nworship.\n     And whoso taketh GOD, and his apostle, and the believers for his friends,\nthey are the party of GOD, and they shall be victorious.\n     O true believers, take not such of those to whom the scriptures were\ndelivered before you, or of the infidels, for your friends, who make a\nlaughing-stock, and a jest of your religion;y but fear GOD, if ye be true\nbelievers;\n     nor those who when ye call to prayer, make a laughing-stock and a jest of\nit;z this they do, because they are people who do not understand.\n     Say, O ye who have received the scriptures, do ye reject us for any other\nreason than because we believe in GOD, and that revelation which hath been\nsent down unto us, and that which was formerly sent down, and for that the\ngreater part of you are transgressors?\n     Say, Shall I denounce unto you a worse thing than this, as to the reward\nwhich ye are to expect with GOD?  He whom GOD hath cursed, and with whom he\nhath been angry, having changed some of them into apes and swine,a and who\nworship Tagh\u00fbt,b they are in the worse condition, and err more widely from the\nstraightness of the path.\n     When they came unto you, they said, We believe: yet they entered into\nyour company with infidelity, and went forth from you with the same; but GOD\nwell knew what they concealed.\n     Thou shalt see many of them hastening unto iniquity and malice, and to\neat things forbidden;c and woe unto them for what they have done.\n     Unless their doctors and priests forbid them uttering wickedness, and\neating things forbidden; woe unto them for what they shall have committed.\n     The Jews say, The hand of GOD is tied up.d  Their hands shall be tied\nup,e and they shall be cursed for that which they have said.  Nay his hands\nare both stretched forth; he bestoweth as he pleaseth: that which hath been\nsent down unto thee from thy LORDf shall increase the transgression and\ninfidelity of many of them; and we have put enmity and hatred between them,\nuntil the day of resurrection.  So often as they shall kindle a fire for war\nGOD shall extinguish it;g and they shall set their minds to act corruptly in\nthe earth, but GOD loveth not the corrupt doers.\n\n\ty  This passage was primarily intended to forbid the Moslems entering\ninto a friendship with two hypocrites named Ref\u00e2a Ebn Zeid, and Soweid Ebn al\nHareth, who, though they had embraced Mohammedism, yet ridiculed it on all\noccasions, and were notwithstanding greatly beloved among the prophet's\nfollowers.\n\tz  These words were added on occasion of a certain Christian, who\nhearing the Muadhdhin, or crier, in calling to prayers, repeat this part of\nthe usual form, I profess that Mohammed is the apostle of GOD, said aloud, May\nGOD burn the liar: but a few nights after his own house was accidentally set\non fire by a servant, and himself and his family perished in the flames.1\n\ta  The former were the Jews of Ailah, who broke the sabbath;2 and the\nlatter those who believed not in the miracle of the table which was let down\nfrom heaven to Jesus.3  Some, however, imagine that the Jews of Ailah only are\nmeant in this place, pretending that the young men among them were\nmetamorphosed into apes, and the old men into swine.4\n\tb  See chap. 2, p. 28.\n\tc  See before, p. 73.\n\td  That is, he is become niggardly and close-fisted.  These were the\nwords of Phineas Ebn Az\u00fbra (another indecent expression of whom, almost to the\nsame purpose, is mentioned elsewhere)5 when the Jews were much impoverished by\na dearth, which the commentators will have to be a judgment on them for their\nrejecting of Mohammed; and the other Jews who heard him, instead of reproving\nhim, expressed their approbation of what he had said.6\n\te  i.e., They shall be punished with want and avarice.  The words may\nalso allude to the manner wherein the reprobates shall appear at the last day,\nhaving their right hands tied up to their necks;7 which is the proper\nsignification of the Arabic word.\n\tf  viz., The Kor\u00e2n.\n\tg  Either by raising feuds and quarrels among themselves, or by granting\nthe victory to the Moslems.  Al Beid\u00e2wi adds, that on the Jews neglecting the\ntrue observance of their law, and corrupting their religion, GOD has\nsuccessively delivered them into the hands, first of Bakht Nasr or\nNebuchadnezzar, then of Titus the Roman, and afterwards of the Persians, and\nhas now at last subjected them to the Mohammedans.\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  See c. 2, p. 8.\t\t3  See towards the end\nof this chapter\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n5  Cap. 3, p. 51.\t\t6  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t7  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect.\nIV.\n\n\n70\tMoreover if they who have received the scriptures believe, and fear God,\nwe will surely expiate their sins from them, and we will lead them into\ngardens of pleasure; and if they observe the law, and the gospel, and the\nother scriptures which have been sent down unto them from their LORD, they\nshall surely eat of good things both from above them, and from under their\nfeet.h  Among them there are people who act uprightly; but how evil is that\nwhich many of them do work!\n     O apostle, publish the whole of that which hath been sent down unto thee\nfrom thy LORD: for if thou do not, thou dost not in effect publish any part\nthereof;i and GOD will defend thee against wicked men;k for GOD directeth not\nthe unbelieving people.\n     Say, O ye who have received the scriptures, ye are not grounded on\nanything, until ye observe the law and the gospel and that which hath been\nsent down unto you from your LORD.  That which hath been sent down unto thee\nfrom thy LORD will surely increase the transgression and infidelity of many of\nthem: but be not thou solicitous for the unbelieving people.\n     Verily they who believe, and those who Judaize, and the Sabians, and the\nChristians, whoever of them believeth in GOD and the last day, and doth that\nwhich is right, there shall come no fear on them, neither shall they be\ngrieved.l\n     We formerly accepted the covenant of the children of Israel, and sent\napostles unto them.  So often as an apostle came unto them with that which\ntheir souls desired not, they accused some of them of imposture, and some of\nthem they killed:\n     and they imagined that there should be no punishment for those crimes,\nand they became blind, and deaf.m  Then was GOD turned unto them;n afterwards\nmany of them again became blind and deaf; but GOD saw what they did.\n\n\th  That is, they shall enjoy the blessings both of heaven and earth.\n\ti  That is, if thou do not complete the publication of all thy\nrevelations without exception, thou dost not answer the end for which they\nwere revealed; because the concealing of any part, renders the system of\nreligion which GOD has thought fit to publish to mankind by thy ministry lame\nand imperfect.1\n\tk  Until this verse was revealed, Mohammed entertained a guard of armed\nmen for his security, but on his receiving this assurance of GOD'S protection,\nhe immediately dismissed them.2\n\tl  See chap. 2, p. 8.\n\tm  Shutting their eyes and ears against conviction and the remonstrance\nof the law; as when they worshipped the calf.\n\tn  i.e., Upon their repentance.\n\n\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Idem.\n\n\n     They are surely infidels, who say, Verily GOD is Christ the son of Mary;\nsince Christ said, O children of Israel, serve GOD, my LORD and your LORD;\nwhoever shall give a companion unto GOD, GOD shall exclude him from paradise,\nand his habitation shall be hell fire; and the ungodly shall have none to help\nthem.\n     They are certainly infidels, who say, GOD is the third of three:o for\nthere is no GOD, besides one GOD; and if they refrain not from what they say,\na painful torment shall surely be inflicted on such of them as are\nunbelievers.\n     Will they not therefore be turned unto GOD, and ask pardon of him? since\nGOD is gracious and merciful.\n     Christ the son of Mary is no more than an apostle; other apostles have\npreceded him; and his mother was a woman of veracity:p they both ate food.q\nBehold, how we declare unto them the signs of God's unity; and then behold how\nthey turn aside from the truth.\n80\tSay unto them, Will ye worship, besides GOD, that which can cause you\nneither harm nor profit?  GOD is he who heareth and seeth.\n     Say, O ye who have received the scriptures, exceed not the just bounds in\nyour religion,r by speaking beside the truth; neither follow the desires of\npeople who have heretofore erred, and who have seduced many, and have gone\nastray from the straight path.s\n     Those among the children of Israel who believe not were cursed by the\ntongue of David, and of Jesus the son of Mary.t  This befell them because they\nwere rebellious and transgressed: they forbade not one another the wickedness\nwhich they committed; and woe unto them for what they committed.\n     Thou shalt see many of them take for their friends those who believe not.\nWoe unto them for what their souls have sent before them,u for that GOD is\nincensed against them, and they shall remain in torment forever.\n     But, if they had believed in GOD, and the prophet, and that which hath\nbeen revealed unto him, they had not taken them for their friends; but many of\nthem are evil-doers.\n     Thou shalt surely find the most violent of all men in enmity against the\ntrue believers to be the Jews, and the idolaters: and thou shalt surely find\nthose among them to be the most inclinable to entertain friendship for the\ntrue believers, who say, We are Christians.  This cometh to pass, because\nthere are priests and monks among them; and because they are not elated with\npride:x\n     And when they hear that which hath been sent down to the apostle read\nunto them, thou shalt see their eyes overflow with tears, because of the truth\nwhich they perceive therein,y saying, O LORD, we believe; write us down\ntherefore with those who bear witness to the truth,\n\n\to  See chap. 4, p. 72.\n\tp  Never pretending to partake of the divine nature, or to be the mother\nof GOD.3\n\tq  Being obliged to support their lives by the same means, and being\nsubject to the same necessities and infirmities as the rest of mankind, and\ntherefore no Gods.1\n\tr  See chap. 4, p. 72.  But here the words are principally directed to\nthe Christians.\n\ts  That is, of their prelates and predecessors, who erred in ascribing\ndivinity to Christ, before the mission of Mohammed.2\n\tt  See before, p. 81, note a.\n\tu  See chap. 2, p. 11, note r.\n\tx  Having not that high conceit of themselves, as the Jews have; but\nbeing humble and well disposed to receive the truth; qualities, says al\nBeid\u00e2wi, which are to be commended even in infidels.\n\ty  The persons directly intended in this passage were, either Ashama,\nking of Ethiopia, and several bishops and priests, who, being assembled for\nthat purpose, heard Jaafar Ebn Abi Taleb, who fled to that country in the\nfirst flight,3 read the 29th and 30th, and afterwards the 18th and 19th\nchapters of the Kor\u00e2n; on hearing of which the king and the rest of the\ncompany burst into tears, and confessed what was delivered therein to be\nconformable to truth; that prince himself, in particular, becoming a proselyte\nto Mohammedism:4 or else, thirty, or as others say, seventy persons, sent\nambassadors to Mohammed by the same king of Ethiopia, to whom the prophet\nhimself read the 36th chapter, entitled Y.S.  Whereupon they began to weep,\nsaying, How like is this to that which was revealed unto Jesus! and\nimmediately professed themselves Moslems.5\n\n\t2  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t1  Idem, al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\n\t3  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. II.\n4  Al Beid\u00e2wi, al Thalabi.  Vide Abulfed.  Vit. Moham. p. 25, &c.  Marracc.\nProdr. ad Refut. Alcor. part i. p. 45.\t\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\nVide Marracc. ubi sup.\n\n\n     and what should hinder us from believing in GOD, and the truth which hath\ncome unto us, and from earnestly desiring that our LORD would introduce us\ninto paradise with the righteous people?\n     Therefore hath GOD rewarded them, for what they have said, with gardens\nthrough which rivers flow; they shall continue therein forever; and this is\nthe reward of the righteous.  But they who believe not, and accuse our signs\nof falsehood, they shall be the companions of hell.\n     O true believers, forbid not the good things which GOD hath allowed you;z\nbut transgress not, for GOD loveth not the transgressors.\n90\tAnd eat of what GOD hath given you for food that which is lawful and\ngood: and fear GOD, in whom ye believe.\n     GOD will not punish you for an inconsiderate word in your oaths;a but he\nwill punish you for what ye solemnly swear with deliberation.  And the\nexpiation of such an oath shall be the feeding of ten poor men with such\nmoderate food as ye feed your own families withal; or to clothe them;b or to\nfree the neck of a true believer from captivity: but he who shall not find\nwherewith to perform one of these three things shall fast three days.c  This\nis the expiation of your oaths, when ye swear inadvertently.  Therefore keep\nyour oaths.  Thus GOD declareth unto you his signs, that ye may give thanks.\n     O true believers, surely wine, and lots,d and images,e and divining\narrows,f are an abomination of the work of Satan; therefore avoid them that ye\nmay prosper.\n     Satan seeketh to sow dissension and hatred among you, by means of wine\nand lots, and to divert you from remembering GOD, and from prayer: will ye not\ntherefore abstain from them?  Obey GOD, and obey the apostle, and take heed to\nyourselves: but if ye turn back, know that the duty of our apostle is only to\npreach publicly.g\n     In those who believe and do good works, it is no sin that they have\ntasted wine or gaming before they were forbidden; if they fear God, and\nbelieve, and do good works, and shall for the future fear God, and believe,\nand shall persevere to fear him, and to do good;h for GOD loveth those who do\ngood.\n\n\tz  These words were revealed when certain of Mohammed's companions\nagreed to oblige themselves to continual fasting and watching, and to abstain\nfrom women, eating flesh, sleeping on beds, and other lawful enjoyments of\nlife, in imitation of some self-denying Christians; but this the prophet\ndisapproved, declaring that he would have no monks in his religion.1\n\ta  See chap. 2, p. 24.\n\tb  The commentators give us the different opinions of the doctors, as to\nthe quantity of food and clothes to be given in this case; which I think\nscarce worth transcribing.\n\tc  That is, three days together, says Abu Han\u00eefa.  But this is not\nobserved in practice, being neither explicitly commanded in the Kor\u00e2n, nor\nordered in the Sonna.2\n\td  That is, all inebriating liquors, and games of chance.  See the\nPrelim. Disc. Sect. V. and chap. 2, p. 23.\n\te  Al Beid\u00e2wi and some other commentators expound this of idols; but\nothers, with more probability, of the carved pieces or men, with which the\npagan Arabs played at chess, being little figures of men, elephants, horses,\nand dromedaries; and this is supposed to be the only thing Mohammed disliked\nin that game: for which reason the Sonnites play with plain pieces of wood or\nivory; but the Persians and Indians, who are not so scrupulous, still make use\nof the carved ones.3\n\tf  See the Prelim. Discourse, Sect. V.\n\tg  See ibid. Sect. II.\n\th  The commentators endeavour to excuse the tautology of this passage,\nby supposing the threefold repetition of fearing and believing refers either\nto the three parts of time, past, present, and future, or to the threefold\nduty of man, towards GOD, himself, and his neighbour, &c.4\n\n\t1  Jallalo'ddin, al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Vide\nPrelim Disc. Sect. V.\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     O true believers, GOD will surely prove you in offering you plenty of\ngame, which ye may take with your hands or your lances,i that GOD may know who\nfeareth him in secret; but whoever transgresseth after this shall suffer a\ngrievous punishment.\n     O true believers, kill no game while ye are on pilgrimage;k whosoever\namong you shall kill any designedly shall restore the like of what he shall\nhave killed, in domestic animals,l according to the determination of two just\npersons among you, to be brought as an offering to the Caaba; or in atonement\nthereof shall feed the poor; or instead thereof shall fast, that he may taste\nthe heinousness of his deed.  GOD hath forgiven what is past, but whoever\nreturneth to transgress, GOD will take vengeance on him; for GOD is mighty and\nable to avenge.\n     It is lawful for you to fish in the sea,m and to eat what ye shall catch,\nas a provision for you and for those who travel; but it is unlawful for you to\nhunt by land, while ye are performing the rights of pilgrimage;n therefore\nfear GOD, before whom ye shall be assembled at the last day.\n     GOD hath appointed the Caaba, the holy house, an establishment for\nmankind; and hath ordained the sacred month,q and the offering, and the\nornaments hung thereon.q  This hath he done that ye might know that GOD\nknoweth whatsoever is in heaven and on earth, and that GOD is omniscient.\nKnow that GOD is severe in punishing, and that GOD is also ready to forgive,\nand merciful.\n     The duty of our apostle is to preach only;r and GOD knoweth that which ye\ndiscover, and that which ye conceal.\n100\tSay, Evil and good shall not be equally esteemed of, though the\nabundance of evil pleaseth thee;s therefore fear GOD, O ye of understanding,\nthat ye may be happy.\n\n\ti  This temptation or trial was at al Hodeibiya, where Mohammed's men,\nwho had attended him thither with an intent to perform a pilgrimage to the\nCaaba, and had initiated themselves with the usual rites, were surrounded by\nso great a number of birds and beasts that they impeded their march; for which\nunusual accident, some of them concluded that GOD had allowed them to be\ntaken; but this passage was to convince them of the contrary.1\n\tk  Literally, while ye are Mohrims, or have actually initiated\nyourselves as pilgrims, by putting on the garment worn at that solemnity.\nHunting and fowling are hereby absolutely forbidden to persons in this state,\nthough they are allowed to kill certain kinds of noxious animals.2\n\tl  That is, he shall bring an offering to the temple of Mecca, to be\nslain there and distributed among the poor, of some domestic or tame animal,\nequal in value to what he shall have killed; as a sheep, for example, in lieu\nof an antelope, a pigeon for a partridge, &c.  And of this value two prudent\npersons were to be judges.  If the offender was not able to do this, he was to\ngive a certain quantity of food to one or more poor men; or, if he could not\nafford that, to fast a proportionable number of days.3\n\tm  This, says Jallalo'ddin, is to be understood of fish that live\naltogether in the sea, and not of those that live in the sea and on land both,\nas crabs, &c.  The Turks, who are Hanifites, never eat this sort of fish; but\nthe sect of Malec Ebn Ans, and perhaps some others, make no scruple of it.\n\tn  See above, note k.\n\to  That is, the place where the practice of their religious ceremonies\nis chiefly established; where those who are under any apprehension of danger\nmay find a sure asylum, and the merchant certain gain, &c.4\n\tp  Al Beid\u00e2wi understands this of the month of Dhu'lhajja, wherein the\nceremonies of the pilgrimage are performed; but Jallalo'ddin supposes all the\nfour sacred months are here intended.5\n\tq  See before, p. 73.\n\tr  See the Prelim. Discourse, Sect. II.\n\ts  For judgment is to be made of things not from their plenty or\nscarcity, but from their intrinsic good or bad qualities.6\n\n\t1  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. V.\n\t3  Jallalo'ddin, al Beid\u00e2wi\t\t4  Idem.\n5  See the Prelim Disc. Sect. VII\t\t6  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     O true believers, inquire not concerning things, which, if they be\ndeclared unto you, may give you pain;t but if ye ask concerning them when the\nKoran is sent down, they will be declared unto you: GOD pardoneth you as to\nthese matters; for GOD is ready to forgive, and gracious.  People who have\nbeen before you formerly inquired concerning them; and afterwards disbelieved\ntherein.\n     God hath not ordained anything concerning Bah\u00eera, nor S\u00e2\u00efba, nor Was\u00eela,\nnor H\u00e2mi,u but the unbelievers have invented a lie against GOD: and the\ngreater part of them do not understand.\n     And when it was said unto them, Come unto that which GOD hath revealed,\nand to the apostle; they answered, That religion which we found our fathers to\nfollow is sufficient for us.  What, though their fathers knew nothing and were\nnot rightly directed?\n     O true believers, take care of your souls!  He who erreth shall not hurt\nyou, while ye are rightly directed:x unto GOD shall ye all return, and he will\ntell you that which ye have done.\n     O true believers, let witnesses be taken between you, when death\napproaches any of you, at the time of making the testament; let there be two\nwitnesses, just men, from among you;y or two others of a different tribe or\nfaith from yourselves,z if ye be journeying in the earth, and the accident of\ndeath befall you.  Ye shall shut them both up, after the afternoon prayer,a\nand they shall swear by GOD, if ye doubt them, and they shall say, We will not\nsell our evidence for a bribe, although the person concerned be one who is\nrelated to us, neither will we conceal the testimony of GOD, for then should\nwe certainly be of the number of the wicked.\n     But if it appear that both have been guilty of iniquity, two others shall\nstand up in their place, of those who have convicted them of falsehood, the\ntwo nearest in blood, and they shall swear by GOD, saying, Verily our\ntestimony is more true than the testimony of these two, neither have we\nprevaricated; for then should we become of the number of the unjust.\n\n\tt  The Arabs continually teasing their prophet with questions, which\nprobably he was not always prepared to answer, they are here ordered to wait,\ntill GOD should think fit to declare his pleasure by some farther revelation;\nand, to abate their curiosity, they are told, at the same time, that very\nlikely the answers would not be agreeable to their inclinations.  Al Beid\u00e2wi\nsays, that when the pilgrimage was first commanded, Sor\u00e2ka Ebn Malec asked\nMohammed whether they were obliged to perform it every year?  To this question\nthe prophet at first turned a deaf ear, but being asked it a second and a\nthird time, he at last said, No; but if I had said yes it would have become a\nduty, and, if it were a duty, ye would not be able to perform it; therefore\ngive me no trouble as to things wherein I give you none: whereupon this\npassage was revealed.\n\tu  These were the names given by the pagan Arabs to certain camels or\nsheep which were turned loose to feed, and exempted from common services, in\nsome particular cases; having their ears slit, or some other mark, that they\nmight be known; and this they did in honour of their gods.1  Which\nsuperstitions are here declared to be no ordinances of God, but the inventions\nof foolish men.\n\tx  This was revealed when the infidels reproached those who embraced\nMohammedism and renounced their old idolatry, that by so doing they arraigned\nthe wisdom of their forefathers.2\n\ty  That is, of your kindred or religion.\n\tz  They who interpret these words of persons of another religion, say\nthey are abrogated, and that the testimony of such ought not to be received\nagainst a Moslem.3\n\ta  In case there was any doubt, the witnesses were to be kept apart from\ncompany, lest they should be corrupted, till they gave their evidence, which\nthey generally did when the afternoon prayer was over, because that was the\ntime of people's assembling in public, or, say some, because the guardian\nangels then relieve each other, so that there would be four angels to witness\nagainst them if they gave false evidence.  But others suppose they might be\nexamined after the hour of any other prayer, when there was a sufficient\nassembly.4\n\n\t1  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. V\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3\nIdem.\t\t4  Idem.\n\n\n     This will be easier, that men may give testimony according to the plain\nintention thereof, or fear lest a different oath be given, after their oath.\nTherefore fear GOD, and hearken; for GOD directeth not the unjust people.b\n     On a certain dayc shall GOD assemble the apostles, and shall say unto\nthem, What answer was returned you, when ye preached unto the people to whom\nye were sent?  They shall answer, We have no knowledge, but thou art the\nknower of secrets.d\n     When GOD shall say, O Jesus son of Mary, remember my favor towards thee,\nand towards thy mother; when I strengthened thee with the holy spirit,e that\nthou shouldest speak unto men in the cradle, and when thou wast grown up;f\n110\tand when I taught thee the scripture, and wisdom and the law, and the\ngospel: and when thou didst create of clay as it were the figure of a bird, by\nmy permission, and didst breathe thereon, and it became a bird, by my\npermission, and thou didst heal one blind from his birth, and the leper, by my\npermission;g and when thou didst bring forth the dead from their graves by my\npermission; and when I withheld the children of Israel from killing thee,h\nwhen thou hadst come unto them with evident miracles, and such of them as\nbelieved not said, This is nothing but manifest sorcery.\n     And when I commanded the apostles of Jesus saying, Believe in me, and in\nmy messenger; they answered, We do believe; and do thou bear witness that we\nare resigned unto thee.\n     Remember when the apostles said, O Jesus son of Mary, is thy LORD able to\ncause a table to descend unto us from heaven?i  He answered, Fear GOD, if ye\nbe true believers.\n\n\tb  The occasion of the preceding passage is said to have been this.\nTam\u00een al D\u00e2ri and Addi Ebn Y\u00e2zid, both Christians, took a journey into Syria\nto trade, in company with Bodeil, the freed man of Amru Ebn al As, who was a\nMoslem.  When they came to Damascus, Bodeil fell sick, and died, having first\nwrote down a list of his effects on a piece of paper, which he hid in his\nbaggage, without acquainting his companions with it, and desired them only to\ndeliver what he had to his friends of the tribe of Sahm.  The survivors,\nhowever, searching among his goods, found a vessel of silver of considerable\nweight, and inlaid with gold, which they concealed, and on their return\ndelivered the rest to the deceased's relations, who, finding the list of\nBodeil's writing, demanded the vessel of silver of them, but they denied it;\nand the affair being brought before Mohammed, these words, viz., O true\nbelievers, take witnesses, &c., were revealed, and he ordered them to be sworn\nat the pulpit in the mosque, just as afternoon prayer was over, and on their\nmaking oath that they knew nothing of the plate demanded, dismissed them.  But\nafterwards, the vessel being found in their hands, the Sahmites, suspecting it\nwas Bodeil's, charged them with it, and they confessed it was his, but\ninsisted that they had bought it of him, and that they had not produced it\nbecause they had no proof of the bargain.  Upon this they went again before\nMohammed, to whom these words, And if it appear, &c., were revealed; and\nthereupon Amru Ebn al As and al Motalleb Ebn Abi Ref\u00e2a, both of the tribe of\nSahm, stood up, and were sworn against them; and judgment was given\naccordingly.1\n\tc  That is, on the day of judgment.\n\td  That is, we are ignorant whether our proselytes were sincere, or\nwhether they apostatized after our deaths; but thou well knowest, not only\nwhat answer they gave us, but the secrets of their hearts, and whether they\nhave since continued firm in their religion or not.\n\te  See chapter 2, p. 10.\n\tf  See chapter 3, p. 37.\n\tg  See ibid.\n\th  See ibid. p. 38.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     They said, We desire to eat thereof, and that our hearts may rest at\nease, and that we may know that thou hast told us the truth, and that we may\nbe witnesses thereof.\n     Jesus the son of Mary said, O GOD our LORD, cause a table to descend unto\nus from heaven, that the day of its descent may become a festival dayk unto\nus, unto the first of us, and unto the last of us, and a sign from thee; and\ndo thou provide food for us, for thou art the best provider.\n     GOD said, Verily I will cause it to descend unto you; but whoever among\nyou shall disbelieve hereafter, I will surely punish him with a punishment,\nwherewith I will not punish any other creature.\n     And when GOD shall say unto Jesus, at the last day, O Jesus son of Mary,\nhast thou said unto men, Take me and my mother for two gods, beside GOD?  He\nshall answer, Praise be unto thee! it is not for me to say that which I ought\nnot; if I had said so, thou wouldest surely have known it: thou knowest what\nis in me, but I know not what is in thee; for thou art the knower of secrets.\n     I have not spoken to them any other than what thou didst command me;\nnamely, Worship GOD, my LORD and your LORD: and I was a witness of their\nactions while I staid among them; but since thou hast taken me to thyself,l\nthou hast been the watcher over them; for thou art witness of all things.\n     If thou punish them, they are surely thy servants; and if thou forgive\nthem, thou art mighty and wise.\n     GOD will say, This day shall their veracity be of advantage unto those\nwho speak truth; they shall have gardens wherein rivers flow, they shall\nremain therein forever: GOD hath been well pleased in them, and they have been\nwell pleased in him.  This shall be great felicity.\n120\tUnto GOD belongeth the kingdom of heaven and of earth, and of whatever\ntherein is; and he is almighty.\n\n\ti  This miracle is thus related by the commentators.  Jesus having, at\nthe request of his followers, asked it of God, a red table immediately\ndescended, in their sight, between two clouds, and was set before them;\nwhereupon he rose up, and having made the ablution, prayed, and then took off\nthe cloth which covered the table, saying, In the name of GOD, the best\nprovider of food.  What the provisions were with which this table was\nfurnished is a matter wherein the expositors are not agreed.  One will have\nthem to be nine cakes of bread and nine fishes; another bread and flesh;\nanother, all sorts of food, except flesh; another all sorts of food, except\nbread and flesh; another, all except bread and fish; another, one fish, which\nhad the taste of all manner of food; and another, fruits of paradise; but the\nmost received tradition is that when the table was uncovered, there appeared a\nfish ready dressed, without scales or prickly fins, dropping with fat, having\nsalt placed at its head and vinegar at its tail, and round it all sorts of\nherbs, except leeks, and five loaves of bread, on one of which there were\nolives, on the second honey, on the third butter, on the fourth cheese, and on\nthe fifth dried flesh.  They add that Jesus, at the request of the apostles,\nshowed them another miracle, by restoring the fish to life, and causing its\nscales and fins to return to it, at which the standers-by being affrighted, he\ncaused it to become as it was before; that 1,300 men and women, all afflicted\nwith bodily infirmities or poverty, ate of these provisions, and were\nsatisfied, the fish remaining whole as it was at first; that then the table\nflew up to heaven in the sight of all; and every one who had partaken of this\nfood were delivered from their infirmities and misfortunes; and that it\ncontinued to descend for forty days together at dinner-time, and stood on the\nground till the sun declined, and was then taken up into the clouds.  Some of\nthe Mohammedan writers are of opinion that this table did not really descend,\nbut that it was only a parable; but most think the words of the Kor\u00e2n are\nplain to the contrary.  A further tradition is, that several men were changed\ninto swine for disbelieving this miracle, and attributing it to magic art; or,\nas others pretend, for stealing some of the victuals from off it.1  Several\nother fabulous circumstances are also told, which are scarce worth\ntranscribing.2\n\tk  Some say the table descended on a Sunday, which was the reason of the\nChristians observing that day as sacred.  Others pretend this day is still\nkept among them as a very great festival; and it seems as if the story had its\nrise from an imperfect notion of Christ's last supper and the institution of\nthe Eucharist.\n\ti Or, since thou hast caused me to die: but as it is a dispute among the\nMohammedans whether Christ actually died or not, before his assumption,3 and\nthe original may be translated either way, I have chosen the former\nexpression, which leaves the matter undecided.\n\n\tIdem, al Thalabi.\t\t2  Vide Marracc. in Alc. p. 238, &c.\n\t3  See cap. 3, p. 38.\n\n\n  CHAPTER VI.\n\nENTITLED, CATTLE;m REVEALED AT MECCA.n\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     PRAISE be unto GOD, who hath created the heavens and the earth, and hath\nordained the darkness and the light; nevertheless they who believe not in the\nLORD equalize other gods with him.\n     It is he who hath created you of clay; and then decreed the term of your\nlives; and the prefixed term is with him:o yet do ye doubt thereof.\n     He is GOD in heaven and in earth; he knoweth what ye keep secret, and\nwhat ye publish, and knoweth what ye deserve.\n     There came not unto them any sign, of the signs of their LORD, but they\nretired from the same;\n     and they have gainsaid the truth, after that it hath come unto them: but\na message shall come unto them, concerning that which they have mocked at.p\n     Do they not consider how many generations we have destroyed before them?\nWe had established them in the earth in a manner wherein we have not\nestablished you;q we sent the heaven to rain abundantly upon them, and we gave\nthem rivers which flowed under their feet: yet we destroyed them in their\nsins, and raised up other generations after them.\n     Although we had caused to descend unto thee a book written on paper, and\nthey had handled it with their hands, the unbelievers had surely said, This is\nno other than manifest sorcery.\n     They said, Unless an angel be sent down unto him, we will not believe.\nBut if we had sent down an angel, verily the matter had ben decreed,r and they\nshould not have been borne with, by having time granted them to repent.\n     And if we had appointed an angel for our messenger, we should have sent\nhim in the form of a man,s and have clothed him before them, as they are\nclothed.\n10\tOther apostles have been laughed to scorn before thee, but the judgment\nwhich they made a jest of encompassed those who laughed them to scorn.\n     Say, Go through the earth, and behold what hath been the end of those,\nwho accused our prophets of imposture.\n     Say, Unto whom belongeth whatsoever is in heaven and earth?  Say, Unto\nGOD, He hath prescribed unto himself mercy.  He will surely gather you\ntogether on the day of resurrection; there is no doubt of it.  They who\ndestroy their own souls are those who will not believe.\n\n\tm  This chapter is so entitled, because some superstitious customs of\nthe Meccans, as to certain cattle, are therein incidentally mentioned.\n\tn  Except only six verses, or, say others, three verses, which are taken\nnotice of in the notes.\n\to  By the last term some understand the time of the resurrection.\nOthers think that by the first term is intended the space between creation and\ndeath, and by the latter, that between death and the resurrection.\n\tp  That is, they shall be convinced of the truth which they have made a\njest of, when they see the punishment which they shall suffer for so doing,\nboth in this world and the next; or when they shall see the glorious success\nof Mohammedism.\n\tq  i.e., We had blessed them with greater power and length of prosperity\nthan we have granted you, O men of Mecca.1  Mohammed seems here to mean the\nancient and potent tribes of Ad and Tham\u00fbd, &c.2\n\tr  That is to say, As they would not have believed, even if an angel had\ndescended to them from heaven, GOD has shown his mercy in not complying with\ntheir demands; for if he had, they would have suffered immediate condemnation,\nand would have been allowed no time for repentance.\n\ts  As Gabriel generally appeared to Mahommed; who, though a prophet, was\nnot able to bear the sight of him when he appeared in his proper form, much\nless would others be able to support it.\n\n\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. I. p. 5,\n&c.\n\n\n     Unto him is owing whatsoever happeneth by night or by day; it is he who\nheareth and knoweth.\n     Say, Shall I take any other protector than GOD, the creator of heaven and\nearth, who feedeth all and is not fed by any?  Say, Verily I am commanded to\nbe the first who professeth Isl\u00e2m,t and it was said unto me, Thou shalt by no\nmeans be one of the idolaters.\n     Say, Verily I fear, if I should rebel against my LORD, the punishment of\nthe great day:\n     from whomsoever it shall be averted on that day, God will have been\nmerciful unto him; this will be manifest salvation.\n     If GOD afflict thee with any hurt, there is none who can take it off from\nthee, except himself; but if he cause good to befall thee, he is almighty;\n     he is the supreme Lord over his servants, and he is wise and knowing.\n     Say, What thing is the strongest in bearing testimony?u  Say, GOD; he is\nwitness between me and you. And this Koran was revealed unto me, that I should\nadmonish you thereby, and also those unto whom it shall reach.  Do ye really\nprofess that there are other gods together with GOD?  Say, I do not profess\nthis.  Say, Verily he is one GOD; and I am guiltless of what ye associate with\nhim.\n20\tThey unto whom we have given the scripture know our apostle, even as\nthey know their own children;x but they who destroy their own souls will not\nbelieve.\n     Who is more unjust than he who inventeth a lie against GOD,y or chargeth\nhis signs with imposture?  Surely, the unjust shall not prosper.\n     And on the day of resurrection we will assemble them all; then will we\nsay unto those who associated others with God, Where are your companions,z\nwhom ye imagined to be those of God?\n     But they shall have no other excuse, than that they shall say, by GOD our\nLORD, we have not been idolaters.\n     Behold, how they lie against themselves, and what they have blasphemously\nimagined to be the companion of God flieth from them.a\n     There is of them who hearkeneth unto thee when thou readest the Kor\u00e2n;b\nbut we have cast veils over their hearts, that they should not understand it,\nand a deafness in their ears: and though they should see all kinds of signs,\nthey will not believe therein; and their infidelity will arrive to that height\nthat they will even come unto thee, to dispute with thee.  The unbelievers\nwill say, This is nothing but silly fables of ancient times.\n\n\tt  That is, the first of my nation.1\n\tu  This passage was revealed when the Koreish told Mohammed that they\nhad asked the Jews and Christians concerning him, who assured them they found\nno mention or description of him in their books of scripture, Therefore, said\nthey, who bears witness to thee, that thou art the apostle of GOD?2\n\tx  See chapter 2, p. 16.\n\ty  Saying the angels are the daughters of GOD, and intercessors for us\nwith him, &c.3\n\tz  i.e., Your idols and false gods.\n\ta  That is, their imaginary deities prove to be nothing, and disappear\nlike vain phantoms and chimeras.\n\tb  The persons here meant were Abu Sofi\u00e2n, al Wal\u00eed, al Nodar, Otha, Abu\nJahl, and their comrades, who went to hear Mohammed repeat some of the Kor\u00e2n;\nand Nodar being asked what he said, answered, with an oath, that he knew not,\nonly that he moved his tongue, and told a parcel of foolish stories, as he had\ndone to them.4\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\t4  Idem.\n\n\n     And they will forbid others from believing therein, and will retire afar\noff from it; but they will destroy their own souls only, and they are not\nsensible thereof.\n     If thou didst see when they shall be set over the fire of hell!  and they\nshall say, Would to GOD we might be sent back into the world; we would not\ncharge the signs of our LORD with imposture, and we would become true\nbelievers:\n     nay, but that is become manifest unto them, which they formerly\nconcealed;c and though they should be sent back into the world, they would\nsurely return to that which was forbidden them; and they are surely liars.\n     And they said, There is no other life than our present life; neither\nshall we be raised again.\n30\tBut if thou couldest see, when they shall be set before their LORD!d  He\nshall say unto them, Is not this in truth come to pass?  They shall answer,\nYea, by our LORD.  God shall say, Taste therefore the punishment due unto you,\nfor that ye have disbelieved.\n     They are lost who reject as a falsehood the meeting of GOD in the next\nlife, until the houre cometh suddenly upon them.  Then will they say, Alas!\nfor that we have behaved ourselves negligently in our lifetime; and they shall\ncarry their burdens on their backs;f will it not be evil which they shall be\nloaden with?\n     This present life is no other than a play and a vain amusement; but\nsurely the future mansion shall be better for those who fear God: will they\nnot therefore understand?\n     Now we know that what they speak grieveth thee: yet they do not accuse\nthee of falsehood; but the ungodly contradict the signs of GOD.g\n     And apostles before thee have been accounted liars: but they patiently\nbore their being accounted liars, and their being vexed, until our help came\nunto them; for there is none who can change the words of GOD: and thou hast\nreceived some information concerning those who have been formerly sent from\nhim.h\n     If their aversion to thy admonitions be grievous unto thee, if thou canst\nseek out a den whereby thou mayest venetrate into the inward parts of the\nearth, or a ladder by which thou mayest ascend into heaven, that thou mayest\nshow them a sign, do so, but thy search will be fruitless; for if GOD pleased\nhe would bring them all to the true direction: be not therefore one of the\nignorant.\n\n\tc  Their hypocrisy and vile actions; nor does their promise proceed from\nany sincere intention of amendment, but from the anguish and misery of their\ncondition.5\n\td  viz., In order for judgment.\n\te  The last day is here called the hour, as it is in scripture;6 and the\npreceding expression of meeting GOD on that day is also agreeable to the\nsame.7\n\tf  When an infidel comes forth from his grave, says Jallalo'ddin, his\nworks shall be represented to him under the ugliest form that ever he beheld,\nhaving a most deformed countenance, a filthy smell, and a disagreeable voice;\nso that he shall cry out, GOD defend me from thee, what art thou?  I never saw\nanything more detestable!  To which the figure will answer, Why dost thou\nwonder at my ugliness?  I am thy evil works;1 thou didst ride upon me while\nthou wast in the world; but now will I ride upon thee, and thou shalt carry\nme.  and immediately it shall get upon him; and whatever he shall meet shall\nterrify him, and say, Hail, thou enemy of God, thou art he who was meant by\n(these words of the Kor\u00e2n), and they shall carry their burdens, &c.2\n\tg  That is, it is not thou but GOD whom they injure by their impious\ngainsaying of what has been revealed to thee.  It is said that Abu Jahl once\ntold Mohammed that they did not accuse him of falsehood, because he was known\nto be a man of veracity, but only they did not believe the revelations which\nhe brought them; which occasioned this passage.3\n\th  i.e., Thou has been acquainted with the stories of several of the\npreceding prophets; what persecutions they suffered from those to whom they\nwere sent, and in what manner GOD supported them and punished their enemies,\naccording to his unalterable promise.4\n\n\t5  Idem.\t\t6  1 John v. 25, &c.\t\t7  1 Thess. iv. 17.\n\t1  See Milton's Paradise Lost, bk. ii  v. 737, &c.\n2  See also cap. 3, p. 48.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t4 Idem.\n\n\n     He will give a favorable answer unto those only who shall hearken with\nattention: and GOD will raise the dead; then unto him shall they return.\n     The infidels say, Unless some sign be sent down unto him from his LORD,\nwe will not believe: answer, Verily GOD is able to send down a sign: but the\ngreater part of them know it not.k\n     There is no kind of beast on earth, nor fowl which flieth with its wings,\nbut the same is a people like unto you;l we have not omitted anything in the\nbook of our decrees: then unto their LORD shall they return.n\n     They who accuse our signs of falsehood are deaf and dumb, walking in\ndarkness: GOD will lead into error whom he pleaseth, and whom he pleaseth he\nwill put in the right way.\n40\tSay, What think ye? if the punishment of GOD come upon you, or the hour\nof the resurrection come upon you, will ye call upon any other than GOD, if ye\nspeak truth?\n     yea, him shall ye call upon, and he shall free you from that which ye\nshall ask him to deliver you from, if he pleaseth; and ye shall forget that\nwhich ye associated with him.o\n     We have already sent messengers unto sundry nations before thee, and we\nafflicted them with trouble and adversity that they might humble themselves:\n     yet when the affliction which we sent came upon them, they did not humble\nthemselves; but their hearts became hardened, and Satan prepared for them that\nwhich they committed.\n     And when they had forgotten that concerning which they had been\nadmonished, we opened unto them the gates of all things;p until, while they\nwere rejoicing for that which had been given them, we suddenly laid hold on\nthem, and behold, they were seized with despair;\n     and the utmost part of the people which had acted wickedly was cut off:\npraise be unto GOD, the LORD of all creatures!\n     Say, what think ye? if GOD should take away your hearing and your sight,\nand should seal up your hearts; what god besides GOD will restore them unto\nyou?  See how variously we show forth the signs of God's unity;q yet do they\nturn aside from them.\n     Say unto them, What think ye? if the punishment of GOD come upon you\nsuddenly, or in open view;r will any perish, except the ungodly people?\n     We send not our messengers otherwise than bearing good tidings and\ndenouncing threats.  Whoso therefore shall believe and amend, on them shall no\nfear come, neither shall they be grieved:\n\n\ti  In this passage Mohammed is reproved for his impatience in not\nbearing with the obstinacy of his countrymen, and for his indiscreet desire of\neffecting what GOD hath not decreed, namely, the conversion and salvation of\nall men.5\n\tk  Being both ignorant of GOD'S almighty power, and of the consequence\nof what they ask, which might prove their utter destruction.\n\tl  Being created and preserved by the same omnipotence and providence as\nye are.\n\tm  That is, in the preserved table, wherein GOD'S decrees are written,\nand all things which come to pass in this world, as well the most minute as\nthe more momentous, are exactly registered.6\n\tn  For, according to the Mohammedan belief, the irrational animals will\nalso be restored to life at the resurrection, that they may be brought to\njudgment, and have vengeance taken on them for the injuries they did one\nanother while in this world.7\n\to  That is, ye shall then forsake your false gods, when ye shall be\neffectually convinced that GOD alone is able to deliver you from eternal\npunishment.  But others rather think that this forgetting will be the effect\nof the distress and terror which they will then be in.8\n\tp  That is, we gave them all manner of plenty; that since they took no\nwarning by their afflictions, their prosperity might become a snare to them,\nand they might bring down upon themselves swifter destruction.\n\tq  Laying them before you in different views, and making use of\narguments and motives drawn from various considerations.\n\tr  That is, says al Beid\u00e2wi, either without any previous notice, or\nafter some warning given.\n\n\t5  Idem.\t\t6  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.\t\t7  See ibid.\np. 67.\t\t8  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     but whoso shall accuse our signs of falsehood, a punishment shall fall on\nthem, because they have done wickedly.\n50\tSay, I say not unto you, The treasures of GOD are in my power: neither\ndo I say, I know the secrets of God: neither do I say unto you, Verily I am an\nangel: I follow only that which is revealed unto me.  Say, Shall the blind and\nthe seeing be held equal? do ye not therefore consider?\n     Preach it unto those who fear that they shall be assembled before their\nLORD: they shall have no patron nor intercessor, except him; that peradventure\nthey may take heed to themselves.\n     Drive not away those who call upon their LORD morning and evening,\ndesiring to see his face;s it belongeth not unto thee to pass any judgment on\nthem,t nor doth it belong unto them to pass any judgment on thee: therefore if\nthou drive them away, thou wilt become one of the unjust.\n     Thus have we proved some part of them by other part, that they may say,\nAre these the people among us unto whom GOD hath been gracious?u  Doth not GOD\nmost truly know those who are thankful?\n     And when they who believe in our signs shall come unto thee, say, Peace\nbe upon you.  Your LORD hath prescribed unto himself mercy; so whoever among\nyou worketh evil through ignorance, and afterwards repenteth and amendeth;\nunto him will he surely be gracious and merciful.\n     Thus have we distinctly propounded our signs, that the path of the wicked\nmight be made known.\n     Say, Verily I am forbidden to worship the false deities which ye invoke,\nbesides GOD.  Say, I will not follow your desires; for then should I err,\nneither should I be one of those who are rightly directed.\n     Say, I behave according to the plain declaration, which I have received\nfrom my LORD; but ye have forged lies concerning him.  That which ye desire\nshould be hastened, is not in my power;x judgment belongeth only unto GOD; he\nwill determine the truth; and he is the best discerner.\n     Say, If what ye desire should be hastened were in my power, the matter\nhad been determined between me and you:y but GOD well knoweth the unjust.\n\n\ts  These words were occasioned when the Koreish desired Mohammed not to\nadmit the poor or more inferior people, such as Amm\u00e2r, Soheib, Khobb\u00e2b, and\nSalm\u00e2n, into his company, pretending that then they would come and discourse\nwith him; but he refusing to turn away any believers, they insisted at least\nthat he should order them to rise up and withdraw when they came, which he\nagreed to do.  Others say that the chief men of Mecca expelled all the poor\nout of their city, bidding them go to Mohammed; which they did, and offered to\nembrace his religion; but he made some difficulty to receive them, suspecting\ntheir motive to be necessity, and not real conviction;1 whereupon this passage\nwas revealed.\n\tt  i.e., Rashly to decide whether their intentions be sincere or not;\nsince thou canst not know their heart, and their faith may possibly be more\nfirm than that of those who would persuade thee to discard them.\n\tu  That is to say, the noble by those of mean extraction, and the rich\nby the poor; in that GOD chose to call the latter to the faith before the\nformer.2\n\tx  This passage is an answer to the audacious defiances of the infidels,\nwho bad Mohammed, if he were a true prophet, to call for a shower of stones\nfrom heaven, or some other sudden and miraculous punishment, to destroy them.3\n\ty  For I should ere now have destroyed you, out of zeal for GOD'S\nhonour, had it been in my power.4\n\n\t1  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Idem.\n\t4  Idem.\n\n\n     With him are the keys of the secret things; none knoweth them besides\nhimself: he knoweth that which is on the dry land and in the sea; there\nfalleth no leaf, but he knoweth it; neither is there a single grain in the\ndark parts of the earth, neither a green thing, nor a dry thing, but it is\nwritten in the perspicuous book.z\n60\tIt is he who causeth you to sleep by night, and knoweth what ye merit by\nday; he also awaketh you therein, that the prefixed term of your lives may be\nfulfilled; then unto him shall ye return, and he shall declare unto you that\nwhich ye have wrought.\n     He is supreme over his servants, and sendeth the guardian angels to watch\nover you,a until, when death overtaketh one of you, our messengersb cause him\nto die: and they will not neglect our commands.\n     Afterwards shall they return unto GOD, their true LORD: doth not judgment\nbelong unto him?  he is the most quick in taking an account.c\n     Say, Who delivereth you from the darknessd of the land, and of the sea,\nwhen ye call upon him humbly and in private, saying, Verily if thou deliver\nuse from these dangers, we will surely be thankful?\n     Say, GOD delivereth you from them, and from every grief of mind; yet\nafterwards ye give him companions.f\n     Say, He is able to send on you a punishment from above you,g or from\nunder your feet,h or to engage you in dissension, and to make some of you\ntaste the violence of others.  Observe how variously we show forth our signs,\nthat peradventure they may understand.\n     This people hath accused the revelation which thou hast brought of\nfalsehood, although it be the truth.  Say, I am not a guardian over you: every\nprophecy hath its fixed time of accomplishment; and he will hereafter know it.\n     When thou seest those who are engaged in cavilling at, or ridiculing our\nsigns, depart from them, until they be engaged in some other discourse: and if\nSatan cause thee to forget this precept, do not sit with the ungodly people\nafter recollection.\n     They who fear God are not at all accountable for them, but their duty is\nto remember that they may take heed to themselves.i\n     Abandon those who make their religion a sport and a jest; and whom the\npresent life hath deceived: and admonish them by the Koran, that a soul\nbecometh liable to destruction for that which it committeth: it shall have no\npatron nor intercessor besides GOD: and if it could pay the utmost price of\nredemption, it would not be accepted from it.  They who are delivered over to\nperdition for that which they have committed shall have boiling water to\ndrink, and shall suffer a grievous punishment, because they have disbelieved.\n\n\tz  i.e., The preserved table, or register of GOD'S decrees.\n\ta  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.\n\tb  That is, the angel of death and his assistants.5\n\tc  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.\n\td  That is, the dangers and distresses.\n\te  The Cufic copies read it in the third person, if he deliver us, &c.\n\tf  Returning to your old idolatry.\n\tg  That is, by storms from heaven, as he destroyed the unbelieving\npeople of Noah, and of Lot, and the army of Abraha, the lord of the elephant.1\n\th  Either by drowning you, as he did Pharaoh and his host, or causing\nthe earth to open and swallow you up, as happened to Korah, or (as the\nMohammedans name him) Karun.2\n\ti  And therefore need not be troubled at the indecent and impious talk\nof the infidels, provided they take care not to be infected by them.  When the\npreceding passage was revealed, the Moslems told their prophet that if they\nwere obliged to rise up whenever the idolaters spoke irreverently of the\nKor\u00e2n, they could never sit quietly in the temple, nor perform their devotions\nthere; whereupon these words were added.3\n\n\t5  See the Prelim. Disc. Sec. IV.\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2\nIdem.\t\t3  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n70\tSay, Shall we call upon that, besides GOD, which can neither profit us,\nnor hurt us? and shall we turn back on our heels, after that GOD hath directed\nus; like him whom the devils have infatuated, wandering amazedly in the earth,\nand yet having companions who call him into the true direction, saying, Come\nunto us?  Say, the direction of GOD is the true direction; we are commanded to\nresign ourselves unto the LORD of all creatures;\n     and it is also commanded us, saying, Observe the stated times of prayer,\nand fear him; for it is he before whom ye shall be assembled.\n     It is he who hath created the heavens and the earth in truth; and\nwhenever he saith unto a thing, Be, it is.\n     His word is the truth; and his will be the kingdom on the day whereon the\ntrumpet shall be sounded:k he knoweth whatever is secret, and whatever is\npublic; he is the wise, the knowing.\n     Call to mind when Abraham said unto his father Azer,l Dost thou take\nimages for gods?m  Verily I perceive that thou and thy people are in a\nmanifest error.\n     And thus did we show unto Abraham the kingdom of heaven and earth, that\nhe might become one of those who firmly believe.n\n     And when the night overshadowed him, he saw a star, and he said, This is\nmy LORD;o but when it set, he said, I like not gods which set.\n\n\tk  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.\n\tl  This is the name which the Mohammedans give to Abraham's father,\nnamed in scripture Terah.  However, some of their writers pretend that Azer\nwas the son of Terah,1 and D'Herbelot says that the Arabs always distinguish\nthem in their genealogies as different persons; but that because Abraham was\nthe son of Terah according to Moses, it is therefore supposed (by European\nwriters) that Terah is the same with the Azer of the Arabs.2  How true this\nobservation may be in relation to some authors, I cannot say, but I am sure it\ncannot be true of all; for several Arab and Turkish writers expressly make\nAzer and Terah the same person.3  Azer, in ancient times, was the name of the\nplanet Mars, and the month of March was so called by the most ancient\nPersians; for the word originally signifying fire (as it still does,) it was\ntherefore given by them and the Chaldeans to that planet,4 which partaking, as\nwas supposed, of a fiery nature, was acknowledged by the Chaldeans and\nAssyrians as a god or planetary deity, whom in old times they worshipped under\nthe form of a pillar: whence Azer became a name among the nobility, who\nesteemed it honourable to be denominated from their gods,5 and is found in the\ncomposition of several Babylonish names.  For these reasons a learned author\nsupposes Azer to have been the heathen name of Terah, and that the other was\ngiven him on his conversion.6  Al Beid\u00e2wi confirms this conjecture, saying\nthat Azer was the name of the idol which he worshipped.  It may be observed\nthat Abraham's father is also called Zarah in the Talmud and Athar by\nEusebius.\n\tm  That Azer, or Terah, was an idolater is allowed on all hands; nor can\nit be denied, since he is expressly said in scripture to have served strange\ngods.7  The eastern authors unanimously agree that he was a statuary, or\ncarver of idols; and he is represented as the first who made images of clay,\npictures only having been in use before,8 and taught that they were to be\nadored as gods.9  However, we are told his employment was a very honourable\none,10 and that he was a great lord, and in high favour with Nimrod, whose\nson-in-law he was,11 because he made his idols for him, and was excellent in\nhis art.  Some of the Rabbins say Terah was a priest, and chief of the\norder.12\n\tn  That is, we gave him a right apprehension of the government of the\nworld and of the heavenly bodies, that he might know them all to be ruled by\nGOD, by putting him on making the following reflections.\n\n\t1  Tar\u00eekh Montakhab, apud D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 12.\t\t2\nD'Herbel. ibid.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin, Yahya, Ebn Shohnah, Mirat\nKainat, &c.  Vide etiam Pharhang Jehang-hiri, apud Hyde de Rel. Vet. Persar.\np. 68.\t\t4  Hyde, ibid. p. 63.\t\t5  Idem, ibid. p. 64.\n\t6  Idem, ibid. p. 62.\t\t7  Josh. xxiv. 2, 14.\t\t8  Epiphan.\nadv. H\u00e6r. l. r, p. 7, 8.\n9  Suidas in Lexico, voce ?ep\u00fax.\t\t10  Vide Hyde, ubi sup. p. 63.\n\t11  D'Herbel. ubi sup.\t\t12 Shalshel. hakkab. p. 94.\n\n\n     And when he saw the moon rising, he said, This is my LORD; but when he\nsaw it set, he said, Verily if my LORD direct me not, I shall become one of\nthe people who go astray.\n     And when he saw the sun rising, he said, This is my LORD, this is the\ngreatest; but when it set, he said, O my people, verily I am clear of that\nwhich ye associate with God:\n     I direct my face unto him who hath created the heavens and the earth; I\nam orthodox, and am not one of the idolaters.\n80\tAnd his people disputed with him: and he said, Will ye dispute with me\nconcerning GOD? since he hath now directed me, and I fear not that which ye\nassociate with him, unless that my LORD willeth a thing; for my LORD\ncomprehendeth all things by his knowledge:p will ye not therefore consider?\n     And how should I fear that which ye associate with God, since ye fear not\nto have associated with GOD that concerning which he hath sent down unto you\nno authority? which therefore of the two parties is the more safe, if ye\nunderstand aright?\n     They who believe, and clothe not their faith with injustice,q they shall\nenjoy security, and they are rightly directed.\n     And this is our argument wherewith we furnished Abraham that he might\nmake use of it against his people: we exalt unto degrees of wisdom and\nknowledge whom we please; for thy LORD is wise and knowing.\n     And we gave unto them Isaac and Jacob; we directed them both: and Noah\nhad we before directed, and of his posterityr David and Solomon; and Job,s and\nJoseph, and Moses, and Aaron: thus do we reward the righteous:\n     and Zacharias, and John, and Jesus, and Elias;t all of them were upright\nmen:\n     and Ismael, and Elisha,u and Jonas,u and Lot;y all these have we favored\nabove the rest of the world;\n\n\to  Since Abraham's parents were idolaters, it seems to be a necessary\nconsequence that himself was one also in his younger years; the scripture not\nobscurely intimates as much,1 and the Jews themselves acknowledge it.2  At\nwhat age he came to the knowledge of the true God and left idolatry, opinions\nare various.  Some Jewish writers tell us he was then but three years old,3\nand the Mohammedans likewise suppose him very young, and that he asked his\nfather and mother several shrewd questions when a child.4  Others, however,\nallow him to have been a middle-aged man at that time.5  Maimonides, in\nparticular, and R. Abraham Zacuth think him to have been forty years old,\nwhich age is also mentioned in the Kor\u00e2n.  But the general opinion of the\nMohammedans is that he was about fifteen or sixteen.6  As the religion wherein\nAbraham was educated was the Sabian, which consisted chiefly in the worship of\nthe heavenly bodies,7 he is introduced examining their nature and properties,\nto see whether they had a right to the worship which was paid them or not; and\nthe first which he observed was the planet Venus, or, as others will have it,\nJupiter.8  This method of Abraham's attaining to the knowledge of the supreme\nCreator of all things, is conformable to what Josephus writes, viz.: That he\ndrew his notions from the changes which he had observed in the earth and the\nsea, and in the sun and the moon, and the rest of the celestial bodies;\nconcluding that they were subject to the command of a superior power, to whom\nalone all honour and thanks are due.9  The story itself is certainly taken\nfrom the Talmud.10  Some of the commentators, however, suppose this reasoning\nof Abraham with himself was not the first means of his conversion, but that he\nused it only by way of argument to convince the idolaters among whom he then\nlived.\n\tp  That is, I am not afraid of your false gods, which cannot hurt me,\nexcept GOD permitteth it, or is pleased to afflict me himself.\n\tq  By injustice, in this place, the commentators understand idolatry, or\nopen rebellion against GOD.\n\tr  Some refer the relative his to Abraham, the person chiefly spoken of\nin this passage; some to Noah, the next antecedent, because Jonas and Lot were\nnot (say they) of Abraham's seed; and others suppose the persons named in this\nand the next verse are to be understood as the descendants of Abraham, and\nthose in the following verse as those of Noah.11\n\ts  The Mohammedans say he was of the race of Esau.  See chapters 21 and\n38.\n\tt  See chapter 37.\n\tu  This prophet was the successor of Elias, and, as the commentators\nwill have it, the son of Okht\u00fbb, though the scripture makes him the son of\nShaphat.\n\tx  See chapters 10, 21, and 37.\n\ty  See chapter 7, &c.\n\n\t1  Vide Josh. xxiv. 2, 14, and Hyde, ubi sup. p. 59.\t\t\t2\nJoseph. Ant. l. I, c. 7.  Maimon. More Nev. part iii. c. 29, et Yad Hazzak. de\nId. c. I, &c.\t\t3  Tanchuma, Talmud, Nedarim, 32, I, et apud Maimon.\nYad Hazz. ubi sup.\t\t4  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Abraham.\n\t5  Maimon. ubi sup.  R. Abr. Zacuth in Sefer Juchasin, Shalshel. hakkab,\n&c.\t\t6  Vide Hyde, ubi sup. p. 60, 61, et Hotting. Smegma Orient. p.\n290, &c.  Genebr. in Chron.\t\t7  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. I. p. 11.\n\t8  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t9  Joseph. Ant. l. I, c. 7.\t\t10  R.\nBechai, in Midrash.  Vide Bartolocc. Bibl. Rabb. part i. p. 640.\t\t11  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     and also divers of their fathers, and their issue, and their brethren;\nand we chose them, and directed them into the right way.\n     This is the direction of GOD, he directeth thereby such of his servants\nas he pleaseth; but if they had been guilty of idolatry, that which they\nwrought would have become utterly fruitless unto them.\n     Those were the persons unto whom we gave the scripture, and wisdom, and\nprophecy; but if thesez believe not therein, we will commit the care of them\nto a people who shall not disbelieve the same.\n90\tThose were the persons whom GOD hath directed, therefore follow their\ndirection.  Say unto the inhabitants of Mecca, I ask of you no recompense for\npreaching the Koran; it is no other than an admonition unto all creatures.\n     They make not a due estimation of GOD,a when they say, GOD hath not sent\ndown unto man anything at all:b Say, Who sent down the book which Moses\nbrought, a light and a direction unto men; which ye transcribe on papers,\nwhereof ye publish some part, and great part whereof ye conceal? and ye have\nbeen taught by Mohammed what ye knew not, neither your fathers.  Say, GOD sent\nit down: then leave them to amuse themselves with their vain discourse.\n     This book which we have sent down is blessed; confirming that which was\nrevealed before it; and is delivered unto thee that thou mayest preach it unto\nthe metropolis of Mecca and to those who are round about it.  And they who\nbelieve in the next life will believe therein, and they will diligently\nobserve their times of prayer.\n     Who is more wicked than he who forgeth a lie concerning GOD?c or saith\nThis was revealed unto me; when nothing hath been revealed unto him?d and who\nsaith, I will produce a revelation like unto that which GOD hath sent down?e\nIf thou didst see when the ungodly are in the pangs of death, and the angelsf\nreach out their hands saying, Cast forth your souls; this day shall ye receive\nan ignominious punishment for that which ye have falsely spoken concerning\nGOD; and because ye have proudly rejected his signs.\n\n\tz  That is, the Koreish.1\n\ta  That is, they know him not truly, nor have just notions of his\ngoodness and mercy towards man.  The persons here meant, according to some\ncommentators, are the Jews, and according to others, the idolaters.2\n\tThis verse and the two next, as Jallalo'ddin thinks, were revealed at\nMedina.\n\tb  By these words the Jews (if they were the persons meant) chiefly\nintended to deny the Kor\u00e2n to be of divine revelation, though they might in\nstrictness insist that GOD never revealed, or sent down, as the Kor\u00e2n\nexpresses it, any real composition or material writing from heaven in the\nmanner that Mohammed pretended his revelations were delivered,3 if we except\nonly the Decalogue, GOD having left to the inspired penmen not only the labour\nof writing, but the liberty, in a great measure at least, of putting the\ntruths into their own words and manner of expression.\n\tc  Falsely pretending to have received revelations from him, as did\nMoselama, al Aswad al Ansi, and others.\n\td  As did Abda'llah Ebn Saad Ebn Abi Sarah, who for some time was the\nprophet's amanuensis, and when these words were dictated to him as revealed,\nviz., We created man of a purer kind of clay, &c.,4 cried out, by way of\nadmiration, Blessed be GOD the best Creator! and being ordered by Mohammed to\nwrite these words down also, as part of the inspired passage, began to think\nhimself as great a prophet as his master.5  Whereupon he took upon himself to\ncorrupt and alter the Kor\u00e2n according to his own fancy, and at length\napostatizing, was one of the ten who were proscribed at the taking of Mecca,6\nand narrowly escaped with life on his recantation, by the interposition of\nOthm\u00e2n Ebn Aff\u00e1n, whose foster-brother he was.7\n\te  For some Arabs, it seems, had the vanity to imagine, and gave out,\nthat, if they pleased, they could write a book nothing inferior to the Kor\u00e2n.\n\tf  See before, p. 94, note b.\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III.\np. 50, &c.\t\t4  Kor. c. 23.\n5  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t6  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 43.\t\t7  Vide\nAbulfeda, Vit. Moh. p. 109.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t16-2\n\n\n     And now are ye come unto us alone,g as we created you at first,h and ye\nhave left that which we had bestowed on you, behind your backs; neither do we\nsee with you your intercessors,i whom ye thought to have been partners with\nGod among you: now is the relation between you cut off, and what ye imagined\nhath deceived you.k\n     GOD causeth the grain and the date-stone to put forth: he bringeth forth\nthe living from the dead, and he bringeth forth the dead from the living.l\nThis is GOD.  Why therefore are ye turned away from him?\n     He causeth the morning to appear; and hath ordained the night for rest,\nand the sun and the moon for the computing of time.  This is the disposition\nof the mighty, the wise God.\n     It is he who hath ordained the stars for you, that ye may be directed\nthereby in the darkness of the land and of the sea.  We have clearly shown\nforth our signs, unto people who understand.\n     It is he who hath produced you from one soul; and hath provided for you a\nsure receptacle and a repository.m  We have clearly shown forth our signs,\nunto people who are wise.\n     It is he who sendeth down water from heaven, and we have thereby produced\nthe springing buds of all things, and have thereout produced the green thing,\nfrom which we produce the grain growing in rows, and palm-trees from whose\nbranches proceed clusters of dates hanging close together; and gardens of\ngrapes, and olives, and pomegranates, both like and unlike to one another.\nLook on their fruits, when they bear fruit, and their growing to maturity.\nVerily herein are signs, unto people who believe.\n100\tYet they have set up the geniin as partners with GOD, although he\ncreated them: and they have falsely attributed unto him sons and daughters,o\nwithout knowledge.  Praise be unto him; and far be that from him which they\nattribute unto him!\n     He is the maker of heaven and earth: how should he have issue since he\nhath no consort? he hath created all things, and he is omniscient.\n     This is GOD your LORD; there is no GOD but he, the creator of all things;\ntherefore serve him: for he taketh care of all things.\n     The sight comprehendeth him not, but he comprehendeth the sight; he is\nthe gracious,p the wise.\n     Now have evident demonstrations come unto you from your LORD; whoso seeth\nthem, the advantage thereof will redound to his own soul: and whoso is\nwilfully blind, the consequence will be to himself.  I am not a keeper over\nyou.\n     Thus do we variously explain our signs; that they may say, Thou hast\nstudied diligently;q and that we may declare them unto people of\nunderstanding.\n     Follow that which hath been revealed unto thee from thy LORD; there is no\nGOD but he: retire therefore from the idolaters.\n\n\tg  That is, without your wealth, your children, or your friends, which\nye so much depended on in your lifetime.\n\th  i.e., Naked and helpless.\n\t  Or false gods.\n\tk  Concerning the intercession of your idols, or the disbelief of future\nrewards and punishments.\n\tl  See chapter 3, p. 34.\n\tm  Namely, in the loins of your fathers, and the wombs of your mothers.1\n\tn  This word signifies properly the genus of rational, invisible beings,\nwhether angels, devils, or that intermediate species usually called genii.\nSome of the commentators therefore, in this place, understand the angels, whom\nthe pagan Arabs worshipped; and others the devils, either because they became\ntheir servants by adoring idols at their instigation, or else because,\naccording to the Magian system, they looked on the devil as a sort of creator,\nmaking him the author and principle of all evil, and GOD the author of good\nonly.2\n\to  See the Prelim. Discourse, p. 14 and 30.\n\tp  Or, as the word may be translated, the incomprehensible.3\n\tq  That is, Thou hast been instructed by the Jews and Christians in\nthese matters, and only retailest to us what thou hast learned of them.  For\nthis the infidels objected to Mohammed, thinking it impossible for him to\ndiscourse on subjects of so high a nature, and in so clear and pertinent a\nmanner, without being well versed in the doctrines and sacred writings of\nthose people.\n\n\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\n\n\n     If GOD had so pleased, they had not been guilty of idolatry. We have not\nappointed thee a keeper over them; neither art thou a guardian over them.\n     Revile not the idols which they invoke besides GOD, lest they maliciously\nrevile GOD, without knowledge.  Thus have we prepared for every nation their\nworks: hereafter unto GOD shall they return, and he shall declare unto them\nthat which they have done.\n     They have sworn by GOD, by the most solemn oath, that if a sign came unto\nthem, they would certainly believe therein: Say, Verily signs are in the power\nof GOD alone; and he permitteth you not to understand, that when they come,\nthey will not believe.r\n110\tAnd we will turn aside their hearts and their sight from the truth, as\nthey believed not thereins the first time; and we will leave them to wander in\ntheir error.\n     And though we had sent down angels unto them, and the dead had spoken\nunto them, and we had gathered together before them all things in one view;t\nthey would not have believed, unless GOD had so pleased: but the greater part\nof them know it not.\n     Thus have we appointed unto every prophet an enemy; the devils of men,\nand of genii: who privately suggest the one to the other specious discourses\nto deceive; but if thy LORD pleased, they would not have done it.  Therefore\nleave them, and that which they have falsely imagined;\n     and let the hearts of those be inclined thereto, who believe not in the\nlife to come; and let them please themselves therein, and let them gain that\nwhich they are gaining.\n     Shall I seek after any other judge besides GOD to judge between us?  It\nis he who hath sent down unto you the book of the Koran distinguishing between\ngood and evil; and they to whom we gave the scripture know that it is sent\ndown from thy LORD, with truth.  Be not therefore one of those who doubt\nthereof.\n     The words of thy LORD are perfect, in truth and justice; there is none\nwho can change his words:u he both heareth and knoweth.\n     But if thou obey the greater part of them who are in the earth, they will\nlead thee aside from the path of GOD: they follow an uncertain opinion only,x\nand speak nothing but lies;\n     verily thy LORD well knoweth those who go astray from his path, and well\nknoweth those who are rightly directed.\n     Eat of that whereon the name of GOD hath been commemorated,y if ye\nbelieve in his signs:\n     and why do ye not eat of that whereon the name of GOD hath been\ncommemorated? since he hath plainly declared unto you what he hath forbidden\nyou; except that which ye be compelled to eat of by necessity; many lead\nothers into error, because of their appetites, being void of knowledge; but\nthy LORD well knoweth who are the transgressors.\n\n\tr  In this passage Mohammed endeavours to excuse his inability of\nworking a miracle, as had been demanded of him; declaring that GOD did not\nthink fit to comply with their desires; and that if he had so thought fit, yet\nit had been in vain, because if they were not convinced by the Kor\u00e2n, they\nwould not be convinced by the greatest miracle.4\n\ts  i.e., In the Kor\u00e2n.\n\tt  For the Meccans required that Mohammed should either show them an\nangel descending from heaven in their sight, or raise their dead fathers, that\nthey might discourse with them, or prevail on GOD and his angels to appear to\nthem in a body.\n\tu  Some interpret this of the immutability of GOD'S decree, and the\ncertainty of his threats and promises; others, of his particular promise to\npreserve the Kor\u00e2n from any such alterations or corruptions as they imagine to\nhave happened to the Pentateuch and the Gospel;1 and others, of the\nunalterable duration of the Mohammedan law, which they hold is to last till\nthe end of the world, there being no other prophet, law, or dispensation to be\nexpected after it.\n\tx  Imagining that the true religion was that which their idolatrous\nancestors professed.\n\ty  See chap. 2, p. 18, and chap. 5, p. 73.\n\n\t\t4  Confer Luke xvi. 31.\t\t1  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 58, and\nKor. c. 15.\n\n\n120\tLeave both the outside of iniquity and inside thereof:z for they who\ncommit iniquity shall receive the reward of that which they shall have gained.\n     Eat not therefore of that whereon the name of GOD hath not been\ncommemorated; for this is certainly wickedness: but the devils will suggest\nunto their friends, they they dispute with you concerning this precept; but if\nye obey them, ye are surely idolaters.\n     Shall he who hath been dead, and whom we have restored unto life, and\nunto whom we have ordained a light, whereby he may walk among men, be as he\nwhose similitude is in darkness, from whence he shall not come forth?a  Thus\nwas that which the infidels are doing prepared for them.\n     And thus have we placed in every city chief leaders of the wicked men\nthereof,b that they may act deceitfully therein; but they shall act\ndeceitfully against their own souls only; and they know it not.\n     And when a signc cometh unto them, they say, We will by no means believe\nuntil a revelation be brought unto us, like unto that which hath been\ndelivered unto the messengers of GOD.d  GOD best knoweth whom he will appoint\nfor his messenger.e  Vileness in the sight of GOD shall fall upon those who\ndeal wickedly, and a grievous punishment, for that they have dealt\ndeceitfully.\n     And whomsoever GOD shall please to direct, he will open his breast to\nreceive the faith of Islam: but whomsoever he shall please to lead into error,\nhe will render his breast straight and narrow, as though he were climbing up\nto heaven.f  Thus doth GOD inflict a terrible punishment on those who believe\nnot.\n     This is the right way of thy LORD.  Now have we plainly declared our\nsigns unto those people who will consider.\n     They shall have a dwelling of peace with their LORD, and he shall be\ntheir patron, because of that which they have wrought.\n     Think on the day whereon God shall gather them all together, and shall\nsay, O company of genii,g ye have been much concerned with mankind;h and their\nfriends from among mankind shall say, O LORD, the one of us hath received\nadvantage from the other,i and we are arrived at our limited termk which thou\nhast appointed us.  God will say, Hell fire shall be your habitation, therein\nshall ye remain forever; unless as GOD shall please to mitigate your pains,l\nfor thy LORD is wise and knowing.\n\n\tz  That is, both open and secret sins.\n\ta  The persons primarily intended in this passage, were Hamza,\nMohammed's uncle, and Abu Jahl; others, instead of Hamza, name Omar, or Amm\u00e2r\n\tb  In the same manner as we have done in Mecca.\n\tc  i.e., Any verse or passage of the Kor\u00e2n.\n\td  These were the words of the Koreish, who thought that there were\npersons among themselves more worthy of the honour of being GOD'S messenger\nthan Mohammed.\n\te  Literally, Where he will place his commission.  GOD, says al Beid\u00e2wi,\nbestows not the gift of prophecy on any one on account of his nobility or\nriches, but for their spiritual qualifications; making choice of such of his\nservants as he pleases, and who he knows will execute their commissions\nfaithfully.\n\tf  Or had undertaken the most impossible thing in the world.  In like\nmanner shall the heart of such a man be incapable of receiving the truth.\n\tg  That is, of devils.1\n\th  In tempting and seducing them to sin.\n\ti  The advantage which men received from the evil spirits, was their\nraising and satisfying their lusts and appetites; and that which the latter\nreceived in return, was the obedience paid them by the former, &c.2\n\tk  viz., The day of resurrection, which we believed not in the other\nworld.\n\tl  The commentators tell us that this alleviation of the pains of the\ndamned will be when they shall be taken out of the fire to drink the boiling\nwater,3 or to suffer the extreme cold, called al Zamhar\u00eer, which is to be one\npart of their punishment; but others think the respite which God will grant to\nsome before they are thrown into hell, is here intended.4  According to the\nexposition of Ebn Abbas, these words may be rendered, Unless him whom GOD\nshall please to deliver thence.5\n\n\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t3\nJallalo'ddin.\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n5  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 72, &c.\n\n\n     Thus do we set some of the unjust over others of them, because of that\nwhich they have deserved.\n130\tO company of genii and men, did not messengers from among yourselves\ncome unto you,m rehearsing my signs unto you, and forewarning you of the\nmeeting of this your day?  They shall answer, We bear witness against\nourselves: the present life deceived them: and they shall bear witness against\nthemselves that they were unbelievers.\n     This hath been the method of God's dealing with his creatures, because\nthy LORD would not destroy the cities in their iniquity, while their\ninhabitants were careless.n\n     Every one shall have degrees of recompense of that which they shall do;\nfor thy LORD is not regardless of that which they do,\n     and thy LORD is self-sufficient and endued with mercy.  If he pleaseth he\ncan destroy you, and cause such as he pleaseth to succeed you, in like manner\nas he produced you from the posterity of other people.\n     Verily that which is threatened you, shall surely come to pass; neither\nshall ye cause it to fail.\n     Say unto those of Mecca, O my people, act according to your power; verily\nI will act according to my duty:o and hereafter shall ye know\n     whose will be the reward of paradise.  The ungodly shall not prosper.\n     Those of Mecca set apart unto GOD a portion of that which he hath\nproduced of the fruits of the earth, and of cattle; and say, This belongeth\nunto GOD (according to their imagination), and this unto our companions.p  And\nthat which is destined for their companions cometh not unto GOD; yet that\nwhich is set apart unto GOD cometh unto their companions.q  How ill do they\njudge!\n     In like manner have their companions induced many of the idolaters to\nslay their children,r that they might bring them to perdition, and that they\nmight render their religion obscure and confused unto them.s  But if GOD had\npleased, they had not done this: therefore leave them and that which they\nfalsely imagine.\n\n\tm  It is the Mohammedan belief that apostles were sent by GOD for the\nconversion both of genii and of men; being generally of humane race (as\nMohammed, in particular, who pretended to have a commission to preach to both\nkinds); according to this passage, it seems there must have been prophets of\nthe race of genii also, though their mission be a secret to us.\n\tn  Or considered not their danger; but GOD first sent some prophet to\nthem to warn them of it, and to invite them to repentance.\n\to  That is, ye may proceed in your rebellion against GOD and your malice\ntowards me, and be confirmed in your infidelity; but I will persevere to bear\nyour insults with patience, and to publish those revelations which GOD has\ncommanded me.1\n\tp  i.e., Our idols.  In which sense this word is to be taken through the\nwhole passage.\n\tq  As to this custom of the pagan Arabs, see the Prelim. Disc. Sect. I.\np. 13.  To what is there said we may add, that the share set apart for GOD was\nemployed chiefly in relieving the poor and strangers; and the share of the\nidols, for paying their priests, and providing sacrifices for them.2\n\tr  Either by that inhuman custom, which prevailed among those of Kendah\nand some other tribes, of burying their daughters alive, so soon as they were\nborn, if they apprehended they could not maintain them;3 or else be offering\nthem to their idols, at the instigation of those who had the custody of their\ntemples.4\n\ts  By corrupting with horrid superstitions that religion which Ismael\nhad left to his posterity.5\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t3  See cap. 81.\n\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n5  Idem.\n\n\n     They also say, These cattle and fruits of the earth are sacred; none\nshall eat thereof but who we pleaset (according to their imagination); and\nthere are cattle whose backs are forbidden to be rode on, or laden with\nburdens;u and there are cattle on which they commemorate not the name of GOD\nwhen they slay them;x devising a lie against him; God shall reward them for\nthat which they falsely devise.\n140\tAnd they say, That which is in the bellies of these cattley is allowed\nto our males to eat, and is forbidden to our wives: but if it prove abortive,\nthey they are both partakers thereof.z  God shall give them the reward of\ntheir attributing these things to him: he is knowing and wise.\n     They are utterly lost who have slain their children foolishly,a without\nknowledge;b and have forbidden that which GOD hath given them for food,\ndevising a lie against GOD.  They have erred, and were not rightly directed.\n     He it is who produceth gardens of vines, both those which are supported\non trails of wood, and those which are not supported,c and palm-trees, and the\ncorn affording various food, and olives, and pomegranates, alike and unlike\nunto one another.  Eat of their fruit, when they bear fruit, and pay the due\nthereof on the day whereon ye shall gather it;d but be not profuse,e for GOD\nloveth not those who are too profuse.\n     And God hath given you some cattle fit for bearing of burdens, and some\nfit for slaughter only.  Eat of what GOD hath given you for food; and follow\nnot the steps of Satan, for he is your declared enemy.\n     Four pairf of cattle hath God given you; of sheep one pair, and of goats\none pair.  Say unto them, Hath God forbidden the two males, of sheep and of\ngoats, or the two females; or that which the wombs of the two females contain?\nTell me with certainty, if ye speak truth.\n     And of camels hath God given you one pair, and of oxen one pair.  Say,\nHath he forbidden the two males of these, or the two females; or that which\nthe wombs of the two females contain?g  Were ye present when GOD commanded you\nthis?  And who is more unjust than he who deviseth a lie against GOD,h that he\nmay seduce men without understanding?  Verily GOD directed not unjust people.\n\n\tt  That is, those who serve our idols, and are of the male sex; for the\nwomen were not allowed to eat of them.6\n\tu  Which they superstitiously exempted from such services, in some\nparticular cases, as they did the Bah\u00eera, the S\u00e2\u00efba, and the H\u00e2mi.7\n\tx  See c. 5, p. 73.\n\ty  That is, the foetus or embryos of the Bah\u00eera and the S\u00e2\u00efba, which\nshall be brought forth alive.\n\tz  For if those cattle cast their young, the women might eat thereof as\nwell as the men.\n\ta  See above, note r.\n\tb  Not having a due sense of GOD'S providence.\n\tc  Or, as some choose to interpret the words, Trees or plants which are\nplanted by the labour of man, and those which grow naturally in the deserts\nand on mountains.\n\td  That is, give alms thereof to the poor.  And these alms, as al\nBeid\u00e2wi observes, were what they used to give before the Zac\u00e2t, or legal alms,\nwas instituted, which was done after Mohammed had retired from Mecca, where\nthis verse was revealed.  Yet some are of another opinion, and for this very\nreason will have the verse to have been revealed at Medina.\n\te  i.e., Give not so much thereof in alms as to leave your own families\nin want, for charity begins at home.\n\tf  Or, literally, eight males and females paired together; that is, four\nof each sex, and two of every distinct kind.\n\tg  In this passage Mohammed endeavours to convince the Arabs of their\nsuperstitious folly in making it unlawful, one while, to eat the males of\nthese four kinds of cattle; another while, the females; and at another time,\ntheir young.1\n\th  The person particularly intended here, some say, was Amru Ebn Lohai,\nking of Hej\u00e2z, a great introducer of idolatry and superstition among the\nArabs.2\n\n\t6  Idem.\t\t7  See cap. 5, p. 86, and Prelim. Disc. Sect. V.\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.  See Prelim. Disc. p. 15, and Pocock\nSpec. p. 80.\n\n\n     Say, I find not in that which hath been revealed unto me anything\nforbidden unto the eater, that he eat it not, except it be that which dieth of\nitself, or blood poured forth,i or swine's flesh: for this is an abomination:\nor that which is profane, having been slain in the name of some other than of\nGOD.  But whoso shall be compelled by necessity to eat of these things, not\nlusting, nor wilfully transgressing, verily thy LORD will be gracious unto him\nand merciful.\n     Unto the Jews did we forbid every beast having an undivided hoof; and of\nbullocks and sheep, we forbade them the fat of both; except that which should\nbe on their backs, or their inwards,k or which should be intermixed with the\nbone.l  This have we rewarded them with, because of their iniquity; and we are\nsurely speakers of truth.\n     If they accuse thee of imposture, say, Your LORD is endued with extensive\nmercy; but his severity shall not be averted from wicked people.\n     The idolaters will say, If GOD had pleased, we had not been guilty of\nidolatry, neither our fathers; and pretend that we have not forbidden them\nanything.  Thus did they who were before them accuse the prophets of\nimposture, until they tasted our severe punishment.  Say, Is there with you\nany certain knowledge of what ye allege, that ye may produce it unto us?  Ye\nfollow only a false imagination; and ye utter only lies.\n150\tSay, therefore, Unto GOD belongeth the most evident demonstration; for\nif he had pleased, he had directed you all.\n     Say, Produce your witnesses, who can bear testimony that GOD hath\nforbidden this.  But if they bear testimony of this, do not thou bear\ntestimony with them, nor do thou follow the desires of those who accuse our\nsigns of falsehood, and who believe not in the life to come, and equalize\nidols with their LORD.\n     Say, Come;m I will rehearse that which your LORD hath forbidden you; that\nis to say, that ye be not guilty of idolatry, and that ye show kindness to\nyour parents, and that ye murder not your children for fear lest ye be reduced\nto poverty; we will provide for you and them; and draw not near unto heinous\ncrimes,n neither openly nor in secret; and slay not the soul which God hath\nforbidden you to slay, unless for a just cause.o  This hath he enjoined you\nthat ye may understand.\n     And meddle not with the substance of the orphan, otherwise than for the\nimproving thereof, until he attain his age of strength: and use a full\nmeasure, and a just balance.  We will not impose a task on any soul beyond its\nability.  And when ye pronounce judgment observe justice, although it be for\nor against one who is near of kin, and fulfil the covenant of GOD.  This hath\nGod commanded you, that ye may be admonished;\n\n\ti  That is, fluid blood; in opposition to what the Arabs suppose to be\nalso blood, but not fluid, as the liver and the spleen.3\n\tk  See Levit. vii. 23, and iii. 16.\n\tl  viz., The fat of the rumps or tails of sheep, which are very large in\nthe east, a small one weighing ten or twelve pounds, and some no less than\nthreescore.\n\tm  This and the two following verses Jallalo'ddin supposes to have been\nrevealed at Medina.\n\tn  The original word signifies peculiarly fornication and avarice.\n\to  As for murder, apostacy, or adultery.4\n\n\t\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     and that ye may know that this is my right way: therefore follow it, and\nfollow not the path of others, lest ye be scattered from the path of God.\nThis hath he commanded you that ye may take heed.\n     We gave also unto Moses the book of the law; a perfect rule unto him who\nshould do right, and a determination concerning all things needful, and a\ndirection, and mercy; that the children of Israel might believe the meeting of\ntheir LORD.\n     And this book which we have now sent down is blessed; therefore follow\nit, and fear God that ye may obtain mercy:\n     lest ye should say, The scriptures were only sent down unto two peoplep\nbefore us; and we neglected to peruse them with attention:q\n     or lest ye should say, If a book of divine revelations had been sent down\nunto us, we would surely have been better directed than they.r  And now hath a\nmanifest declaration come unto you from your LORD, and a direction and mercy:\nand who is more unjust than he who deviseth lies against the signs of GOD, and\nturneth aside from them?  We will reward those who turn aside from our signs\nwith a grievous punishment, because they have turned aside.\n     Do they wait for any other than that the angels should come unto them, to\npart their souls from their bodies; or that thy LORD should come to punish\nthem; or that some of the signs of thy LORD should come to pass, showing the\nday of judgment to be at hand?s  On the day whereon some of thy LORD'S signs\nshall come to pass, its faith shall not profit a soul which believed not\nbefore, or wrought not good in its faith.t  Say, Wait ye for this day; we\nsurely do wait for it.\n160\tThey who make a division in their religion,u and become sectaries, have\nthou nothing to do with them; their affair belongeth only unto GOD.  Hereafter\nshall he declare unto them that which they have done.\n     He who shall appear with good works, shall receive a tenfold recompense\nfor the same; but he who shall appear with evil works, shall receive only an\nequal punishment for the same; and they shall not be treated unjustly.\n     Say, Verily my LORD hath directed me into a right way, a true religion,\nthe sect of Abraham the orthodox; and he was no idolater.\n     Say, Verily my prayers, and my worship, and my life, and my death are\ndedicated unto GOD, the LORD of all creatures: he hath no companion.  This\nhave I been commanded: I am the first Moslem.x\n\n\tp  That is, the Jews and the Christians.\n\tq  Either because we knew nothing of them, or did not understand the\nlanguage wherein they were written.\n\tr  Because of the acuteness of our wit, the clearness of our\nunderstanding, and our facility of learning sciences-as appears from our\nexcelling in history, poetry, and oratory, notwithstanding we are illiterate\npeople.5\n\ts  Al Beid\u00e2wi, from a tradition of Mohammed, says that ten signs will\nprecede the last day, viz., the smoke, the beast of the earth, an eclipse in\nthe east, another in the west, and a third in the peninsula of Arabia, the\nappearance of anti-Christ, the sun's rising in the west, the eruption of Gog\nand Magog, the descent of Jesus on earth, and fire which shall break forth\nfrom Aden.1\n\tt  For faith in the next life will be of no advantage to those who have\nnot believed in this; nor yet faith in this life without good works.\n\tu  That is, who believe in part of it, and disbelieve other parts of it,\nor who form schisms therein.  Mohammed is reported to have declared that the\nJews were divided into seventy-one sects, and the Christians into seventy-two;\nand that his own followers would be split into seventy-three sects; and that\nall of them would be damned, except only one of each.2\n\tx  See before, p. 90.\n\n\t5  Idem.\t\t1  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 62, &c.\n\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     Say, shall I desire any other LORD besides GOD? since he is the LORD of\nall things; and no soul shall acquire any merits or demerits but for itself;\nand no burdened soul shall bear the burden of another.y  Moreover unto your\nLORD shall ye return; and he shall declare unto you that concerning which ye\nnow dispute.\n     It is he who hath appointed you to succeed your predecessors in the\nearth, and hath raised some of you above others by various degrees of worldly\nadvantages, that he might prove you by that which he hath bestowed on you.\nThy LORD is swift in punishing; and he is also gracious and merciful.\n\n\n_______\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII\n\nENTITLED, AL ARAF;z REVEALED AT MECCA.a\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     AL. M. S.b  A book hath been sent down unto thee: and therefore let there\nbe no doubt in thy breast concerning it; that thou mayest preach the same, and\nthat it may be an admonition unto the faithful.\n     Follow that which hath been sent down unto you from your LORD; and follow\nno guides besides him: how little will ye be warned!\n     How many cities have we destroyed; which our vengeance overtook by\nnight,c or while they were reposing themselves at noon-day!d  And their\nsupplication, when our punishment came upon them,\n     was no other than that they said, Verily we have been unjust.\n     We will surely call those to an account, unto whom a prophet hath been\nsent; and we will also call those to account who have been sent unto them.\n     And we will declare their actions unto them with knowledge; for we are\nnot absent from them.\n     The weighing of men's actions on that day shall be just;e and they whose\nbalances laden with their good works shall be heavy, are those who shall be\nhappy;\n     but they whose balances shall be light, are those who have lost their\nsouls, because they injured our signs.\n     And now have we placed you on the earth, and have provided you food\ntherein: but how little are ye thankful!\n10\tWe created you, and afterwards formed you; and then said unto the\nangels, Worship Adam; and they all worshipped him, except Eblis, who was not\none of those who worshipped.f\n     God said unto him, What hindered thee from worshipping Adam, since I had\ncommanded thee?  He answered, I am more excellent than he: thou hast created\nme of fire, and hast created him of clay.\n\n\ty  This was revealed in answer to the pressing instances of the\nidolaters, who offered to take the crime upon themselves, if Mohammed would\nconform to their worship.3\n\tz  Al Ar\u00e2f signifies the partition between paradise and hell, which is\nmentioned in this chapter.1\n\ta  Some, however, except five or eight verses, begin at these words, And\nask them concerning the city, &c.\n\tb  The signification of those letters the more sober Mohammedans confess\nGOD alone knows.  Some, however, imagine they stand for Allah, Gabriel,\nMohammed, on whom be peace.\n\tc  As it did the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, to whom Lot was\nsent.\n\td  As happened to the Midianites, to whom Shoaib preached.\n\te  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 69.\n\tf  See chapter 2, p. 5, &c.\n\n\t\t3  Idem.\t\t\t1  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 74.\n\n\n     God said, Get thee down therefore from paradise; for it is not fit that\nthou behave thyself proudly therein: get thee hence; thou shalt be one of the\ncontemptible.\n     He answered, Give me respite until the day of resurrection.\n     God said, Verily thou shalt be one of those who are respited.g\n     The devil said, Because thou hast depraved me, I will lay wait for men in\nthy strait way;\n     then will I come upon them from before, and from behind, and from their\nright hands, and from their left;h and thou shalt not find the greater part of\nthem thankful.\n     God said unto him, Get thee hence, despised, and driven far away: verily\nwhoever of them shall follow thee, I will surely fill hell with you all:\n     but as for thee, O Adam, dwell thou and thy wife in paradise; and eat of\nthe fruit thereof wherever ye will; but approach not this tree, lest ye become\nof the number of the unjust.\n     And Satan suggested to them both, that he would discover unto them their\nnakedness, which was hidden from them; and he said, Your LORD hath not\nforbidden you this tree, for any other reason but lest ye should become\nangels, or lest ye become immortal.\n20\tAnd he sware unto them, saying, Verily I am one of those who counsel you\naright.\n     And he caused them to fall through deceit.i  And when they had tasted of\nthe tree, their nakedness appeared unto them;k and they began to join together\nthe leaves of paradise,l to cover themselves.  And their LORD called to them,\nsaying, Did I not forbid you this tree: and did I not say unto you, Verily\nSatan is your declared enemy?\n     They answered, O LORD, we have dealt unjustly with our own souls; and if\nthou forgive us not, and be not merciful unto us, we shall surely be of those\nwho perish.\n     God said, Get ye down, the one of you an enemy unto the other; and ye\nshall have a dwelling-place upon the earth, and a provision for a season.\n     He said, Therein shall ye live, and therein shall ye die, and from thence\nshall ye be taken forth at the resurrection.\n     O children of Adam, we have sent down unto you apparel,m to conceal your\nnakedness, and fair garments; but the clothing of piety is better. This is one\nof the signs of God; that peradventure ye may consider.\n\n\tg  As the time till which the devil is reprieved is not particularly\nexpressed, the commentators suppose his request was not wholly granted; but\nagree that he shall die, as well as other creatures, at the second sound of\nthe trumpet.2\n\th  i.e., I will attack them on every side that I shall be able.  The\nother two ways, viz., from above and from under their feet, are omitted, say\nthe commentators, to show that the devil's power is limited.3\n\ti  The Mohammedan gospel of Barnabas tells us that the sentence which\nGOD pronounced on the serpent for introducing the devil into paradise4 was,\nthat he should not only be turned out of paradise, but that he should have his\nlegs cut off by the angel Michael, with the sword of GOD; and that the devil\nhimself, since he had rendered our first parents unclean, was condemned to eat\nthe excrements of them and all their posterity; which two last circumstances I\ndo not remember to have read elsewhere.  The words of the manuscript are\nthese:  Y llam\u00f3 [Dios] a la serpiente, y a Michael, aquel que tiene la espada\nde Dios, y le dixo; Aquesta sierpe es acelerada, echala la primera del\nparayso, y cortale las piernas, y si quisiere caminar, arrastrara la vida por\ntierra.  Y llam\u00f3 \u00e0 Satanas, el qual vino riendo, y dixole; Porque tu reprobo\nhas enga\u00f1ado a aquestos, y los has hecho immundos?  Yo quiero que toda\nimmundicia suya, y de todos sus hijos, en saliendo de sus cuerpos entre por tu\nboca, porque en verdad ellos haran penitencia, y tu quedaras harto de\nimmundicia.\n\tk  Which they had not perceived before; being clothed, as some say, with\nlight, or garments of paradise, which fell from them on their disobedience.\nYahya imagines their nakedness was hidden by their hair.5\n\tl  Which it is said were fig-leaves.6\n\tm  Not only proper materials, but also ingenuity of mind and dexterity\nof hand to make use of them.7\n\n\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 65, and D'Herbelot,\nBibl. Orient. Art. Eblis.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n4  See the notes to cap. 2, p. 5.\t\t5  Idem.\t\t6  Idem.\n\t7  Idem.\n\n\n     O children of Adam, let not Satan seduce you, as he expelled your parents\nout of paradise, by stripping them of their clothing, that he might show them\ntheir nakedness: verily he seeth you, both he and his companions, whereas ye\nsee not them.n We have appointed the devils to be patrons of those who believe\nnot:\n     and when they commit a filthy action, they say, We found our fathers\npractising the same; and GOD hath commanded us to do it.  Say, Verily GOD\ncommandeth not filthy actions.  Do ye speak concerning GOD that which ye know\nnot?\n     Say, My LORD hath commanded me to observe justice; therefore set your\nfaces to pray at every place of worship, and call upon him, approving unto him\nthe sincerity of your religion.  As he produced you at first, so unto him\nshall ye return.  A part of mankind hath he directed; and a part hath been\njustly led into error, because they have taken the devils for their patrons\nbesides GOD, and imagine they are rightly directed.\n     O children of Adam, take your decent apparel at every place of worship,o\nand eat and drink,p but be not guilty of excess; for he loveth not those who\nare guilty of excess.\n30\tSay, Who hath forbidden the decent apparel of GOD, which he hath\nproduced for his servants, and the good things which he hath provided for\nfood?  Say, these things are for those who believe, in this present life, but\npeculiarly on the day of resurrection.q  Thus do we distinctly explain our\nsigns unto people who understand.\n     Say, Verily my LORD hath forbidden filthy actions, both that which is\ndiscovered thereof, and that which is concealed, and also iniquity, and unjust\nviolence; and hath forbidden you to associate with GOD that concerning which\nhe hath sent you down no authority, or to speak of GOD that which ye know not.\n     Unto every nation there is a prefixed term; therefore when their term is\nexpired, they shall not have respite for an hour, neither shall they be\nanticipated.\n     O children of Adam, verily apostles from among you shall come unto you,\nwho shall expound my signs unto you: whosoever therefore shall fear God and\namend, there shall come no fear on them, neither shall they be grieved.\n     But they who shall accuse our signs of falsehood, and shall proudly\nreject them, they shall be the companions of hell fire; they shall remain\ntherein forever.\n     And who is more unjust than he who deviseth a lie concerning GOD, or\naccuseth his signs of imposture?  Unto these shall be given their portion of\nworldly happiness, according to what is written in the book of God's decrees,\nuntil our messengersr come unto them, and shall cause them to die; saying,\nWhere are the idols which ye called upon, besides GOD?  They shall answer,\nThey have disappeared from us.  And they shall bear witness against themselves\nthat they were unbelievers.\n\n\tn  Because of the subtlety of their bodies, and their being void of all\ncolour.8\n\to  This passage was revealed to reprove an immodest custom of the pagan\nArabs, who used to encompass the Caaba naked, because clothes, they said, were\nthe signs of their disobedience to GOD.1  The Sonna orders that, when a man\ngoes to prayers, he should put on his better apparel, out of respect to the\ndivine majesty before whom he is to appear.  But as the Mohammedans think it\nindecent, on the one hand, to come into GOD'S presence in a slovenly manner,\nso they imagine, on the other, that they ought not to appear before him in\nhabits too rich or sumptuous, and particularly in clothes adorned with gold or\nsilver, lest they should seem proud.\n\tp  The sons of Amer, it is said, when they performed the pilgrimage to\nMecca, used to eat no more than was absolutely necessary, and that not of the\nmore delicious sort of food neither, which abstinence they looked upon as a\npiece of merit, but they are here told the contrary.2\n\tq  Because then the wicked, who also partook of the blessings of this\nlife, will have no share in the enjoyments of the next.\n\tr  viz., The angel of death and his assistants.\n\n\t\t8  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t1  idem, al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\n\n\n     God shall say unto them at the resurrection, Enter ye with the nations\nwhich have preceded you, of genii and of men, into hell fire; so often as one\nnation shall enter, it shall curse its sister,s until they shall all have\nsuccessively entered therein.  The latter of them shall say of the former of\nthem:  O LORD, these have seduced us; therefore inflict on them a double\npunishment of the fire of hell.  God shall answer, It shall be doubled unto\nall:t but ye know it not:\n     and the former of them shall say unto the latter of them, Ye have not\ntherefore any favor above us; taste the punishment for that which ye have\ngained.\n     Verily they who shall charge our signs with falsehood, and shall proudly\nreject them, the gates of heaven shall not be opened unto them,u neither shall\nthey enter into paradise, until a camel pass through the eye of a needle,x and\nthus will we reward the wicked doers.\n     Their couch shall be in hell, and over them shall be coverings of fire;\nand thus will we reward the unjust.\n40\tBut they who believe, and do that which is right (we will not load any\nsoul but according to its ability,) they shall be the companions of paradise;\nthey shall remain therein forever.\n     And we will remove all grudges from their minds;y rivers shall run at\ntheir feet, and they shall say, Praised be GOD, who hath directed us unto this\nfelicity, for we should not have been rightly directed, if GOD had not\ndirected us; now are we convinced by demonstration that the Apostles of our\nLORD came unto us with truth.  And it shall be proclaimed unto them, This is\nparadise, whereof ye are made heirs, as a reward for that which ye have\nwrought.\n     And the inhabitantsz of paradise shall call out to the inhabitants of\nhell fire, saying, Now have we found that which our LORD promised us to be\ntrue: have ye also found that which your LORD promised you to be true?  They\nshall answer, Yea.  And a criera shall proclaim between them, The curse of GOD\nshall be on the wicked;\n     who turn men aside from the way of GOD, and seek to render it crooked,\nand who deny the life to come.\n\n\ts  That is, the nation whose example betrayed them into their idolatry\nand other wickedness.\n\tt  Unto those who set the example, because they not only transgressed\nthemselves, but were also the occasion of the others' transgression; and unto\nthose who followed them, because of their own infidelity and their imitating\nan ill example.1\n\tu  That is, when their souls shall, after death, ascend to heaven, they\nshall not be admitted, but shall be thrown down into the dungeon under the\nseventh earth.2\n\tx  This expression was probably taken from our Saviour's words in the\ngospel,3 though it be proverbial in the east.\n\ty  So that, whatever differences or animosities there had been between\nthem in their lifetime, they shall now be forgotten, and give place to sincere\nlove and amity.  This Ali is said to have hoped would prove true to himself\nand his inveterate enemies, Othm\u00e2n, Telha, and al Zobeir.4\n\tz  Literally, the companions.\n\ta  This crier, some say, will be the angel Israfil.\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Jallalo'ddin.  See the Prelim. Disc. ubi sup. p.\n61.\t\t3  Matth. xix. 24\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     And between the blessed and the damned there shall be a veil; and men\nshall stand on Al Ar\u00e2fb who shall know every one of them by their marks;c and\nshall call unto the inhabitants of paradise, saying, Peace be upon you: yet\nthey shall not enter therein, although they earnestly desire it.d\n     And when they shall turn their eyes towards the companions of hell fire,\nthey say, O LORD, place us not with the ungodly people!\n     And those who stand on Al Ar\u00e2f shall call unto certain men,e whom they\nshall know by their marks, and shall say, What hath your gathering of riches\navailed you, and that ye were puffed up with pride?\n     Are these the men on whom ye sware that GOD would not bestow mercy?f\nEnter ye into paradise; there shall come no fear on you, neither shall ye be\ngrieved.g\n     And the inhabitants of hell fire shall call unto the inhabitants of\nparadise, saying, Pour upon us some water, or of those refreshments which GOD\nhath bestowed on you.h  They shall answer, Verily GOD hath forbidden them unto\nthe unbelievers;\n     who made a laughing-stock and a sport of their religion, and whom the\nlife of the world hath deceived: therefore this day will we forget them, as\nthey did forget the meeting of this day, and for that they denied our signs to\nbe from God.\n50\tAnd now have we brought unto those of Mecca a book of divine\nrevelations:  we have explained it with knowledge; a direction and mercy unto\npeople who shall believe.\n     Do they wait for any other than the interpretation thereof?i  On the day\nwhereon the interpretation thereof shall come, they who had forgotten the same\nbefore shall say, Now are we convinced by demonstration that the messengers of\nour LORD came unto us with truth: shall we therefore have any intercessors,\nwho will intercede for us? or shall we be sent back into the world, that we\nmay do other works than what we did in our life-time?  But now have they lost\ntheir souls; and that which they impiously imagined hath fled from them.k\n     Verily, your LORD is GOD, who created the heavens and the earth in six\ndays; and then ascended his throne: he causeth the night to cover the day; it\nsucceedeth the same swiftly: he also created the sun and the moon, and the\nstars, which are absolutely subject unto his command.  Is not the whole\ncreation, and the empire thereof, his?  Blessed be GOD, the LORD of all\ncreatures!\n\n\tb  Al Ar\u00e2f is the name of the wall or partition which, as Mohammed\ntaught, will separate paradise from hell.5  But as to the persons who are to\nbe placed thereon the commentators differ, as has been elsewhere observed.6\n\tc  i.e., Who shall distinguish the blessed from the damned by their\nproper characteristics; such as the whiteness and splendour of the faces of\nthe former, and the blackness of those of the latter.1\n\td  From this circumstance, it seems that their opinion is the most\nprobable who make this intermediate partition a sort of purgatory for those\nwho, though they deserve not to be sent to hell, yet have not merits\nsufficient to gain them immediate admittance into paradise, and will be\ntantalized here for a certain time with a bare view of the felicity of that\nplace.\n\te  That is, the chiefs and ringleaders of the infidels.2\n\tf  These were the inferior and poorer among the believers, whom they\ndespised in their lifetimes as unworthy of God's favour.\n\tg  These words are directed, by an apostrophe, to the poor and despised\nbelievers above mentioned.  Some commentators, however, imagine these and the\nnext preceding words are to be understood of those who will be confined in al\nAr\u00e2f; and that the damned will, in return for their reproachful speech, swear\nthat they shall never enter paradise themselves; whereupon GOD of his mercy\nshall order them to be admitted by these words.3\n\th  i.e., Of the other liquors or fruits of paradise.  Compare this\npassage with the parable of Dives and Lazarus.\n\ti  That is, the event of the promises and menaces therein.\n\tk  See chapter 6, p. 90, note a.\n\n\t5  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 74.\t\t6  See ibid.\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\n3  Idem\n\n\n     Call upon your LORD humbly and in secret; for he loveth not those who\ntransgress.l\n     And act not corruptly in the earth, after its reformation;m and call upon\nhim with fear and desire: for the mercy of GOD is near unto the righteous.\n     It is he who sendeth the winds, spread abroadn before his mercy,o until\nthey bring a cloud heavy with rain, which we drive into a dead country;p and\nwe cause water to descend thereon, by which we cause all sorts of fruits to\nspring forth.  Thus will we bring forth the dead from their graves;q that\nperadventure ye may consider.\n     From a good country shall its fruit spring forth abundantly, by the\npermission of its LORD; but from the land which is bad, it shall not spring\nforth otherwise than scarcely.  Thus do we explain the signs of divine\nprovidence unto people who are thankful.\n     We formerly sent Noahr unto his people: and he said, O my people, worship\nGOD: ye have no other GOD than him.s  Verily I fear for you the punishment of\nthe great day.t\n     The chiefs of his people answered him, We surely perceive thee to be in a\nmanifest error.\n     He replied, O my people, there is no error in me; but I am a messenger\nfrom the LORD of all creatures.\n60\tI bring unto you the messages of my LORD; and I counsel you aright: for\nI know from GOD, that which ye know not.\n     Do ye wonder that an admonition hath come unto you from your LORD by a\nmanu from among you, to warn you, that ye may take heed to yourselves, and\nthat peradventure ye may obtain mercy?\n\n\tl  Behaving themselves arrogantly while they pray; or praying with an\nobstreperous voice, or a multitude of words and vain repetitions.1\n\tm  i.e., After that GOD hath sent his prophets, and revealed his laws,\nfor the reformation and amendment of mankind.\n\tn  Or ranging over a large extent of land.  Some copies, instead of\nnoshran, which is the reading I have here followed, have boshran, which\nsignifies good tidings; the rising of the wind in such a manner being the\nforerunner of rain.\n\to  That is, rain.  For the east wind, says al Beid\u00e2wi, raises the\nclouds, the north wind drives them together, the south wind agitates them, so\nas to make the rain fall, and the west wind disperses them again.2\n\tp  Or a dry and parched land.\n\tq  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.\n\tr  Noah the son of Lamech, according to the Mohammedan writers, was one\nof the six principal prophets,3 though he had no written revelations delivered\nto him,4 and the first who appeared after his great-grandfather Edr\u00ees or\nEnoch.  They also say he was by trade a carpenter, which they infer from his\nbuilding the ark, and that the year of his mission was the fiftieth, or, as\nothers say, the fortieth of his age.5\n\tThat Noah was a preacher of righteousness unto the wicked antediluvians\nis testified by scripture.6  The eastern Christians say that when God ordered\nNoah to build the ark, he also directed him to make an instrument of wood,\nsuch as they make use of at this day in the east, instead of bells, to call\nthe people to church, and named in Arabic N\u00e2k\u00fbs, and in modern Greek Semandra;\non which he was to strike three times every day, not only to call together the\nworkmen that were building the ark, but to give him an opportunity of daily\nadmonishing his people of the impending danger of the Deluge, which would\ncertainly destroy them if they did not repent.7\n\tSome Mohammedan authors pretend Noah was sent to convert Zoh\u00e2k, one of\nthe Persian kings of the first race, who refused to hearken to him; and that\nhe afterwards preached GOD's unity publicly.8\n\ts  From these words, and other passages of the Kor\u00e2n where Noah's\npreaching is mentioned, it appears that, according to Mohammed's opinion, a\nprincipal crime of the antediluvians was idolatry.9\n\tt  viz., Either the day of resurrection, or that whereon the Flood was\nto begin.\n\tu  For, said they, if GOD had pleased, he would have sent an angel, and\nnot a man; since we never heard of such an instance in the times of our\nfathers.10\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 59.\n\t4  Vide Reland. de Relig. Moh. p. 34.\n5  Al Zamakhshari.\t\t6  2 Pet. ii. 5.\t\t7  Eutych. Annal. p. 37.\n\t\t8  Vide D'Herbal. Bibl. Orient. p. 675.\n9  See c. 71, and the Prelim. Disc. Sect. I. p. 14.\t\t10  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     And they accused him of imposture: but we delivered him and those who\nwere with him in the ark,x and we drowned those who charged our signs with\nfalsehood; for they were a blind people.\n     And unto the tribe of Ad we sent their brother H\u00fbd.z  He said, O my\npeople, worship GOD: ye have no other GOD than him; will ye not fear him?\n     The chiefs of those among his people who believed not,a answered, Verily\nwe perceive that thou art guided by folly; and we certainly esteem thee to be\none of the liars.\n     He replied, O my people, I am not guided by folly; but I am a messenger\nunto you from the LORD of all creatures:\n     I bring unto you the messages of my LORD; and I am a faithful counsellor\nunto you.\n     Do ye wonder that an admonition hath come unto you from your LORD, by a\nman from among you, that he may warn you?  Call to mind how he hath appointed\nyou successors unto the people of Noah,b and hath added unto you in stature\nlargely.c  Remember the benefits of GOD, that ye may prosper.\n     They said, Art thou come unto us, that we should worship GOD alone, and\nleave the deities which our fathers worshipped?  Now bring down that judgment\nupon us, with which thou threatenest us, if thou speakest truth.\n     Hud answered, Now shall there suddenly fall upon you from your LORD\nvengeance and indignation.  Will ye dispute with me concerning the names which\nye have named,d and your fathers; as to which GOD hath not revealed unto you\nany authority?  Do ye wait therefore, and I will be one of those who wait with\nyou.\n\n\tx  That is, those who believed on him, and entered into that vessel with\nhim.  Though there be a tradition among the Mohammedans, said to have been\nreceived from the prophet himself, and conformable to the scripture, that\neight persons, and no more, were saved in the ark, yet some of them report the\nnumber variously.  One says they were but six, another ten, another twelve,\nanother seventy-eight, and another four-score, half men and half women,1 and\nthat one of them was the elder Jorham,2 the preserver, as some pretend, of the\nArabian language.3\n\ty  Ad was an ancient and potent tribe of Arabs,4 and zealous idolaters.5\nThey chiefly worshipped four deities, S\u00e2kia, H\u00e2fedha, R\u00e2zeka and S\u00e2lema; the\nfirst, as they imagined, supplying them with rain, the second preserving them\nfrom all dangers abroad, the third providing food for their sustenance, and\nthe fourth restoring them to health when afflicted with sickness,6 according\nto the signification of the several names.\n\tz  Generally supposed to be the same person with Heber;7 but others say\nhe was the son of Abda'llah, the son of Rib\u00e2h, the son of Khol\u00fbd, the son of\nAd, the son of Aws or Uz, the son of Aram, the son of Sem.8\n\ta  These words were added because some of the principal men among them\nbelieved on H\u00fbd, one of whom was Morthed Ebn Saad.9\n\tb  Dwelling in the habitations of the antediluvians, who preceded them\nnot many centuries, or having the chief sway in the earth after them.  For the\nkingdom of Shed\u00e2d, the son of Ad, is said to have extended from the sands of\nAlaj to the trees of Om\u00e2n.10\n\tc  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 5.\n\td  That is, concerning the idols and imaginary objects of your worship,\nto which ye wickedly gave the names, attributes, and honour due to the only\ntrue GOD.\n\n\t1  Al Zamakhshari, Jallalo'ddin, Ebn Shohnah.\t\t2  Idem.  See the\nPrelim. Disc. Sect I. p. 6.\t\t3  Vide Pocock. Orat. Pr\u00e6fix. Carm.\nTograi.\t\t4  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. I. p. 5.\t\t5  Abulfeda.\n\t\t6  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Houd.\n7  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 5.\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t9  Idem.\n\t10  Idem.\n\n\n70\tAnd we delivered him, and them who believed with him by our mercy; and\nwe cut off the uttermost part of those who charged our signs with falsehood,\nand were not believers.e\n     And unto the tribe of Tham\u00fbd we sentf their brother S\u00e2leh.g  He said, O\nmy people, worship GOD: ye have no GOD besides him.  Now hath a manifest proof\ncome unto you from your LORD.  This she-camel of GOD is a sign unto you:h\ntherefore dismiss her freely, that she may feed in GOD's earth; and do her no\nhurt, lest a painful punishment seize you.\n     And call to mind how he hath appointed you successors unto the tribe of\nAd, and hath given you a habitation on earth; ye build yourselves castles on\nthe plains thereof, and cut out the mountains into houses.i  Remember\ntherefore the benefits of GOD, and commit not violence in the earth, acting\ncorruptly.\n     The chiefs among his people who were puffed up with pride, said unto\nthose who were esteemed weak, namely unto those who believed among them, Do ye\nknow that S\u00e2leh hath been sent from his LORD?  They answered, We do surely\nbelieve in that wherewith he hath been sent.\n     Those who were elated with pride replied, Verily we believe not in that\nwherein ye believe.\n\n\te  The dreadful destruction of the Adites we have mentioned in another\nplace,1 and shall only add here some further circumstances of that calamity,\nand which differ a little from what is there said; for the Arab writers\nacknowledge many inconsistencies in the histories of these ancient tribes.2\n\tThe tribe of Ad having been for their incredulity previously chastised\nwith a three years' drought, sent Kail Ebn Ithar and Morthed Ebn Saad, with\nseventy other principal men, to the temple of Mecca to obtain rain.  Mecca was\nthen in the hands of the tribe of Amalek whose prince was Mo\u00e2wiyah Ebn Becr;\nand he, being without the city when the ambassadors arrived, entertained them\nthere for a month in so hospitable a manner that they had forgotten the\nbusiness they came about had not the king reminded them of it, not as from\nhimself, lest they should think he wanted to be rid of them, but by some\nverses which he put into the mouth of a singing woman.  At which, being roused\nfrom their lethargy, Morthed told them the only way they had to obtain what\nthey wanted would be to repent and obey their prophet; but this displeasing\nthe rest, they desired Mo\u00e2wiyah to imprison him, lest he should go with them;\nwhich being done, Kail with the rest entering Mecca, begged of GOD that he\nwould send rain to the people of Ad.  Whereupon three clouds appeared, a white\none, a red one, and a black one; and a voice from heaven ordered Kail to\nchoose which he would.  Kail failed not to make choice of the last, thinking\nit to be laden with the most rain; but when this cloud came over them, it\nproved to be fraught with the divine vengeance, and a tempest broke forth from\nit which destroyed them all.3\n\tf  Tham\u00fbd was another tribe of the ancient Arabs who fell into idolatry.\nSee the Prelim. Disc. Sect. I. p. 5.\n\tg  Al Beid\u00e2wi deduces his genealogy thus: S\u00e2leh, the son of Obeid, the\nson of Asaf, the son of Masekh, the son of Obeid, the son of H\u00e2dher, the son\nof Tham\u00fbd.4\n\th  The Tham\u00fbdites, insisting on a miracle, proposed to S\u00e2leh that he\nshould go with them to their festival, and that they should call on their\ngods, and he on his, promising to follow that deity which should answer.  But\nafter they had called on their idols a long time to no purpose, Jonda Ebn\nAmru, their prince, pointed to a rock standing by itself, and bade S\u00e2leh cause\na she-camel big with young to come forth from it, solemnly engaging that, if\nhe did, he would believe, and his people promised the same.  Whereupon S\u00e2leh\nasked it of GOD, and presently the rock, after several throes as if in labour,\nwas delivered of a she-camel answering the description of Jonda, which\nimmediately brought forth a young one, ready weaned, and, as some say, as big\nas herself.  Jonda, seeing this miracle, believed on the prophet, and some few\nwith him; but the greater part of the Tham\u00fbdites remained, notwithstanding,\nincredulous.  Of this camel the commentators tell several very absurd stories:\nas that, when she went to drink, she never raised her head from the well or\nriver till she had drunk up all the water in it, and then she offered herself\nto be milked, the people drawing from her as much milk as they pleased; and\nsome say that she went about the town crying aloud, If any wants milk let him\ncome forth.5\n\ti  The tribe of Tham\u00fbd dwelt first in the country of the Adites, but\ntheir numbers increasing, they removed to the territory of Hejr for the sake\nof the mountains, where they cut themselves habitations in the rocks, to be\nseen at this day.\n\n\t1  Prelim. Disc. p. 5.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  Vide D'Herbelot, Bibl\nOrient. Art. Houd.\t\t3  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 5.\n4  Abulfeda, al Zamakhshari.  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. S\u00e2leh.\n\t5  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 6.\n\n\n     And they cut off the feet of the camel,k and insolently transgressed the\ncommand of their LORD,l and said, O S\u00e2leh, cause that to come upon us which\nthou hast threatened us, if thou art one of those who have been sent by God.\n     Whereupon a terrible noise from heavenm assailed them; and in the morning\nthey were found in their dwellings prostrate on their breasts and dead.n\n     And S\u00e2leh departed from them, and said,o O my people, now have I\ndelivered unto you the message of my LORD and I advised you well, but ye love\nnot those who advise you well.\n     And remember Lot,p when he said unto his people, Do ye commit a\nwickedness, wherein no creature hath set you an example?\n     Do ye approach lustfully unto men, leaving the women?  Certainly ye are\npeople who transgress all modesty.\n80\tBut the answer of his people was no other than that they said the one to\nthe other, Expel themq your city; for they are men who preserve themselves\npure from the crimes which ye commit.\n     Therefore we delivered him and his family, except his wife; she was one\nof those who stayed behind:r\n     and we rained a shower of stones upon them.s  Behold therefore what was\nthe end of the wicked.\n\n\tk  This extraordinary camel frighting the other cattle from their\npasture, a certain rich woman named Oneiza Omm Ganem, having four daughters,\ndressed them out and offered one Ked\u00e2r his choice of them if he would kill the\ncamel.  Whereupon he chose one, and with the assistance of eight other men,\nhamstrung and killed the dam, and pursuing the young one, which fled to the\nmountain, killed that also and divided his flesh among them.1  Others tell the\nstory somewhat differently, adding Sadaka Bint al Mokht\u00e2r as a joint\nconspiratress with Oneiza, and pretending that the young one was not killed;\nfor they say that having fled to a certain mountain named K\u00e2ra, he there cried\nthree times, and S\u00e2leh bade them catch him if they could, for then there might\nbe hopes of their avoiding the divine vengeance; but this they were not able\nto do, the rock opening after he had cried, and receiving him within it.2\n\tl  Defying the vengeance with which they were threatened; because they\ntrusted in their strong dwellings hewn in the rocks, saying that the tribe of\nAd perished only because their houses were not built with sufficient\nstrength.3\n\tm  Like violent and repeated claps of thunder, which some say was no\nother than the voice of the angel Gabriel,4 and which rent their hearts.5  It\nis said that after they had killed the camel, S\u00e2leh told them that on the\nmorrow their faces should become yellow, the next day red, and the third day\nblack, and that on the fourth GOD'S vengeance should light on them; and that\nthe first three signs happening accordingly, they sought to put him to death,\nbut GOD delivered him by sending him into Palestine.6\n\tn  Mohammed, in the expedition of Tab\u00fbc, which he undertook against the\nGreeks in the ninth year of the Hejra, passing by Hejr, where this ancient\ntribe had dwelt, forbade his army, though much distressed with heat and\nthirst, to draw any water there, but ordered them if they had drunk of that\nwater to bring it up again, or if they had kneaded any meal with it, to give\nit to their camels;7 and wrapping up his face in his garment, he set spurs to\nhis mule, crying out, Enter not the houses of those wicked men, but rather\nweep, lest that happen unto you which befell them; and having so said, he\ncontinued galloping full speed with his face muffled up, till he had passed\nthe valley.8\n\to  Whether this speech was made by S\u00e2leh to them at parting, as seems\nmost probable, or after the judgment had fallen on them, the commentators are\nnot agreed.\n\tp  The commentators say, conformably to the scripture, that Lot was the\nson of Haran, the son of Azer or Terah, and consequently Abraham's nephew, who\nbrought him with him from Chaldea into Palestine, where they say he was sent\nby GOD to reclaim the inhabitants of Sodom and the other neighbouring cities\nwhich were overthrown with it, from the unnatural vice to which they were\naddicted.9  And this Mohammedan tradition seems to be countenanced by the\nwords of the apostle, that this righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing\nand hearinng vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful\ndeeds;10 whence it is probable that he omitted no opportunity of endeavouring\ntheir reformation.  The story of Lot is told with further circumstances in the\neleventh chapter.\n\tq  viz., Lot, and those who believe on him.\n\tr  See chap. II.\n\ts  See ibid.\n\n\t1  Abulfeda.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  Vide D'Herbel. ubi supra.\n\t3  Al Kessai.\t\t4  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 6.\t\t5\nAbulfeda, al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t6  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t7  Abulfed. Vit. Moh. p.\n124.\t\t8  Al Bokhari.\t\t9  Vide D'Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. Art.\nLoth.\t\t10  2 Pet. ii. 8.\t\t1  Gen. xxv. 2.\n\n\n     And unto Madiant we sent their brother Shoaib.u  He said unto them, O my\npeople, worship GOD; ye have no GOD besides him.  Now hath an evident\ndemonstrationx come unto you from your LORD.  Therefore give full measure and\njust weight, and diminish not unto men aught of their matters:y neither act\ncorruptly in the earth, after its reformation.z  This will be better for you,\nif ye believe.\n     And beset not every way, threatening the passenger;a and turning aside\nfrom the path of GOD him who believeth in him, and seeking to make it crooked.\nAnd remember, when ye were few, and God multiplied you: and behold, what hath\nbeen the end of those who acted corruptly.\n     And if part of you believe in that wherewith I am sent, and part believe\nnot, wait patiently until GOD judge between us; for he is the best judge.\n     The chiefs of his people, who were elated with pride, answered, We will\nsurely cast thee, O Shoaib, and those who believe with thee, out of our city:\nor else thou shalt certainly return unto our religion.  He said, What, though\nwe be averse thereto?\n     We shall surely imagine a lie against GOD, if we return unto your\nreligion, after that GOD hath delivered us from the same: and we have no\nreason to return unto it, unless GOD our LORD shall please to abandon us.  Our\nLORD comprehendeth every thing by his knowledge.  In GOD do we put our trust.\nO LORD do thou judge between us and our nation with truth; for thou art the\nbest judge.\n     And the chiefs of his people who believed not said, If ye follow Shoaib,\nye shall surely perish.\n     Therefore a storm from heavenb assailed them, and in the morning they\nwere found in their dwellings dead and prostrate.\n90\tThey who accused Shoaib of imposture became as though they had never\ndwelt therein; they who accused Shoaib of imposture perished themselves.\n     And he departed from them, and said, O my people, now have I performed\nunto you the messages of my LORD; and I advised you aright: but why should I\nbe grieved for an unbelieving people.\n     We have never sent any prophet unto a city, but we afflicted the\ninhabitants thereof with calamity and adversity, that they might humble\nthemselves.\n     Then we gave them in exchange good in lieu of evil, until they abounded,\nand said, Adversity and prosperity formerly happened unto our fathers, as unto\nus.  Therefore we took vengeance on them suddenly, and they perceived it not\nbeforehand.\n\n\tt  Or Midian, was a city of Hej\u00e2z, and the habitation of a tribe or the\nsame name, the descendants of Midian, the son of Abraham by Keturah,1 who\nafterwards coalesced with the Ismaelites, as it seems; Moses naming the same\nmerchants who sold Joseph to Potiphar, in one place Ismaelites,2 and in\nanother Midianites.3\n\tThis city was situated on the Red Sea, south-east of Mount Sinai, and is\ndoubtless the same with the Modiana of Ptolemy; what was remaining of it in\nMohammed's time was soon after demolished in the succeeding wars,4 and it\nremains desolate to this day.  The people of the country pretend to show the\nwell whence Moses watered Jethro's flocks.5\n\tu  Some Mohammedan writers make him the son of Mika\u00efl, the son of\nYashjar, the son of Madian;6 and they generally suppose him to be the same\nperson with the father-in-law of Moses, who is named in scripture Reuel or\nRaguel, and Jethro.7  But Ahmed Ebn Abd'alhalim charges those who entertain\nthis opinion with ignorance.  Al Kess\u00e2i says that his father's name was San\u00fbn,\nand that he was first called Boy\u00fbn, and afterwards Shoaib: and adds that he\nwas a comely person, but spare and lean, very thoughtful and of few words.\nDoctor Prideaux writes this name, after the French translation, Chaib.8\n\tx  This demonstration the commentators suppose to have been a power of\nworking miracles, though the Kor\u00e2n mentions none in particular.  However, they\nsay (after the Jews) that he gave his son-in-law that wonder-working rod,9\nwith which he performed all those miracles in Egypt and the desert, and also\nexcellent advice and instructions,10 whence he had the surname of Khat\u00eeb al\nanbiy\u00e2, or the preacher to the prophets.11\n\ty  For one of the great crimes which the Midianites were guilty of was\nthe using of diverse measures and weights, a great and a small, buying by one\nand selling by another.12\n\tz  See before, p. 110, note m.\n\ta  Robbing on the highway, it seems, was another crying sin frequent\namong these people.  But some of the commentators interpret this passage\nfiguratively, of their besetting the way of truth, and threatening those who\ngave ear to the remonstrances of Shoaib.13\n\tb  Like that which destroyed the Tham\u00fbdites.  Some suppose it to have\nbeen an earthquake, for the original word signifies either or both; and both\nthese dreadful calamities may well be supposed to have jointly executed the\ndivine vengeance.\n\n\t2  Gen. xxxix. I.\t\t3  Gen. xxxvii. 36.\t\t4  Vide Golii not.\nin Alfrag. p. 143.\t\t5  Abulfed Desc. Arab. p. 42.  Geogr. Nub. p. 10\n\t\t6  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Tarikh Montakhab.\t\t7  Exod. ii. 18; iii. I.\n\t\t8  Life of Mah. p. 24.\n9  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  Vide Shalshel hakkab. p. 12.\t\t10 Exod. xviii. 13, &c.\n\t11  Vide D'Herbelot.  Bibl. Orient. Art. Schoaib.\n12  Vide ibid. al Beid\u00e2wi.  See Deut. xxv. 13, 14.\t\t13  Idem.\n\n\n     But if the inhabitants of those cities had believed and feared God, we\nwould surely have opened to them blessings both from heaven and earth.  But\nthey charged our apostles with falsehood, wherefore we took vengeance on them,\nfor that which they had been guilty of.\n     Were the inhabitants therefore of those cities secure that our punishment\nshould not fall on them by night, while they slept?\n     Or were the inhabitants of those cities secure that our punishment should\nnot fall on them by day, while they sported?\n     Were they therefore secure from the stratagem of GOD?c  But none will\nthink himself secure from the stratagem of GOD, except the people who perish.\n     And hath it not manifestly appeared unto those who have inherited the\nearth after the former inhabitants thereof, that if we please, we can afflict\nthem for their sins?  But we will seal up their hearts; and they shall not\nhearken.\n     We will relate unto thee some stories of these cities.  Their apostles\nhad come unto them with evident miracles, but they were not disposed to\nbelieve in that which they had before gainsaid.  Thus will GOD seal up the\nhearts of the unbelievers.\n100\tAnd we found not in the greater part of them any observance of their\ncovenant; but we found the greater part of them wicked doers.\n     Then we sent after the above named apostles, Moses with our signs unto\nPharaohd and his princes; who treated them unjustly:e but behold what was the\nend of the corrupt doers.\n     And Moses said, O Pharaoh, verily I am an apostle sent from the LORD of\nall creatures.\n     It is just that I should not speak of GOD other than the truth.  Now am I\ncome unto you with an evident sign from your LORD: send therefore the children\nof Israel away with me.  Pharaoh answered, If thou comest with a sign, produce\nit, if thou speakest truth.\n     Wherefore he cast down his rod; and behold, it became a visible serpent.f\n\n\tc  Hereby is figuratively expressed the manner of GOD'S dealing with\nproud and ungrateful men, by suffering them to fill up the measure of their\niniquity, without vouchsafing to bring them to a sense of their condition by\nchastisements and afflictions till they find themselves utterly lost, when\nthey least expect it.1\n\td  This was the common title or name of the kings of Egypt (signifying\nking in the Coptic tongue), as Ptolemy was in after times; and as C\u00e6sar was\nthat of the Roman emperors, and Khosr\u00fb that of the kings of Persia.  But which\nof the kings of Egypt this Pharaoh of Moses was, is uncertain.  Not to mention\nthe opinions of the European writers, those of the east generally suppose him\nto have been al Wal\u00eed, who, according to some, was an Arab of the tribe of Ad,\nor, according to others, the son of Mas\u00e1b, the son of Riy\u00e2n, the son of\nWal\u00eed,2 the Amalekite.3  There are historians, however, who suppose Kab\u00fbs, the\nbrother and predecessor of al Wal\u00eed, was the prince we are speaking of; and\npretend he lived six hundred and twenty years, and reigned four hundred.\nWhich is more reasonable, at least, than the opinion of those who imagine it\nwas his father Mas\u00e1b, or grand-father Riy\u00e2n.4  Abulfeda says that Mas\u00e1b being\none hundred and seventy years old, and having no child, while he kept the\nherds saw a cow calve, and heard her say, at the same time, O Mas\u00e1b, be not\ngrieved, for thou shalt have a wicked son, who will be at length cast into\nhell.  And he accordingly had this Wal\u00eed, who afterwards coming to be king of\nEgypt, proved an impious tyrant.\n\te  By not believing therein.\n\tf  The Arab writers tell enormous fables of this serpent or dragon.  For\nthey say that he was hairy, and of so prodigious a size, that when he opened\nhis mouth, his jaws were fourscore cubits asunder, and when he laid his lower\njaw on the ground, his upper reached to the top of the palace; that Pharaoh\nseeing this monster make toward him, fled from it, and was so terribly\nfrightened that he befouled himself; and that the whole assembly also betaking\nthemselves to their heels, no less than twenty-five thousand of them lost\ntheir lives in the press.  They add that Pharaoh upon this adjured Moses by\nGOD who had sent him, to take away the serpent, and promised he would believe\non him, and let the Israelites go; but when Moses had done what he requested,\nhe relapsed, and grew as hardened as before.5\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 7.\t\t3\nAbulfeda, &c.\t\t4  Kit\u00e2b tafsir leb\u00e2b, and al Kesh\u00e2f.\n\n\n     And he drew forth his hand out of his bosom; and behold, it appeared\nwhite unto the spectators.g\n     The chiefs of the people of Pharaoh said, This man is certainly an expert\nmagician:\n     he seeketh to dispossess you of your land; what therefore do ye direct?\n     They answered, Put off him and his brother by fair promises for some\ntime, and in the mean while send unto the cities persons who may assemble\n     and bring unto thee every expert magician.\n110\tSo the magiciansh came unto Pharaoh; and they said, Shall we surely\nreceive a reward, if we do overcome?\n     He answered, Yea; and ye shall certainly be of those who approach near\nunto my throne.\n     They said, O Moses, either do thou cast down thy rod first, or we will\ncast down ours.\n     Moses answered, Do ye cast down your rods first.  And when they had cast\nthem down, they enchanted the eyes of the men who were present, and terrified\nthem: and they performed a great enchantment.i\n     And we spake by revelation unto Moses, saying, Throw down thy rod.  And\nbehold, it swallowed up the rods which they had caused falsely to appear\nchanged into serpents.k\n     Wherefore the truth was confirmed, and that which they had wrought\nvanished.\n     And Pharaoh and his magicians were overcome there, and were rendered\ncontemptible.\n     And the magicians prostrated themselves, worshipping;\n     and they said, We believe in the LORD of all creatures,\n     the LORD of Moses and Aaron.l\n\n\tg  There is a tradition that Moses was a very swarthy man; and that when\nhe put his hand into his bosom, and drew it out again, it became extremely\nwhite and splendid, surpassing the brightness of the sun.6  Marracci7 says we\ndo not read in scripture that Moses showed this sign before Pharaoh.  It is\ntrue, the scripture does not expressly say so, but it seems to be no more than\na necessary inference from that passage where GOD tells Moses that if they\nwill not hearken to the first sign, they will believe the latter sign, and if\nthey will not believe these two signs, then directs him to turn the water into\nblood.8\n\th  The Arabian writers name several of these magicians, besides their\nchief priest Simeon, viz., Sad\u00fbr and Ghad\u00fbr, Jaath and Mosfa, War\u00e2n and Zam\u00e2n,\neach of whom came attended with their disciples, amounting in all to several\nthousands.9\n\ti  They provided themselves with a great number of thick ropes and long\npieces of wood, which they contrived, by some means, to move, and make them\ntwist themselves one over the other, and so imposed on the beholders, who at a\ndistance took them to be true serpents.1\n\tk  The expositors add, that when this serpent had swallowed up all the\nrods and cords, he made directly towards the assembly, and put them into so\ngreat a terror that they fled, and a considerable number were killed in the\ncrowd; then Moses took it up, and it became a rod in his hand as before.\nWhereupon the magicians declared that it could be no enchantment, because in\nsuch case their rods and cords would not have disappeared.2\n\tl  It seems probable that all the magicians were not converted by this\nmiracle, for some writers introduce Sad\u00fbr and Ghad\u00fbr only, acknowledging\nMoses's miracle to be wrought by the power of GOD.  These two, they say, were\nbrothers, and the sons of a famous magician, then dead; but on their being\nsent for to court on this occasion, their mother persuaded them to go to their\nfather's tomb to ask his advice.  Being come to the tomb, the father answered\ntheir call; and when they had acquainted him with the affair, he told them\nthat they should inform themselves whether the rod of which they spoke became\na serpent while its masters slept, or only when they were awake; for, said he,\nenchantments have no effect while the enchanter is asleep, and therefore if it\nbe otherwise in this case, you may be assured that they act by a divine power.\nThese two magicians then, arriving at the capital of Egypt, on inquiry found,\nto their great astonishment, that when Moses and Aaron went to rest, their rod\nbecame a serpent, and guarded them while they slept.3  And this was the first\nstep towards their conversion.\n\n\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t6  Idem.\t\t7  In Alc. p. 284.\n\t8  Exod. iv. 8, 9.\n9  Vide D'Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. Art. Mousa. p. 643, &c.  Al Kess\u00e2i.\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  Vide D'Herbelot, ubi sup. and Kor. c. 20.\n2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Vide D'Herbel. ubi. sup.\n\n\n120\tPharaoh said, Have ye believed on him, before I have given you\npermission?  Verily this is a plot which ye have contrived in the city, that\nye might cast forth from thence the inhabitants thereof.m  But ye shall surely\nknow that I am your master;\n     for I will cause your hands and your feet to be cut off on the opposite\nsides,n then will I cause you all to be crucified.o\n     The magicians answered, We shall certainly return unto our LORD, in the\nnext life;\n     for thou takest vengeance on us only because we have believed in the\nsigns of our LORD, when they have come unto us.  O LORD, pour on us patience;\nand cause us to die Moslems.p\n     And the chiefs of Pharaoh's people said, Wilt thou let Moses and his\npeople go, that they may act corruptly in the earth, and leave thee and thy\ngods?q  Pharaoh answered, We will cause their male children to be slain, and\nwe will suffer their females to live;r and by that means we shall prevail over\nthem.\n     Moses said unto his people, Ask assistance of GOD, and suffer patiently:\nfor the earth is God's, he giveth it for an inheritance unto such of his\nservants as he pleaseth; and the prosperous end shall be unto those who fear\nhim.\n     They answered, We have been afflicted by having our male children slain,\nbefore thou camest unto us, and also since thou hast come unto us.  Moses\nsaid, Peradventure it may happen that our LORD will destroy your enemy, and\nwill cause you to succeed him in the earth, that he may see how ye will act\ntherein.\n     And we formerly punished the people of Pharaoh with dearth and scarcity\nof fruits, that they might be warned.\n     Yet when good happened unto them, they said, This is owing unto us: but\nif evil befell them, they attributed the same to the ill luck of Moses, and\nthose who were with him.s  Was not their ill luck with GOD?t  But most of them\nknew it not.\n     And they said unto Moses, Whatever sign thou show unto us, to enchant us\ntherewith, we will not believe on thee.\n130\tWherefore we sent upon them a floodu and locusts, and lice,x and frogs,\nand blood; distinct miracles: but they behaved proudly, and became a wicked\npeople.\n\n\tm  i.e., This is a confederacy between you and Moses, entered into\nbefore ye left the city to go to the place of appointment, to turn out the\nCopts, or native Egyptians, and establish the Israelites in their stead.4\n\tn  That is, your right hands and your left feet.\n\to  Some say Pharaoh was the first inventor of this ignominious and\npainful punishment.\n\tp  Some think these converted magicians were executed accordingly; but\nothers deny it, and say that the king was not able to put them to death,\ninsisting on these words of the Kor\u00e2n,5 You two, and they who follow you,\nshall overcome.\n\tq  Which were the stars, or other idols.  But some of the commentators,\nfrom certain impious expressions of this prince, recorded in the Kor\u00e2n,1\nwhereby he sets up himself as the only god of his subjects, suppose that he\nwas the object of their worship, and therefore instead of alihataca, thy gods,\nread ilahataca, thy worship.2\n\tr  That is, we will continue to make use of the same cruel policy to\nkeep the Israelites in subjection, as we have hitherto done.  The commentators\nsay that Pharaoh came to this resolution because he had either been admonished\nin a dream, or by the astrologers or diviners, that one of that nation should\nsubvert his kingdom.3\n\ts  Looking on him and his followers as the occasion of those calamities.\nThe original word properly signifies to take an ominous and sinister presage\nof any future event, from the flight of birds, or the like.\n\tt  By whose will and decree they were so afflicted, as a punishment for\ntheir wickedness.\n\tu  This inundation, they say, was occasioned by unusual rains, which\ncontinued eight days together, and the overflowing of the Nile; and not only\ncovered their lands, but came into their houses, and rose as high as their\nbacks and necks; but the children of Israel had no rain in their quarters.4\nAs there is no mention of any such miraculous inundation in the Mosaic\nwritings, some have imagined this plague to have been either a pestilence, or\nthe small-pox, or some other epidemical distemper.5  For the word tuf\u00e2n, which\nis used in this place, and is generally rendered a deluge, may also signify\nany other universal destruction or mortality.\n\tx  Some will have these insects to have been a larger sort of tick;\nothers, the young locusts before they have wings.6\n\n\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t5  Cap. 28.\t\t1  Ibid. and c. 26, &c.\n\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t4  Idem, Abulfed.\n\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t6  Idem.\n\n\n     And when the plaguey fell on them, they said, O Moses, entreat thy LORD\nfor us, according to that which he hath covenanted with thee; verily if thou\ntake the plague from off us, we will surely believe thee, and we will let the\nchildren of Israel go with thee.  But when we had taken the plague from off\nthem until the term which God had granted them was expired, behold they broke\ntheir promise.\n     Wherefore we took vengeance on them, and drowned them in the Red Sea;z\nbecause they charged our signs with falsehood, and neglected them.\n     And we caused the people who had been rendered weak to inherit the\neastern parts of the earth and the western parts thereof,a which we blessed\nwith fertility; and the gracious word of thy LORD was fulfilled on the\nchildren of Israel, for that they had endured with patience: and we destroyed\nthe structures which Pharaoh and his people had made, and that which they had\nerected.b\n     And we caused the children of Israel to pass through the sea, and they\ncame unto a people who gave themselves up to the worship of their idols,c and\nthey said, O Moses, make us a god, in like manner as these people have gods.\nMoses answered, Verily ye are an ignorant people:\n     for the religion which these follow will be destroyed, and that which\nthey do is vain.\n     He said, Shall I seek for you any other god than GOD; since he hath\npreferred you to the rest of the world?\n     And remember when we delivered you from the people of Pharaoh, who\ngrievously oppressed you; they slew your male children, and let your females\nlive: therein was a great trial from your LORD.\n     And we appointed unto Moses a fast of thirty nights before we gave him\nthe law,d and we completed them by adding of ten more; and the stated time of\nhis LORD was fulfilled in forty nights.  And Moses said unto his brother\nAaron, Be thou my deputy among my people during my absence; and behave\nuprightly, and follow not the way of the corrupt doers.\n\n\ty  viz., Any of the calamities already mentioned, or the pestilence\nwhich GOD sent upon them afterwards.\n\tz  See this wonderful event more particularly described in the tenth and\ntwentieth chapters.\n\ta  That is, the land of Syria, of which the eastern geographers reckon\nPalestine a part, and wherein the commentators say the children of Israel\nsucceeded the kings of Egypt and the Amalekites.1\n\tb  Particularly the lofty tower which Pharaoh caused to be built, that\nhe might attack the GOD of Moses.2\n\tc  These people some will have to be of the tribe of Amalek, whom Moses\nwas commanded to destroy, and others of the tribe of Lakhm.  Their idols, it\nis said, were images of oxen, which gave the first hint to the making of the\ngolden calf.3\n\td  The commentators say that GOD, having promised Moses to give him the\nlaw, directed him to prepare himself for the high favour of speaking with GOD\nin person by a fast of thirty days; and that Moses accordingly fasted the\nwhole month of Dhu'lkaada; but not liking the savour of his breath, he rubbed\nhis teeth with a dentrifice, upon which the angels told him that his breath\nbefore had the odour of musk,4 but that his rubbing his teeth had taken it\naway.  Whereupon GOD ordered him to fast ten days more, which he did; and\nthese were the first ten days of the succeeding month Dhu'lhajja.  Others,\nhowever, suppose that Moses was commanded to fast and pray thirty days only,\nand that during the other ten GOD discoursed with him.5\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Vide Kor. c. 28 and 40.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\t4  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV\n5  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     And when Moses came at our appointed time, and his LORD spake unto him,e\nhe said, O LORD, show me thy glory, that I may behold thee.  God answereth,\nThou shalt in no wise behold me; but look towards the mountain,f and if it\nstand firm in its place, then thou shalt see me.  But when his LORD appeared\nwith glory in the mount,g he reduced it to dust.  And Moses fell down in a\nswoon.\n140\tAnd when he came to himself, he said, Praise be unto thee!  I turn unto\nthee with repentence, and I am the first of true believers.h\n     God said unto him, O Moses, I have chosen thee above all men, by\nhonouring thee with my commissions, and by my speaking unto thee: receive\ntherefore that which I have brought thee, and be one of those who give\nthanks.i\n     And we wrote for him on the tablesk an admonition concerning every\nmatter, and a decision in every case,l and said, Receive this with reverence;\nand command thy people that they live according to the most excellent precepts\nthereof.  I will show you the dwelling of the wicked.m\n     I will turn aside from my signs those who behave themselves proudly in\nthe earth, without justice: and although they see every sign, yet they shall\nnot believe therein; and although they see the way of righteousness, yet they\nshall not take that way; but if they see the way of error, they shall take\nthat way.\n     This shall come to pass because they accuse our signs of imposture, and\nneglect the same.\n     But as for them who deny the truth of our signs and the meeting of the\nlife to come, their works shall be vain: shall they be rewarded otherwise than\naccording to what they shall have wrought?\n     And the people of Moses, after his departure, took a corporeal calf,n\nmade of their ornaments,o which lowed.p  Did they not see that it spake not\nunto them, neither directed them in the way?\n     yet they took it for their god, and acted wickedly.\n     But when they repented with sorrow,q and saw that they had gone astray,\nthey said, Verily if our LORD have not mercy upon us, and forgive us not, we\nshall certainly become of the number of those who perish.\n\n\te  Without the mediation of any other, and face to face, as he speaks\nunto the angels.6\n\tf  This mountain the Mohammedans name al Zabir.\n\tg  Or, as it is literally, unto the mount.  For some of the expositors\npretend that GOD endued the mountain with life and the sense of seeing.\n\th  This is not to be taken strictly.  See the like expression in chapter\n6, p. 90.\n\ti  The Mohammedans have a tradition that Moses asked to see GOD on the\nday of Arafat, and that he received the law on the day they slay the victims\nat the pilgrimage of Mecca, which days are the ninth and tenth of Dhu'lhajja.\n\tk  These tables, according to some, were seven in number, and according\nto others ten.  Nor are the commentators agreed whether they were cut out of a\nkind of lote-tree in paradise called al Sedra, or whether they were\nchrysolites, emeralds, rubies or common stone.1  But they say that they were\neach ten or twelve cubits long; for they suppose that not only the ten\ncommandments but the whole law was written thereon: and some add that the\nletters were cut quite through the tables, so that they might be read on both\nsides2-which is a fable of the Jews.\n\tl  That is, a perfect law comprehending all necessary instructions, as\nwell in regard to religious and moral duties, as the administration of\njustice.\n\tm  viz., The desolate habitations of the Egyptians, or those of the\nimpious tribes of Ad and Tham\u00fbd, or perhaps hell, the dwelling of the ungodly\nin the other world.\n\tn  That is, as some understand it, consisting of flesh and blood; or, as\nothers, being a mere body or mass of metal, without a soul.3\n\to  Such as their rings and bracelets of gold and silver.4\n\tp  See chapter 20, and the notes to chapter 2, p. 6.\n\tq  Father Marracci seems not to have understood the meaning of this\nphrase, having literally translated the Arabic words, wa lamma sokita fi\neid\u00eehim, without any manner of sense, Et cum cadere factus fuisset in manibus\neorum.\n\n\t6  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 650.\t\t1  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Vide D'Herbel. ubi sup.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  See cap.\n20, and the notes to cap. 2, p. 6.\t\t4  Vide ibid.\n\n\n     And when Moses returned unto his people, full of wrath and indignation,\nhe said, An evil thing is it that ye have committed after my departure; have\nye hastened the command of your LORD?r  And he threw down the tables,s and\ntook his brother by the hair of the head, and dragged him unto him.  And Aaron\nsaid unto him, Son of my mother, verily the people prevailed against me,t and\nit wanted little but they had slain me: make not my enemies therefore to\nrejoice over me, neither place me with the wicked people.\n150\tMoses said, O LORD, forgive me and my brother, and receive us into thy\nmercy; for thou art the most merciful of those who exercise mercy.\n     Verily as for them who took the calf for their god, indignation shall\novertake them from their LORD,u and ignominy in this life: thus will we reward\nthose who imagine falsehood.\n     But unto them who do evil, and afterwards repent, and believe in God,\nverily thy LORD will thereafter be clement and merciful.\n     And when the anger of Moses was appeased, he took the tables;x and in\nwhat was written thereon was a direction and mercy, unto those who feared\ntheir LORD.\n     And Moses chose out of his people seventy men, to go up with him to the\nmountain at the time appointed by us: and when a storm of thunder and\nlightning had taken them away,y he said, O LORD, if thou hadst pleased, thou\nhadst destroyed them before, and me also; wilt thou destroy us for that which\nthe foolish men among us have committed?  This is only thy trial; thou wilt\nthereby lead into error whom thou pleasest, and thou wilt direct whom thou\npleasest.  Thou art our protector, therefore forgive us, and be merciful unto\nus; for thou art the best of those who forgive.\n     And write down for us good in this world, and in the life to come; for\nunto thee are we directed.  God answered, I will inflict my punishment on whom\nI please; and my mercy extendeth over all things; and I will write down good\nunto those who shall fear me, and give alms, and who shall believe in our\nsigns;\n     who shall follow the apostle, the illiterate prophet,z whom they shall\nfind written downa with them in the law and the gospel: he will command them\nthat which is just, and will forbid them that which is evil; and will allow\nthem as lawful the good things which were before forbidden,b and will prohibit\nthose which are bad;c and he will ease them of their heavy burden, and of the\nyokes which were upon them.d  And those who believe in him, and honour him,\nand assist him, and follow the light, which hath been sent down with him,\nshall be happy.\n     Say, O men, Verily I am the messenger of GOD unto you all:e\n     unto him belongeth the kingdom of heaven and earth; there is no GOD but\nhe: he giveth life, and he causeth to die.  Believe therefore in GOD and his\napostle, the illiterate prophet, who believeth in GOD and his word; and follow\nhim, that ye may be rightly directed.\n\n\tr  By neglecting his precepts, and bringing down his swift vengeance on\nyou.\n\ts  Which were all broken and taken up to heaven, except one only; and\nthis, they say, contained the threats and judicial ordinances, and was\nafterwards put into the ark.1\n\tt  Literally, rendered me weak.\n\tu  See chapter 2, p. 6.\n\tx  Or the fragments of that which was left.\n\ty  See chapter 2, p. 6, and chapter 4, p. 70.\n\tz  That is, Mohammed.  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. II.\n\ta  i.e., Both foretold by name and certain description.\n\tb  See chapter 3, p. 37.\n\tc  As the eating of blood and swine's flesh, and the taking of usury,\n&c.\n\td  See chapter 2, p. 31.\n\te  That is, to all mankind in general, and not to one particular nation,\nas the former prophets were sent.\n\n\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  Vide D'Herbel. ubi sup. p. 649.\n\n\n     Of the people of Moses there is a partyf who direct others with truth,\nand act justly according to the same.\n160\tAnd we divided them into twelve tribes, as into so many  nations.  And\nwe spake by revelation unto Moses, when his people asked drink of him, and we\nsaid, Strike the rock with thy rod; and there gushed thereout twelve\nfountains,g and men knew their respective drinking-place.  And we caused\nclouds to overshadow them, and manna and quailsh to descend upon them, saying,\nEat of the good things which we have given you for food: and they injured not\nus, but they injured their own souls.\n     And call to mind when it was said unto them, Dwell in this city,i and eat\nof the provisions thereof wherever ye will, and say, Forgiveness; and enter\nthe gate worshipping: we will pardon you your sins, and will give increase\nunto the well-doers.\n     But they who were ungodly among them changed the expression into\nanother,k which had not been spoken unto them.  Wherefore we went down upon\nthem indignation from heaven, because they transgressed.\n     And ask them concerning the city,l which was situate on the sea, when\nthey transgressed on the Sabbath-day: when their fish came unto them on their\nSabbath-day, appearing openly on the water: but on the day whereon they\ncelebrated no Sabbath, they came not unto them.  Thus did we prove them,\nbecause they were wicked-doers.\n     And when a party of themm said unto the others, Why do ye warn a people\nwhom GOD will destroy, or will punish with a grievous punishment?  They\nanswered, This is an excuse for us unto your LORD,n and peradventure they will\nbeware.\n     But when they had forgotten the admonitions which had been given them, we\ndelivered those who forbade them to do evil; and we inflicted on those who had\ntransgressed a severe punishment, because they had acted wickedly.\n\n\tf  viz., Those Jews who seemed better disposed than the rest of their\nbrethren to receive Mohammed's law; or perhaps such of them as had actually\nreceived it.  Some imagine they were a Jewish nation dwelling somewhere beyond\nChina, which Mohammed saw the night he made his journey to heaven, and who\nbelieved on him.1\n\tg  See chapter 2, p. 7.\n\tTo what is said in the notes there, we may add that, according to a\ncertain tradition, the stone on which this miracle was wrought was thrown down\nfrom paradise by Adam, and came into the possession of Shoaib, who gave it\nwith the rod to Moses; and that, according to another, the water issued thence\nby three orifices on each of the four sides of the stone, making twelve in\nall, and that it ran in so many rivulets to the quarter of each tribe in the\ncamp.2\n\th  See chapter 2, p. 7.\n\ti  See this passage explained, ibid.\n\tk  Professor Sike says, that being prone to leave spiritual for worldly\nmatters, instead of Hittaton they said Hintaton, which signifies wheat,3 and\ncomes much nearer the true word than the expression I have in the last place\nquoted, set down from Jallalo'ddin.  Whether he took this from the same\ncommentator or not does not certainly appear, though he mentions him just\nbefore; but if he did, his copy must differ from that which I have followed.\n\tl  This city was Ailah or Elath, on the Red Sea; though some pretend it\nwas Midian, and others Tiberias.  The whole story is already given in the\nnotes to chapter 2, p. 8.  Some suppose the following five or eight verses to\nhave been revealed at Medina.\n\tm  viz., The religious persons among them, who strictly observed the\nSabbath, and endeavoured to reclaim the others, till they despaired of\nsuccess.  But some think these words were spoken by the offenders, in answer\nto the admonitions of the others.\n\tn  That we have done our duty in dissuading them from their wickedness.\n\n\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Sike, in not. ad\nEvang. Infant. p. 71.\n\n\n     And when they proudly refused to desist from what had been forbidden\nthem, we said unto them, Be ye transformed into apes, driven away from the\nsociety of men.  And remember when thy LORD declared that he would surely send\nagainst the Jews until the day of resurrection, some nation who should afflict\nthem with a grievous oppression:o for thy LORD is swift in punishing, and he\nis also ready to forgive, and merciful:\n     and we dispersed them among the nations in the earth.  Some of them are\nupright persons, and some of them are otherwise.  And we proved them with\nprosperity and with adversity, that they might return from their disobedience;\n     and a succession of their posterity hath succeeded after them, who have\ninherited the book of the law, who receive the temporal goods of this world,p\nand say, It will surely be forgiven us: and if a temporal advantage like the\nformer be offered them, they accept it also.  Is it not the covenant of the\nbook of the law established with them, that they should not speak of GOD aught\nbut the truth?q  Yet they diligently read that which is therein.  But the\nenjoyment of the next life will be better for those who fear God than the\nwicked gains of these people: (Do ye not therefore understand?)\n     and for those who hold fast the book of the law, and are constant at\nprayer: for we will by no means suffer the reward of the righteous to perish.\n170\tAnd when we shook the mountain of Sinai over them,r as though it had\nbeen a covering, and they imagined, that it was falling upon them; and we\nsaid, Receive the law which we have brought you with reverence; and remember\nthat which is contained therein, that ye may take heed.\n     And when thy LORD drew forth their posterity from the loins of the sons\nof Adam,s and took them to witness against themselves, saying, Am not I your\nLORD?  They answered, Yea: we do bear witness. This was done lest ye should\nsay, at the day of resurrection, Verily we were negligent as to this matter,\nbecause we were not apprised thereof:\n     or lest ye should say, Verily our fathers were formerly guilty of\nidolatry, and we are their posterity who have succeeded them; wilt thou\ntherefore destroy us for that which vain men have committed?\n     Thus do we explain our signs, that they may return from their vanities.\n     And relate unto the Jews the history of him unto whom we brought our\nsigns,t and the departed from them; wherefore Satan followed him, and he\nbecame one of those who were seduced.\n\n\to  See chapter 5, p. 82, note g.\n\tp  By accepting of bribes for wresting judgment, and for corrupting the\ncopies of the Pentateuch, and by extorting of usury, &c.1\n\tq  Particularly by giving out that GOD will forgive their corruption\nwithout sincere repentance and amendment.\n\tr  See chapter 2, p. 8, note z.\n\ts  This was done in the plain of Dahia in India, or as others imagine,\nin a valley near Mecca.  The commentators tell us that God stroked Adam's\nback, and extracted from his loins his whole posterity, which should come into\nthe world until the resurrection, one generation after another; that these men\nwere actually assembled all together in the shape of small ants, which were\nendued with understanding; and that after they had, in the presence of angels,\nconfessed their dependence on GOD, they were again caused to return into the\nloins of their great ancestor.2  From this fiction it appears that the\ndoctrine of pre-existence is not unknown to the Mohammedans; there is some\nlittle conformity between it and the modern theory of generation ex\nanimalculis in semine marium.\n\tt  Some suppose the person here intended to be a Jewish rabbi, or one\nOmmeya Ebn Abi'lsalt, who read the scriptures, and found thereby that GOD\nwould send a prophet about that time, and was in hopes that he might be the\nman; but when Mohammed declared his mission, believed not on him through envy.\nBut according to the more general opinion, it was Balaam, the son of Beor, of\nthe Canaanitish race, well acquainted with part at least of the scripture,\nhaving even been favoured with some revelations from GOD; who being requested\nby his nation to curse Moses and the children of Israel, refused it at first,\nsaying, How can I curse those who are protected by the angels?  But afterwards\nhe was prevailed on by gifts; and he had no sooner done it, than he began to\nput out his tongue like a dog, and it hung down upon his breast.3\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem, Jallalo'ddin. Yahya.  Vide D'Herbelot,\nBibl. Orient. p. 54.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin, al Zamakhshari.\nVide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Balaam.\n\n\n     And if we had pleased, we had surely raised him thereby unto wisdom; but\nhe inclined unto the earth, and followed his own desire.u  Wherefore his\nlikeness as the likeness of a dog, which, if thou drive him away, putteth\nforth his tongue, or, if thou let him alone, putteth forth his tongue also.\nThis is the likeness of the people, who accuse our signs of falsehood.\nRehearse therefore this history unto them, that they may consider.\n     Evil is the similitude of those people who accuse our signs of falsehood,\nand injure their own souls.\n     Whomsoever GOD shall direct, he will be rightly directed; and whomsoever\nhe shall lead astray, they shall perish.\n     Moreover we have created for hell many of the genii and of men; they have\nhearts by which they understand not, and they have eyes by which they see not:\nand they have ears by which they hear not.  These are like the brute beasts;\nyea they go more astray: these are the negligent.\n     GOD hath most excellent names;x therefore call on him by the same; and\nwithdraw from those who use his name perversely:y they shall be rewarded for\nthat which they shall have wrought.\n180\tAnd of those whom we have created there are a people who direct others\nwith truth, and act justly according thereto.z\n     But those who devise lies against our signs, we will suffer them to fall\ngradually into ruin, by a method which they knew not:a\n     and I will grant them to enjoy a long and prosperous life; for my\nstratagem is effectual.\n     Do they not consider that there is no devil in their companion?b  He is\nno other than a public preacher.\n     Or do they not contemplate the kingdom of heaven and earth, and the\nthings which GOD hath created; and consider that peradventure it may be that\ntheir end draweth nigh?  And in what new declaration will they believe, after\nthis?c\n     He whom GOD shall cause to err, shall have no director; and he shall\nleave them in their impiety, wandering in confusion.\n     They will ask thee concerning the last hour; at what time its coming is\nfixed?  Answer, Verily the knowledge thereof is with my LORD; none shall\ndeclare the fixed time thereof, except he.  The expectation thereof is\ngrievous in heaven and on earth:d it shall come upon you no otherwise than\nsuddenly.\n     They will ask thee, as though thou wast well acquainted therewith.\nAnswer, Verily the knowledge thereof is with GOD alone: but the greater part\nof men know it not.\n\n\tu  Loving the wages of unrighteousness, and running greedily after error\nfor reward.4\n\tx  Expressing his glorious attributes.  Of these the Mohammedan Arabs\nhave no less than ninety-nine, which are reckoned up by Marracci.5\n\ty  As did Walid Ebn al Mogheira, who hearing Mohammed give GOD the title\nof al Rahm\u00e2n, or the merciful, laughed aloud, saying he knew none of that\nname, except a certain man who dwelt in Yamama;1 or as the idolatrous Meccans\ndid, who deduced the names of their idols from those of the true GOD;\nderiving, for example, All\u00e2t from Allah, al Uzza from al Az\u00eez, the mighty, and\nMan\u00e2t from al Mann\u00e2n, the bountiful.2\n\tz  As it is said a little above that GOD hath created many to eternal\nmisery, so here he is said to have created others to eternal happiness.3\n\ta  By flattering them with prosperity in this life, and permitting them\nto sin in an uninterrupted security, till they find themselves unexpectedly\nruined.4\n\tb  viz., In Mohammed, whom they gave out to be possessed when he went up\nto Mount Saf\u00e2, and from thence called to the several families of each\nrespective tribe in order, to warn them of GOD'S vengeance if they continued\nin their idolatry.5\n\tc  i.e., After they have rejected the Kor\u00e2n.  For what more evident\nrevelation can they hereafter expect?6\n\td  Not only to men and genii, but to the angels also.\n\n\t4  2 Peter ii. v.; Jude II.\t\t5  In Alc. p. 414.\t\t1\nMarrac. Vit. Moh. p. 19.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  Jallalo'ddin.  See the\nPrelim. Disc. p. 14.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t4  Idem.\t\t5\nIdem.\t\t6  Idem.\n\n\n     Say, I am able neither to procure advantage unto myself, nor to avert\nmischief from me, but as GOD pleaseth.  If I knew the secrets of God, I should\nsurely enjoy abundance of good, neither should evil befall me.  Verily I am no\nother than a denouncer of threats, and a messenger of good tidings unto people\nwho believe.\n     It is he who hath created you from one person, and out of him produced\nhis wife, that he might dwell with her: and when he had known her, she carried\na light burden for a time, wherefore she walked easily therewith.  But when it\nbecame more heavy,e she called upon GOD their LORD, saying, If thou give us a\nchild rightly shaped, we will surely be thankful.\n190\tYet when he had given them a child rightly shaped, they attributed\ncompanions unto him, for that which he had given them.f  But far be that from\nGOD, which they associated with him!\n     Will they associate with him false gods which create nothing but are\nthemselves created: and can neither give them assistance, nor help themselves?\n     And if ye invite them to the true direction, they will not follow you: it\nwill be equal unto you, whether ye invite them, or whether ye hold your peace.\n     Verily the false deities whom ye invoke besides GOD are servants like\nunto you.g  Call therefore upon them, and let them give you an answer, if ye\nspeak truth.\n     Have they feet, to walk with?  Or have they hands, to lay hold with?  Or\nhave they eyes, to see with?  Or have they ears, to hear with?  Say, Call upon\nyour companions, and then lay a snare for me, and defer it not;\n     for GOD is my protector, who sent down the book of the Koran; and he\nprotecteth the righteous.\n     But they whom ye invoke besides him cannot assist you, neither do they\nhelp themselves;\n     and if ye call on them to direct you, they will not hear.  Thou seest\nthem look towards thee, but they see not.\n     Use indulgence,h and command that which is just, and withdraw far from\nthe ignorant.\n\n\te  That is, when the child grew bigger in her womb.\n\tf  For the explaining of this whole passage, the commentators tell the\nfollowing story:-\n\tThey say, that when Eve was big with her first child, the devil came to\nher and asked her whether she knew what she carried within her, and which way\nshe should be delivered of it, suggesting that possibly it might be a beast.\nShe, being unable to give an answer to this question, went in a fright to\nAdam, and acquainted him with the matter, who, not knowing what to think of\nit, grew sad and pensive.  Whereupon the devil appeared to her again (or, as\nothers say, to Adam), and pretended that he by his prayers would obtain of GOD\nthat she might be safely delivered of a son in Adam's likeness, provided they\nwould promise to name him Abda'lhareth, or the servant of al Hareth (which was\nthe devil's name among the angels), instead of Abd'allah, or the servant of\nGOD, as Adam had designed.  This proposal was agreed to, and accordingly, when\nthe child was born, they gave it that name, upon which it immediately died.1\nAnd with this Adam and Eve are here taxed, as an act of idolatry.  The story\nlooks like a rabbinical fiction, and seems to have no other foundation than\nCain's being called by Moses Obed ad\u00e2mah, that is, a tiller of the ground,\nwhich might be translated into Arabic by Abd'alhareth.\n\tBut al Beid\u00e2wi, thinking it unlikely that a prophet (as Adam is, by the\nMohammedans, supposed to have been) should be guilty of such an action,\nimagines the Kor\u00e2n in this place means Kosai, one of Mohammed's ancestors, and\nhis wife, who begged issue of GOD, and having four sons granted them, called\ntheir names Abd Men\u00e2f, Abd Shams, Abd'al Uzza, and Abd'al D\u00e2r, after the names\nof the four principal idols of the Koreish.  And the following words also he\nsupposes to relate to their idolatrous posterity.\n\tg  Being subject to the absolute command of GOD.  For the chief idols of\nthe Arabs were the sun, moon, and stars.2\n\th  Or, as the words may also be translated, Take the superabundant\noverplus-meaning that Mohammed should accept such voluntary alms from the\npeople as they could spare.  But the passage, if taken in this sense, was\nabrogated by the precept of legal alms, which was given at Medina.\n\n\t1  Idem, Yahya.  Vide D'Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. p. 438, et Selden. de\nJure Nat. Sec. Hebr. l. 5, c. 8.\t\t2  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 12, &c.\n\n\n     And if an evil suggestion from Satan be suggested unto thee, to divert\nthee from thy duty, have recourse unto GOD: for he heareth and knoweth.\n200\tVerily they who fear God, when a temptation from Satan assaileth them,\nremember the divine commands, and behold, they clearly see the danger of sin\nand the wiles of the devil.\n     But as for the brethren of the devils, they shall continue them in error;\nand afterwards they shall not preserve themselves therefrom.\n     And when thou bringest not a verse of the Koran unto them, they say, Hast\nthou not put it together?i  Answer, I follow that only which is revealed unto\nme from my LORD.  This book containeth evident proofs from your LORD, and is a\ndirection and mercy unto people who believe.\n     And when the Koran is read, attend thereto, and keep silence; that ye may\nobtain mercy.\n     And meditate on thy LORD in thine own mind, with humility and fear, and\nwithout loud speaking, evening and morning; and be not one of the negligent.\n     Moreover the angels who are with my LORD do not proudly disdain his\nservice, but they celebrate his praise and worship him.\n\n\n_______\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nENTITLED, THE SPOILS;k REVEALED AT MEDINA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     THEY will ask thee concerning the spoils: Answer, The division of the\nspoils belongeth unto GOD and the apostle.m  Therefore fear GOD, and compose\nthe matter amicably among you: and obey GOD and his apostle, if ye are true\nbelievers.\n     Verily the true believers are those whose hearts fear when GOD is\nmentioned, and whose faith increaseth when his signs are rehearsed unto them,\nand who trust in their LORD;\n\n\ti  i.e., Hast thou not yet contrived what to say; or canst thou obtain\nno revelation from GOD\n\tk  This chapter was occasioned by the high disputes which happened about\nthe division of the spoils taken at the battle of Bedr,1 between the young men\nwho had fought, and the old men who had stayed under the ensigns; the former\ninsisting they ought to have the whole, and the latter that they deserved a\nshare.2  To end the contention, Mohammed pretended to have received orders\nfrom heaven to divide the booty among them equally, having first taken\nthereout a fifth part for the purposes which will be mentioned hereafter.\n\tl  Except seven verses, beginning at these words, And call to mind when\nthe unbelievers plotted against thee, &c.  Which some think were revealed at\nMecca.\n\tm  It is related that Saad Ebn Abi Wakk\u00e2s, one of the companions, whose\nbrother Omair was slain in this battle, having killed Sa\u00eed Ebn al As, took his\nsword, and carrying it to Mohammed, desired that he might be permitted to keep\nit; but the prophet told him that it was not his to give away, and ordered him\nto lay it with the other spoils.  At this repulse, and the loss of his\nbrother, Saad was greatly disturbed; but in a very little while this chapter\nwas revealed, and thereupon Mohammed gave him the sword, saying, You asked\nthis sword of me when I had no power to dispose of it, but now I have received\nauthority from GOD to distribute the spoils, you may take it.3\n\n\t1  See cap. 3, p. 33.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t3  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     who observe the stated times of prayer, and give alms out of that which\nwe have bestowed on them.\n     These are really believers: they shall have superior degrees of felicity\nwith their LORD, and forgiveness, and an honourable provision.\n     As thy LORD brought thee forth from thy house,n with truth; and part of\nthe believers were averse to thy directions:o\n     they disputed with thee concerning the truth, after it had been made\nknown unto them;p no otherwise than as if they had been led forth to death,\nand had seen it with their eyes.q\n     And call to mind when GOD promised you one of the two parties, that it\nshould be delivered unto you,r and ye desired that the party which was not\nfurnished with armss should be delivered unto you: but GOD purposed to make\nknown the truth in his words, and to cut off the uttermost part of the\nunbelievers;t\n     that he might verify the truth, and destroy falsehood, although the\nwicked were averse thereto.\n\n\tn  i.e., From Medina.  The particle as having nothing in the following\nwords to answer it, al Beid\u00e2wi supposes the connection to be that the division\nof the spoils belonged to the prophet, notwithstanding his followers were\naverse to it, as they had been averse to the expedition itself.\n\to  For the better understanding of this passage, it will be necessary to\nmention some further particulars relating to the expedition of Bedr.\n\tMohammed having received private information (for which he pretended he\nwas obliged to the angel Gabriel) of the approach of a caravan belonging to\nthe Koreish, which was on its return from Syria with a large quantity of\nvaluable merchandise, and was guarded by no more than thirty, or, as others\nsay, forty men, set out with a party to intercept it.  Abu Sofi\u00e2n, who\ncommanded the little convoy, having notice of Mohammed's motions, sent to\nMecca for succours; upon which Abu Jahl, and all the principal men of the\ncity, except only\nAbu Laheb, marched to his assistance, with a body of nine hundred and fifty\nmen.  Mohammed had no sooner received advice of this, than Gabriel descended\nwith a promise that he should either take the caravan or beat the succours;\nwhereupon he consulted with his companions which of the two he should attack.\nSome of them were for setting upon the caravan, saying that they were not\nprepared to fight such a body of troops as were coming with Abu Jahl: but this\nproposal Mohammed rejected, telling them that the caravan was at a\nconsiderable distance by the seaside, whereas Abu Jahl was just upon them.\nThe others, however, insisted so obstinately on pursuing the first design of\nfalling on the caravan, that the prophet grew angry, but by the interposition\nof Abu Becr, Omar, Saad Ebn Obadah, and Mokd\u00e2d Ebn Amru, they at length\nacquiesced in his opinion.  Mokd\u00e2d in particular assured him they were all\nready to obey his orders, and would not say to him, as the children of Israel\ndid to Moses, Go thou and thy LORD to fight, for we will sit here;1 but, Go\nthou and thy LORD to fight, and we will fight with you.  At this Mohammed\nsmiled, and again sat down to consult with them, applying himself chiefly to\nthe Ans\u00e2rs or helpers, because they were the greater part of his forces, and\nhe had some apprehension lest they should not think themselves obliged by the\noath they had taken to him at al Akaba,2 to assist him against any other than\nsuch as should attack him in Medina.  But Saad Ebn Mo\u00e2dh, in the name of the\nrest, told him that they had received him as the apostle of GOD, and had\npromised him obedience, and were therefore all to a man ready to follow him\nwhere he pleased, though it were into the sea.  Upon which the prophet ordered\nthem in GOD'S name to attack the succours, assuring them of the victory.3\n\tp  That is, concerning their success against Abu Jahl and the Koreish;\nnotwithstanding they had GOD'S promise to encourage them.\n\tq  The reason of this great backwardness was the smallness of their\nnumber, in comparison of the enemy, and their being unprepared; for they were\nall foot, having but two horses among them, whereas the Koreish had no less\nthan a hundred horse.4\n\tr  That is, either the caravan or the succours from Mecca.  Father\nMarracci mistaking al \u00eer and al naf\u00eer, which are appellatives and signify the\ncaravan and the troop or body of succours, for proper names, has thence coined\ntwo families of the Koreish never heard of before, which he calls Airenses and\nNaphirenses.5\n\ts  viz., The caravan, which was guarded by no more than forty horse;\nwhereas the other party was strong and well appointed.\n\tt  As if he had said, Your view was only to gain the spoils of the\ncaravan, and to avoid danger; but God designed to exalt his true religion by\nextirpating its adversaries.6\n\n\t1  Kor. c. 5, p. 76.\t\t2  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 37.\n\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t4  Idem.  Vide Abulfed, Vit. Moh. p. 56.\n\t5  Marracc. in Alc. p. 297.\t\t6  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     When ye asked assistance of your LORD,u and he answered you, Verily I\nwill assist you with a thousandx angels, following one another in order.\n10\tAnd this GOD designed only as good tidingsy for you, and that your\nhearts might thereby rest secure: for victory is from GOD alone; and GOD is\nmighty and wise.\n     When a sleep fell on you as a security from him, and he sent down upon\nyou water from heaven, that he might thereby purify you, and take from you the\nabomination of Satan,z and that he might confirm your hearts, and establish\nyour feet thereby.\n     Also when thy LORD spake unto the angels, saying, Verily I am with you;\nwherefore confirm those who believe.  I will cast a dread into the hearts of\nthe unbelievers.  Therefore strike off their heads, and strike off all the\nends of their fingers.a\n     This shall they suffer, because they have resisted GOD and his apostle:\nand whosoever shall oppose GOD and his apostle, verily GOD will be severe in\npunishing him.\n     This shall be your punishment; taste it therefore: and the infidels shall\nalso suffer the torment of hell fire.\n     O true believers, when ye meet the unbelievers marching in great numbers\nagainst you, turn not your backs unto them:\n     for whoso shall turn his back unto them in that day, unless he turneth\naside to fight, or retreateth to another party of the faithful,b shall draw on\nhimself the indignation of GOD, and his abode shall be in hell; an ill journey\nshall it be thither!\n     And ye slew not those who were slain at Bedr yourselves, but GOD slew\nthem.c  Neither didst thou, O Mohammed cast the gravel into their eyes, when\nthou didst seem to cast it; but GOD cast it,d that he might prove the true\nbelievers by a gracious trial from himself, for GOD heareth and knoweth.\n     This was done that GOD might also weaken the crafty devices of the\nunbelievers.\n     If ye desire a decision of the matter between us, now hath a decision\ncome unto you:e and if ye desist from opposing the apostle, it will be better\nfor you.  But if ye return to attack him, we will also return to his\nassistance; and your forces shall not be of advantage unto you at all,\nalthough they be numerous; for GOD is with the faithful.\n\n\tu  When Mohammed's men saw they could not avoid fighting, they\nrecommended themselves to GOD'S protection; and their prophet prayed with\ngreat earnestness, crying out, O GOD, fulfil that which thou hast promised me:\nO GOD, if this party be cut off, thou wilt no more be worshipped on earth.\nAnd he continued to repeat these words till his cloak fell from off his back.7\n\tx  Which were afterwards reinforced with three thousand more.8\nWherefore some copies instead of a thousand, read thousands in the plural.\n\ty  See chap. 3, p. 45.\n\tz  It is related, that the spot where Mohammed's little army lay was a\ndry and deep sand, into which their feet sank as they walked, the enemy having\nthe command of the water; and that having fallen asleep, the greater part of\nthem were disturbed with dreams, wherein the devil suggested to them that they\ncould never expect God's assistance in the battle, since they were cut off\nfrom the water, and besides suffering the inconvenience of thirst, must be\nobliged to pray without washing, though they imagined themselves to be the\nfavourites of God, and that they had his apostle among them.  But in the night\nrain fell so plentifully that it formed a little brook, and not only supplied\nthem with water for all their uses, but made the sand between them and the\ninfidel army firm enough to bear them; whereupon the diabolical suggestions\nceased.1\n\ta  This is the punishment expressly assigned the enemies of the\nMohammedan religion; though the Moslems did not inflict it on the prisoners\nthey took at Bedr, for which they are reprehended in this chapter.\n\tb  That is, if it be not downright running away, but done either with\ndesign to rally and attack the enemy again, or by way of feint or stratagem,\nor to succour a party which is hard pressed, &c.2\n\tc  See c. 3, p. 32, note n.\n\td  See ibid.\n\te  These words are directed to the people of Mecca, whom Mohammed\nderides, because the Koreish, when they were ready to set out from Mecca, took\nhold of the curtains of the Caaba, saying O GOD, grant the victory to the\nsuperior army, the party that is most rightly directed, and the most\nhonourable.1\n\n\t7  Idem.  Vide Abulfed. Vit. Moh. p. 58.\t\t8  See cap. 3, p. 33 and\n45.\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n9  Idem.\n\n\n20\tO true believers, obey GOD and his apostle, and turn not back from him,\nsince ye hear the admonitions of the Kor\u00e2n.\n     And be not as those who say, We hear, when they do not hear.\n     Verily the worst sort of beasts in the sight of GOD are the deaf and the\ndumb, who understand not.\n     If GOD had known any good in them, he would certainly have caused them to\nhear:f and if he had caused them to hear, they would surely have turned back,\nand have retired afar off.\n     O true believers, answer GOD and his apostle, when he inviteth you unto\nthat which giveth you life; and know that GOD goeth between a man and his\nheart,g and that before him ye shall be assembled.\n     Beware of sedition;h it will not affect those who are ungodly among you\nparticularly, but all of you in general; and know that GOD is severe in\npunishing.\n     And remember when ye were few, and reputed weak in the land;i ye feared\nlest men should snatch you away: but God provided you a place of refuge, and\nhe strengthened you with his assistance, and bestowed on you good things, that\nye might give thanks.\n     O true believers, deceive not GOD and his apostle;k neither violate your\nfaith against your own knowledge.\n     And know that your wealth and your children are a temptation unto you;l\nand that with GOD is a great reward.\n     O true believers, if ye fear GOD, he will grant you a distinction,m and\nwill expiate your sins from you, and will forgive you; for GOD is endued with\ngreat liberality.\n\n\tf  That is, to hearken to the remonstrances of the Kor\u00e2n.  Some say that\nthe infidels demanded of Mohammed that he should raise Kosai, one of his\nancestors, to life, to bear witness to the truth of his mission, saying he was\na man of honour and veracity, and they would believe his testimony: but they\nare here told that it would have been in vain.2\n\tg  Not only knowing the innermost secrets of his heart, but overruling a\nman's designs, and disposing him either to belief or infidelity.\n\th  The original word signifies any epidemical crime, which involves a\nnumber of people in its guilt; and the commentators are divided as to its\nparticular meaning in this place.\n\ti  viz., At Mecca.  The persons here spoken to are the Moh\u00e2jer\u00een, or\nrefugees who fled from thence to Medina.\n\tk  Al Beid\u00e2wi mentions an instance of such treacherous dealing in Abu\nLob\u00e2ba, who was sent by Mohammed to the tribe of Koreidha, then besieged by\nthat prophet for having broken their league with him and perfidiously gone\nover to the enemies at the war of the ditch,3 to persuade them to surrender at\nthe discretion of Saad Ebn Moadh, prince of the tribe of Aws, their\nconfederates, which proposal they had refused.  But Abu Lob\u00e2ba's family and\neffects being in the hands of those of Koreidha, he acted directly contrary to\nhis commission, and instead of persuading them to accept Saad as their judge,\nwhen they asked his advice about it, drew his hand across his throat,\nsignifying that he would put them all to death.  However, he had no sooner\ndone this than he was sensible of his crime, and going into a mosque, tied\nhimself to a pillar, and remained there seven days without meat or drink, till\nMohammed forgave him.\n\tl  As they were to Abu Lob\u00e2ba.\n\tm  i.e., A direction that you may distinguish between truth and\nfalsehood; or success in battle to distinguish the believers from the\ninfidels; or the like.\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Idem.  See c. 6, p. 99.\t\t3  See Prid. Life\nof Mah. p. 85.  Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 76, and the notes to c. 33.\n\n\n30\tAnd call to mind when the unbelievers plotted against thee, that they\nmight either detain thee in bonds, or put to death, or expel thee the city;n\nand they plotted against thee: but GOD laid a plot against them;o and GOD is\nthe best layer of plots.\n     And when our signs are repeated unto them, they say, We have heard; if we\npleased we would certainly pronounce a composition like unto this: this is\nnothing but fables of the ancients.p\n     And when they said, O GOD, if this be the truth from thee, rain down\nstones upon us from heaven, or inflict on us some other grievous punishment.r\n     But GOD was not disposed to punish them, while thou wast with them: nor\nwas GOD disposed to punish them when they asked pardon.s\n     But they have nothing to offer in excuse why GOD should not punish them,\nsince they hindered the believers from visiting the holy temple,t although\nthey are not the guardians thereof.u  The guardians thereof are those only who\nfear God; but the greater part of them know it not.\n     And their prayer at the house of God is no other than whistling and\nclapping of the hands.x  Taste therefore the punishment, for that ye have been\nunbelievers.\n     They who believe not expend their wealth to obstruct the way of GOD:y\nthey shall expend it, but afterwards it shall become matter of sighing and\nregret unto  them, and at length they shall be overcome;\n     and the unbelievers shall be gathered together into hell;\n     that GOD may distinguish the wicked from the good, and may throw the\nwicked one upon the other, and may gather them all in a heap, and cast them\ninto hell. These are they who shall perish.\n     Say unto the unbelievers, that if they desist from opposing thee, what is\nalready past shall be forgiven them; but if they return to attack thee, the\nexemplary punishment of the former opposers of the prophets is already past,\nand the like shall be inflicted on them.\n40\tTherefore fight against them until there be no opposition in favor of\nidolatry, and the religion be wholly GOD'S.  If they desist, verily GOD seeth\nthat which they do:\n\n\tn  When the Meccans heard of the league entered into by Mohammed with\nthose of Medina, being apprehensive of the consequence, they held a council,\nwhereat they say the devil assisted in the likeness of an old man of Najd.\nThe point under consideration being what they should do with Mohammed,\nAbu'lbakhtari was of opinion that he should be imprisoned, and the room walled\nup, except a little hole, through which he should have necessaries given him,\ntill he died.  This the devil opposed, saying that he might probably be\nreleased by some of his own party.  Hesh\u00e2m Ebn Amru was for banishing him, but\nhis advice also the devil rejected, insisting that Mohammed might engage some\nother tribes in his interest, and make war on them.  At length Abu Jahl gave\nhis opinion for putting him to death, and proposed the manner, which was\nunanimously approved.1\n\to  Revealing their conspiracy to Mohammed, and miraculously assisting\nhim to deceive them and make his escape;2 and afterwards drawing them to the\nbattle of Bedr.\n\tp  See chapter 6, p. 90.\n\tr  This was the speech of Al Nodar Ebn al Hareth.3\n\ts  Saying, GOD forgive us!  Some of the commentators, however, suppose\nthe persons who asked pardon were certain believers who stayed among the\ninfidels; and others think the meaning to be, that GOD would not punish them,\nprovided they asked pardon.\n\tt  Obliging them to fly from Mecca, and not permitting them so much as\nto approach the temple, in the expedition of al Hodeibiya.4\n\tu  Because of their idolatry and indecent deportment there.  For\notherwise the Koreish had a right to the guardianship of the Caaba, and it was\ncontinued in their tribe and in the same family even after the taking of\nMecca.5\n\tx  It is said that they used to go round the Caaba naked,6 both men and\nwomen, whistling at the same time through their fingers, and clapping their\nhands.  Or, as others say, they made this noise on purpose to disturb Mohammed\nwhen at his prayers, pretending to be at prayers also themselves.7\n\ty  The persons particularly meant in this passage were twelve of the\nKoreish, who gave each of them ten camels every day to be killed for\nprovisions for their army in the expedition of Bedr; or, according to others,\nthe owners of the effects brought by the caravan, who gave great part of them\nto the support of the succours from Mecca.  It is also said that Abu Sofi\u00e2n,\nin the expedition of Ohod, hired two thousand Arabs, who cost him a\nconsiderable sum, besides the auxiliaries which he had obtained gratis.8\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 39.\t\t2  See ibid.\n\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t4  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 41.\t\t5  See\nc. 4, p. 60, note x.\t\t6  See c. 7, p. 107.\t\t7  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\t8  Idem.\n\n\n     but if they turn back, know that GOD is your patron; he is the best\npatron, and the best helper.\n     And know that whenever ye gain any spoils, a fifth part thereof belongeth\nunto GOD, and to the apostle, and his kindred, and the orphans, and the poor,\nand the traveller;z if ye believe in GOD, and that which we have sent down\nunto our servant on the day of distinction,a on the day whereon the two armies\nmet: and GOD is almighty.\n     When ye were encamped on the hithermost side of the valley,b and they\nwere encamped on the farther side, and the caravan was below you;c and if ye\nhad mutually appointed to come to a battle ye would certainly have declined\nthe appointment;d but ye were brought to an engagement without any previous\nappointment, that GOD might accomplish the thing which was decreed to be\ndone;e\n     that he who perisheth hereafter may perish after demonstrative evidence,\nand that he who liveth may live by the same evidence; GOD both heareth and\nknoweth.\n     When thy LORD caused the enemy to appear unto thee in thy sleep few in\nnumber;f and if he had caused them to appear numerous unto thee, ye would have\nbeen disheartened, and would have disputed concerning the matter:g but GOD\npreserved you from this; for he knoweth the innermost parts of the breasts of\nmen.\n     And when he caused them to appear unto you when ye met, to be few in your\neyes;h and diminished your numbers in their eyes;i that GOD might accomplish\nthe thing which was decreed to be done; and unto GOD shall all things return.\n     O true believers, when ye meet a party of the infidels, stand firm, and\nremember GOD frequently, that ye may prosper:\n     and obey GOD and his apostle, and be not refractory, lest ye be\ndiscouraged, and your success depart from you; but persevere with patience,\nfor GOD is with those who persevere.\n\n\tz  According to this law, a fifth part of the spoils is appropriated to\nthe particular uses here mentioned, and the other four-fifths are to be\nequally divided among those who were present at the action: but in what manner\nor to whom the first fifth is to be distributed, the Mohammedan doctors\ndiffer, as we have elsewhere observed.1  Though it be the general opinion that\nthis verse was revealed at Bedr, yet there are some who suppose it was\nrevealed in the expedition against the Jewish tribe of Kainok\u00e2, which happened\na little above a month after.2\n\ta  i.e., Of the battle of Bedr; which is so called because it\ndistinguished the true believers from the infidels.\n\tb  Which was much more inconvenient than the other, because of the deep\nsand and want of water.\n\tc  By the seaside, making the best of their way to Mecca.\n\td  Because of the great superiority of the enemy, and the disadvantages\nye lay under.\n\te  By granting a miraculous victory to the faithful, and overthrowing\ntheir enemies; for the conviction of the latter, and the confirmation of the\nformer.3\n\tf  With which vision Mohammed acquainted his companions for their\nencouragement.\n\tg  Whether ye should attack the enemy or fly.\n\th  It is said that Ebn Mas\u00fad asked the man who was next him whether he\ndid not see them to be about seventy, to which he replied that he took them to\nbe a hundred.4\n\ti  This seeming contradictory to a passage in the third chapter,5 where\nit is said that the Moslems appeared to the infidels to be twice their own\nnumber, the commentators reconcile the matter by telling us that, just before\nthe battle began, the prophet's party seemed fewer than they really were, to\ndraw the enemy to an engagement; but that so soon as the armies were fully\nengaged, they appeared superior, to terrify and dismay their adversaries.  It\nis related that Abu Jahl at first thought them so inconsiderable a handful,\nthat he said one camel would be as much as they could all eat.6\n\n\t1  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. VI.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3\nIdem.\t\t4  Idem.\t\t5  Page 33\n6  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin, Yahya.\n\n\n     And be not as those who went out of their houses in an insolent manner,\nand to appear with ostentation unto men,k and turned aside from the way of\nGOD; for GOD comprehendeth that which they do.\n50\tAnd remember when Satan prepared their works for them,l and said, No man\nshall prevail against you to-day; and I will surely be near to assist you.\nBut when the two armies appeared in sight of each other, he turned back on his\nheels, and said, Verily I am clear of you: I certainly see that which ye see\nnot; I fear GOD, for GOD is severe in punishing.m\n     When the hypocrites, and those in whose hearts there was an infirmity,\nsaid, Their religion hath deceived these men:n but whosoever confideth in GOD\ncannot be deceived; for GOD is mighty and wise.\n     And if thou didst behold when the angels caused the unbelievers to die:\nthey strike their faces and their backs,o and say unto them, Taste ye the pain\nof burning:\n     this shall ye suffer for that which your hands have sent before you;p and\nbecause GOD is not unjust towards his servants.\n     These have acted according to the wont of the people of Pharaoh, and of\nthose before them, who disbelieved in the signs of GOD: therefore GOD took\nthem away in their iniquity; for GOD is mighty and severe in punishing.\n     This hath come to pass because GOD changeth not his grace, wherewith he\nhath favored any people, until they change that which is in their souls; and\nfor that GOD both heareth and seeth.\n     According to the wont of the people of Pharaoh, and of those before them,\nwho charged the signs of their LORD with imposture, have they acted: wherefore\nwe destroyed them in their sins, and we drowned the people of Pharaoh; for\nthey were all unjust persons.\n     Verily the worst cattle in the sight of GOD are those who are obstinate\ninfidels, and will not believe.\n\n\tk  These were the Meccans, who, marching to the assistance of the\ncaravan, and being come as far as Johfa, were there met by a messenger from\nAbu Sofi\u00e2n, to acquaint them that he thought himself out of danger, and\ntherefore they might return home; upon which, Abu Jahl, to give the greater\nopinion of the courage of himself and his comrades, and of their readiness to\nassist their friends, swore that they would not return till they had been at\nBedr, and had there drunk wine and entertained those who should be present,\nand diverted themselves with singing women.1  The event of which bravado was\nvery fatal, several of the principal Koreish, and Abu Jahl in particular,\nlosing their lives in the expedition.\n\tl  By inciting them to oppose the prophet.\n\tm  Some understand this passage figuratively, of the private instigation\nof the devil, and of the defeating of his designs and the hopes with which he\nhad inspired the idolaters.  But others take the whole literally, and tell us\nthat when the Koreish, on their march, bethought themselves of the enmity\nbetween them and the tribe of Ken\u00e2na, who were masters of the country about\nBedr, that consideration would have prevailed on them to return, had not the\ndevil appeared in the likeness of Sor\u00e2ka Ebn Malec, a principal person of that\ntribe, and promised them that they should not be molested, and that himself\nwould go with them.  But when they came to join battle, and the devil saw the\nangels descending to the assistance of the Moslems, he retired; and al Hareth\nEbn Hesh\u00e2m, who had him then by the hand, asking him whither he was going, and\nif he intended to betray them at such a juncture, he answered, in the words of\nthis passage: I am clear of you, for I see that which ye see not; meaning the\ncelestial succours.  They say further, that when the Koreish, on their return,\nlaid the blame of their overthrow on Sor\u00e2ka, he swore that he did not so much\nas know of their march till he heard they were routed: and afterwards, when\nthey embraced Mohammedism, they were satisfied it was the devil.2\n\tn  In tempting them to so great a piece of folly, as to attack so large\na body of men with such a handful.\n\to  This passage is generally understood of the angels who slew the\ninfidels at Bedr, and who fought (as the commentators pretend) with iron\nmaces, which shot forth flames of fire at every stroke.3  Some, however,\nimagine that the words hint, at least, at the examination of the sepulchre,\nwhich the Mohammedans believe every man must undergo after death, and will be\nvery terrible to the unbelievers.4\n\tp  See chapter 2, p. 11, note r.\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t3  Idem.\n\t4  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 50, &c.\n\n\n     As to those who enter into a league with thee, and afterwards violate\ntheir league at every convenient opportunity,q and fear not God;\n     if thou take them in war, disperse, by making them an example, those who\nshall come after them, that they may be warned;\n60\tor if thou apprehend treachery from any people, throw back their league\nunto them with like treatment; for GOD loveth not the treacherous.\n     And think notr that the unbelievers have escaped God's vengeance,s for\nthey shall not weaken the power of God.\n     Therefore prepare against them what force ye are able, and troops of\nhorse, whereby ye may strike a terror into the enemy of GOD, and your enemy,\nand into other infidels besides them, whom ye know not, but GOD knoweth them.\nAnd whatsoever ye shall expend in the defence of the religion of GOD, it shall\nbe repaid unto you, and ye shall not be treated unjustly.\n     And if they incline unto peace, do thou also incline thereto; and put thy\nconfidence in GOD, for it is he who heareth and knoweth.\n     But if they seek to deceive thee, verily GOD will be thy support.  It is\nhe who hath strengthened thee with his help, and with that of the faithful;\nand hath united their hearts.  If thou hadst expended whatever riches are in\nthe earth, thou couldst not have united their hearts,t but GOD united them;\nfor he is mighty and wise.\n     O prophet, GOD is thy support, and such of the true believers who\nfolloweth thee.u\n     O prophet stir up the faithful to war: if twenty of you persevere with\nconstancy, they shall overcome two hundred, and if there be one hundred of\nyou, they shall overcome a thousand of those who believe not; because they are\na people which do not understand.\n     Now hath GOD eased you, for he knew that ye were weak.  If there be an\nhundred of you who persevere with constancy, they shall overcome two hundred;\nand if there be a thousand of you, they shall overcome two thousand,x by the\npermission of GOD; for GOD is with those who persevere.\n     It hath not been granted unto any prophet, that he should possess\ncaptives, until he hath made a great slaughter of the infidels in the earth.y\nYe seek the accidental goods of this world, but GOD regardeth the life to\ncome; and GOD is mighty and wise.\n\n\tq  As did the tribe of Koreidha.1\n\tr  Some copies read it in the third person, Let not the unbelievers\nthink, &c.\n\ts  viz., Those who made their escape from Bedr.\n\tt  Because of the inveterate enmity which reigned among many of the Arab\ntribes; and therefore this reconciliation is reckoned by the commentators as\nno inconsiderable miracle, and a strong proof of their prophet's mission.\n\tu  This passage, as some say, was revealed in a plain called al Beid\u00e2,\nbetween Mecca and Medina, during the expedition of Bedr; and, as others, in\nthe sixth year of the prophet's mission, on the occasion of Omar's embracing\nMohammedism.\n\tx  See Levit. xxvi. 8; Josh xxiii. 10.\n\ty  Because severity ought to be used where circumstances require it,\nthough clemency be more preferable where it may be exercised with safety.\nWhile the Mohammedans, therefore, were weak, and their religion in its\ninfancy, GOD'S pleasure was that the opposers of it should be cut off, as is\nparticularly directed in this chapter.  For which reason, they are here\nupbraided with their preferring the lucre of the ransom to their duty\n\n\t\t\t\t1  See before, p. 128, and c. 33.\n\n\n     Unless a revelation had been previously delivered from GOD, verily a\nsevere punishment had been inflicted on you, for the ransom which ye took from\nthe captives at Bedr.z\n70\tEat therefore of what ye have acquired,a that which is lawful and good;\nfor GOD is gracious and merciful.\n     O prophet, say unto the captives who are in your hands. If GOD shall know\nany good to be in your hearts, he will give you better than what hath been\ntaken from you;b and he will forgive you, for GOD is gracious and merciful.\n     But if they seek to deceive thee,c verily they have deceived GOD;\nwherefore he hath given thee power over them: and GOD is knowing and wise.\n     Moreover, they who have believed, and have fled their country, and\nemployed their substance and their persons in fighting for the religion of\nGOD, and they who have given the prophet a refuge among them, and have\nassisted him, these shall be deemed the one nearest of kin to the other.d  But\nthey who have believed, but have not fled their country, shall have no right\nof kindred at all with you, until they also fly.  Yet if they ask assistance\nof you on account of religion, it belongeth unto you to give them assistance;\nexcept against a people between whom and yourselves there shall be a league\nsubsisting: and GOD seeth that which ye do.\n     And as to the infidels let them be deemed of kin the one to the other.\nUnless ye do this, there will be a sedition in the earth, and grievous\ncorruption.\n     But as for them who have believed, and left their country, and have\nfought for GOD's true religion, and who have allowed the prophet a retreat\namong them, and have assisted him, these are really believers; they shall\nreceive mercy, and an honourable provision.\n\n\tz  That is, had not the ransom been, in strictness, lawful for you to\naccept, by GOD'S having in general terms allowed you the spoil and the\ncaptives, ye had been severely punished.\n\tAmong the seventy prisoners which the Moslems took in this battle were\nAl Abb\u00e2s, one of Mohammed's uncles, and Okail, the son of Abu T\u00e2leb and\nbrother of Ali.  When they were brought before Mohammed, he asking the advice\nof his companions what should be done with them, Abu Becr was for releasing\nthem on their paying ransom, saying, that they were near relations to the\nprophet, and GOD might possibly forgive them on their repentance; but Omar was\nfor striking off their heads, as professed patrons of infidelity.  Mohammed\ndid not approve of the latter advice, but observed that Abu Becr resembled\nAbraham, who interceded for offenders, and that Omar was like Noah, who prayed\nfor the utter extirpation of the wicked antediluvians; and thereupon it was\nagreed to accept a ransom from them and their fellow-captives.  Soon after\nwhich, Omar, going into the prophet's tent, found him and Abu Becr weeping,\nand, asking them the reason of their tears, Mohammed acquainted him that this\nverse had been revealed, condemning their ill-timed lenity towards their\nprisoners, and that they had narrowly escaped the divine vengeance for it,\nadding that, if GOD had not passed the matter over, they had certainly been\ndestroyed to a man, excepting only Omar and Saad Ebn Moadh, a person of as\ngreat severity, and who was also for putting the prisoners to death.1  Yet did\nnot this crime go absolutely unpunished neither: for in the battle of Ohod the\nMoslems lost seventy men, equal to the number of prisoners taken at Bedr, 2\nwhich was so ordered by GOD, as a retaliation or atonement for the same.\n\ta  i.e., Of the ransom which ye have received of your prisoners.  For it\nseems, on this rebuke, they had some scruple of conscience whether they might\nconvert it to their own use or not.3\n\tb  That is, if ye repent and believe, GOD will make you abundant\nretribution for the ransom ye have now paid.  It is said that this passage was\nrevealed on the particular account of al Abb\u00e2s, who, being obliged by\nMohammed, though his uncle, to ransom both himself and his two nephews, Okail\nand Nawfal Ebn al Hareth, complained that he should be reduced to beg alms of\nthe Koreish as long as he lived.  Whereupon Mohammed asked him what was become\nof the gold which he delivered to Omm al Fadl when he left Mecca, telling her\nthat he knew not what might befall him in the expedition, and therefore, if he\nlost his life, she might keep it herself for the use of her and her children?\nAl Abb\u00e2s demanded who told him this, to which Mohammed replied that GOD had\nrevealed it to him.  And upon this al Abb\u00e2s immediately professed Isl\u00e2mism,\ndeclaring that none could know of that affair except GOD, because he gave her\nthe money at midnight.  Some years after, al Abb\u00e2s reflecting on this passage,\nconfessed it to be fulfilled; for he was then not only possessed of a large\nsubstance, but had the custody of the well Zemzem, which, he said, he\npreferred to all the riches of Mecca.4\n\tc  By not paying the ransom agreed on.\n\td  And shall consequently inherit one another's substance, preferably to\ntheir relations by blood.  And this, they say, was practised for some time,\nthe Moh\u00e2jerin and Ans\u00e2rs being judged heirs to one another, exclusive of the\ndeceased's other kindred, till this passage was abrogated by the following:\nThose who are related by blood shall be deemed the nearest of kin to each\nother.\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  See c. 3, p. 46.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\t4  Idem.  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Abb\u00e2s.\n\n\n     And they who have believe since, and have fled their country, and have\nfought with you, these also are of you.  And those who are related by\nconsanguinity shall be deemed the nearest of kin to each other preferably to\nstrangers according to the book of GOD; GOD knoweth all things.\n\n________\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\nENTITLED, THE DECLARATION OF IMMUNITY;e REVEALED AT MEDINA.\n\n     A DECLARATION of immunity from GOD and his apostle, unto the idolaters,\nwith whom ye have entered into league.f\n     Go to and fro in the earth securely four months;g and know that ye shall\nnot weaken GOD, and that GOD will disgrace the unbelievers.\n     And a declaration from GOD and his apostle unto the people, on the day of\nthe greater pilgrimage,h that GOD is clear of the idolaters, and his apostle\nalso.  Wherefore if ye repent, this will be better for you; but if ye turn\nback, know that ye shall not weaken GOD: and denounce unto those who believe\nnot, a painful punishment.\n\n\te  The reason why the chapter had this title appears from the first\nverse.  Some, however, give it other titles, and particularly that of\nRepentance, which is mentioned immediately after.\n\tIt is observable that this chapter alone has not the auspicatory form,\nIn the name of the most merciful GOD, prefixed to it; the reason of which\nomission, as some think, was, because these words imply a concession of\nsecurity, which is utterly taken away by this chapter, after a fixed time;\nwherefore some have called it the chapter of Punishment; others say that\nMohammed (who died soon after he had received this chapter), having given no\ndirection where it should be placed, nor for the prefixing the Bismillah to\nit, as had been done to the other chapters; and the argument of this chapter\nbearing a near resemblance to that of the preceding, his companions differed\nabout it, some saying that both chapters were but one, and together made the\nseventh of the seven long ones, and others that they were two distinct\nchapters; whereupon, to accommodate the dispute, they left a space between\nthem, but did not interpose the distinction of the Bismillah.1\n\tIt is agreed that this chapter was the last which was revealed; and the\nonly one, as Mohammed declared, which was revealed entire and at once, except\nthe hundred and tenth.\n\tSome will have the two last verses to have been revealed at Mecca.\n\tf  Some understand this sentence of the immunity or security therein\ngranted to the infidels for the space of four months; but others think that\nthe words properly signify that Mohammed for the space of four months; but\nothers think that the words properly signify that Mohammed is here declared by\nGOD to be absolutely free and discharged from all truce or league with them,\nafter the expiration of that time;2 and this last seems to be the truest\ninterpretation.\n\tMohammed's thus renouncing all league with those who would not receive\nhim as the apostle of GOD, or submit to become tributary, was the consequence\nof the great power to which he was now arrived.  But the pretext he made use\nof was the treachery he had met with among the Jewish, and idolatrous Arabs-\nscarce any keeping faith with him, except Banu Damra, Banu Ken\u00e2na, and a few\nothers.3\n\tg  These months were Shaw\u00e2l, Dhu'lkaada, Dhu'lhajja, and Moharram; the\nchapter being revealed in Shaw\u00e2l.  Yet others compute them from the tenth of\nDhu'lhajja, when the chapter was published at Mecca, and consequently make\nthem expire on the tenth of the former Rab\u00ee.4\n\th  viz., The tenth of Dhu'lhajja, when they slay the victims at Mina;\nwhich day is their great feast, and completes the ceremonies of the\npilgrimage.  Some suppose the adjective greater is added here to distinguish\nthe pilgrimage made at the appointed time from lesser pilgrimages, as they may\nbe called, or visitations of the Caaba, which may be performed at any time of\nthe year; or else because the concourse at the pilgrimage this year was\ngreater than ordinary, both Moslems and idolaters being present at it.\n\tThe promulgation of this chapter was committed by Mohammed to Ali, who\nrode for that purpose on the prophet's slit-eared camel from Medina to Mecca;\nand on the day above mentioned, standing up before the whole assembly at al\nAkaba, told them that he was the messenger of the apostle of GOD unto them.\nWhereupon they asking him what was his errand, he read twenty or thirty verses\nof the chapter to them, and then said, I am commanded to acquaint you with\nfour things: I. That no idolater is to come near the temple of Mecca after\nthis year; 2. That no man presume to compass the Caaba naked for the future;5\n3. That none but true believers shall enter paradise; and 4. That public faith\nis to be kept.6\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin, Yahya, &c.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3\nIdem.\t\t4   Idem, al Zamaksh., Jallalo'ddin.\n5  See before, cap. 7, p. 107.\t\t6  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  Vide Abulfed. Vit.\nMoh. p. 127, &c.\n\n\n     Except such of the idolaters with whom ye shall have entered into a\nleague, and who afterwards shall not fail you in any instance, nor assist any\nother against you.i  Wherefore perform the covenant which ye shall have made\nwith them, until their time shall be elapsed; for GOD loveth those who fear\nhim.\n     And when the months wherein ye are not allowed to attack them shall be\npast, kill the idolaters wheresoever ye shall find them,k and take them\nprisoners, and besiege them, and lay wait for them in every convenient place.\nBut if they shall repent, and observe the appointed times of prayer, and pay\nthe legal alms, dismiss them freely: for GOD is gracious and merciful.\n     And if any of the idolaters shall demand protection of thee, grant him\nprotection, that he may hear the word of GOD: and afterwards let him reach the\nplace of his security.l  This shalt thou do, because they are people which\nknow not the excellency of the religion thou preachest.\n     How shall the idolaters be admitted into a league with GOD and with his\napostle; except those with whom ye entered into a league at the holy temple?m\nSo long as they behave with fidelity towards you, do ye also behave with\nfidelity towards them; for GOD loveth those who fear him.\n     How can they be admitted into a league with you, since, if they prevail\nagainst you, they will not regard in you either consanguinity or faith?  They\nwill please you with their mouths, but their hearts will be averse from you;\nfor the greater part of them are wicked doers.\n     They sell the signs of GOD for a small price, and obstruct his way; it is\ncertainly evil which they do.\n10\tThey regard not in a believer either consanguinity or faith; and these\nare the transgressors.\n     Yet if they repent, and observe the appointed times of prayer, and give\nalms, they shall be deemed your brethren in religion.  We distinctly propound\nour signs unto people who understand.\n     But if they violate their oaths, after their league, and revile your\nreligion, oppose the leaders of infidelity (for there is no trust in them),\nthat they may desist from their treachery.\n     Will ye not fight against people who have violated their oaths, and\nconspired to expel the apostle of God; and who of their own accord assaulted\nyou the first time?n  Will ye fear them?  But it is more just that ye should\nfear GOD, if ye are true believers.\n\n\ti  So that notwithstanding Mohammed renounces all league with those who\nhad deceived him, he declares himself ready to perform his engagements to such\nas had been true to him.\n\tk  Either within or without the sacred territory.\n\tl  That is, you shall give him a safe-conduct, that he may return home\nagain securely, in case he shall not think fit to embrace Mohammedism.\n\tm  These are the persons before excepted.\n\tn  As did the Koreish in assisting the tribe of Becr against those of\nKhoz\u00e2ah,7 and laying a design to ruin Mohammed, without any just provocation;\nand as several of the Jewish tribes did, by aiding the enemy, and endeavouring\nto oblige the prophet to leave Medina, as he had been obliged to leave Mecca.8\n\n\t\t7  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 42.\t\t8  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     Attack them therefore; GOD shall punish them by your hands, and will\ncover them with shame, and will give you the victory over them; and he will\nheal the breasts of the people who believe,o\n     and will take away the indignation of their hearts: for GOD will be\nturned unto whom he pleaseth; and GOD is knowing and wise.\n     Did ye imagine that ye should be abandoned, whereas GOD did not yet know\nthose among you who fought for his religion, and took not any besides GOD, and\nhis apostle, and the faithful for their friends?  GOD is well acquainted with\nthat which ye do.\n     It is not fitting that the idolaters should visit the temples of GOD,\nbeing witnesses against their own souls of their infidelity.  The works of\nthese men are vain: and they shall remain in hell fire forever.\n     But he only shall visit the temples of GOD, who believeth in GOD and the\nlast day, and is constant at prayer, and payeth the legal alms, and feareth\nGOD alone.  These perhaps may become of the number of those who are rightly\ndirected.p\n     Do ye reckon the giving drink to the pilgrims, and the visiting of the\nholy temple, to be actions as meritorious as those performed by him who\nbelieveth in GOD and the last day, and fighteth for the religion of GOD?q\nThey shall not be held equal with GOD: for GOD directeth not the unrighteous\npeople.\n20\tThey who have believed, and fled their country and employed their\nsubstance and their persons in the defence of GOD'S true religion, shall be in\nthe highest degree of honour with GOD; and these are they who shall be happy.\n     Their LORD sendeth them good tidings of mercy from him, and good will,\nand of gardens wherein they shall enjoy lasting pleasure:\n     they shall continue therein forever; for with GOD is a great reward.\n     O true believers, take not your fathers or your brethren for friends, if\nthey love infidelity above faith; and whosoever among you shall take them for\nhis friends, they will be unjust doers.\n     Say, if your fathers, and your sons, and your brethren, and your wives,\nand your relations, and your substance which ye have acquired, and your\nmerchandise which ye apprehend may not be sold off, and your dwellings wherein\nye delight, be more dear unto you than GOD, and his apostle, and the\nadvancement of his religion; wait until GOD shall send his command:r for GOD\ndirecteth not the ungodly people.\n     Now hath GOD assisted you in many engagements, and particularly at the\nbattle of Honein,s when ye pleased yourselves in your multitude, but it was no\nmanner of advantage unto you, and the earth became too strait for you,t\nnotwithstanding it was spacious; then did ye retreat, and turn your backs.\n\n\to  viz., Those of Khoz\u00e2ah; or, as others say, certain families of Yaman\nand Saba, who went to Mecca, and there professed Mohammedism, but were very\ninjuriously treated by the inhabitants; whereupon they complained to Mohammed,\nwho bade them take comfort, for that joy was approaching.1\n\tp  These words are to warn the believers from having too great a\nconfidence in their own merits, and likewise to deter the unbelievers; for if\nthe faithful will but perhaps be saved, what can the others hope for?2\n\tq  This passage was revealed on occasion of some words of al Abb\u00e2s,\nMohammed's uncle, who, when he was taken prisoner, being bitterly reproached\nby the Moslems, and particularly by his nephew Ali, answered: You rip up our\nill actions, but take no notice of our good ones; we visit the temple of\nMecca, and adorn the Caaba with hangings, and give drink to the pilgrims (of\nZemzem water, I suppose) and free captives.3\n\tr  Or shall punish you.  Some suppose the taking of Mecca to be here\nintended.4\n\ts  This battle was fought in the eighth year of the Hejra, in the valley\nof Honein, which lies about three miles from Mecca towards T\u00e2yef, between\nMohammed, who had an army of twelve thousand men, and the tribes of Haw\u00e2zen\nand Thak\u00eef, whose forces did not exceed four thousand.  The Mohammedans,\nseeing themselves so greatly superior to their enemies, made sure of the\nvictory; a certain person, whom some suppose to have been the prophet himself,\ncrying out, These can never be overcome by so few.  But GOD was so highly\ndispleased with this confidence, that in the first encounter the Moslems were\nput to flight,5 some of them running away quite to Mecca, so that none stood\ntheir ground except Mohammed himself, and some few of his family; and they say\nthe prophet's courage was so great, that his uncle al Abb\u00e2s, and his cousin\nAbu Sofi\u00e2n Ebn al Hareth, had much ado to prevent his spurring his mule into\nthe midst of the enemy, by laying hold of the bridle and stirrup.  Then he\nordered al Abb\u00e2s, who had the voice of a Stentor, to recall his flying troops;\nupon which they rallied, and the prophet throwing a handful of dust against\nthe enemy, they attacked them a second time, and by the divine assistance\ngained the victory.6\n\tt  For the valley being very deep, and encompassed by craggy mountains,\nthe enemy placed themselves in ambush on every side, attacking them in the\nstraits and narrow passages, and from behind the rocks, with great advantage.1\n\n\t\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t4  Idem\n\t\t5  See Prid. Life of Mahomet, p. 96, &c.  Hotting. Hist. Orient.\np. 271, &c.  D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 601.\t\t6  Al Beid\u00e2wi,\nJallalo'ddin, Abulfeda, Vit. Moh. p. 112, &c.\n1  Ebn Ishak.\n\n\n     Afterwards GOD sent down his securityu upon his apostle and upon the\nfaithful, and sent down troops of angels,x which ye saw not; and he punished\nthose who disbelieved; and this was the reward of the unbelievers.\n     Nevertheless GOD will hereafter be turned unto whom he pleaseth;y for GOD\nis gracious and merciful.\n     O true believers, verily the idolaters are unclean; let them not\ntherefore come near unto the holy temple after this year.z  And if ye fear\nwant, by the cutting off trade and communication with them, GOD will enrich\nyou of his abundance,a if he pleaseth; for GOD is knowing and wise.\n     Fight against them who believe not in GOD, nor the last day,b and forbid\nnot that which GOD and his apostle have forbidden, and profess not the true\nreligion, of those unto whom the scriptures have been delivered, until they\npay tribute by right of subjection,c and they be reduced low.\n\n\tu  The original word is Sak\u00eenat, which the commentators interpret in\nthis sense; but it seems rather to signify the divine presence, or Shechinah,\nappearing to aid the Moslems.2\n\tx  As to the number of these celestial auxiliaries, the commentators\ndiffer; some say they were five thousand, some eight thousand, and others\nsixteen thousand.3\n\ty  Besides a great number of proselytes who were gained by this battle,\nMohammed, on their request, was so generous as to restore the captives (which\nwere no less than six thousand) to their friends, and offered to make amends\nhimself to any of his men who should not be willing to part with his\nprisoners; but they all consented to it.4\n\tz  Which was the ninth year of the Hejra.  In consequence of this\nprohibition, neither Jews nor Christians, nor those of any other religion, are\nsuffered to come near Mecca to this day.\n\ta  This promise, says al Beid\u00e2wi, was fulfilled by GOD'S sending plenty\nof rain, and disposing the inhabitants of Teb\u00e2la and Jorash, two towns in\nYaman, to embrace Isl\u00e2m, who thereupon brought sufficient provisions to\nMohammed's men; and also by the subsequent coming in of the Arabs from all\nquarters to him.\n\tb  That is, who have not a just and true faith in these matters; but\neither believe a plurality of gods, or deny the eternity of hell torments,5 or\nthe delights of paradise as described in the Kor\u00e2n.  For as it appears by the\nfollowing words, the Jews and Christians are the persons here chiefly meant.\n\tc  This I think the true meaning of the words an yadin, which literally\nsignify by or out of hand, and are variously interpreted: some supposing they\nmean that the tribute is to be paid readily, or by their own hands and not by\nanother; or that tribute is to be exacted of the rich only, or those who are\nable to pay it, and not of the poor; or else that it is to be taken as a\nfavour that the Mohammedans are satisfied with so small an imposition, &c.6\n\tThat the Jews and Christians are, according to this law, to be admitted\nto protection on payment of tribute, there is no doubt: though the Mohammedan\ndoctors differ as to those of other religions.  It is said that Omar at first\nrefused to accept tribute from a Magian, till Abd'alrahm\u00e2n Ebn Awf assured him\nthat Mohammed himself had granted protection to a Magian, and ordered that the\nprofessors of that religion should be included among the people of the book,\nor those who found their religion on some book which they suppose to be of\ndivine original.  And it is the more received opinion that these three\nreligions only ought to be tolerated on the condition of paying tribute:\nothers, however, admit the Sabians also.  Abu Han\u00eefa supposed people of any\nreligion might be suffered, except the idolatrous Arabs; and Malec excepted\nonly apostates from Mohammedism.\n\tThe least tribute that can be taken from every such person, is generally\nagreed to be a din\u00e2r or about ten shillings, a year; nor can he be obliged to\npay more unless he consent to it; and this, they say, ought to be laid as well\non the poor as on the rich.1  But Abu Han\u00eefa decided that the rich should pay\nforty-eight dirhems (twenty, and sometimes twenty-five, of which made a din\u00e2r)\na year; one in middling circumstances half that sum; and a poor man, who was\nable to get his living, a quarter of it: but that he who was not able to\nsupport himself should pay nothing.2\n\n\t2  See cap. 2, p. 27, note k.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t4  Idem.\n\t5  See cap. 2, p. 10, and cap. 3, p. 34.\t\t6  Vide al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n30\tThe Jews say, Ezra is the son of GOD:d and the Christians say, Christ is\nthe Son of GOD.  This is their saying in their mouths; they imitate the saying\nof those who were unbelievers in former times.  May GOD resist them.  How are\nthey infatuated!\n     They take their priests and their monks for their lords, besides GOD,e\nand Christ the son of Mary; although they are commanded to worship one GOD\nonly: there is no GOD but he; far be that from him which they associate with\nhim!\n     They seek to extinguish the light of GOD with their mouths; but GOD\nwilleth no other than to perfect his light, although the infidels be averse\nthereto.\n     It is he who hath sent his apostle with the direction, and true religion:\nthat he may cause it to appear superior to every other religion; although the\nidolaters be averse thereto.\n     O true believers, verily many of the priests and monks devour the\nsubstance of men in vanity,f and obstruct the way of GOD.  But unto those who\ntreasure up gold and silver, and employ it not for the advancement of GOD'S\ntrue religion, denounce a grievous punishment.\n     On the day of judgment their treasures shall be intensely heated in the\nfire of hell, and their foreheads, and their sides, and their backs shall be\nstigmatized therewith; and their tormentors shall say, This is what ye have\ntreasured up for your souls; taste therefore that which ye have treasured up.\n\n\td  This grievous charge against the Jews the commentators endeavour to\nsupport by telling us that it is meant of some ancient heterodox Jews, or else\nof some Jews of Medina; who said so for no other reason than for that the law\nbeing utterly lost and forgotten during the Babylonish captivity, Ezra, having\nbeen raised to life after he had been dead one hundred years,3 dictated the\nwhole anew to the scribes, out of his own memory; at which they greatly\nmarvelled, and declared that he could not have done it unless he were the son\nof GOD.4  Al Beid\u00e2wi, adds that the imputation must be true, because this\nverse was read to the Jews, and they did not contradict it; which they were\nready enough to do in other instances.\n\tThat Ezra did thus restore not only the Pentateuch, but also the other\nbooks of the Old Testament, by divine revelation, was the opinion of several\nof the Christian fathers, who are quoted by Dr. Prideaux,5 and of some other\nwriters;6 which they seem to have first borrowed from a passage in that very\nancient apocryphal book, called (in our English Bible) the second book of\nEsdras.7  Dr. Prideaux8 tells us that herein the fathers attributed more to\nEzra than the Jews themselves, who suppose that he only collected and set\nforth a correct edition of the scriptures, which he laboured much in, and went\na great way in the perfecting of it.  It is not improbable, however, that the\nfiction came originally from the Jews, though they be now of another opinion,\nand I cannot fix it upon them by any direct proof.  For, not to insist on the\ntestimony of the Mohammedans (which yet I cannot but think of some little\nweight in a point of this nature), it is allowed by the most sagacious critics\nthat the second book of Ezra was written by a Christian indeed,9 but yet one\nwho had been bred a Jew, and was intimately acquainted with the fables of the\nRabbins;10 and the story itself is perfectly in the taste and way of thinking\nof those men.\n\te  See the chap. 3, p. 39, note e.\n\tf  By taking of bribes, says al Beid\u00e2wi; meaning, probably, the money\nthey took for dispensing with the commands of GOD, and by way of commutation.\n\n\t1  Vide Reland. de Jure Militari Mohammedanor. p. 17 and 50.\n\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  See cap. 2, p. 28.\n4  Al Beid\u00e2wi, al Zamakhshari, &c.\t\t5  Connect. part i. l. 5, p. 329.\n\t6  Athanasius junior, in Synopsi S. Script. tom. ii. p. 86.  Leontius\nByzantin. de Sectis, p. 428.\t\t7  Cap. xiv. 20, &c.\t\t8  Loco\ncitat.\t\t9  See 2 Esdras ii. 43-47; and vii. 28, &c.\t\t10\nVide Dodwelli Dissert. Cyprian. Dissert. 4, \u00a7 2.  Whiston's Essay on the\nApostolical Constit. p. 34, 76, and 304, &c.; et Fabricii Codic. Apocryph.\nNovi Test. part ii. p. 936, &c.\n\n\n     Moreover, the complete number of months with GOD, is twelve months,g\nwhich were ordained in the book of GOD,h on the day whereon he created the\nheavens and the earth: of these, four are sacred.i  This is the right\nreligion: therefore deal not unjustly with yourselves therein.  But attack the\nidolaters in all the months, as they attack you in all;k and know that GOD is\nwith those who fear him.\n     Verily the transferring of a sacred month to another month, is an\nadditional infidelity.l  The unbelievers are led into an error thereby: they\nallow a month to be violated one year, and declare it sacred another year,m\nthat they may agree in the number of months which GOD hath commanded to be\nkept sacred; and they allow that which GOD hath forbidden.  The evil of their\nactions hath been prepared for them: for GOD directeth not the unbelieving\npeople.\n     O true believers, what ailed you, that when it was said unto you, Go\nforth to fight for the religion of GOD, ye inclined heavily towards the\nearth?n  Do ye prefer the present life to that which is to come?  But the\nprovision of this life, in respect of that which is to come, is but slender.\n     Unless ye go forth when ye are summoned to war, God will punish you with\na grievous punishment; and he will place another people in your stead,o and ye\nshall not hurt him at all; for GOD is almighty.\n40\tIf ye assist not the prophet, verily GOD will assist him, as he assisted\nhim formerly, when the unbelievers drove him out of Mecca, the second of two:p\nwhen they were both in the cave: when he said unto his companion, Be not\ngrieved, for GOD is with us.q  And GOD sent down his securityr upon him, and\nstrengthened him with armies of angels, whom ye saw not.s  And he made the\nword of those who believed not to be abased, and the word of GOD was exalted:\nfor GOD is mighty and wise.\n\n\tg  According to this passage, the intercalation of a month every third\nor second year, which the Arabs had learned of the Jews, in order to reduce\ntheir lunar years to solar years, is absolutely unlawful.  For by this means\nthey fixed the time of the pilgrimage and of the fast of Ramad\u00e2n to certain\nseasons of the year which ought to be ambulatory.1\n\th  viz., The preserved table.\n\ti  See the Prelim. Discourse, Sect. VII.\n\tk  For it is not reasonable that you should observe the sacred months\nwith regard to those who do not acknowledge them to be sacred, but make war\nagainst you therein.2\n\tl  This was an invention or innovation of the idolatrous Arabs, whereby\nthey avoided keeping a sacred month, when it suited not their conveniency, by\nkeeping a profane month in its stead; transferring, for example, the\nobservance of Moharram to the succeeding month Safar.  The first man who put\nthis in practice, they say, was Jon\u00e2da Ebn Awf, of the tribe of Ken\u00e2na.3\n\tThese ordinances relating to the months were promulgated by Mohammed\nhimself at the pilgrimage of valediction.4\n\tm  As did Jon\u00e2da, who made public proclamation at the assembly of\npilgrims, that their gods had allowed Moharram to be profane, whereupon they\nobserved it not; but the next year he told them that the gods had ordered it\nto be kept sacred.5\n\tn  viz., In the expedition of Tab\u00fbc, a town situate about half-way\nbetween Medina and Damascus, which Mohammed undertook against the Greeks, with\nan army of thirty thousand men, in the ninth year of the Hejra.  On this\nexpedition the Moslems set out with great unwillingness, because it was\nundertaken in the midst of the summer heats, and at a time of great drought\nand scarcity; whereby the soldiers suffered so much, that this army was called\nthe distressed army: besides, their fruits were just ripe, and they had much\nrather have stayed to have gathered them.6\n\to  See chap. 5, p. 80.\n\tp  That is, having only Abu Becr with him.\n\tq  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. II. p. 39.\n\tr  See before, p. 137, note u.\n\ts  Who, as some imagine, guarded him in the cave.  Or the words may\nrelate to the succours from heaven which Mohammed pretended to have received\nin several encounters; as at Bedr, the war of the ditch, and the battle of\nHonein.\n\n\t1  See Prid. Life of Mahomet, p. 65, &c., and the Prelim. Disc. Sect.\nIV. and VII.\t\t2  See cap. 2, p. 20.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi,\nJallalo'ddin.  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 323, and the Prelim. Disc. Sect. VII.\n\t4  Abulfeda, Vit. Moh. p. 132.\t\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n6  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.  Vide Abulfeda, Vit. Moh. p. 123.\n\n\n     Go forth to battle, both light and heavy,t and employ your substance and\nyour persons for the advancement of GOD's religion.  This will be better for\nyou, if ye know it.\n     If it had been a near advantage, and a moderate journey, they had surely\nfollowed thee;u but the way seemed tedious unto them: and yet they will swear\nby GOD, saying, If we had been able, we had surely gone forth with you.  They\ndestroy their own souls; for GOD knoweth that they are liars.\n     GOD forgive thee! why didst thou give them leave to stay at home,x until\nthey who speak the truth, when they excuse themselves, had become manifested\nunto thee, and thou hadst known the liars.\n     They who believe in GOD and the last day, will not ask leave of thee to\nbe excused from employing their substance and their persons for the\nadvancement of GOD's true religion; and GOD knoweth those who fear him.\n     Verily they only will ask leave of thee to stay behind, who believe not\nin GOD and the last day, and whose hearts doubt concerning the faith:\nwherefore they are tossed to and fro in their doubting.\n     If they had been willing to go forth with thee, they had certainly\nprepared for that purpose a provision of arms and necessaries: but GOD was\naverse to their going forth; wherefore he rendered them slothful, and it was\nsaid unto them, Sit ye still with those who sit still.y\n     If they had gone forth with you, they had only been a burden unto you,\nand had run to and fro between you, stirring you up to sedition; and there\nwould have been some among you, who would have given ear unto them: and GOD\nknoweth the wicked.\n     They formerly sought to raise a sedition,z and they disturbed thy\naffairs, until the truth came, and the decree of GOD was made manifest;\nalthough they were adverse thereto.\n     There is of them who saith unto thee, Give me leave to stay behind, and\nexpose me not to temptation.a  Have they not fallen into temptation at home?b\nBut hell will surely encompass the unbelievers.\n50\tIf good happen unto thee, it grieveth them: but if a misfortune befall\nthee, they say, We ordered our business before;c and they turn their backs,\nand rejoice at thy mishap.\n     Say, Nothing shall befall us, but what GOD hath decreed for us; he is our\npatron; and on GOD let the faithful trust.\n\n\tt  i.e., Whether the expedition be agreeable or not; or whether ye have\nsufficient arms and provisions or not; or whether ye be on horseback or on\nfoot, &c.\n\tu  That is, had there been no difficulties to surmount in the expedition\nof Tab\u00fbc, and the march thither had been short and easy, so that the plunder\nmight have cost them little or no trouble, they would not have been so\nbackward.\n\tx  For Mohammed excused several of his men, on their request, from going\non this expedition; as Abda'llah Ebn Obba and his hypocritical adherents, and\nalso three of the Ans\u00e2rs, for which he is here reprehended.\n\ty  i.e., With the women and children, and other impotent people.\n\tz  As they did at the battle of Ohod.1\n\ta  By obliging me to go, against my will, on an expedition, the\nhardships of which may tempt me to rebel or to desert.  It is related that one\nJadd Ebn Kais said that the Ans\u00e2rs well knew he was much given to women, and\nhe dared not trust himself with the Greek girls; wherefore he desired he might\nbe left behind, and he would assist them with his purse.2\n\tb  Discovering their hypocrisy by their backwardness to go to war for\nthe promotion of the true religion.\n\tc  That is, we took care to keep out of harm's way by staying at home.\n\n\t\t\t1  See cap. 3, p. 45, &c.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     Say, Do ye expect any other should befall us, than one of the two most\nexcellent things; either victory or martyrdom?  But we expect concerning you,\nthat GOD inflict a punishment on you, either from himself, or by our hands.d\nWait, therefore, to see what will be the end of both; for we will wait for\nyou.\n     Say, Expend your money in pious uses, either voluntarily, or by\nconstraint, it shall not be accepted of you; because ye are wicked people.\n     And nothing hindereth their contributions from being accepted of them,\nbut that they believe not in GOD and his apostle, and perform not the duty of\nprayer, otherwise than sluggishly; and expend not their money for God's\nservice, otherwise than unwillingly.\n     Let not therefore their riches, or their children cause thee to marvel.\nVerily GOD intendeth only to punish them by these things in this world; and\nthat their souls may depart while they are unbelievers.\n     They swear by GOD that they are of you;e yet they are not of you, but are\npeople who stand in fear.f\n     If they find a place of refuge, or caves, or a retreating hole, they\nsurely turn towards the same, and in a headstrong manner, haste thereto.\n     There is of them also who spreadeth ill reports of thee, in relation to\nthy distribution of the alms: yet if they receive part thereof, they are well\npleased; but if they receive not a part thereof, behold, they are angry.g\n     But if they had been pleased with that which GOD and his apostle had\ngiven them, and had said, GOD is our support; GOD will give unto us of his\nabundance, and his prophet also; verily unto GOD do we make our supplications:\nit would have been more decent.\n60\tAlms are to be distributedh only unto the poor, and the needy,i and\nthose who are employed in collecting and distributing the same, and unto those\nwhose hearts are reconciled,k and for the redemption of captives, and unto\nthose who are in debt and insolvent, and for the advancement of GOD'S\nreligion, and unto the traveller.  This is an ordinance from GOD: and GOD is\nknowing and wise.\n     There are some of them who injure the prophet, and say, He is an ear.l\nAnswer, He is an ear of good unto you:m he believeth in GOD, and giveth credit\nto the faithful, and is a mercy unto such of you who believe.\n\n\td  i.e., Either by some signal judgment from heaven, or by remitting\ntheir punishment to the true believers.\n\te  viz., Staunch Moslems.\n\tf  Hypocritically concealing their infidelity, lest ye should chastise\nthem, as ye have done the professed infidels and apostates; and yet ready to\navow their infidelity, when they think they may do it with safety.\n\tg  This person was Abu'l Jow\u00e2dh the hypocrite, who said Mohammed gave\nthem away among the keepers of sheep only; or, as others suppose, Ebn\nDhi'lkhowaisara, who found fault with the prophet's distribution of the spoils\ntaken at Honein, because he gave them all among the Meccans, to reconcile and\ngain them over to his religion and interest.3\n\th  See what is said as to this point in the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.\n\ti  The commentators make a distinction between these two words in the\noriginal, fak\u00eer and mesk\u00een; one, they say, signifies him who is utterly\ndestitute both of money and means of livelihood; the other, one who is in want\nindeed, but is able to get something towards his own support.  But to which of\nthe two words either of these different significations properly belongs, the\ncritics differ.\n\tk  That is, who were lately enemies to the faithful, but have now\nembraced Mohammedism, and entered into amity with them.  For Mohammed, to gain\ntheir hearts and confirm them in his religion, made large presents to the\nchief of the Koreish out of the spoils at Honein, as has been just now\nmentioned.4  But this law they say became of no obligation when the Mohammedan\nfaith was established, and stood not in need of such methods for its support.\n\tl  i.e., He hears everything that we say; and gives credit to all the\nstories that are carried to him.\n\tm  Giving credit to nothing that may do you hurt.\n\n\t\t3  Idem.  Vide Abulfeda. Vit. Moh. p. 118, 119.\t\t4  Abulfeda,\nibid.\n\n\n     But they who injure the apostle of GOD, shall suffer a painful\npunishment.\n     They swear unto you by GOD, that they may please you; but it is more just\nthat they should please GOD and his apostle, if they are true believers.\n     Do they not know that he who opposeth GOD and his apostle, shall without\ndoubt be punished with the fire of hell; and shall remain therein forever?\nThis will be great ignominy.\n     The hypocrites are apprehensive lest a Suran should be revealed\nconcerning them, to declare unto them that which is in their hearts.  Say unto\nthem, Scoff ye; but GOD will surely bring to light that which ye fear should\nbe discovered.\n     And if thou ask them the reason of this scoffing, they say, Verily we\nwere only engaged in discourse; and jesting among ourselves.o  Say, Do ye\nscoff at GOD and his signs, and at his apostle?\n     offer not an excuse: now are ye become infidels, after your faith.  If we\nforgive a part of you, we will punish a part, for that they have been wicked\ndoers.\n     Hypocritical men and women are the one of them of the other: they command\nthat which is evil, and forbid that which is just, and shut their hands from\ngiving alms.  They have forgotten GOD; wherefore he hath forgotten them:\nverily the hypocrites are those who act wickedly.\n     GOD denounceth unto the hypocrites, both men and women, and to the\nunbelievers, the fire of hell; they shall remain therein forever: this will be\ntheir sufficient reward; GOD hath cursed them, and they shall endure a lasting\ntorment.\n70\tAs they who have been before you, so are ye.  They were superior to you\nin strength, and had more abundance of wealth and of children; and they\nenjoyed their portion in this world; and ye also enjoy your portion here, as\nthey who have preceded you enjoyed their portion.  And ye engage yourselves in\nvain discourses, like unto those wherein they engaged themselves.  The works\nof these are vain both in this world and in that which is to come; and these\nare they who perish.\n     Have they not been acquainted with the history of those who have been\nbefore them? of the people of Noah, and of Ad, and of Thamud, and of the\npeople of Abraham, and of the inhabitants of Madian, and of the cities which\nwere overthrown?p  Their apostles came unto them with evident demonstrations:\nand GOD was not disposed to treat them unjustly; but they dealt unjustly with\ntheir own souls.\n     And the faithful men, and the faithful women, are friends one to another:\nthey command that which is just, and they forbid that which is evil; and they\nare constant at prayer, and pay their appointed alms; and they obey GOD and\nhis apostle: unto these will GOD be merciful; for he is mighty and wise.\n\n\tn  So the Mohammedans call a chapter of the Kor\u00e2n.5\n\to  It is related that in the expedition of Tab\u00fbc, a company of\nhypocrites passing near Mohammed, said to one another, Behold that man! he\nwould take the strongholds of Syria.  Away! away!-which being told the\nprophet, he called them to him, and asked them why they had said so?  Whereto\nthey replied with an oath that they were not talking of what related to him or\nhis companions, but were only diverting themselves with indifferent discourse\nto beguile the tediousness of the way.6\n\tp  Namely, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the other cities which shared their\nfate, and are thence called al Motakif\u00e2t, or the subverted.7\n\n\t5  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III.\t\t6  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t7  See\ncap. II.\n\n\n     GOD promiseth unto the true believers, both men and women, gardens\nthrough which rivers flow, wherein they shall remain forever; and delicious\ndwellings in gardens of perpetual abode:q but good-will from GOD shall be\ntheir most excellent reward.  This will be great felicity.\n     O prophet, wage war against the unbelievers and the hypocrites, and be\nsevere unto them: for their dwelling shall be hell; an unhappy journey shall\nit be thither!\n     They swear by GOD that they said not what they are charged with: yet they\nspake the word of infidelity, and became unbelievers after they had embraced\nIsl\u00e2m.r  And they designed that which they could not effect;s and they did not\ndisapprove the design for any other reason than because GOD and his apostle\nhad enriched them of his bounty.t  If they repent, it will be better for them;\nbut if they relapse, GOD will punish them with a grievous torment, in this\nworld and in the next; and they shall have no portion on earth, nor any\nprotector.\n     There are some of them who made a covenant with GOD, saying, Verily if he\ngive us of his abundance, we will give alms, and become righteous people.u\n     Yet when they had given unto him of his abundance, they became covetous\nthereof, and turned back, and retired afar off.\n     Wherefore he hath caused hypocrisy to succeed in their hearts, until the\nday whereon they shall meet him; for that they failed to perform unto GOD that\nwhich they had promised him, and for that they prevaricated.\n     Do they not know that GOD knoweth whatever they conceal, and their\nprivate discourses; and that GOD is the knower of secrets?\n\n\tq  Literally, gardens of Eden; but the commentators do not take the word\nEden in the sense which it bears in Hebrew, as has been elsewhere observed.8\n\tr  It is related that al Jall\u00e2s Ebn Soweid hearing some passages of this\nchapter, which sharply reprehend those who refused to go on the above-\nmentioned expedition of Tab\u00fbc, declared that if what Mohammed said of his\nbrethren was true, they were worse than asses; which coming to the prophet's\near, he sent for him; and he denied the words upon oath.  But on the immediate\nrevelation of this passage, he confessed his fault, and his repentance was\naccepted.9\n\ts  The commentators tell us that fifteen men conspired to kill Mohammed\nin his return from Tab\u00fbc by pushing him from his camel into a precipice, as he\nrode by night over the highest part of al Akaba.  But when they were going to\nexecute their design, Hodheifa, who followed and drove the prophet's camel,\nwhich was led by Amm\u00e2r Ebn Y\u00e2ser, hearing the tread of camels and the clashing\nof arms, gave the alarm, upon which they fled.  Some, however, suppose the\ndesign here meant was a plot to expel Mohammed from Medina.10\n\tt  For Mohammed's residing at Medina was of great advantage to the\nplace, the inhabitants being generally poor, and in want of most conveniences\nof life; but on the prophet's coming among them, they became possessed of\nlarge herds of cattle and money also.  Al Beid\u00e2wi says that the above-named al\nJall\u00e2s in particular, having a servant killed, received by Mohammed's order no\nless than ten thousand dirhems, or about three hundred pounds, as a fine for\nthe redemption of his blood.\n\tu  An instance of this is given in Thalaba Ebn Hateb, who came to\nMohammed and desired him to beg of GOD that he would bestow riches on him.\nThe prophet at first advised him rather to be thankful for the little he had\nthan to covet more, which might become a temptation to him; but on Thalaba's\nrepeated request and solemn promise that he would make a good use of his\nriches, he was at length prevailed on, and preferred the petition to GOD.\nThalaba in a short time grew vastly rich, which, Mohammed being acquainted\nwith, sent two collectors to gather the alms.  Other people readily paid them;\nbut, when they came to Thalaba, and read the injunction to him out of the\nKor\u00e2n, he told them that it was not alms, but tribute, or next kin to tribute,\nand bid them go back till he had better considered of it.  Upon which this\npassage was revealed; and when Thalaba came afterwards and brought his alms,\nMohammed told him that GOD had commanded him not to accept it, and threw dust\nupon his head, saying, This is what thou hast deserved.  He then offered his\nalms to Abu Becr, who refused to accept them, as did Omar some years after,\nwhen he was Khal\u00eef.1\n\n\t8  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 75.\t\t9  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t10\nIdem.\t\t1  Idem.\n\n\n80\tThey who traduce such of the believers as are liberal in giving alms\nbeyond what they are obliged, and those who find nothing to give, but what\nthey gain by their industry;x and therefore scoff at them: GOD shall scoff at\nthem, and they shall suffer a grievous punishment.\n     Ask forgiveness for them, or do not ask forgiveness for them; it will be\nequal.  If thou ask forgiveness for them seventy times, GOD will by no means\nforgive them.y  This is the divine pleasure, for that they believe not in GOD,\nand his apostle; and GOD directeth not the ungodly people.\n     They who were left at home in the expedition of Tab\u00fbc, were glad of their\nstaying behind the apostle of GOD, and were unwilling to employ their\nsubstance and their persons for the advancement of GOD's true religion; and\nthey said, Go not forth in the heat.z  Say, the fire of hell will be hotter;\nif they understood this.\n     Wherefore let them laugh little, and weep much, as a reward for that\nwhich they have done.\n     If GOD bring thee back unto some of them,a and they ask thee leave to go\nforth to war with thee, say, Ye shall not go forth with me for the future,\nneither shall ye fight an enemy with me; ye were pleased with sitting at home\nthe first time; sit ye at home therefore with those who stay behind.\n     Neither do thou ever pray over any of them who shall die,b neither stand\nat his gravec for that they believed not in GOD and his apostle, and die in\ntheir wickedness.\n     Let not their riches or their children cause thee to marvel: for GOD\nintendeth only to punish them therewith in this world, and that their souls\nmay depart, while they are infidels.\n     When a Surad is sent down, wherein it is said, Believe in GOD, and go\nforth to war with his apostle; those who are in plentiful circumstances among\nthem ask leave of thee to stay behind, and say, Suffer us to be of the number\nof those who sit at home.\n     They are well pleased to be with those who stay behind, and their hearts\nare sealed up; wherefore they do not understand.\n\n\tx  Al Beid\u00e2wi relates that Mohammed, exhorting his followers to\nvoluntary alms, among others, Abda'lrahm\u00e2n Ebn Awf gave four thousand dirhems,\nwhich was one-half of what he had; Asem Ebn Adda gave a hundred beasts' loads\nof dates; and Abu Okail a sa\u00e1, which is no more than a sixtieth part of a\nload, of the same fruit, but was the half of what he had earned by a night's\nhard work.  This Mohammed accepted: whereupon the hypocrites said that\nAbda'lrahm\u00e2n and Asem gave what they did out of ostentation, and that GOD and\nhis apostle might well have excused Abu Okail's mite; which occasioned this\npassage.\n\tI suppose this collection was made to defray the charge of the\nexpedition of Tab\u00fbc, towards which, as another writer tells us, Abu Becr\ncontributed all that he had, and Othm\u00e2n very largely, viz., as it is said,\nthree hundred camels for slaughter, and a thousand din\u00e2rs of gold.2\n\ty  In the last sickness of Abda'llah Ebn Obba, the hypocrite (who died\nin the ninth year of the Hejra), his son, named also Abda'llah, came and asked\nMohammed to beg pardon of GOD for him, which he did, and thereupon the former\npart of this verse was revealed.  But the prophet, not taking that for a\nrepulse, said he would pray seventy times for him; upon which the latter part\nof the verse was revealed, declaring it would be absolutely in vain.  It may\nbe observed that the numbers seven, and seventy, and seven hundred, are\nfrequently used by the eastern writers, to signify not so many precisely, but\nonly an indefinite number, either greater or lesser,3 several examples of\nwhich are to be met with in the scripture.4\n\tz  This they spoke in a scoffing manner to one another, because, as has\nbeen observed, the expedition of Tab\u00fbc was undertaken in a very hot and dry\nseason.\n\ta  That is, if thou return in safety to Medina to the hypocrites, who\nare here called some of them who stayed behind, because they were not all\nhypocrites.  The whole number is said to have been twelve.1\n\tb  This passage was also revealed on account of Abda'llah Ebn Obba.  In\nhis last illness he desired to see Mohammed, and, when he was come, asked him\nto beg forgiveness of GOD for him, and requested that his corpse might be\nwrapped up in the garment that was next his body (which might have the same\nefficacy with the habit of a Franciscan), and that he would pray over him when\ndead.  Accordingly, when he was dead, the prophet sent his shirt, or inner\nvestment, to shroud the corpse, and was going to pray over it, but was\nforbidden by these words.  Some say they were not revealed till he had\nactually prayed for him.2\n\tc  Either by assisting at his funeral, or visiting his sepulchre.\n\td  See before, p. 142, note n.\n\n\t2  Abulfed. Vit. Moh. p. 123.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t4  Matth.\nxviii. 22.\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n2  Idem.\n\n\n     But the apostle, and those who have believed with him, expose their\nfortunes and their lives for God's service; they shall enjoy the good things\nof either life, and they shall be happy.\n90\tGOD hath prepared for them gardens through which rivers flow; they shall\nremain therein forever.  This will be great felicity.\n     And certain Arabs of the desert came to excuse themselves,e praying that\nthey might be permitted to stay behind; and they sat at home who had renounced\nGOD and his apostle.  But a painful punishment shall be inflicted on such of\nthem as believe not.\n     In those who are weak, or are afflicted with sickness, or in those who\nfind not wherewith to contribute to the war,f it shall be no crime if they\nstay at home; provided they behave themselves faithfully towards GOD and his\napostle.  There is no room to lay blame on the righteous; for GOD is gracious\nand merciful:\n     nor on those, unto whom, when they came unto thee, requesting that thou\nwouldest supply them with necessaries for travelling, thou didst answer, I\nfind not wherewith to supply you, returned, their eyes shedding tears for\ngrief, that they found not wherewith to contribute to the expedition.g\n     But there is reason to blame those who ask leave of thee to sit at home,\nwhen they are rich.  They are pleased to be with those who stay behind, and\nGOD hath sealed up their hearts; wherefore they do not understand.\n     They will excuse themselves unto you, when ye are returned unto them.\nSay, Excuse not yourselves; we will by no means believe you: GOD hath\nacquainted us with your behavior; and GOD will observe his actions, and his\napostle also: and hereafter shall ye be brought before him who knoweth that\nwhich is hidden, and that which is manifest; and he will declare unto you that\nwhich ye have done.\n     They will swear unto you by GOD, which ye have done.  They will swear\nunto you by GOD, when ye are returned unto them, that ye may let them alone.h\nLet them alone, therefore, for they are an abomination, and their dwelling\nshall be hell, a reward for that which they have deserved.\n     They will swear unto you, that ye may be well pleased with them; but if\nye be well pleased with them, verily GOD will not be well pleased with people\nwho prevaricate.\n     The Arabs of the desert are more obstinate in their unbelief and\nhypocrisy; and it is easier for them to be ignorant of the ordinances of that\nwhich GOD hath sent down unto his apostle;i and GOD is knowing and wise.\n     Of the Arabs of the desert there is who reckoneth that which he expendeth\nfor the service of God, to be as tribute,k and waiteth that some change of\nfortunel may befall you.  A change for evil shall happen unto them; for GOD\nboth heareth and knoweth.\n\n\te  These were the tribes of Asad and Ghatf\u00e2n, who excused themselves on\naccount of the necessities of their families, which their industry only\nmaintained.  But some write they were the family of Amer Ebn al Tofail, who\nsaid that if they went with the army, the tribe of Tay would take advantage of\ntheir absence, and fall upon their wives and children, and their cattle.3\n\tf  By reason of their extreme poverty; as those of Joheina, Mozeina, and\nBanu Odhra.4\n\tg  The persons here intended were seven men of the Ans\u00e2rs, who came to\nMohammed and begged he would give them some patched boots and soled shoes, it\nbeing impossible for them to march so far barefoot in such a season; but he\ntold them he could not supply them; whereupon they went away weeping.  Some,\nhowever, say these were the Banu Mokren; and others, Abu Musa and his\ncompanions.5\n\th  And not chastise them.\n\ti  Because of their wild way of life, the hardness of their hearts,\ntheir not frequenting people of knowledge, and the few opportunities they have\nof being instructed.6\n\tk  Or a contribution exacted by force, the payment of which he can in no\nwise avoid.\n\tl  Hoping that some reverse may afford a convenient opportunity of\nthrowing off the burden\n\n\t3  Idem.\t\t4  Idem.\t\t5  Idem.\t\t6  Idem.  See the\nPrelim. Disc. p. 10 and 23.\n\n\n100\tAnd of the Arabs of the desert there is who believeth in GOD, and in the\nlast day; and esteemeth that which he layeth out for the service of God to be\nthe means of  bringing him near unto GOD, and the prayers of the apostle.  Is\nit not unto them the means of a near approach?  GOD shall lead them into his\nmercy; for GOD is gracious and merciful.m\n     As for the leaders and the first of the Moh\u00e2jer\u00een, and the Ans\u00e2rs,n and\nthose who have followed them in well doing; GOD is well pleased with them, and\nthey are well pleased in him: and he hath prepared for them gardens watered by\nrivers; they shall remain therein forever.  This shall be great felicity.\n     And of the Arabs of the desert who dwell round about you, there are\nhypocritical persons:o and of the inhabitants of Medina there are some who are\nobstinate in hypocrisy.  Thou knowest them not, O prophet, but we know them:\nwe will surely punish them twice:p afterwards shall they be sent to a grievous\ntorment.\n     And others have acknowledged their crimes.q  They have mixed a good\naction with another which is bad:r peradventure GOD will be turned unto them;\nfor GOD is gracious and merciful.\n     Take alms of their substance, that thou mayest cleanse them, and purify\nthem thereby;s and pray for them: for thy prayers shall be a security of mind\nunto them; and GOD both heareth and knoweth.\n     Do they not know that GOD accepteth repentance from his servants, and\naccepteth alms; and that GOD is easy to be reconciled, and merciful?\n     Say unto them, Work as ye will; but GOD will behold your work, and his\napostle also, and the true believers: and ye shall be brought before him who\nknoweth that which is kept secret, and that which is made public: and he will\ndeclare unto you whatever ye have done.\n\n\tm  The Arabs meant in the former of these two passages, are said to have\nbeen the tribes of Asad, Ghatf\u00e2n, and Banu Tamim; and those intended in the\nlatter, Abdallah, surnamed Dh\u00fb'lbaj\u00e2d\u00een, and his people.1\n\tn  The Moh\u00e2jer\u00een, or refugees, were those of Mecca, who fled thence on\naccount of their religion; and the Ans\u00e2rs, or helpers, were those of Medina,\nwho received Mohammed and his followers into their protection, and assisted\nthem against their enemies.  By the leaders of the Moh\u00e2jer\u00een are meant those\nwho believed on Mohammed before the Hejra, or early enough to pray towards\nJerusalem, from which the Kebla was changed to the temple of Mecca in the\nsecond year of the Hejra, or else such of them as were present at the battle\nof Bedr.  The leaders of the Ans\u00e2rs were those who took the oath of fidelity\nto him at al Akaba, either the first or the second time.2\n\to  i.e., In the neighbourhood of Medina.  These were the tribes of\nJoheina, Mozeina, Aslam, Ashj\u00e1, and Ghif\u00e2r.3\n\tp  Either by exposing them to public shame, and putting them to death;\nor by either of those punishments, and the torment of the sepulchre: or else\nby exacting alms of them by way of fine, and giving them corporal punishment.4\n\tq  Making no hypocritical excuses for them.  These were certain men,\nwho, having stayed at home instead of accompanying Mohammed to Tab\u00fbc, as soon\nas they heard the severe reprehensions and threats of this chapter against\nthose who had stayed behind, bound themselves to the pillars of the mosque,\nand swore that they would not loose themselves till they were loosed by the\nprophet.  But when he entered the mosque to pray, and was informed of the\nmatter, he also swore that he would not loose them without a particular\ncommand from GOD; whereupon this passage was revealed, and they were\naccordingly dismissed.5\n\tr  Though they were backward in going to war, and held with the\nhypocrites, yet they confessed their crime and repented.\n\ts  When these persons were loosed, they prayed Mohammed to take their\nsubstance, for the sake of which they had stayed at home, as alms, to cleanse\nthem from their transgression; but he told them he had no orders to accept\nanything from them: upon which this verse was sent down, allowing him to take\ntheir alms.6\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t4  Idem.\n\t5  Idem.\t\t6  Idem.\n\n\n     And there are others who wait with suspense the decree of GOD: whether he\nwill punish them, or whether he will be turned unto them:t but GOD is knowing\nand wise,\n     There are some who have built a temple to hurt the faithful, and to\npropagate infidelity, and to foment division among the true believers,u and\nfor a lurking place for him who hath fought against GOD and his apostle in\ntime past;x and they swear, saying, Verily we intended no other than to do for\nthe best: but GOD is witness that they do certainly lie.\n     Stand not up to pray therein forever.  There is a temple founded on\npiety,y from the first day of its building.  It is more just that thou stand\nup to pray therein: therein are men who love to be purified;z for GOD loveth\nthe clean.\n110\tWhether therefore is he better, who hath founded his building on the\nfear of GOD and his good will; or he who hath founded his building on the\nbrink of a bank of earth which is washed away by waters, so that it falleth\nwith him into the fire of hell?  God directeth not the ungodly people.\n     Their building which they have built will not cease to be an occasion of\ndoubting in their hearts, until their hearts be cut in pieces;a and GOD is\nknowing and wise.\n     Verily GOD hath purchased of the true believers their souls, and their\nsubstance, promising them the enjoyment of paradise; on condition that they\nfight for the cause of GOD: whether they slay or be slain, the promise for the\nsame is assuredly due by the law, and the gospel, and the Koran.  And who\nperformeth his contract more faithfully than GOD?  Rejoice therefore in the\ncontract which ye have made.  This shall be great happiness.\n\n\tt  The persons here intended were the three Ans\u00e2rs whose pardon is\ngranted a little below.\n\tu  When Banu Amru Ebn Awf had built the temple or mosque of Kob\u00e2, which\nwill be mentioned by-and-bye, they asked Mohammed to come and pray in it, and\nhe complied with their request.  This exciting the envy of their brethren,\nBanu Ganem Ebn Awf, they also built a mosque, intending that the Im\u00e2m or\npriest who should officiate there should be Abu Amer, a Christian monk; but he\ndying in Syria, they came to Mohammed and desired he would consecrate, as it\nwere, their mosque by praying in it.  The prophet accordingly prepared himself\nto go with them, but was forbidden by the immediate revelation of this\npassage, discovering their hypocrisy and ill design; whereupon he sent Malec\nEbn al Dokhshom, Maan Ebn Addi, Amer Ebn al Sacan, and al Wahsha, the\nEthiopian, to demolish and burn it, which they performed, and made it a\ndunghill.  According to another account, this mosque was built a little before\nthe expedition of Tab\u00fbc, with a design to hinder Mohammed's men from engaging\ntherein; and when he was asked to pray there, he answered that he was just\nsetting out on a journey, but that when he came back, with GOD'S leave, he\nwould do what they desired; but when they applied to him again, on his return,\nthis passage was revealed.1\n\tx  That is, Abu Amer, the monk, who was a declared enemy to Mohammed,\nhaving threatened him at Ohod, that no party should appear in the field\nagainst him, but he would make one of them; and, to be as good as his word, he\ncontinued to oppose him till the battle of Honein, at which he was present,\nand being put to flight with those of Haw\u00e2zen, he retreated into Syria,\ndesigning to obtain a supply of troops from the Grecian emperor to renew the\nwar, but he died at Kinnisr\u00een.  Others say that this monk was a confederate at\nthe war of the ditch, and that he fled thence into Syria.2\n\ty  viz., That of Kob\u00e2, a place about two miles from Medina, where\nMohammed rested four days before he entered that city, in his flight from\nMecca, and where he laid the foundation of a mosque,3 which was afterwards\nbuilt by Banu Amru Ebn Awf.  But according to a different tradition, the\nmosque here meant was that which Mohammed built at Medina.\n\tz  Al Beid\u00e2wi says, that Mohammed walking once with the Moh\u00e2jer\u00een to\nKob\u00e2, found the Ans\u00e2rs sitting at the mosque door, and asked them whether they\nwere believers; and, on their being silent, repeated the question: whereupon\nOmar answered, that they were believers; and Mohammed demanding whether they\nacquiesced in the judgment Omar had made of them, they said yes.  He then\nasked them whether they would be patient in adversity and thankful in\nprosperity; to which they answering in the affirmative, he swore by the LORD\nof the Caaba that they were true believers.  Afterwards he examined them as to\ntheir manner of performing the legal washings, and, particularly, what they\ndid after easing themselves; they told him that in such a case they used three\nstones, and after that washed with water: upon which he repeated these words\nof the Kor\u00e2n to them.\n\ta  Some interpret these words of their being deprived of their judgment\nand understanding; and others of the punishment they are to expect, either of\ndeath in this world, or of the rack of the sepulchre, or the pains of hell.\n\n\t1  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem, Ebn Shohnah.\nVide Abulfed. Vit. Moh. p. 52.  Where the translator, taking this passage of\nthe Kor\u00e2n, which is there cited, for the words of his author, has missed the\ntrue sense.\n\n\n     The penitent, and those who serve God, and praise him, and who fast, and\nbow down, and worship; and who command that which is just, and forbid that\nwhich is evil, and keep the ordinances of GOD, shall likewise be rewarded with\nparadise: wherefore bear good tidings unto the faithful.\n     It is not allowed unto the prophet, nor those who are true believers,\nthat they pray for idolaters,b although they be of kin, after it is become\nknown unto them, that they are inhabitants of hell.c\n     Neither did Abraham ask forgiveness for his father, otherwise than in\npursuance of a promise which he had promised unto him:d but when it became\nknown unto him, that he was an enemy unto GOD, he declared himself clear of\nhim.e  Verily Abraham was pitiful and compassionate.\n     Nor is GOD disposed to lead people into error,f after that he hath\ndirected them, until that which they ought to avoid is become known unto them;\nfor GOD knoweth all things.\n     Verily unto GOD belongeth the kingdom of heaven and of earth; he giveth\nlife, and he causeth to die; and ye have no patron or helper besides GOD.\n     GOD is reconciled unto the prophet, and unto the Moh\u00e2jer\u00een and the\nAns\u00e2rs,g who followed him in the hour of distress,h after that it had wanted\nlittle but that the hearts of a part of them had swerved from their duty:\nafterwards was he turned unto them: for he was compassionate and merciful\ntowards them.\n     And he is also reconciled unto the three who were left behind,i so that\nthe earth became too straight for them, notwithstanding its spaciousness, and\ntheir souls became straightened within them, and they considered that there\nwas no refuge from GOD, otherwise than by having recourse unto him.  Then was\nhe turned unto them, that they might repent; for GOD is easy to be reconciled\nand merciful.\n\n\tb  This passage was revealed, as some think, on account of Abu Taleb,\nMohammed's uncle and great benefactor; who, on his death-bed, being pressed by\nhis nephew to speak a word which might enable him to plead his cause before\nGOD, that is, to profess Isl\u00e2m, absolutely refused.  Mohammed, however, told\nhim that he would not cease to pray for him, till he should be forbidden by\nGOD; which he was by these words.  Others suppose the occasion to have been\nMohammed's visiting his mother Amena's sepulchre at al Abw\u00e2, soon after the\ntaking of Mecca; for they say that while he stood at the tomb he burst into\ntears, and said, I asked leave of GOD to visit my mother's tomb, and he\ngranted it me; but when I asked leave to pray for her, it was denied me.1\n\tc  By their dying infidels.  For otherwise it is not only lawful, but\ncommendable, to pray for unbelievers, while there are hopes of their\nconversion.\n\td  viz., To pray that GOD would dispose his heart to repentance.  Some\nsuppose this was a promise made to Abraham by his father, that he would\nbelieve in GOD.  For the words may be taken either way.\n\te  Desisting to pray for him, when he was assured by inspiration that he\nwas not to be converted; or after he actually died an infidel.  See c. 6, p.\n96.\n\tf  i.e., To consider or punish them as transgressors.  This passage was\nrevealed to excuse those who had prayed for such of their friends as had died\nidolaters, before it was forbidden; or else to excuse certain people who had\nignorantly prayed towards the first Kebla, and drank wine, &c.\n\tg  Having forgiven the crime they committed, in giving the hypocrites\nleave to be absent from the expedition to Tab\u00fbc; or for the other sins which\nthey might, through inadvertence, have been guilty of.  For the best men have\nneed of repentance.2\n\th  viz., In the expedition of Tab\u00fbc; wherein Mohammed's men were driven\nto such extremities that (besides what they endured by reason of the excessive\nheat) ten men were obliged to ride by turns on one camel, and provisions and\nwater were so scarce that two men divided a date between them, and they were\nobliged to drink the water out of the camels' stomachs.3\n\ti  Or, as it may be translated, who were left in suspense, whether they\nshould be pardoned or not.4  These were three Ans\u00e2rs, named Caab Ebn Malec,\nHel\u00e2l Ebn Omeyya, and Mer\u00e2ra Ebn Rab\u00ee, who went not with Mohammed to Tab\u00fbc,\nand were therefore, on his return, secluded from the fellowship of the other\nMoslems; the prophet forbidding any to salute them, or to hold discourse with\nthem.  Under which interdiction they continued fifty days, till, on their\nsincere repentance, they were at length discharged from it, by the revelation\nof this passage.5\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t4  See\nbefore, p. 147, note t.\n5  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin  Abulf.  Vit. Moh. p. 133, 126.\n\n\n120\tO true believers, fear GOD and be with the sincere.\n     There was no reason why the inhabitants of Medina, and the Arabs of the\ndesert who dwell around them, should stay behind the apostle of GOD, or should\nprefer themselves before him.k  This is unreasonable: because they are not\ndistressed either by thirst, or labor, or hunger, for the defence of GOD'S\ntrue religion; neither do they stir a step, which may irritate the\nunbelievers; neither do they receive from the enemy any damage, but a good\nwork is written down unto them for the same; for GOD suffereth not the reward\nof the righteous to perish.\n     And they contribute not any sum either small or great, nor do they pass a\nvalley; but it is written down unto them that GOD may reward them with a\nrecompense exceeding that which they have wrought.\n     The believers are not obliged to go forth to war altogether: if a part of\nevery band of them go not forth, it is that they may diligently instruct\nthemselves in their religion;l and may admonish their people, when they return\nunto them, that they may take heed to themselves.\n     O true believers, wage war against such of the infidels as are near you;m\nand let them find severityn in you: and know that GOD is with those who fear\nhim.\n     Whenever a Sura is sent down, there are some of them who say, Which of\nyou hath this caused to increase in faith?  It will increase the faith of\nthose who believe, and they shall rejoice:\n     but unto those in whose hearts there is an infirmity, it will add further\ndoubt unto their present doubt; and they shall die in their infidelity.\n     Do they not see that they are tried every year once or twice?o yet they\nrepent not, neither are they warned.\n     And whenever a Sura is sent down, they look at one another, saying, Doth\nany one see you?p then do they turn aside.  GOD shall turn aside their hearts\nfrom the truth; because they are a people who do not understand.\n\n\tk  By not caring to share with him the dangers and fatigues of war.  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi tells us, that after Mohammed had set out for Tab\u00fbc, one Abu\nKhaithama, sitting in his garden, where his wife, a very beautiful woman, had\nspread a mat for him in the shade, and had set new dates and fresh water\nbefore him, after a little reflection, cried out: This is not well that I\nshould thus take my ease and pleasure, while the apostle of GOD is exposed to\nthe scorching of the sunbeams and the inclemencies of the war; and immediately\nmounting his camel, took his sword and lance, and went to join the army.\n\tl  That is, if some of every tribe of town be left behind, the end of\ntheir being so left is that they may apply themselves to study, and attain a\nmore exact knowledge of the several points of their religion, so as to be able\nto instruct such as, by reason of their continual employment in the wars, have\nno other means of information.  They say, that after the preceding passages\nwere revealed, reprehending those who had stayed at home during the expedition\nof Tab\u00fbc, every man went to war, so that the study of religion, which is\nrather more necessary for the defence and propagation of the faith than even\narms themselves, became wholly laid aside and neglected; to prevent which, for\nthe future, a convenient number are hereby directed to be left behind, that\nthey may have leisure to prosecute their studies.\n\tm  Either of your kindred or neighbours; for these claim your pity and\ncare in the first place, and their conversion ought first to be endeavoured.\nThe persons particularly meant in this passage are supposed to have been the\nJews of the tribes of Koreidha and Nadh\u00eer, and those of Khaibar; or else the\nGreeks of Syria.1\n\tn  Or fierceness in war.\n\to  i.e., By various kinds of trials, or by being called forth to war,\nand by being made witnesses of GOD'S miraculous protection of the faithful.\n\tp  They wink at one another to rise and leave the prophet's presence, if\nthey think they can do it without being observed, to avoid hearing the severe\nand deserving reproofs which they apprehended in every new revelation.  The\npersons intended are the hypocritical Moslems.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     Now hath an apostle come unto you of our own nation,q an excellent\nperson: it is grievous unto him that ye commit wickedness; he is careful over\nyou, and compassionate and merciful towards the believers.\n130\tIf they turn back, say, GOD is my support: there is no GOD but he.  On\nhim do I trust; and he is the LORD of the magnificent throne.\n\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\nENTITLED, JONAS;r REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     AL. R.s  These are the signs of the wise book.\n     Is it a strange thing unto the men of Mecca, that we have revealed our\nwill unto a man from among them,t saying, Denounce threats unto men if they\nbelieve not; and bear good tidings unto those who believe, that on the merit\nof their sincerity they have an interest with their LORD?  The unbelievers\nsay, This is manifest sorcery.u\n     Verily your LORD is GOD, who hath created the heavens and the earth in\nsix days; and then ascended his throne, to take on himself the government of\nall things.  There is no intercessor, but by his permission.x  This is GOD,\nyour LORD; therefore serve him.  Will ye not consider?\n     Unto him shall ye all return according to the certain promise of GOD; for\nhe produceth a creature, and then causeth it to return again; that he may\nreward those who believe and do that which is right, with equity.  But as for\nthe unbelievers, they shall drink boiling water, and they shall suffer a\ngrievous punishment, for that they have disbelieved.\n     It is he who hath ordained the sun to shine by day, and the moon for a\nlight by night; and had appointed her stations, that ye might know the number\nof years, and the computation of time.  GOD hath not created this, but with\ntruth.  He explaineth his signs unto people who understand.\n     Moreover in the vicissitudes of night and day, and whatever GOD hath\ncreated in heaven and earth, are surely signs unto men who fear him.\n\n\tq  See chapter 3, p. 49, note n\n\tr  This prophet is mentioned towards the end of the chapter.\n\ts  See the Prelim. Disc. Sec. III. p. 46, 47.\n\tt  And not one of the most powerful among them neither; so that the\nKoreish said it was a wonder GOD could find out no other messenger than the\norphan pupil of Abu Taleb.2\n\tu  Meaning the Kor\u00e2n.  According to the reading of some copies, the\nwords may be rendered, This man (i.e., Mohammed) is no other than a manifest\nsorcerer.\n\tx  These words were revealed to refute the foolish opinion of the\nidolatrous Meccans, who imagined their idols were intercessors with GOD for\nthem.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t2  Idem.\n\n\n     Verily they who hope not to meet us at the last day, and delight in this\npresent life, and rest securely in the same, and who are negligent of our\nsigns;\n     their dwelling shall be hell fire, for that which they have deserved.\n     But as to those who believe, and work righteousness, their LORD will\ndirect them because of their faith; they shall have rivers flowing through\ngardens of pleasure.\n10\tTheir prayer therein shall be Praise be unto thee O GOD! and their\nsalutationy therein shall be Peace!\n     and the end of their prayer shall be, Praise be unto GOD, the LORD of all\ncreatures!\n     If GOD should cause evil to hasten unto men, according to their desire of\nhastening good, verily their end had been decreed.  Wherefore we suffer those\nwho hope not to meet us at the resurrection, to wander amazedly in their\nerror.\n     When evil befalleth a man, he prayeth unto us lying on his side, or\nsitting, or standing:z but when we deliver him from his affliction, he\ncontinueth his former course of life, as though he had not called upon us to\ndefend him against the evil which had befallen him.  Thus was that which the\ntransgressors committed prepared for them.\n     We have formerly destroyed the generations who were before you, O men of\nMecca, when they had acted unjustly, and our apostles had come unto them with\nevident miracles and they would not believe.  Thus do we reward the wicked\npeople.\n     Afterwards did we cause you to succeed them in the earth; that we might\nsee how ye would act.\n     When our evident signs are recited unto them, they who hope not to meet\nus at the resurrection, say, Bring a different Koran from this; or make some\nchange therein.  Answer, It is not fit for me, that I should change it at my\npleasure: I follow that only which is revealed unto me.  Verily I fear if I\nshould be disobedient unto my LORD, the punishment of the great day.\n     Say, If GOD had so pleased, I had not read it unto you, neither had I\ntaught you the same.  I have already dwelt among you to the age of forty\nyears,a before I received it.  Do ye not therefore understand?\n     And who is more unjust than he who deviseth a lie against GOD, or\naccuseth his signs of falsehood?  Surely the wicked shall not prosper.\n     They worship besides GOD, that which can neither hurt them or profit\nthem, and they say, These are our intercessors with GOD.b  Answer, Will ye\ntell GOD that which he knoweth not, neither in heaven nor in earth?c  Praise\nbe unto him! and far be that from him, which they associate with him!\n20\tMen were professors of one religion only,d but they dissented therefrom;\nand if a decree had not previously issued from thy LORD, deferring their\npunishment, verily the matter had been decided between them, concerning which\nthey disagreed.\n\n\ty  Either the mutual salutation of the blessed to one another, or that\nof the angels to the blessed.\n\tz  i.e., In all postures, and at all times.\n\ta  For so old was Mohammed before he took upon him to be a prophet;1\nduring which time his fellow-citizens well knew that he had not applied\nhimself to learning of any sort, nor frequented learned men, nor had ever\nexercised himself in composing verses or orations whereby he might acquire the\nart of rhetoric, or elegance of speech.2  A flagrant proof, says al Beid\u00e2wi,\nthat this book could be taught him by none but God.\n\tb  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. I. p. 12, &c.\n\tc  viz., That he hath equals or companions either in heaven or on earth;\nsince he acknowledgeth none.\n\td  That is to say, the true religion, or Isl\u00e2m, which was generally\nprofessed, as some say, till Abel was murdered, or, as others, till the days\nof Noah.  Some suppose the first ages after the Flood are here intended:\nothers, the state of religion in Arabia, from the time of Abraham to that of\nAmru Ebn Lohai, the great introducer of idolatry into that country.\n\n1  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 33.  Abulfeda, Vit. Moh. c. 7.\t\t2  See the\nPrelim. Disc. p. 21, &c.\n\n\n     They say, Unless a sign be sent down unto him from his LORD, we will not\nbelieve.  Answer, Verily that which is hidden is known only unto GOD: wait,\ntherefore, the pleasure of God; and I also will wait with you.\n     And when we caused the men of Mecca to taste mercy, after an affliction\nwhich had befallen them, behold, they devised a stratagem against our signs.e\nSay unto them, GOD is more swift in executing a stratagem, than ye.  Verily\nour messengersf write down that which ye deceitfully devise.\n     It is he who hath given you conveniences for travelling by land and by\nsea; so that ye be in ships, which sail with them, with a favorable wind, and\nthey rejoice therein.  And when a tempestuous wind overtaketh them, and waves\ncome upon them from every side, and they think themselves encompassed with\ninevitable dangers; they call upon GOD, exhibiting the pure religion unto\nhim,g and saying, Verily if thou deliver us from this peril, we will be of\nthose who give thanks.\n     But when he hath delivered them, behold, they behave themselves\ninsolently in the earth, without justice.  O men, verily the violence which ye\ncommit against your own souls, is for the enjoyment of this present life only;\nafterwards unto us shall ye return, and we will declare unto you that which ye\nhave done.\n     Verily the likeness of this present life is no other than as water, which\nwe send down from heaven, and wherewith the productions of the earth are\nmixed, of which men eat, and cattle also, until the earth receive its vesture,\nand be adorned with various plants: the inhabitants thereof imagine that they\nhave power over the same; but our command cometh unto it by night, or by day,\nand we render it as though it had been mowen, as though it had not yesterday\nabounded with fruits.  Thus do we explain our signs unto people who consider.\n     GOD inviteth unto the dwelling of peace,h and directeth whom he pleaseth\ninto the right way.\n     They who do right shall receive a most excellent reward, and a\nsuperabundant addition;i neither blacknessk nor shame shall cover their faces.\nThese shall be the inhabitants of paradise; they shall continue therein\nforever.\n     But they who commit evil shall receive the reward of evil, equal\nthereunto,l and they shall be covered with shame, (for they shall have no\nprotector against GOD); as though their faces were covered with the profound\ndarkness of the night.  These shall be the inhabitants of hell fire: they\nshall remain therein forever.\n\n\te  For it is said that they were afflicted with a dearth for seven\nyears, so that they were very near perishing; but no sooner relieved by GOD'S\nsending them plenty, than they began again to charge Mohammed with imposture,\nand to ridicule his revelations.3\n\tf  i.e., The guardian angels.\n\tg  That is, applying themselves to GOD only, and neglecting their idols;\ntheir fears directing them in such an extremity to ask help of him only who\ncould give it.\n\th  viz., Paradise.\n\ti  For their reward will vastly exceed the merit of their good works.\nAl Ghaz\u00e2li supposes this additional recompense will be the beatific vision.4\n\tk  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 67, &c.\n\tl  i.e., Though the blessed will be rewarded beyond their deserts, yet\nGOD will not punish any beyond their demerits, but treat them with the\nexactest justice.\n\n\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t4  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 78.\n\n\n     On the day of the resurrection we will gather them altogether; then will\nwe say unto the idolaters, Get ye to your place, ye and your companions:m and\nwe will separate them from one another; and their companions will say unto\nthem, Ye do not worship us;n\n30\tand GOD is a sufficient witness between us and you; neither did we mind\nyour worshipping of us.\n     There shall every soul experienceo that which it shall have sent before\nit;p and they shall be brought before GOD their true LORD; and the false\ndeities which they vainly imagined, shall disappear from before them.\n     Say, Who provideth you food from heaven and earth? or who hath the\nabsolute power over the hearing and the sight? and who bringeth forth the\nliving from the dead, and bringeth forth the dead from the living? and who\ngoverneth all things?  They will surely answer, GOD.  Say, Will ye not\ntherefore fear him?\n     This is therefore GOD your true LORD: and what remaineth there after\ntruth, except error?  How therefore are ye turned aside from the truth?\n     Thus is the word of thy LORD verified upon them who do wickedly; that\nthey believe not.\n     Say, Is there any of your companions who produceth a creature, and then\ncauseth it to return unto himself?  Say, GOD produceth a creature, and then\ncauseth it to return unto himself.  How therefore are ye turned aside from his\nworship?\n     Say, Is there any of your companions who directeth unto the truth.  Say,\nGOD directeth unto the truth.  Whether is he, therefore, who directeth unto\nthe truth, more worthy to be followed; or he who directeth not, unless he be\ndirected?  What aileth you therefore, that ye judge as ye do?\n     And the greater part of them follow an uncertain opinion only; but a mere\nopinion attaineth not unto any truth.  Verily GOD knoweth that which they do.\n     This Koran could not have been composed by any except GOD; but it is a\nconfirmation of that which was revealed before it, and an explanation of the\nscripture; there is no doubt thereof; sent down from the LORD of all\ncreatures.\n     Will they say, Mohammed hath forged it?  Answer, Bring therefore a\nchapter like unto it; and call whom you may to your assistance, besides GOD,\nif ye speak truth.\n40\tBut they have charged that with falsehood, the knowledge whereof they do\nnot comprehend, neither hath the interpretation thereof come unto them.  In\nthe same manner did those who were before them accuse their prophets of\nimposture; but behold, what was the end of the unjust!\n     There are some of them who believe therein; and there are some of them\nwho believe not therein:q and thy LORD well knoweth the corrupt doers.\n     If they accuse thee of imposture, say, I have my work, and ye have your\nwork; ye shall be clear of that which I do, and I will be clear of that which\nye do.\n     There are some of them who hearken unto thee; but wilt thou make the deaf\nto hear, although they do not understand?\n\n\tm  That is, your idols, or the companions which ye attributed unto GOD.\n\tn  But ye really worshipped your own lusts, and were seduced to\nidolatry, not by us, but by your own superstitious fancies.  It is pretended\nthat GOD will, at the last day, enable the idols to speak, and that they will\nthus reproach their worshippers, instead of interceding for them, as they\nhoped.  Some suppose the angels, who were also objects of the worship of the\npagan Arabs, are particularly intended in this place.\n\to  Some copies instead of tablu, read tatiu , i.e., shall follow, or\nmeditate upon.\n\tp  See chapter 2, p. 11, note r.\n\tq  i.e., There are some of them who are inwardly well satisfied of the\ntruth of thy doctrine, though they are so wicked as to oppose it; and there\nare others of them who believe it not, through prejudice and want of\nconsideration.  Or the passage may be understood in the future tense, of some\nwho should afterwards believe, and repent, and of others who should die\ninfidels.1\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     And there are some of them who look at thee; but wilt thou direct the\nblind, although they see not?r\n     Verily GOD will not deal unjustly with men in any respect: but men deal\nunjustly with their own souls.s\n     On a certain day he will gather them together, as though they had not\ntarriedt above an hour of a day: they shall know one another.u  Then shall\nthey perish who have denied the meeting of GOD; and were not rightly directed.\n     Whether we cause thee to see a part of the punishment wherewith we have\nthreatened them, or whether we cause thee to die before thou see it; unto us\nshall they return: then shall GOD be witness of that which they do.\n     Unto every nation hath an apostle been sent; and when their apostle came,\nthe matter was decided between them with equity;x and they were not treated\nunjustly.\n     The unbelievers say, When will this threatening be made good, if ye speak\ntruth?\n50\tAnswer, I am able neither to procure advantage unto myself, nor to avert\nmischief from me, but as GOD pleaseth.  Unto every nation is a fixed term\ndecreed; when their term therefore is expired, they shall not have respite for\nan hour, neither shall their punishment be anticipated.\n     Say, Tell me, if the punishment of GOD overtake you by night, or by day,\nwhat part thereof will the ungodly wish to be hastened?\n     When it falleth on you, do ye then believe it?  Now do ye believe, and\nwish it far from you, when as ye formerly desired it should be hastened?\n     Then shall it be said unto the wicked, Taste the punishment of eternity;\nwould ye receive other than the reward of that which ye have wrought?\n     They will desire to know of thee, whether this be true.  Answer, Yea, by\nmy LORD, it is certainly true; neither shall ye weaken God's power so as to\nescape it.\n     Verily, if every soul which hath acted wickedly had whatever is on the\nearth, it would willingly redeem itself therewith at the last day.  Yet they\nwill conceal their repentance,y after they shall have seen the punishment; and\nthe matter shall be decided between them with equity, and they shall not be\nunjustly treated.\n     Doth not whatsoever is in heaven and on earth belong unto GOD?  Is not\nthe promise of GOD true?  But the greater part of them know it not.\n     He giveth life, and he causeth to die: and unto him shall ye all return.\n     O men, now hath an admonition come unto you from your LORD, and a remedy\nfor the doubts which are in your breasts; and a direction, and mercy unto the\ntrue believers.\n     Say, Through the grace of GOD, and his mercy; therein therefore let them\nrejoice; this will be better than what they heap together of worldly riches.\n\n\tr  These words were revealed on account of certain Meccans, who seemed\nto attend while Mohammed read the Kor\u00e2n to them, or instructed them in any\npoint of religion, but yet were as far from being convinced or edified, as if\nthey had not heard him at all.2\n\ts  For GOD deprives them not of their senses or understanding; but they\ncorrupt and make an ill use of them.\n\tt  Either in the world or in the grave.\n\tu  As if it were but a little while since they parted.  But this will\nhappen during the first moments only of the resurrection; for afterwards the\nterror of the day will disturb and take from them all knowledge of one\nanother.3\n\tx  By delivering the prophet and those who believed on him, and\ndestroying the obstinate infidels.\n\ty  To hide their shame and regret;4 or because their surprise and\nastonishment will deprive them of the use of speech.5  Some, however,\nunderstand the verb which is here rendered will conceal, in the contrary\nsignification, which it sometimes bears; and then it must be translated-They\nwill openly declare their repentance, &c.\n\n\t2  Idem.  See cap. 6, p. 90.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t4  Jallalo'ddin.\n\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n60\tSay, Tell me; of that which GOD hath sent down unto you for food, have\nye declared part to be lawful,z and other part to be unlawful?  Say, Hath GOD\npermitted you to make this distinction? or do ye devise a lie concerning GOD?\n     But what will be the opinion of those who devise a lie concerning GOD, on\nthe day of the resurrection?  Verily GOD is endued with beneficence towards\nmankind; but the greater part of them do not give thanks.\n     Thou shalt be engaged in no business, neither shalt thou be employed in\nmeditating on any passage of the Koran; nor shall ye do any action, but we\nwill be witnesses over you, when ye are employed therein.  Nor is so much as\nthe weight of an anta hidden from thy LORD, in earth or in heaven: neither is\nthere anything lesser than that, or greater, but it is written in the\nperspicuous book.b\n     Are not the friends of GOD the persons on whom no fear shall come, and\nwho shall not be grieved?\n     They who believe and fear God\n     shall receive good tidings in this life, and in that which is to come.\nThere is no change in the words of GOD.  This shall be great felicity.\n     Let not their discoursec grieve thee; for all might belongeth unto GOD:\nhe both heareth and knoweth.\n     Is not whoever dwelleth in heaven and on earth subject unto GOD?  What\ntherefore do they follow, who invoke idols, besides GOD?  They follow nothing\nbut a vain opinion; and they only utter lies.\n     It is he who hath ordained the night for you, that ye may take your rest\ntherein, and the clear day for labor: verily herein are signs unto people who\nhearken.\n     They say, GOD hath begotten children; GOD forbid!  He is self-sufficient.\nUnto him belongeth whatsoever is in heaven and on earth: ye have no\ndemonstrative proof of this.  Do ye speak of GOD that which ye know not?\n70\tSay, Verily they who imagine a lie concerning GOD shall not prosper.\n     They may enjoy a provision in this world; but afterwards unto us shall\nthey return, and we will then cause them to taste a grievous punishment, for\nthat they were unbelievers.\n     Rehearse unto them the history of Noah:d when he said unto his people, O\nmy people, if my standing forth among you, and my warning you of the signs of\nGOD, be grievous unto you; in GOD do I put my trust.  Therefore lay your\ndesign against me, and assemble your false gods; but let not your design be\ncarried on by you in the dark: then come forth against me, and delay not.\n     And if ye turn aside from my admonitions, I ask not any reward of you for\nthe same;e I expect my reward from GOD alone, and I am commanded to be one of\nthose who are resigned unto him.\n     But they accused him of imposture, wherefore we delivered him, and those\nwho were with him in the ark, and we caused them to survive the flood, but we\ndrowned those who charged our signs with falsehood.  Behold therefore, what\nwas the end of those who were warned by Noah.\n     Then did we send, after him, apostles unto their respective people,f and\nthey came unto them with evident demonstrations: yet they were not disposed to\nbelieve in that which they had before rejected as false.  Thus do we seal up\nthe hearts of the transgressors.\n\n\tz  See chapter 6, p. 101, &c.\n\ta  See chapter 4, p. 58, note y.\n\tb  The preserved table, wherein GOD'S decrees are recorded.\n\tc  The impious and rebellious talk of the infidels.\n\td  See chapter 7, p. 110, &c.\n\te  Therefore ye cannot excuse yourselves by saying that I am burdensome\nto you.\n\tf  As H\u00fbd, S\u00e2leh, Abraham, Lot, and Shoaib, to those of Ad, Tham\u00fbd,\nBabel, Sodom, and Midian.\n\n\n     Then did we send, after them, Moses and Aaron unto Pharaoh and his\nprinces with our signs:g but they behaved proudly, and were a wicked people.\n     And when the truth from us had come unto them, they said, Verily this is\nmanifest sorcery.\n     Moses said unto them, Do ye speak this of the truth, after it hath come\nunto you?  Is this sorcery? but sorcerers shall not prosper.\n     They said, Art thou come unto us to turn us aside from that religion,\nwhich we found our fathers practise; and that ye two may have the command in\nthe land?  But we do not believe you.\n80\tAnd Pharaoh said, Bring unto me every expert magician.  And when the\nmagicians were come, Moses said unto them, Cast down that which ye are about\nto cast down.\n     And when they had cast down their rods and cords, Moses said unto them,\nThe enchantment which ye have performed shall GOD surely render vain; for GOD\nprospereth not the work of the wicked doers,\n     and GOD will verify the truth of his words, although the wicked be\nadverse thereto.\n     And there believed not any on Moses, except a generation of his people,h\nfor fear of Pharaoh and of his princes, lest he should afflict them.  And\nPharaoh was lifted up with pride in the earth, and was surely one of the\ntransgressors.\n     And Moses said, O my people, if ye believe in GOD, put your trust in him,\nif ye be resigned to his will.\n     They answered, We put our trust in GOD: O LORD, suffer us not to be\nafflicted by unjust people;\n     but deliver us, through thy mercy, from the unbelieving people.\n     And we spake by inspiration unto Moses and his brother, saying, Provide\nhabitations for your people in Egypt, and make your houses a place of\nworship,i and be constant at prayer: and bear good news unto the true\nbelievers.\n     And Moses said, O LORD, verily thou hast given unto Pharaoh and his\npeople pompous ornaments,k and riches in this present life, O LORD, that they\nmay be seduced from thy way: O LORD, bring their riches to nought, and harden\ntheir hearts; that they may not believe, until they see their grievous\npunishment.\n     God said, Your petition is hear;l be ye upright therefore,m and follow\nnot the way of those who are ignorant.\n\n\tg  See chapter 7, p. 115, &c.\n\th  For when he first began to preach, a few of the younger Israelites\nonly believed on him; the others not giving ear to him, for fear of the king.\nBut some suppose the pronoun his refers to Pharaoh, and that these were\ncertain Egyptians, who, together with his wife Asia, believed on Moses.1\n\ti  So Jallalo'ddin expounds the original word Kebla, which properly\nsignifies that place or quarter toward which one prays.  Wherefore al\nZamakhshari supposes that the Israelites are here ordered to dispose their\noratories in such a manner that, when they prayed, their faces might be turned\ntowards Mecca; which he imagines was the Kebla of Moses, as it is that of the\nMohammedans.  The former commentator adds that Pharaoh had forbidden the\nIsraelites to pray to GOD; for which reason they were obliged to perform that\nduty privately in their houses.\n\tk  As magnificent apparel, chariots, and the like.\n\tl  The pronoun is in the dual number; the antecedent being Moses and\nAaron.  The commentators say that, in consequence of this prayer, all the\ntreasures of Egypt were turned into stones.2\n\tm  Or, as al Beid\u00e2wi interprets it, Be ye constant and steady in\npreaching to the people.  The Mohammedans pretend that Moses continued in\nEgypt no less than forty years after he had first published his mission: which\ncannot be reconciled to scripture.\n\n\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n90\tAnd we caused the children of Israel to pass through the sea; and\nPharaoh and his army followed them in a violent and hostile manner; until,\nwhen he was drowning, he said, I believe that there is no GOD but he, on whom\nthe children of Israel believe; and I am one of the resigned.n\n     Now dost thou believe; when thou hast been hitherto rebellious, and one\nof the wicked doers?\n     This day will we raise thy bodyo from the bottom of the sea, that thou\nmayest be a sign unto those who shall be after thee; and verily a great number\nof men are negligent of our signs.\n     And we prepared for the children of Israel an established dwelling in the\nland of Canaan, and we provided good things for their sustenance; and they\ndiffered not in point of religion, until knowledge had come unto them;p verily\nthy LORD will judge between them on the day of resurrection, concerning that\nwherein they disagreed.\n     If thou art in a doubt concerning any part of that which we have sent\ndown unto thee,q ask them who have read the book of the law before thee.  Now\nhath the truth come unto thee from thy LORD; be not therefore one of those who\ndoubt;\n     neither be thou one of those who charge the signs of GOD with falsehood,\nlest thou become one of those who perish.\n     Verily those against whom the word of thy LORD is decreed, shall not\nbelieve,\n     although there come unto them every kind of miracle, until they see the\ngrievous punishment prepared for them.\n     And if it were not so, some city, among the many which have been\ndestroyed, would have believed; and the faith of its inhabitants would have\nbeen of advantage unto them; but none of them believed, before the execution\nof their sentence, except the people of Jonas.r  When they believed, we\ndelivered them from the punishment of shame in this world, and suffered them\nto enjoy their lives and possessions for a time.s\n     But if thy LORD had pleased, verily all who are in the earth would have\nbelieved in general.  Wilt thou therefore forcibly compel men to be true\nbelievers?\n100\tNo soul can believe, but by the permission of GOD: and he shall pour out\nhis indignation on those who will not understand.\n     Say, Consider whatever is in heaven and on earth: but signs are of no\navail, neither preachers, unto people who will not believe.\n\n\tn  These words, it is said, Pharaoh repeated often in his extremity,\nthat he might be heard.  But his repentance came too late; for Gabriel soon\nstopped his mouth with mud, lest he should obtain mercy; reproaching him at\nthe same time in the words which follow.\n\to  Some of the children of Israel doubting whether Pharaoh was really\ndrowned.  Gabriel, by GOD'S command, caused his naked corpse to swim to shore,\nthat they might see it.3  The word here translated body, signifying also a\ncoat of mail, some imagine the meaning to be, that his corpse floated armed\nwith his coat of mail, which they tell us was of gold, by which they knew that\nit was he.\n\tp  i.e., After the law had been revealed, and published by Moses.\n\tq  That is, concerning the truth of the histories which are here\nrelated.  The commentators doubt whether the person here spoken to be Mohammed\nhimself or his auditor.\n\tr  viz., The inhabitants of Ninive, which stood on or near the place\nwhere al Mawsel now stands.  This people having corrupted themselves with\nidolatry, Jonas the son of Mattai (or Amittai, which the Mohammedans suppose\nto be the name of his mother), an Israelite of the tribe of Benjamin, was sent\nby God to preach to and reclaim them.  When he first began to exhort them to\nrepentance, instead of hearkening to him, they used him very ill, so that he\nwas obliged to leave the city; threatening them, at his departure, that they\nshould be destroyed within three days, or, as others say, within forty.1  But\nwhen the time drew near, and they saw the heavens overcast with a black cloud,\nwhich shot forth fire, and filled the air with smoke, and hung directly over\ntheir city, they were in a terrible consternation, and getting into the fields\nwith their families and cattle, they put on sackcloth, and humbled themselves\nbefore God, calling aloud for pardon, and sincerely repenting of their past\nwickedness.  Whereupon God was pleased to forgive them, and the storm blew\nover.2\n\ts  i.e., Until they died according to the ordinary course of nature.\n\n\t3  See Exod. xiv. 30.\t\t1  See Jonah iii. 4.\t\t2  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin, Abulfeda.  See cap. 21 and 37.\n\n\n     Do they therefore expect any other than some terrible judgment, like unto\nthe judgments which have fallen on those who have gone before them?  Say, Wait\nye the issue; and I also will wait with you;\n     then will we deliver our apostles and those who believe.  Thus is it a\njustice due from us, that we should deliver the true believers.\n     Say, O men of Mecca, if ye be in doubt concerning my religion, verily I\nworship not the idols which ye worship, besides GOD; but I worship GOD, who\nwill cause you to die: and I am commanded to be one of the true believers.\n     And it was said unto me, Set thy face towards the true religion, and be\northodox; and by no means be one of those who attribute companions unto God;\n     neither invoke, besides GOD, that which can neither profit thee nor hurt\nthee: for if thou do, thou wilt then certainly become one of the unjust.\n     If GOD afflict thee with hurt, there is none who can relieve thee from\nit, except he; and if he willeth thee any good, there is none who can keep\nback his bounty: he will confer it on such of his servants as he pleaseth; and\nhe is gracious and merciful.\n     Say, O men, now hath the truth come unto you from your LORD.  He\ntherefore who shall be directed, will be directed to the advantage of his own\nsoul: but he who shall err, will err only against the same.  I am no guardian\nover you.\n     Do thou, O prophet, follow that which is revealed unto thee: and\npersevere with patience, until GOD shall judge; for he is the best judge.\n\n\n\n________\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XI.\n\nENTITLED, HUD;t REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     AL. R.u  THIS book, the verses whereof are guarded against corruption,\nand are also distinctly explained,y is a revelation from the wise, the knowing\nGod:\n     that ye serve not any other GOD: (verily I am a denouncer of threats, and\na bearer of good tidings unto you from him;)\n\n\tt  The story of which prophet is repeated in this chapter.\n\tu  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 46, &c.\n\tx  According to the various senses which the verb ohkimat, in the\noriginal, may bear, the commentators suggest as many different\ninterpretations.  Some suppose the meaning to be, according to our version,\nthat the Kor\u00e2n is not liable to be corrupted,1 as the law and the gospel have\nbeen, in the opinion of the Mohammedans; others, that every verse in this\nparticular chapter is in full force, and not one of them abrogated; others,\nthat the verses of the Kor\u00e2n are disposed in a clear and perspicuous method,\nor contain evident and demonstrative arguments; and others, that they comprise\njudicial declarations, to regulate both faith and practice.2\n\ty  The signification of the verb fossilat, which is here used, being\nalso ambiguous, the meaning of this passage is supposed to be, either that the\nverses are distinctly proposed or expressed in a clear manner; or that the\nsubject matter of the whole may be distinguished or divided into laws,\nmonitions, and examples; or else that the verses were revealed by parcels.\n\n\t\t1  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 53.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi,\nJallalo'ddin, al Zamakhshari, &c.\n\n\n     and that ye ask pardon of your LORD, and then be turned unto him.  He\nwill cause you to enjoy a plentiful provision, until a prefixed time: and unto\nevery one that hath merit by good works will he give his abundant reward.  But\nif ye turn back, verily I fear for you the punishment of the great day:\n     unto GOD shall ye return; and he is almighty.\n     Do they not double the folds of their breasts,z that they may conceal\ntheir designs from him?\n     When they cover themselves with their garments, doth not he know that\nwhich they conceal, and that which they discover?\n     For he knoweth the innermost parts of the breasts of men.a\n     There is no creature which creepeth on the earth, but GOD provideth its\nfood; and he knoweth the place of its retreat, and where it is laid up.b  The\nwhole is written in the perspicuous book of his decrees.\n     It is he who hath created the heavens and the earth in six days, (but his\nthrone was above the waters before the creation thereof),c that he might prove\nyou, and see which of you would excel in works.\n10\tIf thou say, Ye shall surely be raised again, after death; the\nunbelievers will say, This is nothing but manifest sorcery.\n     And verily if we defer their punishment unto a determined season, they\nwill say, What hindereth it from falling on us?  Will it not come upon them on\na day, wherein there shall be none to avert it from them; and that which they\nscoffed at shall encompass them?\n     Verily, if we cause man to taste mercy from us, and afterwards take it\naway from him; he will surely become desperate,d and ungrateful.\n     And if we cause him to taste favor, after an affliction hath befallen\nhim, he will surely say, The evils which I suffered are passed from me, and he\nwill become joyful and insolent:\n     except those who persevere with patience, and do that which is right;\nthey shall receive pardon, and a great reward.\n     Peradventure thou wilt omit to publish part of that which hath been\nrevealed unto thee, and thy breast will become straitened, lest they say,\nUnless a treasure be sent down unto him, or an angel come with him, to bear\nwitness unto him, we will not believe.  Verily thou art a preacher only; and\nGOD is the governor of all things.\n     Will they say, He hath forged the Koran?  Answer, Bring therefore ten\nchapterse like unto it, forged by yourselves: and call on whomsoever ye may to\nassist you, except GOD, if ye speak truth.\n\n\tz  Or, as it may be translated, Do they not turn away their breasts, &c.\n\ta  This passage was occasioned by the words of certain of the idolaters,\nwho said to one another, When we let down our curtains (such as the women use\nin the east to screen themselves from the sight of the men when they happen to\nbe in the room), and wrap ourselves up in our garments, and fold up our\nbreasts, to conceal our malice against Mohammed, how should he come to the\nknowledge of it?  Some suppose the passage relates to certain hypocritical\nMoslems; but this opinion is generally rejected, because the verse was\nrevealed at Mecca, and the birth of hypocrisy among the Mohammedans happened\nnot till after the Hejra.\n\tb  i.e., Both during its life and after its death; or the repository of\nevery animal, before its birth, in the loins and wombs of the parents.\n\tc  For the Mohammedans suppose this throne, and the waters whereon it\nstands, which waters they imagine are supported by a spirit or wind, were,\nwith some other things, created before the heavens and earth.  This fancy they\nborrowed from the Jews, who also say that the throne of glory then stood in\nthe air, and was borne on the face of the waters, by the breath of GOD'S\nmouth.1\n\td  Casting aside all hopes of the divine favour, for want of patience\nand trust in GOD.\n\te  This was the number which he first challenged them to compose; but\nthey not being able to do it, he made the matter still easier, challenging\nthem to produce a single chapter only,2 comparable to the Kor\u00e2n in doctrine\nand eloquence.\n\n\t1  Rashi, ad Gen. i. 2.  Vide Reland. de Relig. Moh. p. 50, &c.\n\t2  See c. 2, p. 3; c. 10, p. 153, &c.\n\n\n     But if they whom ye call to your assistance hear you not; know that this\nbook hath been revealed by the knowledge of GOD only,f and that there is no\nGOD but he.  Will ye therefore become Moslems?\n     Whoso chooseth the present life, and the pomp thereof, unto them will we\ngive the recompense of their works therein, and the same shall not be\ndiminished unto them.\n     These are they for whom no other reward is prepared in the next life,\nexcept the fire of hell: that which they have done in this life shall perish;\nand that which they have wrought shall be vain.\n20\tShall he therefore be compared with them, who followeth the evident\ndeclaration of his LORD, and whom a witness from himg attendeth, preceded by\nthe book of Moses,h which was revealed for a guide, and out of mercy to\nmankind?  These believe in the Koran: but whosoever of the confederate\ninfidels believeth not therein, is threatened the fire of hell, which threat\nshall certainly be executed: be not therefore in a doubt concerning it; for it\nis the truth from thy LORD: but the greater part of men will not believe.\n     Who is more unjust than he who imagineth a lie concerning GOD?  They\nshall be set before the LORD, at the day of judgment, and the witnessesi shall\nsay, These are they who devised lies against their LORD.  Shall not the curse\nof GOD fall on the unjust;\n     who turn men aside from the way of GOD, and seek to render it crooked,\nand who believe not in the life to come?  These were not able to prevail\nagainst God on earth, so as to escape punishment; neither had they any\nprotectors besides GOD: their punishment shall be doubled unto them.k  They\ncould not hear, neither did they see\n     These are they who have lost their souls; and the idols which they\nfalsely imagined have abandoned them.\n     There is no doubt but they shall be most miserable in the world to come.\n     But as for those who believe and do good works, and humble themselves\nbefore their LORD, they shall be the inhabitants of paradise; they shall\nremain therein forever.\n     The similitude of the two partiesl is as the blind and the deaf, and as\nhe who seeth and heareth: shall they be compared as equal?  Will ye not\ntherefore consider?\n     We formerly sent Noahm unto his people; and he said, Verily I am a public\npreacher unto you;\n     that ye worship GOD alone; verily I fear for you the punishment of the\nterrible day.\n     But the chiefs of the people, who believed not, answered, We see thee to\nbe no other than a man, like unto us; and we do not see that any follow thee,\nexcept those who are the most abject among us, who have believed on thee by a\nrash judgment;n neither do we perceive any excellence in you above us: but we\nesteem you to be liars.\n30\tNoah said, O my people, tell me; if I have received an evident\ndeclaration from my LORD, and he hath bestowed on me mercy from himself, which\nis hidden from you, do we compel you to receive the same, in case ye be averse\nthereto?\n\n\tf  Or containing several passages wrapped up in dark and mysterious\nexpressions, which can proceed from and are perfectly comprehended by none but\nGOD.3\n\tg  The Kor\u00e2n; or, as others suppose, the angel Gabriel.\n\th  Which bears testimony thereto.\n\ti  That is, the angels, and prophets, and their own members.\n\tk  For they shall be punished both in this life and in the next.\n\tl  i.e., The believers and the infidels.\n\tm  See chapter 7, p. 110, &c.\n\tn  For want of mature consideration, and moved by the first impulse of\ntheir fancy.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t3  See c. 3, p. 32.\n\n\n     O my people, I ask not of you riches, for my preaching unto you: my\nreward is with GOD alone.  I will not drive away those who have believed:o\nverily they shall meet their LORD, at the resurrection; but I perceive that ye\nare ignorant men.\n     O my people, who shall assist me against GOD, if I drive them away?  Will\nye not therefore consider?\n     I say not unto you, The treasures of GOD are in my power; neither do I\nsay, I know the secrets of God: neither do I say, Verily I am an angel;p\nneither do I say of those whom your eyes do contemn, GOD will by no means\nbestow good on them: (GOD best knoweth that which is in their souls;) for then\nshould I certainly be one of the unjust.\n     They answered, O Noah, thou hast already disputed with us, and hast\nmultiplied disputes with us; now therefore do thou bring that punishment upon\nus wherewith thou hast threatened us, if thou speakest truth.\n     Noah said, Verily GOD alone shall bring it upon you, if he pleaseth; and\nye shall not prevail against him, so as to escape the same.\n     Neither shall my counsel profit you, although I endeavor to counsel you\naright, if GOD shall please to lead you into error.  He is your LORD, and unto\nhim shall ye return.\n     Will the Meccans say, Mohammed hath forged the Koran?  Answer, If I have\nforged it, on me be my guilt: and let me be clear of that which ye are guilty\nof.\n     And it was revealed unto Noah, saying, Verily none of thy people shall\nbelieve, except he who hath already believed: be not therefore grieved, for\nthat which they are doing.\n     But make an ark in our presence, according to the form and dimensions\nwhich we have revealed unto thee: and speak not unto me in behalf of those who\nhave acted unjustly; for they are doomed to be drowned.\n40\tAnd he built the ark; and so often as a company of his people passed by\nhim, they derided him:q but he said, Though ye scoff at us now, we will scoff\nat you hereafter, as ye scoff at us; and ye shall surely know\n     on whom a punishment shall be inflicted, which shall cover him with\nshame, and on whom a lasting punishment shall fall.\n\n\to  For this they asked him to do, because they were poor mean people.\nThe same thing the Koreish demanded of Mohammed, but he was forbidden to\ncomply with their request.1\n\tp  See chapter 6, p. 93.\n\tq  For building a vessel in an inland country, and so far from the sea;\nand for that he was turned carpenter after he had set up for a prophet.2\n\n\t1  See cap. 6, p. 93.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Idem.\n\t4  Jallalo'ddin, &c.\t\t5  Vide D'Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. Art.\nNoah.\t\t6  Vide Hyde, de Rel. Vet. Persar, and Lord's Account of the\nRelig. of the Persees, p. 9.\n\n\n     Thus were they employed until our sentence was put in execution, and the\noven poured forth water.r  And we said unto Noah, Carry into the ark of every\nspecies of animals one pair;s and thy family,t (except him on whom a previous\nsentence of destruction hath passed),u and those who believe.x  But there\nbelieved not with him except a few.y\n     And Noah said, Embark thereon, in the name of GOD; while it moveth\nforward, and while it standeth still;z for my LORD is gracious and merciful.\n     And the ark swam with them between waves like mountains:a and Noah called\nunto his son,b who was separated from him, saying, Embark with us, my son, and\nstay not with the unbelievers.\n     He answered, I will get on a mountain, which will secure me from the\nwater.  Noah replied, There is no security this day from the decree of GOD,\nexcept for him on whom he shall have mercy.  And a wave passed between them,\nand he became one of those who were drowned.\n\n\tr  Or, as the original literally signifies, boiled over; which is\nconsonant to what the Rabbins say, that the waters of the Deluge were boiling\nhot.\n\tThis oven was, as some say, at C\u00fbfa, in a spot whereon a mosque now\nstands; or, as others rather think, in a certain place in India, or else at\nAin warda in Mesopotamia;3 and its exundation was the sign by which Noah knew\nthe flood was coming.4  Some pretend that it was the same oven which Eve made\nuse of to bake her bread in, being of a form different from those we use,\nhaving the mouth in the upper part, and that it descended from patriarch to\npatriarch, till it came to Noah.5  It is remarkable that Mohammed, in all\nprobability, borrowed this circumstance from the Persian Magi, who also\nfancied that the first waters of the Deluge gushed out of the oven of a\ncertain old woman named Zala C\u00fbfa.6\n\tBut the word tann\u00fbr, which is here translated oven, also signifying the\nsuperficies of the earth, or a place whence waters spring forth, or where they\nare collected, some suppose it means no more in this passage than the spot or\nfissure whence the first eruption of waters brake forth.\n\ts  Or, as the words may also be rendered, and some commentators think\nthey ought, two pair, that is, two males and two females of each species;\nwherein they partly agree with divers Jewish and Christian writers,1 who from\nthe Hebrew expression, seven and seven and two and two, the male and his\nfemale,2 suppose there went into the ark fourteen pair of every clean, and two\npair of every unclean species.  There is a tradition that GOD gathered\ntogether unto Noah all sorts of beasts, birds, and other animals (it being\nindeed difficult to conceive how he should come by them all without some\nsupernatural assistance), and that as he laid hold on them, his right hand\nconstantly fell on the male, and his left on the female.3\n\tt  Namely, thy wife, and thy sons and their wives.4\n\tu  This was an unbelieving son of Noah,5 named Canaan,6 or Yam;7 though\nothers say he was not the son of Noah, but his grandson by his son Ham, or his\nwife's son by another husband; nay, some pretend he was related to him no\nfarther than by having been educated and brought up in his house.8  The best\ncommentators add, that Noah's wife, named W\u00e2\u00efla, who was n infidel, was also\ncomprehended in this exception, and perished with her son.9\n\tx  Noah's family being mentioned before, it is supposed that by these\nwords are intended the other believers, who were his proselytes, but not of\nhis family: whence the common opinion among the Mohammedans, of a greater\nnumber than eight being saved in the ark, seems to have taken its rise.10\n\ty  viz., His other wife, who was a true believer, his three sons, Shem,\nHam, and Japhet, and their wives, and seventy-two persons more.11\n\tz  That is, omit no opportunity of getting on board.  According to a\ndifferent reading, the latter words may be rendered, Who shall cause it to\nmove forward, and to stop, as there shall be occasion.  The commentators tell\nus that the ark moved forwards, or stood still, as Noah would have it, on his\npronouncing only the words, In the name of GOD.12\n\tIt is to be observed that the more judicious commentators make the\ndimensions of the ark to be the same with those assigned by Moses:13\nNotwithstanding, others have enlarged them most extravagantly,14 as some\nChristian writers15 have also done.  They likewise tell us that Noah was two\nyears in building the ark, which was framed of Indian plane-tree,16 that it\nwas divided into three stories, of which the lower was designed for the\nbeasts, the middle one for the men and women, and the upper for the birds;17\nand that the men were separated from the women by the body of Adam, which Noah\nhad taken into the ark.18  This last is a tradition of the eastern\nChristians,19 some of whom pretend that the matrimonial duty was superseded\nand suspended during the time Noah and his family were in the ark;20 though\nHam has been accused of not observing continency on that occasion, his wife,\nit seems, bringing forth Caanan in the very ark.21\n\ta  The waters prevailing fifteen cubits above the mountains.22\n\tb  See above, note u.\n\n\t1  Aben Ezra, Justin Martyr, Origen, &c.\t\t2  Gen. vii. 2.\n\t3  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t5  Yahya.\t\t6\nJallalo'ddin, al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t7  Ebn Shohnah.\t\t8  Al Zamakhshari.\nVide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 676.\t\t9  Jallalo'ddin, al\nZamakhshari, al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t10  See c. 7, p. 111.\t\t11  See\nibid. note x.\t\t12  Al Beid\u00e2wi, &c.\t\t\t13  Idem, &c.\n\t14  Yahya.  Vide Marracc. in Alcor. p. 340.\n15  Origen. Contr. Cels. l. 4.  Vide Kircher. de Arca Noe, c. 8.\t\t16  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.  Vide D'Herbel. p. 675, and Eutych. p. 34.\n17  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  Vide Eutych. Annal. p. 34.\t\t18  Yahya.\t\t19\nJacob, Edessenus, apud Barcepham de Parad. part i. c. 14.  Eutych. ubi sup.\nVide etiam Eliezer. pirke c. 23.\t\t20  Ambros. de Noa et Arca, c. 21.\n\t21  Vide Heidegger. Hist. Patriarchar. vol. i. p. 409.\n22  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     And it was said, O earth, swallow up thy waters, and thou, O heaven,\nwithhold thy rain.  And immediately the water abated, and the decree was\nfulfilled, and the ark rested on the mountain Al Judi;c and it was said, Away\nwith the ungodly people!\n     And Noah called upon his LORD, and said, O LORD, verily my son is of my\nfamily, and thy promise is true;d for thou art the most just of those who\nexercise judgment.\n     God answered, O Noah, verily he is not of thy family;e this intercession\nof thine for him is not a righteous work.f  Ask not of me therefore that\nwherein thou hast no knowledge: I admonish thee that thou become not one of\nthe ignorant.\n     Noah said, O LORD, I have recourse unto thee for the assistance of thy\ngrace, that I ask not of thee that wherein I have no knowledge; and unless\nthou forgive me, and be merciful unto me, I shall be one of those who perish.\n50\tIt was said unto him, O Noah, come down from the ark,g with peace from\nus, and blessings upon thee, and upon part of those who are with thee:h but as\nfor a part of them,i we will suffer them to enjoy the provision of this world;\nand afterwards shall a grievous punishment from us be inflicted on them, in\nthe life to come.\n     This is a secret history, which we reveal unto thee: thou didst not know\nit, neither did thy people, before this.  Wherefore persevere with patience:\nfor the prosperous issue shall attend the pious.\n     And unto the tribe of Ad we sent their brother Hud.k  He said, O my\npeople, worship GOD; ye have no GOD besides him: ye only imagine falsehood, in\nsetting up idols and intercessors of your own making.\n\n\tc  This mountain is one of those which divide Armenia, on the south,\nfrom Mesopotamia, and that part of Assyria which is inhabited by the Curds,\nfrom whom the mountains took the name of Cardu, or Gardu, by the Greeks turned\ninto Gordy\u00e6i, and other names.1  Mount al J\u00fbdi (which name seems to be a\ncorruption, though it be constantly so written by the Arabs, for Jordi, or\nGiordi) is also called Thamanin,2 probably from a town at the foot of it,3 so\nnamed from the number of persons saved in the ark, the word thamanin\nsignifying eighty, and overlooks the country of Diy\u00e2r Rab\u00eeah, near the cities\nof Mawsel, Forda, and Jaz\u00eerat Ebn Omar, which last place one affirms to be but\nfour miles from the place of the ark, and says that a Mohammedan temple was\nbuilt there with the remains of that vessel, by the Khalif Omar Ebn\nAbd'alaziz, whom he by mistake calls Omar Ebn al Khatt\u00e2b.4\n\tThe tradition which affirms the ark to have rested on these mountains,\nmust have been very ancient, since it is the tradition of the Chaldeans\nthemselves:5 the Chaldee paraphrasts consent to their opinion,6 which obtained\nvery much formerly, especially among the eastern Christians.7  To confirm it,\nwe are told that the remainders of the ark were to be seen on the Gordy\u00e6an\nmountains: Berosus and Abydenus both declare there was such a report in their\ntime;8 the first observing that several of the inhabitants thereabouts scraped\nthe pitch off the planks as a rarity, and carried it about them for an amulet:\nand the latter saying that they used the wood of the vessel against many\ndiseases with wonderful success.  The relics of the ark were also to be seen\nhere in the time of Epiphanius, if we may believe him;9 and we are told the\nemperor Heraclius went from the town of Thamanin up to the mountain al J\u00fbdi,\nand saw the place of the ark.10  There was also formerly a famous monastery,\ncalled the monastery of the ark, upon some of these mountains, where the\nNestorians used to celebrate a feast day on the spot where they supposed the\nark rested; but in the year of Christ 776, that monastery was destroyed by\nlightning, with the church, and a numerous congregation in it.11  Since which\ntime it seems the credit of this tradition hath declined, and given place to\nanother, which obtains at present, and according to which the ark rested on\nMount Masis, in Armenia, called by the Turks Aghir dagh, or the heavy or great\nmountain, and situate about twelve leagues south-east of Erivan.12\n\td  Noah here challenges GOD'S promise that he would save his family.\n\te  Being cut off from it on account of his infidelity.\n\tf  According to a different reading, this passage may be rendered, For\nhe hath acted unrighteously.\n\tg  The Mohammedans say that Noah went into the ark on the tenth of\nRajeb, and came out of it the tenth of al Moharram, which therefore became a\nfast.  So that the whole time of Noah's being in the ark, according to them,\nwas six months.1\n\th  viz., Such of them as continued in their belief.\n\ti  That is, such of his posterity as should depart from the true faith,\nand fall into idolatry.\n\tk  See chapter 7, p. 111.\n\n\t1  See Bochart. Phaleg. l. I, c. 3.\t\t2  Geogr. Nub. p. 202.\n\t3  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 404 and 676, and Agathiam, l. 14, p.\n135.\t\t4  Benjamin. Itiner. p. 61.\t\t5  Berosus, apud Joseph.\nAntiq. l. I, c. 4.\t\t6  Onkelos et Jonathan, in Gen. viii. 4.\n\t7  Vide Eutych. Annal. p. 41.\t\t8  Berosus, apud Joseph. ubi sup.\nAbydenus, apud Euseb. Pr\u00e6p. Ev. l. 9, c.4.\t\t9  Epiph. H\u00e6res. 18.\n\t10  Elmacin. l. I, c. I.\t\t11 Vide Chronic. Dionysii Patriarch.\nJacobitar. apud Asseman. Bibl. Orient. t. 2, p. 113.\t\t12  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\t1  Idem.  See D'Herbel. ubi sup.\n\n\n     O my people, I ask not of you for this my preaching, any recompense: my\nrecompense do I expect from him only who hath created me.  Will ye not\ntherefore understand?\n     O my people, ask pardon of your LORD; and be turned unto him: he will\nsend the heaven to pour forth rain plentifully upon you,l\n     and he will increase your strength by giving unto you farther strength:m\ntherefore turn not aside, to commit evil.\n     They answered, O Hud, thou hast brought us no proof of what thou sayest;\ntherefore we will not leave our gods for thy saying, neither do we believe\nthee\n     We say no other than that some of our gods have afflicted thee with\nevil.n  He replied, Verily I call GOD to witness, and do ye also bear witness\nthat I am clear of that which ye associate\n     with God, besides him.  Do ye all therefore join to devise a plot against\nme, and tarry not;\n     for I put my confidence in GOD, my LORD and your LORD.  There is no\nbeast, but he holdeth it by its forelock:o verily my LORD proceedeth in the\nright way.\n60\tBut if ye turn back, I have already declared unto you that with which I\nwas sent unto you: and my LORD shall substitute another nation in your stead;\nand ye shall not hurt him at all: for my LORD is guardian over all things.\n     And when our sentence came to be put in execution, we delivered Hud, and\nthose who had believed with him,p through our mercy; and we delivered them\nfrom a grievous punishment.\n     And this tribe of Ad wittingly rejected the signs of their LORD, and were\ndisobedient unto his messengers, and they followed the command of every\nrebellious perverse person.\n     Wherefore they were followed in this world by a curse, and they shall be\nfollowed by the same on the day of resurrection.  Did not Ad disbelieve in\ntheir LORD?  Was it not said, Away with Ad, the people of Hud?\n     And unto the tribe of Thamud we sent their brother Saleh.q  He said unto\nthem, O my people, worship GOD; ye have no GOD besides him.  It is he who hath\nproduced you out of the earth, and hath given you an habitation therein.  Ask\npardon of him therefore, and be turned unto him; for my LORD is near, and\nready to answer.\n     They answered, O Saleh, thou wast a person on whom we placed our hopes\nbefore this.r  Dost thou forbid us to worship that which our fathers\nworshipped?  But we are certainly in doubt concerning the religion to which\nthou dost invite us, as justly to be suspected.\n     Saleh said, O my people, tell me; if I have received an evident\ndeclaration from my LORD, and he hath bestowed on me mercy from himself; who\nwill protect me from the vengeance of GOD, if I be disobedient unto him?  For\nye shall not add unto me, other than loss.\n     And he said, O my people, this she-camel of GOD is a sign unto you;\ntherefore dismiss her freely, that she may feed in GOD'S earth, and do her no\nharm, lest a swift punishment seize you.\n\n\tl  For the Adites were grievously distressed by a drought for three\nyears.2\n\tm  By giving you children; the wombs of their wives being also rendered\nbarren during the time of the drought, as well as their lands.3\n\tn  Or madness; having deprived thee of thy reason for the indignities\nthou hast offered them.\n\to  That is, he exerciseth an absolute power over it.  A creature held in\nthis manner being supposed to be reduced to the lowest subjection.\n\tp  Who were in number four thousand.4\n\tq  See chapter 7, p. 112.\n\tr  Designing to have made thee our prince, because of the singular\nprudence and other good qualities which we observed in thee; but thy\ndissenting from us in point of religious worship has frustrated those hopes.5\n\n\t2  See the notes to cap. 7, p. 111.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t4\nIdem.\t\t5  Idem.\n\n\n     Yet they killed her; and Saleh said, Enjoy yourselves in your dwellings\nfor three days:s after which ye shall be destroyed.  This is an infallible\nprediction.\n     And when our decree came to be executed, we delivered Saleh and those who\nbelieved with him, through our mercy, from the disgrace of that day; for thy\nLORD is the strong, the mighty God.\n70\tBut a terrible noise from heaven assailed those who had acted unjustly;\nand in the morning they were found in their houses, lying dead and prostrate:\n     as though they had never dwelt therein.  Did not Thamud disbelieve in\ntheir LORD?  Was not Thamud cast far away?\n     Our messengerst also came formerly unto Abraham, with good tidings: they\nsaid, Peace be upon thee.  And he answered, and on you be Peace!  And he\ntarried not, but brought a roasted calf.\n     And when he saw that their hands did not touch the meat, he misliked\nthem, and entertained a fear of them.u  But they said, Fear not: for we are\nsent unto the people of Lot.x\n     And his wife Sarah was standing by,y and she laughed;z and we promised\nher Isaac, and after Isaac, Jacob.\n     She said, Alas! shall I bear a son, who am old; this my husband also\nbeing advanced in years?a  Verily this would be a wonderful thing.\n     The angels answered, Dost thou wonder at the effect of the command of\nGOD?  The mercy of God and his blessings be upon you, the family of the\nhouse:b for he is praiseworthy, and to be glorified.\n     And when his apprehension had departed from Abraham, and the good tidings\nof Isaac's birth had come unto him, he disputed with us concerning the people\nof Lot;c for Abraham was a pitiful, compassionate, and devout person.\n     The angels said unto him, O Abraham, abstain from this; for now is the\ncommand of thy LORD come, to put their sentence in execution, and an\ninevitable punishment is ready to fall upon them.\n\n\ts  viz., Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.1  See chapter 7, p. 113, note\nm.\n\tt  These were the angels who were sent to acquaint Abraham with the\npromise of Isaac, and to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.  Some of the commentators\npretend they were twelve, or nine, or ten in number; but others, agreeably to\nscripture, say they were but three, viz., Gabriel, Michael and Israf\u00eel.2\n\tu  Apprehending they had some ill design against him, because they would\nnot eat with him.\n\tx  Being angels, whose nature needs not the support of food.3\n\ty  Either behind the curtain, or door of the tent; or else waiting upon\nthem.\n\tz  The commentators are so little acquainted with scripture, that, not\nknowing the true occasion of Sarah's laughter, they strain their invention to\ngive some reason for it.  One says that she laughed at the angels discovering\nthemselves, and ridding Abraham and herself of their apprehensions; and\nanother, that it was at the approaching destruction of the Sodomites (a very\nprobable motive in one of her sex).  Some, however, interpret the original\nword differently, and will have it that she did not laugh, but that her\ncourses, which had stopped for several years, came upon her at this time, as a\nprevious sign of her future conception.4\n\ta  Al Beid\u00e2wi writes that Sarah was then ninety or ninety-nine years\nold, and Abraham a hundred and twenty.\n\tb  Or the stock whence all the prophets were to proceed for the future.\nOr the expression may perhaps refer to Abraham and Ismael's building the\nCaaba, which is often called, by way of excellence, the house.\n\tc  That is, he interceded with us for them.5  Jallalo'ddin, instead of\nthe numbers mentioned by Moses, says that Abraham first asked whether GOD\nwould destroy those cities if three hundred righteous persons were found\ntherein, and so fell successively to two hundred, forty, fourteen, and at last\ncame to one: but there was not one righteous person to be found among them,\nexcept only Lot and his family.\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.  See Gen. xviii.\t\t3\nIdem.\t\t4  Idem, Jallalo'ddin, al Zamakhshari.\n5  Vide Gen. xviii. 23, &c.\n\n\n     And when our messengers came unto Lot, he was troubled for them,d and his\narm was straightened concerning them;e and he said, This is a grievous day.\n80\tAnd his people came unto him, rushing upon him, and they had formerly\nbeen guilty of wickedness.  Lot said unto them, O my people, these my\ndaughters are more lawful for you: therefore fear GOD, and put me not to shame\nby wronging my guests.  Is there not a man of prudence among you?\n     They answered, Thou knowest that we have no need of thy daughters; and\nthou well knowest what we would have.\n     He said, If I had strength sufficient to oppose you, or I could have\nrecourse unto a powerful support, I would certainly do it.\n     The angels said, O Lot, verily we are the messengers of thy LORD; they\nshall by no means come in unto thee.f  Go forth, therefore, with thy family,\nin some part of the night, and let not any of you turn back: but as for thy\nwife,g that shall happen unto her, which shall happen unto them.  Verily the\nprediction of their punishment shall be fulfilled in the morning: is not the\nmorning near?\n     And when our command came, we turned those cities upside down,h and we\nrained upon them stones of baked clay,i one following another, and being\nmarkedk from thy LORD; and they are not far distant from those who act\nunjustly.l\n     And unto Madian we sent their brother Shoaib:m he said, O people, worship\nGOD: ye have no GOD but him: and diminish not measure and weight.  Verily I\nsee you to be in a happy condition:n but I fear for you the punishment of the\nday which will encompass the ungodly.\n     O my people, give full measure and just weight; and diminish not unto men\naught of their matters; neither commit injustice in the earth, acting\ncorruptly.\n     The residue which shall remain unto you as the gift of GOD, after ye\nshall have done justice to others, will be better for you, than wealth gotten\nby fraud, if ye be true believers.\n     I am no guardian over you.\n\n\td  Because they appeared in the shape of beautiful young men, which must\nneeds tempt those of Sodom to abuse them.6\n\te  i.e., He knew himself unable to protect them against the insults of\nhis townsmen.\n\tf  Al Beid\u00e2wi says that Lot shut his door, and argued the matter with\nthe riotous assembly from behind it; but at length they endeavoured to get\nover the wall: whereupon Gabriel, seeing his distress, struck them on the face\nwith one of his wings, and blinded them; so that they moved off, crying out\nfor help, and saying that Lot had magicians in his house.\n\tg  This seems to be the true sense of the passage; but according to a\ndifferent reading of the vowel, some interpret it, Except thy wife; the\nmeaning being that Lot is here commanded to take his family with him except\nhis wife.  Wherefore the commentators cannot agree whether Lot's wife went\nforth with him or not; some denying it, and pretending that she was left\nbehind and perished in the common destruction; and others affirming it, and\nsaying that when she heard the noise of the storm and overthrow of the cities,\nshe turned back lamenting their fate, and was immediately struck down and\nkilled by one of the stones mentioned a little lower.1  A punishment she\njustly merited for her infidelity and disobedience to her husband.2\n\th  For they tell us that Gabriel thrust his wing under them, and lifted\nthem up so high, that the inhabitants of the lower heaven heard the barking of\nthe dogs and the crowing of the cocks; and then, inverting them, threw them\ndown to the earth.3\n\ti  The kiln wherein they were burned some imagine to have been hell.\n\tk  That is, as some suppose, streaked with white and red, or having some\nother peculiar mark to distinguish them from ordinary stones.  But the common\nopinion is that each stone had the name of the person who was to be killed by\nit written thereon.4  The army of Abraha al Ashram was also destroyed by the\nsame kind of stones.\n\tl  This is a kind of threat to other wicked persons, and particularly to\nthe infidels of Mecca, who deserved and might justly apprehend the same\npunishment.\n\tm  See chap. 7, p. 113, &c.\n\tn  That is, enjoying plenty of all things; and therefore having the less\noccasion to defraud one another, and being the more strongly bound to be\nthankful and obedient unto GOD.\n\n\t6  Jallalo'ddin, al Beid\u00e2wi.  Vide Joseph.  Ant. l. I, c. II.\n\t1  Idem interpretes.\t\t2  See cap. 66.\n3  Jallalo'ddin, al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t4  Idem.\n\n\n     They answered, O Shoaib, do thy prayers enjoin thee, that we should leave\nthe gods which our fathers worshipped; or that we should not do what we please\nwith our substance?o  Thou only, it seems, art the wise person, and fit to\ndirect.\n90\tHe said, O my people, tell me: if I have received an evident declaration\nfrom my LORD, and he hath bestowed on me an excellent provision, and I will\nnot consent unto you in that which I forbid you; do I seek any other than your\nreformation, to the utmost of my power?  My support is from GOD alone: on him\ndo I trust, and unto him do I turn me.\n     O my people, let not your opposing of me draw on you a vengeance like\nunto that which fell on the people of Noah, or the people of Hud, or the\npeople of Saleh: neither was the people of Lot far distant from you.p\n     Ask pardon, therefore, of your LORD; and be turned unto him: for my LORD\nis merciful and loving.\n     They answered, O Shoaib, we understand not much of what thou sayest; and\nwe see thee to be a man of no powerq among us: if it had not been for the sake\nof thy family,r we had surely stoned thee, neither couldst thou have prevailed\nagainst us.\n     Shoaib said, O my people, is my family more worthy in your opinion than\nGOD? and do ye cast him behind you with neglect?  Verily my LORD comprehendeth\nthat which ye do.\n     O my people, do ye work according to your condition; I will surely work\naccording to my duty.s  And ye shall certainly know\n     on whom will be inflicted a punishment which shall cover him with shame,\nand who is a liar.  Wait, therefore, the event; for I also will wait it with\nyou.\n     Wherefore, when our decree came to be executed, we delivered Shoaib and\nthose who believed with him, through our mercy: and a terrible noise from\nHeaven assailed those who had acted unjustly; and in the morning they were\nfound in their houses lying dead and prostrate,\n     as though they had never dwelt therein.  Was not Madian removed from off\nthe earth, as Thamud had been removed?\n     And we formerly sent Moses with our signs, and manifest power unto\nPharaoh and his princes;t but they followed the command of Pharaoh; although\nthe command of Pharaoh did not direct them aright.\n100\tPharaoh shall precede his on the day of resurrection, and he shall lead\nthem into hell fire; an unhappy way shall it be which they shall be led.\n     They were followed in this life by a curse, and on the day of\nresurrection miserable shall be the gift which shall be given them.\n     This is a part of the histories of the cities, which we rehearse unto\nthee.  Of them there are some standing; and others which are utterly\ndemolished.u\n\n\to  For this liberty they imagined was taken from them, by his\nprohibition of false weights and measures, or to diminish or adulterate their\ncoin.5\n\tp  For Sodom and Gomorrah were situate not a great way from you, and\ntheir destruction happened not many ages ago; neither did they deserve it, on\naccount of their obstinacy and wickedness, much more than yourselves.\n\tq  The Arabic word da\u00eef, weak, signifying also, in the Hamyaritic\ndialect, blind, some suppose that Shoaib was so, and that the Midianites\nobjected that to him as a defect which disqualified him for the prophetic\noffice.\n\tr  i.e., For the respect we bear to thy family and relations, whom we\nhonour as being of our religion, and not for any apprehension we have of their\npower to assist you against us.  The original word, here translated family,\nsignifies any number from three to seven or ten, but not more.6\n\ts  See chapter 6, p. 101, note o.\n\tt  See chapter 7, p. 115, &c.\n\tu  Literally, mown down; the sentence presenting the different images of\ncorn standing, and cut down, which is also often used by the sacred writers.\n\n\t\t\t\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t6  Idem.\n\n\n     And we treated them not unjustly, but they dealt unjustly with their own\nsouls: and their gods which they invoked, besides GOD, were of no advantage\nunto them at all, when the decree of thy LORD came to be executed on them,\nneither were they any other than a detriment unto them.\n     And thus was the punishment of thy LORD inflicted, when he punished the\ncities which were unjust; for his punishment is grievous and severe.\n     Verily herein is a sign unto him who feareth the punishment of the last\nday: that shall be a day, whereon all men shall be assembled, and that shall\nbe a day whereon witness shall be borne;\n     we defer it not, but to a determined time.\n     When that day shall come, no soul shall speak to excuse itself, or to\nintercede for another, but by the permission of God.  Of them, one shall be\nmiserable, and another shall be happy.\n     And they who shall be miserable, shall be thrown into hell fire; there\nshall they wail and bemoan themselves:x\n     they shall remain therein so long as the heavens and the earth shall\nendure;y except what thy LORD shall please to remit of their sentence;z for\nthy LORD effecteth that which he pleaseth.\n110\tBut they who shall be happy, shall be admitted into paradise; they shall\nremain therein so long as the heavens and the earth endure: besides what thy\nLORD shall please to add unto their bliss; a bounty which shall not be\ninterrupted.\n     Be not therefore in doubt concerning that which these men worship: they\nworship no other than what their fathers worshipped before them; and we will\nsurely give them their full portion, not in the least diminished.\n     We formerly gave unto Moses the book of the law; and disputes arose among\nhis people concerning it: and unless a previous decree had proceeded from thy\nLORD, to bear with them during this life, the matter had been surely decided\nbetween them.  And thy people are also jealous and in doubt concerning the\nKoran.\n     But unto every one of them will thy LORD render the reward of their\nworks; for he well knoweth that which they do.\n     Be thou steadfast, therefore, as thou hast been commanded; and let him\nalso be steadfast who shall be converted with thee; and transgress not; for he\nseeth that which ye do.\n     And incline not unto those who act unjustly, lest the fire of hell touch\nyou: for ye have no protectors, except GOD; neither shall ye be assisted\nagainst him.\n     Pray regularly morning and evening;a and in the former part of the\nnight,b for good works drive away evils.  This is an admonition unto those who\nconsider:\n     wherefore persevere with patience; for GOD suffereth not the reward of\nthe righteous to perish.\n\n\tx  The two words in the original signify properly the vehement drawing\nin and expiration of one's breath, which is usual to persons in great pain and\nanguish; and particularly the reciprocation of the voice of an ass when he\nbrays.\n\ty  This is not to be strictly understood as if either the punishment of\nthe damned should have an end, or the heavens and the earth should endure for\never; the expression being only used by way of image or comparison, which need\nnot agree in every point with the thing signified.  Some, however, think the\nfuture heavens and earth, into which the present shall be changed, are here\nmeant.1\n\tz  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 72, 73.\n\ta  Literally, in the two extremities of the day.\n\tb  That is, after sunset and before supper, when the Mohammedans say\ntheir fourth prayer, called by them Sal\u00e2t al moghreb, or the evening prayer.2\n\n\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\n\n\n     Were such of the generations before you, endued with understanding and\nvirtue, who forbade the acting corruptly in the earth, any more than a few\nonly of those whom we delivered; but they who were unjust followed the\ndelights which they enjoyed in this world,c and were wicked doers:d\n     and thy LORD was not of such a disposition as to destroy the cities\nunjustly,e while their inhabitants behaved themselves uprightly.\n120\tAnd if thy LORD pleased, he would have made all men of one religion: but\nthey shall not cease to differ among themselves, unless those on whom thy LORD\nshall have mercy: and unto this hath he created them; for the word of thy LORD\nshall be fulfilled, when he said, Verily I will fill hell altogether with\ngenii and men.\n     The whole which we have related of the histories of our apostles do we\nrelate unto thee, that we may confirm thy heart thereby; and herein is the\ntruth come unto thee, and an admonition, and a warning unto the true\nbelievers.\n     Say unto those who believe not, Act ye according to your condition; we\nsurely will act according to our duty:f and wait the issue; for we certainly\nwait it also.\n     Unto GOD is known that which is secret in heaven and earth; and unto him\nshall the whole matter be referred.  Therefore worship him, and put thy trust\nin him; for thy LORD is not regardless of that which ye do.\n\n\n______\n\n\nCHAPTER XII.\n\nENTITLED, JOSEPH;g REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     AL. R.h  These are the signs of the perspicuous book;\n     which we have sent down in the Arabic tongue, that, peradventure, ye\nmight understand.\n     We relate unto thee a most excellent history, by revealing unto thee this\nKor\u00e2n,i whereas thou wast before one of thek negligent.\n\n\tc  Making it their sole business to please their luxurious desires and\nappetites, and placing their whole felicity therein.\n\td  Al Beid\u00e2wi says that this passage gives the reason why the nations\nwere destroyed of old; viz., for their violence and injustice, their following\ntheir own lusts, and for their idolatry and unbelief.\n\te  Or, as the commentator just named explains it, for their idolatry\nonly, when they observed justice in other respects.\n\tf  See chapter 6, p. 110, note o.\n\tg  The Koreish, thinking to puzzle Mohammed, at the instigation and by\nthe direction of certain Jewish Rabbins, demanded of him how Jacob's family\nhappened to go down into Egypt, and that he would relate to them the history\nof Joseph, with all its circumstances: whereupon he pretended to have received\nthis chapter from heaven, containing the story of that patriarch.1  It is\nsaid, however, to have been rejected by two Mohammedan sects, branches of the\nKh\u00e2rejites, called the Aj\u00e2redites and the Maim\u00fbnians, as apocryphal and\nspurious.\n\th  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 46, &c.\n\ti  Or this particular chapter.  For the word Kor\u00e2n, as has been\nelsewhere observed,2 properly signifying no more than a reading or lecture, is\noften used to denote, not only the whole volume, but any distinct chapter or\nsection of it.\n\tk  i.e., So far from being acquainted with the story, that it never so\nmuch as entered into thy thoughts; a certain argument, says al Beid\u00e2wi, that\nit must have been revealed to him from heaven.\n\n\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 44.\n\n\n     When Joseph said unto his father,l O my father, verily I saw in my dream\neleven stars,m and the sun and the moon; I saw them make obeisance unto me:\n     Jacob said, O my child, tell not thy vision to thy brethren, lest they\ndevise some plot against thee;n for the devil is a professed enemy unto man;\n     and thus, according to thy dream, shall thy LORD choose thee, and teach\nthee the interpretation of dark sayings,o and he shall accomplish his favor\nupon thee and upon the family of Jacob, as he hath formerly accomplished it\nupon thy fathers Abraham and Isaac; for thy LORD is knowing and wise.\n     Surely in the history of Joseph and his brethren there are signs of God's\nprovidence to the inquisitive;\n     when they said to one another, Joseph and his brotherp are dearer to our\nfather than we, who are the greater number: our father certainly maketh a\nwrong judgment.\n     Wherefore slay Joseph, or drive him into some distant or desert part of\nthe earth, and the face of your father shall be cleared towards you;q and ye\nshall afterwards be people of integrity.\n10\tOne of themr spoke and said; Slay not Joseph, but throw him to the\nbottom of the well; and some travellers will take him up, if ye do this.\n     They said unto Jacob, O father, why dost thou not intrust Joseph with us,\nsince we are sincere well-wishers unto him?\n     Send him with us to-morrow, into the field, that he may divert himself,\nand sport,s and we will be his guardians.\n     Jacob answered, It grieveth me that ye take him away; and I fear lest the\nwolf devour him,t while ye are negligent of him.\n     They said, Surely if the wolf devour him, when there are so many of us,\nwe shall be weak indeed.u\n\n\tl  Who was Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham.3\n\tm  The commentators give us the names of these stars (which I think it\nneedless to trouble the reader with), as Mohammed repeated them, at the\nrequest of a Jew, who thought to entrap him by the question.2\n\tn  For they say, Jacob, judging that Joseph's dream portended his\nadvancement above the rest of the family, justly apprehended his brethren's\nenvy might tempt them to do him some mischief.\n\to  That is, of dreams; or, as others suppose, of the profound passages\nof scripture, and all difficulties respecting either religion or justice.\n\tp  viz., Benjamin, his brother by the same mother.\n\tq  Or, he will settle his love wholly upon you, and ye will have no\nrival in his favour.\n\tr  This person, as some say, was Judah, the most prudent and noble-\nminded of them all; or, according to others, Reuben, whom the Mohammedan\nwriters call Rub\u00eel.3  And both these opinions are supported by the account of\nMoses, who tells us that Reuben advised them not to kill Joseph, but to throw\nhim into a pit privately, intending to release him;4 and that afterwards\nJudah, in Reuben's absence, persuaded them not to let him die in the pit, but\nto sell him to the Ishmaelites.5\n\ts  Some copies read, in the first person plural, that we may divert\nourselves, &c.\n\tt  The reason why Jacob feared this beast in particular, as the\ncommentators say, was, either because the land was full of wolves, or else\nbecause Jacob had dreamed he saw Joseph devoured by one of those creatures.6\n\tu  i.e., It will be an instance of extreme weakness and folly in us, and\nwe shall be justly blamed for his loss.\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi, &c.\t\t2  Idem, al Zamakhshari.\t\t3\nIdem.\t\t4  Gen. xxxvii. 21, 22.\t\t5  Ibid. v. 26, 27.\t\t6  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin, al Zamakhshari.\n\n\n     And when they had carried him with them, and agreed to set him at the\nbottom of the well,x they executed their design: and we sent a revelation unto\nhim,y saying, Thou shalt hereafter declare this their action unto them; and\nthey shall not perceive thee to be Joseph.\n     And they came to their father at even, weeping,\n     and said, Father, we went and ran races with one another,z and we left\nJoseph with our baggage, and the wolf hath devoured him; but thou wilt not\nbelieve us, although we speak the truth.\n     And they produced his inner garment stained with false blood.  Jacob\nanswered, Nay, but ye yourselves have contrived the thing for your own sakes:a\nhowever patience is most becoming, and GOD'S assistance is to be implored to\nenable me to support the misfortune which ye relate.\n     And certain travellersb came, and sent onec to draw water for them; and\nhe let down his bucket,d and said, Good news!e this is a youth.  And they\nconcealed him,f that they might sell him as a piece of merchandise: but GOD\nknew that which they did.\n20\tAnd they sold him for a mean price, for a few pence,g and valued him\nlightly.\n     And the Egyptian who bought himh said to his wife,i Use him honourably;\nperadventure he may be serviceable to us, or we may adopt him for our son.k\nThus did we prepare an establishment for Joseph in the earth, and we taught\nhim the interpretation of dark sayings: for GOD is well able to effect his\npurpose; but the greater part of men do not understand.\n\n\tx  This well, say some, was a certain well near Jerusalem, or not far\nfrom the river Jordan; but others call it the well of Egypt or Midian.  The\ncommentators tell us that, when the sons of Jacob had gotten Joseph with them\nin the field, they began to abuse and to beat him so unmercifully, that they\nhad killed him, had not Judah, on his crying out for help, insisted on the\npromise they had made not to kill him, but to cast him into the well.\nWhereupon they let him down a little way; but, as he held by the sides of the\nwell, they bound him, and took off his inner garment, designing to stain it\nwith blood, to deceive their father.  Joseph begged hard to have his garment\nreturned him, but to no purpose, his brothers telling him, with a sneer, that\nthe eleven stars and the sun and the moon might clothe him and keep him\ncompany.  When they had let him down half-way, they let him fall thence to the\nbottom, and, there being water in the well (though the scripture says the\ncontrary), he was obliged to get upon a stone, on which, as he stood weeping,\nthe angel Gabriel came to him with the revelation mentioned immediately.1\n\ty  Joseph being then but seventeen years old, al Beid\u00e2wi observes that\nherein he resembled John the Baptist and Jesus, who were also favoured with\nthe divine communication very early.  The commentators pretend that Gabriel\nalso clothed him in the well with a garment of silk of paradise.  For they say\nthat when Abraham was thrown into the fire by Nimrod,2 he was stripped; and\nthat Gabriel brought this garment and put it on him; and that from Abraham it\ndescended to Jacob, who folded it up and put it into an amulet, which he hung\nabout Joseph's neck, whence Gabriel drew it out.3\n\tz  These races they used by way of exercise; and the commentators\ngenerally understand here that kind of race wherein they also showed their\ndexterity in throwing darts, which is still used in the east.\n\ta  This Jacob had reason to suspect, because, when the garment was\nbrought to him, he observed that, though it was bloody, yet it was not torn.4\n\tb  viz., A caravan or company travelling from Midian to Egypt, who\nrested near the well three days after Joseph had been thrown into it.\n\tc  The commentators are so exact as to give us the name of this man,\nwho, as they pretend, was Malec Ebn Dh\u00f3r, of the tribe of Khoz\u00e2ah.5\n\td  And Joseph, making use of the opportunity, took hold of the cord, and\nwas drawn up by the man.\n\te  The original words are Ya boshra: the latter of which some take for\nthe proper name of the water-drawer's companion, whom he called to his\nassistance; and then they must be translated, O Boshra.\n\tf  The expositors are not agreed whether the pronoun they relates to\nMalec and his companions or to Joseph's brethren.  They who espouse the former\nopinion say that those who came to draw water concealed the manner of their\ncoming by him from the rest of the caravan, that they might keep him to\nthemselves, pretending that some people of the place had given him to them to\nsell for them in Egypt.  And they who prefer the latter opinion tell us that\nJudah carried victuals to Joseph every day while he was in the well, but not\nfinding him there on the fourth day, he acquainted his brothers with it;\nwhereupon they all went to the caravan and claimed Joseph as their slave, he\nnot daring to discover that he was their brother, lest something worse should\nbefall him; and at length they agreed to sell him to them.6\n\tg  Namely, twenty or twenty-two dirhems, and those not of full weight\nneither; for having weighed one ounce of silver only, the remainder was paid\nby tale, which is the most unfair way of payment.1\n\th  His name was Kitf\u00eer, or Itf\u00eer (a corruption of Potiphar); and he was\na man of great consideration, being superintendent of the royal treasury.2\n\tThe commentators say that Joseph came into his service at seventeen, and\nlived with him thirteen years; and that he was made prime minister in the\nthirty-third year of his age, and died at a hundred and twenty.\n\tThey who suppose Joseph was twice sold differ as to the price the\nEgyptian paid for him; some saying it was twenty din\u00e2rs of gold, a pair of\nshoes, and two white garments; and others, that it was a large quantity of\nsilver or of gold.\n\ti  Some call her Ra\u00efl; but the name she is best known by is that of\nZoleikha.\n\tk  Kitf\u00eer having no children.  It is said that Joseph gained his\nmaster's good opinion so suddenly by his countenance, which Kitf\u00eer, who, they\npretend, had great skill in physiognomy, judged to indicate his prudence and\nother good qualities.\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  See cap. 21.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi, al Zamakhshari.\n\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n5  Idem.\t\t6  Idem.\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\n\n\n     And when he had attained his age of strength, we bestowed on him wisdom,\nand knowledge; for thus do we recompense the righteous.\n     And she, in whose house he was, desired him to lie with her; and she shut\nthe doors and said, Come hither.  He answered, GOD forbid! verily my lordl\nhath made my dwelling with him easy; and the ungrateful shall not prosper.\n     But she resolved within herself to enjoy him, and he would have resolved\nto enjoy her, had he not seen the evident demonstration of his LORD.m  So we\nturned away evil and filthiness from him, because he was one of our sincere\nservants.\n     And they ran to get one before the other to the door;n and she rent his\ninner garment behind.  And they met her lord at the door.  She said, What\nshall be the reward of him who seeketh to commit evil in thy family, but\nimprisonment, and a painful punishment?\n     And Joseph said, She asked me to lie with her.  And a witness of her\nfamilyo bore witness, saying, If his garment be rent before, she speaketh\ntruth, and he is a liar:\n     but if his garment be rent behind, she lieth, and he is a speaker of\ntruth.\n     And when her husband saw that his garment was torn behind, he said, This\nis a cunning contrivance of your sex; for surely your cunning is great.\n     O Joseph, take no farther notice of this affair: and thou, O woman, ask\npardon for thy crime; for thou art a guilty person.\n30\tAnd certain women said publiclyp in the city, The nobleman's wife asked\nher servant to lie with her; he hath inflamed her breast with his love; and we\nperceive her to be in manifest error.\n\n\tl  viz., Kitf\u00eer.  But others understand it to be spoken of GOD.\n\tm  That is, had he not seriously considered the filthiness of whoredom,\nand the great guilt thereof.  Some, however, suppose that the words mean some\nmiraculous voice or apparition, sent by GOD to divert Joseph from executing\nthe criminal thoughts which began to possess him.  For they say that he was so\nfar tempted with his mistress's beauty and enticing behaviour that he sat in\nher lap, and even began to undress himself, when a voice called to him, and\nbade him beware of her; but he taking no notice of this admonition, though it\nwas repeated three times, at length the angel Gabriel, or, as others will have\nit, the figure of his master, appeared to him: but the more general opinion is\nthat it was the apparition of his father Jacob, who bit his fingers' ends, or,\nas some write, struck him on the breast, whereupon his lubricity passed out at\nthe ends of his fingers.3\n\tFor this fable, so injurious to the character of Joseph, the Mohammedans\nare obliged to their old friends the Jews,4 who imagine that he had a design\nto lie with his mistress, from these words of Moses,5 And it came to pass-that\nJoseph went into the house to do his business, &c.\n\tn  He flying from her, and she running after to detain him.\n\to  viz., A cousin of hers, who was then a child in the cradle.6\n\tp  These women, whose tongues were so free with Zoleikha's character on\nthis occasion, were five in number, and the wives of so many of the king's\nchief officers-viz., his chamberlain, his butler, his baker, his jailer, and\nhis herdsman.1\n\n\t3  Idem, al Zamakhshari, Jallalo'ddin, Yahya.\t\t4  Talm.  Babyl.\nSed. Nashim, p. 36.  Vide Bartolocc. Bibl. Rabb. part iii. p. 509.\n5  Gen. xxxix. II.\t\t6  Supra citati interpretes\t\t1  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     And when she heard of their subtle behaviour, she sent unto them,q and\nprepared a banquet for them, and she gave to each of them a knife; and she\nsaid unto Joseph, Come forth unto them.  And when they saw him, they praised\nhim greatly;r and they cut their own hands,s and said, O GOD! this is not a\nmortal; he is no other than an angel, deserving the highest respect.\n     And his mistress said, This is he, for whose sake ye blamed me: I asked\nhim to lie with me, but he constantly refused.  But if he do not perform that\nwhich I command him, he shall surely be cast into prison, and he shall be made\none of the contemptible.\n     Joseph said, O LORD, a prison is more eligible unto me than the crime to\nwhich they invite me; but unless thou turn aside their snares from me, I shall\nyouthfully incline unto them, and I shall become one of the foolish.\n     Wherefore his LORD heard him, and turned aside their snare from him; for\nhe both heareth and knoweth.\n     And it seemed good unto themt even after they had seen the signs of\ninnocency, to imprison him for a time.\n     And there entered into the prison with him two of the king's servants.u\nOne of themx said, it seemed to me in my dream that I pressed wine out of\ngrapes.  And the other said, It seemed unto me  in my dream that I carried\nbread on my head, whereof the birds did eat.  Declare unto us the\ninterpretation of our dreams, for we perceive that thou art a beneficent\nperson.\n     Joseph answered, No food, wherewith ye may be nourished, shall come unto\nyou, but I will declare unto you the interpretation thereof, before it come\nunto you.y  This knowledge is a part of that which my LORD hath taught me: for\nI have left the religion of people who believe not in GOD, and who deny the\nlife to come;\n     and I follow the religion of my fathers, Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob.\nIt is not lawful for us to associate anything with GOD.  This knowledge of the\ndivine unity hath been given us of the bounty of GOD towards us, and towards\nmankind; but the greater part of men are not thankful.\n     O my fellow-prisoners, are sundry lords better, or the only true and\nmighty GOD?\n40\tYe worship not, besides him other than the names which ye have named,z\nye and your fathers, concerning which GOD hath sent down no authoritative\nproof: yet judgment belongeth unto GOD alone; who hath commanded that ye\nworship none besides him.  This is the right religion; but the greater part of\nmen know it not.\n\n\tq  The number of all the women invited was forty, and among them were\nthe five ladies above mentioned.2\n\tr  The old Latin translators have strangely mistaken the sense of the\noriginal word acbarnaho, which they render menstruatoe sunt; and then rebuke\nMohammed for the indecency, crying out demurely in the margin, O fodum et\nobsconum prophetam!  Erpenius3 thinks that there is not the least trace of\nsuch a meaning in the word; but he is mistaken: for the verb cabara in the\nfourth conjugation, which is here used, has that import, though the subjoining\nof the pronoun to it here (which possibly the Latin translators did not\nobserve) absolutely overthrows that interpretation.\n\ts  Through extreme surprise at the wonderful beauty of Joseph; which\nsurprise Zoleikha foreseeing, put knives into their hands, on purpose that\nthis accident might happen.  Some writers have observed, on occasion of this\npassage, that it is customary in the east for lovers to testify the violence\nof their passion by cutting themselves, as a sign that they would spend their\nblood in the service of the person beloved; which is true enough, but I do not\nfind that any of the commentators suppose these Egyptian ladies had any such\ndesign.\n\tt  That is, to Kitf\u00eer and his friends.  The occasion of Joseph's\nimprisonment is said to be, either that they suspected him to be guilty,\nnotwithstanding the proofs which had been given of his innocence, or else that\nZoleikha desired it, feigning, to deceive her husband, that she wanted to have\nJoseph removed from her sight, till she could conquer her passion by time;\nthough her real design was to force him to compliance.\n\tu  viz., His chief butler and baker, who were accused of a design to\npoison him.\n\tx  Namely, the butler.\n\ty  The meaning of this passage seems to be, either that Joseph, to show\nhe used no arts of divination or astrology, promises to interpret their dreams\nto them immediately, even before they should eat a single meal; or else, he\nhere offers to prophesy to them beforehand, the quantity and quality of the\nvictuals which should be brought them, as a taste of his skill.\n\tz  See c. 7, p. 111, note d.\n\n\t\t\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  In not. ad Hist. Josephi.\n\n\n     O my fellow-prisoners, verily the one of you shall serve wine unto his\nlord, as formerly; but the other shall be crucified, and the birds shall eat\nfrom off his head.  The matter is decreed, concerning which ye seek to be\ninformed.\n     And Joseph said unto him whom he judged to be the person who should\nescape of the two, Remember me in the presence of thy lord.  But the devil\ncaused him to forget to make mention of Joseph unto his lord;a wherefore he\nremained in the prison some years.b\n     And the king of Egyptc said, Verily, I saw in my dream seven fat kine,\nwhich seven lean kine devoured, and seven green ears of corn, and other seven\nwithered ears.  O nobles, expound my vision unto me, if ye be able to\ninterpret a vision.\n     They answered, They are confused dreams, neither are we skilled in the\ninterpretation of such kind of dreams.\n     And Joseph's fellow-prisoner who had been delivered, said, (for he\nremembered Joseph after a certain space of time,) I will declare unto you the\ninterpretation thereof; wherefore let me go unto the person who will interpret\nit unto me.\n     And he went to the prison, and said, O Joseph, thou man of veracity,\nteach us the interpretation of seven fat kine, which seven lean kine devoured;\nand of seven green ears of corn, and other seven withered ears, which the king\nsaw in his dream; that I may return unto the men who have sent me, that\nperadventure they may understand the same.\n     Joseph answered, Ye shall sow seven years as usual: and the corn which ye\nshall reap, do ye leave in its ear,d except a little whereof ye may eat.\n     Then shall there come, after this, seven grievous years of famine, which\nshall consume what ye shall have laid up as a provision for the same, except a\nlittle which ye shall have kept.\n     Then shall there come, after this, a year wherein men shall have plenty\nof rain,e and wherein they shall press wine and oil.\n\n\ta  According to the explication of some, who take the pronoun him to\nrelate to Joseph, this passage may be rendered, But the devil caused him\n(i.e., Joseph) to forget to make his application unto his Lord; and to beg the\ngood offices of his fellow-prisoner for his deliverance, instead of relying on\nGOD alone, as it became a prophet, especially, to have done.1\n\tb  The original word signifying any number from three to nine or ten,\nthe common opinion is that Joseph remained in prison seven years, though some\nsay he was confined no less than twelve years.2\n\tc  This prince, as the oriental writers generally agree, was Riy\u00e2n, the\nson of al Wal\u00eed, the Amalekite,3 who was converted by Joseph to the worship of\nthe true GOD, and died in the lifetime of that prophet.  But some pretend that\nthe Pharaoh of Joseph and of Moses were one and the same person, and that he\nlived (or rather reigned) four hundred years.4\n\td  To preserve it from the weevil.5\n\te  Notwithstanding what some ancient authors write to the contrary,6 it\noften rains in winter in the lower Egypt, and even snow has been observed to\nfall at Alexandria, contrary to the express assertion of Seneca.7  In the\nupper Egypt, indeed, towards the cataracts of Nile, it rains very seldom.8\nSome, however, suppose that the rains here mentioned are intended of those\nwhich should fall in Ethiopia, and occasion the swelling of the Nile, the\ngreat cause of the fertility of Egypt; or else of those which should fall in\nthe neighbouring countries, which were also afflicted with famine during the\nsame time.\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t3  See the Prelim.\nDisc. p. 7.\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  See c. 7, p. 115, note d.\t\t5  Idem.\n\t6  Plato, in Tim\u00e6o. Pomp. Mela.\t\t7  Nat. Qu\u00e6st. l. 4.\n8  See Greaves's Descr. of the Pyramids, p. 74, &c.  Ray's Collection of\nTravels, tom. ii. p. 92.\n\n\n50\tAnd when the chief butler had reported this, the king said, Bring him\nunto me.  And when the messenger came unto Joseph, he said, Return unto thy\nlord, and ask of him, what was the intent of the women who cut their hands;f\nfor my LORD well knoweth the snare which they laid for me.g\n     And when the women were assembled before the king, he said unto them,\nWhat was your design, when ye solicited Joseph to unlawful love?  They\nanswered, GOD be praised! we know not any ill of him.  The nobleman's wife\nsaid, Now is the truth become manifest: I solicited him to lie with me; and he\nis one of those who speak truth.\n     And when Joseph was acquainted therewith, he said, This discovery hath\nbeen made, that my lord might know that I was not unfaithful unto him in his\nabsence, and that God directeth not the plot of the deceivers.\n     Neither do I absolutely justify myself:h since every soul is prone unto\nevil, except those on whom my LORD shall show mercy; for my LORD is gracious\nand merciful.\n     And the king said, Bring him unto me: I will take him into my own\npeculiar service.  And when Joseph was brought unto the king, and he had\ndiscoursed with him, he said, Thou art this day firmly established with us,\nand shalt be intrusted with our affairs.i\n     Joseph answered, Set me over the storehouses of the land; for I will be a\nskilful keeper thereof.\n     Thus did we establish Joseph in the land, that he might provide himself a\ndwelling therein, where he pleased.  We bestow our mercy on whom we please,\nand we suffer not the reward of the righteous to perish:\n     and certainly the reward of the next life is better, for those who\nbelieve, and fear God.\n\n\tf  Joseph, it seems, cared not to get out of prison till his innocence\nwas publicly known and declared.  It is observed by the commentators that\nJoseph does not bid the messenger move the king to inform himself of the truth\nof the affair, but bids him directly to ask the king, to incite him to make\nthe proper inquiry with the greater earnestness.  They also observe that\nJoseph takes care not to mention his mistress, out of respect and gratitude\nfor the favours he had received while in her house.1\n\tg  Endeavouring both by threats and persuasion to entice me to commit\nfolly with my mistress.\n\th  According to a tradition of Ebn Abb\u00e2s, Joseph had no sooner spoken\nthe foregoing words, asserting his innocency, than Gabriel said to him, What,\nnot when thou wast deliberating to lie with her?  Upon which Joseph confessed\nhis frailty.2\n\ti  The commentators say that Joseph being taken out of prison, after he\nhad washed and changed his clothes, was introduced to the king, whom he\nsaluted in the Hebrew tongue, and on the king's asking what language that was,\nhe answered that it was the language of his fathers.  This prince, they say,\nunderstood no less than seventy languages, in every one of which he discoursed\nwith Joseph, who answered him in the same; at which the king greatly\nmarvelling, desired him to relate his dream, which he did, describing the most\nminute circumstances: whereupon the king placed Joseph by him on his throne,\nand made him his Waz\u00eer, or chief minister.  Some say that his master Kitf\u00eer\ndying about this time, he not only succeeded him in his place, but, by the\nking's command, married the widow, his late mistress, whom he found to be a\nvirgin, and who bare him Ephraim and Manasses.3  So that according to this\ntradition, she was the same woman who is called Asenath by Moses.  This\nsupposed marriage, which authorized their amours, probably encouraged the\nMohammedan divines to make use of the loves of Joseph and Zoleikha, as an\nallegorical emblem of the spiritual love between the Creator and the creature,\nGOD and the soul; just as the Christians apply the Song of Solomon to the same\nmystical purpose.4\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi, &c.\t\t2  Idem, &c.\t\t3  Idem, Kitab\nTafasir, &c.\t\t4  Vide D'Herbelot. Bibl. Orient. Art. Jousouf.\n\n\n     Moreover, Joseph's brethren came,k and went in unto him; and he knew\nthem, but they knew not him.\n     And when he had furnished them with their provisions, he said, Bring unto\nme your brother, the son of your father; do ye not see that I give full\nmeasure, and that I am the most hospitable receiver of guests?\n60\tBut if ye bring him not unto me, there shall be no corn measured unto\nyou from me, neither shall ye approach my presence.\n     They answered, We will endeavor to obtain him of his father, and we will\ncertainly perform what thou requirest.\n     And Joseph said to his servants, Put their money,l which they have paid\nfor their corn; into their sacks, that they may perceive it, when they shall\nbe returned to their family: peradventure they will come back unto us.\n     And when they were returned unto their father, they said, O father, it is\nforbidden to measure out corn unto us any more, unless we carry our brother\nBenjamin with us: wherefore send our brother with us, and we shall have corn\nmeasured unto us; and we will certainly guard him from any mischance.\n     Jacob answered, Shall I trust him with you with any better success than I\ntrusted your brother Joseph with you heretofore?  But GOD is the best\nguardian; and he is the most merciful of those that show mercy.\n     And when they opened their provision, they found their money had been\nreturned unto them; and they said, O father, what do we desire farther? this\nour money hath been returned unto us; we will therefore return, and provide\ncorn for our family: we will take care of our brother; and we shall receive a\ncamel's burden more than we did the last time.  This is a small quantity.m\n     Jacob said, I will by no means send him with you, until ye give me a\nsolemn promise, and swear by GOD that ye will certainly bring him back unto\nme, unless ye be encompassed by some inevitable impediment.  And when they had\ngiven him their solemn promise, he said, GOD is witness of what we say.\n     And he said, My sons, enter not into the city by one and the same gate;\nbut enter by different gates.  But this precaution will be of no advantage\nunto you against the decree of GOD; for judgment belongeth unto GOD alone: in\nhim do I put my trust, and in him let those confide who seek in whom to put\ntheir trust.\n\n\tk  Joseph, being made Waz\u00eer, governed with great wisdom; for he not only\ncaused justice to be impartially administered, and encouraged the people to\nindustry and the improvement of agriculture during the seven years of plenty,\nbut began and perfected several works of great benefit; the natives at this\nday ascribing to the patriarch Joseph almost all the ancient works of public\nutility throughout the kingdom; as particularly the rendering the province of\nal Feyy\u00fbm, from a standing pool or marsh, the most fertile and best cultivated\nland in all Egypt.5  When the years of famine came, the effects of which were\nfelt not only in Egypt, but in Syria and the neighbouring countries, the\ninhabitants were obliged to apply to Joseph for corn, which he sold to them,\nfirst for their money, jewels, and ornaments, then for their cattle and lands,\nand at length for their persons; so that all the Egyptians in general became\nslaves to the king, though Joseph, by his consent, soon released them, and\nreturned them their substance.  The dearth being felt in the land of Canaan,\nJacob sent all his sons, except only Benjamin, into Egypt for corn.  On their\narrival, Joseph (who well knew them) asked them who they were, saying he\nsuspected them to be spies; but they told him they came only to buy\nprovisions, and that they were all the sons of an ancient man, named Jacob,\nwho was also a prophet.  Joseph then asked how many brothers there were of\nthem; they answered, Twelve; but that one of them had been lost in a desert.\nUpon which he inquired for the eleventh brother, there being no more than ten\nof them present.  They said he was a lad, and with their father, whose\nfondness for him would not suffer him to accompany them in their journey.  At\nlength Joseph asked them who they had to vouch for their veracity; but they\ntold him they knew no man who could vouch for them in Egypt.  Then, replied\nhe, one of you shall stay behind with me as a pledge, and the others may\nreturn home with their provisions; and when ye come again, ye shall bring your\nyounger brother with you, that I may know ye have told me the truth.\nWhereupon, it being in vain to dispute the matter, they cast lots who should\nstay behind, and the lot fell upon Simeon.  When they departed, Joseph gave\neach of them a camel, and another for their brother.1\n\tl  The original word signifying not only money, but also goods bartered\nor given in exchange for other merchandise, some commentators tell us, that\nthey paid for their corn, not in money, but in shoes and dressed skins,2\n\tm  The meaning may be, either that the corn they now brought was not\nsufficient for the support of their families, so that it was necessary for\nthem to take another journey, or else, that a camel's load, more or less, was\nbut a trifle to the king of Egypt.  Some suppose these to be the words of\nJacob, declaring it was too mean a consideration to induce him to part with\nhis son.\n\n\t5  Vide Golii not. in Alfragan. p. 175, &c.  Kircher. Oedip. \u00c6gypt vol.\ni. p. 8.  Lucas, Voy. tom. ii. p. 205, and tom. iii. p. 53.\n1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\n\n\n     And when they entered the city, as their father had commanded them, it\nwas of no advantage unto them against the decree of GOD; and the same served\nonly to satisfy the desire of Jacob's soul, which he had charged them to\nperform: for he was endued with knowledge of that which we had taught him; but\nthe greater part of men do not understand.\n     And when they entered into the presence of Joseph, he received his\nbrother Benjamin as his guest, and said, Verily I am thy brother,n be not\ntherefore afflicted for that which they have committed against us.\n70\tAnd when he had furnished them with their provisions, he put his cupo in\nhis brother Benjamin's sack.  Then a crier cried after them, saying, O company\nof travellers, ye are surely thieves.\n     They said, (and turned back unto them,) What is it that ye miss?\n     They answered, We miss the prince's cup: and unto him who shall produce\nit, shall be given a camel's load of corn, and I will be surety for the same.\n     Joseph's brethren replied, By GOD, ye do well know, that we come not to\nact corruptly in the land,p neither are we thieves.\n     The Egyptians said, What shall be the reward of him, who shall appear to\nhave stolen the cup, if ye be found liars?\n     Joseph's brethren answered, As to the reward of him, in whose sack it\nshall be found, let him become a bondman in satisfaction of the same: thus do\nwe reward the unjust, who are guilty of theft.q\n     Then he began by their sacks, before he searched the sack of his\nbrother;r and he drew out the cup from his brother's sack.  Thus did we\nfurnish Joseph with a stratagem.  It was not lawful for him to take his\nbrother for a bondman, by the law of the king of Egypt,s had not GOD pleased\nto allow it, according to the offer of his brethren.  We exalt to degrees of\nknowledge and honour whom we please: and there is one who is knowing above all\nthose who are endued with knowledge.\n     His brethren said, If Benjamin be guilty of theft, his brother Joseph\nhath been also guilty of theft heretofore.t  But Joseph concealed these things\nin his mind, and did not discover them unto them: and he said within himself,\nYe are in a worse condition than us two; and GOD best knoweth what ye\ndiscourse about.\n\n\tn  It is related that Joseph, having invited his brethren to an\nentertainment, ordered them to be placed two and two together, by which means\nBenjamin, the eleventh, was obliged to sit alone, and bursting into tears,\nsaid, If my brother Joseph were alive, he would have sat with me.  Whereupon\nJoseph ordered him to be seated at the same table with himself, and when the\nentertainment was over, dismissed the rest, ordering that they should be\nlodged two and two in a house, but kept Benjamin in his own apartment, where\nhe passed the night.  The next day Joseph asked him whether he would accept of\nhimself for his brother, in the room of him whom he had lost, to which\nBenjamin replied, Who can find a brother comparable unto thee? yet thou art\nnot the son of Jacob and Rachel.  And upon this Joseph discovered himself to\nhim.1\n\to  Some imagine this to be a measure holding a sa\u00e1 (or about a gallon),\nwherein they used to measure corn or give water to the beasts.  But others\ntake it to be a drinking-cup of silver or gold.\n\tp  Both by our behaviour among you, and our bringing again our money,\nwhich was returned to us without our knowledge.\n\tq  This was the method of punishing theft used by Jacob and his family;\nfor among the Egyptians it was punished in another manner.\n\tr  Some suppose this search was made by the person whom Joseph sent\nafter them; others by Joseph himself, when they were brought back to the city.\n\ts  For there the thief was not reduced to servitude, but was scourged,\nand obliged to restore the double of what he had stolen.2\n\tt  The occasion of this suspicion, it is said, was, that Joseph having\nbeen brought up by his father's sister, she became so fond of him that, when\nhe grew up, and Jacob designed to take him from her, she contrived the\nfollowing stratagem to keep him: -Having a girdle which had once belonged to\nAbraham, she girt it about the child, and then, pretending she had lost it,\ncaused strict search to be made for it; and it being at length found on\nJoseph, he was adjudged, according to the above-mentioned law of the family,\nto be delivered to her as her property.  Some, however, say that Joseph\nactually stole an idol of gold, which belonged to his mother's father, and\ndestroyed it; a story probably taken from Rachel's stealing the images of\nLaban: and others tell us that he once stole a goat, or a hen, to give to a\npoor man.3\n\n\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     They said unto Joseph, Noble lord, verily this lad hath an aged father;\nwherefore take one of us in his stead; for we perceive that thou art a\nbeneficent person.\n     Joseph answered, GOD forbid that we should take any other than him with\nwhom we found our goods; for then should we certainly be unjust.\n80\tAnd when they despaired of obtaining Benjamin, they retired to confer\nprivately together.  And the elder of themu said, Do ye not know that your\nfather hath received a solemn promise from you, in the name of GOD, and how\nperfidiously ye behaved heretofore towards Joseph?  Wherefore I will by no\nmeans depart the land of Egypt, until my father give me leave to return unto\nhim, or GOD maketh known his will to me; for he is the best judge.\n     Return ye to your father, and say, O father, verily thy son hath\ncommitted theft; we bear witness of no more than what we know, and we could\nnot guard against what we did not foresee:\n     and do thou inquire in the city, where we have been, and of the company\nof merchants, with whom we are arrived, and thou wilt find that we speak the\ntruth.\n     And when they were returned, and had spoken thus to their father, he\nsaid, Nay, but rather ye yourselves have contrived the thing for your own\nsakes, but patience is most proper for me; peradventure GOD will restore them\nallx unto me; for he is knowing and wise.\n     And he turned from them and said, Oh how I am grieved for Joseph!  And\nhis eyes became white with mourning,y he being oppressed with deep sorrow.\n     His sons said, By GOD, thou wilt not cease to remember Joseph until thou\nbe brought to death's door, or thou be actually destroyed by excessive\naffliction.\n     He answered, I only represent my grief, which I am not able to contain,\nand my sorrow unto GOD, but I know by revelation from GOD that which ye know\nnot.z\n     O my sons, go and make inquiry after Joseph and his brother; and despair\nnot of the mercy of GOD; for none despaireth of GOD's mercy, except the\nunbelieving people.\n     Wherefore Joseph's brethren returned into Egypt: and when they came into\nhis presence, they said, Noble lord, the famine is felt by us and our family,\nand we are come with a small sum of money:a yet give unto us full measure, and\nbestow corn upon us as alms; for GOD rewardeth the almsgivers.\n\n\tu  viz., Reuben.  But some think Simeon or Judah to be here meant; and\ninstead of the elder, interpret it the most prudent of them.\n\tx  i.e., Joseph, Benjamin, and Simeon.\n\ty  That is, the pupils lost their deep blackness and became of a pearl\ncolour (as happens in suffusions), by his continual weeping: which very much\nweakened his sight, or, as some pretend, made him quite blind.4\n\tz  viz., That Joseph is yet alive, of which some tell us he was assured\nby the angel of death in a dream; though others suppose he depended on the\ncompletion of Joseph's dream, which must have been frustrated had he died\nbefore his brethren had bowed down before him.5\n\ta  Their money being clipped and adulterated.  Some, however, imagine\nthey did not bring money, but goods to barter, such as wool and butter, or\nother commodities of small value.6\n\n\t\t3  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t5  Idem.\n\t6  Idem.\n\n\n     Joseph said unto them, Do ye know what ye did unto Joseph and his\nbrother, when ye were ignorant of the consequences thereof?b\n90\tThey answered, Art thou really Joseph?c  He replied, I am Joseph; and\nthis is my brother.  Now hath GOD been gracious unto us.  For whoso feareth\nGod, and persevereth with patience, shall at length find relief; since GOD\nwill not suffer the reward of the righteous to perish.\n     They said, By GOD, now hath GOD chosen thee above us; and we have surely\nbeen sinners.\n     Joseph answered, Let there be no reproach cast on you this day.  GOD\nforgiveth you; for he is the most merciful of those who show mercy.\n     Depart ye with this my inner garment,d and throw it on my father's face;\nand he shall recover his sight: and then come unto me with all your family.\n     And when the company of travellers was departed from Egypt on their\njourney towards Canaan, their father said, unto those who were about him,\nVerily I perceive the smell of Joseph;e although ye think that I dote.\n     They answered, By GOD, thou art in thy old mistake.f\n     But when the messenger of good tidingsg was come with Joseph's inner\ngarment, he threw it over his face; and he recovered his eyesight.\n     And Jacob said, Did I not tell you that I knew from GOD, that which ye\nknew not?\n     They answered, O father, ask pardon of our sins for us, for we have\nsurely been sinners.\n     He replied, I will surely ask pardon for you of my LORD;h for he is\ngracious and merciful.\n100\tAnd when Jacob and his family arrived in Egypt, and were introduced unto\nJoseph, he received his parents unto him,i and said, Enter ye into Egypt, by\nGOD'S favor, in full security.\n\n\tb  The injury they did Benjamin was the separating him from his brother;\nafter which they kept him in so great subjection, that he durst not speak to\nthem but with the utmost submission.  Some say that these words were\noccasioned by a letter which Joseph's brethren delivered to him from their\nfather, requesting the releasement of Benjamin, and by their representing his\nextreme affliction at the loss of him and his brother.  The commentators\nobserve that Joseph, to excuse his brethren's behaviour towards him,\nattributes it to their ignorance, and the heat of youth.1\n\tc  They say this question was not the effect of a bare suspicion that he\nwas Joseph, but that they actually knew him, either by his face and behaviour,\nor by his foreteeth, which he showed in smiling, or else by putting off his\ntiara, and discovering a whitish mole on his forehead.2\n\td  Which the commentators generally suppose to be the same garment with\nwhich Gabriel invested him in the well; which having originally come from\nparadise, had preserved the odour of that place, and was of so great virtue as\nto cure any distemper in the person who was touched with it.3\n\te  This was the odour of the garment above mentioned, brought by the\nwind to Jacob, who smelt it, as is pretended, at the distance of eighty\nparasangs;4 or, as others will have, three, or eight days' journey off.5\n\tf  Being led into this imagination by the excessive love of Joseph.\n\tg  viz., Judah, who, as he had formerly grieved his father by bringing\nhim Joseph's coat stained with blood, now rejoiced him as much by being the\nbearer of this vest, and the news of Joseph's prosperity.6\n\th  Deferring it, as some fancy, till he should see Joseph, and have his\nconsent.\n\ti  viz., His father and Leah, his mother's sister, whom he looked on as\nhis mother after Rachel's death.7\n\tAl Beid\u00e2wi tells us that Joseph sent carriages and provisions for his\nfather and his family; and that he and the king of Egypt went forth to meet\nthem.  He adds that the number of the children of Israel who entered Egypt\nwith him was seventy-two; and that when they were led out thence by Moses,\nthey were increased to six hundred thousand five hundred and seventy men and\nupwards, besides the old people and children.\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t4\nIdem.\t\t5  Jallalo'ddin.\n6  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t7  Idem.  See Gen. xxxvii. 10.\n\n\nAnd he raised his parents to the seat of state, and they, together with his\nbrethren, fell down and did obeisance unto him.k  And he said, O my father,\nthis is the interpretation of my vision, which I saw heretofore: now hath my\nLORD rendered it true.  And he hath surely been gracious unto me, since he\ntook me forth from the prison, and hath brought you hither from the desert;\nafter that the devil had sown discord between me any my brethren: for my LORD\nis gracious unto whom he pleaseth; and he is the knowing, the wise God.\n     O LORD, thou hast given me a part of the kingdom, and hast taught me the\ninterpretation of dark sayings.  The Creator of heaven and earth! thou art my\nprotector in this world, and in that which is to come: make me to die a\nMoslem, and join me with the righteous.l\n     This is a secret history which we reveal unto thee, O Mohammed, although\nthou wast not present with the brethren of Joseph, when they concerted their\ndesign, and contrived a plot against him.  But the greater part of men,\nalthough they earnestly desire it, will not believe.\n     Thou shalt not demand of them any reward for thy publishing the Koran; it\nis no other than an admonition unto all creatures.\n     And how many signs soever there be of the being, unity, and providence of\nGod, in the heavens and the earth; they will pass by them, and will retire\nafar off from them.\n     And the greater part of them believe not in GOD, without being also\nguilty of idolatry.m\n     Do they not believe that some overwhelming affliction shall fall on them,\nas a punishment from GOD; or that the hour of judgment shall overtake them\nsuddenly, when they consider not its approach?\n     Say unto those of Mecca, This is my way: I invite you unto GOD, by an\nevident demonstration; both I and he who followeth me; and, praise be unto\nGOD! I am not an idolater.\n     We sent not any apostles before thee, except men, unto whom we revealed\nour will, and whom we chose out of those who dwelt in cities.n  Will they not\ngo through the earth, and see what hath been the end of those who have\npreceded them?  But the dwelling of the next life shall surely be better for\nthose who fear God.  Will they not therefore understand?\n110\tTheir predecessors were borne with for a time, until, when our apostles\ndespaired of their conversion, and they thought that they were liars, our help\ncame unto them, and we delivered whom we pleased; but our vengeance was not\nturned away from the wicked people.\n     Verily in the histories of the prophets and their people, there is an\ninstructive example unto those who are endued with understanding.  The Koran\nis not a new invented fiction: but a confirmation of those scriptures which\nhave been revealed before it, and a distinct explication of everything\nnecessary in respect either to faith or practice, and a direction and mercy\nunto people who believe.\n\n\tk  A transposition is supposed to be in these words, and that he seated\nhis father and mother after they had bowed down to him, and not before.1\n\tl  The Mohammedan authors write that Jacob dwelt in Egypt twenty-four\nyears, and at his death ordered his body to be buried in Palestine by his\nfather, which Joseph took care to perform; and then returning into Egypt, died\ntwenty-three years after.  They add that such high disputes arose among the\nEgyptians concerning his burial, that they had like to have come to blows; but\nat length they agreed to put his body into a marble coffin, and to sink it in\nthe Nile-out of a superstitious imagination, that it might help the regular\nincrease of the river, and deliver them from famine for the future; but when\nMoses led the Israelites out of Egypt, he took up the coffin, and carried\nJoseph's bones with him into Canaan, where he buried them by his ancestors.2\n\tm  For this crime Mohammed charges not only on the idolatrous Meccans,\nbut also on the Jews and Christians, as has been already observed more than\nonce.\n\tn  And not of the inhabitants of the deserts; because the former are\nmore knowing and compassionate, and the latter more ignorant and hard-\nhearted.3\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.  See the Prelim. Disc.\nSect. I. p. 24.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIII.\n\nENTITLED, THUNDER;o REVEALED AT MECCA.p\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     AL. M. R.q  These are the signs of the book of the Koran: and that which\nhath been sent down unto thee from thy LORD is the truth; but the greater part\nof men will not believe.\n     It is GOD who hath raised the heavens without visible pillars; and then\nascended his throne, and compelled the sun and the moon to perform their\nservices; every of the heavenly bodies runneth an appointed course.  He\nordereth all things.  He showeth his signs distinctly, that ye may be assured\nye must meet your LORD at the last day.\n     It is he who hath stretched forth the earth, and placed therein steadfast\nmountains, and rivers; and hath ordained therein of every fruit two different\nkinds.r  He causeth the night to cover the day.  Herein are certain signs unto\npeople who consider.\n     And in the earth are tracts of land of different natures,s though\nbordering on each other; and also vineyards, and seeds, and palm-trees\nspringing several from the same root, and singly from distinct roots.  They\nare watered with the same water, yet we render some of them more excellent\nthan others to eat.  Herein are surely signs unto people who understand.\n     If thou dost wonder at the infidels denying the resurrection, surely\nwonderful is their saying, After we shall have been reduced to dust, shall we\nbe restored in a new creature?\n     These are they who believe not in their LORD: these shall have collars on\ntheir necks,t and these shall be the inhabitants of hell fire: therein shall\nthey abide for ever.\n\n\to  This word occurs in the next page.\n\tp  Or, according to some copies, at Medina.\n\tq  The meaning of these letters is unknown.  Of several conjectural\nexplications which are given of them, the following is one: I am the most wise\nand knowing GOD.\n\tr  As sweet and sour, black and white, small and large, &c.1\n\ts  Some tracts being fruitful and others barren, some plain and others\nmountainous, some proper for corn and others for trees, &c.2\n\tt  The collar here mentioned is an engine something like a pillory, but\nlight enough for the criminal to walk about with.  Besides the hole to fix it\non the neck, there is another for one of the hands, which is thereby fastened\nto the neck.3  And in this manner the Mohammedans suppose the reprobates will\nappear at the day of judgment.4  Some understand this passage figuratively, of\nthe infidels being bound in the chains of error and obstinacy.5\n\n\t1  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Vide Chardin, Voy. de\nPerse, tom. ii. p. 220.\t\t4  See cap. 5, p. 81.\n5  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     They will ask of thee to hasten evil rather than good:u although there\nhave already been examples of the divine vengeance before them.  Thy LORD is\nsurely endued with indulgence towards men, notwithstanding their iniquity; but\nthy LORD is also severe in punishing.\n     The infidels say, Unless a sign be sent down unto him from his LORD, we\nwill not believe.  Thou art commissioned to be a preacher only, and not a\nworker of miracles: and unto every people hath a director been appointed.\n     GOD knoweth what every female beareth in her womb; and what the wombs\nwant or exceed of their due time, or number of young.  With him is everything\nregulated according to a determined measure.\n10\tHe knoweth that which is hidden, and that which is revealed.  He is the\ngreat, the most high.\n     He among you who concealeth his words, and he who proclaimeth them in\npublic; he also who seeketh to hide himself in the night, and he who goeth\nforth openly in the day, is equal in respect to the knowledge of God.\n     Each of them hath angels mutually succeeding each other, before him, and\nbehind him; they watch him by the command of GOD.x  Verily GOD will not change\nhis grace which is in men, until they change the disposition in their souls by\nsin.  When GOD willeth evil on a people there shall be none to avert it;\nneither shall they have any protector beside him.\n     It is he who causeth the lightning to appear unto you, to strike fear,\nand to raise hope,y and who formeth the pregnant clouds.\n     The thunder celebrateth his praise,z and the angels also, for fear of\nhim.  He sendeth his thunderbolts, and striketh therewith whom he pleaseth,\nwhile they dispute concerning GOD;a for he is mighty in power.\n     It is he who ought of right to be invoked; and the idols, which they\ninvoke besides him, shall not hear them at all; otherwise than as he is heard,\nwho stretcheth forth his hands to the water that it may ascend to his mouth,\nwhen it cannot ascend thither: the supplication of the unbelievers is utterly\nerroneous.\n     Whatsoever is in heaven and on earth worshippeth GOD, voluntarily or of\nforce;b and their shadows also, morning and evening.c\n     Say, Who is the LORD of heaven and earth?  Answer, GOD.  Say, Have ye,\ntherefore, taken unto yourselves protectors beside him, who are unable either\nto help, or to defend themselves from hurt?  Say, Shall the blind and the\nseeing be esteemed equal? or shall darkness and light be accounted the same?\nor have they attributed companions unto GOD who have created as he hath\ncreated, so that their creation bear any resemblance unto his?  Say, GOD is\nthe creator of all things; he is the one, the victorious God.\n\n\tu  Provoking and daring thee to call down the divine vengeance on them\nfor their impenitency.\n\tx  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 56.\n\ty  Thunder and lightning being the sign of approaching rain; a great\nblessing, in the eastern countries more especially.\n\tz  Or causeth those who hear it to praise him.  Some commentators tell\nus that by the word thunder, in this place, is meant the angel who presides\nover the clouds, and drives them forwards with twisted sheets of fire.6\n\ta  This passage was revealed on the following occasion:  Amer Ebn al\nTofail and Arbad Ebn Rab\u00eeah, the brother of Lab\u00eed, went to Mohammed with an\nintent to kill him; and Amer began to dispute with him concerning the chief\npoints of his doctrine, while Arbad, taking a compass, went behind him to\ndispatch him with his sword; but the prophet, perceiving his design, implored\nGOD'S protection; whereupon Arbad was immediately struck dead by thunder, and\nAmer was struck with a pestilential boil, of which he died in a short time, in\na miserable condition.7\n\tJallalo'ddin, however, tells another story saying that Mohammed, having\nsent one to invite a certain man to embrace his religion, the person put this\nquestion to the missionary, Who is this apostle, and what is God?  Is he of\ngold, or of silver, or of brass?  Upon which a thunderbolt struck off his\nskull, and killed him.\n\tb  The infidels and devils themselves being constrained to humble\nthemselves before him, though against their will, when they are delivered up\nto punishment.\n\tc  This is an allusion to the increasing and diminishing of the shadows,\naccording to the height of the sun; so that, when they are the longest, which\nis in the morning and the evening, they appear prostrate on the ground, in the\nposture of adoration.\n\n\t6  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t7  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  Vide Golii. not. in Adagia\nArab. adject. ad Gram Erpenii, p. 99.\n\n\n     He causeth water to descend from heaven, and the brooks flow according to\ntheir respective measure, and the floods bear the floating froth: and from the\nmetals which they melt in the fire, seeking to cast ornaments or vessels for\nuse, there ariseth a scum like unto it.  Thus GOD setteth forth truth and\nvanity.  But the scum is thrown off, and that which is useful to mankind\nremaineth on the earth.  Thus doth GOD put forth parables.  Unto those who\nobey their LORD shall be given the most excellent reward: but those who obey\nhim not, although they were possessed of whatever is in the whole earth and as\nmuch more, they would give it all for their ransom.  These will be brought to\na terrible account: their abode shall be hell; an unhappy couch shall it be!\n     Shall he, therefore, who knoweth that what hath been sent down unto thee\nfrom thy LORD, is truth, be rewarded as he who is blind?  The prudent only\nwill consider;\n20\twho fulfil the covenant of GOD, and break not their contract;\n     and who join that which GOD hath commanded to be joined,d and who fear\ntheir LORD, and dread an ill account;\n     and who persevere out of a sincere desire to please their LORD, and\nobserve the stated times of prayer, and give alms out of what we have bestowed\non them, in secret and openly, and who turn away evil with good: the reward of\nthese shall be paradise,\n     gardens of eternal abode,e which they shall enter, and also whoever shall\nhave acted uprightly, of their fathers, and their wives, and their posterity:\nand the angels shall go in unto them by every gate,\n     saying, Peace be upon you, because ye have endured with patience; how\nexcellent a reward is paradise!\n     But as for those who violate the covenant of GOD, after the establishment\nthereof, and who cut in sunder that which GOD hath commanded to be joined, and\nact corruptly in the earth, on them shall a curse fall, and they shall have a\nmiserable dwelling in hell.\n     GOD giveth provision in abundance unto whom he pleaseth, and is sparing\nunto whom he pleaseth.  Those of Mecca rejoice in the present life; although\nthe present life, in respect of the future, is but a precarious provision.\n     The infidels say, Unless a sign be sent down unto him from his LORD, we\nwill not believe.  Answer, Verily, GOD will lead into error whom he pleaseth,\nand will direct unto himself him who repenteth,\n     and those who believe, and whose hearts rest securely in the meditation\nof GOD; shall not men's hearts rest securely in the meditation of GOD?  They\nwho believe and do that which is right shall enjoy blessedness, and partake of\na happy resurrection.\n\n\td  By believing in all the prophets, without exception, and joining\nthereto the continual practice of their duty, both towards GOD and man.1\n\te  Literally, gardens of Eden.  See chapter 9, p. 143.\n\n\t\t\t\t1  Idem, Jallalo'ddin, Yahya.\n\n\n     Thus have we sent thee to a nation which other nations have preceded unto\nwhom prophets have likewise been sent, that thou mayest rehearse unto them\nthat which we have revealed unto thee, even while they believe not in the\nmerciful God.  Say unto them, He is my LORD; there is no GOD but he: in him do\nI trust, and unto him must I return.\n30\tThough a Koran were revealed by which mountains should be removed, or\nthe earth cleaved in sunder, or the dead be caused to speak,f it would be in\nvain.  But the matter belongeth wholly unto GOD.  Do not, therefore, the\nbelievers know, that if GOD pleased, he would certainly direct all men?\n     Adversity shall not cease to afflict the unbelievers for that which they\nhave committed, or to sit down near their habitations,g until GOD'S promise\ncome;h for GOD is not contrary to the promise.\n     Apostles before thee have been laughed to scorn; and I permitted the\ninfidels to enjoy a long and happy life: but afterwards I punished them; and\nhow severe was the punishment which I inflicted on them!\n     Who is it, therefore, that standeth over every soul, to observe that\nwhich it committeth?  They attribute companions unto GOD.  Say, Name them:\nwill ye declare unto him that which he knoweth not in the earth? or will ye\nname them in outward speech only?i  But the deceitful procedure of the\ninfidels was prepared for them; and they are turned aside from the right path:\nfor he whom GOD shall cause to err, shall have no director.\n     They shall suffer a punishment in this life; but the punishment of the\nnext shall be more grievous: and there shall be none to protect them against\nGOD.\n     This is the description of paradise, which is promised to the pious.  It\nis watered by rivers; its food is perpetual, and its shade also: this shall be\nthe reward of those who fear God.  But the reward of the infidels shall be\nhell fire.\n     Those to whom we have given the scriptures, rejoice at what hath been\nrevealed unto thee.k Yet there are some of the confederates who deny part\nthereof.l  Say unto them, Verily I am commanded to worship GOD alone; and to\ngive him no companion: upon him do I call, and unto him shall I return.\n\n\tf  These are miracles which the Koreish required of Mohammed; demanding\nthat he would, by the power of his Kor\u00e2n, either remove the mountains from\nabout Mecca, that they might have delicious gardens in their room, or that he\nwould oblige the wind to transport them, with their merchandise, to Syria\n(according to which tradition, the words here translated, or the earth cleaved\nin sunder, should be rendered, or the earth be travelled over in an instant);\nor else raise to life Kosai Ebn Kel\u00e2b,1 and others of their ancestors, to bear\nwitness to him; whereupon this passage was revealed.\n\tg  It is supposed by some that these words are spoken to Mohammed, and\nthen they must be translated in the second person, Nor shall thou cease to sit\ndown, &c.  For they say this verse relates to the idolaters of Mecca, who were\nafflicted with a series of misfortunes for their ill-usage of their prophet,\nand were also continually annoyed and harassed by his parties, which\nfrequently plundered their caravans and drove off their cattle, himself\nsitting down with his whole army near the city in the expedition of al\nHodeib\u00eeya.2\n\th  i.e., Till death and the day of judgment overtake them; or, according\nto the exposition in the preceding note, until the taking of Mecca.3\n\ti  That is, calling them the companion of GOD, without being able to\nassign any reason, or give any proof why they deserve to be sharers in the\nhonour and worship due from mankind to him.4\n\tk  viz., The first proselytes to Mohammedism from Judaism and\nChristianity; or the Jews and Christians in general, who were pleased to find\nthe Kor\u00e2n so consonant to their own scriptures.5\n\tl  That is, such of them as had entered into a confederacy to oppose\nMohammed; as did Caab Ebn al Ashraf, and the Jews who followed him, and al\nSeyid al Najr\u00e2ni, al Akib, and several other Christians; who denied such parts\nof the Kor\u00e2n as contradicted their corrupt doctrines and traditions.6\n\n\t1  See cap. 8, p. 128, note f.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3\nIdem.\t\t4  Idem.\t\t5  See cap. 3, p. 52.\t\t6  Idem.\n\n\n     To this purpose have we sent down the Koran a rule of judgment, in the\nArabic language.  And verily, if thou follow their desires, after the\nknowledge which hath been given thee, there shall be none to defend or protect\nthee against GOD.\n     We have formerly sent apostles before thee, and bestowed on them wives\nand children;m and no apostle had the power to come with a sign, unless by the\npermission of GOD.  Every age hath its book of revelation:\n     GOD shall abolish and shall confirm what he pleaseth.  With him is the\noriginal of the book.n\n40\tMoreover, whether we cause thee to see any part of that punishment\nwherewith we have threatened them, or whether we cause thee to die before it\nbe inflicted on them, verily unto thee belongeth preaching only, but unto us\ninquisition.\n     Do they not see that we come into their land, and straighten the borders\nthereof, by the conquests of the true believers?  When GOD judgeth, there is\nnone to reverse his judgment: and he will be swift in taking an account.\n     Their predecessors formerly devised subtle plots against their prophets;\nbut GOD is master of every subtle device.  He knoweth that which every soul\ndeserveth: and the infidels shall surely know, whose will be the reward of\nparadise.\n     The unbelieverso will say, Thou art not sent of God.  Answer, GOD is a\nsufficient witness between me and you, and he who understandeth the\nscriptures.\n\n\tm  As we have on thee.  This passage was revealed in answer to the\nreproaches which were cast on Mohammed, on account of the great number of his\nwives.  For the Jews said that if he was a true prophet, his care and\nattention would be employed about something else than women and the getting of\nchildren.7  It may be observed that it is a maxim of the Jews that nothing is\nmore repugnant to prophecy than carnality.8\n\tn  Literally, the mother of the book; by which is meant the preserved\ntable, from which all the written revelations which have been from time to\ntime published to mankind, according to the several dispensations, are\ntranscripts.\n\to  The persons intended in this passage, it is said, were the Jewish\ndoctors.9\n\n\t7  Jallalo'ddin, Yahya.\t\t8  Vide Maimon. More Nev. part ii. c. 36,\n&c.\t\t9  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIV.\n\nENTITLED, ABRAHAM;a REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     AL. R.b  This book have we sent down unto thee, that thou mayest lead men\nforth from darkness into light, by the permission of their LORD, into the\nglorious and laudable way.\n     GOD is he unto whom belongeth whatsoever is in heaven and on earth: and\nwoe be to the infidels, because a grievous punishment waiteth them;\n     who love the present life above that which is to come, and turn men aside\nfrom the way of GOD, and seek to render it crooked: these are in an error far\ndistant from the truth.\n     We have sent no apostle but with the language of his people, that he\nmight declare their duty plainly unto them;c for GOD causeth to err whom he\npleaseth, and directeth whom he pleaseth; and he is the mighty, the wise.\n     We formerly sent Moses with our signs, and commanded him saying, Lead\nforth thy people from darkness into light, and remind them of the favors of\nGOD:d verily therein are signs unto every patient and grateful person.\n     And call to mind when Moses said unto his people, Remember the favor of\nGOD towards you, when he delivered you from the people of Pharaoh: they\ngrievously oppressed you; and they slew your male children, but let your\nfemales live:e therein was a great trial from your LORD.\n     And when your LORD declared by the mouth of Moses, saying, If ye be\nthankful, I will surely increase my favors towards you; but if ye be\nungrateful, verily my punishment shall be severe.\n     And Moses said, If ye be ungrateful, and all who are in the earth\nlikewise; verily GOD needeth not your thanks, though he deserveth the highest\npraise.\n     Hath not the history of the nations your predecessors reached you;\nnamely, of the people of Noah, and of Ad, and of Thamud,f\n10\tand of those who succeeded them; whose number none knoweth except GOD?\nTheir apostles came unto them with evident miracles; but they clapped their\nhands to their mouths out of indignation, and said, We do not believe the\nmessage with which ye pretend to be sent; and we are in a doubt concerning the\nreligion to which ye invite us, as justly to be suspected.\n\n\ta  Mention is made of this patriarch towards the end of the chapter.\n\tb  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III p. 46, &c.\n\tc  That so they might not only perfectly and readily understand those\nrevelations themselves, but might also be able to translate and interpret them\nunto others.1\n\td  Literally, the days of GOD; which may also be translated, the battles\nof GOD (the Arabs using the word day to signify a remarkable engagement, as\nthe Italians do giornata, and the French, journ\u00e9e), or his wonderful acts\nmanifested in the various success of former nations in their wars.2\n\te  See chapter 7, p. 117, &c.\n\tf  See ibid. p. 111, &c.\n\n\t\t\t\t1  Idem.\t\t\t2  Idem.\n\n\n     Their apostles answered, Is there any doubt concerning GOD, the creator\nof heaven and earth?  He inviteth you to the true faith that he may forgive\nyou part of your sins,g and may respite your punishment, by granting you space\nto repent, until an appointed time.\n     They answered, Ye are but men, like unto us: ye seek to turn us aside\nfrom the gods which our fathers worshipped: wherefore bring us an evident\ndemonstration by some miracle, that ye speak truth.\n     Their apostles replied unto them, We are no other than men like unto you;\nbut GOD is bountiful unto such of his servants as he pleaseth: and it is not\nin our power to give you a miraculous demonstration of our mission,\n     unless by the permission of GOD; in GOD therefore let the faithful trust.\n     And what excuse have we to allege, that we should not put our trust in\nGOD; since he hath directed us our paths?  Wherefore we will certainly suffer\nwith patience the persecution wherewith ye shall afflict us: in GOD therefore\nlet those put their confidence who seek in whom to put their trust.\n     And those who believed not said unto their apostles, We will surely expel\nyou out of our land; or ye shall return unto our religion.  And their LORD\nspake unto them by revelation, saying, We will surely destroy the wicked\ndoers;\n     and we will cause you to dwell in the earth, after them.  This shall be\ngranted unto him who shall dread the appearance at my tribunal, and shall fear\nmy threatening.\n     And they asked assistance of God,h and every rebellious perverse person\nfailed of success.\n     Hell lieth unseen before him, and he shall have filthy wateri given him\nto drink:\n20\the shall sup it up by little and little, and he shall not easily let it\npass his throat because of its nauseousness; death also shall come upon him\nfrom every quarter, yet he shall not die; and before him shall there stand\nprepared a grievous torment.\n     This is the likeness of those who believe not in their LORD.  Their works\nare as ashes, which the wind violently scattereth in a stormy day: they shall\nnot be able to obtain any solid advantage from that which they have wrought.\nThis is an error most distant from truth.\n     Dost thou not see that GOD hath created the heavens and the earth in\nwisdom?  If he please, he can destroy you, and produce a new creature in your\nstead:\n     neither will this be difficult with GOD.\n     And they shall all come forth into the presence of GOD at the last day:\nand the weak among them shall say unto those who behaved themselves\narrogantly,j Verily we were your followers on earth; will ye not therefore\navert from us some part of the divine vengeance?\n     They shall answer, If GOD had directed us aright, we had certainly\ndirected you.k  It is equal unto us whether we bear our torments impatiently,\nor whether we endure them with patience: for we have no way to escape.\n\n\tg  That is, such of them as were committed directly against GOD, which\nare immediately cancelled by faith, or embracing Isl\u00e2m; but not the crimes of\ninjustice, and oppression, which were committed against man:1 for to obtain\nremission of these last, besides faith, repentance and restitution, according\nto a man's ability, are also necessary.\n\th  The commentators are uncertain whether these were the prophets, who\nbegged assistance against their enemies; or the infidels, who called for GOD'S\ndecision between themselves and them; or both.  And some suppose this verse\nhas no connection with the preceding, but is spoken of the people of Mecca,\nwho begged rain in a great drought with which they were afflicted at the\nprayer of their prophet, but could not obtain it.2\n\ti  Which will issue from the bodies of the damned, mixed with purulent\nmatter and blood.\n\tj  i.e., The more simple and inferior people shall say to their teachers\nand princes who seduced them to idolatry, and confirmed them in their\nobstinate infidelity.\n\tk  That is, We made the same choice for you, as we did for ourselves:\nand had not GOD permitted us to fall into error, we had not seduced you.\n\n\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\n\n\n     And Satan shall say, after judgment shall have been given, Verily GOD\npromised you a promise of truth: and I also made you a promise; but I deceived\nyou.  Yet I had not any power over you to compel you;\n     but I called you only, and ye answered me: wherefore accuse not me, but\naccuse yourselves.l  I cannot assist you; neither can ye assist me.  Verily I\ndo now renounce your having associated me with God heretofore.m  A grievous\npunishment is prepared for the unjust.\n     But they who shall have believed and wrought righteousness shall be\nintroduced into gardens, wherein rivers flow, they shall remain therein\nforever, by the permission of their LORD; and their salutation therein shall\nbe, Peace!n\n     Dost thou not see how GOD putteth forth a parable; representing a good\nword, as a good tree, whose root is firmly fixed in the earth, and whose\nbranches reach unto heaven;\n30\twhich bringeth forth its fruit in all seasons, by the will of its LORD?\nGOD propoundeth parables unto men, that they may be instructed.\n     And the likeness of an evil word is as an evil tree; which is torn up\nfrom the face of the earth, and hath no stability.o\n     GOD shall confirm them who believe, by the steadfast word of faith, both\nin this life and in that which is to come:p but GOD shall lead the wicked into\nerror; for GOD doth that which he pleaseth.\n     Hast thou not considered those who have changed the grace of GOD to\ninfidelity,q and cause their people to descend into the house of perdition,\n     namely, into hell?  They shall be thrown to burn therein; and an unhappy\ndwelling shall it be.\n     They also set up idols as co-partners with GOD, that they might cause men\nto stray from his path.  Say, unto them, Enjoy the pleasures of this life for\na time; but your departure hence shall be into hell fire.\n     Speak unto my servants who have believed, that they be assiduous at\nprayer, and give alms out of that which we have bestowed on them, both\nprivately and in public; before the day cometh, wherein there shall be no\nbuying nor selling, neither any friendship.\n\n\tl  Lay not the blame on my temptations, but blame your own folly in\nobeying and trusting in me, who had openly professed myself your\nirreconcilable enemy.\n\tm  Or I do now declare myself clear of your having obeyed me, preferably\nto GOD, and worshipped idols at my instigation.  Or the words may be\ntranslated, I believed not heretofore in that Being with whom ye did associate\nme; intimating his first disobedience in refusing to worship Adam at GOD'S\ncommand.1\n\tn  See chapter 10, p. 151.\n\to  What is particularly intended in this passage by the good word, and\nthe evil word, the expositors differ.  But the first seems to mean the\nprofession of GOD'S unity; the inviting others to the true religion, or the\nKor\u00e2n itself; and the latter, the acknowledging a plurality of gods, the\nseducing of others to idolatry, or the obstinate opposition of GOD'S\nprophets.2\n\tp  Jallalo'ddin supposes the sepulchre to be here understood; in which\nplace when the true believers come to be examined by the two angels concerning\ntheir faith, they will answer properly and without hesitation; which the\ninfidels will not be able to do.3\n\tq  That is, who requite his favours with disobedience and incredulity.\nOr, whose ingratitude obliged GOD to deprive them of the blessings he had\nbestowed on them; as he did the Meccans, who though GOD had placed them in the\nsacred territory, and given them the custody of the Caaba, and abundant\nprovision of all necessaries and conveniences of life, and had also honoured\nthem by the mission of Mohammed, yet in return for all this became obstinate\nunbelievers, and persecuted his apostle; for which they were not only punished\nby a famine of seven years, but also by the loss and disgrace they sustained\nat Bedr; so that they who had before been celebrated for their prosperity,\nwere not stripped of that, and become conspicuous only for their infidelity.4\nIf this be the drift of the passage, it could not have been revealed at Mecca,\nas the rest of the chapter is agreed to be; wherefore some suppose this verse\nand the next to have been revealed at Medina.\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t3  See the Prelim. Disc.\nSect. IV. p. 59.\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     It is GOD who hath created the heavens and the earth; and causeth water\nto descend from heaven, and by means thereof produceth fruits for your\nsustenance: and by his command he obligethr the ships to sail in the sea for\nyour service; and he also forceth the rivers to supply your uses: he likewise\ncompelleth the sun and the moon, which diligently perform their courses, to\nserve you; and hath subjected the day and the night to your service.  He\ngiveth you of everything which ye ask him; and if ye attempt to reckon up the\nfavors of GOD, ye shall not be able to compute the same.  Surely man is unjust\nand ungrateful.\n     Remember when Abraham said, O LORD, make this lands a place of security;\nand grant that I and my childrent may avoid the worship of idols;\n     for they, O LORD, have seduced a great number of men.  Whoever therefore\nshall follow me, he shall be of me; and whosoever shall disobey me, verily\nthou wilt be gracious and merciful.u\n40\tO LORD, I have caused some of my offspringx to settle in an unfruitful\nvalley, near the holy house, O LORD, that they may be constant at prayer.\nGrant, therefore, that the hearts of some meny may be affected with kindness\ntoward them; and do thou bestow on them all sorts of fruits,z that they may\ngive thanks.\n     O LORD, thou knowest whatsoever we conceal, and whatsoever we publish;\nfor nothing is hidden from GOD, either on earth or in heaven.  Praise be unto\nGOD, who hath given me, in my old age, Israel and Isaac: for my LORD is the\nhearer of supplication.\n     O LORD, grant that I may be an observer of prayer, and a part of my\nposterity also,a O LORD, and receive my supplication.  O LORD, forgive me, and\nmy parents,b and the faithful, on the day whereon an account shall be taken.\n     Think not, O prophet, that GOD is regardless of what the ungodly do.  He\nonly deferreth their punishment unto the day whereon men's eyes shall be\nfixed:\n\n\tr  The word used here, and in the following sentences, is sakhkhara,\nwhich signifies forcibly to press into any service.1\n\ts  viz., The territory of Mecca.  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.\n\tt  This prayer, it seems, was not heard as to all his posterity,\nparticularly as to the descendants of Ismael; though some pretend that these\nlatter did not worship images, but only paid a superstitious veneration to\ncertain stones, which they set up and compassed, as representations of the\nCaaba.2\n\tu  That is, by disposing him to repentance.  But Jallalo'ddin supposes\nthese words were spoken by Abraham before he knew that GOD would not pardon\nidolatry.\n\tx  i.e., Ismael and his posterity.  The Mohammedans say, that Hagar, his\nmother, belonged to Sarah, who gave her to Abraham; and that, on her bearing\nhim this son, Sarah became so jealous of her, that she prevailed on her\nhusband to turn them both out of doors; whereupon he sent them to the\nterritory of Mecca, where GOD caused the fountain of Zemzem to spring forth\nfor their relief, in consideration of which the Jorhamites, who were the\nmasters of the country, permitted them to settle among them.3\n\ty  Had he said the hearts of men, absolutely, the Persians and the\nRomans would also have treated them as friends; and both the Jews and\nChristians would have made their pilgrimages to Mecca.4\n\tz  This part of the prayer was granted; Mecca being so plentifully\nsupplied, that the fruits of spring, summer, and autumn, are to be found there\nat one and the same time.5\n\ta  For he knew by revelation that somme of them would be infidels.\n\tb  Abraham put up this petition to GOD before he knew that his parents\nwere the enemies of GOD.6  Some suppose his mother was a true believer, and\ntherefore read it in the singular, and my father.  Others fancy that by his\nparents the patriarch here means Adam and Eve.7\n\n\t1  See chapter 2, p. 17, note c.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  See the\nPrelim. Disc. Sect. I. p. 13-16.\t\t3  Idem.\n4  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t5  Idem.\t\t6  See chapter 9, p. 148.\n\t\t7  Jallalo'ddin, Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     they shall hasten forward, at the voice of the angel calling to judgment,\nand shall lift up their heads; they shall not be able to turn their sight from\nthe object whereon it shall be fixed, and their hearts shall be void of sense,\nthrough excessive terror.  Wherefore do thou threaten men with the day,\nwhereon their punishment shall be inflicted on them,\n     and whereon those who have acted unjustly shall say, O LORD, give us\nrespite unto a term near at hand;\n     and we will obey thy call, and we will follow thy apostles.  But it shall\nbe answered unto them, Did ye not swear heretofore, that no reverse should\nbefall you?c\n     yet ye dwelt in the dwellings of those who had treated their own souls\nunjustly;d and it appeared plainly unto you how we had dwelt with them;e and\nwe propounded their destruction as examples unto you.  They employ their\nutmost subtlety to oppose the truth; but their subtlety is apparent unto GOD,\nwho is able to frustrate their designs; although their subtlety were so great,\nthat the mountains might be moved thereby.\n     Think not, therefore, O prophet, that GOD will be contrary to his promise\nof assistance, made unto his apostles; for GOD is mighty, able to avenge.\n     The day will come, when the earth shall be changed into another earth,\nand the heavens into other heavens;f and men shall come forth from their\ngraves to appear before the only, the mighty GOD.\n50\tAnd thou shalt see the wicked on that day bound together in fetters:\n     their inner garments shall be of pitch, and fire shall cover their faces;\nthat GOD may reward every soul according to what it shall have deserved; for\nGOD is swift in taking an account.\n     This is a sufficient admonition unto men, that they may be warned\nthereby, and that they may know that there is but one GOD; and that those who\nare endued with understanding may consider.\n\n\tc  That is, That ye should not taste of death, but continue in this\nworld for ever; or that ye should not after death be raised to judgment.1\n\td  viz., Of the Adites and Tham\u00fbdites.\n\te  Not only by the histories of those people revealed in the Kor\u00e2n, but\nalso by the monuments remaining of them (as the houses of the Tham\u00fbdites, and\nthe traditions preserved among you of the terrible judgments which befell\nthem.\n\tf  This the Mohammedans suppose will come to pass at the last day; the\nearth becoming white and even, or, as some will have it, of silver; and the\nheavens of gold.2\n\n\t1  Iidem, Al Zamakhshari, Yahya.\t\t2  Iidem.  Vide Prelim. Disc.\nSect. IV, p. 67.\n\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XV.\n\nENTITLED, AL HEJR;g REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     A. L. R.h  These are the signs of the book, and of the perspicuous Koran.\n     The time may come when the unbelievers shall wish that they had been\nMoslems.i\n     Suffer them to eat, and to enjoy themselves in this world; and let hope\nentertain them, but they shall hereafter know their folly.\n     We have not destroyed any city, but a fixed term of repentance was\nappointed them.\n     No nation shall be punished before their time shall be come; neither\nshall they be respited after.\n     The Meccans say, O thou to whom the admonitionj hath been sent down, thou\nart certainly possessed with a devil:\n     wouldest thou not have come unto us with an attendance of angels, if thou\nhadst spoken truth?\n     Answer, We send not down the angels, unless on a just occasion;k nor\nshould they be then respited any longer.\n     We have surely sent down the Koran; and we will certainly preserve the\nsame from corruption.l\n10\tWe have heretofore sent apostles before thee among the ancient sects:\n     and there came no apostle unto them, but they laughed him to scorn.\n     In the same manner will we put it into the hearts of the wicked Meccans\nto scoff at their prophet:\n     they shall not believe on him; and the sentence of the nations of old\nhath been executed heretofore.\n     If we should open a gate in the heaven above them, and they should ascend\ntheretom all the day long,\n     they should rather say, Our eyes are only dazzled; or rather we are a\npeople deluded by enchantments.\n     We have placed the twelve signs in the heaven, and have set them out in\nvarious figures, for the observation of spectators:\n     and we guard them from every deviln driven away with stones;o\n\n\tg  Al Hejr is a territory in the province of Hejaz, between Medina and\nSyria, where the tribe of Tham\u00fbd dwelt;1 and is mentioned towards the end of\nthe chapter.\n\th  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c.\n\ti  viz., When they shall see the success and prosperity of the true\nbelievers; or when they shall come to die; or at the resurrection.\n\tj  i.e., The revelations which compose the Kor\u00e2n.\n\tk  When the divine wisdom shall judge it proper to use their ministry,\nas in bearing his revelations to the prophets, and the executing his sentence\non wicked people; but not to humour you with their appearance in visible\nshapes, which, should your demand be complied with, would only increase your\nconfusion, and bring GOD'S vengeance on you the sooner.\n\tl  See the Prelim. Disc. IV. p. 57.\n\tm  i.e., The incredulous Meccans themselves; or, as others rather think,\nthe angels in visible forms.\n\tn  For the Mohammedans imagine that the devils endeavour to ascend to\nthe constellations, to pry into the actions and overhear the discourse of the\ninhabitants of heaven, and to tempt them.  They also pretend that these evil\nspirits had the liberty of entering any of the heavens till the birth of\nJESUS, when they were excluded three of them; but that on the birth of\nMohammed they were forbidden the other four.2\n\to  See chapter 3, p. 35, note b.\n\n\t\t1  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 4.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     except him who listeneth by stealth, at whom a visible flame is darted.p\n     We have also spread forth the earth, and thrown thereon stable mountains,\nand we have caused every kind of vegetable to spring forth in the same,\naccording to a determinate weight:\n20\tand we have provided therein necessaries of life for you, and for him\nwhom ye do not sustain.q\n     There is no one thing but the storehouses thereof are in our hands; and\nwe distribute not the same otherwise than in a determinate measure.\n     We also send the winds driving the pregnant clouds, and we send down from\nheaven water, whereof we give you to drink, and which ye keep not in store.\n     Verily we give life, and we put to death: and we are the heirs of all\nthings.r\n     We know those among you who go before; and we know those who stay\nbehind.s\n     And thy LORD shall gather them together at the last day: for he is\nknowing and wise.\n     We created man of dried clay, of black mud, formed into shape:t\n     and we had before created the devil of subtle fire.\n     And remember when thy LORD said unto the angels, Verily I am about to\ncreate man of dried clay, of black mud, wrought into shape;\n     when, therefore, I shall have completely formed him, and shall have\nbreathed of my spirit into him; do ye fall down and worship him.\n30\tAnd all the angels worshipped Adam together,\n     except Eblis, who refused to be with those who worshipped him.\n     And God said unto him, O Eblis, what hindered thee from being with those\nwho worshipped Adam?\n     He answered, It is not fit that I should worship man, whom thou hast\ncreated of dried clay, of black mud, wrought into shape.\n     God said, Get thee therefore hence: for thou shalt be driven away with\nstones:\n     and a curse shall be on thee, until the day of judgment.\n     The devil said, O LORD, Give me respite until the day of resurrection.\n     God answered, Verily thou shalt be one of those who are respited\n     until the day of the appointed time.u\n     The devil replied, O LORD, because thou hast seduced me, I will surely\ntempt them to disobedience in the earth;\n40\tand I will seduce such of them as shall be thy chosen servants.\n     God said, This is the right way with me.x\n     Verily as to my servants, thou shalt have no power over them; but over\nthose only who shall be seduced, and who shall follow thee.\n     And hell is surely denounced unto them all:\n\n\tp  For when a star seems to fall or shoot, the Mohammedans suppose the\nangels, who keep guard in the constellations, dart them at the devils who\napproach too near.\n\tq  viz., Your family, servants, and slaves, whom ye wrongly imagine that\nye feed yourselves; though it is GOD who provides for them as well as you:1\nor, as some rather think, the animals, of whom men take no care.2\n\tr  i.e., Alone surviving, when all creatures shall be dead and\nannihilated.\n\ts  What these words particularly drive at is uncertain.  Some think them\nspoken of the different times of men's several entrance into this world, and\ntheir departure out of it; others of the respective forwardness and\nbackwardness of Mohammed's men in battle; and a third says, the passage was\noccasioned by the different behaviour of Mohammed's followers, on seeing a\nvery beautiful woman at prayers behind the prophet; some of them going out of\nthe Mosque before her, to avoid looking on her more nearly, and others staying\nbehind, on purpose to view her.3\n\tt  See chapter 2, p. 4, &c.\n\tu  See ibid. and chapter 7, p. 106.\n\tx  viz., The saving of the elect, and the utter reprobation of the\nwicked, according to my eternal decree.\n\n\t\t\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     it hath seven gates; unto every gate a distinct company of them shall be\nassigned.y\n     But those who fear God shall dwell in gardens, amidst fountains.\n     The angels shall say unto them, Enter ye therein in peace and security,\n     and we will remove all grudges from their breasts;z they shall be as\nbrethren, sitting over against one anothera on couches;\n     weariness shall not affect them therein, neither shall they be cast out\nthence forever.\n     Declare unto my servants that I am the gracious, the merciful God;\n50\tand that my punishment is a grievous punishment.\n     And relate unto them the history of Abraham's guests.b\n     When they went in unto him, and said, Peace be unto thee,\n     he answered, Verily we are afraid of you:c\n     and they replied, Fear not; we bring thee the promise of a wise son.\n     He said, Do ye bring me the promise of a son now old age hath overtaken\nme? what is it therefore that ye tell me?\n     They said, We have told thee the truth; be not therefore one of those who\ndespair.\n     He answered, And who despaireth of the mercy of GOD, except those who\nerr?\n     And he said, What is your errand, therefore, O messengers of God?\n     They answered, Verily we are sent to destroy a wicked people;\n60\tbut as for the family of Lot, we will save them all,\n     except his wife; we have decreed that she shall be one of those who\nremain behind to be destroyed with the infidels.\n     And when the messengers came to the family of Lot,\n     he said unto them, Verily ye are a people who are unknown to me.\n     They answered, But we are come unto thee to execute that sentence,\nconcerning which your fellow-citizens doubted:\n     we tell thee a certain truth; and we are messengers of veracity.\n     Therefore lead forth thy family, in some time of the night; and do thou\nfollow behind them, and let none of you turn back; but go whither ye are\ncommanded.d\n     And we gave him this command; because the utmost remnant of those people\nwas to be cut off in the morning.\n     And the inhabitants of the city came unto Lot, rejoicing at the news of\nthe arrival of some strangers.\n     And he said unto them, Verily these are my guests: wherefore do not\ndisgrace me by abusing them;\n70\tbut fear GOD, and put me not to shame.\n     They answered, Have we not forbidden thee from entertaining or protecting\nany man?\n     Lot replied, These are my daughters: therefore rather make use of them,\nif ye be resolved to do what ye purpose.\n     As thou livest they wander in their folly.e\n     Wherefore a terrible storm from heaven assailed them at sunrise,\n     and we turned the city upside down: and we rained on them stones of baked\nclay.\n     Verily herein are signs unto men of sagacity:\n     and those cities were punished, to point out a right way for men to walk\nin.\n     Verily herein is a sign unto the true believers.\n\n\ty  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 71\n\tz  That is, all hatred and ill-will which they bore each other in their\nlifetime; or, as some choose to expound it, all envy or heart-burning on\naccount of the different degrees of honour and happiness to which the blessed\nwill be promoted according to their respective merits.\n\ta  Never turning their backs to one another;2 which might be construed a\nsign of contempt.\n\tb  See chapter 11, p. 165, &c.\n\tc  What occasioned Abraham's apprehension was, either their sudden\nentering without leave or their coming at an unseasonable time; or else their\nnot eating with him.\n\td  Which was into Syria; or into Egypt.\n\te  Some will have these words spoken by the angels to Lot; others, by\nGOD to Mohammed.\n\n\t1  See chapter 7, p. 108, note, 7.\t\t2  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t3  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     The inhabitants of the wood near Midianf were also ungodly.\n80\tWherefore we took vengeance on them.g  And both of them were destroyed,\nto serve as a manifest rule for men to direct their actions by.\n     And the inhabitants of Al Hejrh likewise heretofore accused the\nmessengers of God of imposture:\n     and we produced our signs unto them, but they retired afar off from the\nsame.\n     And they hewed houses out of the mountains, to secure themselves.\n     But a terrible noise from heaven assailed them in the morning;\n     neither was what they had wrought of any advantage unto them.\n     We have not created the heavens and the earth, and whatever is contained\nbetween them, otherwise than in justice: and the hour of judgment shall surely\ncome.  Wherefore O Mohammed, forgive thy people with a gracious forgiveness.i\n     Verily thy LORD is the creator of thee and of them, and knoweth what is\nmost expedient.\n     We have already brought unto thee seven verses which are frequently to be\nrepeated,j and the glorious Koran.\n     Cast not thine eyes on the good things which we have bestowed on several\nof the unbelievers, so as to covet the same:k neither be thou grieved on their\naccount.  Behave thyself with meekness towards the true believers;\n90\tand say, I am a public preacher.\n     If they believe not, we will inflict a like punishment on them, as we\nhave inflicted on the dividers,l\n     who distinguished the Koran into different parts,\n     for by thy LORD, we will demand an account from them all of that which\nthey have wrought.\n     Wherefore publish that which thou hast been commanded, and withdraw from\nthe idolaters.\n\n\tf  To whom Shoaib was also sent, as well as to the inhabitants of\nMidian.  Abulfeda says these people dwelt near Tab\u00fbc, and that they were not\nof the same tribe with Shoaib.  See also Geog. Nub. 110.\n\tg  Destroying them, for their incredulity and disobedience, by a hot\nsuffocating wind.1\n\th  Who were the tribe of Tham\u00fbd.2\n\ti  This verse, it is said, was abrogated by that of the sword.\n\tj  That is, the first chapter of the Kor\u00e2n, which consists of so many\nverses: though some suppose the seven long chapters3 are here intended.\n\tk  That is, Do not envy or covet their worldly prosperity, since thou\nhast received, in the Kor\u00e2n, a blessing, in comparison whereof all that we\nhave bestowed on them ought to be contemned as of no value.  Al Beid\u00e2wi\nmentions a tradition, that Mohammed meeting at Adhri\u00e2t (a town of Syria) seven\ncaravans, very richly laden, belonging to some Jews of the tribes of Koreidha\nand al Nad\u00eer, his men had a great mind to plunder them, saying, That those\nriches would be of great service for the propagation of GOD'S true religion.\nBut the prophet represented to them, by this passage, that they had no reason\nto repine, GOD having given them the seven verses, which were infinitely more\nvaluable than those seven caravans.4\n\tl  Some interpret the original word, the obstructers, who hindered men\nfrom entering Mecca, to visit the temple, lest they should be persuaded to\nembrace Isl\u00e2m: and this, it is said, was done by ten men, who were all slain\nat Bedr.  Others translate the word, who bound themselves by oath; and suppose\ncertain Tham\u00fbdites, who swore to kill Saleh by night, are here meant.  But the\nsentence more probably relates to the Jews and Christians, who (say the\nMohammedans) receive some part of the scriptures, and reject others; and also\napproved of some passages of the Kor\u00e2n, and disapproved of others, according\nto their prejudices; or else to the unbelieving Meccans, some of whom called\nthe Kor\u00e2n a piece of witchcraft; others, flights of divination; others, old\nstories; and others, a poetical composition.5\n\n\t1  Iidem.\t\t2  See chapter 7, p. 113, &c., and Prel. Disc. p. 5.\n\t3  See chapter 9, p. 134, note e.\n4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t5  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     We will surely take thy part against the scoffers,m\n     who associate with GOD another god; they shall surely know their folly.\n     And now we well know that thou art deeply concerned on account of that\nwhich they say;\n     but do thou celebrate the praise of thy LORD; and be one of those who\nworship;\n     and serve thy LORD until deathn shall overtake thee.\n\n\n_______\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVI.\n\nENTITLED, THE BEE;o REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     THE sentence of GOD will surely come to be executed; wherefore do not\nhasten it.  Praise be unto him! and far be that from him which they associate\nwith him!\n     He shall cause the angels to descend with a revelation by his command,\nunto such of his servants as he pleaseth, saying, Preach that there is no GOD,\nexcept myself; therefore fear me.\n     He hath created the heavens and the earth, to manifest his justice; far\nbe that from him which they associate with him!\n     He hath created man of seed; and yet behold he is a professed disputer\nagainst the resurrection.q\n     He hath likewise created the cattle for you; from them ye have wherewith\nto keep yourselves warm,r and other advantages; and of them do ye also eat.\n     And they are likewise a credit unto you,s when ye drive them home in the\nevening, and when ye lead them forth to feed in the morning:\n     and they carry your burdens to a distant country, at which ye could not\notherwise arrive, unless with great difficulty to yourselves; for your LORD is\ncompassionate and merciful.\n     and he hath also created horses, and mules, and asses, that ye may ride\nthereon, and for an ornament unto you; and he likewise created other things\nwhich ye know not.\n     It appertaineth unto GOD to instruct men in the right way; and there is\nwho turneth aside from the same: but if he had pleased, he would certainly\nhave directed you all.\n10\tIt is he who sendeth down from heaven rain water, whereof ye have to\ndrink, and from which plants, whereon ye feed your cattle, receive their\nnourishment.\n\n\tm  This passage, it is said, was revealed on account of five noble\nKoreish, whose names were al Wal\u00eed Ebn al Mogheira, al As Ebn Wayel, Oda Ebn\nKais, al Aswad Ebn Abd Yagh\u00fbth, and al Aswad Ebn al Motalleb.  These were\ninveterate enemies of Mohammed, continually persecuting him, and turning him\ninto ridicule; wherefore at length Gabriel came and told him that he was\ncommanded to take his part against them; and on the angel's making a sign\ntowards them one after another, al Wal\u00eed passing by some arrows, one of them\nhitched in his garment, and he, out of pride, not stooping to take it off, but\nwalking forward, the head of it cut a vein in his heel, and he bled to death;\nal As was killed with a thorn, which stuck into the sole of his foot, and\ncaused his leg to swell to a monstrous size; Oda died with violent and\nperpetual sneezing; al Aswad Ebn Abd Yagh\u00fbth ran his head against a thorny\ntree and killed himself; and al Aswad Ebn al Motalleb was struck blind.1\n\tn  Literally, That which is certain.\n\to  This insect is mentioned about the middle of the chapter.\n\tp  Except the three last verses.\n\tq  The person particularly intended in this place was Obba Ebn Khalf,\nwho came to Mohammed with a rotten bone, and asked him whether it was possible\nfor GOD to restore it to life.2\n\tr  viz., Their skins, wool, and hair, which serve you for clothing.\n\ts  Being a grace to your court-yards, and a credit to you in the eyes of\nyour neighbours.3\n\n\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\n\n\n     And by means thereof he causeth corn, and olives, and palm-trees, and\ngrapes, and all kinds of fruits, to spring forth for you.  Surely herein is a\nsign of the divine power and wisdom unto people who consider.\n     And he hath subjected the night and the day to your service; and the sun,\nand the moon, and the stars, which are compelled to serve by his command.\nVerily herein are signs unto people of understanding.\n     And he hath also given you dominion over whatever he hath created for you\nin the earth, distinguished by its different colour.t  Surely herein is a sign\nunto people who reflect.\n     It is he who hath subjected the sea unto you, that ye might eat fishu\nthereout, and take from thence ornamentsx for you to wear; and thou seest the\nships ploughing the waves thereof, that ye may seek to enrich yourselves of\nhis abundance, by commerce; and that ye might give thanks.\n     And he hath thrown upon the earth mountains firmly rooted, lest it should\nmove with you,y and also rivers, and paths, that ye might be directed:\n     and he hath likewise ordained marks whereby men may know their way; and\nthey are directed by the stars.z\n     Shall God therefore, who createth, be as he who createth not?  Do ye not\ntherefore consider?\n     If ye attempt to reckon up the favors of GOD, ye shall not be able to\ncompute their number; GOD is surely gracious and merciful;\n     and GOD knoweth that which ye conceal, and that which ye publish.\n20\tBut the idols which ye invoke, besides GOD, create nothing, but are\nthemselves created.\n     They are dead, and not living; neither do they understand\n     when they shall be raised.a\n     Your GOD is one GOD.  As to those who believe not in the life to come,\ntheir hearts deny the plainest evidence, and they proudly reject the truth.\n     There is no doubt but GOD knoweth that which they conceal and that which\nthey discover.\n     Verily he loveth not the proud.\n     And when it is said unto them, What hath your LORD sent down unto\nMohammed? they answer, Fables of ancient times.\n     Thus are they given up to error, that they may bear their own burdens\nwithout diminution on the day of resurrection, and also a part of the burdens\nof those whom they caused to err, without knowledge.  Will it not be an evil\nburden which they shall bear?\n     Their predecessors devised plots heretofore: but GOD came into their\nbuilding, to overthrow it from the foundations; and the roof fell on them from\nabove, and a punishment came upon them, from whence they did not expect.b\n\n\tt  That is, of every kind; the various colour of things being one of\ntheir chief distinctions.1\n\tu  Literally, fresh flesh; by which fish is meant, as being naturally\nmore fresh, and sooner liable to corruption, than the flesh of birds and\nbeasts.  The expression is thought to have been made use of here the rather,\nbecause the production of such fresh food from salt water is an instance of\nGOD'S power.2\n\tx  As pearls and coral.\n\ty  The Mohammedans suppose that the earth, when first created, was\nsmooth and equal, and thereby liable to a circular motion as well as the\ncelestial orbs; and that the angels asking, who could be able to stand on so\ntottering a frame, God fixed it the next morning by throwing the mountains on\nit.\n\tz  Which are their guides, not only at sea, but also on land, when they\ntravel by night through the deserts.  The stars which they observe for this\npurpose, are either the Pleiades, or some of those near the Pole.\n\ta  i.e., At what time they or their worshippers shall be raised to\nreceive judgment.\n\tb  Some understand this passage figuratively, of God's disappointing\ntheir wicked designs; but others suppose the words literally relate to the\ntower which Nimrod (whom the Mohammedans will have to be the son of Caanan,\nthe son of Ham, and so the nephew of Cush, and not his son) built in Babel,\nand carried to an immense height (five thousand cubits, say some), foolishly\npurposing thereby to ascend to heaven and wage war with the inhabitants of\nthat place; but God frustrated his attempt, utterly overthrowing the tower by\na violent wind and earthquake.1\n\n\t\t\t\t1  Idem.\t\t\t2  Idem.\n\n\n     Also on the day of resurrection he will cover them with shame; and will\nsay, Where are my companions, concerning whom ye disputed?  Those unto whom\nknowledge shall have been given,c shall answer, This day shall shame and\nmisery fall upon the unbelievers.\n30\tThey whom the angels shall cause to die, having dealt unjustly with\ntheir own souls, shall offer to make their peaced in the article of death,\nsaying, We have done no evil.  But the angels shall reply.  Yea; verily GOD\nwell knoweth that which ye have wrought:\n     wherefore enter the gates of hell, therein to remain forever; and\nmiserable shall be the abode of the proud.\n     And it shall be said unto those who shall fear God, What hath your LORD\nsent down?  They shall answer, Good; unto those who do right shall be given an\nexcellent reward in this world; but the dwelling of the next life shall be\nbetter; and happy shall be the dwelling of the pious!\n     namely gardens of eternal abode,e into which they shall enter; rivers\nshall flow beneath the same; therein shall they enjoy whatever they wish.\nThus will GOD recompense the pious.\n     Unto the righteous, whom the angels shall cause to die, they shall say,\nPeace be upon you; enter ye into paradise, as a reward for that which ye have\nwrought.\n     Do the unbelievers expect any other than that the angels come unto them,\nto part their souls from their bodies; or that the sentence of thy LORD come\nto be executed on them?  So did they act who were before them; and GOD was not\nunjust towards them in that he destroyed them; but they dealt unjustly with\ntheir own souls:\n     the evils of that which they committed reached them; and the divine\njudgment which they scoffed at fell upon them.\n     The idolaters say, If GOD had pleased, we had not worshipped anything\nbesides him, neither had our fathers: neither had we forbidden anything,\nwithout him.f  So did they who were before them.  But is the duty of the\napostles any other than public preaching?\n     We have heretofore raised up in every nation an apostle to admonish them,\nsaying, Worship GOD, and avoid TAGHUT.g  And of them there were some whom GOD\ndirected, and there were others of them who were decreed to go astray.\nWherefore go through the earth, O tribe of Koreish, and see what hath been the\nend of those who accused their apostles of imposture.\n     If thou, O prophet, dost earnestly wish for their direction; verily GOD\nwill not direct him whom he hath resolved to lead into error; neither shall\nthey have any helpers.\n40\tAnd they swear most solemnly by GOD, saying, GOD will not raise the\ndead.  Yea; the promise thereof is true: but the greater part of men know it\nnot.\n\n\tc  viz., The prophets, and the teachers and professors of GOD'S unity;\nor, the angels.\n\td  Making their submission, and humbly excusing their evil actions, as\nproceeding from ignorance, and not from obstinacy or malice.2\n\te  Literally, gardens of Eden.  See chapter 9, p. 142.\n\tf  This they spoke of in a scoffing manner, justifying their idolatry\nand superstitious abstaining from certain cattle,3 by pretending, that had\nthese things been disagreeable to GOD, he would not have suffered them to be\npractised.\n\tg  See chapter 2, p. 28.\n\n\t1  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Nimrod\n\t2  Iidem Interp\t\t3  See chapter 6, p. 102, &c.\n\n\n     He will raise them that he may clearly show them the truth concerning\nwhich they now disagree, and that the unbelievers may know that they are\nliars.\n     Verily our speech unto anything, when we will the same, is, that we only\nsay unto it, Be; and it is.\n     As for those who have fled their country for the sake of GOD, after they\nhad been unjustly persecuted;h we will surely provide them an excellent\nhabitation in this world, but the reward of the next life shall be greater; if\nthey knew it.i\n     They who persevere patiently, and put their trust in their LORD, shall\nnot fail of happiness in this life and in that which is to come.\n     We have not sent any before thee, as our apostles, other than men,j unto\nwhom we spake by revelation.  Inquire therefore of those who have the custody\nof the scriptures, if ye know not this to be truth.\n     We sent them with evident miracles, and written revelations; and we have\nsent down unto thee this Kor\u00e2n,k that thou mayest declare unto mankind that\nwhich hath been sent down unto them, and that they may consider.\n     Are they who have plotted evil against their prophet secure that GOD will\nnot cause the earth to cleave under them, or that a punishment will not come\nupon them, from whence they do not expect;\n     or that he will not chastise them while they are busied in travelling\nfrom one place to another, and in traffic? (for they shall not be able to\nelude the power of God,)\n     or that he will not chastise them by a gradual destruction?  But your\nLORD is truly gracious and merciful in granting you respite.\n50\tDo they not consider the things which GOD hath created; whose shadows\nare cast on the right hand and on the left, worshipping God,l and become\ncontracted?\n     Whatever moveth both in heaven and on earth worshippeth GOD, and the\nangels also; and they are not elated with pride, so as to disdain his service:\n     they fear their LORD, who is exalted above them, and perform that which\nthey are commanded.\n     GOD said, Take not unto yourselves two gods; for there is but one GOD:\nand revere me.\n     Unto him belongeth whatsoever is in heaven and on earth; and unto him is\nobedience eternally due.  Will ye therefore fear any besides GOD?\n     Whatever favors ye have received are certainly from GOD; and when evil\nafflicteth you, unto him do ye make your supplication;\n     yet when he taketh the evil from off you, behold, a part of you give a\ncompanion unto their LORD,\n     to show their ingratitude for the favors we have bestowed on them.\nDelight yourselves in the enjoyments of this life: but hereafter shall ye know\nthat ye cannot escape the divine vengeance.\n     And they set apart unto idols which have no knowledge,m a part of the\nfood which we have provided for them.  By GOD, ye shall surely be called to\naccount for that which ye have falsely devised.\n\n\th  Some suppose the prophet and the companions of his flight in general,\nare here intended: others suppose that those are particularly meant in this\nplace, who, after Mohammed's departure, were imprisoned at Mecca on account of\ntheir having embraced his religion, and suffered great persecution from the\nKoreish; as, Bel\u00e2l, Soheib, Khabbab, Amm\u00e2r, Abes, Abu'l Jandal, and Sohail.1\n\ti  It is uncertain whether the pronoun they relates to the infidels, or\nto the true believers.  If to the former, the consequence would be, that they\nthey would be desirous of attaining to the happiness of the Mohajer\u00een, by\nprofessing the same faith; if to the latter, the knowledge of this is urged as\na motive to patience and perseverance.2\n\tj  See chapter 7, p. 110, note r; chapter 12, p. 189, &c.\n\tk  Literally, this admonition.3\n\tl  See chapter 13, p. 182, note c.\n\tm  Or, which they know not; foolishly imagining that they have power to\nhelp them, or interest with GOD to intercede for them.\n\tAs to the ancient Arabs setting apart a certain portion of the produce\nof their lands for their idols, and their superstitions abstaining from the\nuse of certain cattle, in honour to the same, see chapter 5, p. 86, and\nchapter 6, p. 102, and the notes there.\n\n\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  See the Prelim. Disc.\nSect. III. p. 44.\n\n\n     They attribute daughters unto GODn (far be it from him!) but unto\nthemselves children of the sex which they desire.o\n60\tAnd when any of them is told the news of the birth of a female, his face\nbecometh black,p and he is deeply afflicted:\n     he hideth himself from the people, because of the ill tidings which have\nbeen told him; considering within himself whether he shall keep it with\ndisgrace, or whether he shall bury it in the dust.  Do they not make an ill\njudgment?\n     Unto those who believe not in the next life, the similitude of evil ought\nto be applied, and unto GOD the most sublime similitude:q for he is mighty and\nwise.\n     If GOD should punish men for their iniquity, he would not leave on the\nearth any moving thing: but he giveth them respite unto an appointed time; and\nwhen their time shall come, they shall not be respited an hour, neither shall\ntheir punishment be anticipated.\n     They attribute unto GOD that which they dislike themselves,r and their\ntongues utter a lie; namely, that the reward of paradise is for them.  There\nis no doubt but that the fire of hell is prepared for them, and that they\nshall be sent thither before the rest of the wicked.\n     By GOD, we have heretofore sent messengers unto the nations before thee:\nbut Satan prepared their works for them; he was their patron in this world,s\nand in that which is to come they shall suffer a grievous torment.\n     We have not sent down the book of the Koran unto thee, for any other\npurpose, than that thou shouldest declare unto them that truth concerning\nwhich they disagree; and for a direction and mercy unto people who believe.\n     GOD sendeth down water from heaven, and causeth the earth to revive after\nit hath been dead.  Verily herein is a sign of the resurrection unto people\nwho hearken.\n     Ye have also in cattle an example of instruction: we give you to drink of\nthat which is in their bellies; a liquor between digested dregs, and blood;t\nnamely, pure milk,u which is swallowed with pleasure by those who drink it.\n\n\tn  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 14.  Al Beid\u00e2wi says, that the tribes of\nKhoz\u00e2ah and Ken\u00e2na, in particular, used to call the angels the daughters of\nGOD.\n\to  viz., Sons: for the birth of a daughter was looked on as a kind of\nmisfortune among the Arabs; and they often used to put them to death by\nburying them alive.1\n\tp  i.e., Clouded with confusion and sorrow.\n\tq  This passage condemns the Meccans' injudicious and blasphemous\napplication of such circumstances to GOD as were unworthy of him, and not only\nderogatory to the perfections of the Deity, but even disgraceful to man; while\nthey arrogantly applied the more honourable circumstances to themselves.\n\tr  By giving him daughters, and associates in power and honour; by\ndisregarding his messengers; and by setting apart the better share of the\npresents and offerings for their idols, and the worse for him.2\n\ts  Or, He is the patron of them (viz. the Koreish) this day, &c.\n\tt  The milk consisting of certain particles of the blood, supplied from\nthe finer parts of the ailment.  Ebn Abbas says, that the grosser parts of the\nfood subside into excrement, and that the finer parts are converted into milk,\nand the finest of all into blood.\n\tu  Having neither the colour of the blood, nor the smell of the\nexcrements.\n\n\t\t1  See chapter 81.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi\n\n\n     And of the fruits of palm-trees, and of grapes, ye obtain an inebriating\nliquor, and also good nourishment.x  Verily herein is a sign unto people who\nunderstand.\n70\tThy LORD spake by inspiration unto the bee, saying, Provide thee housesy\nin the mountains, and in the trees, and of those materials wherewith men build\nhives for thee:\n     then eat of every kind of fruit, and walk in the beaten paths of thy\nLORD.z  There proceedeth from their bellies a liquor of various colours,a\nwherein is a medicine for men.b  Verily herein is a sign unto people who\nconsider.\n     GOD hath created you, and he will hereafter cause you to die: and some of\nyou shall have his life prolonged to a decrepit age, so that he shall forget\nwhatever he knew; for GOD is wise and powerful.\n     GOD causeth some of you to excel others in worldly possessions: yet they\nwho are caused to excel do not give their wealth unto the slaves whom their\nright hands possess, that they may become equal sharers therein.c  Do they\ntherefore deny the beneficence of GOD?\n     GOD hath ordained you wives from among yourselves,d and of your wives\nhath granted you children and grand-children; and hath bestowed on you good\nthings for food.  Will they therefore believe in that which is vain, and\nungratefully deny the goodness of GOD?\n     They worship, besides GOD, idols which possess nothing wherewith to\nsustain them, either in heaven, or on earth; and have no power.\n     Wherefore liken not anything unto GOD:e for GOD knoweth, but ye know not.\n     GOD propoundeth as a parable a possessed slave, who hath power over\nnothing, and him on whom we have bestowed a good provision from us, and who\ngiveth alms thereout both secretly and openly:f shall these two be esteemed\nequal?  GOD forbid!  But the greater part of men know it not.\n\n\tx  Not only wine, which is forbidden, but also lawful food, as dates,\nraisins, a kind of honey flowing from the dates, and vinegar.\n\tSome have supposed that these words allow the moderate use of wine; but\nthe contrary is the received opinion.\n\ty  So the apartments which the bee builds are here called, because of\ntheir beautiful workmanship, and admirable contrivance, which no geometrician\ncan excel.2\n\tz  i.e., The ways through which, by GOD'S power, the bitter flowers\npassing the bee's stomach become money; or, the methods of making honey, which\nhe has taught her by instinct; or else the ready way home from the distant\nplaces to which that insect flies.3\n\ta  viz., Honey; the colour of which is very different, occasioned by the\ndifferent plants on which the bees feed; some being white, some yellow, some\nred, and some black.4\n\tb  The same being not only good food, but a useful remedy in several\ndistempers, particularly those occasioned by phlegm.  There is a story, that a\nman came once to Mohammed, and told him that his brother was afflicted with a\nviolent pain in his belly: upon which the prophet bade him give him some\nhoney.  The fellow took his advice; but soon after coming again, told him that\nthe medicine had done his brother no manner of service:  Mohammed answered, Go\nand give him more honey, for God speaks truth, and thy brother's belly lies.\nAnd the dose being repeated, the man, by GOD'S mercy, was immediately cured.5\n\tc  These words reprove the idolatrous Meccans, who could admit created\nbeings to a share of the divine honour, though they suffered not their slaves\nto share with themselves to what GOD had bestowed on them.6\n\td  That is, of your own nations and tribes.  Some think the formation of\nEve from Adam is here intended.\n\te  Or propound no similitudes or comparisons between him and his\ncreatures.  One argument the Meccans employed in defence of their idolatry, it\nseems, was, that the worship of inferior deities did honour to GOD; in the\nsame manner as the respect showed to the servants of a prince does honour to\nthe prince himself.7\n\tf  The idols are here likened to a slave, who is so far from having\nanything of his own, that he is himself in the possession of another; whereas\nGOD is as a rich free man, who provideth for his family abundantly, and also\nassisteth others who have need, both in public, and in private.8\n\n\t1  See chapter 2, p. 23.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Idem.\n\t4  Idem.\t\t5  Idem.\n6  Idem.\t\t7  Idem.\t\t8  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     GOD also propoundeth as a parable two men; one of them born dumb, who is\nunable to do or understand anything, but is a burden unto his master;\nwhithersoever he shall send him, he shall not return with any good success:\nshall this man, and he who hath his speech and understanding, and who\ncommandeth that which is just, and followeth the right way, be esteemed\nequal?g\n     Unto GOD alone is the secret of heaven and earth known.  And the business\nof the last hourh shall be only as the twinkling of an eye, or even more\nquick: for GOD is almighty.\n80\tGOD hath brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers; ye knew\nnothing, and he gave you the senses of hearing and seeing, and understandings,\nthat ye might give thanks.\n     Do they not behold the fowls which are enabled to fly in the open\nfirmament of heaven? none supporteth them except GOD.  Verily herein are signs\nunto people who believe.\n     GOD hath also provided you houses for habitations for you; and hath also\nprovided you tents of the skins of cattle, which ye find light to be removed\non the day of your departure to new quarters, and easy to be pitched on the\nday of your sitting down therein: and of their wool, and their fur, and their\nhair, hath he supplied you with furniture and household-stuff for a season.\n     And GOD hath provided for you, of that which he hath created,\nconveniences to shade you from the sun,i and he hath also provided you places\nof retreat in the mountains,j and he hath given you garments to defend you\nfrom the heat,k and coats of mail to defend you in your wars.  Thus doth he\naccomplish his favor towards you, that ye may resign yourselves unto him.\n     But if they turn back, verily thy duty is public preaching only.\n     They acknowledge the goodness of GOD, and afterwards they deny the same;l\nbut the greater part of them are unbelievers.m\n     On a certain day we will raise a witness out of every nation:n then they\nwho shall have been unbelievers shall not be suffered to excuse themselves,\nneither shall they be received into favor.\n     And when they who shall have acted unjustly shall see the torment\nprepared for them; (it shall not be mitigated unto them, neither shall they be\nrespited):\n     and when those who shall have been guilty of idolatry shall see their\nfalse gods,o they shall say, O LORD, these are our idols which we invoked,\nbesides thee.  But they shall return an answer unto them, saying, Verily ye\nare liars.p\n     And on that day shall the wicked offer submission unto GOD; and the false\ndeities which they imagined shall abandon them.\n\n\tg  The idol is here again represented under the image of one who, by a\ndefect in his senses, is a useless burthen to the man who maintains him; and\nGOD, under that of a person completely qualified either to direct or to\nexecute any useful undertaking.  Some suppose the comparison is intended of a\ntrue believer and an infidel.\n\th  That is, The resurrection of the dead.\n\ti  As trees, houses, tents, mountains, &c.\n\tj  viz., Caves and grottos, both natural and artificial.\n\tk  Al Beid\u00e2wi says, that one extreme, and that the most insupportable in\nArabia, is here put for both; but Jallalo'ddin supposes that by heat we are in\nthis place to understand cold.\n\tl  Confessing God to be the author of all the blessings they enjoy; and\nyet directing their worship and thanks to their idols, by whose intercession\nthey imagine blessings are obtained.\n\tm  Absolutely denying GOD'S providence, either through ignorance or\nperverseness.\n\tn  See chapter 4, p. 59, note z.\n\to  Literally, Their companions.\n\tp  For that we are not the companions of GOD, as ye imagined; neither\ndid ye really serve us, but your own corrupt affections and lusts; nor yet\nwere ye led into idolatry by us, but ye fell into it of your own accord.1\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n90\tAs for those who shall have been infidels, and shall have turned aside\nothers from the way of GOD, we will add unto them punishment upon punishment\nbecause they have corrupted others.\n     On a certain day we will raise up in every nation a witness against them,\nfrom among themselves; and we will bring thee, O Mohammed, as a witness\nagainst these Arabians.  We have sent down unto thee the book of the Koran,\nfor an explication of everything necessary both as to faith and practice, and\na direction, and mercy, and good tidings unto the Moslems.\n     Verily GOD commandeth justice, and the doing of good, and the giving unto\nkindred what shall be necessary; and he forbiddeth wickedness, and iniquity,\nand oppression: he admonisheth you that ye may remember.q\n     Perform your covenant with GOD,r when ye enter into covenant with him;\nand violate not your oaths, after the ratification thereof; since ye have made\nGOD a witness over you.  Verily GOD knoweth that which ye do.\n     And be not like unto her who undoeth that which she hath spun, untwisting\nit after she hath twisted it strongly;s taking your oaths between you\ndeceitfully, because one party is more numerous than another party.t  Verily\nGOD only tempteth you therein; and he will make that manifest unto you, on the\nday of resurrection, concerning which ye now disagree.\n     If GOD had pleased, he would surely have made you one people:u but he\nwill lead into error whom he pleaseth, and he will direct whom he pleaseth;\nand ye shall surely give an account of that which ye have done.\n     Therefore take not your oaths between you deceitfully lest your foot\nslip, after it hath been steadfastly fixed, and ye taste evil in this life,\nfor that ye have turned aside from the way of GOD; and ye suffer a grievous\npunishment in the life to come.\n     And sell not the covenant of GOD for a small price;x for with GOD is a\nbetter recompense prepared for you, if ye be men of understanding.\n     That which is with you will fail; but that which is with GOD is\npermanent: and we will surely reward those who shall persevere, according to\nthe utmost merit of their actions.\n\n\tq  This verse, which was the occasion of the conversion of Othm\u00e2n Ebn\nMat\u00fbn, the commentators say, containeth the whole which it is a man's duty\neither to perform or to avoid; and is alone a sufficient demonstration of what\nis said in the foregoing verse.  Under the three things here commanded, they\nunderstand the belief of GOD'S unity, without inclining to atheism, on the one\nhand, or polytheism, on the other; obedience to the commands of God; and\ncharity towards those in distress.  And under the three things forbidden, they\ncomprehend all corrupt and carnal affections; all false doctrines and\nheretical opinions; and all injustice towards man.2\n\tr  By persevering in his true religion.  Some think that the oath of\nfidelity taken to Mohammed by his followers is chiefly intended here.\n\ts  Some suppose that a particular woman is meant in this passage, who\nused (like Penelope) to undo at night the work that she had done in the day.\nHer name, they say, was Reita Bint Saad Ebn Teym, of the tribe of Koreish.3\n\tt  Of this insincerity in their alliances the Koreish are accused; it\nbeing usual with them, when they saw the enemies of their confederates to be\nsuperior in force, to renounce their league with their old friends, and strike\nup one with the others.4\n\tu  Or, of one religion.\n\tx  That is, Be not prevailed on to renounce your religion, or your\nengagements with your prophet, by any promises or gifts of the infidels.  For,\nit seems, the Koreish, to tempt the poorer Moslems to apostatize, made them\noffers, not very considerable indeed, but such as they imagined might be worth\ntheir acceptance.5\n\n\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t4  Idem.\t\t5  Idem.\n\n\n     Whoso worketh righteousness, whether he be male or female, and is a true\nbeliever, we will surely raise him to a happy life; and we will give them\ntheir reward, according to the utmost merit of their actions.\n100\tWhen thou readest the Koran, have recourse unto GOD, that he may\npreserve thee from Satan driven away with stones;y\n     he hath no power over those who believe, and who put confidence in their\nLORD;\n     but his power is over those only who take him for their patron, and who\ngive companions unto God.\n     When we substitute in the Koran an abrogating verse in lieu of a verse\nabrogated (and GOD best knoweth the fitness of that which he revealeth), the\ninfidels say, Thou art only a forger of these verses: but the greater part of\nthem know not truth from falsehood.\n     Say, The holy spiritz hath brought the same down from thy LORD with\ntruth; that he may confirm those who believe, and for a direction and good\ntidings unto the Moslems.\n     We also know that they say, Verily, a certain man teacheth him to compose\nthe Koran.  The tongue of the person unto whom they incline is a foreign\ntongue; but this, wherein the Koran is written, is the perspicuous Arabic\ntongue.a\n\n\ty  Mohammed one day reading in the Kor\u00e2n, uttered a horrid blasphemy, to\nthe great scandal of those who were present, as will be observed in another\nplace;1 to excuse which he assured them that those words were put into his\nmouth by the devil; and to prevent any such accident for the future, he is\nhere taught to beg GOD'S protection before he entered on that duty.2  Hence\nthe Mohammedans, before they begin to read any part of this book, repeat these\nwords, I have recourse unto God for assistance against Satan driven away with\nstones.\n\tz  viz., Gabriel.  See chapter 2, p. 10.\n\ta  This was a great objection made by the Meccans to the authority of\nthe Kor\u00e2n; for when Mohammed insisted, as a proof of its divine original, that\nit was impossible a man so utterly unacquainted with learning as himself could\ncompose such a book, they replied, that he had one or more assistants in the\nforgery; but as to the particular person or persons suspected of this\nconfederacy, the traditions differ.  One says it was Jabar, a Greek, servant\nto Amer Ebn al Hadrami, who could read and write well;3 another, that they\nwere Jabar and Yes\u00e2r, two slaves who followed the trade of sword-cutlers at\nMecca, and used to read the pentateuch and gospel, and had often Mohammed for\ntheir auditor, when he passed that way.4  Another tells us, it was one A\u00efsh,\nor Y\u00e2\u00efsh, a domestic of al Haweiteb Ebn Abd al Uzza, who was a man of some\nlearning, and had embraced Mohammedism.5  Another supposes it was one Kais, a\nChristian, whose house Mohammed frequented;6 another, that it was Add\u00e2s, a\nservant of Otba Ebn Rab\u00eea;7 and another, that it was Salm\u00e2n the Persian.8\n\tAccording to some Christian writers,9 Abdallah Ebn Sal\u00e2m, the Jew who\nwas so intimate with Mohammed (named by one, according to the Hebrew dialect,\nAbdias Ben Salon and by another, Abdala Celen), was assisting to him in the\ncompiling his pretended revelations.  This Jew Dr. Prideaux confounds with\nSalm\u00e2n the Persian, who was a very different man, as a late author10 has\nobserved before me; wherefore, and for that we may have occasion to speak of\nSalm\u00e2n hereafter, it may be proper to add a brief extract of his story as told\nby himself.  He was of a good family of Ispahan, and, in his younger years,\nleft the religion of his country to embrace Christianity; and travelling into\nSyria, was advised by a certain monk of Amuria to go into Arabia, where a\nprophet was expected to arise about that time, who should establish the\nreligion of Abraham; and whom he should know, among other things, by the seal\nof prophecy between his shoulders.  Salm\u00e2n performed the journey, and meeting\nwith Mohammed at Koba, where he rested in his flight to Medina, soon found him\nto be the person he sought, and professed Isl\u00e2m.11\n\tThe general opinion of the Christians, however is, that the chief help\nMohammed had in the contriving his Kor\u00e2n, was from a Nestorian monk named\nSergius, supposed to be the same person with the monk Boheira, with whom\nMohammed in his younger years had some conference, at Bosra, a city of Syria\nDamascena, where that monk resided.12  To confirm\n\n\t1  In not. ad cap. 22.\t\t2  Jallalo'ddin, Al Beid\u00e2wi, Yahya, &c.\n\t\t3  Al Zamakhshari, Al Beid\u00e2wi, Yahya.\n4  Al Zamakh., Al Beid\u00e2wi.  See Prid. Life of Mah. p. 32.\t\t5  Iidem.\n\t6  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t7  Al Zamakh., Yahya.\n8  Al Zamakh., Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t9  Ricardi Confut. Legis Saracenic\u00e6, c.\n13.  Joh. Andreas, de Confus. Sect\u00e6 Mahometan\u00e6, c. 2  See Prid. Life of Mah.\npp. 33, 34.\t\t10  Gagnier not. in Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 74.\t\t11  Ex\nEbn Ishak.  Vide Gagnier, ibid\t\t12  See Prid. ubi sup. p. 35, &c.\nGagnier, ubi sup. pp. 10, 11.  Marrac. de Alcor. p. 37.\n\n\n     Moreover as for those who believe not the signs of GOD, GOD will not\ndirect them, and they shall suffer a painful torment:\n     verily they imagine a falsehood who believe not in the signs of GOD, and\nthey are really the liars.\n     Whoever denieth GOD, after he hath believed, except him who shall be\ncompelled against his will, and whose heart continueth steadfast in the faith,\nshall be severely chastised:b but whoever shall voluntarily profess\ninfidelity, on those shall the indignation of GOD fall, and they shall suffer\na grievous punishment.\n     This shall be their sentence, because they have loved the present life\nabove that which is to come, and for that GOD directeth not the unbelieving\npeople.\n110\tThese are they whose hearts, and hearing, and sight, GOD hath sealed up;\nand these are the negligent: there is no doubt but that in the next life they\nshall perish.\n\nwhich supposition, a passage has been produced from an Arab writer,1 who says\nthat Boheira's name in the books of the Christians, is Sergius; but this is\nonly a conjecture; and another2 tells us, his true name was Sa\u00efd, or Felix,\nand his surname Boheira.  But be that as it will, if Boheira and Sergius were\nthe same man, I find not the least intimation in the Mohammedan writers that\nhe ever quitted his monastery to go into Arabia (as is supposed by the\nChristians); and his acquaintance with Mohammed at Bosra was too early to\nfavour the surmise of his assisting him in the Kor\u00e2n, which was composed long\nafter; though Mohammed might, from his discourse, gain some knowledge of\nChristianity and of the scriptures, which might be of use to him therein.\n\tFrom the answer given in this passage of the Kor\u00e2n to the objection of\nthe infidels, viz., that the person suspected by them to have a hand in the\nKor\u00e2n spoke a foreign language, and therefore could not, with any face of\nprobability, be supposed to assist in a composition written in the Arabic\ntongue, and with so great elegance, it is plain this person was no Arabian.\nThe word Ajami, which is here used, signifies any foreign or barbarous\nlanguage in general; but the Arabs applying it more particularly to the\nPersian, it has been thence concluded by some that Salm\u00e2n was the person;\nhowever, if it be true that he came not to Mohammed till after the Hejra,\neither he could not be the man here intended, or else this verse must have\nbeen revealed at Medina, contrary to the common opinion.\n\tb  These words were added for the sake of Amm\u00e2r Ebn Yaser, and some\nothers, who being taken and tortured by the Koreish, renounced their faith out\nof fear, though their hearts agreed not with their mouths.3  It seems Amm\u00e2r\nwanted the constancy of his father and mother, Y\u00e2ser, and Sommeya, who\nunderwent the like trial at the same time with their son, and resolutely\nrefusing to recant, were both put to death, the infidels tying Sommeya between\ntwo camels, and striking a lance through her privy parts.4  When news was\nbrought to Mohammed, that Amm\u00e2r had denied the faith, he said, it could not\nbe, for that Amm\u00e2r was full of faith from the crown of his head to the sole of\nhis foot, faith being mixed and incorporated with his very flesh and blood;\nand when Amm\u00e2r himself came weeping to the prophet, he wiped his eyes, saying,\nWhat fault was it of thine, if they forced thee?\n\tBut though it be here said, that those who apostatize in appearance\nonly, to avoid death or torments, may hope for pardon from GOD, yet it is\nunanimously agreed by the Mohammedan doctors, to be much more meritorious and\npleasing in the sight of GOD, courageously and nobly to persist in the true\nfaith, and rather to suffer death itself than renounce it, even in words.  Nor\ndid the Mohammedan religion want its martyrs, in the strict sense of the word;\nof which I will here give two instances, besides the above-mentioned.  One is\nthat of Khobaib Ebn Ada, who being perfidiously sold to the Koreish, was by\nthem put to death in a cruel manner, by mutilation, and cutting off his flesh\npiecemeal; and being asked, in the midst of his tortures, whether he did not\nwish Mohammed was in his place, answered I would not wish to be with my\nfamily, my substance, and my children, on condition that Mohammed was only to\nbe pricked with a thorn.5  The other is that of a man who was put to death by\nMoseilama, on the following occasion.  That false prophet having taken two of\nMohammed's followers, asked one of them, what he said of Mohammed? the man\nanswered, That he was the apostle of God: And what sayest thou of me? added\nMoseilama; to which he replied, Thou also art the apostle of God; whereupon he\nwas immediately dismissed in safety.  But the other, having returned the same\nanswer to the former question, refused to give any to the last, though\nrequired to do it three several times, but pretended to be deaf, and was\ntherefore slain.  It is related that Mohammed, when the story of these two men\nwas told him, said, The first of them threw himself on God's mercy; but the\nlatter professed the truth; and he shall find his account in it.6\n\n\t1  Al Masudi.\t\t2  Abu'l Hasan al Becri in Kor\u00e2n.\t\t3  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi, Al Zamakh., Yahya.\n4  Al Beid\u00e2wi\t\t5  Ebn Shohnah.\t\t6  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     Moreover thy LORD will be favorable unto those who have fled their\ncountry, after having suffered persecution,c and had been compelled to deny\nthe faith by violence, and who have since fought in defence of the true\nreligion, and have persevered with patience; verily unto these will thy LORD\nbe gracious and merciful, after they shall have shown their sincerity.\n     On a certain day shall every soul come to plead itself,d and every soul\nshall be repaid that which it shall have wrought; and they shall not be\ntreated unjustly.\n     GOD propoundeth as a parable a citye which was secure and quiet, unto\nwhich her provisions came in abundance from every side; but she ungratefully\ndenied the favor of GOD: wherefore GOD caused her to taste the extreme famine,\nand fear, because of that which they had done.\n     And now is an apostle come unto the inhabitants of Mecca from among\nthemselves; and they accuse him of imposture: wherefore a punishment shall be\ninflicted on them, while they are acting unjustly.\n     Eat of what GOD hath given you for food, that which is lawful and good;\nand be thankful for the favors of GOD, if ye serve him.\n     He hath only forbidden you that which dieth of itself, and blood, and\nswine's flesh, and that which hath been slain in the name of any, besides\nGOD.f  But unto him who shall be compelled by necessity to eat of these\nthings, not lusting nor wilfully transgressing, GOD will surely be gracious\nand merciful.\n     And say not that wherein your tongues utter a lie; This is lawful, and\nthis is unlawful;g that ye may devise a lie concerning GOD: for they who\ndevise concerning GOD shall not prosper.\n     They shall have small enjoyment in this world, and in that which is to\ncome they shall suffer a grievous torment.\n     Unto the Jews did we forbid that which we have told thee formally:h and\nwe did them no injury in that respect; but they injured their own souls.i\n120\tMoreover thy LORD will be favorable unto those who do evil through\nignorance, and afterwards repent and amend: verily unto these will thy LORD be\ngracious and merciful, after their repentance.\n     Abraham was a model of true religion, obedient unto GOD, orthodox, and\nwas not an idolater:j\n     he was also grateful for his benefits: wherefore God chose him, and\ndirected him into the right way.\n     And we bestowed on him good in this world; and in the next he shall\nsurely be one of the righteous.\n     We have also spoken unto thee, O Mohammed, by revelation, saying, Follow\nthe religion of Abraham, who was orthodox, and was no idolater.\n\n\tc  As did Amm\u00e2r, who made one in both the flights.  Some, reading the\nverb with different vowels, render the last words, after having persecuted the\ntrue believers; and instance in al Hadrami, who obliged a servant of his to\nrenounce Mohammedism, by force, but afterwards, together with that servant\nprofessed the same faith, and fled for it.1\n\td  That is, Every person shall be solicitous for his own salvation, not\nconcerning himself with the condition of another, but crying out, My own soul,\nmy own soul!2\n\te  This example is applied to every city which having received great\nblessings from GOD, becometh insolent and unthankful, and is therefore\nchastised by some signal judgment; or rather to Mecca in particular, on which\nthe calamities threatened in this passage, viz. both famine and sword, were\ninflicted.3\n\tf  See chapter 5, p. 73.\n\tg  Allowing what GOD hath forbidden, and superstitiously abstaining from\nwhat he hath allowed.  See chapter 6, p. 101, &c.\n\th  viz., In the 6th chapter, p. 103.\n\ti  i.e., They were forbidden things which were in themselves\nindifferent, as a punishment for their wickedness and rebellion.\n\tj  This was to reprehend the idolatrous Koreish, who pretended that they\nprofessed the religion of Abraham.\n\n\t\t\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\n\n\n     The sabbath was only appointed unto those who differed with their prophet\nconcerning it;k and thy LORD will surely judge between them, on the day of\nresurrection, as to that concerning which they differed.\n     Invite men unto the way of thy LORD, by wisdom, and mild exhortation; and\ndispute with them in the most condescending manner: for thy LORD well knoweth\nhim who strayeth from his path, and he well knoweth those who are rightly\ndirected.\n     If ye take vengeance on any, take a vengeance proportionable to the wrong\nwhich hath been done you;l but if ye suffer wrong patiently, verily this will\nbe better for the patient.m\n     Wherefore, do thou bear opposition with patience; but thy patience shall\nnot be practicable, unless with GOD'S assistance.  And be thou not grieved on\naccount of the unbelievers; neither be thou troubled for that which they\nsubtilely devise; for GOD is with those who fear him, and are upright.\n\n_______\n\n\nCHAPTER XVII.\n\nENTITLED, THE NIGHT JOURNEY;n REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     PRAISE be unto him who transported his servant by night, from the sacred\ntemple of Mecca to the farther temple of Jerusalem,p the circuit of which we\nhave blessed, that we might show some of our signs; for God is he who heareth,\nand seeth.\n\n\tk  These were the Jews; who being ordered by Moses to set apart Friday\n(the day now observed by the Mohammedans) for the exercise of divine worship,\nrefused it, and chose the sabbath-day, because on that day GOD rested from his\nworks of creation: for which reason they were commanded to keep the day they\nhad chosen in the strictest manner.1\n\tl  This passage is supposed to have been revealed at Medina, on occasion\nof Hamza, Mohammed's uncle, being slain at the battle of Ohod.  For the\ninfidels having abused his dead body, by taking out his bowels, and cutting\noff his ears and his nose, when Mohammed saw it, he swore that if God granted\nhim success, he would retaliate those cruelties on seventy of the Koreish; but\nhe was by these words forbidden to execute what he had sworn, and he\naccordingly made void his oath.2  Abu'lfeda makes the number on which Mohammed\nswore to reek his vengeance to be but thirty:3 but it may be observed, by the\nway, that the translator renders the passage in that author, GOD hath revealed\nunto me that I shall retaliate, &c., instead of, If GOD grant me victory over\nthe Koreish, I will retaliate, &c., reading La\u00efn adhharni, for adhfarni; GOD,\nfar from putting this design into the prophet's head by a revelation,\nexpressly forbidding him to put it in execution.\n\tm  Here, says al Beid\u00e2wi, the Kor\u00e2n principally points at Mohammed, who\nwas of all men the most conspicuous for meekness and clemency.\n\tn  The reason of this inscription appears in the first words.  Some\nentitle the chapter, The children of Israel.\n\to  Some except eight verses, beginning at these words, It wanted little\nbut that the infidels had seduced thee, &c.\n\tp  From whence he was carried through the seven heavens to the presence\nof GOD, and brought back again to Mecca the same night.\n\tThis journey of Mohammed to heaven is so well known that I may be\npardoned if I omit the description of it.  The English reader may find it in\nDr. Prideaux's Life of Mahomet,1 and the learned in Abu'lfeda,2 whose\nannotator has corrected several mistakes in the relation of Dr. Prideaux, and\nin other writers.\n\tIt is a dispute among the Mohammedan divines, whether their prophet's\nnight-journey was really performed by him corporally, or whether it was only a\ndream or vision.  Some think the whole was no more than a vision; and allege\nand express tradition of Mo\u00e2wiyoh,3 one of Mohammed's successors, to that\npurpose.  Others suppose he was carried bodily to Jerusalem, but no farther;\nand that he ascended thence to heaven in spirit only.  But the received\nopinion is, that it was no vision, but that he was actually transported in the\nbody to his journey's end; and if any impossibility be objected, they think it\na sufficient answer to say, that it might easily be effected by an omnipotent\nagent.4\n\n\t1  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Iidem.\t\t3  Abu'lf. Vit. Moh. n.\n68.\t\t1  Page 43, &c.  See also Morgan's Mahometism Explained, vol. 2\n\t2  Vit. Moham. cap. 19.\t\t3  Vide ibid, c. 18.\t\t4  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     And we gave unto Moses the book of the law, and appointed the same to be\na direction unto the children of Israel, commanding them, saying, Beware that\nye take not any other patron besides me.\n     O posterity of those whom we carried in the ark with Noah:q verily he was\na grateful servant.\n     And we expressly declared unto the children of Israel in the book of the\nlaw, saying, Ye will surely commit evil in the earth twice,r and ye will be\nelated with great insolence.\n     And when the punishment threatened for the first of those transgressions\ncame to be executed, we sent against you our servants,s endued with exceeding\nstrength in war, and they searched the inner apartments of your houses; and\nthe prediction became accomplished.\n     Afterwards we gave you the victory over them,t in your turn, and we\ngranted you increase of wealth and children, and we made you a more numerous\npeople,\n     saying, If ye do well, ye will do well to your own souls; and if ye do\nevil, ye will do it unto the same.  And when the punishment threatened for\nyour latter transgression came to be executed, we sent enemies against you to\nafflict you,u and to enter the temple, as they entered it the first time, and\nutterly to destroy that which they had conquered.\n\n\tq  The commentators are put to it to find out the connection of these\nwords with the foregoing.  Some think the accusative case is here put for the\nvocative, as I have translated it: and others interpret the words thus, Take\nnot for your patrons besides me, the posterity of those, &c., meaning, mortal\nmen.\n\tr  Their first transgression was their rejecting the decisions of the\nlaw, their putting Isaiah to death,5 and their imprisoning of Jeremiah:6 and\nthe second, was their slaying of Zachariah and John the Baptist, and their\nimagining the death of JESUS.7\n\ts  These were Jal\u00fbt, or Goliah, and his forces;8 or Sennacherib the\nAssyrian; or else Nebuchadnezzar, whom the eastern writers called Bakhtnasr\n(which was however only his surname, his true name being Gudarz, or Raham),\nthe governor of Babylon under Lohorasp, king of Persia,9 who took Jerusalem,\nand destroyed the temple.\n\tt  By permitting David to kill Goliah; or by the miraculous defeat of\nSennacherib's army; or for that GOD put it into the heart of Bahman the son of\nIsfandiyar, when he succeeded his grandfather Lohorasp, to order Kiresh, or\nCyrus, then governor of Babylon, to send home the Jews from their captivity,\nunder the conduct of Daniel; which he accordingly did, and they prevailed\nagainst those whom Bakhtnasr had left in the land.10\n\tu  Some imagine the army meant in this place was that of Bakhtnasr;11\nbut others say the Persians conquered the Jews this second time, by the arms\nof Gudarz (by whom they seem to intend Antiochus Epiphanes), one of the\nsuccessors of Alexander at Babylon.  It is related that the general in this\nexpedition, entering the temple, saw blood bubbling up on the great altar, and\nasking the reason of it, the Jews told him it was the blood of a sacrifice\nwhich had not been accepted of GOD; to which he replied, that they had not\ntold him the truth, and ordered a thousand of them to be slain on the altar;\nbut the blood not ceasing, he told them that if they would not confess the\ntruth, he would not spare one of them; whereupon they acknowledged it was the\nblood of John: and the general said, Thus hath your Lord taken vengeance on\nyou; and then cried out, O John, my LORD and thy LORD knoweth what hath\nbefallen thy people for thy sake; wherefore let thy blood stop, by GOD'S\npermission, lest I leave not one of them alive; upon which the blood\nimmediately stopped.12\n\tThese are the explications of the commentators, wherein their ignorance\nin ancient history is sufficiently manifest; though perhaps Mohammed himself,\nin this latter passage, intended the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans.\n\n\t5  Id. m.\t\t6  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t7  Iidem.\t\t8\nJallalo'ddin, Yahya.\t\t9  Al Zamakhshari, Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t10\nIidem.\t\t11  Yahya, Jallalo'ddin\t\t12  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     Peradventure your LORD will have mercy on you hereafter: but if ye return\nto transgress a third time, we also will return to chastise you;x and we have\nappointed hell to be the prison of the unbelievers.\n     Verily this Koran directeth unto the way which is most right, and\ndeclareth unto the faithful,\n10\twho do good works, that they shall receive a great reward;\n     and that for those who believe not in the life to come, we have prepared\na grievous punishment.\n     Man prayeth for evil, as he prayeth for good;y for man is hasty.z\n     We have ordained the night and the day for two signs of our power:\nafterwards we blot out the sign of the night, and we cause the sign of the day\nto shine forth, that ye may endeavor to obtain plenty from your LORD by doing\nyour business therein, and that ye may know the number of years, and the\ncomputation of time; and everything necessary have we explained by a\nperspicuous explication.\n     The fatea of every man have we bound about his neck;b and we will produce\nunto him, on the day of resurrection, a book wherein his actions shall be\nrecorded: it shall be offered him open,\n     and the angels shall say unto him, Read thy book; thine own soul will be\na sufficient accountant against thee, this day.c\n     He who shall be rightly directed, shall be directed to the advantage only\nof his own soul; and he who shall err shall err only against the same: neither\nshall any laden soul be charged with the burden of another.  We did not punish\nany people, until we had first sent an apostle to warn them.\n     And when we resolved to destroy a city, we commanded the inhabitants\nthereof, who lived in affluence, to obey our apostle; but they acted corruptly\ntherein: wherefore the sentence was justly pronounced against that city; and\nwe destroyed it with an utter destruction.\n     And how many generations have we consumed since Noah? for thy LORD\nsufficiently knoweth and seeth the sins of his servants.\n     Whosoever chooseth this transitory life, we will bestow on him therein\nbeforehand that which we please; on him, namely, whom we please: afterwards\nwill we appoint him hell for his abode; he shall be thrown into the same to be\nscorched, covered with ignominy, and utterly rejected from mercy.\n\n\tx  And this came accordingly to pass; for the Jews being again so wicked\nas to reject Mohammed, and conspire against his life, God delivered them into\nhis hands; and he exterminated the tribe of Koreidha, and slew the chiefs of\nal Nad\u00eer, and obliged the rest of the Jewish tribes to pay tribute.1\n\ty  Out of ignorance, mistaking evil for good; or making wicked\nimprecations on himself and others, out of passion and impatience.\n\tz  Or inconsiderate, not weighing the consequence of what he asks.\n\tIt is said that the person here meant is Adam, who, when the breath of\nlife was breathed into his nostrils, and had reached so far as his navel,\nthough the lower part of his body was, as yet, but a piece of clay, must needs\ntry to rise up, and got an ugly fall by the bargain.  But others pretend the\npassage was revealed on the following occasion.  Mohammed committed a certain\ncaptive to the charge of his wife, Sawda bint Zam\u00e1a, who, moved with\ncompassion at the man's groans, unbound him, and let him escape: upon which\nthe prophet, in the first motions of his anger, wished her hand might fall\noff; but immediately composing himself, said aloud, O God, I am but a man:\ntherefore turn my curse into a blessing.2\n\ta  Literally, the bird, which is here used to signify a man's fortune or\nsuccess; the Arabs, as well as the Greeks and Romans, taking omens from the\nflight of birds, which they supposed to portend good luck, if they flew from\nthe left to the right, but if from the right to the left, the contrary; the\nlike judgment they also made when certain beasts passed before them.\n\tb  Like a collar, which he cannot by any means get off.  See the Prelim.\nDisc. Sect. IV p. 80.\n\tc  See ibid. p. 20.\n\n\t\t\t\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Jallalo'ddin\n\n\n20\tBut whosoever chooseth the life to come, and directeth his endeavor\ntowards the same, being also a true believer; the endeavor of these shall be\nacceptable unto God.\n     On all will we bestow the blessings of this life, both on these and on\nthose, of the gift of thy LORD; for the gift of thy LORD shall not be denied\nunto any.\n     Behold, how we have caused some of them to surpass others in wealth and\ndignity: but the next life shall be more considerable in degrees of honour,\nand greater in excellence.\n     Set not up another god with the true GOD, lest thou sit down in disgrace,\nand destitute.\n     Thy LORD hath commanded that ye worship none besides him; and that ye\nshow kindness unto your parents, whether the one of them, or both of them\nattain to old age with thee.d  Wherefore, say not unto them, Fie on you!e\nneither reproach them, but speak respectfully unto them\n     and submit to behave humblye towards them, out of tender affection and\nsay, O LORD, have mercy on them both, as they nursed me when I was little.\n     Your LORD well knoweth that which is in your souls; whether ye be men of\nintegrity:\n     and he will be gracious unto those who sincerely return unto him.\n     And give unto him who is of kin to you his due,f and also unto the poor,\nand the traveller.  And waste not thy substance profusely:\n     for the profuse are brethren of the devils:g and the devil was ungrateful\nunto his LORD.\n30\tBut if thou turn from them, in expectation of the mercy which thou\nhopest from thy LORD;h at least, speak kindly unto them.\n     And let not thy hand be tied up to thy neck; neither open it with an\nunbounded expansion,i lest thou become worthy of reprehension, and be reduced\nto poverty.\n     Verily thy LORD will enlarge the store of whom he pleaseth, and will be\nsparing unto whom he pleaseth; for he knoweth and regardeth his servants.\n     Kill not your children for fear of being brought to want; we will provide\nfor them and for you; verily the killing them is a great sin.\n     Draw not near unto fornication; for it is wickedness, and an evil way.\n     Neither slay the soul which GOD hath forbidden you to slay, unless for a\njust cause;k and whosoever shall be slain unjustly, we have given his heir\npower to demand satisfaction;l but let him not exceed the bounds of moderation\nin putting to death the murderer in too cruel a manner, or by revenging his\nfriend's blood on any other than the person who killed him; since he is\nassisted by this law.m\n\n\td  That is, receiving their support and maintenance from thee.\n\te  Literally, Lower the wing of humility, &c.\n\tf  That is, friendship and affection, and assistance in time of need.\n\tg  Prodigality, and squandering away one's substance in folly or luxury,\nbeing a very great sin.  The Arabs were particularly guilty of extravagance in\nkilling camels, and distributing them by lot, merely out of vanity and\nostentation; which they are forbidden by this passage, and commanded to bestow\nwhat they could spare on their poor relations, and other indigent people.1\n\th  That is, If thy present circumstances will not permit thee to assist\nothers, defer thy charity till GOD shall grant thee better ability.\n\ti  i.e., Be neither niggardly nor profuse, but observe the mean between\nthe two extremes, wherein consists true liberality.2\n\tj  See chapter 6, p. 101 and 103, and chapter 81.\n\tk  The crimes for which a man may justly be put to death are these:\napostasy, adultery and murder.3\n\tl  It being at the election of the heir, or next of kin, either to take\nthe life of the murderer or to accept of a fine in lieu of it.4\n\tm  Some refer the pronoun he to the person slain, for the avenging whose\ndeath this law was made; some to the heir, who has a right granted him to\ndemand satisfaction for his friend's blood;1 and others to him who shall be\nslain by the heir, if he carry his vengeance too far.2\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t4  See\nchapter 2, p. 19.\t\t1  Yahya.\n2  Vide  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     And meddle not with the substance of the orphan, unless it be to improve\nit, until he attain his age of strength:n and perform your covenant; for the\nperformance of your covenant shall be inquired into hereafter.\n     And give full measure, when you measure aught; and weigh with a just\nbalance.  This will be better, and more easy for determining every man's due.o\n     And follow not that whereof thou hast no knowledge;p for the hearing, and\nthe sight, and the heart, every of these shall be examined at the last day.\n     Walk not proudly in the land, for thou canst not cleave the earth,\nneither shalt thou equal the mountains in stature.\n40\tAll this is evil, and abominable in the sight of thy LORD.\n     These precepts are a part of the wisdom which they LORD hath revealed\nunto thee.  Set not up any other god as equal unto GOD, lest thou be cast into\nhell, reproved and rejected.\n     Hath your LORD preferably granted unto you sons, and taken for himself\ndaughters from among the angels?q  Verily in asserting this ye utter a\ngrievous saying.\n     And now have we used various arguments and repetitions in this Koran,\nthat they may be warned: yet it only rendereth them more disposed to fly from\nthe truth.\n     Say unto the idolaters, If there were other gods with him, as ye say,\nthey would surely seek an occasion of making some attempt against the\npossessor of the throne:r\n     GOD forbid! and far, very far, be that from him which they utter!\n     The seven heavens praise him, and the earth, and all who are therein:\nneither is there anything which doth not celebrate his praise; but ye\nunderstand not their celebration thereof: he is gracious and merciful.\n     When thou readest the Koran, we place between thee and those who believe\nnot in the life to come a dark veil;\n     and we put coverings over their hearts, lest they should understand it,\nand in their ears thickness of hearing.\n     And when thou makest mention, in repeating the Koran, of thy LORD only,s\nthey turn their backs, flying the doctrine of his unity.\n50\tWe well know with what design they hearken, when they hearken unto thee,\nand when they privately discourse together: when the ungodly say, Ye follow no\nother than a madman.\n     Behold! what epithets they bestow on thee.  But they are deceived;\nneither can they find any just occasion to reproach thee.\n     They also say, After we shall have become bones and dust, shall we surely\nbe raised a new creature?\n\n\tn  See chapter 4, p. 53, 54.\n\to  Or, more advantageous in the end.3\n\tp  i.e., Vain and uncertain opinions, which thou hast not good reason to\nbelieve true, or at least probable.  Some interpret the words, Accuse not\nanother of a crime whereof thou hast no knowledge; supposing they forbid the\nbearing false witness, or the spreading or giving credit to idle reports of\nothers.4\n\tq  See chapter 16, p. 199.\n\tr  i.e., They would in all probability contend with GOD for superiority,\nand endeavour to dethrone him, in the same manner as princes act with one\nanother on earth.\n\ts  Not allowing their gods to be his associates, nor praying their\nintercession with him.\n\n\t3  Idem. Al Zamakh.\t\t4  Iidem.\n\n\n     Answer, Be ye stones, or iron, or some creature more improbable in your\nopinions to be raised to life.  But they will say, Who shall restore us to\nlife?  Answer, He who created you the first time: and they will wag their\nheads at thee, saying, When shall this be?  Answer, Peradventure it is nigh.\n     On that day shall GOD call you forth from your sepulchres, and ye shall\nobey, with celebration of his praise;t and ye shall think that ye tarriedu but\na little while.\n     Speak unto my servants, that they speak mildly unto the unbelievers, lest\nye exasperate them; for Satan soweth discord among them, and Satan is a\ndeclared enemy unto man.\n     your LORD well knoweth you; if he pleaseth, he will have mercy on you,\nor, if he pleaseth, he will punish you:x and we have not sent thee to be a\nsteward over them.\n     Thy LORD well knoweth all persons in heaven and on earth.y  We have\nbestowed peculiar favors on some of the prophets, preferably to others; and we\ngave unto David the psalms.z\n     Say, Call upon those whom ye imagine to be gods besides him; yet they\nwill not be able to free you from harm, or to turn it on others.\n     Those whom ye invoke,a do themselves desire to be admitted to a near\nconjunction with their LORD; striving which of them shall approach nearest\nunto him: they also hope for his mercy, and dread his punishment; for the\npunishment of thy LORD is terrible.\n60\tThere is no city but we will destroy the same before the day of\nresurrection, or we will punish it with a grievous punishment.  This is\nwritten in the book of our eternal decrees.\n     Nothing hindered us from sending thee with miracles, except that the\nformer nations have charged them with imposture.  We gave unto the tribe of\nThamud, at their demand, the she-camel visible to their sight: yet they dealt\nunjustly with her:b and we send not a prophet with miracles, but to strike\nterror.\n     Remember when we said unto thee, Verily thy LORD encompasseth men by his\nknowledge and power.  We have appointed the vision which we showed thee,c and\nalso the treed cursed in the Koran, only for an occasion of dispute unto men,\nand to strike them with terror; but it shall cause them to transgress only the\nmore enormously.\n\n\tt  The dead, says al Beid\u00e2wi, at his call shall immediately rise, and\nshaking the dust off their heads, shall say, Praise be unto thee, O God.\n\tu  viz., In your graves; or in the world.\n\tx  These words are designed as a pattern for the Moslems to follow, in\ndiscoursing with the idolaters; by which they are taught to use soft and\ndubious expressions, and not to tell them directly that they are doomed to\nhell fire; which, besides the presumption in offering to determine the\nsentence of others, would only make them more irreconcilable enemies.1\n\ty  And may choose whom he pleases for his ambassador.  This is an answer\nto the objections of the Koreish, that Mohammed was the orphan pupil of Abu\nTaleb, and followed by a parcel of naked and hungry fellows.2\n\tz  Which were a greater honour to him than his kingdom; and wherein\nMohammed and his people are foretold by these words, among others:3 The\nrighteous shall inherit the earth.4\n\ta  viz., The angels and prophets, who are the servants of GOD as well as\nyourselves.\n\tb  See chapter 7, p. 112.\n\tc  Mohammed's journey to heaven is generally agreed to be intended in\nthis place; which occasioned great heats and debates among his followers, till\nthey were quieted by Abu Becr's bearing testimony to the truth of it.5  The\nword vision, here used, is urged by those who take this journey to have been\nno more than a dream, as a plain confirmation of their opinion.  Some,\nhowever, suppose the vision meant in this passage was not the night-journey,\nbut the dream Mohammed saw at al Hodeibiya, wherein he seemed to make his\nentrance into Mecca;6 or that at Bedr;7 or else a vision he had relating to\nthe family of Ommeya, whom he saw mount his pulpit, and jump about in it like\nmonkeys; upon which he said, This is their portion in this world, which they\nhave gained by their profession of Isl\u00e2m.1  But if any of these latter\nexpositions be true, the verse must have been revealed at Medina.\n\td  Called al Zakk\u00fbm, which springs from the bottom of hell.2\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Vide Marracc. in Alc. p.\n28, &c.  Prid. Life of Mah. p. 122.\t\t4  Psal. xxxvii. 28.  Al Beid.\n\t5  Vide Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 39, and not. ibid Prideaux, Life of Mah. p.\n50, and Prelim. Disc. Sect. II, p. 36.\n6  See Kor. chapter 48.\t\t7  See chapter 8, p. 129.\t\t1  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  See chapter 37.\n\n\n     And remember when we said unto the angels, Worship Adam; and they all\nworshipped him except Eblis, who said, Shall I worship him whom thou hast\ncreated of clay?\n     And he said, What thinkest thou, as to this man whom thou hast honoured\nabove me? verily, if thou grant me respite until the day of resurrection, I\nwill extirpate his offspring, except a few.\n     God answered, Begone, I grant thee respite: but whosoever of them shall\nfollow thee, hell shall surely be your reward; an ample reward for your\ndemerits!e\n     And entice to vanity such of them as thou canst, by thy voice; and\nassault them on all sides with thy horsemen and thy footmen;f and partake with\nthem in their riches, and their children;g and make them promises; (but the\ndevil shall make them no other than deceitful promises:)\n     as to my servants, thou shalt have no power over them; for thy LORD is a\nsufficient protector of those who trust in him.\n     It is your LORD who driveth forward the ships for you in the sea, that ye\nmay seek to enrich yourselves of his abundance by commerce; for he is merciful\ntowards you.\n     When a misfortune befalleth you at sea, the false deities whom ye invoke\nare forgotten by you, except him alone: yet when he bringeth you safe to dry\nland, ye retire afar off from him, and return to your idols; for man is\nungrateful.h\n70\tAre ye therefore secure that he will not cause the dry land to swallow\nyou up, or that he will not send against you a whirlwind driving the sands to\noverwhelm you?  Then shall ye find none to protect you.\n     Or are ye secure that he will not cause you again to commit yourselves to\nthe sea another time, and send against you a tempestuous wind, and drown you;\nfor that ye have been ungrateful? then shall ye find none to defend you\nagainst us, in that distress.\n     And now have we honoured the children of Adam by sundry peculiar\nprivileges and endowments; and we have given them conveniences of carriage by\nland and by sea, and have provided food for them of good things; and we have\npreferred them before many of our creatures which we have created, by granting\nthem great prerogatives.\n     On a certain day we will call all men to judgment with their respective\nleader:i and whosoever shall have his book given him into his right hand, they\nshall read their book with joy and satisfaction;j and they shall not be\nwronged a hair.k\n\n\te  See chapter 2, p. 5, and chapter 7, p. 106, &c.\n\tf  i.e., With all thy forces.\n\tg  Instigating them to get wealth by unlawful means, and to spend it in\nsupporting vice and superstition; and tempting them to incestuous mixtures,\nand to give their children names in honour of their idols, as Abd Yaghuth,\nAbd' al Uzza, &c.3\n\th  See chapter 10, p. 152.\n\ti  Some interpret this of the prophet sent to every people; others, of\nthe heads of sects; others, of the various religions professed in the world;\nothers, of the books which shall be given to every man at the resurrection,\ncontaining a register of their good and bad actions.\n\tj  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 70.\n\tk  See chapter 4, p. 60, note o.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     And whoever hath been blind in this life shall be also blind in the next,\nand shall wander more widely from the path of salvation.\n     It wanted little but the unbelievers had tempted thee to swerve from the\ninstructions which we had revealed unto thee, that thou shouldest devise\nconcerning us a different thing;l and then would they have taken thee for\ntheir friend:\n     and unless we had confirmed thee, thou hadst certainly been very near\ninclining unto them a little.\n     Then would we surely have caused thee to taste the punishment of life,\nand the punishment of death;m and thou shouldest not have found any to protect\nthee against us.\n     The unbelievers had likewise almost caused thee to depart the land, that\nthey might have expelled thee thence:n but then should they not have tarried\ntherein after thee, except a little while.o\n     This is the method of dealing which we have prescribed ourselves in\nrespect to our apostles, whom we have already sent before thee: and thou shalt\nnot find any change in our prescribed method.\n80\tRegularly perform thy prayer at the declension of the sun, at the first\ndarkness of the night,q and the prayer of daybreak;r for the prayer of\ndaybreak is borne witness unto by the angels.s\n\n\tl  These are generally supposed to have been the tribe of Thak\u00eef, the\ninhabitants of al T\u00e2yef, who insisted on Mohammed's granting them several very\nextraordinary privileges, as the terms of their submission to him; for they\ndemanded that they might be free from the legal contribution of alms, and from\nobserving the appointed times of prayer; that they might be allowed to keep\ntheir idol All\u00e2t for a certain time,1 and that their territory might be\ndeclared a place of security and not be violated, like that of Mecca, &c.  And\nthey added, that if the other Arabs asked him the reason of these concessions,\nhe should say, that GOD had commanded him so to do.2  According to which\nexplication it is plain this verse must have been revealed long after the\nHejra.\n\tSome, however, will have the passage to have been revealed at Mecca, on\noccasion of the Koreish; who told Mohammed they would not suffer him to kiss\nthe black stone in the wall of Caaba, unless he also visited their idols, and\ntouched them with his hand, to show his respect.\n\tm  i.e., Both of this life and the next.  Some interpret the first of\nthe punishment in the next world, and the latter of the torture of the\nsepulchre.3\n\tn  The commentators differ as to the place where this passage was\ndelivered, and the occasion of it.  Some think it was revealed at Mecca, and\nthat it refers to the violent enmity which the Koreish bore Mohammed, and\ntheir restless endeavours to make him leave Mecca;4 as he was at length\nobliged to do.  But as the persons here spoken of seem not to have prevailed\nin their project, others suppose that the verse was revealed at Medina, on the\nfollowing occasion.  The Jews, envious of Mohammed's good reception and stay\nthere, told him, by way of counsel, that Syria was the land of the prophets,\nand that if he was really a prophet he ought to go thither.  Mohammed\nseriously reflecting on what they had said, began to think they had advised\nhim well; and actually set out, and proceeded a day's journey in his way to\nSyria: whereupon GOD acquainted him with their design by the revelation of\nthis verse; and he returned to Medina.5\n\to  This was fulfilled, according to the former of the above-mentioned\nexplications, by the loss of the Koreish at Bedr; and according to the latter,\nby the great slaughter of the Jews of Koreidha and al Nad\u00eer.6\n\tp  i.e., At the time of noon prayer, when the sun declines from the\nmeridian; or, as some choose to translate the words, at the setting of the\nsun, which is the time of the first evening prayer.\n\tq  The time of the last evening prayer.\n\tr  Literally, the reading of the daybreak; whence some suppose the\nreading of the Kor\u00e2n at that time is here meant.\n\ts  viz., The guardian angels, who, according to some, are relieved at\nthat time; or else the angels appointed to make the change of night into day,\n&c.7\n\n\t1  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 14.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\nVide Abulf. Vit. Moham. p. 126, &c.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n4  Idem.\t\t5  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t6  Iidem.\t\t7  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     And watch some part of the night in the same exercise, as a work of\nsupererogation for thee: peradventure thy LORD will raise thee to an\nhonourable station.t\n     And say, O LORD, cause me to enter with a favorable entry, and cause me\nto come forthu with a favorable coming forth; and grant me from thee an\nassisting power.\n     And say, Truth is come, and falsehood is vanished: for falsehood is of\nshort continuance.x\n     We send down of the Koran that which is a medicine and mercy unto the\ntrue believers; but it shall only increase the perdition of the unjust.\n     When we bestow favors on man, he retireth and withdraweth himself\nungratefully from us: but when evil toucheth him, he despaireth of our mercy.\n     Say, Every one acteth after his own manner:y but your LORD best knoweth\nwho is most truly directed in his way.\n     They will ask thee concerning the spirit:z answer, The spirit was created\nat the command of my LORD:a but ye have no knowledge given unto you, except a\nlittle.b\n     If we pleased, we should certainly take away that which we have revealed\nunto thee;c in such case thou couldst not find any to assist thee therein\nagainst us,\n     unless through mercy from thy LORD; for his favor towards thee hath been\ngreat.\n90\tSay, Verily if men and genii were purposely assembled, that they might\nproduce a book like this Koran, they could not produce one like unto it,\nalthough the one of them assisted the other.\n     And we have variously propounded unto men in this Koran every kind of\nfigurative argument; but the greater part of men refuse to receive it, merely\nout of infidelity.\n\n\tt  According to a tradition of Abu Horeira, the honourable station here\nintended is that of intercessor for others.1\n\tu  That is, Grant that I may enter my grave with peace, and come forth\nfrom it, at the resurrection, with honour and satisfaction.  In which sense\nthis petition is the same with that of Balaam, Let me die the death of the\nrighteous, and let my last end be like his.2\n\tBut as the person here spoken to is generally supposed to be Mohammed,\nthe commentators say he was commanded to pray in these words for a safe\ndeparture from Mecca, and a good reception at Medina; or for a sure refuge in\nthe cave, where he hid himself when he fled from Mecca;3 or (which is the more\ncommon opinion) for a victorious entrance into Mecca, and a safe return\nthence.4\n\tx  These words Mohammed repeated, when he entered the temple of Mecca,\nafter the taking of that city, and cleansed it of the idols; a great number of\nwhich are said to have fallen down on his touching them with the end of the\nstick he held in his hand.5\n\ty  i.e., According to his judgment or opinion, be it true or false; or\naccording to the bent of his mind, and the natural constitution of his body.6\n\tz  Or the soul of man.  Some interpret it of the angel Gabriel, or of\nthe divine revelation.7\n\ta  viz., By the word Kun, i.e., Be; consisting of an immaterial\nsubstance, and not generated, like the body.  But, according to a different\nopinion, this passage should be translated, The spirit is of those things, the\nknowledge of which thy Lord hath reserved to himself.  For it is said that the\nJews bid the Koreish ask Mohammed to relate the history of those who slept in\nthe cave,8 and of Dhu'lkarnein,9 and to give them an account of the soul of\nman; adding, that if he pretended to answer all the three questions, or could\nanswer none of them, they might be sure he was no prophet; but if he gave an\nanswer to one or two of the questions and was silent as to the other, he was\nreally a prophet.  Accordingly, when they propounded the questions to him, he\ntold them the two histories, but acknowledged his ignorance as to the origin\nof the human soul.10\n\tb  All your knowledge being acquired from the information of your\nsenses, which must necessarily fail you in spiritual speculations, without the\nassistance of divine revelation.11\n\tc  viz., The Kor\u00e2n; by razing it both from the written copies, and the\nmemories of men.\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Numb. xxiii. 10.\t\t3  See the Prelim. Disc.\nSect. II. p. 39.\t\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t5  Iidem.\nVide Gagnier, Vie de Mahomet, tom. 2, p. 127.\t\t6  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\t7  Idem.\n8  See the next chapter.\t\t9  See ib.\t\t\t10  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\t11  Idem.\n\n\n     And they say, We will by no means believe on thee, until thou cause a\nspring of water to gush forth for us out of the earth;d\n     or thou have a garden of palm-trees and vines, and thou cause rivers to\nspring forth from the midst thereof in abundance;\n     or thou cause the heaven to fall down upon us, as thou hast given out, in\npieces; or thou bring down GOD and the angels to vouch for thee;\n     or thou have a house of gold; or thou ascend by a ladder to heaven:\nneither will we believe thy ascending thither alone,e until thou cause a book\nto descend unto us, bearing witness of thee, which we may read.  Answer My\nLORD be praised!  Am I other than a man, sent as an apostle?\n     And nothing hindereth men from believing, when a direction is come unto\nthem, except that they say, Hath GOD sent a man for his apostle?\n     Answer, If the angels had walked on earth as familiar inhabitants\nthereof, we had surely sent down unto them from heaven an angel for our\napostle.\n     Say, GOD is a sufficient witness between me and you: for he knoweth and\nregardeth his servants.\n     Whom GOD shall direct, he shall be the rightly directed; and whom he\nshall cause to err, thou shalt find none to assist, besides him.  And we will\ngather them together on the day of resurrection, creeping on their faces,\nblind, and dumb, and deaf:f their abode shall be hell; so often as the fire\nthereof shall be extinguished, we will rekindle a burning flame to torment\nthem.g\n100\tThis shall be their reward, because they disbelieve in our signs, and\nsay, When we shall have been reduced to bones and dust, shall we surely be\nraised new creatures?\n     Do they not perceive that GOD, who created the heavens and the earth, is\nable to create other bodies, like their present?  And he hath appointed them a\nlimited term;h there is no doubt thereof: but the ungodly reject the truth,\nmerely out of unbelief.\n     Say, If ye possessed the treasures of the mercy of my LORD, ye would\nsurely refrain from using them, for fear of spending them;i for man is\ncovetous.\n     We heretofore gave unto Moses the power of working nine evident signs.j\nAnd do thou ask the children of Israel, as to the story of Moses;k when he\ncame unto them, and Pharaoh said unto him, Verily I esteemed thee, O Moses, to\nbe deluded by sorcery.\n\n\td  This and the following miracles were demanded of Mohammed by the\nKoreish, as proofs of his mission.\n\te  As thou pretendest to have done in thy night-journey; but of which no\nman was witness.\n\tf  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 66.\n\tg  i.e., When the fire shall go out or abate for want of fuel, after the\nconsumption of the skins and flesh of the damned, we will add fresh vigour to\nthe flames by giving them new bodies.1\n\th  Or life, or resurrection.\n\ti  That is, lest they should be exhausted.\n\tj  These were, the changing his rod into a serpent, the making his hand\nwhite and shining, the producing locusts, lice, frogs, and blood, the dividing\nof the Red Sea, the bringing water out of the rock, and the shaking of Mount\nSinai over the children of Israel.  In lieu of the three last some reckon the\ninundation of the Nile, the blasting of the corn, and scarcity of the fruits\nof the earth.2  These words, however, are interpreted by others, not of nine\nmiracles, but of nine commandments, which Moses gave his people, and were thus\nnumbered up by Mohammed himself to a Jew, who asked him the question, viz.,\nThat they should not be guilty of idolatry, nor steal, nor commit adultery or\nmurder, nor practise sorcery or usury, nor accuse an innocent man to take away\nhis life, or a modest woman of whoredom, nor desert the army; to which he\nadded the observing of the sabbath, as a tenth commandment, but which\npeculiarly regarded the Jews: upon which answer, it is said, the Jew kissed\nthe prophet's hands and feet.3\n\tk  Some think these words are directed to Moses, who is hereby commanded\nto demand the children of Israel of Pharaoh, that he might let them go with\nhim.\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  See chapter 4, p. 60.\t\t2  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\n\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     Moses answered, Thou well knowest that none hath sent down these evident\nsigns except the LORD of heaven and earth; and I surely esteem thee, O\nPharaoh, a lost man.\n     Wherefore Pharaoh sought to drive them out of the land; but we drowned\nhim and all those who were with him.\n     And we said unto the children of Israel, after his destruction, Dwell ye\nin the land: and when the promise of the next life shall come to be fulfilled,\nwe will bring you both promiscuously to judgment.  We have sent down the Koran\nwith truth, and it hath descended with truth: and we have not sent thee\notherwise than to be a bearer of good tidings, and a denouncer of threats.\n     And we have divided the Koran, revealing it by parcels, that thou\nmightest read it unto men with deliberation: and we have sent it down, causing\nit to descend as occasion required.l\n     Say, Whether ye believe therein, or do not believe, verily those who have\nbeen favored with the knowledge of the scriptures which were revealed before\nit, when the same is rehearsed unto them, fall down on their faces,m\nworshipping, and say, Our LORD be praised, for that the promise of our LORD is\nsurely fulfilled!\n     and they fall down on their faces, weeping; and the hearing thereof\nincreaseth their humility.\n110\tSay, call upon GOD, or call on the Merciful: by whichsoever of the two\nnames ye invoke him, it is equal; for he hath most excellent names.n\nPronounce not thy prayer aloud, neither pronounce it with too low a voice,o\nbut follow a middle way between these:\n     and say, Praise be unto GOD, who hath not begotten any child; who hath no\npartner in the kingdom, nor hath any to protect him from contempt: and magnify\nhim by proclaiming his greatness.\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER XVIII.\n\nENTITLED, THE CAVE;p REVEALED AT MECCA.q\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     PRAISE be unto GOD, who hath sent down unto his servant the book of the\nKor\u00e2n, and hath not inserted therein any crookedness,\n     but hath made it a straight rule: that he should threaten a grievous\npunishment unto the unbelievers, from his presence; and should bear good\ntidings unto the faithful, who work righteousness, that they should receive an\nexcellent reward, namely, paradise, wherein they shall remain forever:\n\n\tl  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 50.\n\tm  Literally, on their chins.\n\tn  The infidels hearing Mohammed say, O GOD, and O Merciful, imagined\nthe Merciful was the name of a deity different from GOD, and that he preached\nthe worship of two; which occasioned this passage.  See chapter 7, p. 123.\n\to  Neither so loud, that the infidels may overhear thee, and thence take\noccasion to blaspheme and scoff; nor so softly as not to be heard by the\nassistants.  Some suppose that by the word prayer, in this place, is meant the\nreading of the Kor\u00e2n.\n\tp  The chapter is thus inscribed because it makes mention of the cave\nwherein the seven sleepers concealed themselves.\n\tq  Some except one verse, which begins thus, Behave thyself with\nconstancy, &c.\n\n\n     and that he should warn those who say, GOD hath begotten issue;\n     of which matter they have no knowledge, neither had their fathers.  A\ngrievous saying it is, which proceedeth from their mouths: they speak no other\nthan a lie.\n     Peradventure thou wilt kill thyself with grief after them, out of thy\nearnest zeal for their conversion, if they believe not in this new revelation\nof the Koran.\n     Verily we have ordained whatsoever is on the earth for the ornament\nthereof, that we might make trial of men, and see which of them excelleth in\nworks:\n     and we will surely reduce whatever is thereon to dry dust.\n     Dost thou consider that the companions of the cave,r and Al Rakim,s were\none of our signs, and a great miracle?\n     When the young men took refuge in the cave, they said, O LORD, grant us\nmercy from before thee, and dispose our business for us to a right issue.\n10\tWherefore we struck their ears with deafness, so that they slept without\ndisturbance in the cave for a great number of years:\n     then we awaked them, that we might know which of the two partiest was\nmore exact in computing the space which they had remained there.\n     We will relate unto thee their history with truth.  Verily they were\nyoung men who had believed in their LORD: and we had abundantly directed them:\n     and we fortified their hearts with constancy when they stood before the\ntyrant; and they said, Our LORD is the LORD of heaven and earth: we will by no\nmeans call on any god besides him; for then should we surely utter an\nextravagance.\n     These our fellow people have taken other gods, besides him; although they\nbring no demonstrative argument for them: and who is more unjust than he who\ndeviseth a lie concerning GOD?\n     And they said the one to the other, When ye shall separate yourselves\nfrom them, and from the deities which they worship, except GOD,u fly into the\ncave: your LORD will pour his mercy on you abundantly, and will dispose your\nbusiness for you to advantage.\n\n\tr  These were certain Christian youths, of a good family in Ephesus,\nwho, to avoid the persecution of the emperor Decius, by the Arab writers\ncalled Decianus, hid themselves in a cave, where they slept for a great number\nof years.1\n\tThis apocryphal story (for Baronius2 treats it as no better, and Father\nMarracci3 acknowledges it to be partly false, or at least doubtful, though he\ncalls Hottinger a monster of impiety, and the off-scum of heretics, for\nterming it a fable4), was borrowed by Mohammed from the Christian traditions,5\nbut has been embellished by him and his followers with several additional\ncircumstances.6\n\ts  What is meant by this word the commentators cannot agree.  Some will\nhave it to be the name of the mountain, or the valley, wherein the cave was;\nsome say it was the name of their dog; and others (who seem to come nearest\nthe true signification) that it was a brass plate, or stone table, placed near\nthe mouth of the cave, on which the names of the young men were written.\n\tThere are some, however, who take the companions of al Rak\u00eem to be\ndifferent from the seven sleepers; for they say the former were three men who\nwere driven by ill weather into a cave for shelter, and were shut in there by\nthe falling down of a vast stone, which stopped the cave's mouth; but on their\nbegging GOD'S mercy, and their relating each of them a meritorious action\nwhich they hoped might entitle them to it, were miraculously delivered by the\nrock's rending in sunder to give them passage.7\n\tt  viz., Of the sleepers themselves, or others, who were divided in\nopinion as to the length of their stay in the cave.\n\tu  For they, like other idolaters, worshipped the true GOD and idols\nalso.8\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin, &c.\t\t2  In Martyrol. ad 27 Julii.\n\t3  In Alcor. p. 425. et in Prodr. part. 4, p. 103.\n4  Hotting. Hist. Orient. p. 40.\t\t5  Vide Greg. Turon. et Simeon.\nMetaphrast.\t\t6  Vide D'Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. p. 189.\n7  Al Beid\u00e2wi, ex trad  Noom\u00e2n Ebn Bashir.\t\t8  Idem.\n\n\n     And thou mightest have seen the sun, when it had risen, to decline from\ntheir cave towards the right hand, and when it went down, to leave them on the\nleft hand:x and they were in the spacious part of the cave.y  This was one of\nthe signs of GOD.  Whomsoever GOD shall direct, he shall be rightly directed:\nand whomsoever he shall cause to err, thou shalt not find any to defend, or to\ndirect.\n     And thou wouldest have judged them to have been awake,z while they were\nsleeping; and we caused them to turn themselves to the right hand, and to the\nleft.a  And their dogb stretched forth his forelegs in the mouth of the cave:\nif thou hadst come suddenly upon them, verily thou wouldest have turned thy\nback and fled from them, and thou wouldest have been filled with fear at the\nsight of them.c\n     And so we awaked them from their sleep, that they might ask questions of\none another.  One of them spake and said, How long have ye tarried here?  They\nanswered, We have tarried a day, or part of a day.  The others said, Your LORD\nbest knoweth the time ye have tarried:d and now send one of you with this your\nmoney into the city;e and let him see which of its inhabitants hath the best\nand cheapest food, and let him bring you provision from him; and let him\nbehave circumspectly, and not discover you to any one.\n     Verily if they come up against you, they will stone you, or force you to\nreturn to their religion; and then shall ye not prosper forever.\n\n\tx  Lest it should be offensive to them, the cave opening towards the\nsouth.1\n\ty  i.e., In the midst of it, where they were incommoded neither by the\nheat of the sun nor the closeness of the cave.2\n\tz  Because of their having their eyes open, or their frequent turning\nthemselves from one side to the other.3\n\ta  Lest their lying so long on the ground should consume their flesh.4\n\tb  This dog had followed them as they passed by him when they fled to\nthe cave, and they drove him away; whereupon GOD caused him to speak, and he\nsaid, I love those who are dear unto God; go to sleep therefore, and I will\nguard you.  But some say, it was a dog belonging to a shepherd who followed\nthem, and that the dog followed the shepherd; which opinion is supported by\nreading, as some do, c\u00e2lebohom, their dog's master instead of calbohom, their\ndog.5  Jallalo'ddin adds, that the dog behaved as his masters did, in turning\nhimself, in sleeping, and in waking.\n\tThe Mohammedans have a great respect for this dog, and allow him a place\nin paradise with some other favourite brutes; and they have a sort of proverb\nwhich they use in speaking of a covetous person, that he would not throw a\nbone to the dog of the seven sleepers; nay, it is said that they have the\nsuperstition to write his name, which they suppose to be Katm\u00eer (though some,\nas is observed above, think he was called al Rak\u00eem), on their letters which go\nfar, or which pass the sea, as a protection, or kind of talisman, to preserve\nthem from miscarriage.6\n\tc  For that GOD had given them terrible countenances; or else because of\nthe largeness of their bodies, or the horror of the place.\n\tIt is related that the Khalif Mo\u00e2wiyah, in an expedition he made against\nNatolia, passed by the cave of the seven sleepers, and would needs send\nsomebody into it, notwithstanding Ebn Abb\u00e2s remonstrated to him the danger of\nit, saying, That a better man than him (meaning the prophet) had been\nforbidden to enter it, and repeated this verse; but the men the Khaliff sent\nin had no sooner entered the cave, than they were struck dead by a burning\nwind.7\n\td  As they entered the cave in the morning, and waked about noon, they\nat first imagined they had slept half a day, or a day and a half at most; but\nwhen they found their nails and hair grown very long, they used these words.8\n\te  Which some commentators suppose was Tarsus.\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t4  Idem,\nJallalo'ddin.\t\t5  Idem.\t\t6  La Roque, Voy. de l'Arabie Heur.\np. 74.  Vide D'Herbel. ubi sup.\t\t7  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t8  Idem.\n\n\n20\tAnd so we made their people acquainted with what had happened to them;\nthat they might know that the promise of GOD is true, and that there is no\ndoubt of the last hour;f when they disputed among themselves concerning their\nmatter.g  And they said, Erect a building over them: their LORD best knoweth\ntheir condition.  Those who prevailed in their affair answered, We will surely\nbuild a chapel over them.h\n     Some say, The sleepers were three; and their dog was the fourth;i and\nothers say, They were five; and their dog was the sixth;j guessing at a secret\nmatter: and others say, They were seven; and their dog was the eighth.k  Say,\nMy LORD best knoweth their number: none shall know them, except a few.\n     Wherefore dispute not concerning them, except with a clear disputation,\naccording to what hath been revealed unto thee: and ask not any of the\nChristians concerning them.\n     Say not of any matter, I will surely do this to-morrow; unless thou add,\nIf GOD please.l  And remember thy LORD, when thou forgettest,m and say, My\nLORD is able to direct me with ease, that I may draw near unto the truth of\nthis matter rightly.\n     And they remained in their cave three hundred years, and nine years\nover.n\n     Say, GOD best knoweth how long they continued there: unto him are the\nsecrets of heaven and earth known; do thou make him to see and to hear.o  The\ninhabitants thereof have no protector besides him; neither doth he suffer any\none to have a share in the establishment or knowledge of his decree.\n\n\tf  The long sleep of these young men, and their waking after so many\nyears, being a representation of the state of those who die, and are\nafterwards raised to life.\n\tg  i.e., Concerning the resurrection; some saying that the souls only\nshould be raised, others, that they should be raised with the body; or,\nconcerning the sleepers, after they were really dead; one saying, that they\nwere dead, and another, they were only asleep: or else concerning the erecting\na building over them, as it follows in the next words; some advising a\ndwelling-house to be built there, and others a temple.1\n\th  When the young man who was sent into the city, went to pay for the\nprovision he had bought, his money was so old, being the coin of Decianus,\nthat they imagined he had found a treasure, and carried him before the prince,\nwho was a Christian, and having heard his story, sent some with him to the\ncave, who saw and spoke to the others: after which they fell asleep again and\ndied; and the prince ordered them to be buried in the same place, and built a\nchapel over them.\n\ti  This was the opinion of al Seyid, a Jacobite Christian of Najr\u00e2n.\n\tj  Which was the opinion of certain Christians, and particularly of a\nNestorian prelate.\n\tk  And this is the true opinion.2\n\tl  It is said, that when the Koreish, by the direction of the Jews, put\nthe three questions above mentioned to Mohammed, he bid them come to him the\nnext day, and he would give them an answer, but added not, if it please God;\nfor which reason he had the mortification to wait above ten days before any\nrevelation was vouchsafed him concerning those matters, so that the Koreish\ntriumphed, and bitterly reproached him as a liar: but at length Gabriel\nbrought him directions what he should say; with this admonition, however, that\nhe should not be so confident for the future.3\n\tm  i.e., Give the glory to him, and ask pardon for thy omission, in case\nthou forget to say, If it please God.\n\tn  Jallalo'ddin supposes the whole space was three hundred solar years,\nand that the odd nine are added to reduce them to lunar years.\n\tSome think these words are introduced as spoken by the Christians, who\ndiffered among themselves about the time; one saying it was three hundred\nyears, and another, three hundred and nine years.4  The interval between the\nreign of Decius, and that of Theodosius the younger, in whose time the\nsleepers are said to have awaked, will not allow them to have slept quite two\nhundred years; though Mohammed is somewhat excusable, since the number\nassigned by Simeon Metaphrastes5 is three hundred and seventy-two years.\n\to  This is an ironical expression, intimating the folly and madness of\nman's presuming to instruct GOD.6\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\t4  Idem.\t\t5  Ubi sup.\n6  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  Jallalo'ddin\n\n\n     Read that which hath been revealed unto thee, of the book of thy LORD,\nwithout presuming to make any change therein:p there is none who hath power to\nchange his words; and thou shalt not find any to fly to, besides him, if thou\nattempt it.\n     Behave thyself with constancy towards those who call upon their LORD\nmorning and evening, and who seek his favor; and let not thine eyes be turned\naway from them, seeking the pomp of this life;q neither obey him whose heart\nwe have caused to neglect the remembrance of us,r and who followeth his lusts,\nand leaveth the truth behind him.\n     And say, The truth is from your LORD; wherefore let him who will,\nbelieve, and let him who will, be incredulous.  We have surely prepared for\nthe unjust hell fire, the flame and smoke whereof shall surround him like a\npavilion: and if they beg relief, they shall be relieved with water like\nmolten brass, which shall scald their faces: O how miserable a potion, and how\nunhappy a couch!\n     As to those who believe, and do good works, we will not suffer the reward\nof him who shall work righteousness to perish;\n30\tfor them are prepared gardens of eternal abode,s which shall be watered\nby rivers; they shall be adorned therein with bracelets of gold, and they\nshall be clothed in green garments of fine silk and brocades, reposing\nthemselves therein on thrones.  O how happy a reward, and how easy a couch!\n     And propound unto them as a parable two men:t on the one of whom we had\nbestowed two vineyards, and had surrounded them with palm-trees, and had\ncaused corn to grow between them.  Each of the gardens brought forth its fruit\nevery season, and failed not at all;\n     and we caused a river to flow in the midst thereof: and he had great\nabundance.  And he said unto his companion by way of debate, I am superior to\nthee in wealth, and have a more powerful family.\n     And he went into his garden,u being guilty of injustice against his own\nsoul, and said, I do not think that this garden will decay forever;\n     neither do I think that the last hour will come: and although I should\nreturn unto my LORD, verily I shall find a better garden than this in\nexchange.u\n     And his companion said unto him, by way of debate, Dost thou not believe\nin him who created thee of the dust, and afterwards of seed; and then\nfashioned thee into a perfect man?\n     But as for me, GOD is my LORD; and I will not associate any other deity\nwith my LORD.\n\n\tp  As the unbelievers would persuade thee to do.1\n\tq  That is, Despise not the poor believers because of their meanness,\nnor honour the rich because of their wealth and grandeur.\n\tr  The person more particularly intended here, it is said, was Ommeya\nEbn Khalf, who desired Mohammed to discard his indigent companions, out of\nrespect to the Koreish.  See chapter 6 p. 93.\n\ts  Literally of Eden.  See chapter 9, p. 142, 143.\n\tt  Though these seem to be general characters only, designed to\nrepresent the different end of the wicked, and of the good; yet it is\nsupposed, by some, that two particular persons are here meant.  One says they\nwere two Israelites and brothers, who had a considerable sum left them by\ntheir father, which they divided between them; and that one of them, being an\nunbeliever, bought large fields and possessions with his portion, while the\nother, who was a true believer, disposed of his to pious uses; but that in the\nend, the former was ruined, and the latter prospered.  Another thinks they\nwere two men of the tribe of Makhz\u00fbm: the one named al Aswad Ebn Abd'al\nAshadd, an infidel; and the other Abu Salma Ebn Abd'allah, the husband of Omm\nSalma (whom the prophet married after his death), and a true believer.2\n\tu  Carrying his companion with him, out of ostentation, and to mortify\nhim with the view of his large possessions.3\n\tx  Vainly imagining that his prosperity was not so much the free gift of\nGOD, as due to his merit.4\n\n\t\t1  Iidem.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t4\nIdem\n\n\n     And when thou enterest thy garden, wilt thou not say, What GOD pleaseth\nshall come to pass; there is no power but in GOD alone?  Although thou seest\nme to be inferior to thee in wealth and number of children,\n     my LORD is well able to bestow on me a better gift than thy garden, and\nto shoot his arrows against the same from heaven, so that it shall become\nbarren dust;\n     or its water may sink deep into the earth, that thou canst not draw\nthereof.\n40\tAnd his possessions were encompassed with destruction, as his companion\nhad forewarned him; wherefore he began to turn down the palms of his hands out\nof sorrow and regret for that which he had expended thereon; for the vines\nthereof were fallen down on their trails: and he said, Would to GOD that I had\nnot associated any other deity with my LORD!\n     And he had no party to assist him besides GOD, neither was he able to\ndefend himself against his vengeance.\n     In such case protection belongeth of right unto GOD alone; he is the best\nrewarder, and the best giver of success.\n     And propound to them a similitude of the present life.  It is like water\nwhich we send down from heaven; and the herb of the earth is mixed therewith,\nand after it hath been green and flourishing, in the morning it becometh dry\nstubble, which the winds scatter abroad: and GOD is able to do all things.\n     Wealth and children are the ornament of this present life: but good\nworks, which are permanent, are better in the sight of thy LORD, with respect\nto the reward, and better with respect to hope.\n50\tOn a certain day we will cause the mountains to pass away,y and thou\nshalt see the earth appearing plain and even; and we will gather mankind\ntogether, and we will not leave any one of them behind.\n     And they shall be set before thy LORD in distinct order, and he shall say\nunto them, Now are ye come unto us naked, as we created you the first time:\nbut ye thought that we should not perform our promise unto you.\n     And the book wherein every one's actions are recorded shall be put into\nhis hand; and thou shalt see the wicked in great terror, because of that which\nis written therein, and they shall say, Alas for us! what meaneth this book?\nit omitteth neither a small action nor a great one, but it compriseth the\nsame; and they shall find that which they have wrought, present before their\neyes: and thy LORD will not deal unjustly with any one.\n     Remember when we said unto the angels, Worship ye Adam: and they all\nworshipped him, except Eblis,z who was one of the genii,a and departed from\nthe command of his LORD.  Will ye therefore take him and his offspring for\nyour patrons besides me, notwithstanding they are your enemies?  Miserable\nshall such a change be to the ungodly!\n     I called not them to be present at the creation of the heavens and of the\nearth, nor at the creation of themselves, neither did I take those seducers\nfor my assistants.\n\n\ty  For being torn up by the roots, they shall fly in the air, and be\nreduced to atoms.1\n\tz  See chapter 2, p. 5, and chapter 7, p. 105, &c.\n\ta  Hence some imagine the genii are a species of angels: others suppose\nthe devil to have been originally a genius, which was the occasion of his\nrebellion, and call him the father of the genii, whom he begat after his\nfall;2 it being a constant opinion among the Mohammedans, that the angels are\nimpeccable, and do not propagate their species.3\n\n\t1  Idem.  See Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 64.\t\t2  Jallalo'ddin,\n&c.\t\t3  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 56, &c.\n\n\n     On a certain day, God shall say unto the idolaters, Call those whom ye\nimagined to be my companions, to protect you: and they shall call them, but\nthey shall not answer them; and we will place a valley of destruction between\nthem:b\n     and the wicked shall see hell fire: and they shall know that they shall\nbe thrown into the same, and they shall find no way to avoid it.\n     And now have we variously propounded unto men, in this Koran, a parable\nof every kind; but man cavilleth at most things therein.\n     Yet nothing hindereth men from believing, now a direction is come unto\nthem, and from asking pardon of their LORD, excepting that they wait until the\npunishment of their predecessors come to be inflicted on them, or that the\nchastisement of the next life come upon them publicly.\n     We send not our messengers, but to bear good tidings, and to denounce\nthreats.  Those who believe not dispute with vain arguments, that they may\nthereby render the truth of no effect; and they hold my signs, and the\nadmonitions which have been made them, in derision.\n     And who is more unjust than he who hath been acquainted with the signs of\nhis LORD, and retireth afar off from the same, and forgetteth that which his\nhands have formerly committed?  Verily we have cast veils over their hearts,\nlest they should understand the Koran, and into their ears thickness of\nhearing:\n     if thou invite them to the true direction, yet will they not therefore be\ndirected forever.\n     Thy LORD is gracious, endued with mercy; if he would have punished them\nfor that which they have committed, he would doubtless have hastened their\npunishment: but a threat hath been denounced against them,c and they shall\nfind no refuge, besides him.\n     And those former citiesd did we destroy, when they acted unjustly; and we\ngave them previous warning of their destruction.\n     And remember when Moses said unto his servant Joshua the son of Nun, I\nwill not cease to go forward, until I come to the place where the two seas\nmeet; or I will travel for a long space of time.e\n60\tBut when they were arrived at the meeting of the two seas,f they forgot\ntheir fish, which they had taken with them;g and the fish took its way freely\nin the sea.h\n\n\tb  i.e., Between the idolaters and their false gods.  Some suppose the\nmeaning is no more than that GOD will set them at variance and division.\n\tc  viz., Of their calamity at Bedr (for the Koreish are the infidels\nhere intended), or their punishment at the resurrection.1\n\td  That is, the towns of the Adites, Tham\u00fbdites, Sodomites, &c.\n\te  The original word properly signifies the space of eighty years and\nupwards.  To explain this long passage the commentators tell the following\nstory:  They say that Moses once preaching to the people, they admired his\nknowledge and eloquence so much, that they asked him whether he knew any man\nin the world who was wiser than himself; to which he answered in the negative:\nwhereupon GOD, in a revelation, having reprehended him for his vanity (though\nsome pretend that Moses asked GOD the question of his own accord), acquainted\nhim that his servant al Khedr was more knowing than he; and, at Moses' request\ntold him he might find that person at a certain rock, where the two seas met;\ndirecting him to take a fish with him in a basket, and that where he missed\nthe fish, that was the place.  Accordingly Moses set out, with his servant\nJoshua, in search of al Khedr; which expedition is here described.2\n\tf  viz., Those of Persia and Greece.  Some fancy that the meeting of\nMoses and al Khedr is here intended, as of the two seas of knowledge.3\n\tg  Moses forgot to inquire concerning it, and Joshua forgot to tell him\nwhen he missed it.  It is said that when they came to the rock, Moses falling\nasleep, the fish, which was roasted, leaped out of the basket into the sea;\nsome add, that Joshua making the ablution at the fountain of life (of which\nimmediately), some of the water happened to be sprinkled on the fish, which\nimmediately restored it to life.1\n\th  The word here translated freely, signifying also a pipe or arched\ncanal for conveyance of water, some have imagined that the water of the sea\nwas miraculously kept from touching the body of the fish, which passed through\nit as under an arch.2\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem, Al Zamakhshari, Al Bokhari, in Sonna,\n&c.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t1  Idem.\n2  Idem.\n\n\n     And when they had passed beyond that place, Moses said unto his servant,\nBring us our dinner; for now are we fatigued with this our journey.\n     His servant answered, Dost thou know what has befallen me?  When we took\nup our lodging at the rock, verily I forgot the fish: and none made me to\nforget it, except Satan, that I should not remind thee of it.  And the fish\ntook its way into the sea, in a wonderful manner.\n     Moses said, This is what we sought after.  And they both went back,\nreturning by the way they came.\n     And coming to the rock they found one of our servants,i unto whom we had\ngranted mercy from us, and whom we had taught wisdom from before us.\n     And Moses said unto him, Shall I follow thee, that thou mayest teach me\npart of that which thou hast been taught, for a direction unto me?\n     He answered, Verily thou canst not bear with me:\n     for how canst thou patiently suffer those things, the knowledge whereof\nthou dost not comprehend?\n     Moses replied, Thou shalt find me patient, if GOD please; neither will I\nbe disobedient unto thee in anything.\n     He said, If thou follow me, therefore, ask me not concerning anything,\nuntil I shall declare the meaning thereof unto thee.\n70\tSo they both went on by the sea-shore, until they went up into a ship;\nand he made a hole therein.j  And Moses said unto him, Hast thou made a hole\ntherein, that thou mightest drown those who are on board? now hast thou done a\nstrange thing.\n     He answered, Did I not tell thee that thou couldst not bear with me?\n     Moses said, Rebuke me not, because I did forget; and impose not on me a\ndifficulty in what I am commanded.\n     Wherefore they left the ship and proceeded, until they met with a youth;\nand he slew him.k  Moses said, Hast thou slain an innocent person, without his\nhaving killed another? now hast thou committed an unjust action.\n     He answered, Did I not tell thee that thou couldest not bear with me?\n     Moses said, If I ask thee concerning anything hereafter, suffer me not to\naccompany thee: now hast thou received an excuse from me.\n\n\ti  This person, according to the general opinion, was the prophet al\nKhedr; whom the Mohammedans usually confound with Phineas, Elias, and St.\nGeorge, saying that his soul passed by a metempsychosis successively through\nall three.  Some, however, say his true name was Balya Ebn Malc\u00e2n, and that he\nlived in the time of Afrid\u00fbn, one of the ancient kings of Persia, and that he\npreceded Dhu'lkarnein, and lived to the time of Moses.  They suppose al Khedr,\nhaving found out the fountain of life and drunk thereof, became immortal; and\nthat he had therefore this name from his flourishing and continual youth.3\n\tPart of these fictions they took from the Jews, some of whom also fancy\nPhineas was Elias.4\n\tj  For al Khedr took an axe, and knocked out two of her planks.5\n\tk  By twisting his neck round, or dashing his head against a wall, or\nelse by throwing him down and cutting his throat.6\n\n\t3  Idem.  Vide D'Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. Art. Khedher, Septemcastrens.\nde Turcar. Moribus. Busbeq. Epist. I, p. 93, &c. Hotting. Hist. Orient. p. 58,\n&c., 99, &c., 292, &c.\t\t4  R. Levi Ben Gerson in Append. l. I, Reg. I,\n27.\t\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t6  Idem\n\n\n     They went forwards, therefore, until they came to the inhabitants of a\ncertain city:l and they asked food of the inhabitants thereof; but they\nrefused to receive them.  And they found therein a wall, which was ready to\nfall down; and he set it upright.m  Whereupon Moses said unto him, If thou\nwouldest thou mightest doubtless have received a reward for it.\n     He answered, This shall be a separation between me and thee; but I will\nfirst declare unto thee the signification of that which thou couldest not bear\nwith patience.\n     The vessel belonged to certain poor men,n who did their business in the\nsea: and I was minded to render it unserviceable, because there was a kingo\nbehind them, who took every sound ship by force.\n     As to the youth, his parents were true believers; and we feared, lest he,\nbeing an unbeliever, should oblige them to suffer his perverseness and\ningratitude:\n80\twherefore we desired that their LORD might give them a more righteous\nchild in exchange for him, and one more affectionate towards them.p\n     And the wall belonged to two orphan youthsq in the city, and under it was\na treasure hidden which belonged to them; and their father was a righteous\nman: and thy LORD was pleased that they should attain their full age, and take\nforth their treasure, through the mercy of thy LORD, and I did not what thou\nhast seen of mine own will, but by God's direction.  This is the\ninterpretation of that which thou couldest not bear with patience.\n     The Jews will ask thee concerning Dhu'lkarnein.r  Answer I will rehearse\nunto you an account of him.\n     We made him powerful in the earth, and we gave him means to accomplish\neverything he pleased.  And he followed his way,\n\n\tl  This city was Antioch; or, as some rather think, Obollah, near Basra,\nor else B\u00e2jirw\u00e2n in Armenia.1\n\tm  By only stroking it with his hand; though others say he threw it down\nand rebuilt it.2\n\tn  They were ten brothers, five of whom were past their labour by reason\nof their age.3\n\to  Named Jaland Ebn Karkar, or Minw\u00e2r Ebn Jaland al Azdi.4\n\tp  It is said that they had afterwards a daughter, who was the wife and\nthe mother of a prophet; and that her son converted a whole nation.5\n\tq  Their names were Asram and Sarim.6\n\tr  Or, the two-horned.  The generality of the commentators7 suppose the\nperson here meant to be Alexander the Great, or, as they call him, Iscander al\nR\u00fbmi, king of Persia and Greece; but there are very different opinions as to\nthe reason of this surname.  Some think it was given him because he was king\nof the East and of the West, or because he had made expeditions to both those\nextreme parts of the earth; or else because he had two horns on his diadem, or\ntwo curls of hair, like horns, on his forehead; or, which is most probable, by\nreason of his great valour.  Several modern writers8 rather suppose the\nsurname was occasioned by his being represented in his coins and statues with\nhorns, as the son of Jupiter Ammon; or else by his being compared by the\nprophet Daniel to a he-goat;9 though he is there represented with but one\nhorn.10\n\tThere are some good writers, however, who believe the prince intended in\nthis passage of the Kor\u00e2n was not Alexander the Grecian, but another great\nconqueror, who bore the same name and surname, and was much more ancient than\nhe, being contemporary with Abraham, and one of the kings of Persia of the\nfirst race;11 or, as others suppose, a king of Yaman, named Asaab Ebn al\nR\u00e2yesh.12\n\tThey all agree he was a true believer, but whether he was a prophet or\nno, is a disputed point.\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t4  Idem.\n\t5  Idem.\t\t6  Idem.\n7  Idem, Al Zamakhshari, Jallalo'ddin, Yahya.\t\t8  Scaliger, de Emend.\ntemp. L'Empereur, not. in Jachiad.  Dan. viii. 5.  Gol. in Alfrag. p. 58, &c.\n9  Schickard.  Tarikh Reg. Pers. p. 73.\t\t10  See Dan. viii.\n\t11  Abulfeda, Khondemir, Tarikh Montakhab, &c.  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl.\nOrient. Art. Escander.\t\t12  Ex trad. Ebn Abbas.  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 58.\n\n\n     until he came to the place where the sun setteth; and he found it to set\nin a spring of black mud;s and he found near the same a certain people.t\n     And we said, O Dhu'lkarnein, either punish this people, or use gentleness\ntowards them.u\n     He answered, Whosoever of them shall commit injustice, we will surely\npunish him in this world; afterwards shall he return unto his LORD, and he\nshall punish him with a severe punishment.\n     But whosoever believeth, and doth that which is right, shall receive the\nmost excellent reward, and we will give him in command that which is easy.\n     Then he continued his way,\n     until he came to the place where the sun riseth;x and he found it to rise\non certain people, unto whom we had not given anything wherewith to shelter\nthemselves therefrom.y\n90\tThus it was; and we comprehended with our knowledge the forces which\nwere with him.\n     And he prosecuted his journey from south to north,\n     until he came between the two mountains;z beneath which he found certain\npeople, who could scarce understand what was said.a\n     And they said, O Dhu'lkarnein, verily, Gog and Magog waste the land;b\nshall we therefore pay thee tribute, on condition that thou build a rampart\nbetween us and them?\n     He answered, The power wherewith my LORD has strengthened me is better\nthan your tribute: but assist me strenuously, and I will set a strong wall\nbetween you and them.\n     Bring me iron in large pieces, until it fill up the space between the two\nsides of these mountains.  And he said to the workmen, Blow with your bellows,\nuntil it make the iron red hot as fire.  And he said further, Bring me molten\nbrass, that I may pour upon it.\n\n\ts  That is, it seemed so to him, when he came to the ocean, and saw\nnothing but water.1\n\tt  An unbelieving nation, who were clothed in the skins of wild beasts,\nand lived upon what the sea cast on shore.2\n\tu  For GOD gave Dhu'lkarnein his choice, either to destroy them for\ntheir infidelity, or to instruct them in the true faith; or, according to\nothers, either to put them to the sword, or to take them captives: but the\nwords which follow confirm the former interpretation, by which it appears he\nchose to invite them to the true religion, and to punish only the disobedient\nand incredulous.\n\tx  i.e., That part of the habitable world on which the sun first rises.\n\ty  Who had neither clothes nor houses, their country not bearing any\nbuildings, but dwelt in holes underground, into which they retreated from the\nheat of the sun.3  Jallalo'ddin says they were the Zenj, a black nation lying\nsouth-west of Ethiopia.  They seem to be the Troglodytes of the ancients.\n\tz  Between which Dhu'lkarnein built the famous rampart, mentioned\nimmediately, against the irruptions of Gog and Magog.  These mountains are\nsituate in Armenia and Adherbij\u00e2n, or, according to others, much more\nnorthwards, on the confines of Turkestan.4  The relation of a journey taken to\nthis rampart, by one who was sent on purpose to view it by the Khal\u00eef al\nWathec, may be seen in D'Herbelot.5\n\ta  By reason of the strangeness of their speech and their slowness of\napprehension; wherefore they were obliged to make use of an interpreter.6\n\tb  The Arabs call them Yaj\u00fbi and Maj\u00fbj, and say they are two nations or\ntribes descended from Japhet the son of Noah, or, as others write, Gog are a\ntribe of the Turks, and Magog of those of Gil\u00e2n,7 the Geli and Gel\u00e6 of Ptolemy\nand Strabo.8\n\tIt is said these barbarous people made their irruptions into the\nneighbouring countries in the spring, and destroyed and carried off all the\nfruits of the earth; and some pretend they were man-eaters.9\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Iidem.\t\t3  Iidem.\n\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n5  Bibl. Orient. Art. Jagiouge.\t\t6  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t7  Idem.\nVide D'Herbel. ubi supra.\t\t8  V. Gol. in Alfrag. p. 207.\t\t9  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     Wherefore, when this wall was finished, Gog and Magog could not scale it,\nneither could they dig through it.c\n     And Dhu'lkarnein said, This is a mercy from my LORD:\n     but when the prediction of my LORD shall come to be fulfilled,d he shall\nreduce the wall to dust; and the prediction of my LORD is true.\n     On that day we will suffer some of them to press tumultuously like waves\non others:e and the trumpet shall be sounded, and we will gather them in a\nbody together.\n100\tAnd we will set hell on that day before the unbelievers;\n     whose eyes have been veiled from my remembrance, and who could not hear\nmy words.\n     Do the unbelievers think that I will not punish them, for that they take\nmy servants for their protectors besides me?  Verily we have prepared hell for\nthe abode of the infidels.\n     Say, Shall we declare unto you those whose works are vain,\n     whose endeavor in the present life hath been wrongly directed, and who\nthink they do the work which is right?\n     These are they who believe not in the signs of their LORD, or that they\nshall be assembled before him; wherefore their works are vain, and we will not\nallow them any weight on the day of resurrection.\n     This shall be their reward, namely, hell; for that they have disbelieved,\nand have held my signs and apostles in derision.\n     But as for those who believe and do good works, they shall have the\ngardens of paradise for their abode:\n     they shall remain therein forever; they shall wish for no change therein.\n     Say, If the sea were ink to write the words of my LORD, verily the sea\nwould fail, before the words of my LORD would fail; although we added another\nsea like unto it as a further supply.\n110\tSay, Verily I am only a man as ye are.  It is revealed unto me that your\nGOD is one only GOD: let him therefore who hopeth to meet his LORD work a\nrighteous work; and let him not make any other to partake in the worship of\nhis LORD.\n\n\tc  The commentators say the wall was built in this manner.  They dug\ntill they found water, and having laid the foundation of stone and melted\nbrass, they built the super-structure of large pieces of iron, between which\nthey laid wood and coals, till they equalled the height of the mountains; and\nthen setting fire to the combustibles, by the help of large bellows, they made\nthe iron red hot, and over it poured melted brass, which filling up the\nvacancies between the pieces of iron, rendered the whole work as firm as a\nrock.  Some tell us that the whole was built of stones joined by cramps of\niron, on which they poured melted brass to fasten them.1\n\td  That is, when the time shall come for Gog and Magog to break forth\nfrom their confinement; which shall happen sometime before the resurrection.2\n\te  These words represent either the violent irruption of Gog and Magog,\nor the tumultuous assembly of all creatures, men, genii, and brutes, at the\nresurrection.3\n\n\t1  Idem, &c.\t\t2  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 63.\n\t3  See ib. p. 67.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIX.\n\nENTITLED, MARY;g REVEALED AT MECCA.g\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     C. H. Y. A. S.h  A COMMEMORATION of the mercy of thy LORD towards his\nservant Zacharias.i\n     When he called upon his LORD, invoking him in secret,\n     and said, O LORD, verily my bones are weakened, and my head is become\nwhite with hoariness,\n     and I have never been unsuccessful in my prayers to thee, O LORD.\n     But now I fear my nephews, who are to succeed after me, for my wife is\nbarren:\n     wherefore, give me a successor of my own body from before thee; who may\nbe my heir, and may be an heir of the family of Jacob;k and grant, O LORD,\nthat he may be acceptable unto thee.\n     And the angel answered him, O Zacharias, verily we bring thee tidings of\na son, whose name shall be John;\n     we have not caused any to bear the same name before him.l\n     Zacharias said, LORD, how shall I have a son, seeing my wife is barren,\nand I am now arrived at a great age,m and am decrepit?\n10\tThe angel said, So shall it be: thy LORD saith, This is easy with me;\nsince I created thee heretofore, when thou wast nothing.\n     Zacharias answered, O LORD, give me a sign.  The angel replied, Thy sign\nshall be that thou shalt not speak to men for three nights, although thou be\nin perfect health.\n     And he went forth unto his people, from the chamber, and he made signs\nunto them,n as if he should say, Praise ye God in the morning and in the\nevening.\n     And we said unto his son, O John, receive the book of the law, with a\nresolution to study and observe it.  And we bestowed on him wisdom, when he\nwas yet a child,\n\n\tf  Several circumstances relating to the Virgin Mary being mentioned in\nthis chapter, her name was pitched upon for the title.\n\tg  Except the verse of Adoration.\n\th  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, 47.\n\ti  See chapter 3. p. 36, &c.\n\tj  These were his brother's sons, who were very wicked men, and\nZacharias was apprehensive lest, after his death, instead of confirming the\npeople in the true religion, they should seduce them to idolatry.1  And some\ncommentators imagine that he made this prayer in private, lest his nephews\nshould overhear him.\n\tk  viz., In holiness and knowledge; or in the government and\nsuperintendence of the Israelites.  There are some who suppose it is not the\npatriarch who is here meant, but another Jacob, the brother of Zacharias, or\nof Imr\u00e2n Ebn M\u00e2th\u00e2n, of the race of Solomon.2\n\tl  For he was the first who bore the name of John, or Yahya (as the\nArabs pronounce it); which fancy seems to be occasioned by the words of St.\nLuke misunderstood, that none of Zacharias's kindred was called by that name:3\nfor otherwise John, or, as it is written in Hebrew, Johanan, was a common name\namong the Jews.\n\tSome expositors avoid this objection, by observing that the original\nword samiyyan signifies, not only one who is actually called by the same name,\nbut also one who by reason of his possessing the like qualities and\nprivileges, deserves, or may pretend to the same name.\n\tm  The Mohammedan traditions greatly differ as to the age of Zacharias\nat this time; we have mentioned one already:4 Jallalo'ddin says, he was an\nhundred and twenty, and his wife ninety-eight; and the Sonna takes notice of\nseveral other opinions.\n\tn  Some say he wrote the following words on the ground.\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Iidem.\t\t3  Luke i. 61.\n\n\n     and mercy from us, and purity of life;o and he was a devout person, and\ndutiful towards his parents, and was not proud or rebellious.\n     Peace be on him the day whereon he was born, and the day whereon he shall\ndie, and the day whereon he shall be raised to life.\n     And remember in the book of the Koran the story of Mary; when she retired\nfrom her family to a place towards the east,p\n     and took a veil to conceal herself from them; and we sent our spirit\nGabriel unto her, and he appeared unto her in the shape of a perfect man.q\n20\tShe said, I fly for refuge unto the merciful God, that he may defend me\nfrom thee: if thou fearest him, thou wilt not approach me.\n     He answered, Verily I am the messenger of thy LORD, and am sent to give\nthee a holy son.\n     She said, How shall I have a son, seeing a man hath not touched me, and I\nam no harlot?\n     Gabriel replied, So shall it be: thy LORD saith, This is easy with me;\nand we will perform it, that we may ordain him for a sign unto men, and a\nmercy from us: for it is a thing which is decreed.\n     Wherefore she conceived him;r and she retired aside with him in her womb\nto a distant place;s\n     and the pains of child-birth came upon her near the trunk of a palm-\ntree.t  She said, Would to GOD I had died before this, and had become a thing\nforgotten, and lost in oblivion.\n     And he who was beneath her called to her,u saying, be not grieved; now\nhath GOD provided a rivulet under thee;\n\n\to  Or, as the word also signifies, The love of alms-deeds.\n\tp  viz., To the eastern part of the temple; or to a private chamber in\nthe house, which opened to the east: whence, says al Beid\u00e2wi, the Christians\npray towards that quarter.\n\tThere is a tradition, that when the virgin was grown to years of\npuberty, she used to leave her apartment in the temple, and retire to\nZacharias's house to her aunt, when her courses came upon her; and so soon as\nshe was clean, she returned again to the temple: and that at the time of the\nangel's visiting her, she was at her aunt's on the like occasion, and was\nsitting to wash herself, in an open place, behind a veil to prevent her being\nseen.1  But others more prudently suppose the design of her retirement was to\npray.2\n\tq  Like a full-grown but beardless youth.  Al Beid\u00e2wi, not contented\nwith having given one good reason why he appeared in that form, viz., to\nmoderate her surprise, that she might hear his message with less shyness,\nadds, that perhaps it might be to raise an emotion in her, and assist her\nconception.\n\tr  For Gabriel blew into the bosom of her shift, which he opened with\nhis fingers,3 and his breath reaching her womb, caused the conception.4  The\nage of the Virgin Mary at the time of her conception was thirteen, or, as\nothers say, ten; and she went six, seven, eight, or nine months with him,\naccording to different traditions; though some say the child was conceived at\nits full growth of nine months, and that she was delivered of him within an\nhour after.5\n\ts  To conceal her delivery, she went out of the city by night, to a\ncertain mountain.\n\tt  The palm to which she fled, that she might lean on it in her travail,\nwas a withered trunk, without any head or verdure, and this happened in the\nwinter season; notwithstanding which it miraculously supplied her with fruits\nfor her refreshment;6 as is mentioned immediately.\n\tIt has been observed, that the Mohammedan account of the delivery of the\nVirgin Mary very much resembles that of Latona, as described by the poets,7\nnot only in this circumstance of their laying hold on a palm-tree8 (though\nsome say Latona embraced an olive-tree, or an olive and a palm, or else two\nlaurels), but also in that of their infants speaking; which Apollo is fabled\nto have done in the womb.9\n\tu  This some imagine to have been the child himself; but others suppose\nit was Gabriel who stood somewhat lower than she did.10  According to a\ndifferent reading this passage may be rendered, And he called to her from\nbeneath her, &c.  And some refer the pronoun, translated her, to the palm-\ntree; and then it should be beneath it, &c.\n\n\t1  Yahya, Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Al Zamakh.\t\t3  Yahya.\n\t4  Jallalo'ddin, Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n5  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Yahya.\t\t6  Iidem, Al Zamakh.\t\t7  Vide Sikii not.\nin Evang. Infant. p. 9, 21, &c.\t\t8  Homer.  Hymn. in Apoll.\nCallimach. Hymn. in Delum.\t\t9  Callimach. ibid.  See Kor. chapter 3,\np. 57.\t\t10  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     and do thou shake the body of the palm-tree, and it shall let fall ripe\ndates upon thee ready gathered.x\n     And eat, and drink, and calm thy mind.y  Moreover, if thou see any man,\nand he question thee,\n     say, Verily I have vowed a fast unto the Merciful: wherefore I will by no\nmeans speak to a man this day.z\n     So she brought the child to her people, carrying him in her arms.  And\nthey said unto her, O Mary, now hast thou done a strange thing:\n     O sister of Aaron,a thy father was not a bad man, neither was thy mother\na harlot.\n30\tBut she made signs unto the child to answer them; and they said, How\nshall we speak to him, who is an infant in the cradle?\n     Whereupon the child said, Verily I am the servant of GOD;b he hath given\nme the book of the gospel, and hath appointed me a prophet.\n     And he hath made me blessed, wheresoever I shall be; and hath commanded\nme to observe prayer, and to give alms, so long as I shall live;\n     and he hath made me dutiful towards my mother, and hath not made me proud\nor unhappy.\n     And peace be on me the day whereon I was born, and the day whereon I\nshall die, and the day whereon I shall be raised to life.\n     This was JESUS, the son of Mary; the Word of truth,c concerning whom they\ndoubt.\n     It is not meet for GOD, that he should have any son; GOD forbid! When he\ndecreeth a thing, he only saith unto it, Be; and it is.\n     And verily GOD is my LORD and your LORD; wherefore, serve him: this is\nthe right way.\n     Yet the sectaries differ among themselves concerning Jesus; but woe be\nunto those who are unbelievers, because of their appearance at the great day.\n     Do thou cause them to hear, and do thou cause them to see,d on the day\nwhereon they shall come unto us to be judged: but the ungodly are this day in\na manifest error.\n40\tAnd do thou forewarn them of the day of sighing, when the matter shall\nbe determined, while they are now sunk in negligence, and do not believe.\n     Verily we will inherit the earth, and whatever creatures are therein;e\nand unto us shall they all return.\n\n\tx  And accordingly she had no sooner spoken it than the dry trunk\nrevived, and shot forth green leaves, and a head loaded with ripe fruit.\n\ty  Literally, thine eye.\n\tz  During which she was not to speak to anybody, unless to acquaint them\nwith the reason of her silence: and some suppose she did that by signs.\n\ta  Several Christian writers think the Kor\u00e2n stands convicted of a\nmanifest falsehood in this particular, but I am afraid the Mohammedans may\navoid the charge;1 as they do by several answers.  Some say the Virgin Mary\nhad really a brother named Aaron, who had the same father, but a different\nmother; others suppose Aaron the brother of Moses is here meant, but say Mary\nis called his sister, either because she was of the Levitical race (as by her\nbeing related to Elizabeth, it should seem she was), or by way of comparison;\nothers say that it was a different person of that name who was contemporary\nwith her, and conspicuous for his good or bad qualities, and that they likened\nher to him either by way of commendation of of reproach,2 &c.\n\tb  These were the first words which were put into the mouth of JESUS, to\nobviate the imagination of his partaking of the divine nature, or having a\nright to the worship of mankind, on account of his miraculous speaking so soon\nafter his birth.3\n\tc  This expression may either be referred to JESUS, as the Word of GOD;\nor to the account just given of him.\n\td  These words are variously expounded; some taking them to express\nadmiration4 at the quickness of those senses in the wicked, at the day of\njudgment, when they shall plainly perceive the torments prepared for them,\nthough they have been deaf and blind in this life; and others supposing the\nwords contain a threat to the unbelievers, of what they shall then hear and\nsee; or else a command to Mohammed to lay before them the terrors of that\nday.5\n\te  i.e., Alone surviving, when all creatures shall be dead and\nannihilated.  See chapter 15, p. 192.\n\n\t1  See chapter 3, p. 34, 35.\t\t2  Al Zamakh., Al Beid\u00e2wi.\nJallalo'ddin, Yahya, &c.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi, &c.\n4  See chapter 18, p. 220.\t\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     And remember Abraham in the book of the Koran; for he was one of great\nveracity, and a prophet.\n     When he said unto his father, O my father,f why dost thou worship that\nwhich heareth not, neither seeth, nor profiteth thee at all?\n     O my father, verily a degree of knowledge hath been bestowed on me, which\nhath not been bestowed on thee: wherefore follow me; I will lead thee into an\neven way.\n     O my father, serve not Satan; for Satan was rebellious unto the Merciful.\n     O my father, verily I fear lest a punishment be inflicted on thee from\nthe Merciful, and thou become a companion of Satan.\n     His father answered, Dost thou reject my gods, O Abraham?  If thou\nforbear not, I will surely stone thee: wherefore leave me for a long time.\n     Abraham replied, Peace be on thee: I will ask pardon for thee of my LORD;\nfor he is gracious unto me.\n     And I will separate myself from you, and from the idols which ye invoke\nbesides GOD; and I will call upon my LORD; it may be that I shall not be\nunsuccessful in calling on my LORD, as ye are in calling upon them.\n50\tAnd when he had separated himself from them, and from the idols which\nthey worshipped besides GOD,g we gave him Isaac and jacob; and we made each of\nthem a prophet,\n     and we bestowed on them, through our mercy, the gift of prophecy, and\nchildren and wealth; and we caused them to deserve the highest commendations.h\n     And remember Moses in the book of the Koran: for he was sincerely\nupright, and was an apostle and a prophet.\n     And we called unto him from the right side of Mount Sinai, and caused him\nto draw near, and to discourse privately with us.i\n     And we gave him, through our mercy, his brother Aaron a prophet, for his\nassistant.\n     Remember also Ismael in the same book; for he was true to his promise,j\nand was an apostle, and a prophet.\n     And he commanded his family to observe prayer, and to give alms; and he\nwas acceptable unto his LORD.\n     And remember Edrisk in the same book; for he was a just person, and a\nprophet:\n     and we exalted him to a high place.l\n     These are they unto whom GOD hath been bounteous, of the prophets of the\nposterity of Adam, and of those whom we carried in the ark with Noah; and of\nthe posterity of Abraham, and of Israel, and of those whom we have directed\nand chosen.  When the signs of the Merciful were read unto them, they fell\ndown, worshipping, and wept:\n\n\tf  See chapter 6, p. 95, &c.\n\tg  By flying to Harr\u00e2n, and thence to Palestine.\n\th  Literally, We granted them a lofty tongue of truth.\n\ti  Or, as some expound it, And we raise him on high; for, say they, he\nwas raised to so great an elevation, that he heard the creaking of the pen\nwriting on the table of GOD'S decrees.1\n\tj  Being celebrated on that account; and particularly for his behaving\nwith that resignation and constancy which he had promised his father, on his\nreceiving GOD'S command to sacrifice him;2 for the Mohammedans say it was\nIsmael, and not Isaac, whom he was commanded to offer.\n\tk  Or Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah, who had that surname from\nhis great knowledge; for he was favoured with no less than thirty books of\ndivine revelations, and was the first who wrote with a pen, and studied the\nsciences of astronomy and arithmetic, &c.3\n\tThe learned Bartolocci endeavours to show, from the testimonies of the\nancient Jews, that Enoch, surnamed Edris, was a very different person from the\nEnoch of Moses, and many ages younger.4\n\tl  Some understand by this the honour of the prophetic office, and his\nfamiliarity with GOD; but others suppose his translation is here meant: for\nthey say that he was taken up by GOD into heaven at the age of three hundred\nand fifty, having first suffered death, and been restored to life; and that he\nis now alive in one of the seven heavens, or in paradise.5\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem, Jallalo'ddin, &c.\n\t4  Bartol. Bibl. Rabb. part 2, p. 845.\t\t5  Iidem, Abulfeda.\n\n\n60\tbut a succeeding generation have come after them, who neglect prayer,\nand follow their lusts; and they shall surely fall into evil:\n     except him who repenteth, and believeth, and doth that which is right;\nthese shall enter paradise, and they shall not in the least be wronged:\n     gardens of perpetual abode shall be their reward, which the Merciful hath\npromised unto his servants, as an object of faith; for his promise will surely\ncome to be fulfilled.\n     Therein shall they hear no vain discourse, but peace;m and their\nprovision shall be prepared for them therein morning and evening.\n     This is paradise, which we will give for an inheritance unto such of our\nservants as shall be pious.\n     We descend not from heaven, unless by the command of thy LORD: unto him\nbelongeth whatsoever is before us, and whatsoever is behind us, and whatsoever\nis in the intermediate space; neither is thy LORD forgetful of thee.n\n     He is the LORD of heaven and earth, and of whatsoever is between them:\nwherefore worship him, and be constant in his worship.  Dost thou know any\nnamed like him?o\n     Man saith,p After I shall have been dead, shall I really be brought forth\nalive from the grave?\n     Doth not man remember that we created him heretofore, when he was\nnothing?\n     But by thy LORD we will surely assemble them and the devils to judgment;q\nthen will we set them round about hell on their knees:\n70\tafterwards we will draw forth from every sect such of them as shall have\nbeen a more obstinate rebel against the Merciful;r\n     and we best know which of them are more worthy to be burned therein.s\n     There shall be none of you but shall approach near the same:t this is an\nestablished decree with thy LORD.\n     Afterwards we will deliver those who shall have been pious, but we will\nleave the ungodly therein on their knees.\n\n\tm  i.e., Words of peace and comfort; or the salutations of the angels,1\n&c.\n\tn  These are generally supposed to have been the words of the angel\nGabriel, in answer to Mohammed's complaint for his long delay of fifteen, or,\naccording to another tradition, of forty days, before he brought him\ninstructions what solution he should give to the questions which had been\nasked him concerning the sleepers, Dhu'lkarnein, and the spirit.2\n\tOthers, however, are of opinion that they are the words which the godly\nwill use at their entrance into paradise; and that their meaning is, We take\nup our abode here at the command and through the mercy of God alone, who\nruleth all things, past, future, and present; and who is not forgetful of the\nworks of his servants.3\n\to  That is, Deserving, or having a right to the name and attributes of\nGOD.\n\tp  Some suppose a particular person is here meant, namely, Obba Ebn\nKhalf.4\n\tq  It is said that every infidel will appear, at the day judgment,\nchained to the devil who seduced him.5\n\tr  Hence, says al Beid\u00e2wi, it appears that GOD will pardon some of the\nrebellious people.  But perhaps the distinguishing the unbelievers into\ndifferent classes, in order to consign them to different places and degrees of\ntorment, is here meant.\n\ts  viz., The more obstinate and perverse, and especially the heads of\nsects, who will suffer double punishment for their own errors and their\nseducing of others.\n\tt  For the true believers must also pass by or through hell, but the\nfire will be damped and the flames abated, so as not to hurt them, though it\nwill lay hold on the others.  Some, however, suppose that the words intend no\nmore than the passage over the narrow bridge, which is laid over hell.6\n\n\t1  See chapter 10, p. 151.\t\t2  See before, p. 118, 119.\n\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t4  See chapter 16, p. 195.\t\t5  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\t\t6  Idem.  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 71.\n\n\n     When our manifest signs are read unto them, the infidels say unto the\ntrue believers, Which of the two parties is in the more eligible condition,\nand formeth the more excellent assembly?u\n     But how many generations have we destroyed before them, which excelled\nthem in wealth, and in outward appearance?\n     Say, Whosoever is in error, the Merciful will grant him a long and\nprosperous life,\n     until they see that with which they are threatened, whether it be the\npunishment of this life, or that of the last hour; and hereafter they shall\nknow who is in the worse condition, and the weaker in forces.\n     GOD shall more fully direct those who receive direction;\n     and the good works which remain forever are better in the sight of thy\nLORD than worldly possessions, in respect to the reward, and more eligible in\nrespect to the future recompense.\n80\tHast thou seen him who believeth not in our signs, and saith, I shall\nsurely have riches and children bestowed on me?x\n     Is he acquainted with the secrets of futurity; or hath he received a\ncovenant from the Merciful that it shall be so?\n     By no means.  We will surely write down that which he saith; and\nincreasing we will increase his punishment;\n     and we will be his heir as to that which he speaketh of,y and on the last\nday he shall appear before us alone and naked.\n     They have taken other gods, besides GOD, that they may be a glory unto\nthem.\n     By no means.  Hereafter shall they deny their worship;z and they shall\nbecome adversariesa unto them.\n     Dost thou not see that we send the devils against the infidels, to incite\nthem to sin by their instigations?\n     Wherefore be not in haste to call down destruction upon them; for we\nnumber unto them a determined number of days of respite.\n     On a certain day we will assemble the pious before the Merciful in an\nhonourable manner, as ambassadors come into the presence of a prince:\n     but we will drive the wicked into hell, as cattle are driven to water:\n90\tthey shall obtain no intercession, except he only who hath received a\ncovenant from the Merciful.b\n     They say, The Merciful hath begotten issue.  Now have ye uttered an\nimpious thing:\n     it wanteth little but that on occasion thereof the heavens be rent, and\nthe earth cleave in sunder, and the mountains be overthrown and fall,\n     for that they attribute children unto the Merciful; whereas it becometh\nnot GOD to beget children.\n\n\tu  viz., Of us, or of you.  When the Koreish were unable to produce a\ncomposition to equal the Kor\u00e2n, they began to glory in their wealth and\nnobility, valuing themselves highly on that account, and despising the\nfollowers of Mohammed.\n\tx  This passage was revealed on account of al As Ebn Wayel, who being\nindebted to Khabb\u00e2b, when he demanded the money, refused to pay it, unless he\nwould deny Mohammed; to which proposal Khabb\u00e2b answered, that he would never\ndeny that prophet, neither alive, nor dead, nor when he should be raised to\nlife at the last day; therefore replied al As, when thou art raised again,\ncome to me, for I shall then have abundance of riches, and children, and I\nwill pay you.1\n\ty  i.e., He shall be obliged to leave all his wealth and his children\nbehind him at his death.\n\tz  viz., At the resurrection; when the idolaters shall disclaim their\nidols, and the idols their worshippers, and shall mutually accuse one\nanother.2\n\ta  Or, the contrary; that is to say, a disgrace instead of an honour.\n\tb  That is, except he who shall be a subject properly disposed to\nreceive that favour, by having possessed Isl\u00e2m.  Or, the words may also be\ntranslated, according to another exposition, They shall not obtain the\nintercession of any, except the intercession of him, &c.  Or else, None shall\nbe able to make intercession for others, except he who shall have received a\ncovenant (or permission) from God; i.e., who shall be qualified for that\noffice by faith, and good works, according to GOD's promise, or shall have\nspecial leave given him by GOD for that purpose.3\n\n\t1  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  See chapter 6, p. 90; chapter 10, p.\n152, 153, &c.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  See chapter 2, p. 28, &c.\n\n\n     Verily there is none in heaven or on earth but shall approach the\nMerciful as his servant.  He encompasseth them by his knowledge and power, and\nnumbereth them with an exact computation:\n     and they shall all come unto him on the day of resurrection, destitute\nboth of helpers and followers.\n     But as for those who believe and do good works, the Merciful will bestow\non them love.c\n     Verily we have rendered the Koran easy for thy tongue, that thou mayest\nthereby declare our promises unto the pious, and mayest thereby denounce\nthreats unto contentious people.\n     And how many generations have we destroyed before them?  Dost thou find\none of them remaining?  Or dost thou hear so much as a whisper concerning\nthem?\n\n\n________\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XX.\n\nENTITLED, T. H.;d REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     T. H.  WE have not sent down the Koran unto thee, that thou shouldest be\nunhappy;e\n     but for an admonition unto him who feareth God:\n     being sent down from him who created the earth, and the lofty heavens.\n     The Merciful sitteth on his throne:\n     unto him belongeth whatsoever is in heaven and on earth, and whatsoever\nis between them, and whatsoever is under the earth.\n     If thou pronounce thy prayers with a loud voice, know that it is not\nnecessary in respect to God; for he knoweth that which is secret, and what is\nyet more hidden.\n     GOD! there is no GOD but he, he hath most excellent names.f\n     Hast thou been informed of the history of Moses?g\n\n\tc  viz., The love of GOD and all the inhabitants of heaven.  Some\nsuppose this verse was revealed to comfort the Moslems who were hated and\ndespised at Mecca, on account of their faith, by the promise of their gaining\nthe love and esteem of mankind in a short time.\n\td  The signification of these letters, which being prefixed to the\nchapter are therefore taken for the title, is uncertain.1  Some, however,\nimagine they stand for Ya rajol, i.e. O man! which interpretation, seeming not\neasily to be accounted for from the Arabic, is by a certain tradition deduced\nfrom the Ethiopic:2 or for Ta, i.e. tread; telling us that Mohammed, being\nemployed in watching and prayer the night this passage was revealed, stood on\none foot only, but was hereby commanded to ease himself by setting both feet\nto the ground.  Others fancy the first letter stands for T\u00fbba, beatitude; and\nthe latter for Hawiyat, the name of the lower apartment of hell.  Tah is also\nan interjection commanding silence, and may properly enough be used in this\nplace.\n\te  Either by reason of thy zealous solicitude for the conversion of the\ninfidels, or thy fatiguing thyself by watching and other religious exercises;\nfor, it seems, the Koreish urged the extraordinary fatigues he underwent in\nthose respects, as the consequence of his having left their religion.3\n\tf  See chapter 7, p. 123, and chapter 17, p. 216.\n\tg  The relation of the story of Moses, which takes up the greatest part\nof this chapter, was designed to encourage Mohammed, by his example, to\ndischarge the prophetic office with firmness of mind, as being assured of\nreceiving the like assistance from GOD: for it is said this chapter was one of\nthe first that were revealed.4\n\n\t1  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c.\t\t2  Moham. Ebn Abd\nal Baki, ex trad. Acrem\u00e6 Ebn Abi Sofian.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t4\nIdem.\n\n\n     When he saw fire, and said unto his family, Tarry ye here; for I perceive\nfire:\n10\tperadventure I may bring you a brand thereout, or may find a direction\nin our way by the fire.h\n     And when he was come near unto it, a voice called unto him, saying, O\nMoses,\n     verily I am thy LORD: wherefore put off thy shoes;i for thou art in the\nsacred valley Towa.\n     And I have chosen thee; therefore hearken with attention unto that which\nis revealed unto thee.\n     Verily I am GOD; there is no god besides me; wherefore worship me, and\nperform thy prayer in remembrance of me.\n     Verily the hour cometh: I will surely manifest the same,\n     that every soul may receive its reward for that which it hath\ndeliberately done.\n     Let not him who believeth not therein, and who followeth his lust,\nprevent thee from believing in the same, lest thou perish.\n     Now what is that in thy right hand, O Moses?\n     He answered, It is my rod whereon I lean, and with which I beat down\nleaves for my flock; and I have other uses for it.j\n20\tGod said unto him, Cast it down, O Moses.\n     And he cast it down, and behold, it became a serpent,k which ran about.\n     God said, Take hold on it, and fear not:l we will reduce it to its former\ncondition.\n     And put thy right hand under thy left arm: it shall come forth white,m\nwithout any hurt.  This shall be another sign:\n     that we may show thee some of our greatest signs.\n     Go unto Pharaoh: for he is exceedingly impious.\n     Moses answered, LORD, enlarge my breast,\n     and make what thou hast commanded me easy unto me:\n     and loose the knot of my tongue,\n     that they may understand my speech.n\n30\tAnd give me a counselloro of my family,\n     namely, Aaron my brother.\n     Gird up my loins by him,\n     and make him my colleague in the business:\n     that we may praise thee greatly, and may remember thee often;\n     for thou regardest us.\n     God replied, Now hast thou obtained thy request, O Moses:\n     and we have heretofore been gracious unto thee, another time;\n\n\th  The commentators say, that Moses having obtained leave of Shoaib, or\nJethro, his father-in-law, to visit his mother, departed with his family from\nMidian towards Egypt; but coming to the valley of Towa, wherein Mount Sinai\nstands, his wife fell in labour, and was delivered of a son, in a very dark\nand snowy night; he had also lost his way, and his cattle were scattered from\nhim; when on a sudden he saw a fire by the side of a mountain, which on his\nnearer approaching he found burning in a green bush.1\n\ti  This was a mark of humility and respect: though some fancy there was\nsome uncleanness in the shoes themselves, because they were made of the skin\nof an ass not dressed.2\n\tj  As to drive away wild beasts from my flock, to carry my bottle of\nwater on, to stick up and hang my upper garment on to shade me from the sun;\nand several other uses enumerated by the commentators.\n\tk  Which was at first no bigger than the rod, but afterwards swelled to\na prodigious size.3\n\tl  When Moses saw the serpent move about with great nimbleness, and\nswallow stones and trees, he was greatly terrified, and fled from it; but\nrecovering his courage at these words of GOD, he had the boldness to take the\nserpent by the jaws.4\n\tm  See chapter 7, p. 116.\n\tn  For Moses had an impediment in his speech, which was occasioned by\nthe following accident.  Pharaoh one day carrying him in his arms, when a\nchild, he suddenly laid hold of his bear, and plucked it in a very rough\nmanner, which put Pharaoh into such a passion, that he ordered him to be put\nto death: but Asia, his wife, representing to him that he was but a child, who\ncould not distinguish between a burning coal and a ruby, he ordered the\nexperiment to be made; and a live coal and a ruby being set before Moses, he\ntook the coal and put it into his mouth, and burnt his tongue; and thereupon\nhe was pardoned.  This is a Jewish story a little altered.5\n\to  The Arabic word is Waz\u00eer, which signifies one who has the chief\nadministration of affairs under a prince.\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t4  Idem.\n\t5  Vide Shalsh. Hakkab, p. 11.\n\n\n     when we revealed unto thy mother that which was revealed unto her,p\n     saying, Put him into the ark, and cast him into the river and the river\nshall throw him on the shore; and my enemy and his enemy shall take him and\nbring him up;q and I bestowed on thee love from me,r\n40\tthat thou mightest be bred up under my eye.\n     When thy sister went and said, Shall I bring you unto one who will nurse\nthe child?s  So we returned thee unto thy mother, that her mind might be set\nat ease, and that she might not be afflicted.  And thou slewest a soul, and we\ndelivered thee from trouble;t and we proved thee by several trials:u\n     and afterwards thou didst dwell some yearsx among the inhabitants of\nMadian.  Then thou camest hither according to our decree, O Moses;\n     and I have chosen thee for myself;\n     wherefore go thou and thy brothery with my signs; and be not negligent in\nremembering me.\n     Go ye unto Pharaoh, for he is excessively impious:\n     and speak mildly unto him; peradventure he will consider, or will fear\nour threats.\n     They answered, O LORD, verily we fear lest he be precipitately violent\nagainst us, or lest he transgress more exorbitantly.\n     God replied, Fear not; for I am with you: I will hear and will see.\n     Go ye therefore unto him, and say, Verily we are the messengers of thy\nLORD: wherefore send the children of Israel with us, and do not afflict them.\nNow are we come unto thee with a sign from thy LORD: and peace be upon him who\nshall follow the true direction.\n50\tVerily it hath been revealed unto us, that a punishment shall be\ninflicted on him who shall charge us with imposture, and shall turn back.\n     And when they had delivered their message, Pharaoh said, Who is your\nLORD, O Moses?\n     He answered, Our LORD is he who giveth all things: he hath created them,\nand directeth them by his providence.\n\n\tp  The commentators are not agreed by what means this revelation was\nmade; whether by private inspiration, by a dream, by a prophet, or by an\nangel.\n\tq  The commentators say, that his mother accordingly made an ark of the\npapyrus, and pitched it, and put in some cotton; and having laid the child\ntherein, committed it to the river, a branch of which went into Pharaoh's\ngarden: that the stream carried the ark thither into a fishpond, at the head\nof which Pharaoh was then sitting, with his wife Asia, the daughter of\nMozahem; and that the king, having commanded it to be taken up and opened, and\nfinding in it a beautiful child, took a fancy to it, and ordered it to be\nbrought up.1\n\tSome writers mention a miraculous preservation of Moses before he was\nput into the ark; and tell us, that his mother having hid him from Pharaoh's\nofficers in an oven, his sister, in her mother's absence, kindled a large fire\nin the oven to heat it, not knowing the child was there, but that he was\nafterwards taken out unhurt.2\n\tr  That is, I inspired the love of thee into the hearts of those who saw\nthee, and particularly into the heart of Pharaoh.\n\ts  The Mohammedans pretend that several nurses were brought, but the\nchild refused to take the breast of any, till his sister Miriam, who went to\nlearn news of him, told them she would find a nurse, and brought his mother.3\n\tt  Moses killed an Egyptian, in defence of an Israelite, and escaped the\ndanger of being punished for it, by flying to Midian, which was eight days'\njourney distant from Mesr.4\n\tThe Jews pretend he was actually imprisoned for the fact, and condemned\nto be beheaded, but that, when he should have suffered, his neck became as\nhard as ivory, and the sword rebounded on the executioner.5\n\tu  For he was obliged to abandon his country and his friends, and to\ntravel several days, in great terror and want of necessary provisions, to seek\na refuge among strangers; and was afterwards forced to serve for hire, to gain\na livelihood.\n\tx  i.e., Ten.6\n\ty  Aaron being by this time come out to meet his brother, either by\ndivine inspiration, or having notice of his design to return to Egypt.7\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Abulfeda, &c.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\t4  Idem.\n5  Shalsh Hakkab. p. 11.\t\t6  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t7  Idem.\n\n\n     Pharaoh said, What therefore is the condition of the former generations?z\n     Moses answered, The knowledge thereof is with my LORD, in the book of his\ndecrees: my LORD erreth not, neither doth he forget.\n     It is he who hath spread the earth as a bed for you, and hath made you\npaths therein; and who sendeth down rain from heaven, whereby we cause various\nkinds of vegetables to spring forth:\n     saying, Eat of part, and feed your cattle with other part thereof.\nVerily herein are signs unto those who are endued with understanding.\n     Out of the ground have we created you; and to the same will we cause you\nto return, and we will bring you forth from thence another time.\n     And we showed Pharaoh all our signs which we had empowered Moses to\nperform: but he accused him of imposture, and refused to believe;\n     and he said, Art thou come unto us that thou mayest dispossess us of our\nland by the enchantments, O Moses?\n60\tVerily we will meet thee with the like enchantments; wherefore fix an\nappointment between us and thee; we will not fail it, neither shalt thou, in\nan equal place.\n     Moses answered, Let your appointment be on the day of your solemn feast;a\nand let the people be assembled in open day.\n     And Pharaoh turned away from Moses, and gathered together the most expert\nmagicians to execute his stratagem; and then came to the appointment.\n     Moses said unto them, Woe be unto you! do not devise a lie against GOD,b\n     lest he utterly destroy you by some judgment: for he shall not prosper\nwho deviseth lies.\n     And the magicians disputed concerning their affair among themselves, and\ndiscoursed in private:\n     and they said, These two are certainly magicians: they seek to dispossess\nyou of your land by their sorcery; and to lead away with them your chiefest\nand most considerable men.\n     Wherefore collect all your cunning, and then come in order: for he shall\nprosper this day, who shall be superior.\n     They said, O Moses, whether wilt thou cast down thy rod first, or shall\nwe be the first who cast down our rods?\n     He answered, Do ye cast down your rods first.  And behold, their cords\nand their rods appeared unto him, by their enchantment, to run about like\nserpents;c\n70\twherefore Moses conceived fear in his heart.\n     But we said unto him, Fear not; for thou shalt be superior:\n     therefore cast down the rod which is in thy right hand; and it shall\nswallow up the seeming serpents which they have made: for what they have made\nis only the deceit of an enchanter; and an enchanter shall not prosper,\nwithersoever he cometh.\n     And the magicians, when they saw the miracle which Moses performed, fell\ndown and worshipped, saying, We believe in the LORD of Aaron and of Moses.\n     Pharaoh said unto them, Do ye believe in him before I give you\npermission?  Verily this is your master, who hath taught you magic.  But I\nwill surely cut off your hands and your feet on the opposite sides; and I will\ncrucify you on trunks of palm-trees:d and ye shall know which of us is more\nsevere in punishing, and can longer protract your pains.\n\n\tz  viz., As to happiness or misery after death.\n\ta  Which was probably the first day of their new year.\n\tb  By saying the miracles performed in his name are the effects of\nmagic.\n\tc  They rubbed them over with quicksilver, which being wrought upon by\nthe heat of the sun, caused them to move.1  See chapter 7, p. 116.\n\td  See Ibid.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t1  Idem.\n\n\n     They answered, We will by no means have greater regard unto thee than\nunto those evident miracles which have been shown us, or than unto him who\nhath created us.  Pronounce therefore that sentence against us which thou art\nabout to pronounce: for thou canst only give sentence as to this present life.\nVerily we believe in our LORD, that he may forgive us our sins, and the\nsorcery which thou hast forced us to exercise: for GOD is better to reward,\nand more able to prolong punishment than thou.\n     Verily whosoever shall appear before his LORD on the day of judgment,\npolluted with crimes, shall have hell for his reward; he shall not die\ntherein, neither shall he live.\n     But whoever shall appear before him, having been a true believer, and\nshall have worked righteousness, for these are prepared the highest degrees of\nhappiness;\n     namely, gardens of perpetual abode,e which shall be watered by rivers;\nthey shall remain therein forever: and this shall be the reward of him who\nshall be pure.\n     And we spake by revelation unto Moses, saying, Go forth with my servants\nout of Egypt by night; and smite the waters with thy rod, and make them a dry\npath through the sea:f\n80\tbe not apprehensive of Pharaoh's overtaking thee; neither be thou\nafraid.\n     And when Moses had done so, Pharaoh followed them with his forces; and\nthe waters of the sea overwhelmed them.  And Pharaoh caused his people to err,\nneither did he direct them aright.\n     Thus, O children of Israel, we delivered you from your enemy; and we\nappointed you the right side of Mount Sinai to discourse with Moses and to\ngive him the law; and we caused manna and quails to descend upon you,g\n     saying, Eat of the good things which we have given you for food; and\ntransgress not therein,h lest my indignation fall on you; and on whomsoever my\nindignation shall fall, he shall go down headlong into perdition.\n     But I will be gracious unto him who shall repent and believe, and shall\ndo that which is right; and who shall be rightly directed.\n     What hath caused thee to hasten from thy people, O Moses, to receive the\nlaw?i\n     He answered, These follow close on my footsteps; but I have hastened unto\nthee, O LORD, that thou mightest be well pleased with me.\n     God said, We have already made a trial of thy people, since thy\ndeparture;j and al S\u00e2merik hath seduced them to idolatry.\n\n\te  Literally, gardens of Eden; see chapter 9, p. 142, 143.\n\tf  The expositors add, that the sea was divided into twelve separate\npaths, one for each tribe:1 a fable borrowed from the Jews.2\n\tg  See chapter 2, p. 7.\n\th  By ingratitude, excess, or insolent behaviour.\n\ti  For Moses, it seems, outwent the seventy elders, who had been chosen,\nin obedience to the divine command, to accompany him to the mount,3 and\nappeared before GOD while they were at some, though no great, distance behind\nhim.\n\tj  They continued in the worship of the true GOD for the first twenty\ndays of Moses's absence, which, by taking the nights also into their\nreckoning, they computed to be forty, and at their expiration concluded they\nhad stayed the full time which Moses had commanded them, and so fell into the\nworship of the golden calf.4\n\tk  This was not his proper name, but he had this appellation because he\nwas of a certain tribe among the Jews called Samaritans (wherein the\nMohammedans strangely betray their ignorance in history); though some say he\nwas a proselyte, but a hypocritical one, and originally of Kirm\u00e2n, or some\nother country.  His true name was Moses, or M\u00fbsa, Ebn Dhafar.5\n\tSelden is of opinion that this person was no other than Aaron himself,\n(who was really the maker of the calf), and that he is here called al S\u00e2meri,\nfrom the Hebrew verb shamar, to keep;1 because he was the Keeper or Guardian\nof the children of Israel during his brother's absence in the mount; which is\na very ingenious conjecture, not absolutely inconsistent with the text of the\nKor\u00e2n (though Mohammed seems to have mistaken al S\u00e2meri for the name of a\ndifferent person), and offers a much more probable origin of that appellation,\nthan to derive it, as the Mohammedans do, from the Samaritans, who were not\nformed into a people, nor bore that name till many ages after.\n\n\t1  Idem, Abulfed. in Hist.\t\t2  Vide R. Eliezer, Pirke, chapter\n42.\t\t3  See chapter 2, p. 6, 7; chapter 7, p. 120, &c.\n4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t5  Idem.\n\n\n     Wherefore Moses returned unto his peoplel in great wrath, and exceedingly\nafflicted.\n     And he said, O my people, had not your LORD promised you a most excellent\npromise?m  Did the time of my absence seem long unto you?  Or did ye desire\nthat indignation from your LORD should fall on you, and therefore failed to\nkeep the promise which ye made me?\n90\tThey answered, We have not failed in what we promised thee of our own\nauthority; but we were made to carry in several loads of gold and silver, of\nthe ornaments of the people,n and we cast them into the fire; and in like\nmanner al S\u00e2meri also cast in what he had collected, and he produced unto them\na corporeal calf,o which lowed.  And al S\u00e2meri and his companions said, This\nis your god, and the god of Moses; but he hath forgotten him, and is gone to\nseek some other.\n     Did they not therefore see that their idol returned them no answer, and\nwas not able to cause them either hurt or profit?\n     And Aaron had said unto them before, O my people, verily ye are only\nproved by this calf; for your LORD is the Merciful: wherefore, follow me, and\nobey my command.\n     They answered, We will by no means cease to be devoted to its worship,\nuntil Moses return unto us.\n     And when Moses was returned, he said, O Aaron, what hindered thee, when\nthou sawest that they went astray, that thou didst not follow me?p  Hast thou,\ntherefore, been disobedient to my command?\n     Aaron answered, O son of my mother, drag me not by the beard, nor by the\nhair of my head.  Verily I feared lest thou shouldest say,\n     Thou hast made a division among the children of Israel, and thou hast not\nobserved my saying.q\n     Moses said unto al S\u00e2meri, What was thy design, O S\u00e2meri?  He answered, I\nsaw that which they saw not;r wherefore I took a handful of dust from the\nfootsteps of the messenger of God, and I cast it into the molten calf;s for so\ndid my mind direct me.\n\n\tl  viz., After he had completed his forty days' stay in the mount, and\nhad received the law.2\n\tm  i.e., The law, containing a light and certain direction to guide you\nin the right way.\n\tn  These ornaments were rings, bracelets, and the like, which the\nIsraelities had borrowed of the Egyptians, under pretence of decking\nthemselves out for some feast, and had not returned to them; or, as some\nthink, what they had stripped from the dead bodies of the Egyptians, cast on\nshore by the sea: and al Sameri, conceiving them unlawful to be kept, and the\noccasion of much wickedness, persuaded Aaron to let him collect them from the\npeople; which being done, he threw them all into the fire, to melt them down\ninto one mass.3\n\tIt is observable, that the Mohammedans generally suppose the cast\nmetal's coming forth in the shape of a calf, was beside the expectation of al\nSameri, who had not made a mould of that figure: and that when Aaron excuses\nhimself to his brother, in the pentateuch, he seems as if he would persuade\nhim it was an accident.4\n\to  See chapter 7, p. 119, note n.\n\tp  By these words Moses reprehends Aaron for not seconding his zeal in\ntaking arms against the idolaters; or for not coming after him to the\nmountain, to acquaint him with their rebellion.\n\tq  i.e., Lest if I had taken arms against the worshippers of the calf,\nthou shouldest say that I had raised a sedition; or if I had gone after thee,\nthou shouldest blame me for abandoning my charge, and not waiting thy return\nto rectify what was amiss.\n\tr  Or, I knew that which they knew not; viz., That the messenger sent to\nthee from GOD was a pure spirit, and that his footsteps gave life to whatever\nthey touched; being no other than the angel Gabriel, mounted on the horse of\nlife: and therefore I made use of the dust of his feet to animate the molten\ncalf.  It is said al S\u00e2meri knew the angel, because he had saved and taken\ncare of him when a child and exposed by his mother for fear of Pharaoh.1\n\ts  See chapter 2, p. 6.\n\n\t1  Selden, de Diis Syris, Synt. I, chapter 4.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\t3  Idem.  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 650, and Kor. chapter 2, p. 6,\n&c.\t\t4  See Exod. xxxii. 24.\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     Moses said, Get thee gone; for thy punishment in this life shall be, that\nthou shalt say unto those who shall meet thee, Touch me not;t and a threat is\ndenounced against thee of more terrible pains, in the life to come, which thou\nshalt by no means escape.  And behold now thy god, to whose worship thou hast\ncontinued assiduously devoted; verily we will burn it;u and we will reduce it\nto powder, and scatter it in the sea.\n     Your GOD is the true GOD, besides whom there is no other god: he\ncomprehendeth all things by his knowledge.\n100\tThus do we recite unto thee, O Mohammed, relations of what hath passed\nheretofore; and we have given thee an admonition from us.\n     He who shall turn aside from it shall surely carry a load of guilt on the\nday of resurrection:\n     they shall continue thereunder forever; and a grievous burden shall it be\nunto them on the day of resurrection;x\n     On that day the trumpet shall be sounded; and we will gather the wicked\ntogether on that day, having grey eyes.y\n     They shall speak with a low voice to one another, saying, Ye have not\ntarriedz above ten days.\n     We well know what they will say; when the most conspicuous among them for\nbehavior shall say, Ye have not tarried above one day.\n     They will ask thee concerning the mountains: Answer, My LORD will reduce\nthem to dust, and scatter them abroad;a\n     and he will leave them a plain equally extended: thou shalt see no part\nof them higher or lower than another.\n     On that day mankind shall follow the angel who will call them to\njudgment,b none shall have power to turn aside from him; and their voices\nshall be low before the Merciful, neither shalt thou hear any more than the\nhollow sound of their feet.\n\n\tt  Lest they infect thee with a burning fever: for that was the\nconsequence of any man's touching him, and the same happened to the persons he\ntouched; for which reason he was obliged to avoid all communication with\nothers, and was also shunned by them, wandering in the desert like a wild\nbeast.2\n\tHence, it is concluded that a tribe of Samaritan Jews, said to inhabit a\ncertain isle in the Red Sea, are the descendants of our al S\u00e2meri; because it\nis their peculiar mark of distinction, at this day, to use the same words,\nviz., La mes\u00e2s, i.e., Touch me not, to those they meet.3  It is not improbable\nthat this story may owe its rise to the known hatred borne by the Samaritans\nto the Jews, and their superstitiously avoiding to have any commerce with\nthem, or any other strangers.4\n\tu  Or, as the word may also be translated, We will file it down; but the\nother is the more received interpretation.\n\tx  See chapter 6, p. 91.\n\ty  For this, with the Arabs, is one mark of an enemy, or a person they\nabominate; to say a man has a black liver (though I think we express our\naversion by the term white-livered), reddish whiskers and grey eyes, being a\nperiphrasis for a foe, and particularly a Greek, which nation were the most\ninveterate enemies of the Arabs, and have usually hair and eyes of those\ncolours.5  The original word, however, signifies also those who are squint-\neyed, or even blind of a suffusion.\n\tz  viz., In the world; or, in the grave.\n\ta  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 64.\n\tb  See ibid. p. 56.\n\n\t2  Iidem.\t\t3  Vide Geogr. Nub. p. 45.\t\t4  Vide Selden,\nubi sup.\t\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jawhari, in Lex.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t25\n\n\n     On that day, the intercession of none shall be of advantage unto another,\nexcept the intercession of him to whom the Merciful shall grant permission,c\nand who shall be acceptable unto him in what he saith.\n110\tGod knoweth that which is before them, and that which is behind them;\nbut they comprehend not the same by their knowledge:\n     and their faces shall be humbledd before the living, the self-subsisting\nGod; and he shall be wretched who shall bear his iniquity.\n     But whosoever shall do good works, being a true believer, shall not fear\nany injustice, or any diminution of his reward from God.\n     And thus have we sent down this book, being a Koran in the Arabic tongue;\nand we have inserted various threats and promises therein, that men may fear\nGod, or that it may awaken some consideration in them:\n     wherefore, let GOD be highly exalted, the King, the Truth!  Be not over-\nhasty in receiving or repeating the Koran before the revelation thereof be\ncompleted unto thee;e and say, LORD, increase my knowledge.\n     We heretofore gave a command unto Adam; but he forgot the same,f and ate\nof the forbidden fruit; and we found not in him a firm resolution.\n     And remember when we said unto the angels, Worship ye Adam; and they\nworshipped him: but Eblis refused.g  And we said, O Adam, verily this is an\nenemy unto thee, and thy wife: wherefore, beware lest he turn you out of\nparadise; for then shalt thou be miserable.\n     Verily we have made a provision for thee, that thou shalt not hunger\ntherein, neither shalt thou be naked:\n     and there is also a provision made for thee, that thou shalt not thirst\ntherein, neither shalt thou be incommoded by heat.  But Satan whispered evil\nsuggestions unto him, saying, O Adam, shall I guide thee to the tree of\neternity, and a kingdom which faileth not?\n     And they both ate thereof: and their nakedness appeared unto them; and\nthey began to sew together the leaves of paradise, to cover themselves.h  And\nthus Adam became disobedient unto his LORD, and was seduced.\n120\tAfterwards his LORD accepted him, on his repentance, and was turned unto\nhim, and directed him.\n     And God said, Get ye down hence, all of you: the one of you shall be an\nenemy unto the other.  But hereafter shall a direction come unto you from me:i\n     and whosoever shall follow my direction shall not err, neither shall he\nbe unhappy;\n     but whosoever shall turn aside from my admonition, verily he shall lead a\nmiserable life,\n     and we will cause him to appear before us on the day of resurrection,\nblind.j\n     And he shall say, O LORD, why hast thou brought me before thee blind,\nwhereas before I saw clearly?\n\n\tc  Or, Except unto him, &c.  See chapter 19, p. 232.\n\td  The original word properly expresses the humility and dejected looks\nof captives in the presence of their conqueror.\n\te  Mohammed is here commanded not to be impatient at any delay in\nGabriel's bringing the divine revelations, or not to repeat it too fast after\nthe angel, so as to overtake him before he had finished the passage.  But some\nsuppose the prohibition relates to the publishing any verse before the same\nwas perfectly explained to him.1\n\tf  Adam's so soon forgetting the divine command, has occasioned some\nArab etymologists to derive the word Ins\u00e2n, i.e., man, from nasiya, to forget;\nand has also given rise to the following proverbial saying, Awwalo n\u00e2sin\nawwalo 'nn\u00e2si, that is, The first forgetful person was the first of men;\nalluding to the like sound of the words\n\tg  See chapter 2, p. 4, &c.; chapter 7, p. 105, &c.\n\th  See chapter 7, p. 106.\n\ti  See chapter 2, p. 5.\n\tj  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 66.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin\n\n\n     God shall answer, Thus have we done, because our signs came unto thee,\nand thou didst forget them; and in the same manner shalt thou be forgotten\nthis day.\n     And thus will we reward him who shall be negligent, and shall not believe\nin the signs of his LORD: and the punishment of the life to come shall be more\nsevere, and more lasting, than the punishment of this life.\n     Are not the Meccans, therefore, acquainted how many generations we have\ndestroyed before them; in whose dwellings they walk?k  Verily herein are signs\nunto those who are endued with understanding.\n     And unless a decree had previously gone forth from thy LORD for their\nrespite, verily their destruction had necessarily followed: but there is a\ncertain time determined by God for their punishment.\n130\tWherefore, do thou, O Mohammed, patiently bear that which they say; and\ncelebrate the praise of thy LORD before the rising of the sun, and before the\nsetting thereof, and praise him in the hours of the night, and in the\nextremities of the day,l that thou mayest be well-pleased with the prospect of\nreceiving favor from God.\n     And cast not thine eyes on that which we have granted divers of the\nunbelievers to enjoy, namely, the splendor of this present life,m that we may\nprove them thereby; for the provision of thy LORDn is better, and more\npermanent.\n     Command thy family to observe prayer; and do thou persevere therein.  We\nrequire not of thee that thou labor to gain necessary provisions for thyself\nand family; we will provide for thee; for the prosperous issue shall attend on\npiety.o\n     The unbelievers say, Unless he come unto us with a sign from his LORD, we\nwill not believe on him.  Hath not a plain declaration come unto them, of that\nwhich is contained in the former volumes of scripture, by the revelation of\nthe Koran?\n     if we had destroyed them by a judgment before the same had been revealed,\nthey would have said, at the resurrection, O LORD, how could we believe since\nthou didst not send unto us an apostle, that we might follow thy signs, before\nwe were humbled and covered with shame?\n     Say, Each of us wait the issue: wait, therefore; for ye shall surely know\nhereafter who have been the followers of the even way, and who hath been\nrightly directed.\n\n\tk  Seeing the footsteps of their destruction; as of the tribes of Al,\nand Tham\u00fbd.\n\tl  i.e., Evening and morning; which times are repeated as the principal\nhours of prayer.  But some suppose these words intend the prayer of noon; the\nfirst half of the day ending, and the second half beginning at that time.1\n\tm  That is, do not envy or covet their pomp and prosperity in this\nworld.2\n\tn  viz., The reward laid up for thee in the next life: or the gift of\nprophecy, and the revelations with which GOD had favoured thee.\n\to  It is said that when Mahommed's family were in any strait or\naffliction, he used to order them to go to prayers, and to repeat this verse.3\n\n\t\t1  Iidem.\t\t2  See chapter 15, p. 194.\t\t3  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\n\n\nCHAPTER XXI.\n\nENTITLED, THE PROPHETS;p REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     THE time of giving up their account draweth nigh unto the people of\nMecca; while they are sunk in negligence, turning aside from the consideration\nthereof.\n     No admonition cometh unto them from their LORD, being lately revealed in\nthe Koran, but when they hear it,\n     they turn it to sport: their hearts are taken up with delights.  And they\nwho act unjustly discourse privately together, saying, Is this Mohammed any\nmore than a man like yourselves?  Will ye therefore come to hear a piece of\nsorcery, when ye plainly perceive it to be so?\n     Say, My LORD knoweth whatever is spoken in heaven and on earth: it is he\nwho heareth and knoweth.\n     But they say, The Koran is a confused heap of dreams: nay, he hath forged\nit; nay, he is a poet: let him come unto us therefore with some miracle, in\nlike manner as the former prophets were sent.\n     None of the cities which we have destroyed believed the miracles which\nthey saw performed before them: will these therefore believe, if they see a\nmiracle?\n     We sent none as our apostles before them, other than men, unto whom we\nrevealed our will.  Ask those who are acquainted with the scripture, if ye\nknow not this.\n     We gave them not a body which could be supported without their eating\nfood; neither were they immortal.\n     But we made good our promise unto them: wherefore we delivered them, and\nthose whom we pleased; but we destroyed the exorbitant transgressors.\n10\tNow have we sent down unto you, O Koreish, the book of the Koran;\nwherein there is honourable mention of you: will ye not therefore understand?\n     And how many cities have we overthrown, which were ungodly; and caused\nother nations to rise up after them?\n     And when they felt our severe vengeance, behold, they fled swiftly from\nthose cities.\n     And the angels said scoffingly unto them, Do not fly; but return to that\nwherein ye delighted, and to your habitations; peradventure ye will be asked.q\n     They answered, Alas for us! verily we have been unjust.r\n     And this their lamentation ceased not, until we had rendered them like\ncorn which is mown down and utterly extinct.\n\n\tp  The chapter bears this title, because some particular relating to\nseveral of the ancient prophets are here recited.\n\tq  i.e., Concerning the present posture of affairs, by way of\nconsultation: or, that ye may be examined as to your deeds, that ye may\nreceive the reward thereof.1\n\tr  It is related that a prophet was sent to the inhabitants of certain\ntowns in Yaman, but instead of hearkening to his remonstrances, they killed\nhim: upon which GOD delivered them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, who put\nthem to the sword: a voice at the same time crying from heaven, Vengeance for\nthe blood of the prophets!  Upon which they repented, and used the words of\nthis passage.\n\n\t\t\t\t1  Idem, Jallalo'ddin, al Zamakh.\n\n\n     We created not the heavens and the earth, and that which is between them,\nby way of sport.s\n     If we had pleased to take diversion, verily we had taken it with that\nwhich beseemeth us;t if we had resolved to have done this.\n     But we will oppose truth to vanity, and it shall confound the same; and\nbehold, it shall vanish away.  Woe be unto you, for that which ye impiously\nutter concerning God!\n     since whoever is in heaven and on earth is subject unto him; and the\nangels who are in his presence do not insolently disdain his service, neither\nare they tired therewith.\n20\tThey praise him night and day; they faint not.\n     Have they taken gods from the earth?  Shall they raise the dead to life?\n     If there were either in heaven or on earth gods besides GOD, verily both\nwould be corrupted.u  But far be that which they utter from GOD, the LORD of\nthe throne!\n     No account shall be demanded of him for what he shall do; but an account\nshall be demanded of them.\n     Have they taken other gods besides him!  Say, Produce your proof thereof.\nThis is the admonition of those who are contemporary with me, and the\nadmonition of those who have been before me:x but the greater part of them\nknow not the truth, and turn aside from the same.\n     We have sent no apostle before thee, but we revealed unto him that there\nis no god beside myself, wherefore serve me.\n     They say, The Merciful hath begotten issue; and the angels are his\ndaughters.y  GOD forbid!  They are his honoured servants,\n     they prevent him not in anything which they say;z and they execute his\ncommand.\n     He knoweth that which is before them, and that which is behind them; they\nshall not intercede for any,\n     except for whom it shall please him; and they tremble for fear of him.\n30\tWhoever of them shall say, I am a god besides him; that angel will we\nreward with hell: for so will we reward the unjust.\n     Do not the unbelievers therefore know, that the heavens and the earth\nwere solid, and we clave the same in sunder;a and made every living thing of\nwater?  Will they not therefore believe?\n     And we placed stable mountains on the earth, lest it should move with\nthem;b and we made broad passages between them for paths, that they might be\ndirected in their journeys:\n\n\ts  But for the manifestation of our power and wisdom to people of\nunderstanding, that they may seriously consider the wonders of the creation,\nand direct their actions to the attainment of future happiness, neglecting the\nvain pomp and fleeting pleasures of this world.\n\tt  viz., We had sought our pleasure in our own perfections; or, in the\nspiritual beings which are in our immediate presence; and not in raising of\nmaterial buildings, with painted roofs, and fine floors, which is the\ndiversion of man.\n\tSome think the original word, translated diversion, signifies in this\nplace a wife, or a child; and that the passage is particularly levelled\nagainst the Christians.1\n\tu  That is, the whole creation would necessarily fall into confusion and\nbe overturned, by the competition of such mighty antagonists.\n\tx  i.e., This is the constant doctrine of all the sacred books; not only\nof the Kor\u00e2n, but of those which were revealed in former ages; all of them\nbearing witness to the great and fundamental truth of the unity of God.\n\ty  This passage was revealed on account of the Khoz\u00e2ites, who held the\nangels to be the daughters of GOD.\n\tz  i.e., They presume not to say anything, until he hath spoken it;\nbehaving as servants who know their duty.\n\ta  That is, They were one continued mass of matter, till we separated\nthem, and divided the heaven into seven heavens, and the earth into as many\nstories; and distinguished the various orbs of the one, and the different\nclimates of the other, &c.  Or, as some choose to translate the words, The\nheavens and the earth were shut up, and we opened the same; their meaning\nbeing, that the heavens did not rain, nor the earth produce vegetables, till\nGOD interposed his power.2\n\tb  See chapter 16, p. 196.\n\n\t\t\t\t1  Iidem.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     and we made the heaven a roof well supported.  Yet they turn aside from\nthe signs thereof, not considering that they are the workmanship of God.\n     It is he who hath created the night, and the day, and the sun, and the\nmoon; all the celestial bodies move swiftly, each in its respective orb.\n     We have not granted unto any man before thee eternal permanency in this\nworld; if thou die, therefore, will they be immortal?c\n     Every soul shall taste of death: and we will prove you with evil, and\nwith good, for a trial of you; and unto us shall ye return.\n     When the unbelievers see thee, they receive thee only with scoffing,\nsaying, Is this he who mentioneth your gods with contempt?  Yet themselves\nbelieve not what is mentioned to them of the Merciful.d\n     Man is created of precipitation.e  Hereafter will I show you my signs, so\nthat ye shall not wish them to be hastened.\n     They say, When will this threat be accomplished, if ye speak truth?\n40\tIf they who believe not knew that the time will surely come, when they\nshall not be able to drive back the fire of hell from their faces, nor from\ntheir backs, neither shall they be helped, they would not hasten it.\n     But the day of vengeance shall come upon them suddenly, and shall strike\nthem with astonishment: they shall not be able to avert it, neither shall they\nbe respited.\n     Other apostles have been mocked before thee; but the punishment which\nthey scoffed at fell upon such of them as mocked.\n     Say unto the scoffers, Who shall save you by night and by day from the\nMerciful?  Yet they utterly neglect the remembrance of their LORD.\n     Have they gods who will defend them, besides us?  They are not able to\nhelp themselves; neither shall they be assisted against us by their\ncompanions,\n     But we have permitted these men and their fathers to enjoy worldly\nprosperity, so long as life was continued unto them.  Do they not perceive\nthat we come unto the land of the unbelievers, and straiten the borders\nthereof?  Shall they therefore be the conquerors?\n     Say, I only preach unto you the revelation of God: but the deaf will not\nhear thy call, whenever they are preached unto.\n     Yet if the least breath of the punishment of thy LORD touch them, they\nwill surely say, Alas for us! verily we have been unjust.\n     We will appoint just balances for the day of resurrection; neither shall\nany soul be injured at all: although the merit or guilt of an action be of the\nweight of a grain of mustard-seed only, we will produce it publicly; and there\nwill be sufficient accountants with us.\n     We formerly gave unto Moses and Aaron the law, being a distinctionf\nbetween good and evil, and a light and admonition unto the pious;\n50\twho fear their LORD in secret, and who dread the hour of judgment.\n     And this book also is a blessed admonition, which we have sent down from\nheaven: will ye therefore deny it?\n\n\tc  This passage was revealed when the infidels said, We expect to see\nMohammed die, like the rest of mankind.\n\td  Denying his unity; or rejecting his apostles and the scriptures which\nwere given for their instruction, and particularly the Kor\u00e2n.\n\te  Being hasty and inconsiderate.1  It is said this passage was revealed\non account of al Nodar Ebn al Hareth, when he desired Mohammed to hasten the\ndivine vengeance with which he threatened the unbelievers.2\n\tf  Arab. 'al Fork\u00e2n.  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 44.\n\n\t\t\t1  See chapter 17, p. 208, &c.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     And we gave unto Abraham his directiong heretofore, and we knew him to be\nworthy of the revelations wherewith he was favored.\n     Remember when he said unto his father, and his people, What are these\nimages, to which ye are so entirely devoted?h\n     They answered, We found our fathers worshipping them.\n     He said, Verily both ye and your fathers have been in a manifest error.\n     They said, Dost thou seriously tell us the truth, or art thou one who\njestest with us?\n     He replied, Verily your LORD is the LORD of the heavens and the earth; it\nis he who hath created them: and I am one of those who bear witness thereof.\n     By GOD, I will surely devise a plot against your idols, after ye shall\nhave retired from them, and shall have turned your backs.\n     And in the people's absence he went into the temple where the idols\nstood, and he brake them all in pieces, except the biggest of them; that they\nmight lay the blame upon that.i  And when they were returned, and saw the\nhavoc which had been made,\n60\tthey said, Who hath done this to our gods?  He is certainly an impious\nperson.\n     And certain of them answered, We heard a young man speak reproachfully of\nthem: he is named Abraham.\n     They said, Bring him therefore before the people, that they may bear\nwitness against him.\n     And when he was brought before the assembly, they said unto him, Hast\nthou done this unto our gods, O Abraham?\n     He answered, Nay, that biggest of them hath done it: but ask them, if\nthey can speak.\n     And they returned unto themselves,j and said the one to the other, Verily\nye are the impious persons.\n     Afterwards they relapsed into their former obstinacy,k and said, Verily\nthou knowest that these speak not.\n     Abraham answered, Do ye therefore worship, besides GOD, that which cannot\nprofit you at all, neither can it hurt you?  Fie on you: and upon that which\nye worship besides GOD!  Do ye not understand?\n     They said, Burn him, and avenge your gods: if ye do this it will be\nwell.l\n\n\tg  viz., The ten books of divine revelations which were given him.1\n\th  See chapter 6, p. 95, &c., chapter 19, p. 230, and chapter 2, p. 28.\n\ti  Abraham took his opportunity to do this while the Chaldeans were\nabroad in the fields, celebrating a great festival; and some say he hid\nhimself in the temple: and when he had accomplished his design, that he might\nthe more evidently convince them of their folly in worshipping them, he hung\nthe axe, with which he had hewn and broken down the images, on the neck of the\nchief idol, named by some writers, Baal; as if he had been the author of all\nthe mischief.2  For this story, which, though it be false, is not ill\ninvented, Mohammed stands indebted to the Jews; who tell it with a little\nvariation: for they say Abraham performed this exploit in his father's shop,\nduring his absence; that Terah, on his return, demanding the occasion of the\ndisorder, his son told him that the idols had quarrelled and fallen together\nby the ears about an offering of fine flour, which had been brought them by an\nold woman; and that the father, finding he could not insist on the\nimpossibility of what Abraham pretended, without confessing the impotence of\nhis gods, fell into a violent passion and carried him to Nimrod that he might\nbe exemplarily punished for his insolence.3\n\tj  That is, They became sensible of their folly.\n\tk  Literally, They were turned down upon their heads.\n\tl  Perceiving they could not prevail against Abraham by dint of\nargument, says al Beid\u00e2wi, they had recourse to persecution and torments.  The\nsame commentator tells us the person who gave this counsel was a Persian\nCurd,4 named Heyy\u00fbn, and that the earth opened and swallowed him up alive:\nsome, however, say it was Andesh\u00e2n, a Magian priest;5 and others, that it was\nNimrod himself.\n\n\t1  See the Prel. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 57.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi,\nJallalo'ddin, &c.  Vide Hyde, de Rel. vet. Pers. c. 2.\t\t3  R. Gedal.\nin Shalshel. hakkab. p. 8  Vide Maimon.  Yad hazzaka, c. I, de idol.\n\t4  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Dhokak. et Schultens, Indic. Geogr.\nin Vit. Saladini, voce Curdi.\t\t5  Vide D'Herbel. p. 115.\n\n\n     And when Abraham was cast into the burning pile, we said, O fire, be thou\ncold, and a preservation unto Abraham.m\n70\tAnd they sought to lay a plot against him: but we caused them to be the\nsufferers.n\n     And we delivered him, and Lot, by bringing them into the land wherein we\nhave blessed all creatures.o\n     And we bestowed on him Isaac and Jacob, as an additional gift: and we\nmade all of them righteous persons.\n     We also made them models of religion,p that they might direct others by\nour command: and we inspired into them the doing of good works, and the\nobservance of prayer, and the giving of alms; and they served us.\n     And unto Lot we gave wisdom and knowledge, and we delivered him out of\nthe city which committed filthy crimes; for they were a wicked and insolent\npeople;q\n     and we led him into our mercy; for he was an upright person.\n     And remember Noah, when he called for destruction on his people,r before\nthe prophets above mentioned: and we heard him, and delivered him and his\nfamily from a great strait:\n\n\tm  The commentators relate that, by Nimrod's order, a large space was\nenclosed at C\u00fbtha, and filled with a vast quantity of wood, which being set on\nfire burned so fiercely, that none dared to venture near it: then they bound\nAbraham, and putting him into an engine (which some suppose to have been of\nthe devil's invention), shot him into the midst of the fire; from which he was\npreserved by the angel Gabriel who was sent to his assistance; the fire\nburning only the cords with which he was bound.1  They add that the fire\nhaving miraculously lost its heat, in respect to Abraham, became an\nodoriferous air, and that the pile changed to a pleasant meadow; though it\nraged so furiously otherwise, that, according to some writers, about two\nthousand of the idolaters were consumed by it.2\n\tThis story seems to have had no other foundation than that passage of\nMoses, where GOD is said to have brought Abraham out of Ur, of the Chaldees,3\nmisunderstood: which words the Jews, the most trifling interpreters of\nscripture, and some moderns who have followed them, have translated, out of\nthe fire of the Chaldees; taking the word Ur, not for the proper name of a\ncity, as it really is, but for an appellative, signifying fire.4  However, it\nis a fable of some antiquity, and credited, not only by the Jews, but by\nseveral of the eastern Christians; the twenty-fifth of the second Can\u00fbn, or\nJanuary, being set apart in the Syrian calendar, for the commemoration of\nAbraham's being cast into the fire.5\n\tThe Jews also mention some other persecutions which Abraham underwent on\naccount of his religion, particularly a ten years' imprisonment;6 some saying\nhe was imprisoned by Nimrod;7 and others, by his father Terah.8\n\tn  Some tell us that Nimrod, on seeing this miraculous deliverance from\nhis palace, cried out, that he would make an offering to the GOD of Abraham;\nand that he accordingly sacrificed four thousand kine.9  But, if he ever\nrelented, he soon relapsed into his former infidelity: for he built a tower\nthat he might ascend to heaven to see Abraham's GOD; which being overthrown,10\nstill persisting in his design, he would be carried to heaven in a chest borne\nby four monstrous birds; but after wandering for some time through the air, he\nfell down on a mountain with such a force, that he made it shake, whereto (as\nsome fancy) a passage in the Kor\u00e2n11 alludes, which may be translated,\nalthough their contrivances be such as to make the mountains tremble.\n\tNimrod, disappointed in his design of making war with GOD, turned his\narms against Abraham, who, being a great prince, raised forces to defend\nhimself; but GOD, dividing Nimrod's subjects, and confounding their language,\ndeprived him of the greater part of his people, and plagued those who adhered\nto him by swarms of gnats, which destroyed almost all of them: and one of\nthose gnats having entered into the nostril, or ear, of Nimrod, penetrated to\none of the membranes of his brain, where, growing bigger every day, it gave\nhim such intolerable pain, that he was obliged to cause his head to be beaten\nwith a mallet, in order to procure some ease, which torture he suffered four\nhundred years; GOD being willing to punish, by one of the smallest of his\ncreatures, him who insolently boasted himself to be lord of all.12  A Syrian\ncalendar places the death of Nimrod, as if the time were well known, on the\neighth of Tham\u00fbz, or July.13\n\to  i.e., Palestine; in which country the greater part of the prophets\nappeared.\n\tp  See chapter 2, p. 14.\n\tq  See chapter 7, p. 113, &c., and chapter II, p. 166.\n\tr  See chapter 8, p. 132, note z.\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin, &c.   Vide Morgan's Mahometism Expl. v. I,\nchapter 4.\t\t2  The MS Gospel of Barnabas, chapter 28.\n3  Genes. xv. 7.\t\t4  Vide Targ.  Jonath. et Hierosol. in Genes. c. II et\n15; et Hyde, de Rel. vet. Pers. p. 74, &c.\t\t5  Vide Hyde, ibid., p.\n73.\t\t6  R. Eliez. Pirke, c. 26, &c.  Vide Maim. More Nev. l. 3, c. 29.\n\t7  Glossa Talmud. in Gemar. Bava bathra, 91, I.\n8  In Aggada.\t\t9  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t10  See chapter 16, p. 196.\n\t11  Chapter 14, p. 190.\n12 Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Nemrod.  Hyde, ubi supra.\t\t13\nVide Hyde, ibid. p. 74.\n\n\n     and we protected him from the people who accused our signs of falsehood;\nfor they were a wicked people, wherefore we drowned them all.\n     And remember David and Solomon, when they pronounced judgment concerning\na field, when the sheep of certain people had fed therein by night, having no\nshepherd; and we were witnesses of their judgment:\n     and we gave the understanding thereof unto Solomon.s  And on all of them\nwe bestowed wisdom, and knowledge.  And we compelled the mountains to praise\nus, with David; and the birds also:t and we did this.\n80\tAnd we taught him the art of making coats of mail for you,u that they\nmay defend you in your wars: will ye therefore be thankful?\n     And unto Solomon we subjected a strong wind:x it ran at his command to\nthe land whereon we had bestowed our blessing:y and we knew all things.\n     And we also subjected unto his command divers of the devils, who might\ndive to get pearls for him, and perform other work besides this;z and we\nwatched over them.a\n     And remember Job;b when he cried unto his LORD, saying, Verily evil hath\nafflicted me: but thou art the most merciful of those who show mercy.\n\n\ts  Some sheep, in their shepherd's absence, having broken into another\nman's field (or vineyard, say others), by night, and eaten up the corn, a\ndispute arose thereupon: and the cause being brought before David and Solomon,\nthe former said, that the owner of the land should take the sheep, in\ncompensation of the damage which he had sustained; but Solomon, who was then\nbut eleven years old, was of opinion that it would be more just for the owner\nof the field to take only the profit of the sheep, viz., their milk, lambs,\nand wool, till the shepherd should, by his own labour and at his own expense,\nput the field into as good condition as when the sheep entered it; after which\nthe sheep might be returned to their master.  And this judgment of Solomon was\napproved by David himself as better than his own.1\n\tt  Mohammed, it seems, taking the visions of the Talmudists for truth,\nbelieved that when David was fatigued with singing psalms, the mountains,\nbirds, and other parts of the creation, both animate and inanimate, relieved\nhim in chanting the divine praises.  This consequence the Jews draw from the\nwords of the psalmist, when he calls on the several parts of nature to join\nwith him in celebrating the praise of GOD;2 it being their perverse custom to\nexpound passages in the most literal manner, which cannot bear a literal sense\nwithout a manifest absurdity; and, on the contrary, to turn the plainest\npassages into allegorical fancies.\n\tu  Men, before his inventing them, used to arm themselves with broad\nplates of metal.  Lest this fable should want something of the marvellous, one\nwriter tells us, that the iron which David used became soft in his hands like\nwax.3\n\tx  Which transported his throne with prodigious swiftness.  Some say,\nthis wind was violent or gentle, just as Solomon pleased.4\n\ty  viz., Palestine: whither the wind brought back Solomon's throne in\nthe evening, after having carried it to a distant country in the morning.\n\tz  Such as the building of cities and palaces, the fetching of rare\npieces of art from foreign countries, and the like.\n\ta  Lest they should swerve from his orders, or do mischief according to\ntheir natural inclinations.  Jallalo'ddin says, that when they had finished\nany piece of building, they pulled it down before night, if they were not\nemployed in something new.\n\tb  The Mohammedan writers tell us, that Job was of the race of Esau, and\nwas blessed with a numerous family, and abundant riches; but that GOD proved\nhim, by taking away all that he had, even his children, who were killed by the\nfall of a house; notwithstanding which he continued to serve GOD, and to\nreturn him thanks, as usual; that he was then struck with a filthy disease,\nhis body being full of worms, and so offensive, that as he lay on the dunghill\nnone could bear to come near him: that his wife, however (whom some call\nRahmat the daughter of Ephraim the son of Joseph, and others Makhir the\ndaughter of Manasses), attended him with great patience, supporting him with\nwhat she earned by her labour; but that the devil appeared to her one day,\nafter having reminded her of her past prosperity, promised her that if she\nwould worship him, he would restore all they had lost; whereupon she asked her\nhusband's consent, who was so angry at the proposal, that he swore, if he\nrecovered, to give his wife a hundred stripes: that Job having pronounced the\nprayer recorded in this passage, GOD sent Gabriel, who taking him by the hand\nraised him up; and at the same time a fountain sprang up at his feet, of which\nhaving drank, the worms fell off his body, and washing therein he recovered\nhis former health and beauty: that GOD then restored all to him double; his\nwife also becoming young and handsome again, and bearing him twenty-six sons;\nand that Job, to satisfy his oath, was directed by GOD to strike her one blow\nwith a palm-branch having a hundred leaves.1  Some, to express the great\nriches which were bestowed on Job after his sufferings, say he had two\nthreshing-floors, one for wheat, and the other for barley, and that GOD sent\ntwo clouds which rained gold on the one, and silver on the other, till they\nran over.2  The traditions differ as to the continuance of Job's calamities;\none will have it to be eighteen years, another thirteen, another three, and\nanother exactly seven years seven months and seven hours.\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin, &c.\t\t2  See Psalm cxlviii\n\t3  Tarikh Montakkab.  Vide D'Herbel. p. 284.\n4  See chapter 27.\n\n\n     Wherefore we heard him, and relieved him from the evil which was upon\nhim: and we restored unto him his family, and as many more with them, through\nour mercy, and for an admonition unto those who serve God.\n     And remember Ismael, and Edris,c and Dhu'lkefl.d  All these were patient\npersons;\n     wherefore we led them into our mercy; for they were righteous doers.\n     And remember Dhu'lnun,e when he departed in wrath,f and thought that we\ncould not exercise our power over him.  And he cried out in the darkness,g\nsaying, There is no GOD, besides thee: praise be unto thee!  Verily I have\nbeen one of the unjust.\n90\tWherefore we heard him, and delivered him from affliction;h for so do we\ndeliver the true believers.\n     And remember Zacharias, when he called upon his LORD, saying, O LORD,\nleave me not childless: yet thou art the best heir.\n     Wherefore we heard him, and we gave him John; and we rendered his wife\nfit for bearing a child unto him.  These strove to excel in good works, and\ncalled upon us with love, and with fear; and humbled themselves before us.\n     And remember her who preserved her virginity,i and into whom we breathed\nof our spirit; ordaining her and her son for a sign unto all creatures.\n     Verily this your religion is one religion,j and I am your LORD; wherefore\nserve me.\n     But the Jews and Christians have made schisms in the affair of their\nreligion among themselves; but all of them shall appear before us.\n     Whosoever shall do good works, being a true believer, there shall be no\ndenial of the reward due to his endeavors; and we will surely write it down\nunto him.\n     An inviolable prohibition is laid on every city which we shall have\ndestroyed; for that they shall not return any more into the world,\n\n\tc  See chapter 19, p. 230.\n\td  Who this prophet was is very uncertain.  One commentator will have\nhim to be Elias, or Joshua, or Zacharias:3 another supposes him to have been\nthe son of Job, and to have dwelt in Syria; to which some add, that he was\nfirst a very wicked man, but afterwards repenting, died; upon which these\nwords appeared miraculously written over his door, Now hath God been merciful\nunto Dhu'lkefl:4 and a third tells us he was a person of great strictness of\nlife, and one who used to decide causes to the satisfaction of all parties,\nbecause he was never in a passion: and that he was called Dhu'lkefl from his\ncontinual fasting, and other religious exercises.5\n\te  This is the surname of Jonas; which was given him because he was\nswallowed by the fish.  See chapter 10, p. 157.\n\tf  Some suppose Jonas's anger was against the Ninevites, being tired\nwith preaching to them for so long a time, and greatly disgusted at their\nobstinacy and ill usage of him; but others, more agreeably to scripture, say\nthe reason of his ill humour was GOD'S pardoning of that people on their\nrepentance, and averting the judgment which Jonas had threatened them with, so\nthat he thought he had been made a liar.6\n\tg  i.e., Out of the belly of the fish.\n\th  See chapter 37.\n\ti  Namely, the Virgin Mary\n\tj  Being the same which was professed by all the prophets, and holy men\nand women, without any fundamental difference or variation.\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin, Abu'lfeda, &c.  See D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient.\nArt. Aicub.\t\t2  Jallalo'ddin.\n3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t4  Abu'lf.\t\t5  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t6  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     until Gog and Magog shall have a passage opened for them,k and they shall\nhasten from every high hill,l\n     and the certain promise shall draw near to be fulfilled: and behold, the\neyes of the infidels shall be fixed with astonishment, and they shall say,\nAlas for us! we were formerly regardless of this day; yea, we were wicked\ndoers.\n     Verily both ye, O men of Mecca, and the idols which ye worship besides\nGOD, shall be cast as fuel into hell fire: ye shall go down into the same.\n     If these were really gods, they would not go down into the same: and all\nof them shall remain therein forever.\n100\tIn that place shall they groan for anguish; and they shall not hear\nought therein.m\n     As for those unto whom the most excellent reward of paradise hath been\npredestinated by us, they shall be transported far off from the same;n\n     they shall not hear the least sound thereof: and they shall continue\nforever in the felicity which their souls desire.\n     The greatest terror shall not trouble them; and the angels shall meet\nthem to congratulate them, saying, This is your day which ye were promised.\n     On that day we will roll up the heavens, as the angel al Sijilo rolleth\nup the book wherein every man's actions are recorded.  As we made the first\ncreature out of nothing, so we will also reproduce it at the resurrection.\nThis is a promise which it lieth on us to fulfil: we will surely perform it.\n     And now have we written in the psalms, after the promulgation of the law,\nthat my servants the righteous shall inherit the earth.p\n     Verily in this book are contained sufficient means of salvation, unto\npeople who serve God.\n     We have not sent thee, O Mohammed, but as a mercy unto all creatures.\n     Say, No other hath been revealed unto me, than that your GOD is one GOD:\nwill ye therefore be resigned unto him?\n     But if they turn their backs to the confession of God's unity, say, I\nproclaim war against you all equally:q but I know not whether that which ye\nare threatened withr be nigh, or whether it be far distant.\n110\tVerily God knoweth the discourse which is spoken in public; and he also\nknoweth that which ye hold in private.\n     I know not but peradventure the respite granted you is for a trial of\nyou; and that he may enjoy the prosperity of this world for a time.\n     Say, LORD, judge between me and my adversaries with truth.  Our LORD is\nthe Merciful; whose assistance is to be implored against the blasphemies and\ncalumnies which ye utter.\n\n\tk  i.e., Until the resurrection; one sign of the approach whereof will\nbe the eruption of those barbarians.1\n\tl  In this passage some copies, instead of hadabin, i.e., an elevated\npart of the earth, have jadathin, which signifies a grave; and if we follow\nthe latter reading, the pronoun they must not refer to Gog and Magog, but to\nmankind in general.\n\tm  Because of their astonishment and the insupportable torments they\nshall endure; or, as others expound the words, They shall not hear therein\nanything which may give them the least comfort.\n\tn  One Ebn al Zab\u00e1ri objected to the preceding words, Both ye and that\nwhich ye worship besides GOD, shall be cast into hell, because, being general\n, they asserted an absolute falsehood; some of the objects of idolatrous\nworship being so far from any danger of damnation, that they were in the\nhighest favour with GOD, as JESUS, Ezra, and the angels: wherefore this\npassage was revealed, excepting those who were predestined to salvation.2\n\to  Whose office it is to write down the actions of every man's life,\nwhich, at his death, he rolls up, as completed.  Some pretend one of\nMohammed's scribes is here meant: and others take the word Sijil, or, as it is\nalso written, Sijjill, for an appellative, signifying a book or written\nscroll; and accordingly render the passage, as a written scroll is rolled up.3\n\tp  These words are taken from Psalm xxxvii. v. 29.\n\tq  Or, I have publicly declared unto you what I was commanded.\n\tr  viz., The losses and disgraces which ye shall suffer by the future\nsuccesses of the Moslems; or, the day of judgment.\n\n\t1  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 63.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi,\nJallalo'ddin.\t\t3  Iidem, &c.\n\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXII.\n\nENTITLED, THE PILGRIMAGE;s REVEALED AT MECCA.t\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     O MEN of Mecca, fear your LORD.  Verily the shock of the last houru will\nbe a terrible thing.\n     On the day whereon ye shall see it, every woman who giveth suck shall\nforget the infant which she suckleth,x and every female that is with young\nshall cast her burden; and thou shalt see men seemingly drunk, yet they shall\nnot be really drunk: but the punishment of GOD will be severe.\n     There is a man who disputeth concerning GOD without knowledge,y and\nfolloweth every rebellious devil:\n     against whom it is written, that whoever shall take him for his patron,\nhe shall surely seduce him, and shall lead him into the torment of hell.\n     O men, if ye be in doubt concerning the resurrection, consider that we\nfirst created you of the dust of the ground; afterwards, of seed; afterwards,\nof a little coagulated blood;z afterwards, of a piece of flesh, perfectly\nformed in part, and in part imperfectly formed; that we might make our power\nmanifest unto you: and we caused that which we please to rest in the wombs,\nuntil the appointed time of delivery.  Then we bring you forth infants; and\nafterwards we permit you to attain your age of full strength: and one of you\ndieth in his youth, and another of you is postponed to a decrepit age, so that\nhe forgetteth whatever he knew.  Thou seest the earth sometimes dried up and\nbarren: but when we send down rain thereon, it is put in motion and swelleth,\nand produceth every kind of luxuriant vegetables.\n     This showeth that GOD is the truth, and that he raiseth the dead to life,\nand that he is almighty;\n     and that the hour of judgment will surely come (there is no doubt\nthereof), and that GOD will raise again those who are in the graves.\n\n\ts  Some ceremonies used at the pilgrimage of Mecca being mentioned in\nthis chapter, gave occasion to the inscription.\n\tt  Some1 except two verses, beginning at these words, There are some men\nwho serve GOD, in a wavering manner, &c.  And others2 six verses, beginning\nat, These are two opposite parties, &c.\n\tu  Or, the earthquake which, some say, is to happen a little before the\nsun rises from the west; one sign of the near approach of the day of\njudgment.3\n\tx  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 64.\n\ty  This passage was revealed on account of al Nodar Ebn al Hareth, who\nmaintained that the angels were the daughters of GOD, that the Kor\u00e2n was a\nfardel of old fables, and denied the resurrection.4\n\tz  See chapter 96.\n\n\t1  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  See the Prelim. Disc.\nSect. IV. p. 61, &c.\n4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     There is a man who disputeth concerning GOD without either knowledge, or\na direction, or an enlightening book;a\n     proudly turning his side, that he may seduce men from the way of GOD.\nIgnominy shall attend him in this world; and on the day of resurrection we\nwill make him taste the torment of burning,\n10\twhen it shall be said unto him.  This thou sufferest because of that\nwhich thy hands have formerly committed; for GOD is not unjust towards\nmankind.\n     There are some men who serve GOD in a wavering manner, standing, as it\nwere, on the vergeb of the true religion.  If good befall one of them, he\nresteth satisfied therein; but if any tribulation befall him, he turneth\nhimself round, with the loss both of this world, and of the life to come.\nThis is manifest perdition.\n     He will call upon that, besides GOD, which can neither hurt him, nor\nprofit him.  This is an error remote from truth.\n     He will invoke him who will sooner be of hurt to his worshipper than of\nadvantage.  Such is surely a miserable patron, and a miserable companion.\n     But GOD will introduce those who shall believe, and do righteous works,\ninto gardens through which rivers flow; for GOD doth that which he pleaseth.\n     Whoso thinketh that GOD will not assist his apostle in this world, and in\nthe world to come, let him strain a rope towards heaven, then let him put an\nend to his life, and see whether his devices can render that ineffectual, for\nwhich he was angry.c\n     Thus do we send down the Koran, being evident signs: for GOD directeth\nwhom he pleaseth.\n     As to the true believers, and those who Judaize, and the Sabians, and the\nChristians, and the Magians, and the idolaters; verily GOD shall judge between\nthem on the day of resurrection; for GOD is witness of all things.\n     Dost thou not perceive that all creatures both in heaven and on earth\nadore GOD;d and the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the mountains, and\nthe trees, and the beasts, and many men? but many are worthy of chastisement:\n     and whomsoever GOD shall render despicable, there shall be none to\nhonour; for GOD doth that which he pleaseth.\n\n\ta  The person here meant, it is said, was Abu Jahl,1 a principal man\namong the Koreish, and a most inveterate enemy of Mohammed and his religion.\nHis true name was Amru Ebn Hesh\u00e2m, of the family of Makhz\u00fbm; and he was\nsurnamed Abu'lhocm, i.e., the father of wisdom, which was afterwards changed\ninto Abu Jahl, or the father of folly.  He was slain in the battle of Bedr.2\n\tb  This expression alludes to one who being posted in the skirts of an\narmy, if he sees the victory inclining to his own side, stands his ground, but\nif the enemy is likely to prevail, takes to his heels.\n\tThe passage, they say, was revealed on account of certain Arabs of the\ndesert, who came to Medina, and having professed Mohammedism, were well enough\npleased with it so long as their affairs prospered, but if they met with any\nadversity, were sure to lay the blame on their new religion.  A tradition of\nAbu Sa\u00efd mentions another accident as the occasion of this passage, viz., that\na certain Jew embraced Isl\u00e2m, but afterwards taking a dislike to it, on\naccount of some misfortune which had befallen him, went to Mohammed, and\ndesired he might renounce it, and be freed from the obligation of it: but the\nprophet told him that no such thing was allowed in his religion.3\n\tc  Or, Let him tie a rope to the roof of his house, and hang himself;\nthat is, let him carry his anger and resentment to ever so great a height,\neven to be driven to the most desperate extremities, and see whether with all\nhis endeavours he will be able to intercept the divine assistance.4\n\td  Confessing his power, and obeying his supreme command.\n\n\t1  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  See chapter 8, p. 132.\t\t3  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\t\t4  Idem.\n\n\n20\tThese are two opposite parties, who dispute concerning their LORD.e  And\nthey who believe not shall have garments of fire fitted unto them: boiling\nwater shall be poured on their heads;\n     their bowels shall be dissolved thereby, and also their skins; and they\nshall be beaten with maces of iron.\n     So often as they shall endeavor to get out of hell, because of the\nanguish of their torments, they shall be dragged back into the same; and their\ntormentors shall say unto them, Taste ye the pain of burning.\n     GOD will introduce those who shall believe, and act righteously, into\ngardens through which rivers flow: they shall be adorned therein with\nbracelets of gold, and pearls; and their vestures therein shall be silk.\n     They are directed unto a good saying;f and are directed into the\nhonourable way.\n     But they who shall disbelieve, and obstruct the way of GOD, and hinder\nmen from visiting the holy temple of Mecca, which we have appointed for a\nplace of worship unto all men: the inhabitant thereof, and the stranger have\nan equal right to visit it:\n     and whosoever shall seek impiously to profane it, we will cause him to\ntaste a grievous torment.\n     Call to mind when we gave the site of the house of the Caaba for an abode\nunto Abraham,g saying, Do not associate anything with me; and cleanse my house\nfor those who compass it, and who stand up, and who bow down to worship.\n     And proclaim unto the people a solemn pilgrimage;h let them come unto\nthee on foot, and on every lean camel, arriving from every distant road;\n     that they may be witnesses of the advantages which accrue to them from\nthe visiting this holy place,i and may commemorate the name of GOD on the\nappointed days,j in gratitude for the brute cattle which he hath bestowed on\nthem.  Wherefore eat thereof, and feed the needy, and the poor.\n30\tAfterwards let them put an end to the neglect of their persons;k and let\nthem pay their vows,l and compass the ancient house.m\n\n\te  viz., The true believers, and the infidels.  The passage is said to\nhave been revealed on occasion of a dispute between the Jews and the\nMohammedans; the former insisting that they were in greater favour with GOD,\ntheir prophet and revelations being prior to those of the latter; and these\nreplying, that they were more in GOD'S favour, for that they believed not only\nin Moses but also in Mohammed, and in all the scriptures without exception;\nwhereas the Jews rejected Mohammed, though they knew him to be a prophet, out\nof envy.1\n\tf  viz., The profession of GOD'S unity; or these words, which they shall\nuse at their entrance into paradise, Praise be unto GOD, who hath fulfilled\nhis promise unto us.2\n\tg  i.e., For a place of religious worship; showing him the spot where it\nhad stood, and also the model of the old building, which had been taken up to\nheaven at the flood.3\n\th  It is related that Abraham, in obedience to this command, went up to\nMount Abu kobeis, near Mecca, and cried from thence, O men, perform the\npilgrimage to the house of your LORD; and that GOD caused those who were then\nin the loins of their fathers, and the wombs of their mothers, from east to\nwest, and who, he knew beforehand, would perform the pilgrimage, to hear his\nvoice.  Some say, however, that these words were directed to Mohammed,\ncommanding him to proclaim the pilgrimage of valediction:4 according to which\nexposition the passage must have been revealed at Medina.\n\ti  viz., The temporal advantage made by the great trade driven at Mecca\nduring the pilgrimage, and the spiritual advantage of having performed so\nmeritorious a work.\n\tj  Namely, The ten first days of Dhu'lhajja; or the tenth day of the\nsame month, on which they slay the sacrifices, and the three following days.5\n\tk  By shaving their heads, and other parts of their bodies, and cutting\ntheir beards and nails in the valley of Mina; which the pilgrims are not\nallowed to do from the time they become Mohrims, and have solemnly dedicated\nthemselves to the performance of the pilgrimage, till they have finished the\nceremonies, and slain their victims.6\n\tl  By doing the good works which they have vowed to do in their\npilgrimage.  Some understand the words only of the performance of the\nrequisite ceremonies.\n\tm  i.e., The Caaba; which the Mohammedans pretend was the first edifice\nbuilt and appointed for the worship of GOD.1  The going round this chapel is a\nprincipal ceremony of the pilgrimage, and is often repeated; but the last time\nof their doing it, when they take their farewell of the temple, seems to be\nmore particularly meant in this place.\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  See the Prelim. Disc., Sect. IV.\n\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t5  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t6  Iidem.  See\nchapter 2, p. 14, chapter 5, p. 85, and Bobov. de Peregr. Meccana, p. 15, &c.\n\t1  See chapter 3, p. 42, and the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.\n\n\n     This let them do.  And whoever shall regard the sacred ordinances of\nGOD;n this will be better for him in the sight of his LORD.  All sorts of\ncattle are allowed you to eat, except what hath been read unto you, in former\npassages of the Koran, to be forbidden.  But depart from the abomination of\nidols, and avoid speaking that which is false:o\n     being orthodox in respect to GOD, associating no other god with him; for\nwhoever associateth, any other with GOD is like that which falleth from\nheaven, and which the birds snatch away, or the wind bloweth to a far distant\nplace.p\n     This is so.  And whoso maketh valuable offerings unto GOD;q verily they\nproceed from the piety of men's hearts.\n     Ye receive various advantages from the cattle designed for sacrifices,\nuntil a determined time for slaying them: then the place of sacrificing them\nis at the ancient house.\n     Unto the professors of every religionr have we appointed certain rites,\nthat they may commemorate the name of GOD on slaying the brute cattle which he\nhath provided for them.  Your GOD is one GOD: wherefore resign yourselves\nwholly unto him.  And do thou bear good tidings unto those who humble\nthemselves;\n     whose hearts, when mention is made of GOD, are struck with fear; and unto\nthose who patiently endure that which befalleth them; and who duly perform\ntheir prayers, and give alms out of what we have bestowed on them.\n     The camels slain for sacrifice have we appointed for you as symbols of\nyour obedience unto GOD: ye also receive other advantages from them.\nWherefore commemorate the name of GOD over them, when ye slay them, standing\non their feet disposed in right order:s and when they are fallen down dead,\neat of them; and give to eat thereof both unto him who is content with what is\ngiven him, without asking, and unto him who asketh.t  Thus have we given you\ndominion over them, that ye might return us thanks.\n\n\tn  By observing what he has commanded, and avoiding what he has\nforbidden, or, as the words also signify, Whoever shall honour what GOD hath\nsanctified, or commanded not to be profaned; as the temple and territory of\nMecca, and the sacred months, &c.\n\to  Either by asserting wrong and impious things of the Deity; or by\nbearing false witness against your neighbours.\n\tp  Because he who falls into idolatry, sinketh from the height of faith\ninto the depth of infidelity, has his thoughts distracted by wicked lusts, and\nis hurried by the devil into the most absurd errors.2\n\tq  By choosing a well-favoured and costly victim, in honour of him to\nwhom it is destined.  They say Mohammed once offered a hundred fat camels, and\namong them one which had belonged to Abu Jahl, having in his nose a ring of\ngold: and that Omar offered a noble camel, for which he had been bid three\nhundred din\u00e2rs.3\n\tThe original may also be translated generally, Whoso regardeth the rites\nof the pilgrimage, &c.  But the victims seem to be more particularly intended\nin this place.\n\tr  Jallalo'ddin understands this passage in a restrained sense, of the\nformer nations who were true believers; to whom God appointed a sacrifice, and\na fixed place and proper ceremonies for the offering of it.\n\ts  That is, as some expound the word, standing on three feet, having one\nof their fore feet tied up, which is the manner of tying camels to prevent\ntheir moving from the place.  Some copies instead of saw\u00e2ffa, read saw\u00e2ffena,\nfrom the verb safana, which properly signifies the posture of a horse, when he\nstands on three feet, the edge of the fourth only touching the ground.\n\tt  Or, as the words may also be rendered, Unto him who asketh in a\nmodest and humble manner, and unto him who wanteth but dareth not ask.\n\n\t\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Idem.\n\n\n     Their flesh is not accepted of GOD, neither their blood; but your piety\nis accepted of him.  Thus have we given you dominion over them, that ye might\nmagnify GOD, for the revelations whereby he hath directed you.  And bear good\ntidings unto the righteous,\n     that GOD will repel the ill designs of the infidels from the true\nbelievers; for GOD loveth not every perfidious unbeliever.\n40\tPermission is granted unto those who take arms against the unbelievers,\nfor that they have been unjustly persecuted by them (and GOD is certainly able\nto assist them):\n     who have been turned out of their habitations injuriously, and for no\nother reason than because they say, Our LORD is GOD.u  And if GOD did not\nrepel the violence of some men by others, verily monasteries, and churches,\nand synagogues, and the temples of the Moslems, wherein the name of GOD is\nfrequently commemorated, would be utterly demolished.x  And GOD will certainly\nassist him who shall be on his side: for GOD is strong and mighty.\n     And he will assist those who, if we establish them in the earth, will\nobserve prayer, and give alms, and command that which is just, and forbid that\nwhich is unjust.  And unto GOD shall be the end of all things.\n     If they accuse thee, O Mohammed, of imposture; consider that, before\nthem, O Mohammed, of imposture; consider that, before them, the people of\nNoah, and the tribes of Ad and Thamud, and the people of Abraham, and the\npeople of Lot, and the inhabitants of Madian, accused their prophets of\nimposture: and Moses was also charged with falsehood.  And I granted a long\nrespite unto the unbelievers: but afterwards I chastised them; and how\ndifferent was the change I made in their condition!\n     How many cities have we destroyed, which were ungodly, and which are now\nfallen to ruin on their roofs?  And how many wells have been abandoned,y and\nlofty castles?\n     Do they not therefore journey through the land?  And have they not hearts\nto understand with, or ears to hear with?  Surely as to these things their\neyes are not blind, but the hearts are blind which are in their breasts.\n     They will urge thee to hasten the threatened punishment; but GOD will not\nfail to perform what he hath threatened: and verily one day with thy LORD is\nas a thousand years, of those which ye compute.z\n     Unto how many cities have I granted respite, though they were wicked?\nYet afterwards I chastised them: and unto me shall they come to be judged at\nthe last day.\n     Say, O men, verily I am only a public preacher unto you.\n\n\tu  This was the first passage of the Kor\u00e2n which allowed Mohammed and\nhis followers to defend themselves against their enemies by force, and was\nrevealed a little before the flight to Medina; till which time the prophet had\nexhorted his Moslems to suffer the injuries offered them with patience, which\nis also commanded in above seventy different places of the Kor\u00e2n.1\n\tx  That is, The public exercise of any religion, whether true or false,\nis supported only by force; and therefore, as Mohammed would argue, the true\nreligion must be established by the same means.\n\ty  That is, How many spots in the deserts, which were formerly\ninhabited, are now abandoned? a neglected well being the proper sign of such a\ndeserted dwelling in those parts, as ruins are of a demolished town.\n\tSome imagine that this passage intends more particularly a well at the\nfoot of a certain hill in the province of Hadramaut, and a castle built on the\ntop of the same hill, both belonging to the people of Handha Ebn Safw\u00e2n, a\nremnant of the Thamudites, who having killed their prophet, were utterly\ndestroyed by GOD, and their dwelling abandoned.2\n\tz  See 2 Pet. iii. 8.\n\n\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi, &c.  Vide the Prelim. Disc. Sect. II. p. 38, &c.\n\t2  Iidem\n\n\n     And they who believe, and do good works, shall obtain forgiveness and an\nhonourable provision.\n50\tBut those who endeavor to make our signs of none effect shall be the\ninhabitants of hell.\n     We have sent no apostle, or prophet, before thee, but, when he read,\nSatan suggested some error in his reading.a  But GOD shall make void that\nwhich Satan hath suggested: then shall GOD confirm his signs; for GOD is\nknowing and wise.\n     But this he permitteth, that he may make that which Satan hath suggested,\na temptation unto those in whose hearts there is an infirmity, and whose\nhearts are hardened (for the ungodly are certainly in a wide disagreement from\nthe truth):\n     and that they on whom knowledge hath been bestowed may know that this\nbook is the truth from thy LORD, and may believe therein; and that their\nhearts may acquiesce in the same: for GOD is surely the director of those who\nbelieve, into the right way.\n     But the infidels will not cease to doubt concerning it, until the hour of\njudgment cometh suddenly upon them; or until the punishment of a grievous dayb\novertake them.\n     On that day the kingdom shall be GOD'S: he shall judge between them.  And\nthey who shall have believed, and shall have wrought righteousness, shall be\nin gardens of pleasure;\n     but they who shall have disbelieved, and shall have charged our signs\nwith falsehood, those shall suffer a shameful punishment.\n     And as to those who shall have fled their country for the sake of GOD'S\ntrue religion, and afterwards shall have been slain, or shall have died; on\nthem will GOD bestow an excellent provision; and GOD is the best provider.\n     He will surely introduce them with an introduction with which they shall\nbe well pleased; for GOD is knowing and gracious.\n     This is so.  Whoever shall take a vengeance equal to the injury which\nhath been done him,c and shall afterwards be unjustly treated;d verily GOD\nwill assist him: for GOD is merciful, and ready to forgive.\n60\tThis shall be done, for that GOD causeth the night to succeed the day,\nand he causeth the day to succeed the night; and for that GOD both heareth and\nseeth.\n\n\ta  The occasion of the passage is thus related.  Mohammed one day\nreading the 53rd chapter of the Kor\u00e2n, when he came to this verse, What think\nye of All\u00e2t, and al Uzza, and of Man\u00e2h, the other third goddess? the devil put\nthe following words into his mouth, which he pronounced through inadvertence,\nor, as some tell us, because he was then half asleep.1 viz., These are the\nmost high and beauteous damsels, whose intercession is to be hoped for.  The\nKoreish, who were sitting near Mohammed, greatly rejoiced at what they had\nheard, and when he had finished the chapter, joined with him and his followers\nin making their adoration: but the prophet, being acquainted by the angel\nGabriel with the reason of their compliance, and with what he had uttered, was\ndeeply concerned at his mistake, till this verse was revealed for his\nconsolation.2\n\tWe are told however by Al Beid\u00e2wi, that the more intelligent and\naccurate persons reject the aforesaid story; and the verb, here translated\nread, signifying also to wish for anything, interpret the passage of the\nsuggestions of the devil to debauch the affections of those holy persons, or\nto employ their minds in vain wishes and desires.\n\tb  Or, a day which maketh childless; by which some great misfortune in\nwar is expressed: as the overthrow the infidels received at Bedr.  Some\nsuppose the resurrection is here intended.\n\tc  And shall not take a more severe revenge than the fact deserves.\n\td  By the aggressor's seeking to revenge himself again of the person\ninjured, by offering him some further violence.\n\tThe passage seems to relate to the vengeance which the Moslems should\ntake of the infidels, for their unjust persecution of them.\n\n\t\t1  Yahya.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin, Yahya, &c.  See\nchapter 16, p. 203.\n\n\n     This, because GOD is truth, and because what they invoke besides him is\nvanity; and for that GOD is the high, the mighty.\n     Dost thou not see that GOD sendeth down water from heaven, and the earth\nbecometh green? for GOD is gracious and wise.\n     Unto him belongeth whatsoever is in heaven and on earth: and GOD is self-\nsufficient, worthy to be praised.\n     Dost thou not see that GOD hath subjected whatever is in the earth to\nyour service, and also the ships which sail in the sea, by his command?  And\nhe withholdeth the heaven that it fall not on the earth, unless by his\npermission:e for GOD is gracious unto mankind, and merciful.\n     It is he who hath given you life, and will hereafter cause you to die;\nafterwards he will again raise you to life, at the resurrection: but man is\nsurely ungrateful.\n     Unto the professors of every religion have we appointed certain rites,\nwhich they observe.  Let them not therefore dispute with thee concerning this\nmatter: but invite them unto thy LORD: for thou followest the right direction.\n     But if they enter into debate with thee, answer, GOD well knoweth that\nwhich ye do:\n     GOD will judge between you on the day of resurrection, concerning that\nwherein ye now disagree.\n     Dost thou not know that GOD knoweth whatever is in heaven and on earth?\nVerily this is written in the book of his decrees: this is easy with GOD.\n70\tThey worship, besides GOD, that concerning which he hath sent down no\nconvincing proof, and concerning which they have no knowledge: but the unjust\ndoers shall have none to assist them.\n     And when our evident signs are rehearsed unto them, thou mayest perceive,\nin the countenances of the unbelievers, a disdain thereof: it wanteth little\nbut that they rush with violence on those who rehearse our signs unto them.\nSay, Shall I declare unto you a worse thing than this?  The fire of hell,\nwhich GOD hath threatened unto those who believe not, is worse; and an unhappy\njourney shall it be thither.\n     O men, a parable is propounded unto you; wherefore hearken unto it.\nVerily the idols which ye invoke, besides GOD, can never create a single fly,\nalthough they were all assembled for that purpose: and if the fly snatch\nanything from them, they cannot recover the same from it.f  Weak is the\npetitioner, and the petitioned.\n     They judge not of GOD according to his due estimation: for GOD is\npowerful and mighty.\n     GOD chooseth messengers from among the angels,g and from among men: for\nGOD is he who heareth and seeth.\n     He knoweth that which is before them, and that which is behind them: and\nunto GOD shall all things return.\n     O true believers, bow down, and prostrate yourselves, and worship your\nLORD; and work righteousness, that ye may be happy:\n     and fight in defence of GOD'S true religion, as it behooveth you to fight\nfor the same.  He hath chosen you, and hath not imposed on you any difficulty\nin the religion which he hath given you, the religion of your father Abraham:\nhe hath named you Moslems\n\n\te  Which it will do at the last day.\n\tf  The commentators say, that the Arabs used to anoint the images of\ntheir gods with some odoriferous composition, and with honey, which the flies\neat, though the doors of the temple were carefully shut, getting in at the\nwindows or crevices.\n\tPerhaps Mohammed took this argument from the Jews, who pretend that the\ntemple of Jerusalem, and the sacrifices there offered to the true GOD, were\nnever annoyed by flies;1 whereas swarms of those insects infested the heathen\ntemples, being drawn thither by the steam of the sacrifices.2\n\tg  Who are the bearers of the divine revelations to the prophets; but\nought not to be the objects of worship.\n\n\t\t1  Pirke Aboth c. 5, Sect. 6, 7.\t\t2  Vide Selden, de Diis\nSyris, Synt. 2, c. 6.\n\n\n     heretofore, and in this book; that our apostle may be a witness against\nyou at the day of judgment, and that ye may be witnesses against the rest of\nmankind.  Wherefore be ye constant at prayer; and give alms: and adhere firmly\nunto GOD.  He is your master; and he is the best master, and the best\nprotector.\n\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER XXIII.\n\nENTITLED, THE TRUE BELIEVERS; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n      NOW are the true believers happy:\n     who humble themselves in their prayer,\n     and who eschew all vain discourse,\n     and who are doers of alms-deeds;\n     and who keep themselves from carnal knowledge of any women\n     except their wives, or the captives which their right hands possess (for\nas to them they shall be blameless:\n     but whosoever coveteth any woman beyond these, they are transgressors):\n     and who acquit themselves faithfully of their trust, and justly perform\ntheir covenant;\n     and who observe their appointed times of prayer:\n10\tthese shall be the heirs,\n     who shall inherit paradise; they shall continue therein forever.\n     We formerly created man in a finer sort of clay;\n     afterwards we placed him in the form of seed in a sure receptacle:h\n     afterwards we made the seed coagulated blood; and we formed the\ncoagulated blood into a piece of flesh: then we formed the piece of flesh into\nbones: and we clothed those bones with flesh: then we produced the same by\nanother creation.i  Wherefore blessed be GOD, the most excellent Creator!j\n     After this shall ye die:\n     and afterwards shall ye be restored to life, on the day of resurrection.\n     And we have created over you seven heavens:k and we are not negligent of\nwhat we have created.\n     And we send down rain from heaven, by measure; and we cause it to remain\non the earth: we are also certainly able to deprive you of the same.\n     And we cause gardens of palm-trees, and vineyards, to spring forth for\nyou by means thereof; wherein ye have many fruits, and whereof ye eat.\n20\tAnd we also raise for you a tree springing from Mount Sinai;l which\nproduceth oil, and a sauce for those who eat.\n\n\th  viz., The womb.\n\ti  i.e., Producing a perfect man, composed of soul and body.\n\tj  See chapter 6, p. 97, note d.\n\tk  Literally, seven paths; by which the heavens are meant, because,\naccording to some expositors they are the paths of the angels and of the\ncelestial bodies: though the original word also signifies things which are\nfolded or placed like stories one above another, as the Mohammedans suppose\nthe heavens to be.\n\tl  viz., The olive.  The gardens near this mountain are yet famous for\nthe excellent fruit-trees of almost all sorts which grow there.1\n\n\t\t1  Vide Voyages de Thevenot, liv. 2, ch. 9.\n\n\n     Ye have likewise an instruction in the cattle; we give you to drink of\nthe milk which is in their bellies, and ye receive many advantages from them;\nand of them do ye eat:\n     and on them, and on ships, are ye carried.m\n     We sent Noah heretofore unto his people, and he said, O my people, serve\nGOD: ye have no GOD besides him; will ye therefore not fear the consequence of\nyour worshipping other gods?\n     And the chiefs of his people, who believed not, said, This is no other\nthan a man, as ye are: he seeketh to raise himself to a superiority over you.\nIf GOD had pleased to have sent a messenger unto you, he would surely have\nsent angels: we have not heard this of our fore-fathers.\n     Verily he is no other than a man disturbed with frenzy: wherefore wait\nconcerning him for a time.\n     Noah said, O LORD, do thou protect me; for that they accuse me of\nfalsehood.\n     And we revealed our orders unto him, saying, Make the ark in our sight;\nand according to our revelation.  And when our decree cometh to be executed,\nand the oven shall boil and pour forth water,\n     carry into it of every species of animals one pair; and also thy family,\nexcept such of them on whom a previous sentence of destruction hath passed:n\nand speak not unto me in behalf of those who have been unjust; for they shall\nbe drowned.\n     And when thou and they who shall be with thee shall go up into the ark,\nsay Praise be unto GOD, who hath delivered us from the ungodly people!\n30\tAnd say, O LORD, cause me to come down from this ark with a blessed\ndescent; for thou art the best able to bring me down from the same with\nsafety.\n     Verily herein were signs of our omnipotence; and we proved mankind\nthereby.\n     Afterwards we raised up another generationo after them;\n     and we sent unto them an apostle from among them,p who said, Worship GOD:\nye have no GOD besides him; will ye therefore not fear his vengeance?\n     And the chiefs of his people, who believed not, and who denied the\nmeeting of the life to come, and on whom we had bestowed affluence in this\npresent life, said, This is no other than a man, as ye are; he eateth of that\nwhereof ye eat,\n     and he drinketh of that whereof ye drink:\n     and if ye obey a man like unto yourselves, ye will surely be sufferers.\n     Doth he threaten you that after ye shall be dead, and shall become dust\nand bones, ye shall be brought forth alive from your graves?\n     Away, away with that ye are threatened with!\n     There is no other life besides our present life: we die, and we live; and\nwe shall not be raised again.\n40\tThis is no other than a man, who deviseth a lie concerning GOD: but we\nwill not believe him.\n     Their apostle said, O LORD, defend me; for that they have accused me of\nimposture.\n     God answered, After a little while they shall surely repent their\nobstinacy.\n     Wherefore a severe punishment was justly inflicted on them, and we\nrendered them like the refuse which is carried down by a stream.  Away\ntherefore with the ungodly people!\n     Afterwards we raised up other generationsq after them.\n\n\tm  The beast more particularly meant in this place is the camel, which\nis chiefly used for carriage in the east; being called by the Arabs, the land\nship, on which they pass those seas of sand, the deserts.\n\tn  See chapter 11, p. 160, &c.\n\to  Namely, the tribe of Ad, or of Thamud.\n\tp  viz., The prophet H\u00fbd, or S\u00e2leh.\n\tq  As the Sodomites, Midianites, &c.\n\n\n     No nation shall be punished before their determined time;\n     neither shall they be respited after.  Afterwards we sent our apostles,\none after another.  So often as their apostle came unto any nation, they\ncharged him with imposture: and we caused them successively to follow one\nanother to destruction; and we made them only subjects of traditional stories.\nAway therefore with the unbelieving nations!\n     Afterwards we sent Moses, and Aaron his brother, with our signs and\nmanifest power,\n     unto Pharaoh and his princes: but they proudly refused to believe on him;\nfor they were a haughty people.\n     And they said, Shall we believe on two men like unto ourselves; whose\npeople are our servants?\n50\tAnd they accused them of imposture: wherefore they became of the number\nof those who were destroyed.\n     And we heretofore gave the book of the law unto Moses, that the children\nof Israel might be directed thereby.\n     And we appointed the son of Mary, and his mother, for a sign: and we\nprepared an abode for them in an elevated part of the earth,r being a place of\nquiet and security, and watered with running springs.\n     O apostles, eat of those things which are good;s and work righteousness:\nfor I well know that which ye do.\n     This your religion is one religion;t and I am your LORD: wherefore fear\nme.\n     But men have rent the affair of their religion into various sects: every\nparty rejoiceth in that which they follow.\n     Wherefore leave them in their confusion, until a certain time.u\n     Do they think that we hasten unto them the wealth and children which we\nhave abundantly bestowed on them,\n     for their good?  But they do not understand.\n     Verily they who stand in awe, for fear of their LORD,\n60\tand who believe in the signs of their LORD,\n     and who attribute not companions unto their LORD;\n     and who give that which they give in alms, their hearts being struck with\ndread, for that they must return unto their LORD:\n     these hasten unto good, and are foremost to obtain the same.\n     We will not impose any difficulty on a soul, except according to its\nability; with us is a book, which speaketh the truth; and they shall not be\ninjured.\n     But their hearts are drowned in negligence, as to this matter: and they\nhave works different from those we have mentioned; which they will continue to\ndo,\n     until when we chastise such of them as enjoy an affluence of fortune, by\na severe punishment,x behold, they cry aloud for help:\n\n\tr  The commentators tell us the place here intended is Jerusalem, or\nDamascus, or Ramlah, or Palestine, or Egypt.1\n\tBut perhaps the passage means the hill to which the Virgin Mary retired\nto be delivered, according to the Mohammedan tradition.2\n\ts  These words are addressed to the apostles in general, to whom it was\npermitted to eat of all clean and wholesome food; and were spoken to them\nseverally at the time of their respective mission.  Some, however, think them\ndirected particularly to the Virgin Mary and JESUS, or singly to the latter\n(in which case the plural number must be used out of respect only), proposing\nthe practice of the prophets for their imitation.  Mohammed probably designed\nin this passage to condemn the abstinence observed by the Christian monks.3\n\tt  See chapter 21, p. 248.\n\tu  i.e., Till they shall be slain, or shall die a natural death.\n\tx  By which is intended either the overthrow at Bedr, where several of\nthe chief Korashites lost their lives; or the famine with which the Meccans\nwere afflicted, at the prayer of the prophet, conceived in these words, O GOD,\nset thy foot strongly on Modar (an ancestor of the Koreish), and give them\nyears like the years of Joseph: whereupon so great a dearth ensued, that they\nwere obliged to feed on dogs, carrion, and burnt bones.4\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  See chapter 19, p. 228.\n\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t4  Idem.\n\n\n     but it shall be answered them, Cry not for help to-day: for ye shall not\nbe assisted by us.\n     My signs were read unto you, but ye turned back on your heels:\n     proudly elating yourselves because of your possessing the holy temple;\ndiscoursing together by night, and talking foolishly.\n70\tDo they not therefore attentively consider that which is spoken unto\nthem; whether a revelation is come unto them which came not unto their fore-\nfathers?\n     Or do they not know their apostle; and therefore reject him?\n     Or do they say, He is a madman?  Nay, he hath come unto them with the\ntruth; but the greater part of them detest the truth.\n     If the truth had followed their desires, verily the heavens and the\nearth, and whoever therein is, had been corrupted.y  But we have brought them\ntheir admonition; and they turn aside from their admonition.\n     Dost thou ask of them any maintenance for thy preaching? since the\nmaintenance of thy LORD is better; for he is the most bounteous provider.\n     Thou certainly invitest them to the right way:\n     and they who believe not in the life to come, do surely deviate from that\nway.\n     If we had had compassion on them, and taken off from them the calamity\nwhich had befallen them,z they would surely have more obstinately persisted in\ntheir error, wandering in confusion.\n     We formerly chastised them with a punishment:a yet they did not humble\nthemselves before their LORD, neither did they make supplications unto him;\n     until, when we have opened upon them a door, from which a severe\npunishmentb hath issued, behold they are driven to despair thereat.\n80\tIt is God who hath created in you the senses of hearing and of sight,\nthat ye may perceive our judgments, and hearts, that ye may seriously consider\nthem: yet how few of you give thanks!\n     It is he who hath produced you in the earth; and before him shall ye be\nassembled.\n     It is he who giveth life, and putteth to death; and to him is to be\nattributed the vicissitude of night and day: do ye not therefore understand?\n     But the unbelieving Meccans say as their predecessors said:\n     they say, When we shall be dead, and shall have become dust and bones,\nshall we really be raised to life?\n     We have already been threatened with this, and our fathers also\nheretofore: this is nothing but fables of the ancients.\n     Say, Whose is the earth, and whoever therein is, if ye know?\n     They will answer, GOD'S.  Say, Will ye not therefore consider?\n     Say, Who is the LORD of the seven heavens, and the LORD of the\nmagnificent throne?\n     They will answer, They are GOD'S.  Say, Will ye not therefore fear him?\n90\tSay, In whose hand is the kingdom of all things; who protecteth whom he\npleaseth, but is himself protected of none; if ye know?\n     They will answer, In GOD'S.  Say, How therefore are ye bewitched?\n\n\ty  That is, If there had been a plurality of gods, as the idolaters\ncontend:1 or, if the doctrine taught by Mohammed had been agreeable to their\ninclinations, &c.\n\tz  viz., The famine.  It is said that the Meccans being reduced to eat\nilhiz, which is a sort of miserable food made of blood and camels' hair, used\nby the Arabs in time of scarcity, Abu Sofi\u00e2n came to Mohammed, and said, Tell\nme, I adjure thee by God and the relation that is between us, dost thou think\nthou art sent as a mercy unto all creatures; since thou hast slain the fathers\nwith the sword and the children with hunger?2\n\ta  Namely, the slaughter at Bedr.\n\tb  viz., Famine; which is more terrible than the calamities of war.3\n\tAccording to these explications, the passage must have been revealed at\nMedina; unless it be taken in a prophetical sense.\n\n\t1  See chapter 21, p. 243.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Idem.\n\n\n     Yea, we have brought them the truth; and they are certainly liars in\ndenying the same.\n     GOD hath not begotten issue; neither is there any other god with him:\notherwise every god had surely taken away that which he had created;c and some\nof them had exalted themselves above the others.d  Far be that from GOD, which\nthey affirm of him!\n     He knoweth that which is concealed, and that which is made public:\nwherefore far be it from him to have those sharers in his honour which they\nattribute to him!\n     Say, O LORD, If thou wilt surely cause me to see the vengeance with which\nthey have been threatened;\n     O LORD, set me not among the ungodly people:\n     for we are surely able to make thee see that with which we have\nthreatened them.\n     Turn aside evil with that which is better:e we well know the calumnies\nwhich they utter against thee.\n     And say, O LORD I fly unto thee for refuge, against the suggestions of\nthe devils\n100\tand I have recourse unto thee, O LORD, to drive them away, that they be\nnot present with me.f\n     The gainsaying of the unbelievers ceaseth not until, when death\novertaketh any of them, he saith, O LORD, suffer me to return to life,\n     that I may do that which is right; in professing the true faith which I\nhave neglected.g  By no means.  Verily these are the words which ye shall\nspeak:\n     but behind them there shall be a bar,h until the day of resurrection.\n     When therefore the trumpet shall be sounded, there shall be no relation\nbetween them which shall be regarded on that day; neither shall they ask\nassistance of each other.\n     They whose balances shall be heavy with good works shall be happy; but\nthey whose balances shall be light are those who shall lose their souls, and\nshall remain in hell for ever.i\n     The fire shall scorch their faces, and they shall writhe their mouths\ntherein for anguish:\n     and it shall be said unto them, Were not my signs rehearsed unto you; and\ndid ye not charge them with falsehood?\n     They shall answer, O LORD, our unhappiness prevailed over us, and we were\npeople who sent astray.\n     O LORD, take us forth from this fire: if we return to our former\nwickedness, we shall surely be unjust.\n\n\tc  And set up a distinct creation and kingdom of his own.\n\td  See chapter 17, p. 210.\n\te  That is, By forgiving injuries, and returning of good for them: which\nrule is to be qualified, however, with this proviso; that the true religion\nreceive no prejudice by such mildness and clemency.1\n\tf  To besiege me: or, as it may also be translated, That they hurt me\nnot.\n\tg  Or, as the word may also import, In the world which I have left; that\nis, during the further term of life which shall be granted me, and from which\nI have been cut off.2\n\th  The original word barzakh, here translated bar, primarily signifies\nany partition, or interstice, which divides one thing from another; but is\nused by the Arabs not always in the same, and sometimes in an obscure sense.\nThey seem generally to express by it what the Greeks did by the word Hades;\none while using it for the place of the dead, another while for the time of\ntheir continuance in that state, another while for the state itself.  It is\ndefined by their critics to be the interval or space between this world and\nthe next, or between death and the resurrection; every person who dies being\nsaid to enter into al barzakh; or, as the Greek expresses it, [Greek text].3\nOne lexicographer4 tells us that in the Kor\u00e2n it denotes the grave; but the\ncommentators on this passage expound it a bar, or invincible obstacle, cutting\noff all possibility of return into the world, after death.  See chapter 25,\nwhere the word again occurs.\n\tSome interpreters understand the words we have rendered behind them, to\nmean before them (it being one of those words, of which there are several in\nthe Arabic tongue, that have direct contrary significations), considering al\nBarzakh as a future space, and lying before, and not behind them.\n\ti  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV., p. 69.\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Vide Pocock. not. in Port. Mosis,\np. 248, &c., and the Prelim Disc. Sect. IV. p. 60.\n4  Ebn Maruf, apud Gol. Lex. Arab. col. 254.\n\n\n10\tGod will say unto them, Be ye driven away with ignominy thereinto: and\nspeak not unto me to deliver you.\n     Verily there were a party of my servants, who said, O LORD, we believe:\nwherefore forgive us, and be merciful unto us; for thou art the best of those\nwho show mercy.\n     But ye received them with scoffs, so that they suffered you to forget my\nadmonition,j and ye laughed them to scorn.\n     I have this day rewarded them, for that they suffered the injuries ye\noffered them with patience: verily they enjoy great felicity.\n     God will say, What number of years have ye continued on earth?\n     They will answer, We have continued there a day, or part of a day:k but\nask those who keep account.l\n     God will say, Ye have tarried but a while, if ye knew it.\n     Did ye think that we had created you in sport, and that ye should not be\nbrought again before us?  Wherefore let GOD be exalted, the King, the Truth!\nThere is no GOD besides him, the LORD of the honourable throne.  Whoever\ntogether with the true GOD shall invoke another god, concerning whom he hath\nno demonstrative proof, shall surely be brought to an account for the same\nbefore his LORD.  Verily the infidels shall not prosper.\n     Say, O LORD, pardon, and show mercy; for thou art the best of those who\nshow mercy.\n\n\n\n_______\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXIV.\n\nENTITLED, LIGHT;m REVEALED AT MEDINA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     THIS Sura have we sent down from heaven; and have ratified the same; and\nwe have revealed evident signs, that ye may be warned.\n     The whore, and the whoremonger, shall ye scourge with a hundred stripes.n\nAnd let not compassion towards them prevent you from executing the judgment of\nGOD;o if ye believe in GOD and the last day: and let some of the true\nbelievers be witnesses of their punishment.p\n\n\tj  Being unable to prevail on you by their remonstrances, because of the\ncontempt wherein ye held them.\n\tk  The time will seem thus short to them in comparison to the eternal\nduration of their torments, or because the time of their living in the world\nwas the time of their joy and pleasure; it being usual for the Arabs to\ndescribe what they like as of short, and what they dislike, as of long\ncontinuance.\n\tl  That is, the angels, who keep account of the length of men's lives\nand of their works, or any other who may have leisure to compute; and not us,\nwhose torments distract our thoughts and attention.\n\tm  This title is taken from an allegorical comparison made between light\nand GOD, or faith in him, about the middle of the chapter.\n\tn  This law is not to be understood to relate to married people, who are\nof free condition; because adultery in such, according to the Sonna, is to be\npunished by stoning.1\n\to  i.e., Be not moved by pity, either to forgive the offenders, or to\nmitigate their punishment.  Mohammed was for so strict and impartial an\nexecution of the laws, that he is reported to have said, If F\u00e2tema the\ndaughter of Mohammed steal, let her hand be struck off.2\n\tp  That is, Let the punishment be inflicted in public, and not in\nprivate; because the ignominy of it is more intolerable than the smart, and\nmore likely to work a reformation on the offender.  Some say there ought to be\nthree persons present at the least; but others think two, or even one, to be\nsufficient.1\n\n\t\t1  See chapter 4, p. 55 and 57.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\t1  Idem.\n\n\n     The whoremonger shall not marry any other than a harlot, or an\nidolatress.  And a harlot shall no man take in marriage, except a whoremonger,\nor an idolater.  And this kind of marriage is forbidden the true believers.q\n     But as to those who accuse women of reputation of whoredom,r and produce\nnot four witnesses of the fact,s scourge them with fourscore stripes, and\nreceive not their testimony forever; for such are infamous prevaricators;\n     excepting those who shall afterwards repent, and amend; for unto such\nwill GOD be gracious and merciful.\n     They who shall accuse their wives of adultery, and shall have no\nwitnesses thereof, besides themselves; the testimony which shall be required\nof one of them shall be, that he swear four times by GOD that he speaketh the\ntruth:\n     and the fifth time that he imprecate the curse of GOD on him if he be a\nliar.\n     And it shall avert the punishment from the wife, if she swear four times\nby GOD that he is a liar;\n     and if the fifth time she imprecate the wrath of GOD on her, if he\nspeaketh the truth.t\n10\tIf it were not for the indulgence of GOD towards you, and his mercy, and\nthat GOD is easy to be reconciled, and wise, he would immediately discover\nyour crimes.\n\n\tq  The preceding passage was revealed on account of the meaner and more\nindigent Moh\u00e2jerins, or refugees, who sought to marry the whores of the\ninfidels, taken captives in war, for the sake of the gain which they made by\nprostituting themselves.  Some think the prohibition was special, and regarded\nonly the Moh\u00e2jerins before mentioned; and others are of opinion it was\ngeneral; but it is agreed to have been abrogated by the words which follow in\nthis chapter, Marry the single women among you; harlots being comprised under\nthe appellation of single women.2\n\tIt is supposed by some that not marriage, but unlawful commerce with\nsuch women is here forbidden.\n\tr  The Arabic word, mohsin\u00e2t, properly signifies women of unblamable\nconduct; but to bring the chastisement after mentioned on the calumniator, it\nis also requisite that they be free women, of ripe age, having their\nunderstandings perfect, and of the Mohammedan religion.  Though the word be of\nthe feminine gender, yet men are also supposed to be comprised in this law.\n\tAbu Han\u00eefa was of opinion that the slanderer ought to be scourged in\npublic, as well as the fornicator; but the generality are against him.3\n\ts  See chapter 4, p. 55.\n\tt  In case both swear, the man's oath discharges him from the imputation\nand penalty of slander, and the woman's oath frees her from the imputation and\npenalty of adultery: but though the woman do swear to her innocence, yet the\nmarriage is actually void, or ought to be declared void by the judge: because\nit is not fit they should continue together after they have come to these\nextremities.4\n\n\t2  Idem,  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t4  Idem.\n\n\n     As to the party among you who have published the falsehood concerning\nAyesha,u think it not to be an evil unto you: on the contrary, it is better\nfor you.x  Every man of them shall be punished according to the injustice of\nwhich he hath been guilty;y and he among them who hath undertaken to aggravate\nthe samez shall suffer a grievous punishment.\n     Did not the faithful men, and the faithful women, when ye heard this,\njudge in their own minds for the best; and say, This is a manifest falsehood?\n     Have they produced four witnesses thereof? wherefore since they have not\nproduced the witnesses, they are surely liars in the sight of GOD.\n     Had it not been for the indulgence of GOD towards you, and his mercy, in\nthis world and in that which is to come, verily a grievous punishment had been\ninflicted on you, for the calumny which ye have spread: when ye published that\nwith your tongues, and spoke that with your mouths, of which ye had no\nknowledge; and esteemed it to be light, whereas it was a matter of importance\nin the sight of GOD.\n     When ye heard it, did ye say, It belongeth not unto us, that we should\ntalk of this matter: GOD forbid! this is a grievous calumny.\n     GOD warneth you, that ye return not to the like crime forever; if ye be\ntrue believers.\n     And GOD declareth unto you his signs; for GOD is knowing and wise.\n     Verily they who love that scandal be published of those who believe,\nshall receive a severe punishment\n     both in this world and in the next.  GOD knoweth, but ye know not.\n20\tHad it not been for the indulgence of GOD towards you and his mercy, and\nthat GOD is gracious and merciful, ye had felt his vengeance.\n     O true believers, follow not the steps of the devil: for whosoever shall\nfollow the steps of the devil, he will command them filthy crimes, and that\nwhich is unlawful.  If it were not for the indulgence of GOD, and his mercy\ntowards you, there had not been so much as one of you cleansed from his guilt\nforever: but GOD cleanseth whom he pleaseth; for GOD both heareth and knoweth.\n\n\tu  For the understanding of this passage, it is necessary to relate the\nfollowing story:\n\tMohammed having undertaken an expedition against the tribe of Mostalak,\nin the sixth year of the Hejra, took his wife Ayesha with him, to accompany\nhim.  In their return, when they were not far from Medina, the army removing\nby night, Ayesha, on the road, alighted from her camel, and stepped aside on a\nprivate occasion: but, on her return, perceiving she had dropped her necklace,\nwhich was of onyxes of Dhaf\u00e2r, she went back to look for it; and in the\nmeantime her attendants, taking it for granted, that she was got into her\npavilion (or little tent surrounded with curtains, wherein women are carried\nin the east) set it again on the camel, and led it away.  When she came back\nto the road, and saw her camel was gone, she sat down there, expecting that\nwhen she was missed some would be sent back to fetch her; and in a little time\nshe fell asleep.  Early in the morning, Safw\u00e2n Ebn al Moattel, who had stayed\nbehind to rest himself, coming by, and perceiving somebody asleep, went to see\nwho it was and knew her to be Ayesha; upon which he waked her, by twice\npronouncing with a low voice these words, We are God's, and unto him must we\nreturn.  Then Ayesha immediately covered herself with her veil; and Safw\u00e2n set\nher on his own camel, and led her after the army, which they overtook by noon,\nas they were resting.\n\tThis accident had like to have ruined Ayesha, whose reputation was\npublicly called in question, as if she had been guilty of adultery with\nSafw\u00e2n; and Mohammed himself knew not what to think, when he reflected on the\ncircumstances of the affair, which were improved by some malicious people very\nmuch to Ayesha's dishonour; and notwithstanding his wife's protestations of\nher innocence, he could not get rid of his perplexity, nor stop the mouths of\nthe censorious, till about a month after, when this passage was revealed,\ndeclaring the accusation to be unjust.1\n\tx  The words are directed to the prophet, and to Abu Becr, Ayesha, and\nSafw\u00e2n, the persons concerned in this false report; since, besides the amends\nthey might expect in the next world, GOD had done them the honour to clear\ntheir reputations by revealing eighteen verses expressly for that purpose.2\n\ty  The persons concerned in spreading the scandal were Abd'allah Ebn\nObba (who first raised it, and inflamed the matter to the utmost, out of\nhatred to Mohammed), Zeid Ebn Ref\u00e2a, Hass\u00e2n Ebn Thabet, Mestah Ebn Oth\u00e2tha, a\ngreat-grandson of Abd'almotalleb's, and Hamna Bint Jahash: and every one of\nthem received fourscore stripes, pursuant to the law ordained in this chapter,\nexcept only Abd'allah, who was exempted, being a man of great consideration.3\n\tIt is said that, as a farther punishment, Hass\u00e2n and Mestah became\nblind, and that the former of them also lost the use of both his hands.4\n\tz  viz., Abd'allah Ebn Obba , who had not the grace to become a true\nbeliever, but died an infidel.5\n\n\t1  Al Bokhari in Sonna, Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin, &c.  Vide Abu'lf. Vit.\nMoh. p. 82, &c., and Gagnier, Vie de Mahomet, lib. 4. c. 7.\n2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Abulfeda, Vit. Moh. p. 83.\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\t5  See chapter 9, p. 144.\n\n\n     Let not those among you, who possess abundance of wealth and have\nability, swear that they will not give unto their kindred, and the poor, and\nthose who have fled their country for the sake of GOD'S true religion: but let\nthem forgive, and act with benevolence towards them.  Do ye not desire that\nGOD should pardon you?a  And GOD is gracious and merciful.\n     Moreover they who falsely accuse modest women, who behave in a negligent\nmanner,b and are true believers, shall be cursed in this world, and in the\nworld to come; and they shall suffer a severe punishment.c\n     One day their own tongues shall bear witness against them, and their\nhands, and their feet, concerning that which they have done.\n     On that day shall GOD render unto them their just due; and they shall\nknow that GOD is the evident truth.\n     The wicked women should be joined to the wicked men, and the wicked men\nto the wicked women; but the good women should be married to the good men, and\nthe good men to the good women.  These shall be cleared from the calumnies\nwhich slanderers speak of them;d they shall obtain pardon, and an honourable\nprovision.\n     O true believers, enter not any houses, besides your own houses, until ye\nhave asked leave, and have saluted the family thereof:e this is better for\nyou; peradventure ye will be admonished.\n     And if ye shall find no person in the houses, yet do not enter them,\nuntil leave be granted you: and if it be said unto you, Return back, do ye\nreturn back.  This will be more decent for you:f and GOD knoweth that which ye\ndo.\n     It shall be no crime in you, that ye enter uninhabited houses,g wherein\nye may meet with a convenience.  GOD knoweth that which ye discover, and that\nwhich ye conceal.\n30\tSpeak unto the true believers, that they restrain their eyes, and keep\nthemselves from immodest actions: this will be more pure for them; for GOD is\nwell acquainted with that which they do.\n\n\ta  This passage was revealed on account of Abu Becr: who swore that he\nwould not for the future bestow anything on Mestah, though he was his mother's\nsister's son, and a poor Moh\u00e2jer or refugee, because he had joined in\nscandalizing his daughter Ayesha.  But on Mohammed's reading this verse to\nhim, he continued Mestah's pension.1\n\tb  i.e., Who may be less careful in their conduct, and more free in\ntheir behaviour, as being conscious of no ill.\n\tc  Though the words be general, yet they principally regard those who\nshould calumniate the prophet's wives.  According to a saying of Ebn Abbas, if\nthe threats contained in the whole Kor\u00e2n be examined, there are none so severe\nas those occasioned by the false accusation of Ayesha; wherefore he thought\neven repentance would stand her slanderers in no stead.2\n\td  Al Beid\u00e2wi observes, on this passage, that GOD cleared four persons,\nby four extraordinary testimonies: for he cleared Joseph by the testimony of a\nchild in his mistress's family;3 Moses, by means of the stone which fled away\nwith his garments;4 Mary, by the testimony of her infant;5 and Ayesha, by\nthese verses of the Kor\u00e2n.\n\te  To enter suddenly or abruptly into any man's house or apartment, is\nreckoned a great incivility in the east; because a person may possibly be\nsurprised in an indecent action or posture, or may have something discovered\nwhich he would conceal.  It is said, that a man came to Mohammed, and wanted\nto know whether he must ask leave to go in to his sister; which being answered\nin the affirmative, he told the prophet that his sister had nobody else to\nattend upon her, and it would be troublesome to ask leave every time he went\nin to her.  What, replied Mohammed, wouldest thou see her naked?6\n\tf  Than to be importunate for admission, or to wait at the door.\n\tg  i.e., Which are not the private habitation of a family; such as\npublic inns, shops, sheds, &c.\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  See\nchapter 12, p. 172.\n4  See chapter 2, p. 7, and chapter 33.\t\t5  See chapter 19, p. 229.\n\t6  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     And speak unto the believing women, that they restrain their eyes, and\npreserve their modesty, and discover not their ornaments,h except what\nnecessarily appeareth thereof;i and let them throw their veils over their\nbosoms,j and not show their ornaments, unless to their husbands,k or their\nfathers, or their husbands' fathers, or their sons, or their husbands' sons,\nor their brothers, or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons,l or their\nwomen,m or the captives which their right hands shall possess,n or unto such\nmen as attend them, and have no need of women,o or unto children, who\ndistinguish not the nakedness of women.  And let them not make a noise with\ntheir feet, that their ornaments which they hide may thereby be discovered.p\nAnd be ye all turned unto GOD, O true believers, that ye may be happy.\n     Marry those who are singleq among you, and such as are honest of your\nmen-servants and your maid-servants: if they be poor, GOD will enrich them of\nhis abundance; for GOD is bounteous and wise.\n     And let those who find not a match, keep themselves from fornication,\nuntil GOD shall enrich them of his abundance.  And unto such of your slavesr\nas desire a written instrument allowing them to redeem themselves on paying a\ncertain sum,s write one, if ye know good in them;t and give them of the riches\nof GOD, which he hath given you.u  And compel not your maid-servants to\nprostitute themselves, if they be willing to live chastely; that ye may seek\nthe casual advantage of this present life;x but whoever shall compel them\nthereto, verily GOD will be gracious and merciful unto such women after their\ncompulsion.\n\n\th  As their clothes, jewels, and the furniture of their toilet; much\nless such parts of their bodies as ought not be seen.\n\ti  Some think their outward garments are here meant; and others their\nhands and faces: it is generally held, however, that a free woman ought not to\ndiscover even those parts, unless to the persons after excepted, or on some\nunavoidable occasion, as their giving evidence in public, taking advice or\nmedicines in case of sickness, &c.\n\tj  Taking care to cover their heads, necks, and breasts.\n\tk  For whose sake it is that they adorn themselves, and who alone have\nthe privilege to see their whole body.\n\tl  These near relations are also excepted, because they cannot avoid\nseeing them frequently, and there is no great danger to be apprehended from\nthem.  They are allowed, therefore, to see what cannot well be concealed in so\nfamiliar an intercourse,1 but no other part of their body, particularly\nwhatever is between the navel and the knees.2\n\tUncles not being here particularly mentioned, it is a doubt whether they\nmay be admitted to see their nieces.  Some think they are included under the\nappellation of brothers: but others are of opinion that they are not comprised\nin this exception; and give this reason for it, viz., lest they should\ndescribe the persons of their nieces to their sons.3\n\tm  That is, such as are of the Mohammedan religion; it being reckoned by\nsome unlawful, or, at least, indecent, for a woman, who is a true believer, to\nuncover herself before one who is an infidel, because she will hardly refrain\ndescribing her to the men: but others suppose all women in general are here\nexcepted; for, in this particular, doctors differ.4\n\tn  Slaves of either sex are included in this exception, and, as some\nthink, domestic servants who are not slaves; as those of a different nation.\nIt is related, that Mohammed once made a present of a man-slave to his\ndaughter F\u00e2tema; and when he brought him to her, she had on a garment which\nwas so scanty that she was obliged to leave either her head or her feet\nuncovered: and that the prophet, seeing her in great confusion on that\naccount, told her, she need be under no concern, for that there was none\npresent besides her father and her slave.5\n\to  Or have no desire to enjoy them; such as decrepit old men, and\ndeformed or silly persons, who follow people as hangers-on, for their spare\nvictuals, being too despicable to raise either a woman's passion, or a man's\njealousy.  Whether eunuchs are comprehended under this general designation, is\na question among the learned.6\n\tp  By shaking the rings, which the women in the east wear about their\nankles, and are usually of gold or silver.7  The pride which the Jewish ladies\nof old took in making a tinkling with these ornaments of their feet, is (among\nother things of that nature) severely reproved by the prophet Isaiah.8\n\tq  i.e., Those who are unmarried of either sex; whether they have been\nmarried before or not.\n\tr  Of either sex.\n\ts  Whereby the master obliges himself to set his slave at liberty, on\nreceiving a certain sum of money, which the slave undertakes to pay.\n\tt  That is, if ye have found them faithful, and have reason to believe\nthey will perform their engagement.\n\tu  Either by bestowing something on them of your own substance, or by\nabating them a part of their ransom.  Some suppose these words are directed,\nnot to the masters only, but to all Moslems in general; recommending it to\nthem to assist those who have obtained their freedom, and paid their ransom,\neither out of their own stock, or by admitting them to have a share in the\npublic alms.1\n\tx  It seems Abda'llah Ebn Obba had six women-slaves, on whom he laid a\ncertain tax, which he obliged them to earn by the prostitution of their\nbodies: and one of them made her complaint to Mohammed, which occasioned the\nrevelation of this passage.2\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t4\nIdem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t5  Idem.\n6  Idem, Yahya, &c.\t\t7  Idem\t\t8  Isaiah iii. 16 and 18.\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem, Jallalo'ddin\n\n\n     And now have we revealed unto you evident signs, and a history like unto\nsome of the histories of those who have gone before you,y and an admonition\nunto the pious.\n     GOD is the light of heaven and earth: the similitude of his light is as a\nniche in a wall, wherein a lamp is placed, and the lamp enclosed in a case of\nglass; the glass appears as it were a shining star.  It is lighted with the\noil of a blessed tree, an olive neither of the east, nor of the west:z it\nwanteth little but that the oil thereof would give light, although no fire\ntouched it.  This is light added unto light:a GOD will direct unto his light\nwhom he pleaseth.  GOD propoundeth parables unto men; for GOD knoweth all\nthings.\n     In the houses which GOD hath permitted to be raised,b and that his name\nbe commemorated therein! men celebrate his praise in the same, morning and\nevening,\n     whom neither merchandising nor selling diverteth from the remembering of\nGOD, and the observance of prayer, and the giving of alms; fearing the day\nwhereon men's hearts and eyes shall be troubled;\n     that GOD may recompense them according to the utmost merit of what they\nshall have wrought, and may add unto them of his abundance a more excellent\nreward; for GOD bestoweth on whom he pleaseth without measure.\n     But as to the unbelievers, their works are like the vapor in a plain,c\nwhich the thirsty traveller thinketh to be water, until, when he cometh\nthereto, he findeth it to be nothing; but he findeth GOD with him,d and he\nwill fully pay him his account; and GOD is swift in taking an account;\n\n\ty  i.e., The story of the false accusation of Ayesha, which resembles\nthose of Joseph and the Virgin Mary.3\n\tz  But of a more excellent kind.  Some think the meaning to be that the\ntree grows neither in the eastern nor the western parts, but in the midst of\nthe world, namely, in Syria, where the best olives grow.4\n\ta  Or a light whose brightness is doubly increased by the circumstances\nabove mentioned.\n\tThe commentators explain this allegory, and every particular of it, with\ngreat subtlety; interpreting the light here described to be the light revealed\nin the Kor\u00e2n, or God's enlightening grace in the heart of man; and in divers\nother manners.\n\tb  The connection of these words is not very obvious.  Some suppose they\nought to be joined with the preceding words, Like a niche, or It is lighted in\nthe houses, &c., and that the comparison is more strong and just, by being\nmade to the lamps in Mosques, which are larger than those in private houses.\nSome think they are rather to be connected with the following words, Men\npraise, &c.  And others are of opinion they are an imperfect beginning of a\nsentence, and that the words, Praise ye God, or the like, are to be\nunderstood.  However, the houses here intended are those set apart for divine\nworship; or particularly the three principal temples of Mecca, Medina, and\nJerusalem.5\n\tc  The Arabic word Ser\u00e2b signifies that false appearance which, in the\neastern countries, is often seen in sandy plains about noon, resembling a\nlarge lake of water in motion, and is occasioned by the reverberation of the\nsunbeams.  It sometimes tempts thirsty travellers out of their way, but\ndeceives them when they come near, either going forward (for it always appears\nat the same distance), or quite vanishing.1\n\td  That is, He will not escape the notice or vengeance of GOD.\n\n\t\t3  Iidem.\t\t4  Iidem.\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n40\tor, as the darkness in a deep sea, covered by waves riding on waves,\nabove which are clouds, being additions of darkness one over the other; when\none stretcheth forth his hand, he is far from seeing it.  And unto whomsoever\nGOD shall not grant his light, he shall enjoy no light at all.\n     Dost thou not perceive that all creatures both in heaven and earth praise\nGOD: and the birds also, extending their wings?  Every one knoweth his prayer,\nand his praise: and GOD knoweth that which they do.\n     Unto GOD belongeth the kingdom of heaven and earth; and unto GOD shall be\nthe return at the last day.\n     Dost thou not see that GOD gently driveth forward the clouds, and\ngathereth them together, and then layeth them on heaps?  Thou also seest the\nrain, which falleth from the midst thereof; and God sendeth down from heaven\nas it were mountains, wherein there is hail; he striketh therewith whom he\npleaseth, and turneth the same away from whom he pleaseth: the brightness of\nhis lightning wanteth but little of taking away the sight.\n     GOD shifteth the night, and the day: verily herein is an instruction unto\nthose who have sight.  And GOD hath created every animal of water;e one of\nthem goeth on his belly, and another of them walketh upon two feet, and\nanother of them walketh upon four feet: GOD createth that which he pleaseth;\nfor GOD is almighty.\n     Now have we sent down evident signs: and GOD directeth whom he pleaseth\ninto the right way.\n     The hypocrites say, We believe in GOD, and on his apostle; and we obey\nthem: yet a part of them turneth back, after this; but these are not really\nbelievers.\n     And when they are summoned before GOD and his apostle, that he may judge\nbetween them; behold, a part of them retire:\n     but if the right had been on their side, they would have come and\nsubmitted themselves unto him.\n     Is there an infirmity in their hearts?  Do they doubt?  Or do they fear\nlest GOD and his apostle act unjustly towards them?  But themselves are the\nunjust doers.f\n50\tThe saying of the true believers, when they are summoned before GOD and\nhis apostle, that he may judge between them, is no other than that they say,\nWe have heard, and do obey: and these are they who shall prosper.\n     Whoever shall obey GOD and his apostle, and shall fear GOD, and shall be\ndevout towards him; these shall enjoy great felicity.\n     They swear by GOD, with a most solemn oath, that if thou commandest them,\nthey will go forth from their houses and possessions.  Say, Swear not to a\nfalsehood: obedience is more requisite: and GOD is well acquainted with that\nwhich ye do.\n\n\te  This assertion, which has already occurred in another place,2 being\nnot true in strictness, the commentators suppose that by water is meant seed;\nor else that water is mentioned only as the chief cause of the growth of\nanimals, and a considerable and necessary constituent part of their bodies.\n\tf  This passage was occasioned by Bashir the hypocrite, who, having a\ncontroversy with a Jew, appealed to Caab Ebn al Ashraf, whereas the Jew\nappealed to Mohammed;3 or, as others tell us, by Mogheira Ebn Wayel, who\nrefused to submit a dispute he had with Al. to the prophet's decision.4\n\n\t1  Vide Q. Curt. de rebus Alex. lib. 7, et Gol. in Alfrag. p. 111, et in\nAdag. Arab. ad calcem Gram. Erp. p. 93.\t\t2  Chapter 21, p. 243.\n3  See chapter 4, p. 61.\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi\n\n\n     Say, Obey GOD, and obey the apostle: but if ye turn back, verily it is\nexpected of him that he perform his duty, and of you that ye perform your\nduty; and if ye obey him, ye shall be directed, but the duty of our apostle is\nonly public preaching.\n     GOD promiseth unto such of you as believe, and do good works, that he\nwill cause them to succeed the unbelievers in the earth, as he caused those\nwho were before you to succeed the infidels of their time;g and that he will\nestablish for them their religion which pleaseth them, and will change their\nfear into security.  They shall worship me; and shall not associate any other\nwith me.  But whoever shall disbelieve after this, they will be the wicked\ndoers.\n     Observe prayer, and give alms, and obey the apostle; that ye may obtain\nmercy.\n     Think not that the unbelievers shall frustrate the designs of God on\nearth: and their abode hereafter shall be hell fire; a miserable journey shall\nit be thither!\n     O true believers, let your slaves and those among you who shall not have\nattained the age of puberty, ask leave of you, before they come into your\npresence, three times in the day;h namely, before the morning prayer,i and\nwhen ye lay aside your garments at noon,j and after the evening prayer.k\nThese are the three times for you to be private: it shall be no crime in you,\nor in them, if they go in to you without asking permission after these times,\nwhile ye are in frequent attendance, the one of you on the other.  Thus GOD\ndeclareth his signs unto you; for GOD is knowing and wise.\n     And when your children attain the age of puberty, let them ask leave to\ncome into your presence at all times, in the same manner as those who have\nattained that age before them, ask leave.  Thus GOD declareth his signs unto\nyou; and GOD is knowing and wise.\n     As to such women as are past child-bearing, who hope not to marry again,\nbecause of their advanced age; it shall be no crime in them, if they lay aside\ntheir outer garments, not showing their ornaments; but if they abstain from\nthis, it will be better for them.l  GOD both heareth and knoweth.\n60\tIt shall be no crime in the blind, nor shall it be any crime in the\nlame, neither shall it be any crime in the sick, or in yourselves, that ye eat\nin your houses,m or in the houses of your fathers, or the houses of your\nmothers, or in the houses of your brothers, or the houses of your sisters, or\nthe houses of your uncles on the father's side, or the houses of your aunts on\nthe father's side, or the houses of your uncles on the mother's side, the\nhouses of your aunts on the mother's side, or in those houses the keys whereof\nye have in your possession, or in the house of your friend.  It shall not be\nany crime in you whether ye eat together, or separately.n\n\n\tg  i.e., As he caused the Israelites to dispossess the Canaanites, &c.\n\th  Because there are certain times when it is not convenient, even for a\ndomestic, or a child, to come in to one without notice.  It is said this\npassage was revealed on account of Asma Bint Morthed, whose servant entered\nsuddenly upon her, at an improper time; but others say, it was occasioned by\nModraj Ebn Amru, then a boy, who, being sent by Mohammed to call Omar to him,\nwent directly into the room where he was, without giving notice, and found him\ntaking his noon's nap, and in no very decent posture; at which Omar was so\nruffled, that he wished GOD would forbid even their fathers, and children, to\ncome in to them abruptly, at such times.1\n\ti  Which is the time of people's rising from their beds, and dressing\nthemselves for the day.\n\tj  That is, when ye take off your upper garments to sleep at noon; which\nis a common custom in the east, and all warm countries.\n\tk  When ye undress yourselves to prepare for bed.  Al Beid\u00e2wi adds a\nfourth season, when permission to enter must be asked, viz., at night: but\nthis follows of course.\n\tl  See before, p. 266.\n\tm  i.e., Where your wives or families are; or in the houses of your\nsons, which may be looked on as your own.\n\tThis passage was designed to remove some scruples or superstitions of\nthe Arabs in Mohammed's time; some of whom thought their eating with maimed or\nsick people defiled them; others imagined they ought not to eat in the house\nof another, though ever so nearly related to them, or though they were\nentrusted with the key and care of the house in the master's absence, and\nmight therefore conclude it would be no offence; and others declined eating\nwith their friends though invited, lest they should be burthensome.1  The\nwhole passage seems to be no more than a declaration that the things scrupled\nwere perfectly innocent; however, the commentators say it is now abrogated,\nand that it related only to the old Arabs, in the infancy of Mohammedism.\n\tn  As the tribe of Leith thought it unlawful for a man to eat alone; and\nsome of the Ans\u00e2rs, if they had a guest with them, never ate but in his\ncompany; so there were others who refused to eat with any, out of a\nsuperstitious caution lest they should be defiled, or out of a hoggish\ngreediness.2\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t1  Idem.\n\n\n     And when ye enter any houses, salute one anothero on the part of GOD,\nwith a blessed and a welcome salutation.  Thus GOD declareth his signs unto\nyou, that ye may understand.\n     Verily they only are true believers, who believe in GOD and his apostle,\nand when they are assembled with him on any affair,p depart not, until they\nhave obtained leave of him.  Verily they who ask leave of thee are those who\nbelieve in GOD and his apostle.  When therefore they ask leave of thee to\ndepart, on account of any business of their own, grant leave unto such of them\nas thou shalt think fit, and ask pardon for them of GOD;q for GOD is gracious\nand merciful.\n     Let not the calling of the apostle be esteemed among you, as your calling\nthe one to the other.r  GOD knoweth such of you as privately withdraw\nthemselves from the assembly, taking shelter behind one another.  But let\nthose who withstand his command take heed, lest some calamity befall them in\nthis world, or a grievous punishment be inflicted on them in the life to come.\n     Doth not whatever is in heaven and on earth belong unto GOD?  He well\nknoweth what ye are about: and on a certain day they shall be assembled before\nhim; and he shall declare unto them that which they have done; for GOD knoweth\nall things.\n\n\to  Literally yourselves; that is, according to al Beid\u00e2wi, the people of\nthe house, to whom ye are united by the ties of blood, and by the common bond\nof religion.  And if there be nobody in the house, says Jallalo'ddin, salute\nyourselves, and say, Peace be on us, and on the righteous servants of God: for\nthe angels will return your salutation.\n\tp  As, at public prayers, or a solemn feast, or at council, or on a\nmilitary expedition.\n\tq  Because such departure, though with leave, and on a reasonable\nexcuse, is a kind of failure in the exact performance of their duty; seeing\nthey prefer their temporal affairs to the advancement of the true religion.3\n\tr  These words are variously interpreted; for their meaning may be,\neither, Make not light of the apostle's summons, as ye would of another\nperson's of equal condition with yourselves, by not obeying it, or by\ndeparting out of, or coming into, his presence without leave first obtained;\nor, Think not that when the apostle calls upon God in prayer, it is with him,\nas with you, when ye prefer a petition to a superior, who sometimes grants,\nbut as often denies, your suit; or, Call not to the apostle, as ye do to one\nanother, that is, by name, or familiarly and with a loud voice; but make use\nof some honourable compellation, as, O apostle of GOD, or, O prophet of GOD,\nand speak in an humble modest manner.4\n\n\t1  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Iidem.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\t4  Idem, Jallalo'ddin, &c.\n\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXV.\n\nENTITLED, AL FORKAN; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     BLESSED be he who hath revealed the Forkans unto his servant, that he may\nbe a preacher to all creatures:\n     unto whom belongeth the kingdom of heaven and of earth: who hath begotten\nno issue; and hath no partner in his kingdom: who hath created all things, and\ndisposed the same according to his determinate will.\n     Yet have they taken other gods besides him; which have created nothing,\nbut are themselves created:t\n     and are able neither to avert evil from, nor to procure good unto\nthemselves; and have not the power of death, or of life, or of raising the\ndead.\n     And the unbelievers say, This Koran is no other than a forgery which he\nhath contrived; and other people have assisted him therein:u but they utter an\nunjust thing, and a falsehood.\n     They also say, These are fables of the ancients, which he hath caused to\nbe written down; and they are dictated unto him morning and evening.\n     Say, He hath revealed it, who knoweth the secrets in heaven and earth:\nverily he is gracious and merciful.\n     And they say, What kind of apostle is this?  He eateth food, and walketh\nin the streets,x as we do: unless an angel be sent down unto him, and become a\nfellow preacher with him;\n     or unless a treasure be cast down unto him; or he have a garden, of the\nfruit whereof he may eat; we will not believe.  The ungodly also say, Ye\nfollow no other than a man who is distracted.\n10\tBehold what they liken thee unto.  But they are deceived; neither can\nthey find a just occasion to reproach thee.\n     Blessed be he, who, if he pleaseth, will make for thee a better provision\nthan this which they speak of; namely, gardens through which rivers flow: and\nhe will provide thee palaces.\n     But they reject the belief of the hour of judgment, as a falsehood: and\nwe have prepared for him, who shall reject the belief of that hour, burning\nfire;\n     when it shall see them from a distant place, they shall hear it furiously\nraging and roaring.\n     And when they shall be cast, bound together, into a strait place thereof,\nthey shall there call for death;\n     but it shall be answered them, Call not this day for one death, but call\nfor many deaths.\n     Say, Is this better, or a garden of eternal duration, which is promised\nunto the pious?  It shall be given unto them for a reward, and a retreat:\n\n\ts  Which is one of the names of the Kor\u00e2n.  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect.\nIII. p. 44.\n\tt  Being either the heavenly bodies, or idols, the works of men's hands.\n\tu  See chapter 16, p. 203.  It is supposed the Jews are particularly\nintended in this place; because they used to repeat passages of ancient\nhistory to Mohammed, on which he used to discourse and make observations.1\n\tx  Being subject to the same wants and infirmities of nature, and\nobliged to submit to the same low means of supporting himself and his family,\nwith ourselves.  The Meccans were acquainted with Mohammed, and with his\ncircumstances and way of life, too well to change their old familiarity into\nthe reverence due to the messenger of GOD; for a prophet hath no honour in his\nown country.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     therein shall they have whatever they please, continuing in the same\nforever.  This is a promise to be demanded at the hands of thy LORD.\n     On a certain day he shall assemble them, and whatever they worship,\nbesides GOD; and shall say unto the worshipped, Did ye seduce these my\nservants; or did they wander of themselves from the right way?\n     They shall answer, GOD forbid!  It was not fitting for us, that we should\ntake any protectors besides thee: but thou didst permit them and their fathers\nto enjoy abundance; so that they forgot thy admonition, and became lost\npeople.\n20\tAnd God shall say unto their worshippers, Now have these convinced you\nof falsehood, in that which ye say: they can neither avert your punishment,\nnor give you any assistance.\n     And whoever of you shall be guilty of injustice, him will we cause to\ntaste a grievous torment.\n     We have sent no messengers before thee, but they ate food, and walked\nthrough the streets: and we make some of you an occasion of trial unto\nothers.y  Will ye persevere with patience?  since the LORD regardeth your\nperseverance.\n     They who hope not to meet us at the resurrection say, Unless the angels\nbe sent down unto us, or we see our LORD himself, we will not believe.  Verily\nthey behave themselves arrogantly; and have transgressed with an enormous\ntransgression.\n     The day whereon they shall see the angels,z there shall be no glad\ntidings on that day for the wicked; and they shall say, Be this removed far\nfrom us?\n     and we will come unto the work which they shall have wrought, and we will\nmake it as dust scattered abroad.\n     On that day shall they who are destined to paradise be more happy in an\nabode, and have a preferable place of repose at noon.a\n     On that day the heaven shall be cloven in sunder by the clouds, and the\nangels shall be sent down, descending visibly therein.b\n     On that day the kingdom shall of right belong wholly unto the Merciful;\nand that day shall be grievous for the unbelievers.\n     On that day the unjust personc shall bite his hand for anguish and\ndespair, and shall say, Oh that I had taken the way of truth with the apostle!\n\n\ty  Giving occasion of envy, repining, and malice; to the poor, mean, and\nsick, for example, when they compare their own condition with that of the\nrich, the noble, and those who are in health: and trying the people to whom\nprophets are sent, by those prophets.1\n\tz  viz., At their death, or at the resurrection.\n\ta  For the business of the day of judgment will be over by that time;\nand the blessed will pass their noon in paradise, and the damned in hell.2\n\tb  i.e., They shall part and make way for the clouds which shall descend\nwith the angels, bearing the books wherein every man's actions are recorded.\n\tc  It is supposed by some that these words particularly relate to Okba\nEbn Abi Moait, who used to be much in Mohammed's company, and having once\ninvited him to an entertainment, the prophet refused to taste of his meat\nunless he would profess Isl\u00e2m; which accordingly he did.  Soon after, Okba,\nmeeting Obba Ebn Khalf, his intimate friend, and being reproached by him for\nchanging his religion, assured him that he had not, but had only pronounced\nthe profession of faith to engage Mohammed to eat with him, because he could\nnot for shame let him go out of his house without eating.  However, Obba\nprotested that he would not be satisfied, unless he went to Mohammed, and set\nhis foot on his neck, and spit in his face: which Okba, rather than break with\nhis friend, performed in the public hall, where he found Mohammed sitting;\nwhereupon the prophet told him that if ever he met him out of Mecca, he would\ncut off his head.  And he was as good as his word: for Okba, being afterwards\ntaken prisoner at the battle of Bedr, had his head struck off by Ali at\nMohammed's command.  As for Obba, he received a wound from the prophet's own\nhand, at the battle of Ohod, of which he died at his return to Mecca.3\n\n\t1  Idem, Jallal.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  Vide Gagnier,\nVie de Mahom. vol. I, p. 362.\n\n\n30\tAlas for me!  Oh that I had not taken such a oned for my friend!\n     He seduced me from the admonition of God, after it had come unto me: for\nthe devil is the betrayer of man.\n     And the apostle shall say, O LORD, verily my people esteemed this Kor\u00e2n\nto be a vain composition.\n     In like manner did we ordain unto every prophet an enemy from among the\nwicked: but thy LORD is a sufficient director and defender.\n     The unbelievers say, Unless the Koran be sent down unto him entire at\nonce,e we will not believe.  But in this manner have we revealed it, that we\nmight confirm thy heart thereby,f and we have dictated it gradually, by\ndistinct parcels.\n     They shall not come unto thee with any strange question; but we will\nbring thee the truth in answer, and a most excellent interpretation.\n     They who shall be dragged on their faces into hell shall be in the worst\ncondition, and shall stray most widely from the way of salvation.\n     We heretofore delivered unto Moses the book of the law; and we appointed\nhim Aaron his brother for a counsellor.\n     And we said unto them, Go ye to the people who charge our signs with\nfalsehood.  And we destroyed them with a signal destruction.\n     And remember the people of Noah, when they accused our apostles of\nimposture: we drowned them, and made them a sign unto mankind.  And we have\nprepared for the unjust a painful torment.\n40\tRemember also Ad, and Thamud, and those who dwelt at al Rass;g and many\nother generations within this period.\n     Unto each of them did we propound examples for their admonition; and each\nof them did we destroy with an utter destruction.\n     The Koreish have passed frequently near the city which was rained on by a\nfatal rain;h have they not seen where it once stood?  Yet have they not\ndreaded the resurrection.\n\n\td  According to the preceding note, this was Obba Ebn Khalf.\n\te  As were the Pentateuch, Psalms, and Gospel, according to the\nMohammedan notion whereas it was twenty-three years before the Kor\u00e2n was\ncompletely revealed.1\n\tf  Both to infuse courage and constancy into thy mind, and to strengthen\nthy memory and understanding.  For, say the commentators, the prophet's\nreceiving the divine direction, from time to time, how to behave, and to\nspeak, on any emergency, and the frequent visits of the angel Gabriel, greatly\nencouraged and supported him under all his difficulties: and the revealing of\nthe Kor\u00e2n by degrees was a great, and, to him, a necessary help for his\nretaining and understanding it; which it would have been impossible for him to\nhave done with any exactness, had it been revealed at once; Mohammed's case\nbeing entirely different from that of Moses, David, and JESUS, who could all\nread and write, whereas he was perfectly illiterate.2\n\tg  The commentators are at a loss where to place al Rass.  According to\none opinion it was the name of a well (as the word signifies) near Midian,\nabout which some idolaters having fixed their habitations, the prophet Shoaib\nwas sent to preach to them; but they not believing on him, the well fell in,\nand they and their houses were all swallowed up.  Another supposes it to have\nbeen in a town in Yam\u00e2ma, where a remnant of the Tham\u00fbdites settled, to whom a\nprophet was also sent; but they slaying him, were utterly destroyed.  Another\nthinks it was a well near Antioch, where Hab\u00eeb al Najj\u00e2r (whose tomb is still\nto be seen there, beige frequently visited by Mohammedans) was martyred.3  And\na fourth takes al Rass to be a well in Hadramaut, by which dwelt some\nidolatrous Tham\u00fbdites, whose prophet was Handha, or Khantala (for I find the\nname written both ways) Ebn Safw\u00e2n.4  These people were first annoyed by\ncertain monstrous birds, called Ank\u00e2, which lodged in the mountain above them,\nand used to snatch away their children, when they wanted other prey; but this\ncalamity was so far from humbling them, that on their prophet's calling down a\njudgment upon them, they killed him, and were all destroyed.5\n\th  viz., Sodom; for the Koreish often passed by the place where it once\nstood, in the journeys they took to Syria for the sake of trade.\n\n\t1  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 50, &c.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi, &c.\n\t\t3  Abu'lf. Geog. Vide Vit. Saladini, p. 86.\n4  See chapter 22, p. 254, note y.\t\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     When they see thee, they will receive thee only with scoffing, saying, Is\nthis he whom GOD hath sent as his apostle?\n     Verily he had almost drawn us aside from the worship of our gods, if we\nhad not firmly persevered in our devotion towards them.  But they shall know\nhereafter, when they shall see the punishment prepared for them, who hath\nstrayed more widely from the right path.\n     What thinkest thou?  He who taketh his lust for his god; canst thou be\nhis guardian?i\n     Dost thou imagine that the greater part of them hear, or understand?\nThey are no other than like the brute cattle; yea, they stray more widely from\nthe true path.\n     Dost thou not consider the works of thy LORD, how he stretcheth forth the\nshadow before sunrise?  If he had pleased, he would have made it immovable\nforever.  Then we cause the sun to rise, and to show the same;\n     and afterwards we contract it by an easy and gradual contraction.\n     It is he who hath ordained the night to cover you as a garment; and sleep\nto give you rest; and hath ordained the day for waking.\n50\tIt is he who sendeth the winds, driving abroad the pregnant clouds, as\nthe forerunners of his mercy:j and we send down pure waterk from heaven,\n     that we may thereby revive a dead country, and give to drink thereof unto\nwhat we have created, both of cattle and men, in great numbers;l\n     and we distribute the same among them at various times, that they may\nconsider: but the greater part of men refuse to consider, only out of\ningratitude.m\n     If we had pleased, we had sent a preacher unto every city:n\n     wherefore, do not thou obey the unbelievers; but oppose them herewith,\nwith a strong opposition.\n     It is he who hath let loose the two seas; this fresh and sweet, and that\nsalt and bitter; and hath placed between them a bar,o and a bound which cannot\nbe passed.\n     It is he who hath created man of water,p and hath made him to bear the\ndouble relation of consanguinity and affinity; for thy LORD is powerful.\n     They worship, besides GOD, that which can neither profit them nor hurt\nthem: and the unbeliever is an assistant of the devil against his LORD.q\n     We have sent thee to be no other than a bearer of good tidings, and a\ndenouncer of threats.\n\n\ti  i.e., Dost thou expect to reclaim such a one from idolatry and\ninfidelity?\n\tj  See chapter 7, p. 110.  There is the same various reading here as is\nmentioned in the notes to that passage.\n\tk  Properly, purifying water; which epithet may perhaps refer to the\ncleansing quality of that element, of so great use both on religious and on\ncommon occasions.\n\tl  That is, To such as live in the dry deserts, and are obliged to drink\nrain-water; which the inhabitants of towns, and places well-watered, have no\noccasion to do.\n\tm  Or, out of infidelity: for the old Arabs used to think themselves\nindebted for their rains, not to GOD, but to the influence of some particular\nstars.\n\tn  And had not given thee, O Mohammed, the honour and trouble of being a\npreacher to the whole world in general.\n\to  To keep them asunder, and prevent their mixing with each other.  The\noriginal word is barzakh; which has been already explained.2\n\tp  With which Adam's primitive clay was mixed; or, of seed.  See chapter\n24, p. 268.\n\tq  Joining with him in his rebellion and infidelity.  Some think Abu\nJahl is particularly struck at in this passage.  The words may also be\ntranslated, The unbeliever is contemptible in the sight of his Lord.\n\n\t1  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. I. p. 24.\t\t2  In not. ad cap. 23,\np. 261.\n\n\n     Say, I ask not of you any reward for this my preaching; besides the\nconversion of him who shall desire to take the way unto his LORD.a\n60\tAnd do thou trust in him who liveth, and dieth not; and celebrate his\npraise: (he is sufficiently acquainted with the faults of his servants): who\nhath created the heavens and the earth, and whatever is between them, in six\ndays; and then ascended his throne: the Merciful.  Ask now the knowing\nconcerning him.\n     When it is said unto the unbelievers, Adore the Merciful; they reply, And\nwho is the Merciful?b  Shall  we adore that which thou commandest us?  And\nthis precept causeth them to fly the faster from the faith.\n     Blessed be he who hath placed the twelve signs in the heavens; and hath\nplaced therein a lamp by day,c and the moon which shineth by night!\n     It is he who hath ordained the night and the day to succeed each other,\nfor the observation of him who will consider, or desireth to show his\ngratitude.\n     The servants of the Merciful are those who walk meekly on the earth, and\nwhen the ignorant speak unto them, answer, Peace:d\n     and who pass the night adoring their LORD, and standing up to pray unto\nhim;\n     and who say, O LORD, avert from us the torment of hell, for the torment\nthereof is perpetual; verily the same is a miserable abode and a wretched\nstation:\n     and who, when they bestow, are neither profuse nor niggardly; but observe\na just medium between these;e\n     and who invoke not another god together with the true GOD; neither slay\nthe soul which GOD hath forbidden to be slain, unless for a just cause: and\nwho are not guilty of fornication.  But he who shall do this shall meet the\nreward of his wickedness:\n     his punishment shall be doubled unto him on the day of resurrection; and\nhe shall remain therein, covered with ignominy, forever:\n70\texcept him who shall repent and believe, and shall work a righteous\nwork; unto them will GOD change their former evils into good;f for GOD is\nready to forgive, and merciful.\n     And whoever repenteth, and doth that which is right; verily he turneth\nunto GOD with an acceptable conversion.\n     And they who do not bear false witness; and when they pass by vain\ndiscourse, pass by the same with decency;\n     and who, when they are admonished by the signs of their LORD, fall not\ndown as if they were deaf and blind, but stand up and are attentive thereto:\n     and who say, O LORD, grant us of our wives and our offspring such as may\nbe the satisfaction of our eyes; and make us patterns unto those who fear\nthee.\n     These shall be rewarded with the highest apartments in paradise, because\nthey have persevered with constancy; and they shall meet therein with greeting\nand salutation;\n     they shall remain in the same forever: it shall be an excellent abode,\nand a delightful station.\n     Say, My LORD is not solicitous on your account, if ye do not invoke him:\nye have already charged his apostle with imposture; but hereafter shall there\nbe a lasting punishment inflicted on you.\n\n\ta  Seeking to draw near unto him, by embracing the religion taught by me\nhis apostle; which is the best return I expect from you for my labours.1  The\npassage, however, is capable of another meaning, viz., that Mohammed desires\nnone to give, but him who shall contribute freely and voluntarily towards the\nadvancement of GOD'S true religion.\n\tb  See chapter 17, p. 237.\n\tc  i.e., The sun.\n\td  This is intended here not as a salutation, but as a waiving all\nfarther discourse and communication with the idolaters.\n\te  See chapter 17, p. 230.\n\tf  Blotting out their former rebellion, on their repentance, and\nconfirming and increasing their faith and obedience.2\n\n\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXVI.\n\nENTITLED, THE POETS;g REVEALED AT MECCA.h\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     T. S. M.i  THESE are the signs of the perspicuous book.\n     Peradventure thou afflictest thyself unto death, lest the Meccans become\nnot believers.\n     If we pleased, we could send down unto them a convincing sign from\nheaven, unto which their necks would humbly submit.\n     But there cometh unto them no admonition from the Merciful, being newly\nrevealed as occasions require, but they turn aside from the same;\n     and they have charged it with falsehood: but a message shall come unto\nthem, which they shall not laugh to scorn.\n     Do they not behold the earth, how many vegetables we cause to spring up\ntherein, of every noble species?\n     Verily herein is a sign: but the greater part of them do not believe.\n     Verily thy LORD is the mighty, the merciful God.\n     Remember when thy LORD called Moses, saying, Go to the unjust people,\n10\tthe people of Pharaoh; will they not dread me?\n     Moses answered, O LORD, verily I fear lest they accuse me of falsehood,\n     and lest my breast become straitened, and my tongue be not ready in\nspeaking:k send therefore unto Aaron, to be my assistant.\n     Also they have a crime to object against me:l and I fear they will put me\nto death.\n     God said, They shall by no means put thee to death: wherefore go ye with\nour signs; for we will be with you, and will hear what passes between you and\nthem.\n     Go ye therefore unto Pharaoh, and say, Verily we are the apostlem of the\nLORD of all creatures:\n     send away with us the children of Israel.\n     And when they had delivered their message, Pharaoh answered, Have we not\nbrought thee up, among us,\n     when a child; and hast thou not dwelt among us for several years of thy\nlife?n  Yet hast thou done thy deed which thou hast done, and thou art an\nungrateful person.\n\n\tg  The chapter bears this inscription because at the conclusion of it\nthe Arabian poets are severely censured.\n\th  The five last verses, beginning at these words, And those who err\nfollow the poets, &c., some take to have been revealed at Medina.\n\ti  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c.\n\tk  See chap. 20, p. 257.\n\tl  viz., The having killed an Egyptian.1\n\tm  The word is in the singular number in the original; for which the\ncommentators give several reasons.\n\tn  It is said that Moses dwelt among the Egyptians thirty years, and\nthen went to Midian, where he stayed ten years; after which he returned to\nEgypt, and spent thirty years in endeavouring to convert them; and that he\nlived after the drowning of Pharaoh fifty years.2\n\n\t\t\t\t1  See cap. 28.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     Moses replied, I did it indeed, and I was one of those who erred;o\n20\twherefore I fled from you, because I feared you: but my LORD hath\nbestowed on me wisdom, and hath appointed me one of his apostles.\n     And this is the favor which thou hast bestowed on me, that thou hast\nenslaved the children of Israel.\n     Pharaoh said, And who is the LORD of all creatures?\n     Moses answered, The LORD of heaven and earth, and whatever is between\nthem: if ye are men of sagacity.\n     Pharaoh said unto those who were about him, Do ye not hear?\n     Moses said, Your LORD, and the LORD of your forefathers.\n     Pharaoh said unto those who were present, Your apostle, who is sent unto\nyou, is certainly distracted.p\n     Moses said, The LORD of the east, and of the west, and of whatever is\nbetween them; if ye are men of understanding.\n     Pharaoh said unto him, Verily if thou take any god besides me,q I will\nmake thee one of those who are imprisoned.r\n     Moses answered, What, although I come unto you with a convincing miracle?\n30\tPharaoh replied, Produce it therefore, if thou speakest truth.\n     And he cast down his rod, and behold, it became a visible serpent:\n     and he drew forth his hand out of his bosom; and behold, it appeared\nwhite unto the spectators.\n     Pharaoh said unto the princes who were about him, Verily this man is a\nskilful magician:\n     he seeketh to dispossess you of your land by his sorcery; what therefore\ndo ye direct?\n     They answered , Delay him and his brother by good words for a time; and\nsend through the cities men to assemble\n     and bring unto thee every skilful magician.\n     So the magicians were assembled at an appointed time, on a solemn day.\n     And it was said unto the people, Are ye assembled together?\n     Perhaps we may follow the magicians, if they do get the victory.\n40\tAnd when the magicians were come, they said unto Pharaoh, Shall we\ncertainly receive a reward, if we do get the victory?\n     He answered, Yea; and ye shall surely be of those who approach my person.\n     Moses said unto them, Cast down what ye are about to cast down.\n     Wherefore they cast down their ropes and their rods, and said, By the\nmight of Pharaoh, verily we shall be the conquerors.\n     And Moses cast down his rod, and behold, it swallowed up that which they\nhad caused falsely to appear changed into serpents.\n     Whereupon the magicians prostrated themselves, worshipping,\n     and said, We believe in the LORD of all creatures,\n     the LORD of Moses and of Aaron.\n     Pharaoh said unto them, Have ye believed on him, before I have given you\npermission?  Verily he is your chief who hath taught you magic:s but hereafter\nye shall surely know my power.\n\n\to  Having killed the Egyptian undesignedly.\n\tp  Pharaoh, it seems, thought Moses had given but wild answers to his\nquestion; for he wanted to know the person and true nature of the GOD whose\nmessenger Moses pretended to be; whereas he spoke of his works only.  And\nbecause this answer gave so little satisfaction to the king, he is therefore\nsupposed by some to have been a Dahrite, or one who believed the eternity of\nthe world.3\n\tq  From this and a parallel expression in the twenty-eighth chapter, it\nis inferred that Pharaoh claimed the worship of his subjects, as due to his\nsupreme power.\n\tr  These words, says al Beid\u00e2wi, were a more terrible menace than if he\nhad said I will imprison thee; and gave Moses to understand that he must\nexpect to keep company with those wretches whom the tyrant had thrown, as was\nhis custom, into a deep dungeon, where they remained till they died.\n\ts  But has reserved the most efficacious secrets to himself.4\n\n\t\t\t\t\t3  Idem.\t\t4  Idem.\n\n\n     I will cut off your hands and your feet, on the opposite sides, and I\nwill crucify you all.\n50\tThey answered, It will be no harm unto us; for we shall return unto our\nLORD.\n     We hope that our LORD will forgive us our sins, since we are the first\nwho have believed.t\n     And we spake by revelation unto Moses, saying, March forth with my\nservants by night; for ye will be pursued.\n     And Pharaoh sent officers through the cities to assemble forces, saying,\n     Verily these are a small company;\n     and they are enraged against us:\n     but we are a multitude well provided.\n     So we caused them to quit their gardens, and fountains,\n     and treasures, and fair dwellings:\n     thus did we do; and we made the children of Israel to inherit the same.u\n60\tAnd they pursued them at sunrise.\n     And when the two armies were come in sight of each other, the companions\nof Moses said, We shall surely be overtaken.\n     Moses answered, By no means; for my LORD is with me, who will surely\ndirect me.\n     And we commanded Moses by revelation, saying, Smite the sea with thy rod.\nAnd when he had smitten it, it became divided into twelve parts, between which\nwere as many paths, and every part was like a vast mountain.\n     And we drew thither the others;\n     and we delivered Moses and all those who were with him:\n     then we drowned the others.\n     Verily herein was a sign; but the greater part of them did not believe.\n     Verily thy LORD is the mighty and the merciful.\n     And rehearse unto them the story of Abraham:\n70\twhen he said unto his father, and his people, What do ye worship?\n     They answered, We worship idols; and we constantly serve them all the day\nlong.\n     Abraham said, Do they hear you, when ye invoke them?\n     Or do they either profit you, or hurt you?\n     They answered, But we found our fathers do the same.\n     He said, What think ye?  The gods which ye worship,\n     and your forefathers worshipped,\n     are my enemy: except only the LORD of all creatures,\n     who hath created me, and directeth me;\n     and who giveth me to eat, and to drink,\n80\tand when I am sick, healeth me;\n     and who will cause me to die, and will afterwards restore me to life;\n     and who, I hope, will forgive my sins on the day of judgment.\n     O LORD, grant me wisdom; and join me with the righteous:\n     and grant that I may be spoken of with honourx among the latest\nposterity;\n     and make me an heir of the garden of delight:\n     and forgive my father, for that he hath been one of those who go astray.y\n     And cover me not with shame on the day of resurrection;\n     on the day in which neither riches nor children shall avail,\n     unless unto him who shall come unto GOD with a sincere heart:\n90\twhen paradise shall be brought near to the view of the pious,\n     and hell shall appear plainly to those who shall have erred:\n\n\tt  See chapter 7, p. 116, &c.\n\tu  Hence some suppose the Israelites, after the destruction of Pharaoh\nand his host, returned to Egypt, and possessed themselves of the riches of\nthat country.5  But others are of opinion that the meaning is no more than\nthat GOD gave them the like possessions and dwellings in another country.6\n\tx  Literally, Grant me a tongue of truth, that is, a high encomium.  The\nsame expression is used in c. 19, p. 252.\n\ty  By disposing him to repentance, and the receiving of the true faith.\nSome suppose Abraham pronounced this prayer after his father's death, thinking\nthat possibly he might have been inwardly a true believer, but have concealed\nhis conversion for fear of Nimrod, and before he was forbidden to pray for\nhim.7\n\n\t5  Jallalo'ddin, Yahya.\t\t6  Al Zamakh.  See cap. 7, p. 118.\n\t7  See cap. 9, p. 148, and c. 14, p. 209.\n\n\n     and it shall be said unto them, Where are your deities which ye served\n     besides GOD? will they deliver you from punishment, or will they deliver\nthemselves?\n     And they shall be cast into the same, both they,z and those who have been\nseduced to their worship;\n     and all the host of Eblis.\n     The seduced shall dispute therein with their false gods,\n     saying, By GOD, we were in a manifest error,\n     when we equalled you with the LORD of all creatures:\n     and none seduced us but the wicked.\n100\tWe have now no intercessors,\n     nor any friend who careth for us.\n     If we were allowed to return once more into the world, we would certainly\nbecome true believers.\n     Verily herein was a sign; but the greater part of them believed not.\n     The LORD is the mighty, the merciful.\n     The people of Noah accused God's messengers of imposture:\n     when their brother Noah said unto them, Will ye not fear God?\n     Verily I am a faithful messenger unto you;\n110\twherefore fear GOD, and obey me.\n     I ask no reward of you for my preaching unto you; I expect my reward from\nno other than the LORD of all creatures:\n     wherefore fear GOD, and obey me.\n     They answered, Shall we believe on thee, when only the most abject\npersons have followed thee?\n     Noah said, I have no knowledge of that which they did;a\n     it appertaineth unto my LORD alone to bring them to account, if ye\nunderstand;\n     wherefore I will not drive away the believers:b\n     I am no more than a public preacher.\n     They replied, Assuredly, unless thou desist, O Noah, thou shalt be\nstoned.\n     He said, O LORD, verily my people take me for a liar;\n     wherefore judge publicly between me and them; and deliver me and the true\nbelievers who are with me.\n     Wherefore we delivered him, and those who were with him, in the ark\nfilled with men and animals;\n120\tand afterwards we drowned the rest.\n     Verily herein was a sign; but the greater part of them believed not.\n     Thy LORD is the mighty, the merciful.\n     The tribe of Ad charged God's messengers with falsehood:\n     when their brother Hud said unto them, Will ye not fear God?\n     Verily I am a faithful messenger unto you;\n     wherefore fear GOD, and obey me.\n     I demand not of you any reward for my preaching unto you: I expect my\nreward from no other than the LORD of all creatures.\n     Do ye build a landmark on every high place, to divert yourselves?c\n     And do ye erect magnificent works, hoping that ye may continue in their\npossession forever?\n130\tAnd when ye exercise your power, do ye exercise it with cruelty and\nrigour?d\n     Fear GOD, by leaving these things; and obey me.\n     And fear him who hath bestowed on you that which ye know:\n     he hath bestowed on you cattle, and children,\n     and gardens, and springs of water.\n     Verily I fear for you the punishment of a grievous day.\n     They answered, It is equal unto us whether thou admonish us, or dost not\nadmonish us:\n     this which thou preachest is only a device of the ancients;\n\n\tz  See chapter 21, p. 273.\n\ta  i.e., Whether they have embraced the faith which I have preached, out\nof the sincerity of their hearts, or in prospect of some worldly advantage.\n\tb  See chapter 11, p. 161.\n\tc  Or to mock the passengers; who direct themselves in their journeys by\nthe stars, and have no need of such buildings?1\n\td  Putting to death, and inflicting other corporal punishments without\nmercy, and rather for the satisfaction of your passion than the amendment of\nthe sufferer.2\n\n\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\n\n\n     neither shall we be punished for what we have done.\n     And they accused him of imposture: wherefore we destroyed them.  Verily\nherein was a sign: but the greater part of them believed not.\n140\tThy LORD is the mighty, the merciful.\n     The tribe of Thamud also charged the messengers of God with falsehood.\n     When their brother Saleh said unto them, Will ye not fear God?\n     Verily I am a faithful messenger unto you:\n     wherefore fear GOD, and obey me.\n     I demand no reward of you for my preaching unto you: I expect my reward\nfrom no other than the LORD of all creatures.\n     Shall ye be left forever secure in the possession of the things which are\nhere;\n     among gardens, and fountains,\n     and corn, and palm-trees, whose branches sheathe their flowers.\n     And will ye continue to cut habitations for yourselves out of the\nmountains, behaving with insolence?e\n150\tFear GOD, and obey me;\n     and obey not the command of the transgressors,\n     who act corruptly in the earth, and reform not the same.\n     They answered, Verily thou art distracted:\n     thou art no other than a man like unto us: produce now some sign, if thou\nspeakest truth.\n     Saleh said, This she-camel shall be a sign unto you: she shall have her\nportion of water, and ye shall have your portion of water alternately, on a\nseveral day appointed for you;f\n     and do her no hurt, lest the punishment of a terrible day be inflicted on\nyou.\n     But they slew her; and were made to repent of their impiety:\n     for the punishment which had been threatened overtook them.  Verily\nherein was a sign; but the greater part of them did not believe.\n     Thy LORD is the mighty, the merciful.\n160\tThe people of Lot likewise accused God's messengers of imposture.\n     When their brother Lot said unto them, Will ye not fear God?\n     Verily I am a faithful messenger unto you:\n     wherefore fear GOD, and obey me.\n     I demand no reward of you for my preaching: I expect my reward from no\nother than the LORD of all creatures.\n     Do ye approach unto the males among mankind,\n     and leave your wives which your LORD hath created for you.  Surely ye are\npeople who transgress.\n     They answered, Unless thou desist, O Lot, thou shalt certainly be\nexpelled our city.\n     He said, Verily I am one of those who abhor your doings:\n     O LORD, deliver me, and my family, from that which they act.\n170\tWherefore we delivered him, and all his family,\n     except an old woman, his wife, who perished among those who remained\nbehind;\n     then we destroyed the rest;\n     and we rained on them a shower of stones; and terrible was the shower\nwhich fell on those who had been warned in vain.\n     Verily herein was a sign; but the greater part of them did not believe.\n     Thy LORD is the mighty, the merciful.\n     The inhabitants of the woodg also accused GOD'S messengers of imposture.\n     When Shoaib said unto him, Will ye not fear God?\n     Verily I am a faithful messenger unto you:\n\n\te  Or, as the original word may also be rendered, showing art and\ningenuity in your work.\n\tf  That is, they were to have the use of the water by turns, the camel\ndrinking one day, and the Thamudites drawing the other day; for when this\ncamel drank, she emptied the wells or brooks for that day.  See chapter 7, p.\n112.\n\tg  See chapter 15, p. 213.  Shoaib being not called the brother of these\npeople, which would have preserved the conformity between this passage and the\npreceding, it has been thought they were not Midianites, but of another race;\nhowever, we find the prophet taxes them with the same crimes as he did those\nof Midian.1\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  See cap. 7, p. 113.\n\n\n     wherefore fear GOD, and obey me.\n180\tI ask no reward of you for my preaching: I expect my reward from no\nother than the LORD of all creatures.\n     Give just measure, and be not defrauders;\n     and weigh with an equal balance;\n     and diminish not unto men aught of their matters; neither commit violence\nin the earth, acting corruptly.\n     And fear him who hath created you, and also the former generations.\n     They answered, Certainly thou art distracted;\n     thou art no more than a man, like unto us; and we do surely esteem thee\nto be a liar.\n     Cause now a part of the heaven to fall upon us, if thou speakest truth.\n     Shoaib said, My LORD best knoweth that which ye do.\n     And they charged him with falsehood: wherefore the punishment of the day\nof the shadowing cloudh overtook them; and this was the punishment of a\ngrievous day.\n190\tVerily herein was a sign; but the greater part of them did not believe.\n     Thy LORD is the mighty, the merciful.\n     This book is certainly a revelation from the LORD of all creatures,\n     which the faithful spiriti hath caused to descend\n     upon thy heart, that thou mightest be a preacher to thy people,\n     in the perspicuous Arabic tongue;\n     and it is borne witness to in the scriptures of former ages.\n     Was it not a sign unto them, that the wise men among the children of\nIsrael knew it?\n     Had we revealed it unto any of the foreigners,\n     and he had read the same unto them, yet they would not have believed\ntherein.\n200\tThus have we caused obstinate infidelity to enter the hearts of the\nwicked:\n     they shall not believe therein, until they see a painful punishment.\n     It shall come suddenly upon them, and they shall not foresee it:\n     and they shall say, Shall we be respited?\n     Do they therefore desire our punishment to be hastened?k\n     What thinkest thou?  If we suffer them to enjoy the advantage of this\nlife for several years,\n     and afterwards that with which they are threatened come upon them;\n     what will that which they have enjoyed profit them?\n     We have destroyed no city, but preachers were first sent unto it,\n     to admonish the inhabitants thereof; neither did we treat them unjustly.\n210\tThe devils did not descend with the Koran, as the infidels give out:\n     it is not for their purpose, neither are they able to produce such a\nbook;\n     for they are far removed from hearing the discourse of the angels in\nheaven.l\n     Invoke no other god with the true GOD, lest thou become one of those who\nare doomed to punishment.\n     And admonish thy more near relations.m\n     And behave thyself with meeknessn towards the true believers who follow\nthee:\n\n\th  GOD first plagued them with such intolerable heat for seven days that\nall their waters were dried up, and then brought a cloud over them, under\nwhose shade they ran, and were all destroyed by a hot wind and fire which\nproceeded from it.2\n\ti  i.e., Gabriel, who is entrusted with the divine secrets and\nrevelations.\n\tk  The infidels were continually defying Mohammed to bring some signal\nand miraculous destruction on them, as a shower of stones, &c.\n\tl  See chapter 15, p. 211.\n\tm  The commentators suppose the same command to have been virtually\ncontained in the 74th chapter, which is prior to this in point of time.3  It\nis said that Mohammed, on receiving the passage before us, went up immediately\nto Mount Saf\u00e2, and having called the several families to him, one by one, when\nthey were all assembled, asked them whether, if he should tell them that\nmountain would bring forth a smaller mountain, they would believe him; to\nwhich they answering in the affirmative, Verily, says he, I am a warner sent\nunto you, before a severe chastisement.4\n\tn  Literally, lower thy wing.\n\n\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  See the notes thereon, and the Prelim. Disc.\nSect. II. p. 34.\t\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     and if they be disobedient unto thee, say, Verily, I am clear of that\nwhich ye do.\n     And trust in the most mighty, the merciful God;\n     who seeth thee when thou risest up,\n     and thy behavior among those who worship;o\n220\tfor he both heareth and knoweth.\n     Shall I declare unto you upon whom the devils descend?\n     They descend upon every lying and wicked person:p\n     they learn what is heard;q but the greater part of them are liars.\n     And those who err follow the steps of the poets:\n     dost thou not see that they rove as bereft of their senses through every\nvalley;\n     and that they say that which they do not?r\n     except those who believe, and do good works, and remember GOD frequently;\n     and who defend themselves, after they have been unjustly treated.s  And\nthey who act unjustly shall know hereafter with what treatment they shall be\ntreated.\n\n\to  i.e., Who seeth thee when thou risest up to watch and spend the night\nin religious exercises, and observeth thy anxious care for the Moslems' exact\nperformance of their duty.  It is said that the night on which the precept of\nwatching was abrogated.  Mohammed went privately from one house to another, to\nsee how his companions spent the time; and that he found them so intent in\nreading the Kor\u00e2n, and repeating their prayers, that their houses, by reason\nof the humming noise they made, seemed to be so many nests of hornets.5  Some\ncommentators, however, suppose that by the prophet's behaviour, in this place,\nare meant the various postures he used in praying at the head of his\ncompanions; as standing, bowing, prostration, and sitting.6\n\tp  The prophet, having vindicated himself from the charge of having\ncommunication with the devils, by the opposition between his doctrine and\ntheir designs, and their inability to compose so consistent a book as the\nKor\u00e2n, proceeds to show that the persons most likely to a correspondence with\nthose evil spirits were liars and slanderers, that is, his enemies and\nopposers.\n\tq  i.e., They are taught by the secret inspiration of the devils, and\nreceive their idle and inconsistent suggestions for truth.  It being uncertain\nwhether the slanderers or the devils be the nominative case to the verb, the\nwords may also be rendered, They impart what they hear; that is, The devils\nacquaint their correspondents on earth with such incoherent scraps of the\nangels' discourse as they can hear by stealth.7\n\tr  Their compositions being as wild as the actions of a distracted man:\nfor most of the ancient poetry was full of vain imaginations; as fabulous\nstories and descriptions, love verses, flattery, excessive commendations of\ntheir patrons, and as excessive reproaches of their enemies, incitements to\nvicious actions, vainglorious vauntings, and the like.8\n\ts  That is, such poets as had embraced Mohammedism; whose works, free\nfrom the profaneness of the former, run chiefly on the praises of GOD, and the\nestablishing his unity, and contain exhortations to obedience and other\nreligious and moral virtues, without any satirical invectives, unless against\nsuch as have given just provocations, by having first attacked them, or some\nothers of the true believers, with the same weapons.  In this last case\nMohammed saw it was necessary for him to borrow assistance from the poets of\nhis party, to defend himself and religion from the insults and ridicule of the\nothers, for which purpose he employed the pens of Labid Ebn Rab\u00eea,1 Abda'llah\nEbn Raw\u00e2ha, Hass\u00e2n Ebn Thabet, and the two Caabs.  It is related that Mohammed\nonce said to Caab Ebn Malec, Ply them with satires; for, by him in whose hand\nmy soul is, they wound more deeply than arrows.2\n\n\t5  Idem.\t\t6  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t7  Idem.\t\t8\nIdem.\t\t1  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 47.\n2  Al  Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXVII.\n\nENTITLED, THE ANT;t REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     T. S.  THESE are the signs of the Koran, and of the perspicuous book:\n     a direction, and good tidings unto the true believers? who regularly\nperform their prayer, and give alms, and firmly believe in the life to come.\n     As to those who believe not in the life to come, we have prepared their\nworks for them;u and they shall be struck with astonishment at their\ndisappointment, when they shall be raised again:\n     these are they whom an evil punishment awaiteth in this life; and in that\nwhich is to come they shall be the greatest losers.\n     Thou hast certainly received the Koran from the presence of a wise, a\nknowing God.\n     Remember when Moses said unto his family, Verily I perceive fire;\n     I will bring you tidings thereof, or I will bring you a lighted brand,\nthat ye may be warmed.x\n     And when he was come near unto it, a voice cried unto him, saying,\nBlessed be he who is in the fire, and whoever is about it;y and praise be unto\nGOD, the LORD of all creatures!\n     O Moses, verily I am GOD, the mighty, the wise:\n10\tcast down now thy rod.  And when he saw it, that it moved, as though it\nhad been a serpent, he retreated, and fled, and returned not.  And God said, O\nMoses, fear not; for my messengers are not disturbed with fear in my sight:\n     except he who shall have done amiss, and shall have afterwards\nsubstituted good in lieu of evil; for I am gracious and merciful.z\n     Moreover put thy hand into thy bosom; it shall come forth white, without\nhurt: this shall be one among the nine signsa unto Pharaoh and his people: for\nthey are a wicked people.\n     And when our visible signs had come unto them, they said, This is a\nmanifest sorcery.\n     And they denied them, although their souls certainly knew them to be from\nGod, out of iniquity and pride: but behold what was the end of the corrupt\ndoers.\n     We heretofore bestowed knowledge on David and Solomon; and they said,\nPraise be unto GOD, who hath made us more excellent than many of his faithful\nservants!\n     And Solomon was David's heir;b and he said, O men, we have been taught\nthe speech of birds,c and have had all things bestowed on us; this is manifest\nexcellence.\n\n\tt  In this chapter is related, among other strange things, an odd story\nof the ant, which has therefore been pitched on for the title.\n\tu  By rendering them pleasing and agreeable to their corrupt natures and\ninclinations.\n\tx  See chapter 20, p. 234.\n\ty  Some suppose GOD to be intended by the former words, and by the\nlatter, the angels who were present;1 others think Moses and the angels are\nhere meant, or all persons in general in this holy plain, and the country\nround it.2\n\tz  This exception was designed to qualify the preceding assertion, which\nseemed too general; for several of the prophets have been subject to sins,\nthough not great ones, before their mission, for which they had reason to\napprehend GOD'S anger, though they are here assured that their subsequent\nmerits entitle them to his pardon.  It is supposed that Moses's killing the\nEgyptian undesignedly is hinted at.3\n\ta  See chapter 17, p. 215.\n\tb  Inheriting not only his kingdom, but also the prophetical office,\npreferably to his other sons, who were no less than nineteen.4\n\n\t\t1  Yahya.\t\t2  Jallalo'ddin, al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Idem.\n\t4  Idem.\n\n\n     And his armies were gathered together unto Solomon, consisting of genii,d\nand men, and birds; and they were led in distinct bands,\n     until they came unto the valley of ants.e  And an ant, seeing the hosts\napproaching, said, O ants, enter ye into your habitations, lest Solomon and\nhis army tread you under foot, and perceive it not.\n     And Solomon smiled, laughing at her words, and said, O LORD, excite me\nthat I may be thankful for thy favor, wherewith thou hast favored me, and my\nparents; and that I may do that which is right, and well-pleasing unto thee:\nand introduce me, through thy mercy, into paradise, among thy servants the\nrighteous.\n20\tAnd he viewed the birds, and said, What is the reason that I see not the\nlapwing?f  Is she absent?\n     Verily I will chastise her with a severe chastisement,g or I will put her\nto death; unless she bring me a just excuse.\n     And she tarried not long before she presented herself unto Solomon, and\nsaid, I have viewed a country which thou hast not viewed; and I come unto thee\nfrom Saba, with a certain piece of news.\n     I found a womanh to reign over them, who is provided with everything\nrequisite for a prince, and hath a magnificent throne.i\n\n\tc  That is, the meaning of their several voices, though not articulate;\nof Solomon's interpretation whereof the commentators give several instances.5\n\td  For this fancy, as well as the former, Mohammed was obliged to the\nTalmudists,6 who, according to their manner, have interpreted the Hebrew words\nof Solomon,7 which the English version renders, I gat men-singers and women-\nsingers, as if that prince had forced demons or spirits to serve him at his\ntable, and in other capacities; and particularly in his vast and magnificent\nbuildings, which they could not conceive he could otherwise have performed.\n\te  The valley seems to be so called from the great numbers of ants which\nare found there.  Some place it in Syria, and others in T\u00e2yef.8\n\tf  The Arab historians tell us that Solomon, having finished the temple\nof Jerusalem, went in pilgrimage to Mecca, where, having stayed as long as he\npleased, he proceeded toward Yaman; and leaving Mecca in the morning, he\narrived by noon at Sanaa, and being extremely delighted with the country,\nrested there; but wanting water to make the ablution, he looked among the\nbirds for the lapwing, called by the Arabs al Hudbud, whose business it was to\nfind it; for it is pretended she was sagacious or sharp-sighted enough to\ndiscover water underground, which the devils used to draw, after she had\nmarked the place by digging with her bill: they add, that this bird was then\ntaking a tour in the air, whence, seeing one of her companions alighting, she\ndescended also, and having had a description given her by the other of the\ncity of Saba, whence she was just arrived, they both went together to take a\nview of the place, and returned soon after Solomon had made the inquiry which\noccasioned what follows.1\n\tIt may be proper to mention her what the eastern writers fable of the\nmanner of Solomon's travelling.  They say that he had a carpet of green silk,\non which his throne was placed, being of a prodigious length and breadth, and\nsufficient for all his forces to stand on, the men placing themselves on his\nright hand, and the spirits on his left; and that when all were in order, the\nwind, at his command, took up the carpet, and transported it, with all that\nwere upon it, wherever he pleased;2 the army of birds at the same time flying\nover their heads, and forming a kind of canopy, to shade them from the sun.\n\tg  By plucking off her feathers, and setting her in the sun, to be\ntormented by the insects; or by shutting her up in a cage.3\n\th  This queen the Arabs name Balk\u00ees: some make her the daughter of al\nHodh\u00e2d Ebn Sharhabil,4 and others of Sharah\u00eel Ebn Malec;5 but they all agree\nshe was a descendant of Y\u00e1rab Ebn Kaht\u00e2n.  She is placed the twenty-second in\nDr. Pocock's list of the kings of Yaman.6\n\ti  Which the commentators say was made of gold and silver, and crowned\nwith precious stones.  But they differ as to the size of it; one making it\nfourscore cubits long, forty broad, and thirty high; while some say it was\nfourscore, and others thirty cubits every way.\n\n\t5  See Maracc. not. in loc. p. 511.\t\t6  Vide Midrash, Yalkut\nShemuni, p. 11, f. 29, et Millium, de Mohammedismo ante Mohammed. p. 232.\n7  Eccles. ii. 8\t\t8  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t1  Idem.\n\t2  See cap. 21, p. 247.\n3  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t4  Vide Pocock. Spec. p. 59.\t\t5  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi, &c.  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 182.\n6  Ubi sup.\n\n\n     I found her and her people to worship the sun, besides GOD: and Satan\nhath prepared their works for them, and hath turned them aside from the way of\ntruth (wherefore they are not rightly directed),\n     lest they should worship GOD, who bringeth to light that which is hidden\nin heaven and earth, and knoweth whatever they conceal, and whatever they\ndiscover.\n     GOD! there is no GOD but he; the LORD of the magnificent throne.\n     Solomon said, We shall see whether thou hast spoken the truth, or whether\nthou art a liar.\n     Go with this my letter, and cast it down unto them; then turn aside from\nthem, and wait to know what answer they will return.\n     And when the Queen of Saba had received the letter,k she said, O nobles,\nverily an honourable letter hath been delivered unto me;\n30\tit is from Solomon, and this is the tenor thereof: In the name of the\nmost merciful GOD,\n     Rise not up against me: but come and surrender yourselves unto me.l\n     She said, O nobles, advise me in my business: I will not resolve on\nanything, until ye be witnesses and approve thereof.\n     The nobles answered, We are endued with strength, and are endued with\ngreat prowess in war; but the command appertaineth unto thee: see therefore\nwhat thou wilt command.m\n     She said, Verily kings, when they enter a city by force, waste the same,\nand abase the most powerful of the inhabitants hereof: and so will these do\nwith us.\n     But I will send gifts unto them; and will wait for what further\ninformation those who shall be sent shall bring back.\n     And when the queen's ambassador came unto Solomon,n that prince said,\nWill ye present me with riches?  Verily that which GOD hath given me is better\nthan what he hath given you: but ye do glory in your gifts.\n     Return unto the people of Saba.  We will surely come unto them with\nforces, which they shall not be able to withstand; and we will drive them out\nfrom their city, humbled; and they shall become contemptible.\n     And Solomon said, O nobles, which of you will bring unto me her throne,\nbefore they come and surrender themselves unto me?\n     A terrible geniuso answered, I will bring it unto thee, before thou arise\nfrom thy place:p for I am able to perform it, and may be trusted.\n\n\tk  Jallalo'ddin says that the queen was surrounded by her army when the\nlapwing threw the letter into her bosom; but al Beid\u00e2wi supposes she was in an\napartment of her palace, the doors of which were shut, and that the bird flew\nin at the window.  The former commentator gives a copy of the epistle somewhat\nmore full than that in the text; viz., From the servant of GOD, Solomon, the\nson of David, unto Balk\u00ees queen of Saba.  In the name of the most merciful\nGOD.  Peace be on him who followeth the true direction.  Rise not up against\nme, but come and surrender yourselves unto me.  He adds that Solomon perfumed\nthis letter with musk, and sealed it with his signet.\n\tl  Or, Come unto me and resign yourselves unto the divine direction, and\nprofess the true religion which I preach.\n\tm  i.e., Whether thou wilt obey the summons of Solomon, or give us\norders to make head against him.\n\tn  Bearing the presents, which they say were five hundred young slaves\nof each sex, all habited in the same manner, five hundred bricks of gold, a\ncrown enriched with precious stones, besides a large quantity of musk, amber,\nand other things of value.1  Some add that Balk\u00ees, to try whether Solomon was\na prophet or no, dressed the boys like girls, and the girls like boys, and\nsent him in a casket, a pearl not drilled, and an onyx drilled with a crooked\nhole; and that Solomon distinguished the boys from the girls by the different\nmanner of their taking water, and ordered one worm to bore the pearl, and\nanother to pass a thread through the onyx.2  They also tell us that Solomon,\nhaving notice of this embassy, by means of the lapwing, even before they set\nout, ordered a large square to be enclosed with a wall built of gold and\nsilver bricks, wherein he ranged his forces and attendants to receive them.3\n\to  This was an Ifr\u00eet, or one of the wicked and rebellious genii; and his\nname, says al Beid\u00e2wi, was Dhacw\u00e2n or Sakhr.\n\tp  i.e., From thy seat of justice.  For Solomon used to sit in judgment\nevery day till noon.4\n\n\t1  Jallalo'ddin\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Jallalo'ddin.\n\t4  Idem interp.\n\n\n40\tAnd one with whom was the knowledge of the scripturesq said, I will\nbring it unto thee, in the twinkling of an eye.r  And when Solomon saw the\nthrone placed before him, he said, This is a favor of my LORD, that he may\nmake trial of me, whether I will be grateful, or whether I will be ungrateful;\nand he who is grateful is grateful to his own advantage, but if any shall be\nungrateful, verily my LORD is self-sufficient and munificent.\n     And Solomon said unto his servants, Alter her throne, that she may not\nknow it, to the end we may see whether she be rightly directed, or whether she\nbe one of those who are not rightly directed.\n     And when she was come unto Solomon,s it was said unto her, is thy throne\nlike this?  She answered, As though it were the same.  And we have had\nknowledge bestowed on us before this, and have been resigned unto God.t\n     But that which she worshipped, besides GOD, had turned her aside from the\ntruth; for she was of an unbelieving people.\n     It was said unto her, Enter the palace.u  And when she saw it, she\nimagined it to be a great water; and she discovered her legs, by lifting up\nher robe to pass through it.x  Whereupon Solomon said unto her, Verily this is\na palace evenly floored with glass.\n     Then said the queen, O LORD, verily I have dealt unjustly with my own\nsoul; and I resign myself, together with Solomon, unto GOD, the LORD of all\ncreatures.y\n     Also we heretofore sent unto the tribe of Thamud their brother Saleh; who\nsaid unto them, Serve ye GOD.  And behold, they were divided into two parties,\nwho disputed among themselves.z\n     Saleh said, O my people why do ye hasten evil rather than good?a  Unless\nye ask pardon of GOD, that ye may obtain mercy, ye are lost.\n\n\tq  This person, as is generally supposed, was Asaf the son of Barachia,\nSolomon's Wazir (or Visir), who knew the great or ineffable name of GOD, by\npronouncing of which he performed this wonderful exploit.5  Others, however,\nsuppose it was al Khedr, or else Gabriel, or some other angel; and some\nimagine it to have been Solomon himself.6\n\tr  The original is, Before thou canst look at any object, and take thy\neye off it.  It is said that Solomon, at Asaf's desire, looked up to heaven,\nand before he cast his eye downwards, the throne made its way underground, and\nappeared before him.\n\ts  For, on the return of her ambassador, she determined to go and submit\nherself to that prince; but before her departure, she secured her throne, as\nshe thought, by locking it up in a strong castle, and setting a guard to\ndefend it; after which she set out, attended by a vast army.7\n\tt  It is uncertain whether these be the words of Balk\u00ees, acknowledging\nher conviction by the wonders she had already seen; or of Solomon and his\npeople, acknowledging the favour of GOD, in calling them to the true faith\nbefore her.\n\tu  Or, as some understand the word, the court before the palace, which\nSolomon had commanded to be built against the arrival of Balk\u00ees; the floor or\npavement being of transparent glass, laid over running water, in which fish\nwere swimming.  Fronting this pavement was placed the royal throne, on which\nSolomon sat to receive the queen.8\n\tx  Some Arab writers tell us Solomon had been informed that Balk\u00ees's\nlegs and feet were covered with hair, like those of an ass, of the truth of\nwhich he had hereby an opportunity of being satisfied by ocular demonstration.\n\ty  The queen of Saba having by these words professed Isl\u00e2m, and\nrenounced idolatry, Solomon had thoughts of making her his wife; but could not\nresolve to do it; till the devils had by a depilatory taken off the hair from\nher legs.9  Some,10 however, will have it that she did not marry Solomon, but\na prince of the tribe of Hamd\u00e2n.\n\tz  Concerning the doctrine preached by Saleh; one party believing on\nhim, and the other treating him as an impostor.\n\ta  i.e., Why do ye urge and defy the divine vengeance with which ye are\nthreatened, instead of averting it by repentance?\n\n\t5  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t6  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t7  Jallalo'ddin.\n\t8  Idem, al Beid\u00e2wi\n9  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t10  Apud al Beid\u00e2wi\n\n\n     They answered, We presage evil from thee, and from those who are with\nthee.  Saleh replied, The evil which ye presage is with GOD:b but ye are a\npeople who are proved by a vicissitude of prosperity and adversity.\n     And there were nine men in the city, who acted corruptly in the earth,\nand behaved not with integrity.\n50\tAnd they said unto one another, Swear ye reciprocally by GOD, that we\nwill fall upon Saleh and his family by night: and afterwards we will say unto\nhim who hath right to avenge his blood, We were not so much as present at the\ndestruction of his family; and we certainly speak the truth.\n     And they devised a plot against him: but we devised a plot against them;\nand they perceived it not.\n     And see what was the issue of their plot:c we utterly destroyed them and\ntheir whole people;\n     and these their habitations remain empty, because of the injustice which\nthey committed.  Verily herein is a sign unto people who understand.\n     And we delivered those who believed, and feared God.\n     And remember Lot; when he said unto his people, Do ye commit a\nwickedness, though ye see the heinousness thereof?\n     Do ye approach lustfully unto men, leaving the women?  Ye are surely an\nignorant people.\n     But the answer of his people was no other than that they said, Cast the\nfamily of Lot out of your city: for they are men who preserve themselves pure\nfrom the crimes of which ye are guilty.\n     Wherefore we delivered him and his family, except his wife, whom we\ndecreed to be one of those who remained behind to be destroyed.\n     And we rained on them a shower of stones: and dreadful was the shower\nwhich fell on those who had been warned in vain.d\n60\tSay, Praise be unto GOD; and peace be upon his servants whom he hath\nchosen!  Is GOD more worthy, or the false gods which they associate with him?\n     Is not he to be preferred, who hath created the heavens and the earth,\nand sendeth down rain for you from heaven, whereby we cause delicious groves\nto spring up?  It is not in your power to cause the trees thereof to shoot\nforth.  Is there any other god partner with the true GOD?  Verily these are a\npeople who deviate from the truth.\n     Is not he more worthy to be adored, who hath established the earth, and\nhath caused rivers to flow through the midst thereof, and placed thereon\nimmovable mountains, and set a bar between the two seas?e  Is there any other\ngod equal with the true GOD?  Yet the greater part of them know it not.\n     Is not he more worthy who heareth the afflicted,f when he calleth upon\nhim, and taketh off the evil which distressed him: and who hath made you the\nsuccessors of your forefathers in the earth?  Is there any other god who can\nbe equalled with the true GOD?  How few consider these things!\n\n\tb  See chapter 7, p. 117, where the Egyptians in the same manner accuse\nMoses as the cause of their calamities.\n\tc  It is related that Saleh, and those who believed on him, usually\nmeeting to pray in a certain narrow place between the mountains, the infidels\nsaid, He thinks to make an end of us after three days,1 but we will be\nbeforehand with him; and that a party of them went directly to the straits\nabove mentioned, thinking to execute their design, but were terribly\ndisappointed; for, instead of catching the prophet, they were caught\nthemselves, their retreat being cut off by a large piece of rock, which fell\ndown at the mouth of the straits, so that they perished there in a miserable\nmanner.\n\td  See chapter 7, p. 113, and chapter 11, p. 166.\n\te  See chapter 25, p. 274.  The word barzakh is not used here, but\nanother of equivalent import.\n\tf  Literally, Him who is driven by distress to implore GOD'S assistance.\n\n\t\t\t\t1  See cap. 7, p. 113, note m.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t28\n\n\n     Is not he more worthy who directeth you in the dark paths of the land and\nof the sea; and who sendeth the winds driving abroad the clouds, as the\nforerunners of his mercy!g  Is there any other god who can be equalled with\nthe true God?  Far be GOD from having those partners in his power, which ye\nassociate with him.\n     Is not he more worthy, who produceth a creature, and after it hath been\ndead restoreth it to life; and who giveth you food from heaven and earth?  Is\nthere any other god with the true GOD, who doth this?  Say, Produce your proof\nthereof, if ye speak truth.\n     Say, None either in heaven or earth knoweth that which is hidden, besides\nGOD: neither do they understand\n     when they shall be raised.\n     However, their knowledge attaineth some notion of the life to come:h yet\nthey are in an uncertainty concerning the same; yea, they are blind as to the\nreal circumstances thereof.\n     And the unbelievers say, When we and our fathers shall have been reduced\nto dust, shall we be taken forth from the grave?\n70\tVerily we have been threatened with this, both we and our fathers,\nheretofore.  This is no other than fables of the ancients.\n     Say unto them, pass through the earth, and see what hath been the end of\nthe wicked.\n     And be not thou grieved for them; neither be thou in any concern on\naccount of the plots which they are contriving against thee.\n     And they say, When will this threat be accomplished, if ye speak true?\n     Answer, Peradventure some part of that punishment, which ye desire to be\nhastened may follow close behind you:\n     verily thy LORD is endued with indulgence towards mankind; but the\ngreater part of them are not thankful.\n     Verily thy LORD knoweth what their breasts conceal, and what they\ndiscover:\n     and there is nothing hidden in heaven or on earth, but it is written in a\nclear book.\n     Verily this Koran declareth unto the children of Israel most of those\npoints concerning which they disagree:i\n     and it is certainly a direction, and a mercy unto the true believers.\n80\tThy LORD will decide the controversy between them, by his definitive\nsentence: and he is the mighty, the wise.\n     Therefore, put thy trust in GOD; for thou art in the manifest truth.\n     Verily thou shalt not make the dead to hear, neither shalt thou make the\ndeaf to hear thy call to the true faith, when they retire and turn their\nbacks:\n     neither shalt thou direct the blind to extricate themselves out of their\nerror.  Thou shalt make none to hear thee, except him who shall believe in our\nsigns: and they are wholly resigned unto us.\n     When the sentence shall be ready to fall upon them, we will cause a\nbeastk to come forth unto them from out of the earth, which shall speak unto\nthem:l verily men do not firmly believe in our signs.\n     On the day of resurrection we will assemble, out of every nation, a\ncompany of those who shall have charged our signs with falsehood; and they\nshall be prevented from mixing together,\n\n\tg  See chapter 7, p. 110, and chapter 25, p. 274.\n\th  Or the words may be translated thus: Yea, their knowledge faileth as\nto the life to come: yea, &c.\n\ti  Such as the comparing of GOD to sensible things, or to created\nbeings: the removing all imperfections from the description of the Divine\nBeing; the state of paradise and hell; the stories of Ezra and Jesus Christ,\n&c.1\n\tk  The Mohammedans call this beast, whose appearance will be one sign of\nthe approach of the day of judgment, al Jass\u00e2sa, or the Spy.  I have given the\ndescription of her elsewhere;2 to which should be added that she is to have\ntwo wings.\n\tl  Or, according to a different reading, viz., taclimohom instead of\ntocallimohom, who shall wound them.3\n\n\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Prelim. Disc. Sec. IV. p. 62, &c.\n\t3  Vide ibid.\n\n\n     until they shall arrive at the place of judgment.  And God shall say unto\nthem, Have ye charged my signs with falsehood, although ye comprehended them\nnot with your knowledge.  Or what is it that ye were doing?\n     And the sentence of damnation shall fall on them, for that they have\nacted unjustly: and they shall not speak in their own excuse.\n     Do they not see that we have ordained the night, that they may rest\ntherein, and the day giving open light?  Verily herein are signs unto people\nwho believe.\n     On that day the trumpet shall be sounded; and whoever are in heaven and\non earth shall be struck with terror, except those whom GOD shall please to\nexempt therefrom:m and all shall come before him in humble guise.\n90\tAnd thou shalt see the mountains, and shalt think them firmly fixed; but\nthey shall pass away, even as the clouds pass away.  This will be the work of\nGOD, who hath rightly disposed all things: and he is well acquainted with that\nwhich ye do.\n     Whoever shall have wrought righteousness, shall receive a reward beyond\nthe desert thereof; and they shall be secure from the terror of that day;n\n     but whoever shall have wrought evil, shall be thrown on their faces into\nhell fire.  Shall ye receive the reward of any other than of that which ye\nshall have wrought?\n     Verily I am commanded to worship the LORD of this territory of Mecca, who\nhath sanctified the same: unto him belong all things.  And I am commanded to\nbe a Moslem,\n     and to rehearse the Koran: he who shall be directed thereby will be\ndirected to his own advantage;\n     and to him who shall go astray, say, Verily I am a warner only.  And say,\nPraise be unto GOD! he will show you his signs,o and ye shall know them: and\nthy LORD is not regardless of that which they do.\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER XXVIII.\n\nENTITLED, THE STORY;p REVEALED AT MECCA.q\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     T. S. M.r  THESE are the signs of the perspicuous book.\n     We will dictate unto thee, O Mohammed, some parts of the history of Moses\nand Pharaoh, with truth; for the sake of people who believe.\n\n\tm  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 65, &c.  Some say the persons\nexempted from this general consternation will be the angels Gabriel, Michael,\nIsrafil, and Izra\u00ebl;1 others suppose them to be the virgins of paradise, and\nthe angels who guard that place, and carry GOD'S throne;2 and others will have\nthem to be the martyrs.3\n\tn  That is, from the fear of damnation, and the other terrors which will\ndisturb the wicked; not from the general terror or consternation before\nmentioned.\n\to  viz., The successes of the true believers against the infidels, and\nparticularly the victory of Bedr\n\tp  The title is taken from the 26th verse, where Moses is said to have\nrelated the story of his adventures to Shoaib.\n\tq  Some except a verse towards the latter end, beginning with these\nwords: He who hath given thee the Kor\u00e2n for a rule of faith and practice, &c.\n\tr  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46.\n\n\t\t1  Jallalo'ddin, al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Ebn\nAbbas.\n\n\n     Now Pharaoh lifted himself up in the land of Egypt; and he caused his\nsubjects to be divided into parties;s he weakened one party of them,t by\nslaying their male children, and preserving their females alive; for he was an\noppressor.\n     And we were minded to be gracious unto those who were weakened in the\nland, and to make them models of religion; and to make them the heirs of the\nwealth of Pharaoh and his people,u\n     and to establish a place for them in the earth; and to show Pharaoh and\nHaman,x and their forces, that destruction of their kingdom and nation by\nthem, which they sought to avoid.y\n     And we directed the mother of Moses by revelation, saying, give him suck:\nand if thou fearest for him, cast him into the river; and fear not, neither be\nafflicted; for we will restore him unto thee, and will appoint him one of our\napostles.z\n     And when she had put the child in the ark, and had cast it into the\nriver, the family of Pharaoh took him up; providence designing that he should\nbecome an enemy, and a sorrow unto them.  Verily Pharaoh and Haman, and their\nforces were sinners.\n     And the wife of Pharaoh said, This child is a delight of the eye to me,\nand to thee:a kill him not; peradventure it may happen that he may be\nserviceable unto us; or we may adopt him for our son.  And they perceived not\nthe consequence of what they were doing.\n     And the heart of the mother of Moses became oppressed with fear; and she\nhad almost discovered him, had we not armed her heart with constancy, that she\nmight be one of those who believe the promises of God.\n10\tAnd she said unto his sister, Follow him.  And she watched him at a\ndistance; and they perceived it not.\n     And we suffered him not to take the breasts of the nurses who were\nprovided before his sister came up;b and she said, Shall I direct you unto\nsome of his nation, who may nurse him for you, and will be careful of him?\n     And, at their desire, she brought his mother to them.  So we restored him\nto his mother, that her mind might be set at ease, and that she might not be\nafflicted; and that she might know that the promise of GOD was true: but the\ngreater part of mankind know not the truth.\n\n\ts  i.e., Either into companies, that they might the better attend his\norder and perform the services he exacted of them; or into opposite factions,\nto prevent their attempting anything against them, to deliver themselves from\nhis tyranny.1\n\tt  viz., The Israelites.\n\tu  See chapter 26, p. 278.\n\tx  This name is given to Pharaoh's chief minister; from whence it is\ngenerally inferred that Mohammed has here made Haman, the favourite of\nAhasuerus king of Persia, and who indisputably lived many ages after Moses, to\nbe that prophet's contemporary.  But how probable soever this mistake may seem\nto us, it will be very hard, if not impossible, to convince a Mohammedan of\nit; for, as has been observed in a parallel case,2 two very different persons\nmay bear the same name.3\n\ty  For Pharaoh had either dreamed, or been told by some diviners, that\none of the Hebrew nation should be the ruin of his kingdom; which prophecy is\nsupposed to have been the occasion of his cruelty to them.4  This circumstance\nis owing to the invention of the Jews.5\n\tz  It is related that the midwife appointed to attend the Hebrew women,\nterrified by a light which appeared between the eyes of Moses at his birth,\nand touched with an extraordinary affection for the child, did not discover\nhim to the officers, so that his mother kept him in her house, and nursed him\nthree months; after which it was impossible for her to conceal him any longer,\nthe king then giving orders to make the searches more strictly.6\n\ta  This sudden affection or admiration was raised in them either by his\nuncommon beauty, or by the light which shone on his forehead, or because, when\nthey opened the ark, they found him sucking his thumb, which supplied him with\nmilk.7\n\tb  See chapter 20, p. 235.\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  See p. 34, note x.\t\t3  Vide Reland. de\nRel Moham. p. 217.\t\t4  See cap. 7, p. 117.\t\t5  Vide Shalshel.\nhakkab, p. 11. et R. Eliez. pirke, c. 48\t\t6  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  See the notes\nto cap. 20, p. 235.\n7  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     And when Moses had attained his age of full strength, and was become a\nperfect man, we bestowed on him wisdom and knowledge: and thus do we reward\nthe upright.\n     And he went into the city, at a time when the inhabitants thereof\nobserved not what passed in the streets:c and he found therein two men\nfighting; the one being of his own party, and the other of  his enemies.d  And\nhe who was of his party begged his assistance against him who was of the\ncontrary party; and Moses struck him with his fist, and slew him: but being\nsorry for what had happened, he said, This is of the work of the devil;e for\nhe is a seducing and an open enemy.\n     And he said, O LORD, verily I have injured my own soul: wherefore forgive\nme.  So God forgave him; for he is ready to forgive, and merciful.\n     He said, O LORD, by the favors with which thou hast favored me, I will\nnot be an assistant to the wicked for the future.\n     And the next morning he was afraid in the city, and looked about him, as\none apprehensive of danger: and behold, he whom he had assisted the day before\ncried out unto him for help a second time.  But Moses said unto him, Thou art\nplainly a quarrelsome fellow.\n     And when he sought to lay hold on him who was an enemy unto them both, he\nsaid, O Moses, dost thou intend to kill me, as thou killedst a man yesterday?f\nThou seekest only to be an oppressor in the earth, and seekest not to be a\nreconciler of quarrels.\n     And a certain mang came from the farther part of the city, running\nhastily, and said, O Moses, verily the magistrates are deliberating concerning\nthee, to put thee to death: depart therefore; I certainly advise thee well.\n20\tWherefore he departed out of the city in great fear, looking this way\nand that, lest he should be pursued.  And he said, O LORD, deliver me from the\nunjust people.\n     And when he was journeying towards Madian, he said, Peradventure my LORD\nwill direct me in the right way.h\n     And when he arrived at the water of Madian, he found about the well a\ncompany of men, who were watering their flocks.\n     And he found, besides them, two women, who kept off their sheep at a\ndistance.  And he said unto them, What is the matter with you?  They answered,\nWe shall not water our flock, until the shepherds shall have driven away\ntheirs; for our father is an old man, stricken in years.\n     So Moses watered their sheep for them;i and afterwards retired to the\nshade, saying, O LORD, verily I stand in need of the good which thou shalt\nsend down unto me.\n\n\tc  viz., At noon; at which time it is usual in those countries for\npeople to retire to sleep; or, as others rather suppose, a little within\nnight.\n\td  i.e., The one being an Israelite of his own religion and nation, and\nthe other an idolatrous Egyptian.\n\te  Mohammed allows that Moses killed the Egyptian wrongfully; but, to\nexcuse it, supposes that he struck him without designing to kill him.\n\tf  Some suppose these words to have been spoken by the Israelite, who,\nbecause Moses had reprimanded him, imagined he was going to strike him; and\nothers, by the Egyptian, who either knew or suspected that Moses had killed\nhis countryman the day before.\n\tg  This person, says the tradition, was an Egyptian, and Pharaoh's\nuncle's son, but a true believer; who, finding that the king had been informed\nof what Moses had done, and designed to put him to death, gave him immediate\nnotice to provide for his safety by flight.\n\th  For Moses knew not the way, and coming to a place where three roads\nmet, committed himself to the guidance of GOD, and took the middle road, which\nwas the right; providence likewise so ordering it, that his pursuers took the\nother two roads, and missed him.1  Some say he was led by an angel in the\nappearance of a traveller.2\n\ti  By rolling away a stone of a prodigious weight, which had been laid\nover the mouth of the well by the shepherds, and required no less than seven\nmen (though some name a much larger number) to remove it.1\n\n\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t1  Idem,\ninterp. Yahya.\n\n\n     And one of the damselsk came unto him, walking bashfully, and said, My\nfather calleth thee, that he may recompense thee for the trouble which thou\nhast taken in watering our sheep for us.  And when he was come unto Shoaib,\nand had told him the story of his adventures, he said unto him, Fear not: thou\nhast escaped from unjust people.\n     And one of the damsels said, My father, hire him for certain wages: the\nbest servant thou canst hire is an able and trusty person.l\n     And Shoaib said unto Moses, Verily I will give thee one of these my two\ndaughters in marriage, on condition that thou serve me for hire eight years;\nand if thou fulfil ten years, it is in thine own breast; for I seek not to\nimpose a hardship on thee: and thou shalt find me, if GOD please, a man of\nprobity.\n     Moses answered, Let this be the covenant between me and thee: whichsoever\nof the two terms I shall fulfil let it be no crime in me if I then quit thy\nservice; and GOD is witness of that which we say.\n     And when Moses had fulfilled the term,m and was journeying with his\nfamily towards Egypt, he saw fire on the side of Mount Sinai.  And he said\nunto his family, Tarry ye here; for I see fire: peradventure I may bring you\nthence some tidings of the way,n or at least a brand out of the fire, that ye\nmay be warmed.\n30\tAnd when he was come thereto, a voice cried unto him from the right side\nof the valley, in the sacred bottom, from the tree, saying, O Moses, verily I\nam GOD, the LORD of all creatures:\n     cast down now thy rod.  And when he saw it that it moved, as though it\nhad been a serpent, he retreated and fled, and returned not.  And God said\nunto him, O Moses, draw near, and fear not; for thou art safe.\n     Put thy hand into thy bosom, and it shall come forth white, without any\nhurt: and draw back thy hando unto thee which thou stretchest forth for fear.\nThese shall be two evident signs from thy LORD, unto Pharaoh and his princes;\nfor they are a wicked people.\n     Moses said, O LORD, verily I have slain one of them; and I fear they will\nput me to death:\n     but my brother Aaron is of a more eloquent tongue than I am; wherefore\nsend him with me for an assistant, that he may gain me credit; for I fear lest\nthey accuse me of imposture.\n     God said, We will strengthen thine arm by thy brother, and we will give\neach of you extraordinary power, so that they shall not come up to you, in our\nsigns.  Ye two, and whoever shall follow you, shall be the conquerors.\n\n\tk  This was Sef\u00fbra (or Zipporah) the elder, or, as others suppose, the\nyounger daughter of Shoaib, whom Moses afterwards married.\n\tl  The girl, being asked by her father how she knew Moses deserved this\ncharacter, told him that he had removed the vast stone above mentioned without\nany assistance, and that he looked not in her face, but held down his head\ntill he heard her message, and desired her to walk behind him, because the\nwind ruffled her garments a little, and discovered some part of her legs.2\n\tm  viz., The longest terms of ten years.  The Mohammedans say, after the\nJews,3 that Moses received from Shoaib the rod of the prophets (which was a\nbranch of a myrtle of paradise, and had descended to him from Adam) to keep\noff the wild beasts from his sheep; and that this was the rod with which he\nperformed all those wonders in Egypt.\n\tn  See chapter 20, p. 234.\n\to  LIterally, thy wing: the expression alludes to the action of birds,\nwhich stretch forth their wings to fly away when they are frighted, and fold\nthem together again when they think themselves secure.4\n\n\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Vide Shals. hakkab. p. 12.  R. Eliez. pirke, c. 40,\n&c.\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     And when Moses came unto them with our evident signs, they said, This is\nno other than a deceitful piece of sorcery: neither have we heard of anything\nlike this among our forefathers.\n     And Moses said, My LORD best knoweth who cometh with a direction from\nhim; and who shall have success in this life, as well as the next: but the\nunjust shall not prosper.\n     And Pharaoh said, O princes, I did not know that ye had any other god\nbesides me.p  Wherefore do thou, O Haman, burn me clay into bricks; and build\nme a high tower,q that I may ascend unto the GOD of Moses: for I verily\nbelieve him to be a liar.\n     And both he and his forces behaved themselves insolently and unjustly in\nthe earth; and imagined that they should not be brought before us to be\njudged.\n40\tWherefore we took him and his forces, and cast them into the sea.\nBehold, therefore, what was the end of the unjust.\n     And we made them deceitful guides, inviting their followers to hell fire;\nand on the day of resurrection they shall not be screened from punishment.\n     We pursued them with a curse in this life; and on the day of resurrection\nthey shall be shamefully rejected.\n     And we gave the book of the law unto Moses, after he had destroyed the\nformer generations, to enlighten the minds of men, and for a direction, and a\nmercy; that peradventure they might consider.\n     Thou, O prophet, wast not on the west side of Mount Sinai, when we\ndelivered Moses his commission: neither wast thou one of those who were\npresent at his receiving it:\n     but we raised up several generations after Moses; and life was prolonged\nunto them.  Neither didst thou dwell among the inhabitants of Madian,\nrehearsing unto them our signs; but we have sent thee fully instructed in\nevery particular.\n     Nor wast thou present on the side of the mount, when we called unto\nMoses; but thou art sent as a mercy from thy LORD; that thou mightest preach\nunto a people to whom no preacher hath come before thee,r that peradventure\nthey may be warned;\n     and lest, if a calamity had befallen them, for that which their hands had\npreviously committed, they should have said, O LORD, since thou hast not sent\nan apostle unto us, that we might follow thy signs, and become true believers,\nare we not excusable?\n     Yet when the truth is come unto them from before us, they say, Unless he\nreceive the same power to work miracles as Moses received, we will not\nbelieve.  Have they not likewise rejected the revelation which was heretofore\ngiven unto Moses?  They say, Two cunning imposturess have mutually assisted\none another: and they say, Verily we reject them both.\n     Say, Produce therefore a book from GOD, which is more right than these\ntwo, that I may follow it; if ye speak truth.\n\n\tp  See chapter 26, p. 277.\n\tq  It is said that Haman, having prepared bricks and other materials,\nemployed no less than fifty thousand men, besides labourers, in the building;\nwhich they carried to so immense a height that the workmen could no longer\nstand on it: that Pharaoh, ascending this tower, threw a javelin towards\nheaven, which fell back again stained with blood, whereupon he impiously\nboasted that he had killed the GOD of Moses; but at sunset GOD sent the angel\nGabriel, who, with one stroke of his wing, demolished the tower, a part\nwhereof, falling on the king's army, destroyed a million of men.5\n\tr  That is, to the Arabians; to whom no prophet had been sent, at least\nsince Ismael.\n\ts  viz., The Pentateuch and the Kor\u00e2n.  Some copies read, Two impostors,\nmeaning Moses and Mohammed.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t5  Al Zamakhshari.\n\n\n50\tBut if they return thee no answer, know that they only follow their own\ndesires: and who erreth more widely from the truth than he who followeth his\nown desire, without a direction from GOD?  Verily GOD directeth not the unjust\npeople.\n     And now have we caused our word to come unto them, that they may be\nadmonished.\n     They unto whom we have given the scriptures which were revealed before\nit, believe in the same;\n     and when it is read unto them, say, We believe therein; it is certainly\nthe truth from our LORD: verily we were Moslems before this.t\n     These shall receive their reward twice,u because they have persevered,\nand repel evil by good, and distribute alms out of that which we have bestowed\non them;\n     and when they hear vain discourse, avoid the same, saying, We have our\nworks, and ye have your works; peace be on you;x we covet not the acquaintance\nof the ignorant.\n     Verily thou canst not direct whom thou wilt: but GOD directeth whom he\npleaseth; and he best knoweth those who will submit to be directed.\n     The Meccans say, If we follow the same direction with thee, we shall be\nforcibly expelled our land.y  Have we not established for them a secure\nasylum,z to which fruits of every sort are brought, as a provision for our\nbounty? but the greater part of them do not understand.\n     How many cities have we destroyed, whose inhabitants lived in ease and\nplenty? and these their dwellings are not inhabited after them, unless for a\nlittle while;a and we were the inheritors of their wealth.b\n     But thy LORD did not destroy those cities, until he had sent unto their\ncapital an apostle, to rehearse our signs unto them: neither did we destroy\nthose cities, unless their inhabitants were injurious to their apostle.\n60\tThe things which are given you are the provisions of this present life,\nand the pomp thereof; but that which is with GOD is better and more durable:\nwill ye not therefore understand?\n     Shall he then, unto whom we have promised an excellent promise of future\nhappiness, and who shall attain the same, be as he on whom we have bestowed\nthe provision of this present life, and who, on the day of resurrection, shall\nbe one of those who are delivered up to eternal punishment?\n     On that day God shall call unto them, and shall say, Where are my\npartners, which ye imagined to be so?\n\n\tt  Holding the same faith in fundamentals, before the revelation of the\nKor\u00e2n, which we receive because it is consonant to the scriptures, and\nattested to by them.  The passage intends those Jews and Christians who had\nembraced Mohammedism.\n\tu  Because they have believed both in their own scriptures and in the\nKor\u00e2n.\n\tx  See chap. 25, p. 275, note d.\n\ty  This objection was made by Al Hareth Ebn Othm\u00e2n Ebn Nawfal Ebn Abd\nMen\u00e2f, who came to Mohammed and told him that the Koreish believed he preached\nthe truth, but were apprehensive that if they made the Arabs their enemies by\nquitting their religion, they would be obliged likewise to quit Mecca, being\nbut a handful of men, in comparison to the whole nation.1\n\tz  By giving them for their habitation the sacred territory of Mecca, a\nplace protected by GOD, and reverenced by man.\n\ta  That is, for a day, or a few hours only, while travellers stay there\nto rest and refresh themselves; or, as the original may also signify, unless\nby a few inhabitants: some of those ancient cities and dwellings being utterly\ndesolate, and others thinly inhabited.\n\tb  There being none left to enjoy it after them.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     And they upon whom the sentence of damnation shall be justly pronounced\nshall answer, These, O LORD, are those whom we seduced: but now we clearly\nquit them, and turn unto thee.  They did not worship us, but their own lusts.c\n     And it shall be said unto the idolaters, Call now upon those whom ye\nassociated with God: and they shall call upon them, but they shall not answer\nthem; and they shall see the punishment prepared for them, and shall wish that\nthey had submitted to be directed.\n     On that day, God shall call unto them, and shall say, What answer did ye\nreturn to our messengers?\n     But they shall not be able to give an account thereof on that day;d\nneither shall they ask one another for information.\n     Howbeit whoso shall repent and believe, and shall do that which is right,\nmay expect to be happy.\n     Thy LORD createth what he pleaseth; and chooseth freely: but they have no\nfree choice.  Praise be unto GOD; and far be he removed from the idols which\nthey associate with him!\n     Thy LORD knoweth both the secret malice which their breasts conceal, and\nthe open hatred which they discover.\n70\tHe is GOD; there is no GOD but he.  Unto him is the praise due, both in\nthis life and in that which is to come: unto him doth judgment belong; and\nbefore him shall ye be assembled at the last day.\n     Say, What think ye?  If GOD should cover you with perpetual night, until\nthe day of resurrection; what god, besides GOD, would bring you light?  Will\nye not therefore hearken?\n     Say, What think ye?  If GOD should give you continual day, until the day\nof resurrection; what god, besides GOD, would bring you night, that ye might\nrest therein?  Will ye not therefore consider?\n     Of his mercy he hath made for you the night and the day, that ye may rest\nin the one, and may seek to obtain provision for yourselves of his abundance,\nby your industry, in the other; and that ye may give thanks.\n     On a certain day God shall call unto them, and shall say, Where are my\npartners, which ye imagined to share the divine power with me?\n     And we will produce a witness out of every nation,e and will say, Bring\nhither your proof of what ye have asserted.  And they shall know that the\nright is GOD'S alone; and the deities which they have devised shall abandon\nthem.\n     Kar\u00fbn was of the people of Moses;f but he behaved insolently towards\nthem: for we had given him so much treasure, that his keys would have loaded\nseveral strong men.g  When his people said unto him, Rejoice not immoderately;\nfor GOD loveth not those who rejoice in their riches immoderately:\n\n\tc  See chap. 10, p. 153.\n\td  Literally, The account thereof shall be dark unto them; for the\nconsternation they shall then be under, will render them stupid, and unable to\nreturn an answer.\n\te  viz., The prophet who shall have been sent to each nation.\n\tf  The commentators say, Kar\u00fbn was the son of Yeshar (or Izhar), the\nuncle of Moses, and, consequently, make him the same with the Korah of the\nscriptures.  This person is represented by them as the most beautiful of the\nIsraelites, and so far surpassing them all in opulency that the riches of\nKar\u00fbn have become a proverb.  The Mohammedans are indebted to the Jews for\nthis last circumstance, to which they have added several other fables; for\nthey tell us that he built a large palace overlaid with gold, the doors\nwhereof were of massy gold; that he became so insolent because of his immense\nriches, as to raise a sedition against Moses, though some pretend the occasion\nof his rebellion to have been his unwillingness to give alms, as Moses had\ncommanded; that one day, when that prophet was preaching to the people, and,\namong other laws which he published, declared that adulterers should be\nstoned, Kar\u00fbn asked him what if he should be found guilty of the same crime?\nTo which Moses answered, that in such case he would suffer the same\npunishment; and thereupon Kar\u00fbn produced a harlot, whom he had hired to swear\nthat Moses had lain with her, and charged him publicly with it; but on Moses\nadjuring the woman to speak the truth, her resolution failed her, and she\nconfessed that she was suborned by Kar\u00fbn to accuse him wrongfully; that then\nGod directed Moses, who had complained to him of this usage, to command the\nearth what he pleased, and it should obey him; whereupon he said, O earth\nswallow them up! and that immediately the earth opened under Kar\u00fbn and his\nconfederates, and swallowed them up, with his palace and all his riches.1\nThere goes a tradition, that as Kar\u00fbn sank gradually into the ground, first to\nhis knees, then to his waist, then to his neck, he cried out four several\ntimes, O Moses, have mercy on me! but that Moses continued to say, O earth,\nswallow them up, till at last he wholly disappeared; upon which GOD said to\nMoses, Thou hast no mercy on Kar\u00fbn, though he asked pardon of thee four times;\nbut I would have had compassion on him if he had asked pardon of me but once.2\n\tg  The original word properly signifies any number of persons from ten\nto forty.  Some pretend these keys were a sufficient load for seventy men; and\nAbulfeda says forty mules used to be employed to carry them.\n\n\t\t\t\t1  Abulfeda, Jallalo'ddin, al Beid\u00e2wi, &c.\n\n\n     but seek to attain by means of the wealth which GOD hath given thee, the\nfuture mansion of paradise.h  And forget not thy portion in this world; but be\nthou bounteous unto others, as GOD hath been bounteous unto thee; and seek not\nto act corruptly in the earth; for GOD loveth not the corrupt doers.\n     He answered, I have received these riches, only because of the knowledge\nwhich is with me.i  Did he not know that GOD had already destroyed, before\nhim, several generations, who were mightier than he in strength, and had\namassed more abundance of riches?  And the wicked shall not be asked to\ndiscover their crimes.\n     And Kar\u00fbn went forth unto his people, in his pomp.k  And they who loved\nthis present life said, Oh that we had the like wealth, as hath been given\nunto Kar\u00fbn? verily he is master of a great fortune.\n80\tBut those on whom knowledge had been bestowed answered, Alas for you!\nthe reward of GOD in the next life will be better unto him who shall believe\nand do good works; but none shall attain the same, except those who persevere\nwith constancy.\n     And we caused the ground to cleave in sunder, and to swallow up him and\nhis palace: and he had no forces to defend him, besides GOD; neither was he\nrescued from punishment.\n     And the next morning, those who had coveted his condition the day before\nsaid, Aha! verily GOD bestoweth abundant provision on such of his servants as\nhe pleaseth; and he is sparing unto whom he pleaseth.  Unless GOD had been\ngracious unto us, certainly the earth had swallowed us up also.  Aha! the\nunbelievers shall not prosper.\n     As to this future mansion of paradise, we will give it unto them who seek\nnot to exalt themselves in the earth, or to do wrong; for the happy issue\nshall attend the pious.\n     Whoso doth good shall receive a reward which shall exceed the merit\nthereof: but as to him who doth evil, they who work evil shall be rewarded\naccording to the merit only of that which they shall have wrought.\n     Verily he who hath given thee the Koran for a rule of faith and practice\nwill certainly bring thee back home unto Mecca.l  Say, My LORD best knoweth\nwho cometh with a true direction, and who is in a manifest error.\n\n\th  This passage is parallel to that in the New Testament, Make to\nyourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when ye fail, they\nmay receive you into everlasting habitations.3\n\ti  For some say he was the most learned of all the Israelites, and the\nbest versed in the law, after Moses and Aaron; others pretend he was skilled\nin chemistry, or in merchandising, or other arts of gain, and others suppose\n(as the Jews also fable4) that he found out the treasures of Joseph in Egypt.5\n\tk  It is said he rode on a white mule adorned with trappings of gold,\nand that he was clothed in purple, and attended by four thousand men, all well\nmounted and richly dressed.\n\tl  This verse, some say, was revealed to Mohammed when he arrived at\nJohsa, in his flight from Mecca to Medina, to comfort him and still his\ncomplaints.\n\n\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Carun.\t\t3\nLuke xvi. 9.\t\t4  Vide R. Ghedal, Shalsh. hakkab. p. 13.\t\t5\nJallalo'ddin, al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     Thou didst not expect that the book of the Koran should be delivered unto\nthee: but thou hast received it through the mercy of thy LORD.  Be not\ntherefore assisting to the unbelievers;\n     neither let them turn thee aside from the signs of GOD, after they have\nbeen sent down unto thee: and invite men unto thy LORD.  And be not thou an\nidolater;\n     neither invoke any other god, together with the true GOD: there is no god\nbut he.  Everything shall perish, except himself: unto him belongeth judgment:\nand before him shall ye be assembled at the last day.\n\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER XXIX.\n\nENTITLED, THE SPIDER;m REVEALED AT MECCA.n\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     A. L. M.o  Do men imagine that it shall be sufficient for themp to say,\nWe believe; will they not be proved?q\n     We heretofore proved those who were before them; for GOD will surely know\nthem who are sincere, and he will surely know the liars.\n     Do they who work evil think that they shall prevent us from taking\nvengeance on them?  An ill judgment do they make.\n     Whoso hopeth to meet GOD, verily GOD'S appointed time will certainly\ncome; and he both heareth and knoweth.\n     Whoever striveth to promote the true religion, striveth for the advantage\nof his own soul; for GOD needeth not any of his creatures:\n     and as to those who believe and work righteousness, we will expiate their\nevil deeds from them; and we will give them a reward according to the utmost\nmerit of their actions.\n     We have commanded man to show kindness towards his parents: but if they\nendeavor to prevail with thee to associate with me that concerning which thou\nhast no knowledge, obey them not.r  Unto me shall ye return; and I will\ndeclare unto you what ye have done.\n     Those who shall believe, and shall work righteousness, we will surely\nintroduce into paradise, among the upright.\n\n\tm  Transient mention is made of this insect towards the middle of the\nchapter.\n\tn  Some think the first ten verses, ending with these words, And he well\nknoweth the hypocrites, were revealed at Medina, and the rest at Mecca; and\nothers believe the reverse.\n\to  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c.\n\tp  Literally, That they shall be let alone, &c.\n\tq  This passage reprehends the impatience of some of the prophet's\ncompanions, under the hardships which they sustained in defence of their\nreligion, and the losses which they suffered from the infidels; representing\nto them that such trials and afflictions were necessary to distinguish the\nsincere person from the hypocrite, and the steady from the wavering.  Some\nsuppose it to have been occasioned by the death of Mahja, Omar's slave, killed\nby an arrow at the battle of Bedr, which was deeply lamented and laid to heart\nby his wife and parents.1\n\tr  That is, If they endeavour to pervert thee to idolatry.  The passage\nis said to have been revealed on account of Saad Ebn Abi Wakk\u00e2s, and his\nmother Hamna, who, when she heard that her son had embraced Mohammedism, swore\nthat she would neither eat nor drink till he returned to his old religion, and\nkept her oath for three days.2\n\n\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\n\n\n     There are some men who say, We believe in GOD: but when such a one is\nafflicted for GOD'S sake, he esteemeth the persecution of men to be as\ngrievous as the punishment of GOD.  Yet if success cometh from thy LORD, they\nsay, Verily we are with you.  Doth not GOD well know that which is in the\nbreasts of his creatures?\n10\tVerily GOD well knoweth the true believers, and he well knoweth the\nhypocrites.\n     The unbelievers say unto those who believe, Follow our way, and we will\nbear your sins.  Howbeit they shall not bear any part of their sins; for they\nare liars:\n     but they shall surely bear their own burdens, and other burdens besides\ntheir own burdens;s and they shall be examined, on the day of resurrection,\nconcerning that which they have falsely devised.\n     We heretofore sent Noah unto his people; and he tarried among them one\nthousand years, save fifty years:t and the deluge took them away, while they\nwere acting unjustly;\n     but we delivered him and those who were in the ark, and we made the sameu\na sign unto all creatures.\n     We also sent Abraham; when he said unto his people, Serve GOD, and fear\nhim; this will be better for you; if ye understand.\n     Ye only worship idols besides GOD, and forge a lie.  Verily those which\nye worship, besides GOD, are not able to make any provision for you: seek\ntherefore your provision from GOD; and serve him, and give thanks unto him;\nunto him shall ye return.\n     If he charge me with imposture,x verily sundry nations before you\nlikewise charged their prophets with imposture: but public preaching only is\nincumbent on an apostle.\n     Do they not see how GOD produceth creatures, and afterwards restoreth\nthem?y  Verily this is easy with GOD.\n     Say, go through the earth, and see how he originally produceth creatures:\nafterwards will GOD reproduce another production; for GOD is almighty.\n20\tHe will punish whom he pleaseth, and he will have mercy on whom he\npleaseth.  Before him shall ye be brought at the day of judgment:\n     and ye shall not escape his reach, either in earth, or in heaven:z\nneither shall ye have any patron or defender besides GOD.\n     As for those who believe not in the signs of GOD, or that they shall meet\nhim at the resurrection, they shall despair of my mercy, and for them is a\npainful punishment prepared.\n\n\ts  viz., The guilt of seducing others, which shall be added to the guilt\nof their own obstinacy without diminishing the guilt of such as shall be\nseduced by them.\n\tt  This is true, if the whole life of Noah be reckoned; and accordingly\nAbulfeda says he was sent to preach in his two hundred and fiftieth year, and\nthat he lived in all nine hundred and fifty: but the text seeming to speak of\nthose years only which he spent in preaching to the wicked antediluvians, the\ncommentators suppose him to have lived much longer.  Some say the whole length\nof his life was a thousand and fifty years; that his mission happened in the\nfortieth year of his age, and that he lived after the Flood sixty years;1 and\nothers give different numbers; one, in particular, pretending that Noah lived\nnear sixteen hundred years.2\n\tThis circumstance, says al Beid\u00e2wi, was mentioned to encourage Mohammed,\nand to assure him that God, who supported Noah so many years against the\nopposition and plots of the antediluvian infidels, would not fail to defend\nhim against all attempts of the idolatrous Meccans and their partisans.\n\tu  i.e., The ark.\n\tx  This seems to be part of Abraham's speech to his people: but some\nsuppose that GOD here speaks, by way of apostrophe, first to the Koreish, and\nafterwards to Mohammed; and that the parenthesis is continued to these words,\nAnd the answer of his people was no other, &c.  In which case we should have\nsaid, If ye charge Mohammed your apostle with imposture, &c.\n\ty  The infidels are bid to consider how GOD causeth the fruits of the\nearth to spring forth, and reneweth them every year, as in the preceding;\nwhich is an argument of his power to raise man, whom he created at first, to\nlife again after death, at his own appointed time.\n\tz  See Psalm cxxxix. 7, &c.\n\n\t\t\t1  Idem, al Zamakh.\t\t2  Caab, apud Yahyam.\n\n\n     And the answer of his people was no other than that they said, Slay him,\nor burn him.  But GOD saved him from the fire.a  Verily herein were signs unto\npeople who believed.\n     And Abraham said, Ye have taken idols, besides GOD, to cement affection\nbetween you in this life:\n     but on the day of resurrection, the one of you shall deny the other, and\nthe one of you shall curse the other; and your abode shall be hell fire, and\nthere shall be none to deliver you.\n     And Lot believed on him.  And Abraham said, Verily I fly from my people,\nunto the place which my LORD hath commanded me; or he is the mighty, the wise.\n     And we gave him Isaac and Jacob; and we placed among his descendants the\ngift of prophecy and the scriptures: and we gave him his reward in this world;\nand in the next he shall be one of the righteous.\n     We also sent Lot; when he said unto his people, Do ye commit filthiness\nwhich no creature hath committed before you?\n     Do ye approach lustfully unto men, and lay wait in the highways,b and\ncommit wickedness in your assembly?c  And the answer of his people was no\nother than that they said, Bring down the vengeance of GOD upon us, if thou\nspeakest truth.\n30\tLot said, O LORD, defend me against the corrupt people.\n     And when our messengers came unto Abraham with good tidings,d they said,\nWe will surely destroy the inhabitants of this city: for the inhabitants\nthereof are unjust doers.\n     Abraham answered, Verily Lot dwelleth there.  They replied, We well know\nwho dwelleth therein: we will surely deliver him and his family, except his\nwife; she shall be one of those who remain behind.\n     And when our messengers came unto Lot, he was troubled for them, and his\narm was straitened concerning them.e  But they said, Fear not, neither be\ngrieved; for we will deliver thee and thy family, except thy wife; for she\nshall be one of those who remain behind.\n     We will surely bring down upon the inhabitants of this city vengeance\nfrom heaven, for that they have been wicked doers;\n     and we have left thereof a manifest signf unto people who understand.\n     And unto the inhabitants of Madian we sent their brother Shoaib; and he\nsaid unto them, O my people, serve GOD, and expect the last day; and\ntransgress not, acting corruptly in the earth.\n     But they accused him of imposture; wherefore a storm from heaveng\nassailed them, and in the morning they were found in their dwellings dead and\nprostrate.\n     And we also destroyed the tribes of Ad, and Thamud; and this is well\nknown unto you from what yet remains of their dwellings.  And Satan prepared\ntheir works for them, and turned them aside from the way of truth, although\nthey were sagacious people.\n     And we likewise destroyed Kar\u00fbn, and Pharaoh, and Haman.  Moses came unto\nthem with evident miracles, and they behaved themselves insolently in the\nearth: but they could not escape our vengeance.\n\n\ta  See chapter 21.\n\tb  Some suppose the Sodomites robbed and murdered the passengers;\nothers, that they unnaturally abused their bodies.\n\tc  Their meetings being scenes of obscenity and riot.\n\td  See chapter 11, p. 165, &c.\n\te  See ibid. p. 166.\n\tf  viz., The story of its destruction, handed down by common tradition;\nor else its ruins, or some other footsteps of this signal judgment; it being\npretended that several of the stones, which fell from heaven on those cities,\nare still to be seen, and that the ground where they stood appears burnt and\nblackish.\n\tg  See chapter 7, p. 114.\n\n\n40\tEvery of them did we destroy in his sin.  Against some of them we sent a\nviolent wind:h some of them did a terrible noise from heaven destroy:i some of\nthem did we cause the earth to swallow up:k and some of them we drowned.l\nNeither was GOD disposed to treat them unjustly; but they dealt unjustly with\ntheir own souls.\n     The likeness of those who take other patrons besides GOD is as the\nlikeness of the spider, which maketh herself a house: but the weakest of all\nhouses surely is the house of the spider; if they knew this.\n     Moreover GOD knoweth what things they invoke, besides him; and he is the\nmighty, the wise.\n     These similitudes do we propound unto men: but none understand them,\nexcept the wise.\n     GOD hath created the heavens and the earth in truth; verily herein is a\nsign unto the true believers.\n     Rehearse that which hath been revealed unto thee of the book of the\nKoran: and be constant at prayer; for prayer preserveth a man from filthy\ncrimes, and from that which is blamable; and the remembering of GOD is surely\na most important duty.  GOD knoweth that which ye do.\n     Dispute not against those who have received the scriptures, unless in the\nmildest manner;m except against such of them as behave injuriously towards\nyou: and say, We believe in the revelation which hath been sent down unto us,\nand also in that which hath been sent down unto you; our GOD and your GOD is\none, and unto him are we resigned.\n     Thus have we sent down the book of the Koran unto thee: and they unto\nwhom we have given the former scriptures believe therein; and of these\nArabians also there is who believeth therein: and none reject our signs,\nexcept the obstinate infidels.\n     Thou couldest not read any book before this; neither couldest thou write\nit with thy right hand: then had the gainsayers justly doubted of the divine\noriginal thereof.\n     But the same is evident signs in the breasts of those who have received\nunderstanding: for none reject our signs except the unjust.\n50\tThey say, Unless a sign be sent down unto him from his LORD, we will not\nbelieve.  Answer, Signs are in the power of GOD alone; and I am no more than a\npublic preacher.\n     Is it not sufficient for them that we have sent down unto thee the book\nof the Koran, to be read unto them?  Verily herein is a mercy, and an\nadmonition unto people who believe.\n     Say GOD is a sufficient witness between me and you:\n     he knoweth whatever is in heaven and earth; and those who believe in vain\nidols, and deny GOD, they shall perish.\n     They will urge thee to hasten the punishment which they defy thee to\nbring down upon them:n if there had not been a determined time for their\nrespite, the punishment had come upon them before this; but it shall surely\novertake them suddenly, and they shall not foresee it.\n     They urge thee to bring down vengeance swiftly upon them: but hell shall\nsurely encompass the unbelievers.\n\n\th  The original word properly signifies a wind that drives the gravel\nand small stones before it; by which the storm, or shower of stones, which\ndestroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, seems to be intended.\n\ti  Which was the end of Ad and Thamud.\n\tk  As it did Kar\u00fbn.\n\tl  As the unbelievers in Noah's time, and Pharaoh and his army\n\tm  i.e., Without ill language or passion.  This verse is generally\nsupposed to have been abrogated by that of the sword; though some think it\nrelates only to those who are in alliance with the Moslems.\n\tn  See chapter 6, p. 93\n\n\n     On a certain day their punishment shall suddenly assail them, both from\nabove them, and from under their feet; and God shall say, Taste ye the reward\nof that which ye have wrought.\n     O my servants who have believed, verily my earth is spacious: wherefore\nserve me.o\n     Every soul shall taste death: afterwards shall ye return unto us;\n     and as for those who shall have believed, and wrought righteousness, we\nwill surely lodge them in the higher apartments of paradise; rivers shall flow\nbeneath them, and they shall continue therein forever.  How excellent will be\nthe reward of the workers of righteousness;\n60\twho persevere with patience, and put their trust in their LORD!\n     How many beasts are there, which provide not their food?  It is GOD who\nprovideth for them, and for you; and he both heareth and knoweth.\n     Verily, if thou ask the Meccans, who hath created the heavens and the\nearth, and hath obliged the sun and the moon to serve in their courses? they\nwill answer, GOD.  How therefore do they lie, in acknowledging of other gods?\n     GOD maketh abundant provision for such of his servants as he pleaseth;\nand is sparing unto him, if he pleaseth: for GOD knoweth all things.p\n     Verily if thou ask them, who sendeth rain from heaven, and thereby\nquickeneth the earth, after it hath been dead? they will answer, GOD.  Say,\nGOD be praised!  But the greater part of them do not understand.\n     This present life is no other than a toy, and a plaything; but the future\nmansion of paradise is life indeed: if they knew this they would not prefer\nthe former to the latter.\n     When they sail in a ship, they call upon GOD, sincerely exhibiting unto\nhim the true religion: but when he bringeth them safe to land, behold, they\nreturn to their idolatry;\n     to show themselves ungrateful for that which we have bestowed on them,\nand that they may enjoy the delights of this life; but they shall hereafter\nknow the issue.\n     Do they not see that we have made the territory of Mecca an inviolable\nand secure asylum, when men are spoiled in the countries round about them?  Do\nthey therefore believe in that which is vain, and acknowledge not the goodness\nof GOD?\n     But who is more unjust than he who deviseth a lie against GOD, or denieth\nthe truth, when it hath come unto him?  Is there not in hell an abode for the\nunbelievers?\n70\tWhoever do their utmost endeavor to promote our true religion, we will\ndirect them into our ways; for GOD is with the righteous.\n\n\to  That is, If ye cannot serve me in one city or country, fly unto\nanother, where ye may profess the true religion in safety; for the earth is\nwide enough, and ye may easily find places of refuge.  Mohammed is said to\nhave declared, That whoever flies for the sake of his religion, though he stir\nbut the distance of a span, merits paradise, and shall be the companion of\nAbraham and of himself.1\n\tp  And particularly who will make a good, and who will make a bad use of\ntheir riches.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXX.\n\nENTITLED, THE GREEKS;q REVEALED AT MECCA.r\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     A. L. M.s  THE Greeks have been overcome by the Persians,t\n\n\tq  The original word is al R\u00fbm; by which the later Greeks, or subjects\nof the Constantinopolitan empire, are here meant; though the Arabs give the\nsame name also to the Romans, and other Europeans.\n\tr  Some except the verse beginning at these words, Praise be unto GOD.\n\ts  The Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c.\n\tt  The accomplishment of the prophecy contained in this passage, which\nis very famous among the Mohammedans, being insisted on by their doctors as a\nconvincing proof that the Kor\u00e2n really came down from heaven, it may be\nexcusable to be a little particular.\n\tThe passage is said to have been revealed on occasion of a great victory\nobtained by the Persians over the Greeks, the news whereof coming to Mecca,\nthe infidels became strangely elated, and began to abuse Mohammed and his\nfollowers, imagining that this success of the Persians, who, like themselves,\nwere idolaters, and supposed to have no scriptures, against the Christians,\nwho pretended as well as Mohammed to worship one GOD, and to have divine\nscriptures, was an earnest of their own future successes against the prophet\nand those of his religion: to check which vain hopes, it was foretold, in the\nwords of the text, that how improbable soever it might seem, yet the scale\nshould be turned in a few years, and the vanquished Greeks prevail as\nremarkably against the Persians.\n\tThat this prophecy was exactly fulfilled the commentators fail not to\nobserve, though they do not exactly agree in the accounts they give of its\naccomplishment; the number of years between the two actions being not\nprecisely determined.  Some place the victory gained by the Persians in the\nfifth year before the Hejra, and their defeat by the Greeks in the second year\nafter it, when the battle of Bedr was fought:1 others place the former in the\nthird or fourth year before the Hejra, and the latter in the end of the sixth\nor beginning of the seventh year after it, when the expedition of al\nHodeibiyah was undertaken.2\n\tThe date of the victory gained by the Greeks, in the first of these\naccounts, interferes with a story which the commentators tell, of a wager laid\nby Abu Becr with Obba Ebn Khalf, who turned this prophecy into ridicule.  Abu\nBecr at first laid ten young camels that the Persians should receive an\noverthrow within three years; but on his acquainting Mohammed with what he had\ndone, that prophet told him that the word bed', made use of in this passage,\nsignified no determinate number of years, but any number from three to nine\n(though some suppose the tenth year is included), and therefore advised him to\nprolong the time, and to raise the wager; which he accordingly proposed to\nObba, and they agreed that the time assigned should be nine years, and the\nwager a hundred camels.  Before the time was elapsed, Obba died of a wound he\nhad received at Ohod, in the third year of the Hejra;3 but the event\nafterwards showing that Abu Becr had won, he received the camels of Obba's\nheirs, and brought them in triumph to Mohammed.4\n\tHistory informs us that the successes of Khosru Parviz, king of Persia,\nwho carried on a terrible war against the Greek empire, to revenge the death\nof Maurice, his father-in-law, slain by Phocas, were very great, and continued\nin an uninterrupted course for two and twenty years.  Particularly in the year\nof Christ 615, about the beginning of the sixth year before the Hejra the\nPersians, having the preceding year conquered Syria, made themselves masters\nof Palestine, and took Jerusalem; which seems to be that signal advantage\ngained over the Greeks mentioned in this passage, as agreeing best with the\nterms here used, and most likely to alarm the Arabs by reason of their\nvicinity to the scene of action: and there was so little probability, at that\ntime, of the Greeks being able to retrieve their losses, much less to distress\nthe Persians, that in the following years the arms of the latter made still\nfarther and more considerable progresses, and at length they laid siege to\nConstantinople itself.  But in the year 625, in which the fourth year of the\nHejra began, about ten years after the taking of Jerusalem, the Greeks, when\nit was least expected, gained a remarkable victory over the Persians, and not\nonly obliged them to quit the territories of the empire, by carrying the war\ninto their own country, but drove them to the last extremity, and spoiled the\ncapital city al Mad\u00e2yen; Heraclius enjoying thenceforward a continued series\nof good fortune, to the deposition and death of Khosru.  For more exact\ninformation in these matters, and more nicely fixing the dates, either so as\nto correspond with or to overturn this pretended prophecy (neither of which is\nmy business here), the reader may have recourse to the historians and\nchronologers.5\n\n\t1  Jallalo'ddin, &c.\t\t2  Al Zamakh., al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  See\np. 272, note h.\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin, &c.\t\t5  Vide\netiam Asseman, Bibl. Orient. t. 3, part i. p. 411, &c. et Boulainy.  Vie de\nMahom. p. 333, &c.\n\n\n     in the nearest part of the land;u but after their defeat, they shall\novercome the others in their turn,\n     within a few years.  Unto GOD belongeth the disposal of this matter, both\nfor what is past, and for what is to come: and on that day shall the believers\nrejoice\n     in the success granted by GOD; for he granteth success unto whom he\npleaseth, and he is the mighty, the merciful.\n     This is the promise of GOD: GOD will not act contrary to his promise: but\nthe greater part of men know not the veracity of God.\n     They know the outward appearance of this present life; but they are\ncareless as to the life to come.\n     Do they not consider within themselves that GOD hath not created the\nheavens and the earth, and whatever is between them, otherwise than in truth,\nand hath set them a determined period?  Verily a great number of men reject\nthe belief of their future meeting their LORD at the resurrection.\n     Do they not pass through the earth, and see what hath been the end of\nthose who were before them?  They excelled the Meccans in strength, and broke\nup the earth,x and inhabited it in greater affluence and prosperity than they\ninhabit the same: and their apostles came unto them with evident miracles; and\nGOD was not disposed to treat them unjustly, but they injured their own souls\nby their obstinate infidelity;\n     and the end of those who had done evil was evil, because they charged the\nsigns of God with falsehood, and laughed the same to scorn.\n10\tGod produceth creatures, and will hereafter restore them to life: then\nshall ye return unto him.\n     And on the day whereon the hour shall come, the wicked shall be struck\ndumb for despair;\n     and they shall have no intercessors from among the idols which they\nassociated with God.  And they shall deny the false gods which they associated\nwith him.\n     On the day whereon the hour shall come, on that day shall the true\nbelievers and the infidels be separated:\n     and they who shall have believed, and wrought righteousness, shall take\ntheir pleasure in a delightful meadow;\n     but as for those who shall have disbelieved, and rejected our signs, and\nthe meeting of the next life, they shall be delivered up to punishment.\n     Wherefore glorify GOD, when the evening overtaketh you, and when ye rise\nin the morning:\n     and unto him be praise in heaven and earth; and at sunset, and when ye\nrest at noon.y\n     He bringeth forth the living out of the dead, and he bringeth forth the\ndead out of the living;z and he quickeneth the earth after it hath been dead:\nand in like manner shall ye be brought forth from your graves.\n     Of his signs one is, that he hath created you of dust; and behold, ye are\nbecome men, spread over the face of the earth.\n20\tAnd of his signs another is, that he hath created you, out of\nyourselves, wives, that ye may cohabit with them; and hath put love and\ncompassion between you: verily herein are signs unto people who consider.\n\n\tu  Some interpreters, supposing that the land here meant is the land of\nArabia, or else that of the Greeks, place the scene of action in the confines\nof Arabia and Syria, near Bostra and Adhra\u00e2t;6 others imagine the land of\nPersia is intended, and lay the scene in Mesopotamia, on the frontiers of that\nkingdom;7 but Ebn Abbas, with more probability, thinks it was in Palestine.\n\tx  To dig for water and minerals, and to till the ground for seed, &c.8\n\ty  Some are of opinion that the five times of prayer are intended in\nthis passage; the evening including the time both of the prayer of sunset, and\nof the evening prayer properly so called, and the word I have rendered at\nsunset, marking the hour of afternoon prayer, since it may be applied also to\nthe time a little before sunset.\n\tz  See chapter 3, p. 34.\n\n\t6  Yahya, al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t7  Mojahed, apud Zamakh.  Jallalo'ddin.\n\t8  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t29\n\n\n     And of his signs are also the creation of the heavens and the earth, and\nthe variety of your languages, and of your complexions:z verily herein are\nsigns unto men of understanding.\n     And of his signs are your sleeping by night and by day, and your seeking\nto provide for yourselves of his abundance: verily herein are signs unto\npeople who hearken.\n     Of his signs others are, that he showeth you the lightning, to strike\nterror, and to give hope of rain, and that he sendeth down water from heaven,\nand quickeneth thereby the earth, after it hath been dead; verily herein are\nsigns unto people who understand.\n     And of his signs this also is one, namely, that the heaven and the earth\nstand firm at command: hereafter, when he shall call you out of the earth at\none summons, behold, ye shall come forth.\n     Unto him are subject whosoever are in the heavens and on earth: all are\nobedient unto him.\n     It is he who originally produceth a creature, and afterwards restoreth\nthe same to life: and this is most easy with him.  He justly challengeth the\nmost exalted comparison, in heaven and earth;a and he is the mighty, the wise.\n     He propoundeth unto a comparison taken from yourselves.  Have ye, among\nthe slaves whom your right hands possess, any partner in the substance which\nwe have bestowed on you, so that ye become equal sharers therein with them, or\nthat ye fear them as ye fear one another?b  Thus we distinctly explain our\nsigns, unto people who understand.\n     But those who act unjustly, by attributing companions unto God, follow\ntheir own lusts, without knowledge: and who shall direct him whom GOD shall\ncause to err?  They shall have none to help them.\n     Wherefore be thou orthodox, and set thy face towards the true religion,\nthe institution of GOD, to which he hath created mankind disposed: there is no\nchange in what GOD hath created.c  This is the right religion; but the greater\npart of men know it not.\n30\tAnd be ye turned unto him, and fear him, and be constant at prayer, and\nbe not idolaters.\n     Of those who have made a schism in their religion, and are divided into\nvarious sects, every sect rejoice in their own opinion.\n     When adversity befalleth men, they call upon their LORD, turning unto\nhim: afterwards, when he hath caused them to taste of his mercy, behold, a\npart of them associate other deities with their LORD:\n     to show themselves ungrateful for the favors which we have bestowed on\nthem.  Enjoy therefore the vain pleasures of this life; but hereafter shall ye\nknow the consequence.\n     Have we sent down unto them any authority, which speaketh of the false\ngods which they associate with him?d\n\n\tz  Which are certainly most wonderful, and, as I conceive, very hard to\nbe accounted for, if we allow the several nations in the world to be all the\noffspring of one man, as we are assured by scripture they are, without having\nrecourse to the immediate omnipotency of GOD.\n\ta  That is, in speaking of him we ought to make use of the most noble\nand magnificent expressions we can possibly devise.\n\tb  See chapter 16, p. 200\n\tc  i.e., The immutable law, or rule, to which man is naturally disposed\nto conform, and which every one would embrace, as most fit for a rational\ncreature, if it were not for the prejudices of education.  The Mohammedans\nhave a tradition that their prophet used to say, That every person is born\nnaturally disposed to become a Moslem; but that a man's parents make him a\nJew, a Christian, or a Magian.\n\td  That is, Have we either by the mouth of any prophet, or by any\nwritten revelation, commanded or encouraged the worship of more gods than one?\n\n\n     When we cause men to taste mercy, they rejoice therein; but if evil\nbefalleth them, for that which their hands have before committed, behold, they\ndespair.e\n     Do they not see that GOD bestoweth provision abundantly on whom he\npleaseth, and is sparing unto whom he pleaseth?  Verily herein are signs unto\npeople who believe.\n     Give unto him who is of kin to thee his reasonable due; and also to the\npoor, and the stranger: this is better for those who seek the face of GOD; and\nthey shall prosper.\n     Whatever ye shall give in usury,f to be an increase of men's substance,\nshall not be increased by the blessing of GOD: but whatever ye shall give in\nalms, for GOD'S sake, they shall receive a twofold reward.\n     It is GOD who hath created you, and hath provided food for you: hereafter\nwill he cause you to die; and after that will he raise you again to life.  Is\nthere any of your false gods, who is able to do the least of these things?\nPraise be unto him; and far be he removed from what they associate with him!\n40\tCorruptiong hath appeared by land and by sea, for the crimes which men's\nhands have committed; that it might make them to tasteh a part of the fruits\nof that which they have wrought, that peradventure they might turn from their\nevil ways.\n     Say, Go through the earth, and see what hath been the end of those who\nhave been before you: the greater part of them were idolaters.\n     Set thy face therefore towards the right religion, before the day cometh,\nwhich none can put back from GOD.  On that day shall they be separated into\ntwo companies:\n     whoever shall have been an unbeliever, on him shall his unbelief be\ncharged; and whoever shall have done that which is right, shall spread\nthemselves couches of repose in paradise;\n     that he may reward those who shall believe, and work righteousness, of\nhis abundant liberality; for he loveth not the unbelievers.\n     Of his signs one is, that he sendeth the winds, bearing welcome tidings\nof rain, that he may cause you to taste of his mercy; and that ships may sail\nat his command, that ye may seek to enrich yourselves of his abundance by\ncommerce; and that ye may give thanks.\n     We sent apostles, before thee, unto their respective people, and they\ncame unto them with evident proofs: and we took vengeance on those who did\nwickedly; and it was incumbent on us to assist the true believers.\n     It is GOD who sendeth the winds, and raiseth the clouds, and spreadeth\nthe same in the heaven, as he pleaseth; and afterwards disperseth the same:\nand thou mayest see the rain issuing from the midst thereof; and when he\npoureth the same down on such of his servants as he pleaseth, behold, they are\nfilled with joy;\n     although before it was sent down unto them, before such relief, they were\ndespairing.\n     Consider therefore the traces of GOD'S mercy; how he quickeneth the\nearth, after its state of death: verily the same will raise the dead; for he\nis almighty.\n50\tYet if we should send a blasting wind, and they should see their corn\nyellow and burnt up, they would surely become ungrateful, after our former\nfavors.\n     Thou canst not make the dead to hear, neither canst thou make the deaf to\nhear thy call, when they retire and turn their backs;\n\n\te  And seek not to regain the favour of GOD by timely repentance.\n\tf  Or by way of bribe.  The word may include any sort of extortion or\nillicit gain.\n\tg  viz., Mischief and public calamities, such as famine, pestilence,\ndroughts, shipwrecks, &c. or erroneous doctrines, or a general depravity of\nmanners.\n\th  Some copies read in the first person plural, That we might cause them\nto taste &c.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t29-2\n\n\n     neither canst thou direct the blind out of their error: thou shalt make\nnone to hear, except him who shall believe in our signs; for they are resigned\nunto us.\n     It is GOD who created you in weakness, and after weakness hath given you\nstrength; and after strength, he will again reduce you to weakness, and gray\nhairs: he createth that which he pleaseth; and he is the wise, the powerful.\n     On the day whereon the last hour shall come, the wicked will swear\n     that they have not tarriedi above an hour: in like manner did they utter\nlies in their lifetime.\n     But those on whom knowledge hath been bestowed, and faith, will say, Ye\nhave tarried, according to the book of GOD,k until the day of resurrection;\nfor this is the day of resurrection; but ye knew it not.\n     On that day their excuse shall not avail those who have acted unjustly;\nneither shall they be invited any more to make themselves acceptable unto God.\n     And now have we propounded unto men, in this Koran, parables of every\nkind: yet if thou bring them a verse thereof, the unbelievers will surely say,\nYe are no other than publishers of vain falsehoods.\n     Thus hath GOD sealed up the hearts of those who believe not:\n60\tBut do thou, O Mohammed, persevere with constancy, for GOD is true; and\nlet not those induce thee to waver, who have no certain knowledge.\n\n\n________\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXI.\n\nENTITLED, LOKM\u00c2N;l REVEALED AT MECCA.m\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     A. L. M.n  THESE are the signs of the wise book,\n     a direction, and a mercy unto the righteous;\n     who observe the appointed times of prayer, and give alms, and have firm\nassurance in the life to come:\n     these are directed by their LORD, and they shall prosper.\n     There is a man who purchaseth a ludicrous story,o that he may seduce men\nfrom the way of GOD, without knowledge, and may laugh the same to scorn: these\nshall suffer a shameful punishment.\n\n\ti  viz., In the world or in their graves.  See chapter 23, p. 262.\n\tk  That is, according to his foreknowledge and decree in the preserved\ntable; or according to what is said in the Kor\u00e2n, where the state of the dead\nis expressed by these words:1 Behind them there shall be a bar until the day\nof resurrection.2\n\tl  The chapter is so entitled from a person of this name mentioned\ntherein, of whom more immediately.\n\tm  Some except the fourth verse, beginning at these words, Who observe\nthe appointed times of prayer, and give alms, &c.  And others three verses,\nbeginning at these words, If all the trees in the earth were pens, &c.\n\tn  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c.\n\to  i.e., Vain and silly fables.  The passage was revealed, it is said,\non occasion of al Nodar Ebn al Hareth, who, having brought from Persia the\nromance of Rostam and Isfandiyar, the two heroes of that country, recited it\nin the assemblies of the Koreish, highly extolling the power and splendour of\nthe ancient Persian kings, and preferring their stories to those of Ad and\nThamud, David and Solomon, and the rest which are told in the Kor\u00e2n.  Some say\nthat al Nodar bought singing girls, and carried them to those who were\ninclined to become Moslems to divert them from their purpose by songs and\ntales.3\n\n\t\t1  Cap. 23, p. 261.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Idem\n\n\n     And when our signs are rehearsed unto him, he disdainfully turneth his\nback as though he heard them not, as though there were a deafness in his ears:\nwherefore denounce unto him a grievous punishment.\n     But they who shall believe and work righteousness, shall enjoy gardens of\npleasure:\n     they shall continue therein forever: this is the certain promise of GOD;\nand he is the mighty, the wise.\n     He hath created the heavens without visible pillars to sustain them, and\nthrown on the earth mountains firmly rooted, lest it should move with you;p\nand he hath replenished the same with all kinds of beasts; and we send down\nrain from heaven, and cause every kind of noble vegetable to spring forth\ntherein.\n10\tThis is the creation of GOD: show me now what they have created, who are\nworshipped besides him? verily the ungodly are in a manifest error.\n     We heretofore bestowed wisdom on Lokm\u00e2n,q and commanded him, saying, Be\nthou thankful unto GOD: for whoever is thankful, shall be thankful to the\nadvantage of his own soul; and if any shall be unthankful, verily GOD is self-\nsufficient, and worthy to be praised.\n     And remember when Lokm\u00e2n said unto his son,r as he admonished him, Oh my\nson, give not a partner unto GOD; for polytheism is a great impiety.\n     We have commanded man concerning his parents,s (his mother carrieth him\nin her womb with weakness and faintness, and he is weaned in two years),\nsaying, Be grateful unto me, and to thy parents.  Unto me shall all come to be\njudged.\n\n\tp  See chapter 16, p. 196.  A learned writer,1 in his notes on this\npassage, says the original word raw\u00e2siya, which the commentators in general\nwill have to signify stable mountains, seems properly to express the Hebrew\nword mechonim, i.e., bases or foundations; and therefore he thinks the Kor\u00e2n\nhas here translated that passage of the Psalms, He laid the foundations of the\nearth, that it should not be moved for ever.2  This is not the only instance\nwhich might be given that the Mohammedan doctors are not always the best\ninterpreters of their own scriptures.\n\tq  The Arab writers say, that Lokm\u00e2n was the son of Ba\u00fbra who was the\nson or grandson of a sister or aunt of Job; and that he lived several\ncenturies, and to the time of David, with whom he was conversant in Palestine.\nAccording to the description they give of his person, he must have been\ndeformed enough; for they say he was of a black complexion (whence some call\nhim an Ethiopian), with thick lips and splay feet: but in return he received\nfrom GOD wisdom and eloquence in a great degree, which some pretend were given\nhim in a vision, on his making choice of wisdom preferably to the gift of\nprophecy, either of which were offered him.  The generality of the\nMohammedans, therefore, hold him to have been no prophet, but only a wise man.\nAs to his condition, they say he was a slave, but obtained his liberty on the\nfollowing occasion: His master having one day given him a bitter melon to eat,\nhe paid him such exact obedience as to eat it all; at which his master being\nsurprised, asked him how he could eat so nauseous a fruit?  To which he\nreplied, it was no wonder that he should for once accept a bitter fruit from\nthe same hand from which he had received so many favours.3  The commentators\nmention several quick repartees of Lokm\u00e2n, which, together with the\ncircumstances above mentioned, agree so well with what Maximus Planudes has\nwritten of Esop, that from thence, and from the fables attributed to Lokm\u00e2n by\nthe orientals, the latter has been generally thought to have been no other\nthan the Esop of the Greeks.  However, that be (for I think the matter will\nbear a dispute), I am of opinion that Planudes borrowed great part of his life\nof Esop from the traditions he met with in the east concerning Lokm\u00e2n,\nconcluding them to have been the same person, because they were both slaves,\nand supposed to be the writers of those fables which go under their respective\nnames, and bear a great resemblance to one another; for it has long since been\nobserved by learned men that the greater part of that monk's performance is an\nabsurd romance, and supported by no evidence of the ancient writers.4\n\tr  Whom some name An\u00e1m (which comes pretty near the Ennus of Planudes),\nsome Ashcam, and others Mathan.\n\ts  The two verses which begin at these words, and end with the\nfollowing, viz., And then will I declare unto you that which ye have done, are\nno part of Lokm\u00e2n's advice to his son, but are inserted by way of parenthesis,\nas very pertinent and proper to be repeated here, to show the heinousness of\nidolatry; they are to be read (excepting some additions) in the twenty-ninth\nchapter, and were originally revealed on account of Saad Ebn Abi Wakk\u00e2s, as\nhas been already observed.5\n\n\t1  Gol. in Append. ad Erpenii Gram. p. 187.\t\t2  Ps. civ. 5.\n\t3  Al Zamakh, al Beid\u00e2wi, &c.  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 516, et\nMarracc. in Alc. p. 547.\t\t4  Vide la Vie d'Esope, par M. de\nMeziriac, et Bayle, Dict. Hist. Art. Esope. Rem. B.\n5  See cap. 29, p. 297, and the notes thereon.\n\n\n     But if thy parents endeavor to prevail on thee to associate with me that\nconcerning which thou hast no knowledge, obey them not: bear them company in\nthis world in what shall be reasonable;t but follow the way of him who\nsincerely turneth unto me.u  Hereafter unto me shall ye return, and then will\nI declare unto you that which ye have done.\n     Oh my son, verily every matter, whether good or bad, though it be of the\nweight of a grain of mustard-seed, and be hidden in a rock, or in the heavens,\nor in the earth, GOD will bring the same to light; for GOD is clear-sighted\nand knowing.\n     Oh my son, be constant at prayer, and command that which is just, and\nforbid that which is evil: and be patient under the afflictions which shall\nbefall thee; for this is a duty absolutely incumbent on all men.\n     Distort not thy face out of contempt to men, neither walk in the earth\nwith insolence; for GOD loveth no arrogant, vain-glorious person.\n     And be moderate in thy pace; and lower thy voice; for the most ungrateful\nof all voices surely is the voice of asses.x\n     Do ye not see that GOD hath subjected whatever is in heaven and on earth\nto your service, and hath abundantly poured on you his favors, both outwardly\nand inwardly?y  There are some who dispute concerning GOD without knowledge,\nand without a direction, and without an enlightening book.\n20\tAnd when it is said unto them, Follow that which GOD hath revealed, they\nanswer, Nay, we will follow that which we found our fathers to practise.\nWhat, though the devil invite them to the torment of hell?\n     Whosoever resigneth himself unto GOD, being a worker of righteousness,\ntaketh hold on a strong handle; and unto GOD belongeth the issue of all\nthings.\n     But whoever shall be an unbeliever, let not his unbelief grieve thee:\nunto us shall they return; then will we declare unto them that which they have\ndone, for GOD knoweth the innermost parts of the breasts of men.\n     We will suffer them to enjoy this world for a little while: afterwards we\nwill drive them to a severe punishment.\n     If thou ask them who hath created the heavens and the earth, they will\nsurely answer, GOD.  Say, GOD be praised! but the greater part of them do not\nunderstand.\n     Unto GOD belongeth whatever is in heaven and earth: for GOD is the self-\nsufficient, the praiseworthy.\n     If whatever trees are in the earth were pens, and he should after that\nswell the sea into seven seas of ink, the words of GOD would not be\nexhausted;z for GOD is mighty and wise.\n     Your creation and your resuscitation are but as the creation and\nresuscitation of one soul: verily GOD both heareth and seeth.\n\n\tt  That is, show them all deference and obedience, so far as may be\nconsistent with thy duty towards GOD.\n\tu  The person particularly meant here was Abu Becr, at whose persuasion\nSaad had become a Moslem.\n\tx  To the braying of which animal the Arabs liken a loud and\ndisagreeable voice.\n\ty  i.e., All kinds of blessings, regarding as well the mind as the body.\n\tz  This passage is said to have been revealed in answer to the Jews, who\ninsisted that all knowledge was contained in the law.1\n\ta  GOD being able to produce a million of worlds by the single word Kun,\ni.e., Be, and to raise the dead in general by the single word Kum, i.e.,\nArise.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n30\tDost thou not see that GOD causeth the night to succeed the day, and\ncauseth the day to succeed the night, and compelleth the sun and the moon to\nserve you?  Each of those luminaries hasteneth in its course to a determined\nperiod: and GOD is well acquainted with that which ye do.\n     This is declared concerning the divine knowledge and power, for that GOD\nis the true Being, and for that whatever ye invoke, besides him is vanity; and\nfor that GOD is the high, the great God.\n     Dost thou not see that the ships run in the sea, through the favor of\nGOD, that he may show you of his signs?  Verily herein are signs unto every\npatient, grateful person.\n     When waves cover them, like overshadowing clouds, they call upon GOD,\nexhibiting the pure religion unto him; but when he bringeth them safe to land,\nthere is of them who halteth between the true faith and idolatry.  Howbeit,\nnone rejecteth our signs, except every perfidious, ungrateful person.\n     O men, fear your LORD, and dread the day whereon a father shall not make\nsatisfaction for his father at all:\n     the promise of GOD is assuredly true.  Let not this present life,\ntherefore, deceive you; neither let the deceiverb deceive you concerning GOD.\n     Verily the knowledge of the hour of judgment is with GOD; and he causeth\nthe rain to descend at his own appointed time; and he knoweth what is in the\nwombs of females.  No soul knoweth what it shall gain on the morrow; neither\ndoth any soul know in what land it shall die;c but GOD is knowing and fully\nacquainted with all things.\n\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXII.\n\nENTITLED, ADORATION;d REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     A. L. M.e  THE revelation of this book, there is no doubt thereof, is\nfrom the LORD of all creatures.\n     Will they say, Mohammed hath forged it?  Nay it is the truth from thy\nLORD, that thou mayest preach to a people, unto whom no preacher hath come\nbefore thee;f peradventure they will be directed.\n\n\tb  viz., The devil.\n\tc  In this passage five things are enumerated which are known to GOD\nalone, viz., The time of the day of judgment; the time of rain; what is\nforming in the womb, as whether it be male or female, &c.; what shall happen\non the morrow; and where any person shall die.  These the Arabs, according to\na tradition of their prophet, call the five keys of secret knowledge.  The\npassage, it is said, was occasioned by al Hareth Ebn Amru, who propounded\nquestions of this nature to Mohammed.\n\tAs to the last particular, al Beid\u00e2wi relates the following story: The\nangel of death passing once by Solomon in a visible shape, and looking at one\nwho was sitting with him, the man asked who he was, and upon Solomon's\nacquainting him that it was the angel of death, said, He seems to want me;\nwherefore order the wind to carry me from hence into India; which being\naccordingly done, the angel said to Solomon, I looked so earnestly at the man\nout of wonder; because I was commanded to take his soul in India, and found\nhim with thee in Palestine.\n\td  The title is taken from the middle of the chapter, where the\nbelievers are said to fall down adoring\n\te  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III p. 46, &c.\n\tf  See chapter 28, p. 293.\n\n\n     It is GOD who hath created the heavens and the earth, and whatever is\nbetween them, in six days; and then ascended his throne.  Ye have no patron or\nintercessor besides him.  Will ye not therefore consider?\n     He governeth all things from heaven even to the earth: hereafter shall\nthey return unto him, on the day whose length shall be a thousand years,g of\nthose which ye compute.\n     This is he who knoweth the future, and the present; the mighty, the\nmerciful.\n     It is he who hath made everything which he hath created exceeding good;\nand first created man of clay,\n     and afterwards made his posterity of an extract of despicable water;h\n     and then formed him into proper shape, and breathed of his spirit into\nhim; and hath given you the senses of hearing and seeing, and hearts to\nunderstand.  How small thanks do ye return!\n     And they say, When we shall lie hidden in the earth, shall we be raised\nthence a new creature?\n10\tYea, they deny the meeting of their LORD at the resurrection.\n     Say, The angel of death,i who is set over you, shall cause you to die:\nthen shall ye be brought back unto your LORD.\n     If thou couldest see, when the wicked shall bow down their heads before\ntheir LORD, saying, O LORD, we have seen, and have heard: suffer us therefore\nto return into the world, and we will work that which is right; since we are\nnow certain of the truth of what hath been preached to us: thou wouldest see\nan amazing sight.\n     If we had pleased we had certainly given unto every soul its direction:\nbut the word which hath proceeded from me must necessarily be fulfilled, when\nI said, Verily I will fill hell with genii and men, altogether.k\n     Taste therefore the torment prepared for you, because ye have forgotten\nthe coming of this your day: we also have forgotten you; taste therefore the\npunishment of eternal duration, for that which ye have wrought.\n     Verily they only believe in our signs, who, when they are warned thereby,\nfall down adoring, and celebrate the praise of their LORD, and are not elated\nwith pride;\n     their sides are raised from their beds, calling on their LORD with fear\nand with hope; and they distribute alms out of what we have bestowed on them.\n     No soull knoweth the complete satisfactionm which is secretly prepared\nfor them, as a reward for that which they have wrought.\n\n\tg  As to the reconciliation of this passage with another,1 which seems\ncontradictory, see the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 65.\n\tSome, however, do not interpret the passage before us of the\nresurrection, but suppose that the words here describe the making and\nexecuting of the decrees of GOD, which are sent down from heaven to earth, and\nare returned (or ascend, as the verb properly signifies) back to him, after\nthey have been put in execution; and present themselves, as it were, so\nexecuted, to his knowledge, in the space of a day with GOD, but with man, of a\nthousand years.  Others imagine this space to be the time which the angels,\nwho carry the divine decrees, and bring them back executed, take in descending\nand reascending, because the distance from heaven to earth is a journey of\nfive hundred years: and others fancy that the angels bring down at once\ndecrees for a thousand years to come, which being expired, they return back\nfor fresh orders, &c.2\n\th  i.e., Seed.\n\ti  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 56.\n\tk  See chapter 7, p. 106, and chapter 11, p. 169.\n\tl  Not even an angel of those who approach nearest GOD'S throne, nor any\nprophet who hath been sent by him.3\n\tm  Literally, The joy of the eyes.  The commentators fail not, on\noccasion of this passage, to produce that saying of their prophet, which was\noriginally none of his own; GOD saith, I have prepared for my righteous\nservants, what eye hath not seen, nor hath ear heard, nor hath entered into\nthe heart of man to conceive.\n\n\t\t\t1  Cap. 20.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Idem.\n\n\n\n     Shall he, therefore, who is a true believer, be as he who is an impious\ntransgressor?  They shall not be held equal.\n     As to those who believe and do that which is right, they shall have\ngardens of perpetual abode, an ample recompense for that which they shall have\nwrought:\n20\tbut as for those who impiously transgress, their abode shall be hell\nfire; so often as they shall endeavor to get thereout, they shall be dragged\nback into the same, and it shall be said unto them, Taste ye the torment of\nhell fire, which ye rejected as a falsehood.\n     And we will cause them to taste the nearer punishment of this world,\nbesides the more grievous punishment of the next; peradventure they will\nrepent.\n     Who is more unjust than he who is warned by the signs of his LORD, and\nthen turneth aside from the same?  We will surely take vengeance on the\nwicked.\n     We heretofore delivered the book of the law unto Moses; wherefore be not\nthou in doubt as to the revelation thereof:n and we ordained the same to be a\ndirection unto the children of Israel;\n     and we appointed teachers from among them, who should direct the people\nat our command, when they had persevered with patience, and had firmly\nbelieved in our signs.\n     Verily thy LORD will judge between them, on the day of resurrection,\nconcerning that wherein they have disagreed.\n     Is it not known unto them how many generations we have destroyed before\nthem, through whose dwellings they walk?o  Verily herein are signs: will they\nnot therefore hearken?\n     Do they not see that we drive rain unto a land bare of grass and parched\nup, and thereby produce corn, of which their cattle eat, and themselves also?\nWill they not therefore regard?\n     The infidels say to the true believers, When will this decision be made\nbetween us, if ye speak truth?\n     Answer, On the day of that decision,p the faith of those who shall have\ndisbelieved shall not avail them; neither shall they be respited any longer.\n30\tWherefore avoid them, and expect the issue: verily they expect to obtain\nsome advantage over thee.\n\n\tn  Or, as some interpret it, of the revelation of the Kor\u00e2n to thyself;\nsince the delivery of the law to Moses proves that the revelation of the Kor\u00e2n\nto thee is not the first instance of the kind.  Others think the words should\nbe translated thus: Be thou not in doubt as to thy meeting of that prophet;\nsupposing that the interview between Moses and Mohammed in the sixth heaven,\nwhen the latter took his night journey thither, is here intended.4\n\to  The Meccans frequently passing by the places where the Adites,\nThamudites, Midianites, Sodomites, &c., once dwelt.\n\tp  That is, on the day of judgment; though some suppose the day here\nintended to be that of the victory at Bedr, or else that of the taking of\nMecca, when several of those who had been proscribed were put to death without\nremission.5\n\n\t\t\t4  Idem.\t\t5  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. II. p. 42.\n\n\n  CHAPTER XXXIII.\n\nENTITLED, THE CONFEDERATES;q REVEALED AT MEDINA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     O PROPHET, fear GOD, and obey not the unbelievers and the hypocrites:r\nverily GOD is knowing and wise.\n     But follow that which is revealed unto thee from thy LORD; for GOD is\nwell acquainted with that which ye do;\n     and put thy trust in GOD; for GOD is a sufficient protector.\n     GOD hath not given a man two hearts within him; neither hath he made your\nwives (some of whom ye divorce, regarding them thereafter as your mothers)\nyour true mothers; not hath he made your adopted sons your true sons.s  This\nis your saying in your mouths: but GOD speaketh the truth; and he directed the\nright way.\n     Call such as are adopted, the sons of their natural fathers: this will be\nmore just in the sight of GOD.  And if ye know not their fathers, let them be\nas your brethren in religion, and your companions: and it shall be no crime in\nyou, that ye errt in this matter; but that shall be criminal which your hearts\npurposely design; for GOD is gracious and merciful.\n     The prophet is nigher unto the true believers than their own souls;u and\nhis wives are their mothers.x  Those who are related by consanguinity are\nnigher of kin the one of them unto the others, according to the book of GOD,\nthan the other true believers, and the Moh\u00e2jer\u00fbn:y unless that ye do what is\nfitting and reasonable to your relations in general.  This is written in the\nbook of God.z\n\n\tq  Part of this chapter was revealed on occasion of the war of the\nditch, which happened in the fifth year of the Hejra, when Medina was\nbesieged, for above twenty days, by the joint and confederate forces of\nseveral Jewish tribes, and of the inhabitants of Mecca, Najd, and Teh\u00e2ma, at\nthe instigation of the Jews of the tribe of Nadh\u00eer, who had been driven out of\ntheir settlement near Medina, by Mohammed, the year before.1\n\tr  It is related that Abu Sofi\u00e2n, Acrema Ebn Abi Jahl, and Abu'l A war\nal Salami, having an amicable interview with Mohammed, at which were present\nalso Abda'llah Ebn Obba, Moatteb Ebn Kosheir, and Jadd Ebn Kais, they proposed\nto the prophet that if he would leave off preaching against the worship of\ntheir gods, and acknowledge them to be mediators, they would give him and his\nLORD no farther disturbance; upon which these words were revealed.2\n\ts  This passage was revealed to abolish two customs among the old Arabs.\nThe first was their manner of divorcing their wives, when they had no mind to\nlet them go out of their house, or to marry again; and this the husband did by\nsaying to the woman, Thou art henceforward to me as the back of my mother;\nafter which words pronounced he abstained from her bed, and regarded her in\nall respects as his mother, and she became related to all his kindred in the\nsame degree as if she had been really so.  The other custom was the holding\ntheir adopted sons to be as as nearly related to them as their natural sons,\nso that the same impediments of marriage arose from that supposed relation, in\nthe prohibited degrees, as it would have done in the case of a genuine son.\nThe latter Mohammed had a peculiar reason to abolish-viz., his marrying the\ndivorced wife of his freedman Zeid, who was also his adopted son, of which\nmore will be said by-and-bye.  By the declaration which introduces this\npassage, that GOD has not given a man two hearts, is meant, that a man cannot\nhave the same affection for supposed parents and adopted children, as for\nthose who are really so.  They tell us the Arabs used to say, of a prudent and\nacute person, that he had two hearts; whence one Abu M\u00e1mer, or, as others\nwrite, Jem\u00eel Ebn Asad al Fihri, was surnamed Dhu'lkalbein, or the man with two\nhearts.3\n\tt  Through ignorance or mistake; or, that ye have erred for the time\npast.\n\tu  Commanding them nothing but what is for their interest and advantage,\nand being more solicitous for their present and future happiness even than\nthemselves; for which reason he ought to be dear to them, and deserves their\nutmost love and respect.  In some copies these words are added, And he is a\nfather unto them; every prophet being the spiritual father of his people, who\nare therefore brethren.  It is said that this passage was revealed on some of\nMohammed's followers telling him, when he summoned them to attend him in the\nexpedition of Tab\u00fbc,4 that they would ask leave of their fathers and mothers.5\n\tx  Though the spiritual relation between Mohammed and his people,\ndeclared in the preceding words, created no impediment to prevent his taking\nto wife such women among them as he thought fit; yet the commentators are of\nopinion that they are here forbidden to marry any of his wives.6\n\ty  These words, which also occur, excepting the latter part of the\nsentence, in the eighth chapter, abrogate that law concerning inheritances,\npublished in the same chapter, whereby the Moh\u00e2jer\u00fbn and Ans\u00e2rs were to be the\nheirs of one another, exclusive of their nearer relations, who were infidels.7\n\tz  i.e., In the preserved table, or the Kor\u00e2n; or, as others suppose, in\nthe Pentateuch.\n\n\t1  Vide Abulfeda, Vit. Moh. p. 73, et Gagnier, Vie de Mahomet, l. 4, c.\nI\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi\t\t3  Idem, Jallalo'ddin, &c.\n4  See cap. 9, p. 139.\t\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t6  See the Prelim. Disc.\nSect. VI.\t\t7  See cap. 8, p. 133.\n\n\n     Remember when we accepted their covenant from the prophets,a and from\nthee, O Mohammed, and from Noah, and Abraham, and Moses, and Jesus the son of\nMary, and received from them a firm covenant;b\n     that God may examine the speakers of truth concerning their veracity:c\nand he hath prepared a painful torment for the unbelievers.\n     O true believers, remember the favor of GOD towards you, when armies of\ninfidels came against you,d and we sent against them a wind, and hosts of\nangels which ye saw not:e and GOD beheld that which ye did.\n10\tWhen they came against you from above you, and from below you,f and when\nyour sight became troubled, and your hearts came even to your throats for\nfear, and ye imagined of GOD various imaginations.g\n     There were the faithful tried, and made to tremble with a violent\ntrembling.\n\n\ta  Jallalo'ddin supposes this covenant was made when Adam's posterity\nwere drawn forth from his loins, and appeared before GOD like small ants:8 but\nMarracci conjectures that the covenant here meant was the same which the\nTalmudists pretend all the prophets entered into with GOD on Mount Sinai,\nwhere they were all assembled in person with Moses.9\n\tb  Whereby they undertook to execute their several commissions, and\npromised to preach the religion commanded them by GOD.\n\tc  i.e., That he may at the day of judgment demand of the prophets in\nwhat manner they executed their several commissions, and how they were\nreceived by their people; or, as the words may also import, that he may\nexamine those who believed on them, concerning their belief, and reward them\naccordingly.\n\td  These were the forces of the Koreish and the tribe of Ghatf\u00e2n,\nconfederated with the Jews of al Nadh\u00eer and Koreidha, who besieged Medina to\nthe number of twelve thousand men, in the expedition called the war of the\nditch.\n\te  On the enemies' approach, Mohammed, by the advice of Salm\u00e2n, the\nPersian, ordered a deep ditch or entrenchment to be dug round Medina, for the\nsecurity of the city, and went out to defend it with three thousand men.  Both\nsides remained in their camps near a month, without any other acts of\nhostility than shooting of arrows and slinging of stones; till, in a winter's\nnight, GOD sent a piercing cold east wind, which benumbed the limbs of the\nconfederates, blew the dust in their faces, extinguished their fires,\noverturned their tents, and put their horses in disorder, the angels at the\nsame time crying, Allah acbar! round about their camp; whereupon Toleiha Ebn\nKhowailed, the Asadite, said aloud, Mohammed is going to attack you with\nenchantments, wherefore provide for your safety by flight: and accordingly the\nKoreish first, and afterward the Ghatf\u00e2nites, broke up the siege, and returned\nhome; which retreat was also not a little owing to the dissensions among the\nconfederate forces, the raising and fomenting whereof the Mohammedans also\nascribe to GOD.  It is related that when Mohammed heard that his enemies were\nretired, he said, I have obtained success by means of the east wind; and Ad\nperished by the west wind.1\n\tf  The Ghatf\u00e2nites pitched on the east side of the town, on the higher\npart of the valley; and the Koreish on the west side, on the lower part of the\nvalley.2\n\tg  The sincere and those who were more firm of heart fearing they should\nnot be able to stand the trial; and the weaker-hearted and hypocrites thinking\nthemselves delivered up to slaughter and destruction\n\n\t8  See cap. 7, p. 122.\t\t9  See cap. 3, p. 41.\t\t1  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi, Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 77, &c.\t\t2  Idem.\n\n\n     And when the hypocrites, and those in whose heart was an infirmity, said,\nGOD and his apostle have made you no other than a fallacious promise.h\n     And when a party of themi said, O inhabitants of Yathreb,k there is no\nplace of security for you here; wherefore return home.  And a part of them\nasked leave of the prophet to depart, saying, Verily our houses are\ndefenceless and exposed to the enemy: but they were not defenceless; and their\nintention was no other than to fly.\n     If the city had been entered upon them by the enemy from the parts\nadjacent, and they had been asked to desert the true believers, and to fight\nagainst them; they had surely consented thereto: but they had not, in such\ncase, remained in the samel but a little while.\n     They had before made a covenant with GOD, that they would not turn their\nbacks:m and the performance of their covenant with GOD shall be examined into\nhereafter.\n     Say, Flight shall not profit you, if ye fly from death or from slaughter:\nand if it would, yet shall ye not enjoy this world but a little.\n     Say, Who is he who shall defend you against GOD, if he is pleased to\nbring evil on you, or is pleased to show mercy towards you?  They shall find\nnone to patronize or protect them, besides GOD.\n     GOD already knoweth those among you who hinder others from following his\napostle, and who say unto their brethren, Come hither unto us; and who come\nnot to battle, except a little:n\n     being covetous towards you:o but when fear cometh on them, thou seest\nthem look unto thee for assistance, their eyes rolling about like the eyes of\nhim who fainteth by reason of the agonies of death: yet when their fear is\npast they inveigh against you with sharp tongues; being covetous of the best\nand most valuable part of the spoils.  These believe not sincerely; wherefore\nGOD hath rendered their works of no avail; and this is easy with GOD.\n20\tThey imagined that the confederates would not depart and raise the\nsiege: and if the confederates should come another time, they would wish to\nlive in the deserts among the Arabs who dwell in tents,p and there to inquire\nafter news concerning you; and although they were with you this time, yet they\nfought not, except a little.\n     Ye have in the apostle of GOD an excellent example,q unto him who hopeth\nin GOD, and the last day, and remembereth GOD frequently.\n\n\th  The person who uttered these words, it is said, was Moatteb Ebn\nKosheir, who told his fellows that Mohammed had promised them the spoils of\nthe Persians and the Greeks, whereas now not one of them dared to stir out of\ntheir entrenchment.3\n\ti  viz., Aws Ebn Keidhi and his adherents.\n\tk  This was the ancient and proper name of Medina, or of the territory\nwherein it stands.  Some suppose the town was so named from its founder,\nYathreb, the son of K\u00e2biya, the son of Mahlayel, the son of Aram, the son of\nSem, the son of Noah; though others tell us it was built by the Amalekites.4\n\tl  i.e., In the city; or, in their apostasy and rebellion, because the\nMoslems would surely succeed at last.\n\tm  The persons meant here were Banu Haretha, who having behaved very ill\nand run away on a certain occasion, promised they would do so no more.5\n\tn  Either coming to the army in small numbers, or staying with them but\na little while, and then returning on some feigned excuse; or behaving ill in\ntime of action.  Some expositors take these words to be part of the speech of\nthe hypocrites, reflecting on Mohammed's companions for lying idle in the\ntrenches, and not attacking the enemy.\n\to  i.e., Sparing of their assistance either in person or with their\npurse; or being greedy after the booty.\n\tp  That they might be absent, and not obliged to go to war.\n\tq  viz., Of firmness in time of danger, of confidence in the divine\nassistance, and of piety by fervent prayer for the same.\n\n\t3  Idem.  Vide Abulf. ubi sup. p. 76.\t\t4  Ahmed Ebn Yusof.  See\nthe Prelim. Disc. p. 4\t\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     When the true believers saw the confederates, they said, This is what GOD\nand his apostle have foretold us;r and GOD and his apostle have spoken the\ntruth: and it only increased their faith and resignation.\n     Of the true believers some men justly performed what they had promised\nunto GOD;s and some of them have finished their course,t and some of them wait\nthe same advantage;u and they changed not their promise by deviating therefrom\nin the least:\n     that GOD may reward the just performers of their covenant for their\nfidelity; and may punish the hypocritical, if he pleaseth, or may be turned\nunto them; for GOD is ready to forgive, and merciful.\n     GOD hath driven back the infidels in their wrath: they obtained no\nadvantage; and GOD was a sufficient protector unto the faithful in battle; for\nGOD is strong and mighty.\n     And he hath caused such of those who have received the scriptures, as\nassisted the confederates, to come down out of their fortresses,x and he cast\ninto their hearts terror and dismay:z a part of them ye slew, and a part ye\nmade captives;\n\n\tr  Namely, That we must not expect to enter paradise without undergoing\nsome trials and tribulations.1  There is a tradition that Mohammed actually\nforetold this expedition of confederates some time before, and the success of\nit.2\n\ts  By standing firm with the prophet, and strenuously opposing the\nenemies of the true religion, according to their engagement.\n\tt  Or, as the words may be translated, have fulfilled their vow, or paid\ntheir debt to nature, by falling martyrs in battle; as did Hamza, Mohammed's\nuncle, Masab Ebn Omair, and Ans Ebn al Nadr,3 who were slain at the battle of\nOhod.  The martyrs at the war of the ditch were six, including Saad Ebn Moadh,\nwho died of his wound about a month after.4\n\tu  As Othm\u00e2n and Telha.5\n\tx  These were the Jews of the tribe of Koreidha, who, though they were\nin league with Mohammed, had, at the incessant persuasion of Caab Ebn Asad, a\nprincipal man among them, perfidiously gone over to his enemies in this war of\nthe ditch, and were severely punished for it.  For the next morning, after the\nconfederate forces had decamped, Mohammed and his men returned to Medina, and,\nlaying down their arms, began to refresh themselves after their fatigue; upon\nwhich Gabriel came to the prophet and asked him whether he had suffered his\npeople to lay down their arms, when the angels had not laid down theirs; and\nordering him to go immediately against the Koradhites, assuring him that\nhimself would lead the way.  Mohammed, in obedience to the divine command,\nhaving caused public proclamation to be made that every one should pray that\nafternoon for success against the sons of Koreidha, set forward upon the\nexpedition without loss of time; and being arrived at the fortress of the\nKoradhites, besieged them for twenty-five days, at the end of which those\npeople, being in great terror and distress, capitulated, and at length, not\ndaring to trust to Mohammed's mercy, surrendered at the discretion of Saad Ebn\nMoadh,6 hoping that he, being the prince of the tribe of Aws, their old\nfriends and confederates, would have some regard for them.  But they were\ndeceived: for Saad, being greatly incensed at their breach of faith, had\nbegged of GOD that he might not die of the wound he had received at the ditch\ntill he saw vengeance taken on the Koradhites, and therefore adjudged that the\nmen should be put to the sword, the women and children made slaves, and their\ngoods be divided among the Moslems; which sentence Mohammed had no sooner\nheard than he cried out, That Saad had pronounced the sentence of GOD: and the\nsame was accordingly executed, the number of men who were slain amounting to\nsix hundred, or, as others say, to seven hundred, or very near, among whom\nwere Hoyai Ebn Akhtab, a great enemy of Mohammed's, and Caab Ebn Asad, who had\nbeen the chief occasion of the revolt of their tribe: and soon after Saad, who\nhad given judgment against them, died, his wound, which had been skinned over,\nopening again.7\n\tz  This was the work of Gabriel, who, according to his promise, went\nbefore the army of Moslems.  It is said that Mohammed, a little before he came\nto the settlement of the Koradhites, asking some of his men whether anybody\nhad passed them, they answered, that Dohya Ebn Kholeifa, the Calbite, had just\npassed by them, mounted on a white mule, with housings of satin: to which he\nreplied, That person was the angel Gabriel, who is sent to the sons of\nKoreidha to shake their castles, and to strike their hearts with fear and\nconsternation.8\n\n\t1  See cap. 2, p. 22; cap. 3, p. 46; cap. 29, p. 298, &c.\t\t2  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t4  Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 79.\t\t5  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\t\t6  See cap. 8, p. 128.\t\t7  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Abulf. Vit.\nMoh. p. 77, &c.  Vide Gagnier, Vie de Mah. l. 4, c. 2.\t\t8  Ebn\nIshak.\n\n\n     and God hath caused you to inherit their land, and their houses, and\ntheir wealth,a and a land on which ye have not trodden;b for GOD is almighty.\n     O prophet, say unto thy wives, If ye seek this present life, and the pomp\nthereof, come, I will make a handsome provision for you, and I will dismiss\nyou with an honourable dismission;c\n     but if ye seek GOD and his apostle, and the life to come, verily GOD hath\nprepared for such of you as work righteousness a great reward.\n30\tO wives of the prophet, whosoever of you shall commit a manifest\nwickedness, the punishment thereof shall be doubled unto her twofold;d and\nthis is easy with GOD:\n     but whosoever of you shall be obedient unto GOD and his apostle, and\nshall do that which is right, we will give her her reward twice,e and we have\nprepared for her an honourable provision in paradise.\n     O wives of the prophet, ye are not as other women: if ye fear God, be not\ntoo complaisant in speech, lest he should covet, in whose heart is a disease\nof incontinence; but speak the speech which is convenient.\n     And sit still in your houses; and set not out yourselves with the\nostentation of the former time of ignorance:f and observe the appointed times\nof prayer, and give alms; and obey GOD, and his apostle; for GOD desireth only\nto remove from you the abomination of vanity, since ye are the household of\nthe prophet, and to purify you by a perfect purification.g\n     And remember that which is read in your houses, of the signs of GOD, and\nof the wisdom revealed in the Koran; for GOD is clear-sighted, and well\nacquainted with your actions.\n     Verily the Moslems of either sex, and the true believers of either sex,\nand the devout men, and the devout women, and the men of veracity, and the\nwomen of veracity, and the patient men, and the patient women, and the humble\nmen, and the humble women, and the alms-givers of either sex, and the men who\nfast, and the women who fast, and the chaste men, and the chaste women, and\nthose of either sex who remember GOD frequently; for them hath GOD prepared\nforgiveness, and a great reward.\n\n\ta  Their immovable possessions Mohammed gave to the Moh\u00e2jerin, saying,\nthat the Ans\u00e2rs were in their own houses, but that the others were destitute\nof habitations.  The movables were divided among his followers, but he\nremitted the fifth part, which was usual to be taken in other cases.1\n\tb  By which some suppose Persia and Greece are meant; others, Khaibar;\nand others, whatever lands the Moslems may conquer till the day of judgment.2\n\tc  This passage was revealed on Mohammed's wives asking for more\nsumptuous clothes, and an additional allowance for their expenses; and he had\nno sooner received it than he gave them their option, either to continue with\nhim or to be divorced, beginning with Ayesha, who chose GOD and his apostle,\nand the rest followed her example; upon which the prophet thanked them, and\nthe following words were revealed, viz., It shall not be lawful for thee to\ntake other women to wife hereafter,3 &c.  From hence some have concluded that\nwife who has her option given her, and chooses to stay with her husband, shall\nnot be divorced, though others are of a contrary opinion.4\n\td  For the crime would be more enormous and unpardonable in them,\nbecause of their superior condition, and the grace which they have received\nfrom GOD; whence it is that the punishment of a free person is ordained to be\ndouble to that of a slave,5 and prophets are more severely reprimanded for\ntheir faults than other men.6\n\te  viz., Once for her obedience, and a second time for her conjugal\naffection to the prophet, and handsome behaviour to him.\n\tf  That is, in the old time of idolatry.  Some suppose the times before\nthe Flood, or the time of Abraham, to be here intended, when women adorned\nthemselves with all their finery, and went abroad into the streets to show\nthemselves to the men.7\n\tg  The pronouns of the second person in this part of the passage being\nof the masculine gender, the Shiites pretend the sentence has no connection\nwith the foregoing or the following words; and will have it that by the\nhousehold of the prophet are particularly meant F\u00e2tema and Ali, and their two\nsons, Hasan and Hosein, to whom these words are directed.8\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  See after, in this chapter,\np. 310.\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n5  See cap 4, p. 57.\t\t6  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t7  Idem.\t\t8\nIdem.\n\n\n     It is not fit for a true believer of either sex, when GOD and his apostle\nhave decreed a thing, that they should have the liberty of choosing a\ndifferent matter of their own:h and whoever is disobedient unto GOD and his\napostle surely erreth with a manifest error.\n     And remember when thou saidst to him unto whom GOD had been gracious,i\nand on whom thou also hadst conferred favours,k Keep thy wife to thyself, and\nfear GOD: and thou didst conceal that in thy mind which GOD had determined to\ndiscover,l and didst fear men; whereas it was more just that thou shouldest\nfear GOD.  But when Zeidm had determined the matter concerning her, and had\nresolved to divorce her, we joined her in marriage unto thee;n lest a crime\nshould be charged on the true believers, in marrying the wives of their\nadopted sons, when they have determined the matter concerning them;o and the\ncommand of GOD is to be performed.\n     No crime is to be charged on the prophet, as to what GOD hath allowed\nhim, conformable to the ordinance of GOD with regard to those who preceded him\n(for the command of GOD is a determinate decree),\n\n\th  This verse was revealed on account of Zeinab (or Zenobia), the\ndaughter of Jahash, and wife of Zeid, Mohammed's freedman, whom the prophet\nsought in marriage, but received a repulse from the lady and her brother\nAbdallah, they being at first averse to the match: for which they are here\nreprehended.  The mother of Zeinab, it is said, was Am\u00eema, the daughter of\nAbd'almotalleb, and aunt to Mohammed.1\n\ti  viz., Zeid Ebn Haretha, on whom GOD had bestowed the grace early to\nbecome a Moslem.\n\tk  By giving him his liberty, and adopting him for thy son, &c.\n\tZeid was of the tribe of Calb, a branch of the Khodaites, descended from\nHamyar, the son of Saba; and being taken in his childhood by a party of\nfreebooters, was bought by Mohammed, or, as others say, by his wife Khadijah\nbefore she married him.  Some years after, Haretha, hearing where his son was,\ntook a journey to Mecca, and offered a considerable sum for his ransom;\nwhereupon, Mohammed said, Let Zeid come hither: and if he chooses to go with\nyou, take him without ransom: but if it be his choice to stay with me, why\nshould I not keep him?  And Zeid being come, declared that he would stay with\nhis master, who treated him as if he were his only son.  Mohammed no sooner\nheard this, but he took Zeid by the hand, and led him to the black stone of\nthe Caaba, where he publicly adopted him for his son, and constituted him his\nheir, with which the father acquiesced, and returned home well satisfied.\nFrom this time Zeid was called the son of Mohammed, till the publication of\nIsl\u00e2m, after which the prophet gave him to wife Zeinab.2\n\tl  Namely, thy affection to Zeinab.  The whole intrigue is artfully\nenough unfolded in this passage.  The story is as follows:-\n\tSome years after his marriage, Mohammed, going to Zeid's house on some\naffair, and not finding him at home, accidentally cast his eyes on Zeinab, who\nwas then in a dress which discovered her beauty to advantage, and was so\nsmitten at the sight, that he could not forbear crying out, GOD be praised,\nwho turneth the hearts of men as he pleaseth!  This Zeinab failed not to\nacquaint her husband with on his return home; whereupon, Zeid, after mature\nreflection, thought he could do no less than part with his wife in favour of\nhis benefactor, and therefore resolved to divorce her, and acquainted Mohammed\nwith his resolution; but he, apprehending the scandal it might raise, offered\nto dissuade him from it, and endeavoured to stifle the flames which inwardly\nconsumed him; but at length, his love for her being authorized by this\nrevelation, he acquiesced, and after the term of her divorce was expired,\nmarried her in the latter end of the fifth year of the Hejra.3\n\tm  It is observed that this is the only person, of all Mohammed's\ncompanions, whose name is mentioned in the Kor\u00e2n.\n\tn  Whence Zeinab used to vaunt herself above the prophet's other wives,\nsaying that GOD had made the match between Mohammed and herself, whereas their\nmatches were made by their relations.4\n\to  For this feigned relation, as has been observed, created an\nimpediment of marriage among the old Arabs within the prohibited degrees, in\nthe same manner as if it had been real; and therefore Mohammed's marrying\nZeinab, who had been his adopted son's wife, occasioned great scandal among\nhis followers, which was much heightened by the Jews and hypocrites: but the\ncustom is here declared unreasonable, and abolished for the future.\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Al Jannabi.  Vide Gagnier, Vie de\nMoh. l. 4. c. 3.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi, al Jannabi, &c.\t\t4  Idem.\n\n\n     who brought the messages of GOD, and feared him, and feared none besides\nGOD: and GOD is a sufficient accountant.\n40\tMohammed is not the father of any man among you; but the apostle of GOD,\nand the seal of the prophets: and GOD knoweth all things.\n     O true believers, remember GOD with a frequent remembrance, and celebrate\nhis praise morning and evening.\n     It is he who is gracious unto you, and his angels intercede for you, that\nhe may lead you forth from darkness into light; and he is merciful towards the\ntrue believers.\n     Their salutation, on the day whereon they shall meet him, shall be,\nPeace! and he hath prepared for them an honourable recompense.\n     O prophet, verily we have sent thee to be a witness, and a bearer of good\ntidings, and a denouncer of threats,\n     and an inviter unto GOD, through his good pleasure, and a shining light.\n     Bear good tidings therefore unto the true believers, that they shall\nreceive great abundance from GOD.\n     And obey not the unbelievers, and the hypocrites, and mind not their evil\ntreatment: but trust in GOD; and GOD is a sufficient protector.\n     O true believers, when ye marry women who are believers, and afterwards\nput them away, before ye have touched them, there is no term prescribed you to\nfulfil towards themp after their divorce: but make them a present,q and\ndismiss them freely with an honourable dismission.\n     O prophet, we have allowed thee thy wives unto whom thou hast given their\ndower, and also the slaves which thy right hand possesseth, of the booty which\nGOD hath granted thee;r and the daughters of thy uncle, and the daughters of\nthy aunts, both on thy father's side, and on thy mother's side, who have fled\nwith thee from Mecca,s and any other believing woman, if she give herself unto\nthe prophet;t in case the prophet desireth to take her to wife.  This is a\npeculiar privilege granted unto thee above the rest of the true believers.u\n50\tWe know what we have ordained them concerning their wives, and the\nslaves which their right hands possess: lest it should be deemed a crime in\nthee to make use of the privilege granted thee; for GOD is gracious and\nmerciful.\n\n\tp  That is, Ye are not obliged to keep them any certain time before ye\ndismiss them, as ye are those with whom the marriage has been consummated.\nSee chap. 2, p. 24.\n\tq  i.e., If no dower has been assigned them: for if a dower has been\nassigned, the husband is obliged, according to the Sonna, to give the woman\nhalf the dower agreed on, besides a present.1  This is still to be understood\nof such women with whom the marriage has not been consummated.\n\tr  It is said, therefore, that the women slaves which he should buy are\nnot included in this grant.\n\ts  But not the others.  It is related of Omm H\u00e2ni, the daughter of Abu\nTaleb, that she should say, The apostle of GOD courted me for his wife, but I\nexcused myself to him, and he accepted of my excuse: afterwards this verse was\nrevealed; but he was not thereby allowed to marry me, because I fled not with\nhim.2\n\tIt may be observed that Dr. Prideaux is much mistaken when he asserts\nthat Mohammed, in this chapter, brings in GOD exempting him from the law in\nthe fourth chapter,3 whereby the Moslems are forbidden to marry within certain\ndegrees, and giving him an especial privilege to take to wife the daughter of\nhis brother, or the daughter of his sister.4\n\tt  Without demanding any dower.  According to a tradition of Ebn Abbas,\nthe prophet, however, married no woman without assigning her a dower.  The\ncommentators are not agreed who was the woman particularly meant in this\npassage; but they name four who are supposed to have thus given themselves to\nthe prophet, viz., Maim\u00fbna Bint al Hareth, Zeinab Bint Khozaima, Ghoz\u00eea Bint\nJ\u00e2ber, surnamed Omm Shoraic (which three he actually married), and Khawla Bint\nHakim, whom, as it seems, he rejected.\n\tu  For no Moslem can legally marry above four wives, whether free women\nor slaves; whereas Mohammed is, by the preceding passage, left at liberty to\ntake as many as he pleased, though with some restrictions.\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Page 56.\t\t4  See Prid. Life\nof Mahomet, p. 116.\n\n\n     Thou mayest postpone the turn of such of thy wives as thou shalt please,\nin being called to thy bed; and thou mayest take unto thee her whom thou shalt\nplease, and her whom thou shalt desire of those whom thou shalt have before\nrejected: and it shall be no crime in thee.x  This will be more easy, that\nthey may be entirely content, and may not be grieved, but may be well pleased\nwith what thou shalt give every of them: GOD knoweth whatever is in your\nhearts; and GOD is knowing and gracious.\n     It shall not be lawful for thee to take other women to wife hereafter,z\nnor to exchange any of thy wives for them,a although their beauty please thee;\nexcept the slaves whom thy right hand shall possess: and GOD observeth all\nthings.\n     O true believer, enter not the houses of the prophet, unless it be\npermitted you to eat meat with him, without waiting his convenient time; but\nwhen ye are invited, then enter.  And when ye shall have eaten, disperse\nyourselves; and stay not to enter into familiar discourse: for this\nincommodeth the prophet.  He is ashamed to bid you depart; but GOD is not\nashamed of the truth.  And when ye ask of the prophet's wives what ye may have\noccasion for, ask it of them from behind a curtain.b  This will be more pure\nfor your hearts and their hearts.  Neither is it fit for you to give any\nuneasiness to the apostle of GOD, or to marry his wives after him for ever:c\nfor this would be a grievous thing in the sight of GOD.\n     Whether ye divulge a thing or conceal it, verily GOD knoweth all things.\n\n\tx  By this passage some farther privileges were granted unto Mohammed;\nfor, whereas other men are obliged to carry themselves equally towards their\nwives,1 in case they had more than one, particularly as to the duties of the\nmarriage bed, to which each has a right to be called in her turn (which right\nwas acknowledged in the most early ages),2 and cannot take again a wife whom\nthey have divorced the third time, till she has been married to another and\ndivorced by him,3 the prophet was left absolutely at liberty to deal with them\nin these and other respects as he thought fit.\n\tz  The commentators differ as to the express meaning of these words.\nSome think Mohammed was thereby forbidden to take any more wives than nine,\nwhich number he then had, and is supposed to have been his stint, as four was\nthat of other men; some imagine that after this prohibition, though any of the\nwives he then had should die or be divorced, yet he could not marry another in\nher room: some think he was only forbidden from this time forward to marry any\nother woman than one of the four sorts mentioned in the preceding passage; and\nothers4 are of opinion that this verse is abrogated by the two preceding\nverses, or one of them, and was revealed before them, though it be read after\nthem.5\n\ta  By divorcing her and marrying another.  Al Zamakhshari tells us that\nsome are of opinion this prohibition is to be understood of a particular kind\nof exchange used among the idolatrous Arabs, whereby two men made a mutual\nexchange of their wives without any other formality.\n\tb  That is, let there be a curtain drawn between you, or let them be\nveiled while ye talk with them.  As the design of the former precept was to\nprevent the impertinence of troublesome visitors, the design of this was to\nguard against too near an intercourse or familiarity between his wives and his\nfollowers; and was occasioned, it is said, by the hand of one of his\ncompanions accidentally touching that of Ayesha, which gave the prophet some\nuneasiness.6\n\tc  i.e., Either such as he shall divorce in his lifetime, or his widows\nafter his death.  This was another privilege peculiar to the prophet.\n\tIt is related that, in the Khalifat of Omar, Ashath Ebn Kais married the\nwoman whom Mohammed had dismissed without consummating his marriage with her;7\nupon which the Khal\u00eef at first was thinking to stone her, but afterwards\nchanged his mind, on its being represented to him that this prohibition\nrelated only to such women to whom the prophet had gone in.8\n\n\t1  See Kor. c. 4, p. 53, &c.\t\t2  See Gen. xxx. 14, &c\t\t3  See\ncap. 2, p. 24.\t\t4  As Abu'l Kasem Hebatallah.\t\t5  Al Zamakh., al\nBeid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin, &c.\t\t6  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t7  See before, p.\n318, note t.\n8  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     It shall be no crime in them, as to their fathers, or their sons, or\ntheir brothers, or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their\nwomen, or the slaves which their right hands possess, if they speak to them\nunveiled:d and fear ye GOD;e for GOD is witness of all things.\n     Verily GOD and his angels bless the prophet.  O true believers, do ye\nalso bless him, and salute him with a respectful salutation.f\n     As to those who offend GOD and his apostle, GOD shall curse them in this\nworld and in the next; and he hath prepared for them a shameful punishment.\n     And they who shall injure the true believers of either sex, without their\ndeserving it, shall surely bear the guilt of calumny and a manifest\ninjustice.g\n     O prophet, speak unto thy wives, and thy daughters, and the wives of the\ntrue believers, that they cast their outer garmentsh over them when they walk\nabroad; this will be more proper, that they may be known to be matrons of\nreputation, and may not be affronted by unseemly words or actions.  GOD is\ngracious and merciful.\n60\tVerily if the hypocrites, and those in whose hearts is an infirmity, and\nthey who raise disturbances in Medina, do not desist, we will surely stir thee\nup against them, to chastise them: henceforth they shall not be suffered to\ndwell near thee therein, except for a little time,\n     and being accursed; wherever they are found they shall be taken, and\nkilled with a general slaughter,\n     according to the sentence of GOD concerning those who have been before;\nand thou shalt not find any change in the sentence of GOD.\n     Men will ask thee concerning the approach of the last hour; answer,\nVerily the knowledge thereof is with GOD alone; and he will not inform thee:\nperadventure the hour is nigh at hand.\n     Verily GOD hath cursed the infidels, and hath prepared for them a fierce\nfire,\n     wherein they shall remain forever: they shall find no patron or defender.\n     On the day whereon their faces shall be rolled in hell fire, they shall\nsay, Oh that we had obeyed GOD, and had obeyed his apostle!\n     And they shall say, O LORD, verily we have obeyed our lords, and our\ngreat men; and they have seduced us from the right way.\n     O LORD, give them the double of our punishment; and curse them with a\nheavy curse!\n     O true believers, be not as those who injured Moses; but GOD cleared him\nfrom the scandal which they had spoken concerning him;i and he was of great\nconsideration in the sight of GOD.k\n\n\td  See chapter 24, p. 264.\n\te  The words are directed to the prophet's wives.\n\tf  Hence the Mohammedans seldom mention his name without adding, On whom\nbe the blessing of GOD and peace! or the like words.\n\tg  This verse was revealed, according to some, on occasion of certain\nhypocrites who had slandered Ali; or, according to others, on occasion of\nthose who falsely accused Ayesha,9 &c.\n\th  The original word properly signifies the large wrappers, usually of\nwhite linen, with which the women in the east cover themselves from head to\nfoot when they go abroad.\n\ti  The commentators are not agreed what this injury was.  Some say that\nMoses using to wash himself apart, certain malicious people gave out that he\nhad a rupture (or, say others, that he was a leper, or an hermaphrodite), and\nfor that reason was ashamed to wash with them; but GOD cleared him from this\naspersion by causing the stone on which he had laid his clothes while he\nwashed to run away with them into the camp, whither Moses followed it naked;\nand by that means the Israelites, in the midst of whom he was gotten ere he\nwas aware, plainly perceived the falsehood of the report.  Others suppose\nKar\u00fbn's accusation of Moses is here intended,1 or else the suspicion of\nAaron's murder, which was cast on Moses because he was with him when he died\non Mount Hor; of which latter he was justified by the angels bringing his body\nand exposing it to public view, or, say some, by the testimony of Aaron\nhimself, who was raised to life for that purpose.2\n\tThe passage is said to have been occasioned by reflections which were\ncast on Mohammed, on his dividing certain spoils; and that when they came to\nhis ear, he said, GOD be merciful unto my brother Moses: he was wronged more\nthan this, and bore it with patience.3\n\tk  Some copies for inda read abda, according to which the words should\nbe translated, And he was an illustrious servant of GOD.1\n\n\t9  See cap. 24.\t\t1  See cap. 28, p. 295.\t\t2  Jallalo'ddin,\nal Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Al Bokhari.\n\n\n70\tO true believers, fear GOD, and speak words well directed:\n     that God may correct your works for you, and may forgive you your sins:\nand whoever shall obey GOD and his apostle shall enjoy great felicity.\n     We proposed the faith unto the heavens, and the earth, and the mountains:\nand they refused to undertake the same, and were afraid thereof; but man\nundertook it:l verily he was unjust to himself, and foolish;m\n     that GOD may punish the hypocritical men, and the hypocritical women, and\nthe idolaters, and the idolatresses; and that GOD may be turned unto the true\nbelievers, both men and women; for GOD is gracious and merciful.\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXIV.\n\nENTITLED, SABA;n REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     PRAISE be unto GOD, unto whom belongeth whatever is in the heavens and on\nearth: and unto him be praise in the world to come; for he is wise and\nintelligent.\n     He knoweth whatsoever entereth into the earth,o and whatsoever cometh out\nof the same,p and whatsoever descendeth from heaven,q and whatsoever ascendeth\nthereto:r and he is merciful and ready to forgive.\n     The unbelievers say, The hour of judgment will not come unto us.  Answer,\nYea, by my LORD, it will surely come unto you; it is he who knoweth the hidden\nsecret: the weight of an ant, either in heaven or in earth, is not absent from\nhim, nor anything lesser than this or greater, but the same is written in the\nperspicuous book of his decrees;\n\n\tl  By faith is here understood entire obedience to the law of GOD, which\nis represented to be of so high concern (no less than eternal happiness or\nmisery depending on the observance or neglect thereof), and so difficult in\nthe performance, that if GOD should propose the same on the conditions\nannexed, to the vaster parts of the creation, and they had understanding to\ncomprehend the offer, they would decline it, and not dare to take on them a\nduty, the failing wherein must be attended with so terrible a consequence; and\nyet man is said to have undertaken it, notwithstanding his weakness and the\ninfirmities of his nature.  Some imagine this proposal is not hypothetical,\nbut was actually made to the heavens, earth, and mountains, which at their\nfirst creation were endued with reason, and that GOD told them he had made a\nlaw, and had created paradise for the recompense of such as were obedient to\nit, and hell for the punishment of the disobedient; to which they answered\nthey were content to be obliged to perform the services for which they were\ncreated, but would not undertake to fulfil the divine law on those conditions,\nand therefore desired neither reward nor punishment; they add that when Adam\nwas created, the same offer was made to him, and he accepted it.4  The\ncommentators have other explications of this passage, which it would be too\nprolix to transcribe.\n\tm  Unjust to himself in not fulfilling his engagements and obeying the\nlaw he had accepted; and foolish in not considering the consequence of his\ndisobedience and neglect.\n\tn  Mention is made of the people of Saba in the fifteenth verse.\n\to  As the rain, hidden treasures, the dead, &c.\n\tp  As animals, plants, metals, spring-water, &c.\n\tq  As the angels, scriptures, decrees of GOD, rain, thunder and\nlightning, &c.\n\tr  As the angels, men's works, vapours, smoke, &c.5\n\n\t\t\t4  Jallalo'ddin, al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     that he may recompense those who shall have believed, and wrought\nrighteousness: they shall receive pardon, and an honourable provision.\n     But they who endeavor to render our signs of none effect shall receive a\npunishment of painful torment.\n     Those unto whom knowledge hath been given, see that the book which hath\nbeen revealed unto thee from thy LORD is the truth, and directeth into the\nglorious and laudable way.\n     The unbelievers say to one another, Shall we show you a man who shall\nprophesy unto you, that when ye shall have been dispersed with a total\ndispersion, ye shall be raised a new creature?\n     He hath forged a lie concerning GOD, or rather he is distracted.  But\nthey who believe not in the life to come shall fall into punishment and a wide\nerror.\n     Have they not therefore considered what is before them, and what is\nbehind them, of the heaven and the earth?  If we please, we will cause the\nearth to open and swallow them up, or will cause a piece of the heaven to fall\nupon them: verily herein is a sign unto every servant, who turneth unto God.\n10\tWe heretofore bestowed on David excellence from us: and we said, O\nmountains, sing alternate praises with him; and we obliged the birds also to\njoin therein.s  And we softened the iron for him, saying, Make thereof\ncomplete coats of mail,t and rightly dispose the small plates which compose\nthe same: and work ye righteousness, O family of David; for I see that which\nye do.\n     And we made the wind subject unto Solomon:u it blew in the morning for a\nmonth, and in the evening for a month.  And we made a fountain of molten brass\nto flow for him.x  And some of the genii were obliged to work in his presence,\nby the will of his LORD; and whoever of them turned aside from our command, we\nwill cause him to taste the pain of hell fire.y\n     They made for him whatever he pleased of palaces, and statues,z and large\ndishes like fishponds,a and caldrons standing firm on their trevets;b and we\nsaid, Work righteousness, O family of David, with thanksgiving; for few of my\nservants are thankful.\n\n\ts  See chapter 21, p. 247\n\tt  See ibid.\n\tu  See ibid. and chapter 27, p. 284.\n\tx  This fountain they say was in Yaman, and flowed three days in a\nmonth.1\n\ty  Or, as some expound the words, We caused him to taste the pain of\nburning; by which they understand the correction the disobedient genii\nreceived at the hands of the angel set over them, who whipped them with a whip\nof fire.\n\tz  Some suppose these were images of the angels and prophets, and that\nthe making of them was not then forbidden; or else that they were not such\nimages as were forbidden by the law.  Some say these spirits made him two\nlions, which were placed at the foot of his throne, and two eagles, which were\nset above it; and that when he mounted it the lions stretched out their paws,\nand when he sat down the eagles shaded him with their wings.2\n\ta  Being so monstrously large that a thousand men might eat out of each\nof them at once.\n\tb  These cauldrons, they say, were cut out of the mountains of Yaman,\nand were so vastly big that they could not be moved; and people went up to\nthem by steps.3\n\n\t\t1  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     And when we had decreed that Solomon should die, nothing discovered his\ndeath unto them, except the creeping thing of the earth, which gnawed his\nstaff.c  And when his body fell down, the genii plainly perceived that if they\nhad known that which is secret, they had not continued in a vile punishment.d\n     The descendants of Sabae had heretofore a sign in their dwelling; namely,\ntwo gardens on the right hand and on the left,f and it was said unto them, Eat\nye of the provision of your LORD, and give thanks unto him; ye have a good\ncountry, and a gracious LORD.\n     But they turned aside from what we had commanded them; wherefore we sent\nagainst them the inundation of al Arem,g and we changed their two gardens for\nthem into two gardens producing bitter fruit, and tamarisks,h and some little\nfruit of the lote-tree.\n     This we gave them in reward, because they were ungrateful: is any thus\nrewarded except the ungrateful?\n     And we placed between them and the cities which we have blessed,i cities\nsituated near each other; and we made the journey easy between them,k saying,\nTravel through the same by night and by day, in security.\n     But they said, O LORD, put a greater distance between our journeys:l and\nthey were unjust unto themselves; and we made them the subject of discourse,\nand dispersed them with a total dispersion.m  Verily, herein are signs unto\nevery patient, grateful person.\n\n\tc  The commentators, to explain this passage, tell us that David, having\nlaid the foundations of the temple of Jerusalem, which was to be in lieu of\nthe tabernacle of Moses, when he died, left it to be finished by his son\nSolomon, who employed the genii in the work: that Solomon, before the edifice\nwas quite completed, perceiving his end drew nigh, begged of GOD that his\ndeath might be concealed from the genii till they had entirely finished it;\nthat GOD therefore so ordered it, that Solomon died as he stood at his\nprayers, leaning on his staff, which supported the body in that posture a full\nyear; and the genii, supposing him to be alive, continued their work during\nthat term, at the expiration whereof the temple being perfectly completed, a\nworm, which had gotten into the staff, ate it through, and the corpse fell to\nthe ground and discovered the king's death.4\n\tPossibly this fable of the temple's being built by genii, and not by\nmen, might take its rise from what is mentioned in scripture, that the house\nwas built of stone made ready before it was brought thither; so that there was\nneither hammer, nor axe, nor any tool of iron heard in the house while it was\nbuilding;5 the Rabbins indeed, tell us of a worm, which might assist the\nworkmen, its virtue being such as to cause the rocks and stones to fly in\nsunder.6  Whether the worm which gnawed Solomon's staff were of the same breed\nwith this other, I know not; but the story has perfectly the air of a Jewish\ninvention.\n\td  i.e., They had not continued in servile subjection to the command of\nSolomon, nor had gone on with the work of the temple.\n\te  Saba was the son of Yashhab, the son of Y\u00e1rab, the son of Kaht\u00e2n,\nwhose posterity dwelt in Yaman, in the city of M\u00e2reb, called also Saba, about\nthree days' journey from Sanaa.\n\tf  That is, two tracts of land, one on this side of their city, and the\nother on that, planted with trees, and made into gardens, which lay so thick\nand close together, that each tract seemed to be one continued garden: or, it\nmay be, every house had a garden on each hand of it.1\n\tg  The commentators set down several significations of the word al Arem,\nwhich are scarce worth mentioning: it most properly signifies mounds or dams\nfor the stopping or containing of water, and is here used for that stupendous\nmound or building which formed the vast reservoir above the city of Saba,\ndescribed in another place,2 and which, for the great impiety, pride, and\ninsolence of the inhabitants, was broken down in the night by a mighty flood,\nand occasioned a terrible destruction.3  Al Beid\u00e2wi supposes this mound was\nthe work of queen Balk\u00ees, and that the above-mentioned catastrophe happened\nafter the time of Jesus Christ; wherein he seems to be mistaken.\n\th  A low shrub bearing no fruit, and delighting in saltish and barren\nground.\n\ti  viz., The cities of Syria.\n\tk  By reason of their near distance, so that during the whole journey a\ntraveller might rest in one town during the heat of the day, and in another at\nnight; nor was he obliged to carry provisions with him.4\n\tl  This petition they made out of covetousness, that the poor being\nobliged to be longer on the road, they might make greater advantages in\nletting out their cattle, and furnishing the travellers with provision: and\nGOD was pleased to punish them by granting them their wish, and permitting\nmost of the cities, which were between Saba and Syria, to be ruined and\nabandoned.5\n\tm  For the neighbouring nations justly wondered at so sudden and\nunforeseen a revolution in the affairs of this once flourishing people: whence\nit became a proverbial saying, to express a total dispersion, that they were\ngone and scattered like Saba.6\n\tOf the descendants of Saba, who quitted their country and sought new\nsettlements on this inundation, the tribe of Ghass\u00e2n went into Syria, the\ntribe of Anm\u00e2r to Yathreb, the tribe of Jodh\u00e2m to Teh\u00e2mah, the tribe of al Azd\nto Om\u00e2n,1 the tribe of Tay to Najd, the tribe of Khozaah to Batan Marr near\nMecca, Banu Amela to a mountain, thence called the Mountain of Amela, near\nDamascus, and others went to Hira in Ir\u00e2k,2 &c.\n\n\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t5  I Kings vi. 7.\t\t6  Vide\nKimhi, in loc. Buxt. Lex. Talm. p. 2456, et Schickardi Tarich reg. Pers. p.\n62.\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. I. p. 8.\n\t3  See ibid.\t\t4  Jallal., al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t5  Idem.\n\t6  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  Vide Gol. not. in Alfrag. p. 87\n\n\n     And Eblis found his opinion of them to be true:n and they followed him,\nexcept a party of the true believers:o\n20\tand he had no power over them, unless to tempt them, that we might know\nhim who believed in the life to come, from him who doubted thereof.  Thy LORD\nobserveth all things.\n     Say unto the idolaters, Call upon those whom ye imagine to be gods,\nbesides GOD: they are not masters of the weight of an ant in heaven or on\nearth, neither have they any share in the creation or government of the same;\nnor is any of them assistant to him therein.\n     No intercession will be of service in his presence, except the\nintercession of him to whom he shall grant permission to intercede for\nothers:p and they shall wait in suspense until, when the terror shall be taken\noff from their hearts,q they shall say to one another: What doth your LORD\nsay?  They shall answer, That which is just: and he is the high, the great\nGod.\n     Say, Who provideth food for you from heaven and earth?  Answer, GOD: and\neither we, or ye, follow the true direction, or are in a manifest error.\n     Say, Ye shall not be examined concerning what we shall have committed:\nneither shall we be examined concerning what ye shall have done.\n     Say, Our LORD will assemble us together at the last day: then he will\njudge between us with truth; and he is the judge, the knowing.\n     Say, Show me those whom ye have joined as partners with him?  Nay; rather\nhe is the mighty, the wise GOD.\n     We have not sent thee otherwise than unto mankind in general, a bearer of\ngood tidings, and a denouncer of threats; but the greater part of men do not\nunderstand.\n     And they say, When will this threat be fulfilled, if ye speak truth?\n     Answer, A threat is denounced unto you of a day which ye shall not retard\none hour, neither shall ye hasten.\n30\tThe unbelievers say, We will by no means believe in this Koran, nor in\nthat which hath been revealed before it.r  But if thou couldest see when the\nunjust doers shall be set before their LORD!  They will iterate discourse with\none another: those who were esteemed weak shall say unto those who behaved\nthemselves arrogantly,s Had it not been for you, verily we had been true\nbelievers.\n     They who behaved themselves arrogantly shall say unto those who were\nesteemed weak, Did we turn you aside from the true direction, after it had\ncome unto you?  On the contrary, ye acted wickedly of your own free choice.\n\n\tn  Either his opinion of the Sabeans, when he saw them addicted to pride\nand ingratitude, and the satisfying their lusts; or else the opinion he\nentertained of all mankind at the fall of Adam, or at his creation, when he\nheard the angels say, Wilt thou place in the earth one who will do evil\ntherein, and shed blood?3\n\to  Who were saved from the common destruction.\n\tp  See chapter 19, p. 232.\n\tq  i.e., From the hearts of the intercessors, and of those for whom GOD\nshall allow them to intercede, by the permission which he shall then grant\nthem; for no angel or prophet shall dare to speak at the last day without the\ndivine leave.\n\tr  It is said that the infidels of Mecca, having inquired of the Jews\nand Christians concerning the mission of Mohammed, were assured by them that\nthey found him described as the prophet who should come, both in the\nPentateuch and in the Gospel; at which they were very angry, and broke out\ninto the words here recorded.4\n\ts  See chapter 14, p. 187, note\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 42, 45, and 66.\n\t3  See cap. 2, p. 4; cap. 7, p. 106; and cap. 15, p. 192, &c.\n4  Al Beid\u00e2wi\n\n\n     And they who were esteemed weak shall say unto those who behaved with\narrogance, Nay, but the crafty plot which ye devised by night and by day,\noccasioned our ruin: when ye commanded us that we should not believe in GOD,\nand that we should set up other gods as equals unto him.  And they shall\nconceal their repentance,t after they shall have seen the punishment prepared\nfor them.  And we will put yokes on the necks of those who shall have\ndisbelieved: shall they be rewarded any otherwise than according to what they\nshall have wrought?\n     We have sent no warner unto any city, but the inhabitants thereof who\nlived in affluence said, Verily we believe not that with which ye are sent.\n     And those of Mecca also say, We abound in riches and children, more than\nye; and we shall not be punished hereafter.\n     Answer, Verily my LORD will bestow provision in abundance unto whom he\npleaseth, and will be sparing unto whom he pleaseth: but the greater part of\nmen know not this.\n     Neither your riches nor your children are the things which shall cause\nyou to draw nigh unto us with a near approach: only whoever believeth, and\nworketh righteousness, they shall receive a double reward for that which they\nshall have wrought: and they shall dwell in security, in the upper apartments\nof paradise.\n     But they who shall endeavor to render our signs of none effect shall be\ndelivered up to punishment.\n     Say, Verily my LORD will bestow provision in abundance unto whom he\npleaseth of his servants, and will be sparing unto whom he pleaseth: and\nwhatever thing ye shall give in alms, he will return it; and he is the best\nprovider of food.\n     On a certain day he shall gather them altogether: then shall he say unto\nthe angels, Did these worship you?\n40\tAnd the angels shall answer, GOD forbid! thou art our friend, and not\nthese: but they worshipped devils; the greater part of them believed in them.\n     On this day the one of you shall not be able either to profit or to hurt\nthe other.  And we will say unto those who have acted unjustly, Taste ye the\npain of hell fire, which ye rejected as a falsehood.\n     When our evident signs are read unto them, they say of thee, O Mohammed,\nThis is no other than a man who seeketh to turn you aside from the gods which\nyour fathers worshipped.  And they say of the Koran, This is no other than a\nlie blasphemously forged.  And the unbelievers say of the truth, when it is\ncome unto them, This is no other than manifest sorcery:\n     yet we have given them no books of scripture wherein to exercise\nthemselves, nor have we sent unto them any warner before thee.\n     They who were before them in like manner accused their prophets of\nimposture: but these have not arrived unto the tenth part of the riches and\nstrength which we had bestowed on the former: and they accused my apostles of\nimposture; and how severe was my vengeance!\n     Say, Verily I advise you unto one thing, namely, that ye stand before GOD\nby two and two, and singly;u and then consider seriously and you will find\nthat there is no madness in your companion Mohammed: he is no other than a\nwarner unto you, sent before a severe punishment.\n\n\tt  See chapter 10, p. 154, note y.\n\tu  i.e., That ye set yourselves to deliberate and judge of me and my\npretensions coolly and sincerely, as in the sight of GOD, without passion or\nprejudice.  The reason why they are ordered to consider either alone, or by\ntwo and two at most together, is because in larger assembles, where noise,\npassion, and prejudice generally prevail, men have not that freedom of\njudgment which they have in private.1\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     Say, I ask not of you any reward for my preaching;x it is your own,\neither to give or not:y my reward is to be expected from GOD alone; and he is\nwitness over all things.\n     Say, Verily my LORD sendeth down the truth to his prophets: he is the\nknower of secrets.\n     Say, Truth is come, and falsehood is vanished, and shall not return any\nmore.\n     Say, If I err, verily I shall err only against my own soul: but if I be\nrightly directed, it will be by that which my LORD revealeth unto me; for he\nis ready to hear, and nigh unto those who call upon him.\n50\tIf thou couldest see, when the unbelievers shall tremble,z and shall\nfind no refuge, and shall be taken from a near place,a\n     and shall say, We believe in him!  But how shall they receive the faith\nfrom a distant place:b\n     since they had before denied him, and reviled the mysteries of faith,\nfrom a distant place?\n     And a bar shall be placed between them and that which they shall desire;\n     as it hath been done with those who behaved like them heretofore: because\nthey have been in a doubt which hath caused scandal.\n\n\n________\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXV.\n\nENTITLED, THE CREATOR;c REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     PRAISE be unto GOD the Creator of heaven and earth; who maketh the angels\nhis messengers, furnished with two, and three, and four pair of wings:d GOD\nmaketh what addition he pleaseth unto his creatures; for GOD is almighty.\n     The mercy which GOD shall freely bestow on mankind, there is none who can\nwithhold; and what he shall withhold, there is none who can bestow, besides\nhim; and he is the mighty, the wise.\n     O men, remember the favor of GOD towards you: is there any creator,\nbesides GOD, who provideth food for you from heaven and earth?  There is no\nGOD but he: how therefore are ye turned aside from acknowledging his unity?\n\n\tx  Mohammed, having in the preceding words answered the imputation of\nmadness or vain enthusiasm, by appealing to their cooler thoughts of him and\nhis actions, endeavours by these to clear himself of the suspicion of any\nworldly view or interest, declaring that he desired no salary or support from\nthem for executing his commission, but expected his wages from GOD alone.\n\ty  See chapter 25, p. 275.\n\tz  viz., At their death, or the day of judgment, or the battle of Bedr.2\n\ta  That is, from the outside of the earth to the inside thereof; or,\nfrom before GOD'S tribunal to hell fire; or, from the plain of Bedr to the\nwell into which the dead bodies of the slain were thrown.3\n\tb  i.e., When they are in the other world; whereas faith is to be\nreceived in this.\n\tc  Some entitle this chapter The Angels: both words occur in the first\nverse.\n\td  That is, some angels have a greater and some a lesser number of\nwings, according to their different orders, the words not being designed to\nexpress the particular number.  Gabriel is said to have appeared to Mohammed,\non the night he made his journey to heaven, with no less than six hundred\nwings.4\n\n\t\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t4  Idem.\n\n\n     If they accuse thee of imposture, apostles before thee have also been\naccused of imposture: and unto GOD shall all things return.\n     O men, verily the promise of GOD is true: let not therefore the present\nlife deceive you, neither let the deceiver deceive you concerning GOD:\n     for Satan is an enemy unto you; wherefore hold him for an enemy: he only\ninviteth his confederates to be the inhabitants of hell.\n     For those who believe not there is prepared a severe torment:\n     but for those who shall believe and do that which is right, is prepared\nmercy and a great reward.\n     Shall he therefore for whom his evil work hath been prepared, and who\nimagineth it to be good, be as he who is rightly disposed, and discerneth the\ntruth?  Verily GOD will cause to err whom he pleaseth, and will direct whom he\npleaseth.  Let not thy soul therefore be spent in sighs for their sakes, on\naccount of their obstinacy; for GOD well knoweth that which they do.\n10\tIt is God who sendeth the winds, and raiseth a cloud; and we drive the\nsame unto a dead country, and thereby quicken the earth after it hath been\ndead; so shall the resurrection be.e\n     Whoever desireth excellence; unto GOD doth all excellence belong: unto\nhim ascendeth the good speech; and the righteous work will he exalt.  But as\nfor them who devise wicked plots,f they shall suffer a severe punishment; and\nthe device of those men shall be rendered vain.\n     GOD created you first of the dust, and afterwards of seed;g and he hath\nmade you man and wife.  No female conceiveth, or bringeth forth, but with his\nknowledge.  Nor is anything added unto the age of him whose life is prolonged,\nneither is anything diminished from his age, but the same is written in the\nbook of God's decrees.  Verily this is easy with GOD.\n     The two seas are not to be held in comparison: this is fresh and sweet,\npleasant to drink: but that is salt and bitter:h yet out of each of them ye\neat fish,i and take ornamentsk for you to wear.  Thou seest the ships also\nploughing the waves thereof, that ye may seek to enrich yourselves by\ncommerce, of the abundance of God: peradventure ye will be thankful.\n     He causeth the night to succeed the day, and he causeth the day to\nsucceed the night; and he obligeth the sun and the moon to perform their\nservices: each of them runneth an appointed course.  This is GOD, your LORD:\nhis is the kingdom.  But the idols which ye invoke besides him have not the\npower even over the skin of a date-stone:\n     if ye invoke them, they will not hear your calling; and although they\nshould hear, yet they would not answer you.  On the day of resurrection they\nshall disclaim your having associated them with God: and none shall declare\nunto thee the truth, like one who is well acquainted therewith.\n     O men, ye have need of GOD; but GOD is self-sufficient, and to be\npraised.\n     If he pleaseth, he can take you away, and produce a new creature in your\nstead:\n     neither will this be difficult with GOD.\n     A burdened soul shall not bear the burden of another: and if a heavy-\nburdened soul call on another to bear part of its burden, no part thereof\nshall be borne by the person who shall be called on, although he be ever so\nnearly related.  Thou shalt admonish those who fear their LORD in secret and\nare constant at prayer: and whoever cleanseth himself from the guilt of\ndisobedience, cleanseth himself to the advantage of his own soul; for all\nshall be assembled before GOD at the last day.\n\n\te  See chapter 29, p. 298, note\n\tf  As the Koreish did against Mohammed.  See chapter 8, p. 128, note n.\n\tg  See chapter 22, p. 250.\n\th  That is, the two collective bodies of salt water and fresh.  See\nchapter 25, p. 274\n\ti  See chapter 16, p. 196, note u.\n\tk  As pearls and coral.\n\n\n20\tThe blind and the seeing shall not be held equal; neither darkness and\nlight; nor the cool shade and the scorching wind:\n     neither shall the living and the dead be held equal.l  GOD shall cause\nhim to hear whom he pleaseth; but thou shalt not make those to hear who are in\ntheir graves.m  Thou art no other than a preacher:\n     verily we have sent thee with truth, a bearer of good tidings, and a\ndenouncer of threats.  There hath been no nation, but a preacher hath in past\ntimes been conversant among them:\n     if they charge thee with imposture, they who were before them likewise\ncharged their apostles with imposture.  Their apostles came unto them with\nevident miracles, and with divine writings,n and with the enlightening book:o\n     afterwards I chastised those who were unbelievers; and how severe was my\nvengeance!\n     Dost thou not see that GOD sendeth down rain from heaven, and that we\nthereby produce fruits of various colours?q  In the mountain also there are\nsome tracts white and red, of various colours;q and others are of a deep\nblack: and of men, and beasts, and cattle there are whose colours are in like\nmanner various.  Such only of his servants fear GOD as are endued with\nunderstanding: verily GOD is mighty and ready to forgive.\n     Verily they who read the book of GOD, and are constant at prayer, and\ngive alms out of what we have bestowed on them, both in secret and openly,\nhope for a merchandise which shall not perish:\n     that God may fully pay them their wages, and make them a superabundant\naddition of his liberality; for he is ready to forgive the faults of his\nservants, and to requite their endeavors.\n     That which we have revealed unto thee of the book of the Koran is the\ntruth, confirming the scriptures which were revealed before it: for GOD\nknoweth and regardeth his servants.\n     And we have given the book of the Koran in heritage unto such of our\nservants as we have chosen: of them there is one who injureth his own soul;r\nand there is another of them who keepeth the middle way;s and there is another\nof them who outstrippeth others in good works, by the permission of GOD.  This\nis the great excellence.\n30\tThey shall be introduced into gardens of perpetual abode; they shall be\nadorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearls, and their clothing therein\nshall be of silk:\n     and they shall say, Praise be unto GOD, who hath taken away sorrow from\nus! verily our LORD is ready to forgive the sinners, and to reward the\nobedient;\n\n\tl  This passage expresses the great difference between a true believer\nand an infidel, truth and vanity, and their future reward and punishment.\n\tm  i.e., Those who obstinately persist in their unbelief, who are\ncompared to the dead.\n\tn  As the volumes delivered to Abraham, and to other prophets before\nMoses.\n\to  viz., The law or the gospel.\n\tp  That is, of different kinds.  See chapter 16, p. 196.\n\tq  Being more or less intense.1\n\tr  By not practising what he is taught and commanded in the Kor\u00e2n.\n\ts  That is, who meaneth well, and performeth his duty for the most part,\nbut not perfectly\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     who hath caused us to take up our rest in a dwelling of eternal\nstability, through his bounty, wherein no labor shall touch us, neither shall\nany weariness affect us.\n     But for the unbelievers is prepared the fire of hell: it shall not be\ndecreed them to die a second time; neither shall any part of the punishment\nthereof be made lighter unto them.  Thus shall every infidel be rewarded.\n     And they shall cry out aloud in hell, saying, LORD, take us hence, and we\nwill work righteousness, and not what we have formerly wrought.  But it shall\nbe answered them, Did we not grant you lives of length sufficient, that\nwhoever would be warned might be warned therein; and did not the preachert\ncome unto you?\n     taste therefore the pains of hell.  And the unjust shall have no\nprotector.\n     Verily GOD knoweth the secrets both of heaven and earth, for he knoweth\nthe innermost parts of the breasts of men.\n     It is he who hath made you to succeed in the earth.  Whoever shall\ndisbelieve, on him be his unbelief; and their unbelief shall only gain the\nunbelievers greater indignation in the sight of their LORD; and their unbelief\nshall only increase the perdition of the unbelievers.\n     Say, What think ye of your deities which ye invoke besides GOD?  Show me\nwhat part of the earth they have created.  Or had they any share in the\ncreation of the heavens?  Have we given unto the idolaters any book of\nrevelations, so that they may rely on any proof therefrom to authorize their\npractice?  Nay; but the ungodly make unto one another only deceitful promises.\n     Verily GOD sustaineth the heavens and the earth, lest they fail: and if\nthey should fail, none could support the same besides him; he is gracious and\nmerciful.\n40\tThe Koreish swore by GOD, with a most solemn oath, that if a preacher\nhad come unto them, they would surely have been more willingly directed than\nany nation: but now a preacher is come unto them, it hath only increased in\nthem their aversion from the truth,\n     their arrogance in the earth, and their contriving of evil; but the\ncontrivance of evil shall only encompass the authors thereof.  Do they expect\nany other than the punishment awarded against the unbelievers of former times?\nFor thou shalt not find any change in the ordinance of GOD;\n     neither shalt thou find any variation in the ordinance of GOD.\n     Have they not gone through the earth, and seen what hath been the end of\nthose who were before them; although they were more mighty in strength than\nthey?  GOD is not to be frustrated by anything either in heaven or on earth;\nfor he is wise and powerful.\n     If GOD should punish men according to what they deserve, he would not\nleave on the back of the earth so much as a beast: but he respiteth them to a\ndetermined time;\n     and when their time shall come, verily GOD will regard his servants.\n\n\tt  viz., Mohammed.\n\n\n  CHAPTER XXXVI.\n\nENTITLED, Y. S.; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     Y. S.u  I SWEAR by the instructive Koran,\n     that thou art one of the messengers of God,\n     sent to show the right way.\n     This is a revelation of the most mighty, the merciful God:\n     that thou mayest warn a people whose fathers were not warned, and who\nlive in negligence.\n     Our sentencex hath justly been pronounced against the greater part of\nthem; wherefore they shall not believe.\n     We have put yokesy on their necks, which come up to their chins; and they\nare forced to hold up their heads;\n     and we have set a bar before them, and a bar behind them;z and we have\ncovered them with darkness; wherefore they shall not see.a\n     It shall be equal unto them whether thou preach unto them, or do not\npreach unto them; they shall not believe.\n10\tBut thou shalt preach with effect unto him only who followeth the\nadmonition of the Koran, and feareth the Merciful in secret.  Wherefore bear\ngood tidings unto him, of mercy, and an honourable reward.\n     Verily we will restore the dead to life, and will write down their works\nwhich they shall have sent before them, and their footsteps which they shall\nhave left behind them: b and everything do we set down in a plain register.\n     Propound unto them as an example the inhabitants of the city of Antioch,\nwhen the apostles of Jesus came thereto:c\n\n\tu  The meaning of these letters is unknown:1 some, however, from a\ntradition of Ebn Abbas, pretend they stand for Ya ins\u00e2n, i.e., O man.  This\nchapter, it is said, had several other titles given it by Mohammed himself,\nand particularly that of The heart of the Kor\u00e2n.  The Mohammedans read it to\ndying persons in their last agony.2\n\tx  viz., The sentence of damnation, which GOD pronounced against the\ngreater part of genii and men at the fall of Adam.3\n\ty  Or collars, such as are described p. 181, note t.\n\tz  That is, we have placed obstacles to prevent their looking either\nforwards or backwards.  The whole passage represents the blindness and\ninvincible obstinacy, with which GOD justly curses perverse and reprobate men.\n\ta  It is said that when the Koreish, in pursuance of a resolution they\nhad taken, had sent a select number to beset Mohammed's house, and to kill\nhim,4 the prophet, having caused Ali to lie down on his bed to deceive the\nassassins, went out and threw a handful of dust at them, repeating the nine\nfirst verses of this chapter, which end here; and they were thereupon stricken\nwith blindness, so that they could not see him.5\n\tb  As their good or evil example, doctrine, &c.\n\tc  To explain this passage, the commentators tell the following story:-\n\tThe people of Antioch being idolaters, Jesus sent two of his disciples\nthither to preach to them; and when they drew near the city they found Hab\u00eeb,\nsurnamed al Najj\u00e2r, or the carpenter, feeding sheep, and acqainted him with\ntheir errand; whereupon he asked them what proof they had of their veracity,\nand they told him they could cure the sick, and the blind, and the lepers; and\nto demonstrate the truth of what they said, they laid their hands on a child\nof his who was sick, and immediately restored him to health.  Hab\u00eeb was\nconvinced by this miracle, and believed; after which they went into the city\nand preached the worship of one true GOD, curing a great number of people of\nseveral infirmities; but at length, the affair coming to the prince's ear, he\nordered them to be imprisoned for endeavouring to seduce the people.  When\nJesus heard of this, he sent another of his disciples, generally supposed to\nhave been Simon Peter, who, coming to Antioch, and appearing as a zealous\nidolater, soon insinuated\n\n\t1  See the Prelim. Disc. Sec. III. p. 46, &c.\t\t2  Vide Bobov. De\nVisit. \u00c6grot. p. 17.\t\t3  See cap. 7, p. 106; c. II, p. 169, &c.\n\t4  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 39.\t\t5  Vide Abulf. Vit Moh. p. 50.\n\n\n     when we sent unto them two of the said apostles;d but they charged them\nwith imposture.  Wherefore we strengthened them with a third.e  And they said,\nVerily we are sent unto you by God.\n     The inhabitants answered, Ye are no other than men, as we are; ye only\npublish a lie.\n     The apostles replied, Our LORD knoweth that we are really sent unto you:\n     and our duty is only public preaching.\n     Those of Antioch said, Verily we presage evil from you: if ye desist not\nfrom preaching, we will surely stone you, and a painful punishment shall be\ninflicted on you by us.\n     The apostles answered, Your evil presage is with yourselves:f although ye\nbe warned, will ye persist in yours errors?  Verily ye are a people who\ntransgress exceedingly.\n     And a certain mang came hastily from the farther parts of the city, and\nsaid, O my people, follow the messengers of God;\n20\tfollow him who demandeth not any reward of you: for these are rightly\ndirected.\n     What reason have I that I should not worship him who hath created me? for\nunto him shall ye return.\n     Shall I take other gods besides him?  If the Merciful be pleased to\nafflict me, their intercession will not avail me at all, neither can they\ndeliver me:\n     then should I be in a manifest error.\n     Verily I believe in your LORD; wherefore hearken unto me.\n     But they stoned him: and as he died, it was said unto him, Enter thou\ninto paradise.  And he said, O that my people knew\n     how merciful GOD hath been unto me! for he hath highly honoured me.\n     And we sent not down against his people, after they had slain him, an\narmy from heaven, nor the other instruments of destruction which we sent down\non unbelievers in former days:h\n     there was only one cry of Gabriel from heaven, and behold, they became\nutterly extinct.\n     Oh the misery of men!  No apostle cometh unto them, but they laugh him to\nscorn.\n30\tDo they not consider how many generations we have destroyed before them?\n     Verily they shall not return unto them:\n     but all of them in general shall be assembled before us.\n\nhimself into the favour of the inhabitants and of their prince, and at length\ntook an opportunity to desire the prince would order the two persons who, as\nhe was informed, had been put in prison for broaching new opinions, to be\nbrought before him to be examined; and accordingly they were brought: when\nPeter, having previously warned them to take no notice that they knew him,\nasked them who sent them, to which they answered, GOD, who had created all\nthings, and had no companion.  He then required some convincing proof of their\nmission, upon which they restored a blind person to his sight and performed\nsome other miracles, with which Peter seemed not to be satisfied, for that,\naccording to some, he did the very same miracles himself, but declared that,\nif their GOD could enable them to raise the dead, he would believe them; which\ncondition the two apostles accepting, a lad was brought who had been dead\nseven days, and at their prayers he was raised to life; and thereupon Peter\nacknowledged himself convinced, and ran and demolished the idols, a great many\nof the people following him, and embracing the true faith; but those who\nbelieved not were destroyed by the cry of the angel Gabriel.1\n\td  Some say these two were John and Paul; but others name different\npersons.\n\te  viz., Simon Peter.\n\tf  i.e., If any evil befall you, it will be the consequence of your own\nobstinacy and unbelief.  See chapter 27, p. 287, note b.\n\tg  This was Hab\u00eeb al Najj\u00e2r, whose martyrdom is here described.  His\ntomb is still shown near Antioch, and is much visited by the Mohammedans.2\n\th  As a deluge, or a shower of stones, or a suffocating wind, &c.  The\nwords may also be translated, Nor did we determine to send down such\nexecutioners of our justice.\n\n\t1  Al Zamakh., al Beid\u00e2wi, &c.  Vide etiam Marracc. in Alc. p. 580.\n\t2  Vide Schultens, Indic. Geogr. ad calcem Vit\u00e6 Saladini, voce\nAntiochia.\n\n\n     One sign of the resurrection unto them is the dead earth:i we quicken the\nsame by the rain, and produce thereout various sorts of grain, of which they\neat.\n     And we make therein gardens of palm-trees, and vines; and we cause\nsprings to gush forth in the same:\n     that they may eat of the fruits thereof, and of the labor of their hands.\nWill they not therefore give thanks?\n     Praise be unto him who hath created all the different kinds, both of\nvegetables, which the earth bringeth forth, and of their own species, by\nforming the two sexes, and also the various sorts of things which they know\nnot.\n     The night also is a sign unto them: we withdraw the day from the same,\nand behold, they are covered with darkness:\n     and the sun hasteneth to his place of rest.k  This is the disposition of\nthe mighty, the wise God.\n     and for the moon have we appointed certain mansions,l until she change\nand return to be like the old branch of a palm-tree.m\n40\tIt is not expedient that the sun should overtake the moon in her course:\nneither doth the night outstrip the day: but each of these luminaries moving\nin a peculiar orbit.\n     It is a sign also unto them, that they carry their offspring in the ship\nfilled with merchandise;n\n     and that we have made for them other conveniences like unto it,o whereon\nthey ride.\n     If we please, we drown them, and there is none to help them; neither are\nthey delivered,\n     unless through our mercy, and that they may enjoy life for a season.\n     When it is said unto them, Fear that which is before you, and that which\nis behind you,p that ye may obtain mercy: they withdraw from thee:\n     and thou dost not bring them one sign, of the signs of their LORD, but\nthey turn aside from the same.\n     And when it is said unto them, Give alms of that which GOD hath bestowed\non you; the unbelievers say unto those who believe, by way of mockery, Shall\nwe feed him whom GOD can feed, if he pleaseth?q  Verily ye are in no other\nthan a manifest error.\n     And they say, When will this promise of the resurrection be fulfilled, if\nye speak truth?\n     They only wait for one sounding of the trumpet,r which shall overtake\nthem while they are disputing together;\n50\tand they shall not have time to make any disposition of their effects,\nneither shall they return to their family.\n     And the trumpet shall be sounded again;s and behold they shall come forth\nfrom their graves, and hasten unto their LORD.\n\n\ti  See cap. 29, p. 298, note y.\n\tk  That is, he hasteneth to run his daily course, the setting of the sun\nresembling a traveller's going to rest.  Some copies vary in this place, and\ninstead of limostakarrin laha, read la mostakarra laha; according to which the\nsentence should be rendered, The sun runneth his course without ceasing, and\nhath not a place of rest.\n\tl  viz., These are twenty-eight constellations, through one of which the\nmoon passes every night, thence called the mansions or houses of the moon.1\n\tm  For when a palm-branch grows old, it shrinks, and becomes crooked and\nyellow, not ill representing the appearance of the new moon.\n\tn  Some suppose that the deliverance of Noah and his companions in the\nark is here intended; and then the words should be translated, That we carried\ntheir progeny in the ark filled with living creatures.\n\to  As camels, which are the land-ships; or lesser vessels and boats.\n\tp  i.e., The punishment of this world and of the next.\n\tq  When the poor Moslems asked alms of the richer Koreish, they told\nthem that if GOD could provide for them, as they imagined, and did not, it was\nan argument that they deserved not his favour so well as themselves: whereas\nGOD permits some to be in want, to try the rich and exercise their charity.\n\tr  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 64, 65, and the notes to chapter\n39\n\ts  See ibid.\n\n\t\t\t\t1  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. I. p. 24.\n\n\n\n     They shall say, Alas for us! who hath awakened us from our bed?t  This is\nwhat the Merciful promised us; and his apostles spoke the truth.\n     It shall be but one sound of the trumpet, and behold, they shall be all\nassembled before us.\n     On this day no soul shall be unjustly treated in the least; neither shall\nye be rewarded, but according to what ye shall have wrought.\n     On this day the inhabitants of paradise shall be wholly taken up with\njoy:\n     they and their wives shall rest in shady groves, leaning on magnificent\ncouches.\n     There shall they have fruit, and they shall obtain whatever they shall\ndesire.\n     Peace shall be the word spoken unto the righteous, by a merciful LORD:\n     but he shall say unto the wicked, Be ye separated this day, O ye wicked,\nfrom the righteous.\n60\tDid I not command you, O sons of Adam, that ye should not worship Satan;\nbecause he was an open enemy unto you?\n     And did I not say, Worship me; this is the right way?\n     But now hath he seduced a great multitude of you: did ye not therefore\nunderstand?\n     This is hell, with which ye were threatened:\n     be ye cast into the same this day to be burned; for that ye have been\nunbelievers.\n     On this day we will seal up their mouths, that they shall not open them\nin their own defence; and their hands shall speak unto us, and their feet\nshall bear witness of that which they have committed.u\n     If we pleased we could put out their eyes, and they might run with\nemulation in the way they use to take; and how should they see their error?\n     And if we pleased we could transform them into other shapes, in their\nplaces when they should be found; and they should not be able to depart;\nneither should they repent.x\n     Unto whomsoever we grant a long life, him do we cause to bow down his\nbody through age.  Will they not therefore understand?\n     We have not taught Mohammed the art of poetry;y nor is it expedient for\nhim to be a poet.  This book is no other than an admonition from God, and a\nperspicuous Kor\u00e2n;\n70\tthat he may warn him who is living:z and the sentence of condemnation\nwill be justly executed on the unbelievers.\n     Do they not consider that we have created for them, among the things\nwhich our hands have wrought, cattle of several kinds, of which they are\npossessors;\n     and that we have put the same in subjection under them?  Some of them are\nfor their riding; and on some of them do they feed:\n     and they receive other advantages therefrom; and of their milk do they\ndrink.  Will they not, therefore, be thankful?\n     They have taken other gods, besides GOD, in hopes that they may be\nassisted by them;\n     but they are not able to give them any assistance: yet are they a party\nof troops ready to defend them.\n     Let not their speech, therefore, grieve thee: we know that which they\nprivately conceal, and that which they publicly discover.\n     Doth not man know that we have created him of seed? yet behold, he is an\nopen disputer against the resurrection;\n\n\tt  For they shall sleep during the interval between these two blasts of\nthe trumpet, and shall feel no pain.1\n\tu  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 69.\n\tx  That is, They deserve to be thus treated for their infidelity and\ndisobedience; but we bear with them out of mercy, and grant them respite.\n\ty  That is in answer to the infidels, who pretended the Kor\u00e2n was only a\npoetical composition.\n\tz  i.e., Endued with understanding; the stupid and careless being like\ndead persons.2\n\n\t\t\t\t1  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     and he propoundeth unto us a comparison, and forgetteth his creation.  He\nsaith, Who shall restore bones to life, when they are rotten?a\n     Answer, He shall restore them to life, who produced them the first time:\nfor he is skilled in every kind of creation:\n80\twho giveth you fire out of the green tree,b and behold, ye kindle your\nfuel from thence.\n     Is not he who hath created the heavens and the earth able to create new\ncreatures like unto them?  Yea certainly: for he is the wise Creator.\n     His command, when he willeth a thing, is only that he saith unto it, Be;\nand it is.\n     Wherefore praise be unto him, in whose hand is the kingdom of all things,\nand unto whom ye shall return at the last day.\n\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXVII.\n\nENTITLED, THOSE WHO RANK THEMSELVES IN ORDER;\nREVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     BY the angels who rank themselves in order;c\n     and by those who drive forward and dispel the clouds;d\n     and by those who read the Koran for an admonition;\n     verily your GOD is one:\n     the LORD of heaven and earth, and of whatever is between them, and the\nLORD of the east.e\n     We have adorned the lower heaven with the ornament of the stars:\n     and we have placed therein a guard against every rebellious devil;\n     that they may not listen to the discourse of the exalted princes (for\nthey are darted at from every side,\n     to repel them, and a lasting torment is prepared for them);\n10\texcept him who catcheth a word by stealth, and is pursued by a shining\nflame.f\n     Ask the Meccans, therefore, whether they be stronger by nature, or the\nangels, whom we have created?  We have surely created them of stiff clay.\n     Thou wonderest at God's power and their obstinacy; but they mock at the\narguments urged to convince them:\n\n\ta  See chapter 16, p. 195, note\n\tb  The usual way of striking fire in the east is by rubbing together two\npieces of wood, one of which is commonly of the tree called Markh, and the\nother of that called Af\u00e2r: and it will succeed even though the wood be green\nand wet.1\n\tc  Some understand by these words the souls of men who range themselves\nin obedience to GOD'S laws, and put away from them all infidelity and corrupt\ndoings; or the souls of those who rank themselves in battle array, to fight\nfor the true religion, and push on their horses to charge the infidels, &c.2\n\td  Or, who put in motion all bodies, in the upper and lower world,\naccording to the divine command; or, who keep off men from disobedience to\nGOD, by inspiring them with good thoughts and inclinations; or, who drive away\nthe devils from them, &c.3\n\te  The original word, being in the plural number, is supposed to signify\nthe different points of the horizon from whence the sun rises in the course of\nthe year, which are in number 360 (equal to the number of days in the old\ncivil year), and have as many corresponding points where it successively sets,\nduring that space.4  Marracci groundlessly imagines this interpretation to be\nbuilt on the error of the plurality of worlds.5\n\tf  See chapter 15, p. 192.\n\n\t1  Vide Hyde, de Rel. Vet. Pers. c. 25, p. 333, &c.\t\t2  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t4  Idem, Yahya.\n5  Marracc. in Alc. p. 589.\n\n\n     when they are warned, they do not take warning;\n     and when they see any sign, they scoff thereat,\n     and say, This is no other than manifest sorcery:\n     after we shall be dead, and become dust and bones, shall we really be\nraised to life,\n     and our forefathers also?\n     Answer, Yea: and ye shall then be despicable.\n     There shall be but one blast of the trumpet, and they shall see\nthemselves raised:\n20\tand they shall say, Alas for us! this is the day of judgment,\n     this is the day of distinction between the righteous and the wicked,\nwhich ye rejected as a falsehood.\n     Gather together those who have acted unjustly, and their comrades, and\nthe idols which they worshipped\n     besides GOD, and direct them in the way to hell;\n     and set them before God's tribunal; for they shall be called to account.\n     What aileth you that ye defend not one another?\n     But on this day they shall submit themselves to the judgment of God:\n     and they shall draw nigh unto one another, and shall dispute among\nthemselves.\n     And the seduced shall say unto those who seduced them, Verily ye came\nunto us with presages of prosperity;g\n     and the seducers shall answer, Nay, rather ye were not true believers:\nfor we had no power over you to compel you; but ye were people who voluntarily\ntransgressed:\n30\twherefore the sentence of our LORD hath been justly pronounced against\nus, and we shall surely taste his vengeance.\n     We seduced you; but we also erred ourselves.\n     They shall both therefore be made partakers of the same punishment on\nthat day.\n     Thus will we deal with the wicked:\n     because, when it is said unto them, There is no god besides the true GOD,\nthey swell with arrogance,\n     and say, Shall we abandon our gods for a distracted poet?\n     Nay: he cometh with the truth, and beareth witness to the former\napostles.\n     Ye shall surely taste the painful torment of hell;\n     and ye shall not be rewarded, but according to your works.\n     But as for the sincere servants of GOD,\n40\tthey shall have a certain provision in paradise,\n     namely, delicious fruits: and they shall be honoured:\n     they shall be placed in gardens of pleasure,\n     leaning on couches, opposite to one another:h\n     a cup shall be carried round unto them, filled from a limpid fountain,\n     for the delight of those who drink:\n     it shall not oppress the understanding, neither shall they be inebriated\ntherewith.\n     And near them shall lie the virgins of paradise, refraining their looks\nfrom beholding any besides their spouses, having large black eyes, and\nresembling the eggs of an ostrich covered with feathers from the dust.i\n     And they shall turn the one unto the other, and shall ask one another\nquestions.\n     And one of them shall say, Verily I had an intimate friend while I lived\nin the world,\n50\twho said unto me, Art thou one of those who assertest the truth of the\nresurrection?\n     After we shall be dead, and reduced to dust and bones, shall we surely be\njudged?\n     Then he shall say to his companions, Will ye look down?\n     And he shall look down, and shall see him in the midst of hell:\n     and he shall say unto him, By GOD, it wanted little but thou hadst drawn\nme into ruin:\n     and had it not been for the grace of my LORD, I had surely been one of\nthose who have been delivered up to eternal torment.\n\n\tg  Literally, from the right hand.  The words may also be rendered, with\nforce, to compel us; or with an oath, swearing that ye were in the right.\n\th  See chapter 15, p. 193, note\n\ti  This may seem an odd comparison to an European; but the orientals\nthink nothing comes so near the colour of a fine woman's skin as that of an\nostrich's egg when kept perfectly clean.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t31\n\n\n     Shall we die\n     any other than our first death; or do we suffer any punishment?\n     Verily this is great felicity:\n     for the obtaining a felicity like this let the laborers labor.\n60\tIs this a better entertainment, or the tree of al Zakkum?k\n     Verily we have designed the same for an occasion of dispute unto the\nunjust.l\n     It is a tree which issueth from the bottom of hell:\n     the fruit thereof resembleth the heads of devils;m\n     and the damned shall eat of the same, and shall fill their bellies\ntherewith;\n     and there shall be given them thereon a mixture of filthy and boiling\nwater to drink:\n     afterwards shall they return into hell.n\n     They found their fathers going astray,\n     and they trod hastily in their footsteps:\n     for the greater part of the ancients erred before them.\n70\tAnd we sent warners unto them heretofore:\n     and see how miserable was the end of those who were warned;\n     except the sincere servants of GOD.\n     Noah called on us in former days: and we heard him graciously:\n     and we delivered him and his family out of the great distress;\n     and we caused his offspring to be those who survived to people the earth:\n     and we left the following salutation to be bestowed on him by the latest\nposterity,\n     namely, Peace be on Noah among all creatures!\n     Thus do we reward the righteous;\n     for he was one of our servants the true believers.\n80\tAfterwards we drowned the others.\n     Abraham also was of his religion:o\n     when he came unto his LORD with a perfect heart.\n     When he said unto his father and his people, What do ye worship?\n     Do ye choose false gods preferably to the true GOD?\n     What therefore is your opinion of the LORD of all creatures?\n     And he looked and observed the stars,\n     and said, Verily I shall be sick,p and shall not assist at your\nsacrifices:\n     and they turned their backs and departed from him.q\n     And Abraham went privately to their gods, and said, scoffingly unto them,\nDo ye not eat of the meat which is set before you?\n90\tWhat aileth you that ye speak not?\n     And he turned upon them, and struck them with his right hand, and\ndemolished them.\n     And the people came hastily unto him:\n     and he said, Do ye worship the images which ye carve?\n     whereas GOD hath created you, and also that which ye make.\n     They said, Build a pile for him, and cast him into the glowing fire.\n     And they devised a plot against him; but we made them the inferior, and\ndelivered him.r\n     And Abraham said, Verily I am going unto my LORD,s who will direct me.\n     O LORD, grant me a righteous issue.\n     Wherefore we acquainted him that he should have a son, who should be a\nmeek youth.\n\n\tk  There is a thorny tree so called, which grows in Teh\u00e2ma, and bears\nfruit like an almond, but extremely bitter; and therefore the same name is\ngiven to this infernal tree.\n\tl  The infidels not conceiving how a tree could grow in hell, where the\nstones themselves serve for fuel.\n\tm  Or of serpents ugly to behold; the original word signifies both.\n\tn  Some suppose that the entertainment mentioned will be the welcome\ngiven the damned before they enter that place; and others, that they will be\nsuffered to come out of hell from time to time, to drink their scalding\nliquor.\n\to  For Noah and he agreed in the fundamental points both of faith and\npractice; though the space between them was no less than 2640 years.1\n\tp  He made as if he gathered so much from the aspect of the heavens-the\npeople being greatly addicted to the superstitions of astrology-and made it\nhis excuse for being absent from their festival, to which they had invited\nhim.\n\tq  Fearing he had some contagious distemper.2\n\tr  See chapter 21, p. 246, &c.\n\ts  Whither he hath commanded me.\n\n\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\n\n\n100\tAnd when he had attained to years of discretion,t and could join in acts\nof religion with him,\n     Abraham said unto him, O my son, verily I saw in a dream that I should\noffer thee in sacrifice:u consider therefore what thou art of opinion I should\ndo.\n     He answered, O my father, do what thou art commanded: thou shalt find me,\nif GOD please, a patient person.\n     And when they had submitted themselves to the divine will, and Abraham\nhad laid his son prostrate on his face,x\n     we cried unto him, O Abraham,\n     now hast thou verified the vision.  Thus do we reward the righteous.\n     Verily this was a manifest trial.\n     And we ransomed him with a noble victim.y\n     And we left the following salutation to be bestowed on him by the latest\nposterity,\n     namely, Peace be on Abraham!\n110\tThus do we reward the righteous:\n     for he was one of our faithful servants.\n     And we rejoiced him with the promise of Isaac:\n     and of their offspring were some righteous doers, and others who\nmanifestly injured their own souls.\n     We were also gracious unto Moses and Aaron, heretofore:\n     and we delivered them and their people from a great distress.\n     And we assisted them against the Egyptians; and they became the\nconquerors.\n     And we gave them the perspicuous book of the law,\n     and we directed them into the right way,\n     and we left the following salutation to be bestowed on them by the latest\nposterity,\n120\tnamely, Peace be on Moses and Aaron!\n     Thus do we reward the righteous;\n     for they were two of our faithful servants.\n     And Eliasz was also one of those who were sent by us.\n\n\tt  He was then thirteen years old.3\n\tu  The commentators say, that Abraham was ordered in a vision, which he\nsaw on the eighth night of the month Dhu'lhajja, to sacrifice his son; and to\nassure him that this was not from the devil, as he was inclined to suspect,\nthe same vision was repeated a second time the next night, when he knew it to\nbe from GOD, and also a third time the night following, when he resolved to\nobey it, and to sacrifice his son; and hence some think the eighth, ninth, and\ntenth days of Dhu'lhajja are called Yawm altarwiya, yawm ar afat, and yawm\nalnehr, that is, the day of the vision, the day of knowledge, and the day of\nthe sacrifice.\n\tIt is the most received opinion among the Mohammedans that the son whom\nAbraham offered was Ismael, and not Isaac, Ismael being his only son at that\ntime: for the promise of Isaac's birth is mentioned lower, as subsequent in\ntime to this transaction.  They also allege the testimony of their prophet,\nwho is reported to have said, I am the son of the two who were offered in\nsacrifice; meaning his great ancestor, Ismael, and his own father Abd'allah:\nfor Abd'almotalleb had made a vow that if GOD would permit him to find out and\nopen the well Zemzem, and should give him ten sons, he would sacrifice one of\nthem.  Accordingly, when he had obtained his desire in both respects, he cast\nlots on his sons, and the lot falling on Abd'allah, he redeemed him by\noffering a hundred camels, which was therefore ordered to be the price of a\nman's blood in the Sonna.1\n\tx  The commentators add, that Abraham went so far as to draw the knife\nwith all his strength across the lad's throat, but was miraculously hindered\nfrom hurting him.2\n\ty  The epithet of great or noble is here added, either because it was\nlarge and fat, or because it was accepted as the ransom of a prophet.  Some\nsuppose this victim was a ram, and, if we may believe a common tradition, the\nvery same which Abel sacrificed, having been brought to Abraham out of\nparadise; others fancy it was a wild goat, which came down from Mount Thab\u00eer,\nnear Mecca, for the Mohammedans lay the scene of this transaction in the\nvalley of Mina; as a proof of which they tell us that the horns of the victim\nwere hung upon the spout of the Caaba, where they remained till they were\nburnt, together with that building, in the days of Abda'llah Ebn Zobeir;3\nthough others assure us that they had been before taken down by Mohammed\nhimself, to remove all occasion of idolatry.4\n\tz  This prophet the Mohammedans generally suppose to be the same with al\nKhedr, and confound him with Phineas,5 and sometimes with Edris, or Enoch.\nSome say he was the son of Yasin, and nearly related to Aaron; and others\nsuppose him to have been a different person.  He was sent to the inhabitants\nof Baalbec, in Syria, the Heliopolis of the Greeks, to reclaim them from the\nworship of their idol Baal, or the sun, whose name makes part of that of the\ncity, which was anciently called Becc.6\n\n\t3  Idem.\t\t1  Idem, Jallalo'ddin, al Zamakh.\t\t2  Idem,\nJallalo'ddin.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t4  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art.\nIsmail.\t\t5  See cap. 18, p. 223, note\t\t6  Jallalo'ddin, al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     When he said unto his people, Do ye not fear God?\n     Do ye invoke Baal, and forsake the most excellent Creator?\n     GOD is your LORD, and the LORD of your forefathers.\n     But they accused him of imposture: wherefore they shall be delivered up\nto eternal punishment;\n     except the sincere servants of GOD.\n     And we left the following salutation to be bestowed on him by the latest\nposterity,\n130\tnamely, Peace be on Ily\u00e2sin!a\n     Thus do we reward the righteous:\n     for he was one of our faithful servants.\n     And Lot was also one of those who were sent by us.\n     When we delivered him and his whole family,\n     except an old woman, his wife, who perished, among those that remained\nbehind:\n     afterwards we destroyed the others.b\n     And ye, O people of Mecca, pass by the places where they once dwelt, as\nye journey in the morning,\n     and by night; will ye not therefore understand?\n     Jonas was also one of those who were sent by us.c\n140\tWhen he fledd into the loaded ship;\n     and those who were on board cast lots among themselves,e and he was\ncondemned:f\n     and the fish swallowed him;g for he was worthy of reprehension.\n     And if he had not been one those who praised GOD,h\n     verily he had remained in the belly thereof until the day of\nresurrection.\n     And we cast him on the naked shore, and he was sick:i\n     and we caused a plant of a gourdk to grow up over him;\n     and we went him to an hundred thousand persons, or they were a greater\nnumber,\n     and they believed: wherefore we granted them to enjoy this life for a\nseason.\n     Inquire of the Meccans whether thy LORD hath daughters, and they sons?l\n150\tHave we created the angels of the female sex? and were they witnesses\nthereof?\n\n\ta  The commentators do not well know what to make of this word.  Some\nthink it is the plural of Elias, or, as the Arabs write it, Ily\u00e2s, and that\nboth that prophet and his followers, or those who resembled him, are meant\nthereby; others divide the word, and read \u00e2l Yas\u00een, i.e., the family of Yasin,\nwho was the father of Elias according to an opinion mentioned above; and\nothers imagine it signifies Mohammed, or the Kor\u00e2n, or some other book of\nscripture.  But the most probable conjecture is that Ily\u00e2s and Ily\u00e2sin are the\nsame name, or design one and the same person, as Sinai and Sinin denote one\nand the same mountain; the last syllable being added here, to keep up the\nrhyme or cadence, at the close of the verse.\n\tb  See chapter 7, p. 113, &c., and chapter 11, p. 166, &c.\n\tc  See chapter 10, p. 157.\n\td  See chapter 21, p. 248.\n\te  Al Beid\u00e2wi says the ship stood stock-still, wherefore they concluded\nthat they had a fugitive servant on board, and cast lots to find him out.\n\tf  i.e., He was taken by the lot.\n\tg  When the lot fell on Jonas he cried out, I am the fugitive; and\nimmediately threw himself into the sea.7\n\th  The words seem to relate particularly to Jonas's supplication while\nin the whale's belly.8\n\ti  By reason of what he had suffered; his body becoming like that of a\nnew-born child.9  It is said that the fish, after it had swallowed Jonas, swam\nafter the ship with its head above water, that the prophet might breathe, who\ncontinued to praise GOD till the fish came to land and vomited him out.\n\tThe opinions of the Mohammedan writers as to the time Jonas continued in\nthe fish's belly differ very much: some suppose it was part of a day, others\nthree days, others seven, others twenty, and others forty.10\n\tk  The original word signifies a plant which spreads itself upon the\nground, having no erect stalk or stem to support it, and particularly a gourd;\nthough some imagine Jonas's plant to have been a fig, and others the small\ntree or shrub called Mauz,1 which bears very large leaves, and excellent\nfruit.2  The commentators add, that this plant withered the next morning, and\nthat Jonas being much concerned at it, GOD made a remonstrance to him in\nbehalf of the Ninivites, agreeable to what is recorded in scripture.\n\tl  See chapter 16, p. 199.\n\n\t7  Idem.\t\t8  See cap. 21, p. 248.\t\t9  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\t10  Idem.\t\t1  Idem.\n2  Vide J Leon. Descr. Afric. lib. 9.  Gab. Sionit. de Urb. Orient. ad calcem\nGeogr. Nub. p. 32, et Hottinger. Hist. Orient. p. 78, &c.\n\n\n     Do they not say of their own false invention,\n     GOD hath begotten issue? and are they not really liars?\n     Hath he chosen daughters preferably to sons?\n     Ye have no reason to judge thus.\n     Will ye therefore not be admonished?\n     Or have ye a manifest proof of what ye say?\n     Produce now your book of revelations, if ye speak truth.\n     And they make him to be of kin unto the genii;m whereas the genii know\nthat they who affirm such things shall be delivered up to eternal punishment;\n     (far be that from GOD, which they affirm of him!)\n160\texcept the sincere servants of GOD.\n     Moreover ye and that which ye worship\n     shall not seduce any concerning God,\n     except him who is destined to be burned in hell.\n     There is none of us but hath an appointed place:\n     we range ourselves in order, attending the commands of God;\n     and we celebrate the divine praise.n\n     The infidels said,\n     If we had been favored with a book of divine revelations, of those which\nwere delivered to the ancients,\n     we had surely been sincere servants of GOD:\n170\tyet now the Koran is revealed, they believe not therein; but hereafter\nshall they know the consequence of their unbelief.\n     Our word hath formerly been given unto our servants the apostles;\n     that they shall certainly be assisted against the infidels,\n     and that our armies should surely be the conquerors.\n     Turn aside therefore from them, for a season:\n     and see the calamities which shall afflict them; for they shall see thy\nfuture success and prosperity.\n     Do they therefore seek to hasten our vengeance?\n     Verily when it shall descend into their courts, an evil morning shall it\nbe unto those who were warned in vain.\n     Turn aside from them therefore for a season,\n     and see: hereafter shall they see thy success and their punishment.\n180\tPraise be unto thy LORD, the LORD who is far exalted above what they\naffirm of him!\n     And peace be on his apostles!\n     And praise be unto GOD, the LORD of all creatures!\n\n\tm  That is, the angels, who are also comprehended under the name of\ngenii, being a species of them.  Some say that the infidels went so far as to\nassert that GOD and the devil were brothers,3 which blasphemous expression may\nhave been occasioned by the magian notions.\n\tn  These words are supposed to be spoken by the angels, disclaiming the\nworship paid to them by the idolaters, and declaring that they have each their\nstation and office appointed them by GOD, whose commands they are at all times\nready to execute, and whose praises they continually sing.  There are some\nexpositors, however, who think they are the words of Mohammed and his\nfollowers; the meaning being, that each of them has a place destined for him\nin paradise, and that they are the men who range themselves in order before\nGOD, to worship and pray to him, and who celebrate his praise by rejecting\nevery false notion derogatory to the divine wisdom and power.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXVIII.\n\nENTITLED, S.; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     S.o   BY the Kor\u00e2n full of admonition.p  Verily the unbelievers are\naddicted to pride and contention.\n     How many generations have we destroyed before them; and they cried for\nmercy, but it was not a time to escape.\n     They wonder that a warner from among themselves hath come unto them.  And\nthe unbelievers said, This man is a sorcerer, and a liar:\n     doth he affirm the gods to be but one GOD.  Surely this is a wonderful\nthing.\n\n\to  The meaning of this letter is unknown:1 some guess it stands for\nSidk, i.e., Truth; or for Sadaka, i.e., He (viz., Mohammed) speaketh the\ntruth; and others propose different conjectures, all equally uncertain.\n\tp  Something must be understood to answer this oath, which the\ncommentators variously supply.\n\n\t\t\t\t1  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c.\n\n\n     And the chief men among them departed,q saying to one another, Go, and\npersevere in the worship of your gods: verily this is the thing which is\ndesigned.r\n     We have not heard anything like this in the last religion:s this is no\nother than a false contrivance.\n     Hath an admonition been sent unto him preferable to any other among us?\nVerily they are in a doubt concerning my admonition: but they have not yet\ntasted my vengeance.\n     Are the treasures of the mercy of thy LORD, the mighty, the munificent\nGod, in their hands?\n     Is the kingdom of the heavens, and the earth, and of whatever is between\nthem, in their possession?  If it be so, let them ascend by steps unto heaven.\n10\tBut any army of the confederates shall even here be put to flight.\n     The people of Noah, and the tribe of Ad, and Pharaoh the contriver of the\nstakes,t\n     and the tribe of Thamud, and the people of Lot, and the inhabitants of\nthe wood near Madian,u accused the prophets of imposture before them; these\nwere the confederates against the messengers of God.\n     All of them did no other than accuse their apostles of falsehood:\nwherefore my vengeance hath been justly executed upon them.\n     And these wait only for one sounding of the trumpet; which there shall be\nno deferring.\n     And they scoffingly say, O LORD, hasten our sentence unto us, before the\nday of account.\n     Do thou patiently bear that which they utter: and remind them of our\nservant David, endued with strength;x for he was one who seriously turned\nhimself unto God.\n     We compelled the mountains to celebrate our praise with him, in the\nevening and at sunrise,\n     and also the birds, which gathered themselves together unto him:y all of\nthem returned frequently unto him for this purpose.\n     And we established his kingdom, and gave him wisdom and eloquence of\nspeech.\n20\tHath the story of the two adversariesz come to thy knowledge; when they\nascended over the wall into the upper apartment,\n\n\tq  On the conversion of Omar, the Koreish being greatly irritated, the\nmost considerable of them went in a body to Abu Taleb, to complain to him of\nhis nephew Mohammed's proceedings; but being confounded and put to silence by\nthe prophet's arguments, they left the assembly, and encouraged one another in\ntheir obstinacy.2\n\tr  Namely, to draw us from their worship.\n\ts  i.e., In the religion which we received from our fathers; or, in the\nreligion of Jesus, which was the last before the mission of Mohammed.3\n\tt  For they say Pharaoh used to tie those he had a mind to punish by the\nhands and feet to four stakes fixed in the ground, and so tormented them.4\nSome interpret the words, which may also be translated the lord or master of\nthe stakes, figuratively, of the firm establishment of Pharaoh's kingdom;\nbecause the Arabs fix their tents with stakes;5 but they may possibly intend\nthat prince's obstinacy and hardness of heart.\n\tu  See chapter 15, p. 194.\n\tx  The commentators suppose that ability to undergo the frequent\npractice of religious exercises is here meant.  They say David used to fast\nevery other day, and to spend one-half of the night in prayer.1\n\ty  See chapter 21, p. 247.\n\tz  These were two angels, who came unto David in the shape of men, to\ndemand judgment in the feigned controversy after mentioned.  It is no other\nthan Nathan's parable to David,2 a little disguised.\n\n\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t4  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t5  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\t\t1  Idem. interp.\t\t2  2 Sam. xii.\n\n\n     when they went in unto David, and he was afraid of them.a  They said,\nFear not: we are two adversaries who have a controversy to be decided.  The\none of us hath wronged the other: wherefore judge between us with truth, and\nbe not unjust; and direct us into the even way.\n     This my brother had ninety and nine sheep: and I had only one ewe: and he\nsaid, Give her me to keep; and he prevailed against me in the discourse which\nwe had together.\n     David answered, Verily he hath wronged thee in demanding thine ewe as an\naddition to his own sheep: and many of them who are concerned together in\nbusiness wrong one another, except those who believe and do that which is\nright; but how few are they!  And David perceived that we had tried him by\nthis parable, and he asked pardon of his LORD: and he fell down and bowed\nhimself, and repented.b\n     Wherefore we forgave him this fault; and he shall be admitted to approach\nnear unto us, and shall have an excellent place of abode in paradise.\n     O David, verily we have appointed thee a sovereign prince in the earth:\njudge therefore between men with truth; and follow not thy own lust, lest it\ncause thee to err from the way of GOD: for those who err from the way of GOD\nshall suffer a severe punishment, because they have forgotten the day of\naccount.\n     We have not created the heavens and the earth, and whatever is between\nthem, in vain.c  This is the opinion of the unbelievers: but woe unto those\nwho believe not, because of the fire of hell.\n     Shall we deal with those who believe and do good works, as with those who\nact corruptly in the earth?  Shall we deal with the pious as with the wicked?\n     A blessed book have we sent down unto thee, O Mohammed, that they may\nattentively meditate on the signs thereof, and that men of understanding may\nbe warned.\n     And we gave unto David Solomon; how excellent a servant! for he\nfrequently turned himself unto God.\n30\tWhen the horses standing on three feet, and touching the ground with the\nedge of the fourth foot, and swift in the course, were set in parade before\nhim in the evening,d\n     he said, Verily I have loved the love of earthly good above the\nremembrance of my LORD: and have spent the time in viewing these horses, until\nthe sun is hidden by the veil of night;\n     bring the horses back unto me.  And when they were brought back, he began\nto cut off their legs and their necks.\n\n\ta  Because they came suddenly upon him, on a day of privacy: when the\ndoors were guarded, and no person admitted to disturb his devotions.  For\nDavid, they say, divided his time regularly, setting apart one day for the\nservice of GOD, another day for rendering justice to his people, another day\nfor preaching to them, and another day for his own affairs.3\n\tb  The crime of which David had been guilty, was the taking the wife of\nUriah, and ordering her husband to be set in the front of the battle to be\nslain.4\n\tSome suppose this story was told to serve as an admonition to Mohammed,\nwho, it seems, was apt to covet what was another's.\n\tc  So as to permit injustice to go unpunished, and righteousness\nunrewarded.\n\td  Some say that Solomon brought these horses, being a thousand in\nnumber, from Damascus and Nisibis, which cities he had taken; others say that\nthey were left him by his father, who took them from the Amalekites; while\nothers, who prefer the marvellous, pretend that they came up out of the sea,\nand had wings.  However, Solomon, having one day a mind to view these horses,\nordered them to be brought before him, and was so taken up with them that he\nspent the remainder of the day, till after sunset, in looking on them; by\nwhich means he neglected the prayer, which ought to have been said at that\ntime, till it was too late; but when he perceived his omission, he was so\ngreatly concerned at it, that ordering the horses to be brought back, he\nkilled them all as an offering to GOD, except only a hundred of the best of\nthem.  But GOD made him ample amends for the loss of these horses, by giving\nhim dominion over the winds.5\n\n\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t4  Idem.\t\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi, al\nZamakh., Yahya.\n\n\n     We also tried Solomon, and placed on his throne a counterfeit body:e\nafterwards he turned unto God,\n     and said, O LORD, forgive me, and give me a kingdom which may not be\nobtained by any after me;f for thou art the giver of kingdoms.\n     And we made the wind subject to him; it ran gently at his command,\nwhithersoever we directed.\n     And we also put the devils in subjection under him; and among them such\nas were every way skilled in building, and in diving for pearls:g\n     and others we delivered to him bound in chains,\n     saying, This is our gift: therefore be bounteous, or be sparing unto whom\nthou shalt think fit,h without rendering an account.\n     And he shall approach near unto us, and shall have an excellent abode in\nparadise.\n40\tAnd remember our servant Job,i when he cried unto his LORD, saying,\nVerily Satan hath afflicted me with calamity and pain.\n     And it was said unto him, Strike the earth with thy foot; which when he\nhad done, a fountaink sprang up, and it was said to him, This is for thee to\nwash in, to refresh thee, and to drink.\n     And we restored unto him his family, and as many more with them, through\nour mercy; and for an admonition unto those who are endued with understanding.\n     And we said unto him, Take a handful of rodsl in thy hand, and strike thy\nwife therewith;m and break not thine oath.n  Verily we found him a patient\nperson:\n     how excellent a servant was he! for he was one who frequently turned\nhimself unto us.\n     Remember also our servants Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, who were men\nstrenuous and prudent.\n\n\te  The most received exposition of this passage is taken from the\nfollowing Talmudic fable.1\n\tSolomon, having taken Sidon, and slain the king of that city, brought\naway his daughter Jer\u00e2da, who became his favourite; and because she ceased not\nto lament her father's loss, he ordered the devils to make an image of him for\nher consolation: which being done, and placed in her chamber, she and her\nmaids worshipped it morning and evening, according to their custom.  At length\nSolomon being informed of this idolatry, which was practised under his roof,\nby his vizir As\u00e2f, he broke the image, and having chastised the woman, went\nout into the desert, where he wept and made supplications to GOD; who did not\nthink fit, however, to let his negligence pass without some correction.  It\nwas Solomon's custom, while he eased or washed himself, to entrust his signet,\non which his kingdom depended, with a concubine of his named Am\u00eena: one day,\ntherefore, when she had the ring in her custody, a devil, named Sakhar, came\nto her in the shape of Solomon, and received the ring from her; by virtue of\nwhich he became possessed of the kingdom, and sat on the throne in the shape\nwhich he had borrowed, making what alterations in the law he pleased.\nSolomon, in the meantime, being changed in his outward appearance, and known\nto none of his subjects, was obliged to wander about, and beg alms for his\nsubsistence; till at length, after the space of forty days, which was the time\nthe image had been worshipped in his house, the devil flew away, and threw the\nsignet into the sea: the signet was immediately swallowed by a fish, which\nbeing taken and given to Solomon, he found the ring in its belly, and having\nby this means recovered the kingdom, took Sakhar, and tying a great stone to\nhis neck, threw him into the lake of Tiberias.2\n\tf  i.e., That I may surpass all future princes in magnificence and\npower.\n\tg  See chapter 21, p. 247; chapter 27, p. 284, &c.\n\th  Some suppose these words to relate to the genii, and that Solomon is\nthereby empowered to release or to keep in chains such of them as he pleased.\n\ti  See chapter 21, p. 247.\n\tk  Some say there were two springs, one of hot water, wherein he bathed;\nand the other of cold, of which he drank.3\n\tl  The original not expressing what this handful was to consist of, one\nsupposes it was to be only a handful of dry grass or of rushes, and another\nthat it was a branch of a palm-tree.4\n\tm  The commentators are not agreed what fault Job's wife had committed\nto deserve this chastisement: we have mentioned one opinion already.5  Some\nthink it was only because she stayed too long on an errand.\n\tn  For he had sworn to give her a hundred stripes if he recovered.\n\n\t1  Vide Talm. En Jacob, part ii. et Yalkut in lib. Reg. p. 182.\n\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin, Abulfeda.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n4  See the notes to cap. 21, p. 247.\t\t5  See ibid.\n\n\n     Verily we purified them with a perfect purification, through the\nremembrance of the life to come;o\n     and they were in our sight, elect and good men.\n     And remember Ismael, and Elisha,p and Dhu'lkefl:q for all these were good\nmen.\n     This is an admonition.  Verily the pious shall have an excellent place to\nreturn unto,\n50\tnamely, gardens of perpetual abode, the gates whereof shall stand open\nunto them.\n     As they lie down therein, they shall there ask for many sorts of fruits,\nand for drink;\n     and near them shall sit the virgins of paradise, refraining their looks\nfrom beholding any besides their spouses, and of equal age with them.r\n     This is what ye are promised, at the day of account.\n     This is our provision, which shall not fail.\n     This shall be the reward of the righteous.  But for the transgressors is\nprepared an evil receptacle,\n     namely, hell: they shall be cast into the same to be burned, and a\nwretched couch shall it be.\n     This let them taste, to wit, scalding water, and corruption flowing from\nthe bodies of the damned,\n     and divers other things of the same kind.\n     And it shall be said to the seducers, This troop which was guided by you\nshall be thrown, together with you, headlong into hell: they shall not be\nbidden welcome: for they shall enter the fire to be burned.\n60\tAnd the seduced shall say to their seducers, Verily ye shall not be\nbidden welcome: ye have brought it upon us; and a wretched abode is hell.\n     They shall say, O LORD, doubly increase the torment of him who hath\nbrought this punishment upon us, in the fire of hell.\n     And the infidels shall say, Why do we not see the men whom we numbered\namong the wicked,\n     and whom we received with scorn?  Or do our eyes miss them?\n     Verily this is a truth; to wit, the disputing of the inhabitants of hell\nfire.\n     Say, O Mohammed, unto the idolaters, Verily I am no other than a warner:\nand there is no god, except the one only GOD, the Almighty,\n     the LORD of heaven and earth, and of whatsoever is between them; the\nmighty, the forgiver of sins.\n     Say, it is a weighty message,\n     from which ye turn aside.\n     I had no knowledge of the exalted princes,s when they disputed concerning\nthe creation of man:\n70\t(it hath been revealed unto me only as a proof that I am a public\npreacher:)\n     when thy LORD said unto the angels, Verily I am about to create man of\nclay:\n     when I shall have formed him, therefore, and shall have breathed my\nspirit into him, do ye fall down and worship him.t\n     And all the angels worshipped him, in general,\n     except Eblis, who was puffed up with pride, and became an unbeliever.\n     God said unto him, O Eblis, what hindereth thee from worshipping that\nwhich I have created with my hands?\n     Art thou elated with vain pride?  Or art thou really one of exalted\nmerit?\n     He answered, I am more excellent than he: thou hast created me of fire,\nand thou hast created him of clay.\n\n\to  Or, as the words may be interpreted, according to al Zamakhshari, We\nhave purified them, or peculiarly destined and fitted them for paradise.\n\tp  See chapter 6, p. 96.\n\tq  See chapter 21, p. 248.  Al Beid\u00e2wi here takes notice of another\ntradition concerning this prophet, viz., that he entertained and took care of\na hundred Israelites, who fled to him from certain slaughter, from which\naction he probably had the name of Dhu'lkefl given him, the primary\nsignification of the verb cafala being to maintain or take care of another.\nIf a conjecture might be founded on this tradition, I should fancy the person\nintended was Obadiah, the governor of Ahab's house.6\n\tr  i.e., About thirty or thirty-three.1\n\ts  That is, the angels.\n\tt  See chapter 2, p. 4.\n\n\t\t6  See I Kings xviii. 4.\t\t1  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect.\nIV. p. 77.\n\n\n     God said unto him, Get thee hence therefore; for thou shalt be driven\naway from mercy;\n     and my curse shall be upon thee, until the day of judgment.\n80\tHe replied, O LORD, respite me, therefore, until the day of\nresurrection.\n     God said, Verily thou shalt be one of those who are respited\n     until the day of the determined time.\n     Eblis said, By thy might do I swear, I will surely seduce them all,\n     except thy servants who shall be peculiarly chosen from among them.\n     God said, It is a just sentence; and I speak the truth: I will surely\nfill hell with thee, and with such of them as shall follow thee, altogether.u\n     Say unto the Meccans, I ask not of you any reward for this my preaching:\nneither am I one of those who assume a part which belongs not to them.\n     The Koran is no other than an admonition unto all creatures:\n     and ye shall surely know what is delivered therein to be true, after a\nseason.\n\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXIX.\n\nENTITLED, THE TROOPS;x REVEALED AT MECCA.y\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     THE revelation of this book is from the mighty, the wise GOD.\n     Verily we have revealed this book unto thee with truth: wherefore serve\nGOD, exhibiting the pure religion unto him.\n     Ought not the pure religion to be exhibited unto GOD?\n     But as to those who take other patrons besides him, saying, We worship\nthem only that they may bring us nearer unto GOD; verily GOD will judge\nbetween them concerning that wherein they disagree.\n     Surely GOD will not direct him who is a liar, or ungrateful.\n     If GOD had been minded to have had a son, he had surely chosen what he\npleased out of that which he hath created.z  But far be such a thing from him!\nHe is the sole, the almighty God.\n     He hath created the heavens and the earth with truth: he causeth the\nnight to succeed the day, and he causeth the day to succeed the night, and he\nobligeth the sun and the moon to perform their services; each of them\nhastening to an appointed period.  Is not he the mighty, the forgiver of sins?\n     He created you of one man, and afterwards out of him formed his wife: and\nhe hath bestoweda on you four pair of cattle.b  He formeth you in the wombs of\nyour mothers, by several gradual formations,c within three veils of darkness.d\nThis is GOD, your LORD: his is the kingdom: there is no GOD but he.  Why\ntherefore are ye turned aside from the worship of him to idolatry?\n\n\tu  See chapter 7, p. 106, and chapter 15, p. 192, &c.\n\tx  This title is taken from the latter end of the chapter, where it is\nsaid the wicked shall be sent to hell, and the righteous admitted into\nparadise by troops.\n\ty  Except the verse beginning, Say, O my servants, who have transgressed\nagainst your own souls, &c.1\n\tz  Because, says Al Beid\u00e2wi, there is no being besides himself but what\nhath been created by him, since there cannot be two necessarily-existent\nbeings; and hence appears the absurdity of the imagination here condemned,\nbecause no creature can resemble the Creator, or be worthy to bear the\nrelation of a son to him.\n\ta  Literally, He hath sent down; from which expression some have\nimagined that these four kinds of beasts were created in paradise, and thence\nsent down to earth.2\n\tb  See chapter 6, p. 102.\n\tc  See chapter 22, p. 250.\n\td  i.e., The belly, the womb, and the membranes which enclose the\nembryo.\n\n\t\t\t1  Jallalo'ddin, al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Al Zamakh.\n\n\n     If ye be ungrateful, verily GOD hath no need of you; yet he liketh not\ningratitude in his servants: but if ye be thankful, he will be well pleased\nwith you.  A burdened soul shall not bear the burden of another; hereafter\nshall ye return unto your LORD, and he shall declare unto you that which ye\nhave wrought, and will reward you accordingly;\n10\tfor he knoweth the innermost parts of your breasts.\n     When harm befalleth a man, he calleth upon his LORD, and turneth unto\nhim: yet afterwards, when God hath bestowed on him favor from himself, he\nforgetteth that Being which he invoked before,e and setteth up equals unto\nGOD, that he may seduce men from his way.  Say unto such a man, Enjoy this\nlife in thy infidelity for a little while; but hereafter shalt thou surely be\none of the inhabitants of hell fire.\n     Shall he who giveth himself up to prayer in the hours of the night,\nprostrate, and standing, and who taketh heed as to the life to come, and\nhopeth for the mercy of his LORD, be dealt with as the wicked unbeliever?\nSay, Shall they who know their duty and they who know it not, be held equal?\nVerily the men of understanding only will be warned.\n     Say, O my servants who believe, fear your LORD.  They who do good in this\nworld shall obtain good in the next;f and GOD'S earth is spacious:g verily\nthose who persevere with patience shall receive their recompense without\nmeasure.\n     Say, I am commanded to worship GOD, and to exhibit the pure religion unto\nhim: and I am commanded to be the first Moslem.h\n     Say, Verily I fear, if I be disobedient unto my LORD, the punishment of\nthe great day.\n     Say, I worship GOD, exhibiting my religion pure unto him;\n     but do ye worship that which ye will, besides him.  Say, Verily they will\nbe the losers, who shall lose their own souls, and their families, on the day\nof resurrection: is not this manifest loss?\n     Over them shall be roofs of fire, and under them shall be floors of fire.\nWith this doth GOD terrify his servants: wherefore, oh my servants, fear him.\n     But those who eschew the worship of idols, and are turned unto GOD, shall\nreceive good tidings.  Bear good tidings therefore unto my servants, who\nhearken unto my word, and follow that which is most excellent therein: these\nare they whom GOD directeth, and these are men of understanding.\n20\tHim, therefore, on whom the sentence of eternal punishment shall be\njustly pronounced, canst thou, O Mohammed, deliver him who is destined to\ndwell in the fire of hell?\n     But for those who fear their LORD will be prepared high apartments in\nparadise, over which shall be other apartments built; and rivers shall run\nbeneath them: this is the promise of GOD; and GOD will not be contrary to the\npromise.\n     Dost thou not see that GOD sendeth down water from heaven, and causeth\nthe same to enter and form sources in the earth; and produceth thereby corn of\nvarious sorts?  Afterwards he causeth the same to wither; and thou seest it\nbecome yellow: afterwards he maketh it crumble into dust.  Verily, herein is\nan instruction to men of understanding.\n\n\te  Or, He forgetteth the evil which he before prayed against.\n\tf  Or, They who do good, shall obtain good even in this world.\n\tg  Wherefore let him who cannot safely exercise his religion where he\nwas born or resides, fly to a place of liberty and security.1\n\th  i.e., The first of the Koreish who professeth the true religion, or\nthe leader in chief of the Moslems.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi\n\n\n     Shall he, therefore, whose breast GOD hath enlarged to receive the\nreligion of Islam, and who followeth the light from his LORD, be as he whose\nheart is hardened?  But woe unto those whose hearts are hardened against the\nremembrance of GOD! they are in a manifest error.\n     GOD hath revealed a most excellent discourse; a book conformable to\nitself, and containing repeated admonitions.  The skins of those who fear\ntheir LORD shrink for fear thereat; afterwards their skins grow soft, and\ntheir hearts also, at the remembrance of their LORD.  This is the direction of\nGOD: he will direct thereby whom he pleaseth; and whomsoever GOD shall cause\nto err, he shall have no director.\n     Shall he therefore who shall be obliged to screen himself with his face\nfrom the severity of the punishment on the day of resurrection, be as he who\nis secure therefrom?  And it shall be said unto the ungodly, Taste that which\nye have deserved.\n     Those who were before them accused their apostles of imposture; wherefore\na punishment came upon them from whence they expected it not:\n     and GOD caused them to take shame in this present life; but the\npunishment of the life to come will certainly be greater.  If they were men of\nunderstanding, they would know this.\n     Now have we proposed unto mankind, in this Koran, every kind of parable;\nthat they may be warned:\n     an Arabic Koran, wherein there is no crookedness; that they may fear God.\n30\tGOD propoundeth as a parable a man who hath several companions which are\nat mutual variance, and a man who committeth himself wholly to one person:l\nshall these be held in equal comparison?  GOD forbid!  But the greater part of\nthem do not understand.\n     Verily thou, O Mohammed, shalt die, and they also shall die:\n     and ye shall debate the matterm with one another before your LORD, at the\nday of resurrection.\n     Who is more unjust than he who uttereth a lie concerning GOD, and denieth\nthe truth when it cometh unto him?  Is there not a dwelling provided in hell\nfor the unbelievers?\n     But he who bringeth the truth, and giveth credit thereto,n these are they\nwho fear God;\n     they shall obtain whatever they shall desire, in the sight of their LORD:\nthis shall be the recompense of the righteous;\n     that GOD may expiate from them the very worst of that which they have\nwrought, and may render them their reward according to the utmost merit of the\ngood which they have wrought.\n\n\n\ti  For his hands shall be chained to his neck, and he shall not be able\nto oppose anything but his face to the fire.1\n\tk  i.e., No contradiction, defect, or doubt.\n\tl  This passage represents the uncertainty of the idolater, who is\ndistracted in the service of different masters; and the satisfaction of mind\nwhich attends the worshipper of the only true GOD.2\n\tm  For the prophet will represent his endeavours to reclaim them from\nidolatry, and their obstinacy; and they will make frivolous excuses, as that\nthey obeyed their chiefs, and kept to the religion of their fathers, &c.3\n\tn  i.e., Mohammed and his followers.  Some suppose that by the latter\nwords Abu Becr is particularly intended, because he asserted the prophet's\nveracity in respect to his journey to heaven.\n\n\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\n\n\n     Is not GOD a sufficient protector of his servant? yet they will attempt\nto make thee afraid of the false deities which they worship besides GOD.o  But\nhe whom GOD shall cause to err, shall have none to direct him:\n     and he whom GOD shall direct, shall have none to mislead him.  Is not GOD\nmost mighty, able to avenge?\n     If thou ask them who hath created the heavens and the earth, they will\nsurely answer, GOD.  Say, Do ye think, therefore, that the deities which ye\ninvoke besides GOD, if GOD be pleased to afflict me, are able to relieve me\nfrom his affliction? or if he be pleased to show mercy unto me, that they are\nable to withhold his mercy?  Say, GOD is my sufficient support: in him let\nthose put their trust, who seek in whom to confide.\n40\tSay, O my people, do ye act according to your state; verily I will act\naccording to mine: hereafter shall ye know\n     on which of us will be inflicted a punishment that shall cover him with\nshame, and on whom a lasting punishment shall fall.\n     Verily we have revealed unto thee the book of the Koran, for the\ninstruction of mankind, with truth.  Whoso shall be directed thereby shall be\ndirected to the advantage of his own soul; and whoso shall err, shall only err\nagainst the same: and thou art not a guardian over them.\n     GOD taketh unto himself the souls of men at the time of their death; and\nthose which die not he also taketh in their sleep:p and he withholdeth those\non which he hath passed the decree of death,q but sendeth back the others till\na determined period.r  Verily herein are signs unto the people who consider.\n     Have the Koreish taken idols for their intercessors with God?  Say, What,\nalthough they have not dominion over anything, neither do they understand?\n     Say, Intercession is altogether in the disposal of GOD:s his is the\nkingdom of heaven and earth; and hereafter shall ye return unto him.\n     When the one sole GOD is mentioned, the hearts of those who believe not\nin the life to come, shrink with horror: but when the false gods, which are\nworshipped besides him, are mentioned, behold they are filled with joy.\n     Say, O GOD, the creator of heaven and earth, who knowest that which is\nsecret, and that which is manifest; thou shalt judge between thy servants\nconcerning that wherein they disagree.\n     If those who act unjustly were masters of whatever is in the earth, and\nas much more therewith, verily they would give it to ransom themselves from\nthe evil of the punishment, on the day of resurrection: and there shall appear\nunto them, from GOD, terrors which they never imagined;\n     and there shall appear unto them the evils of that which they shall have\ngained; and that which they mocked at shall encompass them.\n\n\to  The Koreish used to tell Mohammed that they feared their gods would\ndo him some mischief, and deprive him of the use of his limbs, or of his\nreason, because he spoke disgracefully of them.  It is thought by some that\nthis passage was verified in Kh\u00e2led Ebn al Wal\u00eed; who, being sent by Mohammed\nto demolish the idol al Uzza, was advised by the keeper of her temple to take\nheed what he did, because the goddess was able to avenge herself severely; but\nhe was so little moved at the man's warning, that he immediately stepped up to\nthe idol, and broke her nose.  To support the latter explication, they say\nthat what happened to Kh\u00e2led is attributed to Mohammed, because the former was\nthen executing the prophet's orders.1  A circumstance not much different from\nthe above mentioned is told of the demolition of Allat.2\n\tp  That is, seemingly and to outward appearance, sleep being the image\nof death.\n\tq  Not permitting them to return again into their bodies.\n\tr  viz., Into their bodies, when they awake.3\n\ts  For none can or dare presume to intercede with him, unless by his\npermission.\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Vide Gagnier, not. in Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 127.\n\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n50\tWhen harm befalleth man, he calleth upon us; yet afterwards, when we\nhave bestowed on him favor from us, he saith, I have received it merely\nbecause of God's knowledge of my deserts.t  On the contrary, it is a trial;\nbut the greater part of them know it not.\n     Those who were before them said the same:u but that which they had\ngained, profited them not:\n     and the evils which they had deserved, fell upon them.  And whoever of\nthese Meccans shall have acted unjustly, on them likewise shall fall the evils\nwhich they shall have deserved;x neither shall they frustrate the divine\nvengeance.\n     Do they not know that GOD bestoweth provision abundantly on whom he\npleaseth, and is sparing unto whom he pleaseth?  Verily herein are signs unto\npeople who believe.\n     Say, O my servants who have transgressed against your own souls, despair\nnot of the mercy of GOD: seeing that GOD forgiveth all sins,y for he is\ngracious and merciful.\n     And be turned unto your LORD, and resign yourselves unto him, before the\nthreatened punishment overtake you; for then ye shall not be helped.\n     And follow the most excellent instructions which have been sent down unto\nyou from your LORD, before the punishment come suddenly upon you, and ye\nperceive not the approach thereof;\n     and a soul say, Alas! for that I have been negligent in my duty to GOD;\nverily I have been one of the scorners:\n     or say, If GOD had directed me, verily I had been one of the pious:\n     or say, when it seeth the prepared punishment, If I could return once\nmore into the world, I would become one of the righteous.\n60\tBut God shall answer, My signs came unto thee heretofore, and thou didst\ncharge them with falsehood, and wast puffed up with pride; and thou becamest\none of the unbelievers.\n     On the day of resurrection, thou shalt see the faces of those who have\nuttered lies concerning GOD, become black: is there not an abode prepared in\nhell for the arrogant?\n     But GOD shall deliver those who shall fear him, and shall set them in\ntheir place of safety: evil shall not touch them, neither shall they be\ngrieved.\n     GOD is the creator of all things, and he is the governor of all things.\nHis are the keys of heaven and earth: and they who believe not in the signs of\nGOD, they shall perish.\n     Say, Do ye therefore bid me to worship other than GOD, oh ye fools?\n     since it hath been spoken by revelation unto thee, and also unto the\nprophets who have been before thee, saying, Verily if thou join any partners\nwith God, thy work will be altogether unprofitable, and thou shalt certainly\nbe one of those who perish:\n     wherefore rather fear GOD, and be one of those who give thanks.\n     But they make not a due estimation of GOD:z since the whole earth shall\nbe but his handful, on the day of resurrection; and the heavens shall be\nrolled together in his right hand.  Praise be unto him! and far be he exalted\nabove the idols which they associate with him!\n\n\tt  Or by means of my own wisdom.\n\tu  As did Kar\u00fbn in particular.1\n\tx  As it happened accordingly: for they were punished with a sore famine\nfor seven years and had the bravest of their warriors cut off at the battle of\nBedr.2\n\ty  To those who sincerely repent and profess his unity: for the sins of\nidolaters will not be forgiven.3\n\tz  See chapter 6, p. 97, note a.\n\n\t\t1  See cap. 28, p. 295.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  See p.\n10, note h.\n\n\n     the trumpet shall be sounded,a and whoever are in heaven, and whoever are\non earth, shall expire; except those whom GOD shall please to exempt from the\ncommon fate.b  Afterwards it shall be sounded again; and behold, they shall\narise and look up.\n     And the earth shall shine by the light of its LORD: and the book shall be\nlaid open,c and the prophets and the martyrs shall be brought as witnesses;\nand judgment shall be given between them with truth, and they shall not be\ntreated unjustly.\n70\tAnd every soul shall be fully rewarded, according to that which it shall\nhave wrought; for he perfectly knoweth whatever they do.\n     And the unbelievers shall be driven unto hell by troops, until, when they\nshall arrive at the same, the gates thereof shall be opened: and the keepers\nthereofd shall say unto them, Did not apostles from among you come unto you,\nwho rehearsed unto you the signs of your LORD, and warned you of the meeting\nof this your day?  They shall answer, Yea: but the sentence of eternal\npunishment hath been justly pronounced on the unbelievers.e\n     It shall be said unto them, Enter ye the gates of hell, to dwell therein\nforever; and miserable shall be the abode of the proud!\n     But those who shall have feared their LORD shall be conducted by troops\ntowards paradise, until they shall arrive at the same: and the gates thereof\nshall be ready set open; and the guards thereof shall say unto them, Peace be\non you! ye have been good: wherefore enter ye into paradise, to remain therein\nforever.\n     And they shall answer, Praise be unto GOD, who hath performed his promise\nunto us, and hath made us to inherit the earth,f that we may dwell in paradise\nwherever we please!  How excellent is the reward of those who work\nrighteousness!\n     And thou shalt see the angels going in procession round the throne,\ncelebrating the praises of their LORD: and judgment shall be given between\nthem with truth; and they shall say, Praise be unto GOD, the LORD of all\ncreatures!\n\n\ta  The first time, says Al Beid\u00e2wi; who consequently supposes there will\nbe no more than two blasts (and two only are distinctly mentioned in the\nKor\u00e2n), though others suppose there will be three.1\n\tb  These, some say, will be the angels Gabriel, Michael, and Israfil,\nand the angel of death, who yet will afterwards all die, at the command of\nGOD;2 it being the constant opinion of the Mohammedan doctors, that every\nsoul, both of men and of animals, which live either on land or in the sea, and\nof the angels also, must necessarily taste of death:3 others suppose those who\nwill be exempted are the angels who bear the throne of GOD,4 or the black-eyed\ndamsels, and other inhabitants of paradise.5\n\tThe space between these two blasts of the trumpet will be forty days,\naccording to Yahya and others; there are some, however, who suppose it will be\nas many years.6\n\tc  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 68.\n\td  See chapter 74, and the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 72.\n\te  See chapter 7, p. 106; chapter 11, p. 169, &c.  It seems as if the\ndamned, by these words, attributed their ruin to GOD'S decree of\npredestination.\n\tf  This is a metaphorical expression, representing the perfect security\nand abundance which the blessed will enjoy in paradise.\n\n\t1  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 65.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Yahya.\n\t3  Vide Pocock. not. in Port. Mosis. p. 266.\n4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t5  Jallalo'ddin\t\t6  See the Prelim. Disc. ubi\nsup.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XL.\n\nENTITLED, THE TRUE BELIEVER;g REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     H. M.h  THE revelation of this book is from the mighty, the wise GOD;\n     the forgiver of sin and the accepter of repentance; severe in punishing;\n     long suffering.  There is no GOD but he: before him shall be the general\nassembly at the last day.\n     None disputeth against the signs of GOD, except the unbelievers: but let\nnot their prosperous dealing in the landi deceive thee with vain allurement.\n     The people of Noah, and the confederated infidels which were after them,\naccused their respective prophets of imposture before these; and each nation\nhatched ill designs against their apostle, that they might get him into their\npower; and they disputed with vain reasoning, that they might thereby\ninvalidate the truth: wherefore I chastised them; and how severe was my\npunishment!\n     Thus hath the sentence of thy LORD justly passed on the unbelievers; and\nthey shall be the inhabitants of hell fire.\n     The angels who bear the throne of God, and those who stand about it,k\ncelebrate the praise of their LORD, and believe in him; and they ask pardon\nfor the true believers, saying, O LORD, thou encompassest all things by thy\nmercy and knowledge; wherefore forgive those who repent, and follow thy path,\nand deliver them from the pains of hell:\n     O LORD, lead them also into gardens of eternal abode, which thou hast\npromised unto them, and unto every one who shall do right, of their fathers,\nand their wives, and their children; for thou art the mighty, the wise God.\n     And deliver them from evil; for whomsoever thou shalt deliver from evil\non that day, on him wilt thou show mercy; and this will be great salvation.\n10\tBut the infidels at the day of judgment, shall hear a voice crying unto\nthem, Verily the hatred of GOD towards you is more grievous than your hatred\ntowards yourselves: since ye were called unto the faith, and would not\nbelieve.\n     They shall say, O LORD, thou hast given us death twice, and thou hast\ntwice given us life;l and we confess our sins: is there therefore no way to\nget forth from this fire?\n     And it shall be answered them, This hath befallen you, for that when one\nGOD was preached unto you, ye believed not; but if a plurality of gods had\nbeen associated with him, ye had believed: and judgment belongeth unto the\nhigh, the great GOD.\n\n\tg  This title is taken from the passage wherein mention is made of one\nof Pharaoh's family who believed in Moses.\n\th  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c.\n\ti  By trading into Syria and Yaman.  See chapter 3, p. 52, note m.\n\tk  These are the Cherubim, the highest order of angels, who approach\nnearest to GOD'S presence.1\n\tl  Having first created us in a state of death, or void of life and\nsensation, and then given life to the inanimate body;2 and afterwards caused\nus to die a natural death, and raised us again at the resurrection.  Some\nunderstand the first death to be a natural death, and the second that in the\nsepulchre, after the body shall have been there raised to life in order to be\nexamined;3 and consequently suppose the two revivals to be those of the\nsepulchre and the resurrection.4\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  See c  p. 2, p. 4.\t\t3  See Prelim\nDisc. Sect. IV. p. 60, &c.\n4  Al Beid\u00e2wi. Jallal.\n\n\n     It is he who showeth you his signs, and sendeth down food unto you from\nheaven: but none will be admonished, except he who turneth himself unto God.\n     Call therefore upon GOD, exhibiting your religion pure unto him, although\nthe infidels be averse thereto.\n     He is the Being of exalted degree, the possessor of the throne; who\nsendeth down the spirit, at his command, on such of his servants as he\npleaseth: that he may warn mankind of the day of meeting,m\n     the day whereon they shall come forth out of their graves, and nothing of\nwhat concerneth them shall be hidden from GOD.  Unto whom will the kingdom\nbelong, on that day?  Unto the only, the almighty GOD.\n     On that day shall every soul be rewarded according to its merits: there\nshall be no injustice done on that day.  Verily GOD will be swift in taking an\naccount.\n     Wherefore warn them, O prophet, of the day which shall suddenly approach;\nwhen men's hearts shall come up to their throats, and strangle them.\n     The ungodly shall have no friend or intercessor who shall be heard.\n20\tGod will know the deceitful eye, and that which their breasts conceal;\n     and GOD will judge with truth: but the false gods which they invoke,\nbesides him, shall not judge at all: for GOD is he who heareth and seeth.\n     Have they not gone through the earth, and seen what hath been the end of\nthose who were before them?  They were more mighty than these in strength, and\nleft more considerable footsteps of their power in the earth: yet GOD\nchastised them for their sins, and there was none to protect them from GOD.\n     This they suffered, because their apostles had come unto them with\nevident signs, and they disbelieved: wherefore GOD chastised them; for he is\nstrong, and severe in punishing.\n     We heretofore sent Moses with our signs and manifest power,\n     unto Pharaoh, and Haman, and Kar\u00fbn; and they said, He is a sorcerer, and\na liar.\n     And when he came unto them with the truth from us, they said, Slay the\nsons of those who have believed with him, and save their daughters alive:n but\nthe stratagem of the infidels was no other than vain.\n     And Pharaoh said, Let me alone, that I may kill Moses;o and let him call\nupon his LORD: verily I fear lest he change your religion, or cause violence\nto appear in the earth.p\n     And Moses said unto his people, Verily I have recourse unto my LORD and\nyour LORD, to defend me against every proud person, who believeth not in the\nday of account.\n     And a man who was a true believer, of the family of Pharaoh,q and\nconcealed in his faith, said, Will ye put a man to death, because he saith,\nGOD is my LORD; seeing he is come unto you with evident signs from your LORD?\nIf he be a liar, on him will the punishment of his falsehood light; but if he\nspeaketh the truth, some of those judgments with which he threateneth you will\nfall upon you: verily GOD directeth not him who is a transgressor, or a liar:\n\n\tm  When the Creator and his creatures,5 the inhabitants of heaven and of\nearth, the false deities and their worshippers, the oppressor and the\noppressed, the labourer and his works, shall meet each other.6\n\tn  i.e., Pursue the resolution which has been formerly taken, and\nexecute it more strictly for the future.  See chapter 7, p. 117, note r.\n\to  For they advised him not to put Moses to death, lest it should be\nthought he was not able to oppose him by dint of argument.1\n\tp  By raising of commotions and seditions, in order to introduce his new\nreligion.\n\tq  This seems to be the same person who is mentioned, chapter 28, p.\n291.\n\n\t\t5  See cap. 6, p. 91\t\t6  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallal\t\t1  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t32\n\n\n30\tO my people, the kingdom is yours this day; and ye are conspicuous in\nthe earth; but who shall defend us from the scourge of GOD, if it come unto\nus?r  Pharaoh said, I only propose to you what I think to be most expedient;\nand I guide you only into the right path.\n     And he who had believed said, O my people, Verily I fear for you a day\nlike that of the confederates against the prophets in former times;\n     a condition like that of the people of Noah, and the tribes of Ad and\nThamud,\n     and of those who have lived after them; for GOD willeth not that any\ninjustice be done unto his servants.\n     O my people, verily I fear for you the day whereon men shall call unto\none another;s\n     the day whereon ye shall be turned back from the tribunal, and driven to\nhell: then shall ye have none to protect you against GOD.  And he whom GOD\nshall cause to err shall have no director.\n     Joseph came unto you, before Moses, with evident signs; but ye ceased not\nto doubt of the religion which he preached unto you, until, when he died, ye\nsaid, GOD will by no means send another apostle after him.  Thus doth GOD\ncause him to err, who is a transgressor, and a sceptic.\n     They who dispute against the signs of GOD, without any authority which\nhath come unto them, are in great abomination with GOD, and with those who\nbelieve.  Thus doth GOD seal up every proud and stubborn heart.\n     And Pharaoh said, O Haman, build me a tower, that I may reach the tracts,\n     the tracts of heaven, and may view the GOD of Moses;t for verily I think\nhim to be a liar.\n40\tAnd thus the evil of his work was prepared for Pharaoh, and he turned\naside from the right path: and the stratagems of Pharaoh ended only in loss.\n     And he who had believed said, O my people, follow me: I will guide you\ninto the right way.\n     O my people, verily this present life is but a temporary enjoyment; but\nthe life to come is the mansion of firm continuance.\n     Whoever worketh evil shall only be rewarded in equal proportion to the\nsame: but whoever worketh good, whether male or female, and is a true\nbeliever, they shall enter paradise: they shall be provided for therein\nsuperabundantly.\n     And, O my people, as for me, I invite you to salvation; but ye invite me\nto hell fire:\n     ye invite me to deny GOD, and to associate with him that whereof I have\nno knowledge; but I invite you to the most mighty, the forgiver of sins.\n     There is no doubt but that the false gods to which ye invite me deserve\nnot to be invoked, either in this world or in the next; and that we must\nreturn unto GOD; and that the transgressors shall be the inhabitants of hell\nfire:\n     and ye shall then remember what I now say unto you.  And I commit my\naffair unto GOD; for GOD regardeth his servants.\n     Wherefore GOD delivered him from the evils which they had devised; and a\ngrievous punishment encompassed the people of Pharaoh.u\n\n\tr  See the speech of Gamaliel to the Jewish Sanhedrim, when the apostles\nwere brought before them.2\n\ts  i.e., The day of judgment, when the inhabitants of paradise and of\nhell shall enter into mutual discourse: when the latter shall call for help,\nand the seducers and the seduced shall cast the blame upon each other.3\n\tt  See chapter 28, p. 293.\n\tu  Some are of opinion that those who were sent by Pharaoh to seize the\ntrue believer, his kinsman, are the persons more particularly meant in this\nplace: for they tell us that the said believer fled to a mountain, where they\nfound him at prayers, guarded by the wild beasts, which ranged themselves in\norder about him, and that his pursuers thereupon returned in a great fright to\ntheir master, who put them to death for not performing his command.1\n\n\t\t2  Acts v. 38, 39\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin\t\t1  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     They shall be exposed to the fire of hell morning and evening:x and the\nday whereon the hour of judgment shall come, it shall be said unto them,\nEnter, O people of Pharaoh, into a most severe torment.\n50\tAnd think on the time when the infidels shall dispute together in hell\nfire; and the weak shall say unto those who behaved with arrogance,y Verily we\nwere your followers: will ye therefore relieve us from any part of this fire?\n     Those who behaved with arrogance shall answer, Verily we are all doomed\nto suffer therein: for GOD hath now judged between his servants.\n     And they who shall be in the fire shall say unto the keepers of hell,z\nCall ye on your LORD, that he would ease us, for one day, from this\npunishment.\n     They shall answer, Did not your apostles come unto you with evident\nproofs?  They shall say, Yea.  The keepers shall reply, Do ye therefore call\non God: but the calling of the unbelievers on him shall be only in vain.\n     We will surely assist our apostles, and those who believe, in this\npresent life, and on the day whereon the witnesses shall stand forth:\n     a day, whereon the excuse of the unbelievers shall not avail them; but a\ncurse shall attend them, and a wretched abode.\n     We heretofore gave unto Moses a direction; and we left as an inheritance\nunto the children of Israel the book of the law; a direction, and an\nadmonition to men of understanding.\n     Wherefore do thou, O prophet, bear the insults of the infidels with\npatience; for the promise of GOD is true; and ask pardon for thy fault;a and\ncelebrate the praise of thy LORD, in the evening and in the morning.\n     As to those who impugn the signs of GOD, without any convincing proof\nwhich hath been revealed unto them, there is nothing but pride in their\nbreasts;b but they shall not attain their desire: wherefore fly for refuge\nunto GOD; for it is he who heareth and seeth.\n     Verily the creation of heaven and earth is more considerable than the\ncreation of man: but the greater part of men do not understand.\n60\tThe blind and the seeing shall not be held equal; nor they who believe\nand work righteousness, and the evil doer: how few revolve these things in\ntheir mind!\n     The last hour will surely come; there is no doubt thereof: but the\ngreater part of men believe it not.\n     Your LORD said, Call upon me, and I will hear you: but they who proudly\ndisdain my service shall enter with ignominy into hell.\n     It is GOD who hath appointed the night for you to take your rest therein,\nand the day to give you light: verily GOD is endued with beneficence towards\nmankind: but the greater part of men do not give thanks.\n     This is GOD, your LORD, the Creator of all things; there is no GOD\nbesides him: how therefore are ye turned aside from his worship?\n     Thus are they turned aside, who oppose the signs of GOD.\n\n\tx  Some expound these words of the previous punishment they are doomed\nto suffer according to a tradition of Ebn Mas\u00fad, which informs us that their\nsouls are in the crops of black birds, which are exposed to hell fire every\nmorning and evening until the day of judgment.2\n\ty  See chapter 14, p. 187, note\n\tz  See chapter 74.\n\ta  In being too backward and negligent in advancing the true religion,\nfor fear of the infidels.3\n\tb  This sentence may be understood generally, though it was revealed on\naccount of the idolatrous Meccans or of the Jews, who said of Mohammed, This\nman is not our lord, but the Messias, the Son of David, whose kingdom will be\nextended over sea and land.4\n\n\t\t\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t4  Idem.\n\n\n     It is GOD who hath given you the earth for a stable floor, and the heaven\nfor a ceiling; and who hath formed you, and made your forms beautiful, and\nfeedeth you with good things.  This is GOD, your LORD.  Wherefore blessed be\nGOD, the LORD of all creatures!\n     He is the living God: there is no GOD but he.  Wherefore call upon him,\nexhibiting unto him the pure religion.  Praise be unto GOD, the LORD of all\ncreatures!\n     Say, Verily I am forbidden to worship the deities which ye invoke,\nbesides GOD, after that evident proofs have come unto me from my LORD; and I\nam commanded to resign myself unto the LORD of all creatures.\n     It is he who first created you of dust, and afterwards of seed, and\nafterwards of coagulated blood; and afterwards brought you forth infants out\nof your mothers' wombs: then he permitteth you to attain your age of full\nstrength, and afterwards to grow old men (but some of you die before that\nage), and to arrive at the determined period of your life;c that peradventure\nye may understand.\n70\tIt is he who giveth life, and causeth to die: and when he decreeth a\nthing, he only saith unto it, Be, and it is.\n     Dost thou not observe those who dispute against the signs of GOD, how\nthey are turned aside from the true faith?\n     They who charge with falsehood the book of the Koran, and the other\nscriptures and revealed doctrines which we have sent our former apostles to\npreach, shall hereafter know their folly,\n     when the collars shall be on their necks, and the chains by which they\nshall be dragged into hell; then shall they be burned in the fire.\n     And it shall be said unto them, Where are the gods which ye associated,\nbesides GOD?  They shall answer, They have withdrawn themselves from us: yea,\nwe called on nothingd heretofore.  Thus doth GOD lead the unbelievers into\nerror.\n     This hath befallen you, for that ye rejoiced insolently on earth, in that\nwhich was false; and for that ye were elated with immoderate joy.\n     Enter the gates of hell, to remain therein forever: and wretched shall be\nthe abode of the haughty!\n     Wherefore persevere with patience, O Mohammed; for the promise of GOD is\ntrue.  Whether we cause thee to see any part of the punishment with which we\nhave threatened them, or whether we cause thee to die before thou see it;\nbefore us shall they be assembled at the last day.\n     We have sent a great number of apostles before thee;e the histories of\nsome of whom we have related unto thee, and the histories of others of them we\nhave not related unto thee: but no apostle had the power to produce a sign,\nunless by the permission of GOD.  When the command of GOD, therefore, shall\ncome, judgment shall be given with truth; and then shall they perish who\nendeavor to render the signs of God of no effect.\n     It is GOD who hath given you the cattle, that ye may ride on some of\nthem, and may eat of others of them;\n80\t(ye also receive other advantages therefrom;)f and that on them ye may\narrive at the business proposed in your mind: and on them are ye carried by\nland, and on ships by sea.\n     And he showeth you his signs; which, therefore, of the signs of GOD, will\nye deny?\n     Do they not pass through the earth, and see what hath been the end of\nthose who were before them?  They were more numerous than these, and more\nmighty in strength, and left more considerable monuments of their power in the\nearth: yet that which they had acquired profited them not.\n\n\tc  See chapter 22, p. 250.\n\td  Seeing an idol is nothing in the world.1\n\te  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 59.\n\tf  See chapter 16, p. 195\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t1  Idem\n\n\n     And when their apostles came unto them with evident proofs of their\nmission, they rejoiced in the knowledge which was with them:g but that which\nthey mocked at encompassed them.\n     And when they beheld our vengeance, they said, We believe in GOD alone,\nand we renounce the idols which we associated with him:\n     but their faith availed them not, after they had beholden our vengeance.\nThis was the ordinance of GOD, which was formerly observed in respect to his\nservants and then did the unbelievers perish.\n\n\n_______\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XLI.\n\nENTITLED, ARE DISTINCTLY EXPLAINED;h REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     H. M.i  This is a revelation from the most Merciful;\n     a book, the verses whereof are distinctly explained,k an Arabic Koran,\nfor the instruction of people who understand;\n     bearing good tidings, and denouncing threats: but the greater part of\nthem turn aside, and hearken not thereto.\n     And they say, Our hearts are veiled from the doctrine to which thou\ninvitest us; and there is a deafness in our ears, and a curtain between us and\nthee: wherefore act thou as thou shalt think fit; for we shall act according\nto our own sentiments.\n     Say, Verily I am only a man like you.  It is revealed unto me, that your\nGOD is one GOD: wherefore direct your way straight unto him; and ask pardon of\nhim for what is past.  And woe be to the idolaters:\n     who give not the appointed alms, and believe not in the life to come!\n     But as to those who believe and work righteousness, they shall receive an\neverlasting reward.\n     Say, Do ye indeed disbelieve in him who created the earth in two days;l\nand do ye set up equals unto him?  He is the LORD of all creatures.\n     And he placed in the earth mountains firmly rooted,m rising above the\nsame: and he blessed it; and provided therein the food of the creatures\ndesigned to be the inhabitants thereof, in four days;n equally, for those who\nask.o\n\n\tg  Being prejudiced in favour of their own erroneous doctrines, and\ndespising the instructions of the prophets.\n\th  Some entitle this chapter Worship, or Adoration, because the infidels\nare herein commanded to forsake the worship of idols, and to worship GOD: but\nthe thirty-second chapter bearing the same title, that which we have here\nprefixed is, for distinction, generally used.\n\ti  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c.\n\tk  See chapter 11, p. 158, note y.\n\tl  viz., The two first days of the week.1\n\tm  See chapter 16, p. 196.\n\tn  That is, including the two former days wherein the earth was created.\n\to  i.e., For all, in proportion to the necessity of each, and as their\nseveral appetites require.  Some refer the word saw\u00e2an, here translated\nequally, and which also signifies completely, to the four days; and suppose\nthe meaning to be that GOD created these things in just so many entire and\ncomplete days.2\n\n\t\t\t\t1  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Idem, al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n10\tThen he set his mind to the creation of heaven, and it was smoke;p and\nhe said unto it, and to the earth, Come, either obediently, or against your\nwill.  They answered, We come, obedient to thy command.\n     And he formed them into seven heavens, in two days;q and revealed unto\nevery heaven its office.  And we adorned the lower heaven with lights, and\nplaced therein, a guard of angels.r  This is the disposition of the mighty,\nthe wise God.\n     If the Meccans withdraw from these instructions, say, I denounce unto you\na sudden destruction, like the destruction of Ad and Thamud.\n     When the apostles came unto them before them and behind them,s saying,\nWorship GOD alone; they answered, If our LORD had been pleased to send\nmessengers, he had surely sent angels; and we believe not the message with\nwhich ye are sent.\n     As to the tribe of Ad, they behaved insolently in the earth, without\nreason, and said, Who is more mighty than we in strength?  Did they not see\nthat GOD, who had created them, was more mighty than they in strength?  And\nthey knowingly rejected our signs.\n     Wherefore we sent against them a piercing wind, on days of ill luck,t\nthat we might make them taste the punishment of shame in this world: but the\npunishment of the life to come will be more shameful; and they shall not be\nprotected therefrom.\n     And as to Thamud, we directed them; but they loved blindness better than\nthe true direction: wherefore the terrible noise of an ignominious punishment\nassailed them, for that which they had deserved;\n     but we delivered those who believed, and feared God.u\n     And warn them of the day, on which the enemies of GOD shall be gathered\ntogether unto hell fire, and shall march in distinct bands;\n     until, when they shall arrive thereat, their ears, and their eyes, and\ntheir skins, shall bear witness against them of that which they shall have\nwrought.\n20\tAnd they shall say unto their skins, Wherefore do ye bear witness\nagainst us?  They shall answer, GOD hath caused us to speak, who giveth speech\nunto all things: he created you the first time; and unto him are ye returned.\n     Ye did not hide yourselves, while ye sinned, so that your ears, and your\neyes, and your skins could not bear witness against you:x but ye thought that\nGOD was ignorant of many things which ye did.\n     This was your opinion, which ye imagined of your LORD: it hath ruined\nyou; and ye are become lost people.\n\n\tp  Or darkness.  Al Zamakhshari says this smoke proceeded from the\nwaters under the throne of GOD (which throne was one of the things created\nbefore the heavens and the earth), and rose above the water; that the water\nbeing dried up, the earth was formed out of it, and the heavens out of the\nsmoke which had mounted aloft.\n\tq  viz., On the fifth and sixth days of the week.  It is said the\nheavens were created on Thursday, and the sun, moon, and stars on Friday; in\nthe evening of which last day Adam was made.3\n\tr  See chapter 15.\n\ts  That is, on every side; persuading and urging them continually, and\nby arguments drawn from past examples, and the expectation of future rewards\nor punishments.\n\tt  It is said that this wind continued from Wednesday to Wednesday\ninclusive, being the latter end of the month Shaw\u00e2l; and that a Wednesday is\nthe day whereon GOD sends down his judgments on a wicked people.4\n\tu  See chapter 7, p. 112, &c.\n\tx  i.e., Ye hid your crimes from men, little thinking that your very\nmembers, from which ye could not hide them, would rise up as witnesses against\nyou.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t3  Idem.\t\t4  Idem.\n\n\n     Whether they bear their torment, hell fire shall be their abode; or\nwhether they beg for favor, they shall not obtain favor.\n     And we will give them the devils to be their companions; for they dressed\nup for them the false notions which they entertained of this present world,\nand of that which is to come; and the sentence justly fitteth them, which was\nformerly pronounced on the nations of genii and men who were before them; for\nthey perished.\n     The unbelievers say, Hearken not unto this Koran: but use vain discoursey\nduring the reading thereof; that ye may overcome the voice of the reader by\nyour scoffs and laughter.\n     Wherefore we will surely cause the unbelievers to taste a grievous\npunishment,\n     and we will certainly reward them for the evils which they shall have\nwrought.\n     This shall be the reward of the enemies of GOD, namely, hell fire;\ntherein is prepared for them an everlasting abode, as a reward for that they\nhave wittingly rejected our signs.\n     And the infidels shall say in hell, O LORD, show us the two that seduced\nus, of the genii and men,z and we will cast them under our feet, that they may\nbecome most base and despicable.\n30\tAs for those who say, Our LORD is GOD, and who behave uprightly; the\nangels shall descend unto them,a and shall say, Fear not, neither be ye\ngrieved; but rejoice in the hopes of paradise which ye have been promised.\n     We are your friends in this life, and in that which is to come: therein\nshall ye have that which your souls shall desire, and therein shall ye obtain\nwhatever ye shall ask for;\n     as a gift from a gracious and merciful God.\n     Who speaketh better than he who inviteth unto GOD, and worketh\nrighteousness, and saith, I am a Moslem?\n     Good and evil shall not be held equal.  Turn away evil with that which is\nbetter; and behold, the man between whom and thyself there was enmity shall\nbecome, as it were, thy warmest friend:\n     but none shall attain to this perfection, except they who are patient;\nnor shall any attain thereto, except he who is endued with a great happiness\nof temper.\n     And if a malicious suggestion be offered unto thee from Satan, have\nrecourse unto GOD; for it is he who heareth and knoweth.\n     Among the signs of his power are the night, and the day, and the sun, and\nthe moon.  Worship not the sun, neither the moon: but worship GOD, who hath\ncreated them; if ye serve him.\n     But if they proudly disdain his service; verily the angels, who are with\nthy LORD, praise him night and day, and are not wearied.\n     And among his signs another is, that thou seest the land waste; but when\nwe send down rain thereon, it is stirred and fermenteth.  And he who\nquickeneth the earth will surely quicken the dead; for he is almighty.\n40\tVerily those who impiously wrong our signs are not concealed from us.\nIs he, therefore, better, who shall be cast into hell fire, or he who shall\nappear secure on the day of resurrection?  Work that which ye will: he\ncertainly beholdeth whatever ye do.\n     Verily they who believe not in the admonition of the Koran, after it hath\ncome unto them, shall one day be discovered.  It is certainly a book of\ninfinite value:\n\n\ty  Or, talk aloud.\n\tz  i.e., Those of either species, who drew us into sin and ruin.  Some\nsuppose that the two more particularly intended here are Eblis and Cain, the\ntwo authors of infidelity and murder.1\n\ta  Either while they are living on earth to dispose their minds to good,\nto preserve them from temptations, and to comfort them; or at the hour of\ndeath to support them in their last agony; or at their coming forth from their\ngraves at the resurrection.2\n\n\t\t\t1  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Idem.\n\n\n     vanity shall not approach it, either from before it, or from behind it:b\nit is a revelation from a wise God, whose praise is justly to be celebrated.\n     No other is said unto thee by the infidels of Mecca than what hath been\nformerly said unto the apostles before thee: verily thy LORD is inclined to\nforgiveness, and is also able to chastise severely.\n     If we had revealed the Koran in a foreign language,c they had surely\nsaid, Unless the signs thereof be distinctly explained, we will not receive\nthe same: is the book written in a foreign tongue, and the person unto whom it\nis directed an Arabian?  Answer, It is, unto those who believe, a sure guide,\nand a remedy for doubt unto those who believe, a sure guide, and a remedy for\ndoubt and uncertainty: but unto those who believe not, it is a thickness of\nhearing in their ears, and it is a darkness which covereth them; these are as\nthey who are called unto from a distant place.d\n     We heretofore gave the book of the law unto Moses; and a dispute arose\nconcerning the same: and if a previous decree had not proceeded from thy LORD,\nto respite the opposers of that revelation, verily the matter had been decided\nbetween them, by the destruction of the infidels; for they were in a very\ngreat doubt as to the same.\n     He who doth right, doth it to the advantage of his own soul; and he who\ndoth evil, doth it against the same: for thy LORD is not unjust towards his\nservants.\n     Unto him is reserved the knowledge of the hour of judgment: and no fruit\ncometh forth from the knops which involve it; neither doth any female conceive\nin her womb, nor is she delivered of her burden, but with his knowledge.  On\nthe day whereon he shall call them to him, saying, Where are my companions\nwhich ye ascribed unto me? they shall answer, We assure thee there is no\nwitness of this matter among us:e\n     and the idols which they called on before shall withdraw themselves from\nthem; and they shall perceive that there will be no way to escape.\n     Man is not wearied with asking good; but if evil befall him, he\ndespondeth, and despaireth.\n50\tAnd if we cause him to taste mercy from us, after affliction hath\ntouched him, he surely saith, This is due to me on account of my deserts: I do\nnot think the hour of judgment will ever come: and if I be brought before my\nLORD, I shall surely attain, with him, the most excellent condition.  But we\nwill then declare unto those who shall not have believed, that which they have\nwrought; and we will surely cause them to taste a most severe punishment.\n     When we confer favors on man, he turneth aside, and departeth without\nreturning thanks: but when evil toucheth him, he is frequent at prayer.\n     Say, What think ye? if the Koran be from GOD, and ye believe not therein;\nwho will lie under a greater error, than he who dissenteth widely therefrom?\n     Hereafter we will show them our signs in the regions in the regions of\nthe earth, and in themselves;f until it become manifest unto them that this\nbook is the truth.  Is it not sufficient for thee that thy LORD is witness of\nall things?\n     Are they not in a doubt as to the meeting of their LORD at the\nresurrection?  Doth not he encompass all things?\n\n\tb  That is, it shall not be prevailed against, or frustrated by any\nmeans or in any respect whatever.\n\tc  See chapter 16, p. 203, &c.\n\td  Being so far off that they hear not, or understand not the voice of\nhim who calls to them.\n\te  For they shall disclaim their idols at the resurrection.\n\tf  By the surprising victories and conquests of Mohammed and his\nsuccessors.1\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XLII.\n\nENTITLED, CONSULTATION;g REVEALED AT MECCA.h\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     H. M.  A. S. K.i  THUS doth the mighty, the wise GOD reveal his will unto\nthee; and in like manner did he reveal it unto the prophets who were before\nthee.\n     Unto him belongeth whatever is in heaven, and in earth; and he is the\nhigh, the great God.\n     It wanteth little but that the heavens be rent in sunder from above, at\nthe awfulness of his majesty: the angels celebrate the praise of their LORD,\nand ask pardon for those who dwell in the earth.  Is not GOD the forgiver of\nsins, the merciful?\n     But as to those who take other gods for their patrons, besides him, GOD\nobserveth their actions: for thou art not a steward over them.\n     Thus have we revealed unto thee an Arabic Koran, that thou mayest warn\nthe metropolis of Mecca, and the Arabs who dwell round about it; and mayest\nthreaten them with the day of the general assembly, of which there is no\ndoubt: one part shall then be placed in paradise, and another part in hell.\n     If GOD had pleased, he had made them all of one religion; but he leadeth\nwhom he pleaseth into his mercy; and the unjust shall have no patron or\nhelper.\n     Do they take other patrons, besides him? whereas GOD is the only true\npatron: he quickeneth the dead; and he is almighty.\n     Whatever matter ye disagree about, the decision thereof appertaineth unto\nGOD.  This is GOD, my LORD: in him do I trust, and unto him do I turn me:\n     the Creator of heaven and earth: he hath given you wives of your own\nspecies, and cattle both male and female; by which means he multiplieth you:\nthere is nothing like him; and it is he who heareth and seeth.\n10\tHis are the keys of heaven and earth; he bestoweth provision abundantly\non whom he pleaseth, and he is sparing unto whom he pleaseth; for he knoweth\nall things.\n     He hath ordained you the religion which he commanded Noah, and which we\nhave revealed unto thee, O Mohammed, and which we commanded Abraham, and\nMoses, and Jesus:k saying, Observe this religion, and be not divided therein.\nThe worship of one God, to which thou invitest them, is grievous unto the\nunbelievers:\n\n\tg  The title is taken from the verse wherein the believers are\ncommended, among other things, for using deliberation in their affairs, and\nconsulting together in order to act for the best.  Some, instead of this word,\nprefix the five single letters with which the chapter begins.\n\th  Jallalo'ddin excepts three verses, beginning with these words, Say, I\nask not of you, for this my preaching, any reward, &c.\n\ti  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c.\n\tk  See ibid. Sect. IV. p. 55 and 59.\n\n\n     GOD will elect thereto whom he pleaseth, and will direct unto the same\nhim who shall repent.\n     Those who lived in times past were not divided among themselves, until\nafter that the knowledge of God's unity had come unto them; through their own\nperverseness: and unless a previous decree had passed from thy LORD, to bear\nwith them till a determined time, verily the matter had been decided between\nthem, by the destruction of the gainsayers.  They who have inherited the\nscriptures after them,l are certainly in a perplexing doubt concerning the\nsame.m\n     Wherefore invite them to receive the sure faith, and be urgent with them,\nas thou hast been commanded; and follow not their vain desires: and say, I\nbelieve in all the scriptures which GOD hath sent down; and I am commanded to\nestablish justice among you: GOD is our LORD and your LORD: unto us will our\nworks be imputed, and unto you will your works be imputed: let there be no\nwrangling between us and you; for GOD will assemble us all at the last day,\nand unto him shall we return.\n     As to those who dispute concerning GOD, after obedience hath been paid\nhim by receiving his religion, their disputing shall be vain in the sight of\ntheir LORD; and wrath shall fall on them, and they shall suffer a grievous\npunishment.\n     It is GOD who hath sent down the scripture with truth; and the balance of\ntrue judgment: and what shall inform with truth; and the balance of true\njudgment: and what shall inform thee whether the hour be nigh at hand?\n     They who believe not therein wish it to be hastened by way of mockery:\nbut they who believe dread the same, and know it to be the truth.  Are not\nthose who dispute concerning the last hour in a wide error?\n     GOD is bounteous unto his servants; he provideth for whom he pleaseth;\nand he is the strong, the mighty.\n     Whoso chooseth the tillage of the life to come,n unto him will we give\nincrease in his tillage: and whoso chooseth the tillage of this world, we will\ngive him the fruit thereof; but he shall have no part in the life to come.\n20\tHave the idolaters deities which ordain them a religion which GOD hath\nnot allowed?  But had it not been for the decree of respiting their punishment\nto the day of separating the infidels from the true believers, judgment had\nbeen already given between them: for the unjust shall surely suffer a painful\ntorment.\n     On that day thou shalt see the unjust in great terror, because of their\ndemerits; and the penalty thereof shall fall upon them: but they who believe\nand do good works shall dwell in the delightful meadows of paradise; they\nshall obtain whatever they shall desire, with their LORD.  This is the\ngreatest acquisition.\n     This is what GOD promiseth unto his servants who believe and do good\nworks.  Say, I ask not of you, for this my preaching, any reward, except the\nlove of my relations: and whoever shall have deserved well by one good action,\nunto him will we add the merit of another action thereto; for GOD is inclined\nto forgive, and ready to reward.\n     Do they say, Mohammed hath blasphemously forged a lie concerning GOD?  If\nGOD pleaseth, he will seal up thy heart:o and GOD will absolutely abolish\nvanity, and will establish the truth in his words;p for he knoweth the\ninnermost part of men's breasts.\n\n\tl  viz., The modern Jews and Christians.\n\tm  Not understanding the true meaning, nor believing the real doctrines\nthereof.\n\tn  Labouring here to obtain a reward hereafter; for what is sown in this\nworld will be reaped in the next.\n\to  The meaning of these words is somewhat obscure.  Some imagine they\nexpress a detestation of the forgery charged on the prophet by the infidels;\nbecause none could be capable of so wicked an action but one whose heart was\nclose shut, and knew not his LORD; as if he had said, God forbid that thou\nshouldst be void of grace, or have so little sense of thy duty.  Others think\nthe signification to be that GOD might strike all the revelations which had\nbeen vouchsafed to Mohammed, out of his heart at once; and others, that GOD\nwould strengthen his heart with patience against the insults of the\nunbelievers.1\n\tp  Wherefore if the doctrine taught in this book be of man, it will\ncertainly fail and come to nothing; but if it be of GOD, it can never be\noverthrown.2\n\n\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\n\n\n     It is he who accepteth repentance from his servants, and forgiveth sins,\nand knoweth that which ye do.\n     He will incline his ear unto those who believe and work righteousness,\nand will add unto them above what they shall ask or deserve, of his bounty:\nbut the unbelievers shall suffer a severe punishment.\n     If GOD should bestow abundance upon his servants they would certainly\nbehave insolently in the earth: but he sendeth down by measure unto every one\nthat which he pleaseth; for he well knoweth and seeth the condition of his\nservants.\n     It is he who sendeth down the rain, after men have despaired thereof, and\nspreadeth abroad his mercy; and he is the patron, justly to be praised.\n     Among his signs is the creation of heaven and earth, and of the living\ncreatures with which he hath replenished them both; and he is able to gather\nthem together before his tribunal, whenever he pleaseth.\n     Whatever misfortune befalleth you is sent unto you by God, for that which\nyour hands have deserved; and yet he forgiveth many things:\n30\tye shall not frustrate the divine vengeance in the earth; neither shall\nye have any protector or helper, against GOD.\n     Among his signs also are the ships running in the sea, like high\nmountains: if he pleaseth, he causeth the wind to cease, and they lie still on\nthe back of the water: (verily herein are signs unto every patient and\ngrateful person):\n     or he destroyeth them by shipwreck, be cause of that which their crews\nhave merited; though he pardoneth many things.\n     And they who dispute against our signs shall know that there will be no\nway for them to escape our vengeance.\n     Whatever things are given you, they are the provision of this present\nlife: but the reward which is with GOD is better, and more durable, for those\nwho believe, and put their trust in their LORD;\n     and who avoid heinous and filthy crimes, and when they are angry,\nforgive;\n     and who hearken unto their LORD, and are constant at prayer, and whose\naffairs are directed by consultation among themselves, and who give alms out\nof what we have bestowed on them;\n     and who, when an injury is done them, avenge themselvesq\n     (and the retaliation of evil ought to be an evil proportionate thereto):\nbut he who forgiveth and is reconciled unto his enemy, shall receive his\nreward from GOD;r for he loveth not the unjust doers.\n     And whoso shall avenge himself, after he hath been injured; as to these,\nit is not lawful to punish them for it:\n40\tbut it is only lawful to punish those who wrong men, and act insolently\nin the earth, against justice; these shall suffer a grievous punishment.\n     And whoso beareth injuries patiently, and forgiveth; verily this is a\nnecessary work.\n     Whom GOD shall cause to err, he shall afterwards have no protector.  And\nthou shalt see the ungodly,\n\n\tq  Using the means which GOD has put into their hands for their own\ndefence.  This is added to complete the character here given; for valour and\ncourage are not inconsistent with clemency,3 the rule being,\n\t\t\t\t\tParcere subjectis, et debellare superbos.\n\tr  See chapter 5, p. 79, &c.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t3  Idem.\n\n\n     who shall say, when they behold the punishment prepared for them, Is\nthere no way to return back into the world?\n     And thou shalt see them exposed unto hell fire; dejected, because of the\nignominy they shall undergo: they shall look at the fire sideways, and by\nstealth; and the true believers shall say, Verily the losers are they who have\nlost their own souls, and their families, on the day of resurrection: shall\nnot the ungodly continue in eternal torment?\n     They shall have no protectors to defend them against GOD: and whom GOD\nshall cause to err, he shall find no way to the truth.\n     Hearken unto your LORD, before the day come, which GOD will not keep\nback: ye shall have no place of refuge on that day; neither shall ye be able\nto deny your sins.\n     But if those to whom thou preachest turn aside from thy admonitions,\nverily we have not sent thee to be a guardian over them: thy duty is preaching\nonly.  When we cause man to taste mercy from us, he rejoiceth thereat: but if\nevil befall them, for that which their hands have formerly committed, verily\nman becometh ungrateful.\n     Unto GOD appertaineth the kingdom of heaven and earth: he createth that\nwhich he pleaseth; he giveth females unto whom he pleaseth, and he giveth\nmales unto whom he pleaseth;\n     or he giveth them males and females jointly: and he maketh whom he\npleaseth to be childless; for he is wise and powerful.\n50\tIt is not fit for man that GOD should speak unto him otherwise than by\nprivate revelation, or from behind a veil,\n     or by his sending of a messenger to reveal, by his permission, that which\nhe pleaseth; for he is high and wise.\n     Thus have we revealed unto thee a revelation,s by our command.  Thou\ndidst not understand, before this, what the book of the Koran was, nor what\nthe faith was: but we have ordained the same for a light; we will thereby\ndirect such of our servants as we please: and thou shalt surely direct them\ninto the right way,\n     the way of GOD, unto whom belongeth whatever is in heaven and in earth.\nShall not all things return unto GOD?\n\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER XLIII.\n\nENTITLED, THE ORNAMENTS OF GOLD;t REVEALED AT MECCA.u\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     H. M.x  BY the perspicuous book;\n     verily we have ordained the same an Arabic Koran that ye may understand:\n     and it is certainly written in the original book,y kept with us, being\nsublime and full of wisdom.\n\n\ts  Or, as the words may be also translated, Thus have we sent the spirit\nGabriel unto thee with a revelation.\n\tt  The words chosen for the title of this chapter occurs p. 364.\n\tu  Some except the verse beginning with these words, And ask our\napostles whom we have sent before thee, &c.\n\tx  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c.\n\ty  i.e., The preserved table; which is the original of all the\nscriptures in general.\n\n\n     Shall we therefore turn away from you the admonition, and deprive you\nthereof, because ye are a people who transgress?\n     And how many prophets have we sent among those of old?\n     and no prophet came unto them, out they laughed him to scorn:\n     wherefore we destroyed nations who were more mighty than these in\nstrength; and the example of those who were of old hath been already set\nbefore them.\n     If thou ask them who created the heavens and the earth, they will\ncertainly answer, The mighty, the wise God created them:\n     who hath spread the earth as a bed for you, and hath made you paths\ntherein, that ye may be directed:\n10\tand who sendeth down rain from heaven by measure, whereby we quicken a\ndead country; (so shall ye be brought forth from your graves:)\n     and who hath created all the various species of things, and hath given\nyou ships and cattle, whereon ye are carried;\n     that ye may sit firmly on the backs thereof, and may remember the favor\nof your LORD, when ye sit thereon, and may say, Praise be unto him, who hath\nsubjected these unto our service! for we could not have mastered them by our\nown power:\n     and unto our LORD shall we surely return.\n     Yet have they attributed unto him some of his servants as his offspring:\nverily man is openly ungrateful.\n     Hath God taken daughters out of those beings which he hath created; and\nhath he chosen sons for you?\n     But when one of them hath the news brought of the birth of a child of\nthat sex which they attribute unto the Merciful, as his similitude, his face\nbecometh black, and he is oppressed with sorrow.z\n     Do they therefore attribute unto God female issue, which are brought up\namong ornaments, and are contentious without cause?\n     And do they make the angels, who are the servants of the Merciful,\nfemales?  Were they present at their creation?  Their testimony shall be\nwritten down, and they shall be examined concerning the same, on the day of\njudgment.\n     And they say, If the Merciful had pleased, we had not worshipped them.\nThey have no knowledge herein: they only utter a vain lie.\n20\tHave we given them a book of revelations before this; and do they keep\nthe same in their custody?\n     But they say, Verily we found our fathers practising a religion; and we\nare guided in their footsteps.\n     Thus we sent no preacher before thee, unto any city, but the inhabitants\nthereof who lived in affluence, said, Verily we found our fathers practising a\nreligion: and we tread in their footsteps.\n     And the preacher answered, What, although I bring you a more right\nreligion than that which ye found your fathers to practise?  And they replied,\nVerily we believe not that which ye are sent to preach.\n     Wherefore we took vengeance on them: and behold what hath been the end of\nthose who accused our apostles of imposture.\n     Remember when Abraham said unto his father, and his people, Verily I am\nclear of the gods which ye worship,\n     except him who hath created me; for he will direct me aright.\n     And he ordained this to be a constant doctrine among his posterity; that\nthey should be turned from idolatry to the worship of the only true God.\n     Verily I have permitted these Meccans and their fathers to live in\nprosperity, until the truth should come unto them, and a manifest apostle:\n     but now the truth is come unto them, they say, This is a piece of\nsorcery; and we believe not therein.\n30\tAnd they say, Had this Kor\u00e2n been sent down unto some great man of\neither of the two cities,a we would have received it.\n\n\tz  See chapter 16, p. 100, &c.\n\ta  i.e., To one of the principal inhabitants of Mecca, or of T\u00e2yef, such\nas al Walid Ebn al Mogheira, or Erwa Ebn Masud, the Thakifite.1\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     Do they distribute the mercy of thy LORD?b  We distribute the necessary\nprovision among them, in this present life, and we raise some of them several\ndegrees above the others, that the one of them may take the other to serve\nhim: and the mercy of thy LORD is more valuable than the riches which they\ngather together.\n     If it were not that mankind would have become one sect of infidels,\nverily we had given unto those who believe not in the Merciful, roofs of\nsilver to their houses, and stairs of silver, by which they might ascend\nthereto,\n     and doors of silver to their houses, and couches of silver, for them to\nlean on;\n     and ornaments of gold: for all this is the provision of the present life;\nbut the next life with thy LORD shall be for those who fear him.\n     Whoever shall withdraw from the admonition of the Merciful, we will chain\na devil unto him; and he shall be his inseparable companion:\n     (and the devils shall turn them aside from the way of truth; yet they\nshall imagine themselves to be rightly directed:)\n     until, when he shall appear before us at the last day, he shall say unto\nthe devil,c Would to GOD that between me and thee there was the distance of\nthe east from the west!  Oh how wretched a companion art thou!\n     But wishes shall not avail you on this day, since ye have been unjust;\nfor ye shall be partakers of the same punishment.\n     Canst thou, O prophet, make the deaf to hear, or canst thou direct the\nblind, and him who is in a manifest error?\n40\tWhether we take thee away, we will surely take vengeance on them;\n     or whether we cause thee to see the punishment with which we have\nthreatened them executed, we will certainly prevail over them.\n     Wherefore hold fast the doctrine which hath been revealed unto thee; for\nthou art in a right way:\n     and it is a memorial unto thee and thy people, and hereafter shall ye be\nexamined concerning your observance thereof.\n     And ask our apostles whom we have sent before thee,d whether we have\nappointed gods for them to worship, besides the Merciful.\n     We formerly sent Moses with our signs unto Pharaoh and his princes, and\nhe said, Verily I am the apostle of the LORD of all creatures.\n     And when he came unto them with our signs, behold, they laughed him to\nscorn;\n     although we showed them no sign, but it was greater than the other:e and\nwe inflicted a punishmentf on them, that peradventure they might be converted.\n     And they said unto Moses, O magician, pray unto thy LORD for us,\naccording to the covenant which he hath made with thee; for we will certainly\nbe directed.\n     But when we took the plague from off them, behold, they brake their\npromise.\n50\tAnd Pharaoh made proclamation among his people, saying, O my people, is\nnot the kingdom of Egypt mine, and these rivers,g which flow beneath me?  Do\nye not see?\n     Am not I better than this Moses, who is a contemptible person,\n\n\tb  By this expression the prophetic office is here particularly\nintended.\n\tc  See chapter 19.\n\td  That is, ask those who profess the religions which they taught, and\ntheir learned men.2\n\te  Literally, Than its sister.  The meaning is that the miracles were\nall very great and considerable, or, as the French may express it, by a phrase\nnearly the same, les uns plus grands que les autres.\n\tf  viz., The successive plagues which they suffered, previous to their\nfinal destruction in the Red Sea.\n\tg  To wit, the Nile and its branches.3\n\n\t\t\t2  Idem, Jallal., &c.\t\t3  Idem.\n\n\n     and can scarce express himself intelligibly?h\n     Have bracelets of gold, therefore, been put upon him;i or do the angels\nattend him in orderly procession?\n     And Pharaoh persuaded his people to light behavior; and they obeyed him:\nfor they were a wicked people.\n     And when they had provoked us to wrath, we took vengeance on them: and we\ndrowned them all:\n     and we made them a precedent, and an example unto others.\n     And when the son of Mary was proposed for an example, behold, thy people\ncried out through excess of joy thereat;k\n     and they said, Are our gods better, or he?  They have proposed this\ninstance unto thee no otherwise than for an occasion of dispute: yea, they are\ncontentious men.\n     Jesus is no other than a servant, whom we favored with the gift of\nprophecy; and we appointed him for an examplel unto the children of Israel:\n60\t(if we pleased, verily we could from ourselves produce angels, to\nsucceed you in the earth):m\n     and he shall be a sign of the approach of the last hour;n wherefore doubt\nnot thereof.  And follow me: this is the right way.\n     And let not Satan cause you to turn aside: for he is your open enemy.\n     And when Jesus came with evident miracles, he said, Now am I come unto\nyou with wisdom,o and to explain unto you part of those things concerning\nwhich ye disagree; wherefore fear GOD, and obey me.\n     Verily GOD is my LORD, and your LORD; wherefore worship him: this is the\nright way.\n     And the confederated sects among them fell to variance:p but woe unto\nthose who have acted unjustly, because of the punishment of a grievous day.\n     Do the unbelievers wait for any other than the hour of judgment; that it\nmay come upon them suddenly, while they foresee it not?\n     The intimate friends, on that day, shall be enemies unto one another;\nexcept the pious.\n\n\th  See chapter 20, p. 234, note\n\ti  Such bracelets were some of the insignia of royalty; for when the\nEgyptians raised a person to the dignity of a prince, they put a collar or\nchain of gold about his neck,1 and bracelets of gold on his wrists.2\n\tk  This passage is generally supposed to have been revealed on occasion\nof an objection made by one Ebn al Zab\u00e1ri to those words in the 21st chapter,3\nby which all in general, who were worshipped as deities, besides GOD, are\ndoomed to hell: whereupon the infidels cried out, We are contented that our\ngods should be with Jesus; for he also is worshipped as GOD.4  Some, however,\nare of opinion it might have been revealed in answer to certain idolaters, who\nsaid that the Christians, who received the scriptures, worshipped Jesus,\nsupposing him to be the son of GOD; whereas the angels were more worthy of\nthat honour than he.5\n\tl  Or an instance of our power, by his miraculous birth.\n\tm  As easily as we produced Jesus without a father.6  The intent of the\nwords is to show how just and reasonable it is to think that the angels should\nbear the relation of children to men, rather than to GOD; they being his\ncreatures, as well as men, and equally in his power.\n\tn  For some time before the resurrection Jesus is to descend on earth,\naccording to the Mohammedans, near Damascus,7 or, as some say, near a rock in\nthe holy land named Afik, with a lance in his hand, wherewith he is to kill\nAntichrist, whom he will encounter at Ludd, or Lydda, a small town not far\nfrom Joppa.8  They add that he will arrive at Jerusalem at the time of morning\nprayer, that he shall perform his devotions after the Mohammedan institution,\nand officiate instead of the Im\u00e2m, who shall give place to him; that he will\nbreak down the cross, and destroy the churches of the Christians, of whom he\nwill make a general slaughter, excepting only such as shall profess Isl\u00e2m,\netc.9\n\to  That is, with a book of revelations, and an excellent system of\nreligion.\n\tp  This may be understood either of the Jews in the time of Jesus, who\nopposed his doctrine, or of the Christians since, who have fallen into various\nopinions concerning him; some making him to be GOD, others the Son of GOD, and\nothers, one of the persons of the Trinity, &c.10\n\n\t1  See Gen. xli. 42.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t3  See\np. 249.\t\t\t4  Jallalo'ddin, al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t5  Idem.\n\t6  Idem.\t\t7  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 63.\t\t8  See\nibid. p. 63.\t\t9  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t10  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     O my servants, there shall no fear come on you this day, neither shall ye\nbe grieved:\n     who have believed in our signs, and have been Moslems:\n70\tenter ye into paradise, ye and your wives, with great joy.\n     Dishes of gold shall be carried round unto them, and cups without\nhandles: and therein shall they enjoy whatever their souls shall desire, and\nwhatever their eyes shall delight in: and ye shall remain therein forever.\n     This is paradise, which ye have inherited as a reward for that which ye\nhave wrought.\n     Therein shall ye have fruits in abundance, of which ye shall eat.\n     But the wicked shall remain forever in the torment of hell:\n     it shall not be made lighter unto them; and they shall despair therein.\n     We deal not unjustly with them, but they deal unjustly with their own\nsouls.\n     And they shall call aloud, saying, O Malec,q intercede for us that thy\nLORD would end us by annihilation.  He shall answer,r Verily ye shall remain\nhere forever.\n     We brought you the truth heretofore, but the greater part of you abhorred\nthe truth.\n     Have the infidels fixed on a method to circumvent our apostle?  Verily we\nwill fix on a method to circumvent them.\n80\tDo they imagine that we hear not their secrets, and their private\ndiscourse?  Yea; and our messengers who attend thems write down the same.\n     Say, If the Merciful had a son, verily I would be the first of those who\nshould worship him.\n     Far be the LORD of heaven and earth, the LORD of the throne, from that\nwhich they affirm of him!\n     Wherefore let them wade in their vanity, and divert themselves until they\narrive at their day with which they have been threatened.\n     He who is GOD in heaven, is GOD on earth also: and he is the wise, the\nknowing.\n     And blessed be he unto whom appertaineth the kingdom of heaven and earth,\nand of whatever is between them; with whom is the knowledge of the last hour;\nand before whom ye shall be assembled.\n     They whom they invoke besides him have not the privilege to intercede for\nothers; except those who bear witness to the truth, and know the same.t\n     If thou ask them who hath created them, they will surely answer, GOD.\nHow therefore are they turned away to the worship of others?\n     God also heareth the saying of the prophet, O LORD, verily these are\npeople who believe not:\n     and he answereth, Therefore turn aside from them; and say, Peace:u\nhereafter shall they know their folly.\n\n\tq  This the Mohammedans suppose to be the name of the principal angel\nwho has the charge of hell.\n\tr  Some say that this answer will not be given till a thousand years\nafter.\n\ts  i.e., The guardian angels.\n\tt  That is, to the doctrine of GOD'S unity.  The exception comprehends\nJesus, Ezra, and the angels; who will be admitted as intercessors, though they\nhave been worshipped as gods.1\n\tu  See chapter 25, p. 275, note d.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t1  Idem.\n\n\n  CHAPTER XLIV.\n\nENTITLED, SMOKE;x REVEALED AT MECCA.y\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     H. M.z  BY the perspicuous book of the Koran;\n     verily we have sent down the same on a blessed nighta (for we had engaged\nso to do),\n     on the night wherein is distinctly sent down the decree of every\ndetermined thing,\n     as a command from us.b  Verily we have ever used to send apostles with\nrevelations, at proper intervals,\n     as a mercy from thy LORD; for it is he who heareth and knoweth:\n     the LORD of heaven and earth, and of whatever is between them; if ye are\nmen of sure knowledge.\n     There is no GOD but he: he giveth life, and he causeth to die; he is your\nLORD, and the LORD of your forefathers.\n     Yet do they amuse themselves with doubt.\n     But observe them, on the day whereon the heaven shall produce a visible\nsmoke,\n10\twhich shall cover mankind:c this will be a tormenting plague.\n     They shall say, O LORD, take this plague from off us: verily we will\nbecome true believers.\n     How should an admonition be of avail to them in this condition; when a\nmanifest apostle came unto them,\n     but they retired from him, saying, This man is instructed by others,d or\nis a distracted person?\n     We will take the plague from off you, a little: but ye will certainly\nreturn to your infidelity.e\n     On the day whereon we shall fiercely assault them with great power,f\nverily we will take vengeance on them.\n     We made trial of the people of Pharaoh before them, and an honourable\nmessenger came unto them,\n\n\tx  This word occurs within a few lines from the beginning of the\nchapter.\n\ty  Some except the verse beginning, We will take the plague off you a\nlittle, &c.\n\tz  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c.\n\ta  Generally supposed to be that between the twenty-third and twenty-\nfourth of Ramad\u00e2n.  See ibid. p. 50, and chapter 97, and the notes there.\n\tb  For annually on this night, as the Mohammedans are taught, all the\nevents of the ensuing year, with respect to life and death and the other\naffairs of this world, are disposed and settled.1  Some, however, suppose that\nthese words refer only to that particular night on which the Kor\u00e2n, wherein\nare completely contained the divine determinations in respect to religion and\nmorality, was sent down;2 and, according to this exposition, the passage may\nbe rendered, The night whereon every determined or adjudged matter was sent\ndown.\n\tc  The commentators differ in their expositions of this passage.  Some\nthink it spoke of a smoke which seemed to fill the air during the famine which\nwas inflicted on the Meccans in Mohammed's time,3 and was so thick that,\nthough they could hear, yet they could not see one another.4  But, according\nto a tradition of Ali, the smoke here meant is that which is to be one of the\nprevious signs of the day of judgment,5 and will fill the whole space from\neast to west, and last for forty days.  This smoke, they say, will intoxicate\nthe infidels, and issue at their nose, ears and posteriors, but will very\nlittle inconvenience the true believers.6\n\td  See chapter 16, p. 203.\n\te  If we follow the former exposition, the words are to be understood,\nof the ceasing of the famine upon the intercession of Mohammed, at the desire\nof the Koreish, and on their promise of believing on him; notwithstanding\nwhich, they fell back to their old incredulity; but if we follow the latter\nexposition, they are to be understood of GOD'S taking away the plague of the\nsmoke, after the expiration of the forty days, at the prayer of the infidels,\nand on their promise of receiving the true faith, which being done, they will\nimmediately return to their wonted obstinacy.\n\tf  Some expound this of the slaughter at Bedr, and others of the day of\njudgment.\n\n\t1  Jallalo'ddin, al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  See cap. 23, p.\n259, note\n4  Al Zamakh., al Beid\u00e2wi, Yahya, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t5  See the Prelim. Disc.\nSect. IV. p. 63.\t\t6  Al Zamakh., al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t33\n\n\n     saying, Send unto me the servants of GOD;g verily I am a faithful\nmessenger unto you:\n     and lift not yourselves up against GOD; for I come unto you with manifest\npower.\n     And I fly for protection unto my LORD, and your LORD, that ye stone me\nnot.h\n20\tIf ye do not believe me, at least depart from me.i\n     And when they accused him of imposture, he called upon his LORD, saying,\nThese are a wicked people.\n     And God said unto him, March forth with my servants by night; for ye will\nbe pursued:\n     and leave the sea divided, that the Egyptians may enter the same; for\nthey are a host doomed to be drowned.\n     How many gardens, and fountains,\n     and fields of corn, and fair dwellings,\n     and advantages which they enjoyed, did they leave behind them!\n     Thus we dispossessed them thereof; and we gave the same for an\ninheritance unto another people.k\n     Neither heaven nor earth wept for them;l neither were they respited any\nlonger.\n     And we delivered the children of Israel from a shameful affliction;\n30\tfrom Pharaoh; for he was haughty, and a transgressor:\n     and we chose them, knowingly,m above all people;\n     and we showed them several signs,n wherein was an evident trial.\n     Verily these Meccans say,\n     Assuredly our final end will be no other than our first natural death;\nneither shall we be raised again:\n     bring now our forefathers back to life, if ye speak truth.\n     Are they better, or the people of Tobba,o\n     and those who were before them? we destroyed them, because they wrought\nwickedness.\n     We have not created the heavens and the earth, and whatever is between\nthem, by way of sport:\n     we have created them no otherwise than in truth;p but the greater part of\nthem do not understand.\n40\tVerily the day of separationq shall be the appointed term of them all:\n     a day, whereon the master and the servant shall be of no advantage to one\nanother, neither shall they be helped;\n     excepting those on whom GOD shall have mercy; for he is the mighty, the\nmerciful.\n     Verily, the fruit of the tree of al Zakkum\n     shall be the food of the impious:r\n\n\tg  i.e., Let the Israelites go with me to worship their GOD.\n\th  Or that ye injure me not, either by word or deed.1\n\ti  Without opposing me or offering me any injury, which I have not\ndeserved from you.\n\tk  See chapter 26, p. 278.\n\tl  That is, none pitied their destruction.\n\tm  i.e., Knowing that they were worthy of our choice; or,\nnotwithstanding we knew they would, in time to come, fall into idolatry, &c.\n\tn  As the dividing of the Red Sea, the cloud which shaded them, the\nraining on them manna and quails, &c.2\n\to  The Hamyarites, whose kings had the title of Tobba.3  The\ncommentators tell us that the Tobba here meant was very potent, and built\nSamarcand, or, as others say, demolished it; and that he was a true believer,\nbut his subjects were infidels.4\n\tThis prince seems to have been Abu Carb Asaad, who flourished about\nseven hundred years before Mohammed, and embraced Judaism, which religion he\nfirst introduced into Yaman (being the true religion at that time, inasmuch as\nChristianity was not then promulgated), and was, for that cause probably,\nslain by his own people.5\n\tp  See chapter 21, p. 242, and chapter 38, p. 341.\n\tq  i.e., The day of judgment; when the wicked shall be separated from\nthe righteous, &c.\n\tr  Jallalo'ddin supposes this passage to have been particularly levelled\nagainst Abu Jahl.\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect.\nI. p. 7.\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\n5  Al Jann\u00e2bi.  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 60.\n\n\n\n     as the dregs of oil shall it boil in the bellies of the damned,\n     like the boiling of the hottest water.\n     And it shall be said to the tormentors, Take him, and drag him into the\nmidst of hell:\n     and pour on his head the torture of boiling water,\n     saying, Taste this; for thou art that mighty and honourable person.\n50\tVerily this is the punishment of which ye doubted.\n     But the pious shall be lodged in a place of security,\n     among gardens and fountains:\n     they shall be clothed in fine silk, and in satin; and they shall sit\nfacing one another.\n     Thus shall it be: and we will espouse them to fair damsels, having large\nblack eyes.\n     In that place shall they call for all kinds of fruits, in full security:\n     they shall not taste death therein, after the first death; and God shall\ndeliver from the pains of hell:\n     through the gracious bounty of thy LORD.  This will be great felicity.\n     Moreover we have rendered the Koran easy for thee, by revealing it in\nthine own tongue; to the end that they may be admonished:\n     wherefore do thou wait the event; for they wait to see some misfortune\nbefall thee.\n\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER XLV.\n\nENTITLED, THE KNEELING;s REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     H. M.t  THE revelation of this book is from the mighty, the wise GOD.\n     Verily both in heaven and earth are signs of the divine power unto the\ntrue believers:\n     and in the creation of yourselves, and of the beasts which are scattered\nover the face of the earth, are signs unto people of sound judgment;\n     and also in the vicissitude of night and day, and the rain which GOD\nsendeth down from heaven, whereby he quickeneth the earth after it hath been\ndead: in the change of the winds also are signs unto people of understanding.\n     These are the signs of GOD; we rehearse them unto thee with truth.  In\nwhat revelation therefore will they believe, after they have rejected GOD and\nhis signs?\n     Woe unto every lying and impious person;\n     who heareth the signs of GOD, which are read unto him, and afterwards\nproudly persisteth in infidelity, as though he heard them not: (denounce unto\nhim a painful punishment:)\n     and who, when he cometh to the knowledge of any of our signs, receiveth\nthe same with scorn.  For these is prepared a shameful punishment:\n     before them lieth hell; and whatever they shall have gained shall not\navail them at all, neither shall the idols which they have taken for their\npatrons, besides GOD; and they shall suffer a grievous punishment.\n10\tThis is a true direction: and for those who disbelieve the signs of\ntheir LORD, is prepared the punishment of a painful torment.\n     It is GOD who hath subjected the sea unto you, that the ships may sail\ntherein, at his command; and that ye may seek advantage unto yourselves by\ncommerce; of his bounty; and that ye may give thanks:\n     and he obligeth whatever is in heaven and on earth to serve you; the\nwhole being from him.  Verily herein are signs unto people who consider.\n\n\ts  The word from which this chapter is denominated occurs p. 370.\n\tt  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c.\n\n\n     Speak unto the true believers, that they forgive those who hope not for\nthe days of GOD,u that he may reward people according to what they shall have\nwrought.\n     Whoso doeth that which is right doth it to the advantage of his own soul;\nand whoso doeth evil doth it against the same: hereafter shall ye return unto\nyour LORD.\n     We gave unto the children of Israel the book of the law, and wisdom, and\nprophecy; and we fed them with good things, and preferred them above all\nnations:\n     and we gave them plain ordinances concerning the business of religion;\nneither do they fall to variance, except after that knowledge had come unto\nthem, through envy among themselves: but thy LORD will decide the controversy\nbetween them, on the day of resurrection, concerning that wherein they\ndisagree.\n     Afterwards we appointed thee, O Mohammed, to promulgate a law concerning\nthe business of religion: wherefore follow the same, and follow not the\ndesires of those who are ignorant.x\n     Verily they shall not avail thee against GOD at all; the unjust are the\npatrons of one another; but GOD is the patron of the pious.\n     This Koran delivereth evident precepts unto mankind; and is a direction,\nand a mercy, unto people who judge aright.\n20\tDo the workers of iniquity imagine that we will deal with them as with\nthose who believe and do good works; so that their life and their death shall\nbe equal?  An ill judgment do they make.\n     GOD hath created the heavens and the earth in truth; that he may\nrecompense every soul according to that which it shall have wrought: and they\nshall not be treated unjustly.\n     What thinkest thou?  He who taketh his own lust for his GOD, and whom GOD\ncauseth knowingly to err, and whose ears and whose heart he hath sealed up,\nand over whose eyes he hath cast a veil; who shall direct him, after GOD shall\nhave forsaken him?  Will ye therefore not be admonished?\n     They say, There is no other life, except our present life: we die, and we\nlive; and nothing but time destroyeth us.  But they have no knowledge in this\nmatter; they only follow a vain opinion.\n     And when our evident signs are rehearsed unto them, their argument which\nthey offer against the same is no other than that they say, Bring to life our\nfathers who have been dead; if ye speak truth.\n     Say, GOD giveth you life; and afterwards causeth you to die: hereafter\nwill he assemble you together on the day of resurrection; there is no doubt\nthereof; but the greater part of men do not understand.\n     Unto GOD appertaineth the kingdom of heaven and earth; and the day\nwhereon the hour shall be fixed, on that day shall those who charge the Koran\nwith vanity perish.\n     And thou shalt see every nationy kneeling: every nation shall be called\nunto its book of account; and it shall be said unto them, This day shall ye be\nrewarded according to that which ye have wrought.\n\n\tu  By the days of GOD, in this place, are meant the prosperous successes\nof his people in battle against the infidels.1  The passage is said to have\nbeen revealed on account of Omar, who being reviled by one of the tribe of\nGhif\u00e2r, was thinking to revenge himself by force.  Some are of opinion that\nthis verse is abrogated by that of war.2\n\tx  That is, of the principal Koreish, who were urgent with Mohammed to\nreturn to the religion of his forefathers.3\n\ty  The original word Ommat properly signifies a people who profess one\nand the same law or religion.\n\n\t\t\t1  See p. 186, note d.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3\nIdem.\n\n\n     This our book will speak concerning you with truth; therein have we\nwritten down whatever ye have done.z\n     As to those who shall have believed and done good works, their LORD shall\nlead them into his mercy: this shall be manifest felicity.\n30\tBut as to the infidels, it shall be said unto them, Were not my signs\nrehearsed unto you? but ye proudly rejected them, and became a wicked people!\n     And when it was said unto you, Verily the promise of GOD is true: and as\nto the hour of judgment, there is no doubt thereof: ye answered, We know not\nwhat the hour of judgment is: we hold an uncertain opinion only; and we are\nnot well assured of this matter.\n     But on that day the evils of that which they have wrought shall appear\nunto them; and that which they mocked at shall encompass them:\n     and it shall be said unto them, This day will we forget you, as ye did\nforget the meeting of this your day: and your abode shall be hell fire; and ye\nshall have none to deliver you.\n     This shall ye suffer, because ye turned the signs of GOD to ridicule; and\nthe life of the world deceived you.  On this day, therefore, they shall not be\ntaken forth from thence, neither shall they be asked any more to render\nthemselves well-pleasing unto God.\n     Wherefore praise be unto GOD, the LORD of the heavens, and the LORD of\nthe earth;\n     the LORD of all creatures: and unto him be glory in heaven and earth; for\nhe is the mighty, the wise God.\n\n\n_______\n\n\nCHAPTER XLVI.\n\nENTITLED, AL AHKAF;a REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     H. M.b  THE revelation of this book is from the mighty, the wise GOD.\n     We have not created the heavens, and the earth, and whatever is between\nthem, otherwise than in truth,c and for a determined period:d but the\nunbelievers turn away from the warning which is given them.\n     Say, What think ye?  Show me what part of the earth the idols which ye\ninvoke, besides GOD, have created?  Or, had they any share in the creation of\nthe heavens?  Bring me a book of scripture revealed before this, or some\nfootstep of ancient knowledge, to countenance your idolatrous practices; if ye\nare men of veracity.\n     Who is in a wider error than he who invoketh, besides GOD, that which\ncannot return him an answer, to the day of resurrection; and idols which\nregard not their calling on them:\n     and which, when men shall be gathered together to judgment, will become\ntheir enemies, and will ungratefully deny their worship?\n\n\tz  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 70.\n\ta  Al Ahk\u00e2f is the plural of Hekf, and signifies lands which lie in a\ncrooked or winding manner; whence it became the name of a territory in the\nprovince of Hadramaut, where the Adites dwelt.  It is mentioned about the\nmiddle of the chapter.\n\tb  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c.\n\tc  See chapter 21, p. 242, and chapter 38, p. 341, &c.\n\td  Being to last but a certain space of time, and not for ever.\n\n\n     When our evident signs are rehearsed unto them, the unbelievers say of\nthe truth,e when it cometh unto them, This is a manifest piece of sorcery.\n     Will they say, Mohammed hath forged it?  Answer, If I have forged it,\nverily ye shall not obtain for me any favor from GOD: he well knoweth the\ninjurious language which ye utter concerning it: he is a sufficient witness\nbetween me and you; and he is gracious and merciful.\n     Say, I am not singular among the apostles;f neither do I know what will\nbe done with me or with you hereafter: I follow no other than what is revealed\nunto me; neither am I any more than a public warner.\n     Say, What is your opinion?  If this book be from GOD, and ye believe not\ntherein; and a witness of the children of Israel bear witness to its\nconsonancy with the law,g and believeth therein; and ye proudly reject the\nsame: are ye not unjust doers?  Verily GOD directeth not unjust people.\n10\tBut those who believe not say of the true believers, If the doctrine of\nthe Koran had been good, they had not embraced the same before us.h  And when\nthey are not guided thereby, they say, This is an antiquated lie.\n     Whereas the book of Moses was revealed before the Koran, to be a guide\nand a mercy: and this is a book confirming the same, delivered in the Arabic\ntongue; to denounce threats unto those who act unjustly, and to bear good\ntidings unto the righteous doers.\n     As to those who say, Our LORD is GOD; and who behave uprightly: on them\nshall no fear come, neither shall they be grieved.\n     These shall be the inhabitants of paradise, they shall remain therein\nforever: in recompense for that which they have wrought.\n     We have commanded man to show kindness to his parents: his mother beareth\nhim in her womb with pain, and bringeth him forth with pain: and the space of\nhis being carried in her womb, and of his weaning, is thirty months;i until,\nwhen he attaineth his age of strength, and attaineth the age of forty years,\nhe saith,k O LORD, excite me, by the inspiration, that I may be grateful for\ntheir favors, wherewith thou hast favored me and my parents; and that I may\nwork righteousness, which may please thee: and be gracious unto me in my\nissue; for I am turned unto thee, and am a Moslem.\n     These are they from whom we accept the good work which they have wrought,\nand whose evil works we pass by; and they shall be among the inhabitants of\nparadise: this is a true promise, which they are promised in this world.\n\n\te  i.e., Any part of the revelations of the Kor\u00e2n.\n\tf  That is, I do not teach a doctrine different from what the former\napostles and prophets have taught, nor am I able to do what they could not,\nparticularly to show the signs which every one shall think fit to demand.1\n\tg  This witness is generally supposed to have been the Jew Abd'allah Ebn\nSal\u00e2m, who declared that Mohammed was the prophet foretold by Moses.  Some,\nhowever, suppose the witness here meant to have been Moses himself.2\n\th  These words were spoken, as some think, by the Jews, when Abd'allah\nprofessed Isl\u00e2m; or, according to others, by the Koreish, because the first\nfollowers of Mohammed were for the most part poor and mean people; or else by\nthe tribes of Amer, Ghatf\u00e2n, and Asad, on the conversion of those of Joheinah,\nMozeinah, Aslam, and Ghifar.3\n\ti  At the least.  For if the full time of suckling an infant be two\nyears,4 or twenty-four months, there remain but six months for the space of\nhis being carried in the womb; which is the least that can be allowed.5\n\tk  These words, it is said, were revealed on account of Abu Becr, who\nprofessed Isl\u00e2m in the fortieth year of his age, two years after Mohammed's\nmission, and was the only person, either of the Moh\u00e2jerin or the Ans\u00e2rs, whose\nfather and mother were also converted; his son Abd'alrahm\u00e2n, and his grandson\nAbu Atik, likewise embracing the same faith.6\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem, Jallalo'ddin\t\t3  Idem.\n\t4  See cap. 2, p. 25.\n5  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t6  Idem, Jallalo'ddin, &c.\n\n\n     He who saith unto his parents, Fie on you!  Do ye promise me that I shall\nbe taken forth from the grave, and restored to life; when many generations\nhave passed away before me, and none of them have returned back?l  And his\nparents implore GOD'S assistance, and say to their son, Alas for thee!\nBelieve: for the promise of GOD is true.  But he answereth, This is no other\nthan silly fables of the ancients.\n     These are they whom the sentence passed on the nations which have been\nbefore them, of genii and of men, justly fitteth: they shall surely perish.m\n     For every one is prepared a certain degree of happiness or misery,\naccording to that which they shall have wrought: that God may recompense them\nfor their works: and they shall not be treated unjustly.\n     On a certain day, the unbelievers shall be exposed before the fire of\nhell; and it shall be said unto them, Ye received your good things in your\nlifetime, while ye were in the world; and ye enjoyed yourselves therein:\nwherefore this day ye shall be rewarded with the punishment of ignominy; for\nthat ye behaved insolently in the earth, without justice, and for that ye\ntransgressed.\n20\tRemember the brother of Ad,n when he preached unto his people in Al\nAhkaf (and there were preachers before him, and after him), saying, Worship\nnone but GOD: verily I fear for you the punishment of a great day.\n     They answered, Art thou come unto us that thou mayest turn us aside from\nthe worship of our gods?  Bring on us now the punishment with which thou\nthreatenest us, if thou art a man of veracity.\n     He said, Verily the knowledge of the time when your punishment will be\ninflicted is with GOD; and I only declare unto you that which I am sent to\npreach; but I see ye are an ignorant people.\n     And when they saw the preparation made for their punishment, namely, a\ncloud traversing the sky, and tending towards their valleys, they said, This\nis a traversing cloud, which bringeth us rain.  Hud answered, Nay; it is what\nye demanded to be hastened: a wind, wherein is a severe vengeance:\n     it will destroy everything,o at the command of its LORD.  And in the\nmorning nothing was to be seen, besides their empty dwellings.  Thus do we\nreward wicked people.\n     We had established them in the like flourishing condition wherein we have\nestablished you, O men of Mecca; and we had given them ears, and eyes, and\nhearts: yet neither their ears, nor their eyes, nor their hearts profited them\nat all, when they rejected the signs of GOD; but the vengeance which they\nmocked at fell upon them.\n     We heretofore destroyed the cities which were round about you;p and we\nvariously proposed our signs unto them, that they might repent.\n     Did those protect them, whom they took for gods, besides GOD, and\nimagined to be honoured with his familiarity?  Nay; they withdrew from them:\nyet this was their false opinion which seduced them, and the blasphemy which\nthey had devised.\n\n\tl  The words seem to be general; but it is said they were revealed\nparticularly on occasion of Abd'alrahm\u00e2n, the son of Abu Becr, who used these\nexpressions to his father and mother before he professed Isl\u00e2m.7\n\tm  Unless they redeem their fault by repentance, and embracing the true\nfaith, as did Abd'alrahm\u00e2n.\n\tn  i.e., The prophet Hud.\n\to  Which came to pass accordingly; for this pestilential and violent\nwind killed all who believed not in the doctrine of Hud, without distinction\nof sex, age, or degree; and entirely destroyed their possessions.  See the\nPrelim. Disc. Sect. I. p. 5, and the notes to chapter 7, p. 111.\n\tp  As the settlements of the Thamudites, Midianites, and the cities of\nSodom and Gomorrah, &c.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t7  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     Remember when we caused certain of the geniiq to turn aside unto thee,\nthat they might hear the Koran: and when they were present at the reading of\nthe same, they said to one another, Give ear: and when it was ended, they\nreturned back unto their people, preaching what they had heard.\n     They said, Our people, verily we have heard a book read unto us, which\nhath been revealed since Moses,r confirming the scripture which was delivered\nbefore it; and directing unto the truth, and the right way.\n30\tOur people, obey GOD'S preacher: and believe in him; that he may forgive\nyou your sins, and may deliver you from a painful punishment.\n     And whoever obeyeth not GOD'S preacher shall by no means frustrate God's\nvengeance on earth: neither shall he have any protectors besides him.  These\nwill be in a manifest error.\n     Do they not know that GOD, who hath created the heavens and the earth,\nand was not fatigued with the creation thereof, is able to raise the dead to\nlife?  Yea verily; for he is almighty.\n     On a certain day the unbelievers shall be exposed unto hell fire; and it\nshall be said unto them, Is not this really come to pass?  They shall answer,\nYea, by our LORD.  God shall reply, Taste, therefore, the punishment of hell,\nfor that ye have been unbelievers.\n     Do thou, O prophet, bear the insults of thy people with patience, as our\napostles, who were endued with constancy, bear the injuries of their people:\nand require not their punishment to be hastened unto them.  On the day whereon\nthey shall see the punishment wherewith they have been threatened,\n     it shall seem as though they had tarried in the world but an hour of a\nday.  This is a fair warning.  Shall they perish except the people who\ntransgress?\n\n\n________\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XLVII.\n\nENTITLED, MOHAMMED;s REVEALED AT MEDINA.t\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     GOD will render of none effect the works of those who believe not, and\nwho turn away men from the way of GOD:\n     but as to those who believe, and work righteousness, and believe the\nrevelation which hath been sent down unto Mohammed (for it is the truth from\ntheir LORD), he will expiate their evil deeds from them, and will dispose\ntheir heart aright.\n\n\tq  These genii, according to different opinions, were of Nisibin, or of\nYaman, or of Ninive; and in number nine or seven.  They heard Mohammed reading\nthe Kor\u00e2n by night, or after the morning prayer, in the valley of al Nakhlah,\nduring the time of his retreat to al Tayef, and believed on him.1\n\tr  Hence the commentators suppose those genii, before their conversion\nto Mohammedism, to have been of the Jewish religion.\n\ts  Some entitle this chapter War, which is therein commanded to be\nvigorously carried on against the enemies of the Mohammedan faith.\n\tt  Some suppose the whole to have been revealed at Mecca.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     This will he do, because those who believe not follow vanity, and because\nthose who believe follow the truth from their LORD.  Thus GOD propoundeth unto\nmen their examples.\n     When ye encounter the unbelievers, strike off their heads, until ye have\nmade a great slaughter among them; and bind them in bonds;\n     and either give them a free dismission afterwards, or exact a ransom;\nuntil the war shall have laid down its arms.u  This shall ye do.  Verily if\nGOD pleased he could take vengeance on them, without your assistance; but he\ncommandeth you to fight his battles, that he may prove the one of you by the\nother.  And as to those who fightx in defence of GOD'S true religion, God will\nnot suffer their works to perish:\n     he will guide them, and will dispose their heart aright;\n     and he will lead them into paradise, of which he hath told them.\n     O true believers, if ye assist GOD, by fighting for his religion, he will\nassist you against your enemies; and will set your feet fast:\n     but as for the infidels, let them perish; and their works shall God\nrender vain.\n10\tThis shall befall them, because they have rejected with abhorrence that\nwhich GOD hath revealed: wherefore their works shall become of no avail.\n     Do they not travel through the earth, and see what hath been the end of\nthose who were before them?  GOD utterly destroyed them: and the like\ncatastrophe awaiteth the unbelievers.\n     This shall come to pass, for that GOD is the patron of the true\nbelievers, and for that the infidels have no protector.\n     Verily GOD will introduce those who believe, and do good works, into\ngardens beneath which rivers flow: but the unbelievers indulge themselves in\npleasures, and eat as beasts eat; and their abode shall be hell fire.\n     How many cities were more mighty in strength than thy city which hath\nexpelled thee; yet have we destroyed them, and there was none to help them?\n     Shall he therefore, who followeth the plain declaration of his LORD, be\nas he whose evil works have been dressed up for him by the devil; and who\nfollow their own lusts?\n     The description of paradise, which is promised unto the pious: therein\nare rivers of incorruptible water; and rivers of milk, the taste whereof\nchangeth not; and rivers of wine, pleasant unto those who drink;\n     and rivers of clarified honey: and therein shall they have plenty of all\nkinds of fruits; and pardon from their LORD.  Shall the man for whom these\nthings are prepared be as he who must dwell forever in hell fire; and will\nhave the boiling water given him to drink, which shall burst their bowels?\n\n\tu  This law the Hanifites judge to be abrogated, or to relate\nparticularly to the war of Bedr, for the severity here commanded, which was\nnecessary in the beginning of Mohammedism,1 they think too rigorous to be put\nin practice in its flourishing state.  But the Persians and some others hold\nthe command to be still in full force; for, according to them, all the men of\nfull age who are taken in battle are to be slain, unless they embrace the\nMohammedan faith; and those who fall into the hands of the Moslems after the\nbattle are not to be slain, but may either be set at liberty gratis or on\npayment of a certain ransom, or may be exchanged for Mohammedan prisoners, or\ncondemned to slavery, at the pleasure of the Im\u00e2m or prince.2\n\tx  Some copies, instead of k\u00e2tilu, read k\u00fbtilu, according to which\nlatter reading it should be rendered, who are slain, or suffer martyrdom, &c.\n\n\t1  See cap. 8, p. 127 and 132.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  Vide Reland.\nDissert. de Jure Militari Mohammedanor. p. 32.\n\n\n     Of the unbelievers there are some who give ear unto thee, until, when\nthey go out from thee, they say, by way of derision, unto those to whom\nknowledge hath been given,y What hath he said now?  These are they whose\nhearts GOD hath sealed up, and who follow their own lusts:\n     but as to those who are directed, God will grant them a more ample\ndirection, and he will instruct them what to avoid.z\n20\tDo the infidels wait for any other than the last hour, that it may come\nupon them suddenly?  Some signs thereof are already come:a and when it shall\nactually overtake them, how can they then receive admonition?\n     Know therefore, that there is no god but GOD: and ask pardon for thy\nsin,b and for the true believers, both men and women.  GOD knoweth your busy\nemployment in the world, and the place of your abode hereafter.\n     The true believers say, Hath not a Sura been revealed commanding war\nagainst the infidels?  But when a Sura without any ambiguity is revealed, and\nwar is mentioned therein, thou mayest see those in whose hearts is an\ninfirmity,c look towards thee with the look of one whom death overshadoweth.\nBut obedience would be more eligible for them, and to speak that which is\nconvenient.\n     And when the command is firmly established, if they give credit unto GOD,\nit will be better for them.\n     Were ye ready, therefore, if ye had been put in authority,d to commit\noutrages in the earth, and to violate the ties of blood?\n     These are they whom GOD hath cursed, and hath rendered deaf, and whose\neyes he hath blinded.\n     Do they not therefore attentively meditate on the Koran?  Are there locks\nupon their hearts?\n     Verily they who turn their backs, after the true direction is made\nmanifest unto them, Satan shall prepare their wickedness for them, and God\nshall bear with them for a time.\n     This shall befall them, because they say privately unto those who detest\nwhat GOD hath revealed, We will obey you in part of the matter.e  But GOD\nknoweth their secrets.\n     How therefore will it be with them, when the angels shall cause them to\ndie, and shall strike their faces, and their backs?f\n30\tThis shall they suffer, because they follow that which provoketh GOD to\nwrath, and are averse to what is well pleasing unto him: and he will render\ntheir works vain.\n     Do they in whose hearts is an infirmity imagine that GOD will not bring\ntheir malice to light?\n     If we pleased, we could surely show them unto thee, and thou shouldest\nknow them by their marks; but thou shalt certainly know them by their perverse\npronunciation of their words.  GOD knoweth your actions:\n     and we will try you, until we know those among you who fight valiantly,\nand who persevere with constancy: and we will try the reports of your\nbehavior.\n\n\ty  i.e., The more learned of Mohammed's companions, such as Ebn Mas\u00fad\nand Ebn Abb\u00e2s.3\n\tz  Or, as the words may also be translated, and he will reward them for\ntheir piety.\n\ta  As the mission of Mohammed, the splitting of the moon, and the\nsmoke,1 mentioned in the forty-fourth chapter.\n\tb  Though Mohammed here and elsewhere2 acknowledges himself to be a\nsinner, yet several Mohammedan doctors pretend he was wholly free from sin,\nand suppose he is here commanded to ask forgiveness, not that he wanted it,\nbut that he might set an example to his followers: wherefore he used to say of\nhimself, if the tradition be true, I ask pardon of GOD a hundred times a day.3\n\tc  As hypocrisy, cowardice, or instability in their religion.\n\td  Or, as the words may also be translated, If ye had turned back, and\napostatized from your faith.\n\te  i.e., In part of what ye desire of us; by staying at home and not\ngoing forth with Mohammed to war, and by private combination against him.4\n\tf  These words are supposed to allude to the examination of the\nsepulchre.\n\n\t3  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t1  Idem, al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  See cap. 48, in\nthe beginning.\t\t3  Jallalo'ddin\n4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     Verily those who believe not, and turn away men from the way of GOD, and\nmake opposition against the apostle,g after the divine direction hath been\nmanifested unto them, shall not hurt GOD at all; but he shall make their works\nto perish.\n     O true believers, obey GOD; and obey the apostle: and render not your\nworks of no effect.\n     Verily those who believe not, and who turn away men from the way of GOD,\nand then die, being unbelievers, GOD will by no means forgive.\n     Faint not therefore, neither invite your enemies to peace, while ye are\nthe superior: for GOD is with you, and will not defraud you of the merit of\nyour works.\n     Verily this present life is only a play and a vain amusement; but if ye\nbelieve, and fear God, he will give you your rewards.  He doth not require of\nyou your whole substance:\n     if he should require the whole of you, and earnestly press you, ye would\nbecome niggardly, and it would raise your hatred against his apostle.\n40\tBehold, ye are those who are invited to expend part of your substance\nfor the support of GOD'S true religion; and there are some of you who are\nniggardly.  But whoever shall be niggardly shall be niggardly towards his own\nsoul: for GOD wanteth nothing, but ye are needy: and if ye turn back, he will\nsubstitute another people in your stead, who shall not be like unto you.h\n\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER XLVIII.\n\nENTITLED, THE VICTORY; REVEALED AT MEDINA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     VERILY we have granted thee a manifest victory:i\n     that GOD may forgive theek thy preceding and thy subsequent sin,l and may\ncomplete his favour on thee, and direct thee in the right way;\n\n\tg  These were the tribes of Koreidha and al Nadir; or those who\ndistributed provision to the army of the Koreish at Bedr.1\n\th  i.e., In backwardness and aversion to the propagation of the faith.\nThe people here designed to be put in the place of these lukewarm Moslems are\ngenerally supposed to be the Persians, there being a tradition that Mohammed,\nbeing asked what people they were, at a time when Salm\u00e2n was sitting by him,\nclapped his hand on his thigh, and said, This man and his nation.  Others,\nhowever, are of opinion the Ans\u00e2rs or the angels are intended in this place.2\n\ti  This victory, from which the chapter takes its title, according to\nthe most received interpretation, was the taking of the city of Mecca.  The\npassage is said to have been revealed on Mohammed's return from the expedition\nof al Hodeibiya, and contains a promise or prediction of this signal success,\nwhich happened not till two years after, the preterite tense being therein\nused, according to the prophetic style, for the future.3\n\tThere are some, notwithstanding, who suppose the advantage here intended\nwas the pacification of al Hodeibiya, which is here called a victory, because\nthe Meccans sued for peace, and made a truce there with Mohammed, their\nbreaking of which occasioned the taking of Mecca.  Others think the conquest\nof Khaibar, or the victory over the Greeks at M\u00fbta, &c., to be meant in this\nplace.\n\tk  That is to say, that GOD ay give thee an opportunity of deserving\nforgiveness by eradicating of idolatry, and exalting his true religion, and\nthe delivering of the weak from the hands of the ungodly, &c.\n\tl  i.e., Whatever thou hast done worthy reprehension; or, thy sins\ncommitted as well in the time of ignorance as since.  Some expound the words\nmore particularly, and say the preceding or former fault was his lying with\nhis handmaid Mary,1 contrary to his oath; and the latter, his marrying of\nZeinab,2 the wife of Ze\u00eed his adopted son.3\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  See cap. 8, p. 129, note y.\t\t2  Idem.\n\t3  Al Zamakh., al Beid\u00e2wi, &c.\n1  See cap. 66, and the notes thereon.\t\t2  See cap. 33, and the notes\nthereon.\t\t3  Al Zamakh.\n\n\n     and that GOD may assist thee with a glorious assistance.\n     It is he who sendeth down secure tranquility into the hearts of the true\nbelievers, that they may increase in faith, beyond their former faith; (the\nhosts of heaven and earth are GOD'S; and GOD is knowing and wise)\n     that he may lead the true believers of both sexes into gardens beneath\nwhich rivers flow, to dwell therein forever; and may expiate their evil deeds\nfrom them: (this will be great felicity with GOD):\n     and that he may punish the hypocritical men, and the hypocritical women,\nand the idolaters, and the idolatresses, who conceive an ill opinion of GOD.\nThey shall experience a turn of evil fortune: and GOD shall be angry with\nthem, and shall curse them, and hath prepared hell for them; and ill journey\nshall it be thither!\n     Unto GOD belong the hosts of heaven and earth; and GOD is mighty and\nwise.\n     Verily we have sent thee to be a witness, and a bearer of good tidings,\nand a denouncer of threats;\n     that ye may believe in GOD, and his apostle; and may assist him, and\nrevere him, and praise him morning and evening.\n10\tVerily they who swear fealtym unto thee, swear fealty unto GOD: the hand\nof GOD is over their hands.n  Whoever shall violate his oath, will violate the\nsame to the hurt only of his own soul: but whoever shall perform that which he\nhath covenanted with GOD, he will surely give him a great reward.\n     The Arabs of the desert who were left behindo will say unto thee, Our\nsubstance and our families employed us, so that we went not forth with thee to\nwar; wherefore, ask pardon for us.  They speak that with their tongues, which\nis not in their hearts.  Answer, Who shall be able to obtain for you anything\nfrom GOD to the contrary, if he is pleased to afflict you, or is pleased to be\ngracious unto you?  Yea, verily, GOD is well acquainted with that which ye do.\n     Truly ye imagined that the apostle and the true believers would never\nreturn to their families: and this was prepared in your hearts: but ye\nimagined an evil imagination; and ye are a corrupt people.\n     Whoso believeth not in GOD and his apostle, verily we have prepared\nburning fire for the unbelievers.\n     Unto GOD belongeth the kingdom of heaven and earth: he forgiveth whom he\npleaseth: and he punisheth whom he pleaseth: and GOD is inclined to forgive,\nand merciful.\n     Those who were left behind will say, when ye go forth to take the spoil,p\nSuffer us to follow you.  They seek to change the word of GOD.q  Say, Ye shall\nby no means follow us: thus hath GOD said heretofore.  They will reply, Nay:\nye envy us a share of the booty.  But they are men of small understanding.\n\n\tm  The original word signifies publicly to acknowledge or inaugurate a\nprince, by swearing fidelity and obedience to him.\n\tn  That is, he beholdeth from above, and is witness to the solemnity of\nyour giving your faith to his apostle, and will reward you for it.4  The\nexpression alludes to the manner of their plighting their faith on these\noccasions.\n\to  These were the tribes of Aslam, Joheinah, Mozeinah, and Ghif\u00e2r, who,\nbeing summoned to attend Mohammed in the expedition of al Hodeibiya, stayed\nbehind, and excused themselves by saying their families must suffer in their\nabsence, and would be robbed of the little they had (for these tribes were of\nthe poorer Arabs); whereas in reality they wanted firmness in the faith, and\ncourage to face the Koreish.5\n\tp  viz., In the expedition of Khaibar.  The prophet returned from al\nHodeibiya in Dhu'lhajja, in the sixth year of the Hejra, and stayed at Medina\nthe remainder of that month and the beginning of Moharram, and then set\nforward against the Jews of Khaibar, with those only who had attended him to\nHodeibiya; and having made himself master of the place, and all the castles\nand strongholds in that territory,1 took spoils to a great value, which he\ndivided among them who were present at that expedition, and none else.2\n\tq  Which was his promise to those who attended the prophet to al\nHodeibiya, that he would make them amends for their missing of the plunder of\nMecca at that time by giving them that of Khaibar in lieu thereof.  Some think\nthe word here intended, to be that passage in the ninth chapter,3 Ye shall not\ngo forth with me for the future, &c., which yet was plainly revealed long\nafter the taking of Khaibar, on occasion of the expedition of Tab\u00fbc.4\n\n\t\t\t4  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t5  Idem, al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     Say unto the Arabs of the desert who were left behind, Ye shall be called\nforth against a mighty and a warlike nation;r ye shall fight against them, or\nthey shall profess Isl\u00e2m.  If ye obey, GOD will give you a glorious reward:\nbut if ye turn back, as ye turned back heretofore, he will chastise you with a\ngrievous chastisement.\n     It shall be no crime in the blind, neither shall it be a crime in the\nlame, neither shall it be a crime in the sick, if they go not forth to war:\nand whoso shall obey GOD and his apostle, he shall lead them into gardens\nbeneath which rivers flow; but whoso shall turn back, he will chastise him\nwith a grievous chastisement.\n     Now GOD was well pleased with the true believers, when they sware\nfidelity to thee under the tree;s and he knew that which was in their hearts;\nwherefore he sent down on them tranquility of mind,t and rewarded them with a\nspeedy victory,u\n     and many spoils which they took: for GOD is mighty and wise.\n20\tGOD promised you many spoils which ye should take; but he have you these\nby way of earnest; and he restrained the hands of men from you:x that the same\nmay be a sign unto the true believers; and that he may guide you into the\nright way.\n     And he also promiseth you other spoils, which ye have not yet been able\nto take: but now hath GOD encompassed them for you; and GOD is almighty.\n     If the unbelieving Meccans had fought against you, verily they had turned\ntheir backs; and they would not have found a patron or protector:\n     according to the ordinance of GOD, which hath been put in execution\nheretofore against opposers of the prophets; for thou shalt not find any\nchange in the ordinance of GOD.\n     It was he who restrained their hands from you, and your hands from them,\nin the valley of Mecca; after that he had given you the victory over them:y\nand GOD saw that which ye did.\n\n\tr  These were Banu Honeifa, who inhabited al Yam\u00e2ma, and were the\nfollowers of Moseilama, Mohammed's competitor; or any other of those tribes\nwhich apostatized from Mohammedism,5 or, as others rather suppose, the\nPersians or the Greeks.6\n\ts  Mohammed, when at al Hodeibiya, sent Jaww\u00e2s Ebn Omeyya the Khoza\u00efte,\nto acquaint the Meccans that he was come with a peaceable intention to visit\nthe temple; but they, on some jealousy conceived, refusing to admit him, the\nprophet sent Othman Ebn Aff\u00e2n, whom they imprisoned, and a report ran that he\nwas slain: whereupon Mohammed called his men about him, and they took an oath\nto be faithful to him, even to death; during which ceremony he sat under a\ntree, supposed by some to have been an Egyptian thorn, and by others a kind of\nlote-tree.7\n\tt  The original word is Sak\u00eenat, of which notice has been taken\nelsewhere.8\n\tu  Namely, the success at Khaibar; or, as some rather imagine, the\ntaking of Mecca, &c.\n\tx  i.e., The hands of those of Khaibar, or of their successors of the\ntribes of Asad and Ghatf\u00e2n, or of the inhabitants of Mecca, by the\npacification of al Hodeibiya.1\n\ty  Jallalo'ddin says that fourscore of the infidels came privately to\nMohammed's camp at al Hodeibiya, with an intent to surprise some of his men,\nbut were taken and brought before the prophet, who pardoned them and ordered\nthem to be set at liberty; and this generous action was the occasion of the\ntruce struck up by the Koreish with Mohammed; for thereupon they sent Sohail\nEbn Amru and some others (and not Arwa Ebn Mas\u00fad, as is said by mistake in\nanother place,2 for his errand was an actual defiance) to treat for peace.\n\tAl Beid\u00e2wi explains the passage by another story, telling us that Acrema\nEbn Abi Jahl marching from Mecca at the head of five hundred men to al\nHodeibiya, Mohammed sent against him Kh\u00e2led Ebn al Wal\u00eed with a detachment,\nwho drove the infidels back to the innermost part of Mecca (as the word here\ntranslated valley properly signifies), and then left them, out of respect to\nthe place.\n\n\t1  Vide Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 87, &c.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3\nPage 144.\n4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t5  Idem.\t\t6  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t7  Idem, al\nBeid\u00e2wi.  Vide Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 86.\n8  In not. ad cap. 2, p. 27.\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Prelim. Disc.\nSect. II. p. 41.\n\n\n     These are they who believed not, and hindered you from visiting the holy\ntemple, and also hindered the offering being detained, that it should not\narrive at the place where it ought to be sacrificed.z  Had it not been that ye\nmight have trampled on divers true believers, both men and women, whom ye know\nnot, being promiscuously assembled with the infidels, and that a crime might\ntherefore have lighted on you on their account, without your knowledge, he had\nnot restrained your hands from them: but this was done, that GOD might lead\nwhom he pleased into his mercy.  If they had been distinguished from one\nanother, we had surely chastised such of them as believed not, with a severe\nchastisement.\n     When the unbelievers had put in their hearts an affected preciseness, the\npreciseness of ignorance, and GOD sent down his tranquility on his apostle and\non the true believers;a and firmly fixed in them the word of piety,b and they\nwere the most worthy of the same, and the most deserving thereof: for GOD\nknoweth all things.\n     Now hath GOD in truth verified unto his apostle the vision,c wherein he\nsaid, Ye shall surely enter the holy temple of Mecca, if GOD please, in full\nsecurity; having your heads shaved, and your hair cut:d ye shall not fear: for\nGod knoweth that which ye know not; and he hath appointed you, besides this, a\nspeedy victory.e\n\n\tz  Mohammed's intent, in the expedition of al Hodeibiya, being only to\nvisit the temple of Mecca in a peaceable manner, and to offer a sacrifice in\nthe valley of Mina, according to the established rites, he carried beasts with\nhim for that purpose; but was not permitted by the Koreish either to enter the\ntemple or to go to Mina.\n\ta  This passage was occasioned by the stiffness of Sohail and his\ncompanions in wording the treaty concluded with Mohammed; for when the prophet\nordered Ali to begin with the form, In the name of the most merciful GOD, they\nobjected to it, and insisted that he should begin with this: In thy name, O\nGOD; which Mohammed submitted to, and proceeded to dictate, These are the\nconditions on which Mohammed, the apostle of GOD, has made peace with those of\nMecca; to this Sohail again objected, saying, If we had acknowledged thee to\nbe the apostle of GOD, we had not given thee any opposition; whereupon\nMohammed ordered Ali to write as Sohail desired, These are the conditions\nwhich Mohammed, the son of Abdallah, &c.  But the Moslems were so disgusted\nthereat, that they were on the point of breaking off the treaty, and had\nfallen on the Meccans, had not GOD appeased and calmed their minds, as it\nfollows in the text.3\n\tThe terms of this pacification were that there should be a truce for ten\nyears; that any person might enter into league either with Mohammed or with\nthe Koreish, as he should think fit; and that Mohammed should have the liberty\nto visit the temple of Mecca the next year for three days.4\n\tb  i.e., The Mohammedan profession of faith; or the Bismillah, and the\nwords, Mohammed, the apostle of GOD, which were rejected by the infidels.\n\tc  Or dream which Mohammed had at Medina before he set out for al\nHodeibiya; wherein he dreamed that he and his companions entered Mecca in\nsecurity, with their heads shaven and their hair cut.  This dream being\nimparted by the prophet to his followers, occasioned a great deal of joy among\nthem, and they supposed it would be fulfilled that same year; but when they\nsaw the truce concluded, which frustrated their expectation for that time,\nthey were deeply concerned; whereupon this passage was revealed for their\nconsolation, confirming the vision, which was not to be fulfilled till the\nyear after, when Mohammed performed the visitation distinguished by the\naddition of al Kad\u00e2, or completion, because he then completed the visitation\nof the former year, when the Koreish not permitting him to enter Mecca, he was\nobliged to kill his victims, and to shave himself at al Hodeibiya.5\n\td  i.e., Some being shaved, and others having only their hair cut.\n\te  viz., The taking of Khaibar.\n\n\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  Vide Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 87.\t\t4  Idem.\n\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.  Vide Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 84, 87.\n\n\n     It is he who hath sent his apostle with the direction, and the religion\nof truth; that he may exalt the same above every religion: and GOD is a\nsufficient witness hereof.\n     Mohammed is the apostle of GOD: and those who are with him are fierce\nagainst the unbelievers, but compassionate towards one another.  Thou mayest\nsee them bowing down, prostrate, seeking a recompense from GOD, and his good-\nwill.  Their signs are in their faces, being marks of frequent prostration.\nThis is their description in the pentateuch, and their description in the\ngospel: they are as seed which putteth forth its stalk and strengtheneth it,\nand swelleth in the ear, and riseth upon its stem; giving delight unto the\nsower.  Such are the Moslems described to be: that the infidels may swell with\nindignation at them.  GOD hath promised unto such of them as believe, and do\ngood works, pardon and a great reward.\n\n\n________\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XLIX.\n\nENTITLED, THE INNER APARTMENTS; REVEALED AT MEDINA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     O TRUE believers, anticipate not any matter in the sight of GOD and his\napostle:f and fear GOD; for GOD both heareth and knoweth.\n     O true believers, raise not your voices above the voice of the prophet;g\nneither speak loud unto him in discourse, as ye speak loud unto one another,\nlest your works become vain, and ye perceive it not.\n     Verily they who lower their voices in the presence of the apostle of GOD\nare those whose hearts GOD hath disposed unto piety: they shall obtain pardon,\nand a great reward.\n     As to those who call unto thee from without the inner apartments;h the\ngreater part of them do not understand the respect due to thee.\n     If they wait with patience, until thou come forth unto them, it will\ncertainly be better for them: but GOD is inclined to forgive, and merciful.\n\n\tf  That is, do not presume to give your own decision in any case, before\nye have received the judgment of GOD and his apostle.\n\tg  This verse is said to have been occasioned by a dispute between Abu\nBecr and Omar, concerning the appointing of a governor of a certain place; in\nwhich they raised their voices so high, in the presence of the apostle, that\nit was thought proper to forbid such indecencies for the future.1\n\th  These, they say, were Oyeyna Ebn Osein, and al Akr\u00e1 Ebn H\u00e2bes; who\nwanting to speak with Mohammed, when he was sleeping at noon in his women's\napartment, had the rudeness to call out several times, Mohammed, come forth to\nus.2\n\n\t\t\t\t1  Jallal.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     O true believers, if a wicked man come unto you with a tale, inquire\nstrictly into the truth thereof; lest ye hurt people through ignorance, and\nafterwards repent of what ye have done;i\n     and know that the apostle of GOD is among you: if he should obey you in\nmany things, ye would certainly be guilty of a crime, in leading him into a\nmistake.  But GOD hath made the faith amiable unto you, and hath prepared the\nsame in your hearts; and hath rendered infidelity, and iniquity, and\ndisobedience hateful unto you.  These are they who walk in the right way;\n     through mercy from GOD, and grace: and GOD is knowing, and wise.\n     If two parties of the believers contend with one another, do ye endeavor\nto compose the matter between them: and if the one of them offer an insult\nunto the other, fight against that party which offered the insult, until they\nreturn unto the judgment of GOD; and if they do return, make peace between\nthem with equity: and act with justice; for GOD loveth those who act justly.k\n10\tVerily the true believers are brethren; wherefore reconcile your\nbrethren; and fear GOD, that ye may obtain mercy.\n     O true believers, let not men laugh other men to scorn; who peradventure\nmay be better than themselves: neither let women laugh other women to scorn;\nwho may possibly be better than themselves.  Neither defame one another; nor\ncall one another by opprobrious appellations.  An ill name it is to be charged\nwith wickedness, after having embraced the faith: and whoso repenteth not,\nthey will be the unjust doers.l\n     O true believers, carefully avoid entertaining a suspicion of another:\nfor some suspicions are a crime.  Inquire not too curiously into other men's\nfailings: neither let the one of you speak ill of another in his absence.\nWould any of you desire to eat the flesh of his dead brother?  Surely ye would\nabhor it.  And fear GOD; for GOD is easy to be reconciled, and merciful.\n     O men, verily we have created you of a male and a female; and we have\ndistributed you into nations and tribes, that ye might know one another.\nVerily the most honourable of you, in the sight of GOD, is the most pious of\nyou: and GOD is wise and knowing.\n     The Arabs of the desertm say, We believe.  Answer, Ye do by no means\nbelieve; but say, We have embraced Isl\u00e2m:n for the faith hath not yet entered\ninto your hearts.  If ye obey GOD and his apostle, he will not defraud you of\nany part of the merit of your works: for GOD is inclined to forgive, and\nmerciful.\n\n\ti  This passage was occasioned, it is said, by the following accident.\nAl Walid Ebn Okba being sent by Mohammed to collect the alms from the tribe of\nal Mostalek, when he saw them come out to meet him in great numbers, grew\napprehensive they designed him some mischief, because of past enmity between\nhim and them in the time of ignorance, and immediately turned back, and told\nthe prophet they refused to pay their alms, and attempted to kill him; upon\nwhich Mohammed was thinking to reduce them by force: but on sending Kh\u00e2led Ebn\nal Wal\u00eed to them, he found his former messenger had wronged them, and that\nthey continued in their obedience.3\n\tk  This verse is supposed to have been occasioned by a fray which\nhappened between the tribes of al Aws and al Khazraj.  Some relate that the\nprophet one day riding on an ass, as he passed near Abdallah Ebn Obba, the ass\nchanced to stale, at which Ebn Obba stopped his nose; and Ebn Raw\u00e2ha said to\nhim, By GOD, the piss of his ass smells sweeter than thy musk: whereupon a\nquarrel ensued between their followers, and they came to blows, though they\nstruck one another only with their hands and slippers, or with palm-branches.4\n\tl  It is said that this verse was revealed on account of Safiya Bint\nHoyai, one of the prophet's wives; who came to her husband and complained that\nthe women said to her, O thou Jewess, the daughter of a Jew and of a Jewess:\nto which he answered, Canst thou not say, Aaron is my father, and Moses is my\nuncle, and Mohammed is my husband?5\n\tm  These were certain of the tribe of Asad, who came to Medina in a year\nof scarcity, and having professed Mohammedism, told the prophet that they had\nbrought all their goods and their families, and would not oppose him, as some\nother tribes had done: and this they said to obtain a part of the alms, and to\nupbraid him with their having embraced his religion and party.6\n\tn  That is, Ye are not sincere believers, but outward professors only of\nthe true religion.\n\n\t3  Idem, Jallal.\t\t4  Idem\t\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  See Prid. Life\nof Mahom. p. 111, &c.\t\t6  Idem.\n\n\n     Verily the true believers are those only who believe in GOD and his\napostle, and afterwards doubt not; and who employ their substance and their\npersons in the defence of GOD'S true religion: these are they who speak\nsincerely.\n     Say, Will ye inform GOD concerning your religion?o  But GOD knoweth\nwhatever is in heaven and in earth: for GOD is omniscient.\n     They upbraid thee that they have embraced Isl\u00e2m.  Answer, Upbraid me not\nwith your having embraced Isl\u00e2m: rather GOD upbraideth you, that he hath\ndirected you to the faith;p if ye speak sincerely.\n     Verily GOD knoweth the secrets of heaven and earth: and GOD beholdeth\nthat which ye do.\n\n\n________\n\n\n\nCHAPTER L.\n\nENTITLED, K; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     K.q  BY the glorious Koran:\n     verily they wonder that a preacher from among themselves is come unto\nthem; and the unbelievers say, This is a wonderful thing:\n     after we shall be dead, and become dust, shall we return to life?\n     This is a return remote from thought.  Now we know what the earth\nconsumeth of them; and with us is a book which keepeth an account thereof.\n     But they charge falsehood on the truth, after it hath come unto them:\nwherefore they are plunged in a confused business.r\n     Do they not look up to the heaven above them, and consider how we have\nraised it and adorned it; and that there are no flaws therein?\n     We have also spread forth the earth, and thrown thereon mountains firmly\nrooted:s and we caused every beautiful kind of vegetables to spring up\ntherein;\n     for a subject of meditation, and an admonition unto every man who turneth\nunto us.\n     And we send down rain as a blessing from heaven, whereby we cause gardens\nto spring forth, and the grain of harvest,\n10\tand tall palm-trees having branches laden with dates hanging one above\nanother,\n     as a provision for mankind; and we thereby quicken a dead country: so\nshall be the coming forth of the dead from their graves.\n\n\to  i.e., Will ye pretend to deceive him, by saying ye are true\nbelievers?\n\tp  The obligation being not on GOD'S side, but on yours, for that he has\nfavoured you so far as to guide you into the true faith, if ye are sincere\nbelievers.\n\tq  Some imagine that this letter is designed to express the mountain\nK\u00e2f, which several eastern writers fancy encompass the whole world.1  Others\nsay it stands for Kada al amr, i.e., The matter is decreed, viz., the\nchastisement of the infidels.2  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c.\n\tr  Not knowing what certainly to affirm of the Kor\u00e2n; calling it\nsometimes a piece of poetry, at other times a piece of sorcery, and at other\ntimes a piece of divination, &c.\n\ts  See chapter 16, p. 196, and chapter 31, p. 307.\n\n\t\t1  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Caf.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\nJallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     The people of Noah, and those who dwelt at Al Rass,t and Thamud,\n     and Ad, and Pharaoh, accused the prophets of imposture before the\nMeccans; and also the brethren of Lot, and the inhabitants of the wood near\nMidian, and the people of Tobba:u all these accused the apostles of imposture;\nwherefore the judgments which I threatened were justly inflicted on them.\n     Is our power exhausted by the first creation?  Yea; they are in a\nperplexity, because of a new creation which is foretold them, namely the\nraising of the dead.\n     We created man, and we know what his soul whispereth within him; and we\nare nearer unto him than his jugular vein.\n     When the two angels deputed to take account of a man's behavior, take an\naccount thereof; one sitting on the right hand, and the other on the left:\n     he uttereth not a word, but there is with him a watcher, ready to note\nit.x\n     And the agony of death shall come in truth: this, O man, is what thou\nsoughtest to avoid.\n     And the trumpet shall sound: this will be the day which hath been\nthreatened.\n20\tAnd every soul shall come; and therewith shall be a driver and a\nwitness.y\n     And the former shall say unto the unbeliever, Thou wast negligent\nheretofore of this day: but we have removed thy veil from off thee; and thy\nsight is become piercing this day.\n     And his companions shall say, This is what is ready with me to be\nattested.\n     And God shall say, Cast into hell every unbeliever, and perverse person,\n     and every one who forbade good, and every transgressor, and doubter of\nthe faith,\n     who set up another god with the true GOD; and cast him into a grievous\ntorment.\n     His companionz shall say, O LORD, I did not seduce him; but he was in a\nwide error.a\n     God shall say, Wrangle not in my presence: since I threatened you\nbeforehand with the torments which ye now see prepared for you.\n     The sentence is not changed with me: neither do I treat my servants\nunjustly.\n     On that day we will say unto hell, Art thou full? and it shall answer, Is\nthere yet any addition?b\n30\tAnd paradise shall be brought near unto the pious;\n     and it shall be said unto them, This is what ye have been promised; unto\nevery one who turned himself unto God, and kept his commandments;\n\n\tt  See chapter 25, p. 273.\n\tu  See chapter 44, p. 368.\n\tx  The intent of the passage is to exalt the omniscience of GOD, who\nwants not the information of the guardian angels, though he has thought fit,\nin his wisdom, to give them that employment; for if they are so exact as to\nwrite down every word which falls from a man's mouth, how can we hope to\nescape the observation of him who sees our inmost thoughts?\n\tThe Mohammedans have a tradition that the angel who notes a man's good\nactions has the command over him who notes his evil actions; and that when a\nman does a good action, the angel of the right hand writes it down ten times,\nand when he commits an ill action, the same angel says to the angel of the\nleft hand, Forbear setting it down for seven hours; peradventure he may pray,\nor may ask pardon.1\n\ty  i.e., Two angels, one acting as a sergeant, to bring every person\nbefore the tribunal; and the other prepared as a witness, to testify either\nfor or against him.  Some say the former will be the guardian angel who took\ndown his evil actions, and the other the angel who took down his good\nactions.2\n\tz  viz., The devil which shall be chained to him.\n\ta  This will be the answer of the devil, whom the wicked person will\naccuse as his seducer; for the devil has no power over a man to cause him to\ndo evil, any otherwise than by suggesting what is agreeable to his corrupt\ninclinations.3\n\tb  i.e., Are there yet any more condemned to this place, or is my space\nto be enlarged and rendered more capacious to receive them?\n\tThe commentators suppose hell will be quite filled at the day of\njudgment, according to that repeated expression in the Kor\u00e2n, Verily I will\nfill hell with you, &c.\n\n\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  See cap. 14, p. 188,\n&c.\n\n\n     who feared the Merciful in secret, and came unto him with a converted\nheart:\n     enter the same in peace: this is the day of eternity.\n     Therein shall they have whatever they shall desire; and there will be a\nsuperabundant addition of bliss with us.c\n     How many generations have we destroyed before the Meccans, which were\nmore mighty than they in strength?  Pass, therefore, through the regions of\nthe earth, and see whether there be any refuge from our vengeance.\n     Verily herein is an admonition unto him who hath a heart to understand,\nor giveth ear, and is present with an attentive mind.\n     We created the heavens and the earth, and whatever is between them, in\nsix days, and no weariness affected us.d\n     Wherefore patiently suffer what they say;e and celebrate the praise of\nthy LORD before sunrise, and before sunset,\n     and praise him in some part of the night: and perform the additional\nparts of worship.f\n40\tAnd hearken unto the day whereon the crier shall call men to judgment\nfrom a near place:g\n     the day whereon they shall hear the voice of the trumpet in truth: this\nwill be the day of men's coming forth from their graves:\n     we give life, and we cause to die; and unto us shall be the return of all\ncreatures:\n     the day whereon the earth shall suddenly cleave in sunder over them.\nThis will be an assembly easy for us to assemble.\n     We well know what the unbelievers say; and thou art not sent to compel\nthem forcibly to the faith.\n     Wherefore warn, by the Koran, him who feareth my threatening.\n\n\n________\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LI.\n\nENTITLED, THE DISPERSING; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     BY the winds dispersing and scattering the dust;h\n     and by the clouds bearing a load of rain;i\n     by the ships running swiftly in the sea;k\n\n\tc  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 78.\n\td  This was revealed in answer to the Jews, who said that GOD rested\nfrom his work of creation on the seventh day, and reposed himself on his\nthrone, as one fatigued.1\n\te  viz., Either what the idolaters say, in denying the resurrection; or\nthe Jews, in speaking indecently of GOD.\n\tf  These are the two inclinations used after the evening prayer, which\nare not necessary, or of precept, but voluntary, and of supererogation; and\nmay therefore be added, or omitted, indifferently.\n\tg  That is, from a place whence every creature may equally hear the\ncall.  This place, it is supposed, will be the mountain of the temple of\nJerusalem, which some fancy to be nigher heaven than any other part of the\nearth; whence Israfil will sound the trumpet, and Gabriel will make the\nfollowing proclamation: O ye rotten bones, and torn flesh, and dispersed\nhairs, GOD commandeth you to be gathered together to judgment.2\n\th  Or, by the women who bring forth or scatter children, &c.\n\ti  Or, by the women bearing a burden in their womb, or the winds bearing\nthe clouds, &c.\n\tk  Or, by the winds passing swiftly in the air, or the stars moving\nswiftly in their courses, &c.\n\n\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Idem.\n\n\n     and by the angels who distribute things necessary for the support of all\ncreatures;l\n     verily that wherewith ye are threatened is certainly true;\n     and the last judgment will surely come.\n     By the heaven furnished with paths;m\n     ye widely differ in what ye say.n\n     He will be turned aside from the faith, who shall be turned aside by the\ndivine decree.\n10\tCursed be the liars;\n     who wade in deep waters of ignorance, neglecting their salvation.\n     They ask, When will the day of judgment come?\n     On that day shall they be burned in hell fire;\n     and it shall be said unto them, Taste your punishment; this is what ye\ndemanded to be hastened.\n     But the pious shall dwell among gardens and fountains,\n     receiving that which their LORD shall give them; because they were\nrighteous doers before this day.\n     They slept but a small part of the night;o\n     and early in the morning they asked pardon of God:\n     and a due portion of their wealth was given unto him who asked, and unto\nhim who was forbidden by shame to ask.\n20\tThere are signs of the divine power and goodness in the earth, unto men\nof sound understanding;\n     and also in your own selves: will ye not therefore consider?\n     Your sustenance is in the heaven; and also that which ye are promised.p\n     Wherefore by the LORD of heaven and earth I swear that this is certainly\nthe truth; according to what ye yourselves speak.q\n     Hath not the story of Abraham's honoured guestsr come to thy knowledge?\n     When they went in unto him, and said, Peace: he answered Peace; saying\nwithin himself, These are unknown people.\n     And he went privately unto his family, and brought a fatted calf.\n     And he set it before them, and when he saw they touched it not, he said,\nDo ye not eat?\n     And he began to entertain a fear of them.  They said, Fear not:s and they\ndeclared unto him the promise of a wise youth.\n     And his wife drew near with exclamation, and she smote her face,t and\nsaid, I am an old woman, and barren.\n30\tThe angels answered, Thus saith thy LORD: verily he is the wise, the\nknowing.\n     And Abraham said unto them, What is your errand, therefore, O messengers\nof God?\n     They answered, Verily we are sent unto a wicked people:\n     that we may send down upon them stones of baked clay,\n     marked from thy LORD, for the destruction of transgressors.\n     And we brought forth the true believers who were in the city:\n     but we found not therein more than one family of Moslems.\n     And we overthrew the same, and left a sign therein unto those who dread\nthe severe chastisement of God.\n     In Moses also was a sign: when we sent him unto Pharaoh with manifest\npower.\n     But he turned back, with his princes, saying, This man is a sorceror, or\na madman.\n\n\tl  Or, by the winds which distribute the rain, &c.\n\tm  i.e., The paths or orbs of the stars, or the streaks which appear in\nthe sky like paths, being thin and extended clouds.\n\tn  Concerning Mohammed, or the Kor\u00e2n, or the resurrection and day of\njudgment; speaking variously and inconsistently of them.\n\to  Spending the greater part in prayer and religious meditation.\n\tp  i.e., Your food cometh from above, whence proceedeth the change of\nseasons and rain; and your future reward is also there, that is to say, in\nparadise, which is situate above the seven heavens.\n\tq  That is, without any doubt or reserved meaning, as ye affirm a truth\nunto one another.\n\tr  See chapter 11, p. 165, and chapter 15, p. 193.\n\ts  Some add, that to remove Abraham's fear, Gabriel, who was one of\nthese strangers, touched the calf with his wing, and it immediately rose up\nand walked to its dam; upon which Abraham knew them to be the messengers of\nGOD.1\n\tt  This, some pretend, she did for shame, because she felt her courses\ncoming upon her.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n40\tWherefore we took him and his forces, and cast them into the sea: and he\nwas one worthy of reprehension.\n     And in the tribe of Ad also was a sign: when we sent against them a\ndestroying wind;u\n     it touched not aught whereon it came, but it rendered the same as a thing\nrotten, and reduced to dust.\n     In Thamud likewise was a sign: when it was said unto them, Enjoy\nyourselves for a time.x\n     But they insolently transgressed the command of their LORD: wherefore a\nterrible noise from heaven assailed them, while they looked on;y\n     and they were not able to stand on their feet, neither did they save\nthemselves from destruction.\n     And the people of Noah did we destroy before these: for they were a\npeople who enormously transgressed.\n     We have built the heaven with might; and we have given it a large extent:\n     and we have stretched forth the earth beneath; and how evenly have we\nspread the same!\n     And of everything have we created two kinds,z that peradventure ye may\nconsider.\n50\tFly, therefore, unto GOD; verily I am a public warner unto you, from\nhim.\n     And set not up another god with the true GOD: verily I am a public warner\nunto you, from him.\n     In like manner there came no apostle unto their predecessors, but they\nsaid, This man is a magician, or a madman.\n     Have they bequeathed this behavior successively the one to the other?\nYea; they are a people who enormously transgress.\n     Wherefore withdraw from them; and thou shalt not be blameworthy in so\ndoing.\n     Yet continue to admonish: for admonition profiteth the true believers.\n     I have not created genii and men for any other end than that they should\nserve me.\n     I require not any sustenance from them; neither will I that they feed me.\n     Verily GOD is he who provideth for all creatures; possessed of mighty\npower.\n     Unto those who shall injure our apostle shall be given a portion like\nunto the portion of those who behaved like them in times past; and they shall\nnot wish the same to be hastened.\n60\tWoe, therefore, to the unbelievers, because of their day with which they\nare threatened!\n\n______\n\nCHAPTER LII.\n\nENTITLED, THE MOUNTAIN; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     BY the mountain of Sinai;\n     and by the book written\n     in an expanded scroll;a\n     and by the visited house;b\n\n\tu  See chapter 7, p. 111, &c.\n\tx  i.e., For three days.  See chapter 11, p. 165.\n\ty  For this calamity happened in the daytime.\n\tz  As for example: male and female; the heaven and the earth; the sun\nand the moon; light and darkness; plains and mountains; winter and summer;\nsweet and bitter, &c.1\n\ta  The book here intended, according to different opinions, is either\nthe book or register wherein every man's actions are recorded; or the\npreserved table containing GOD'S decrees; or the book of the law, which was\nwritten by GOD, Moses hearing the creaking of the pen; or else the Kor\u00e2n.2\n\tb  i.e., The Caaba, so much visited by pilgrims; or, as some rather\nthink, the original model of that house in heaven, called al Dor\u00e2h, which is\nvisited and compassed by the angels, as the other is by men.3\n\n\t\t\t1  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Al Zamakh., al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     and by the elevated roof of heaven;\n     and by the swelling ocean:\n     verily the punishment of thy LORD will surely descend;\n     there shall be none to withhold it.\n     On that day the heaven shall be shaken, and shall reel;\n10\tand the mountains shall walk and pass away.\n     And on that day woe be unto those who accused God's apostles of\nimposture;\n     who amused themselves in wading in vain disputes!\n     On that day shall they be driven and thrust into the fire of hell;\n     and it shall be said unto them, This is the fire which ye denied as a\nfiction.\n     Is this a magic illusion?  Or do ye not see?\n     Enter the same to be scorched: whether ye bear your torments patiently,\nor impatiently, it will be equal unto you: ye shall surely receive the reward\nof that which ye have wrought.\n     But the pious shall dwell amidst gardens and pleasures;\n     delighting themselves in what their LORD shall have given them: and their\nLORD shall deliver them from the pains of hell.\n     And it shall be said unto them, Eat and drink with easy digestion;\nbecause of that which ye have wrought:\n20\tleaning on couches disposed in order: and we will espouse them unto\nvirgins having large black eyes.\n     And unto those who believe, and whose offspring follow them in the faith,\nwe will join their offspring in paradise: and we will not diminish unto them\naught of the merit of their works.  (Every man is given in pledge for that\nwhich he shall have wrought.c)\n     And we will give them fruits in abundance, and flesh of the kinds which\nthey shall desire.\n     They shall present unto one another therein a cup of wine, wherein there\nshall be no vain discourse, nor any incitement unto wickedness.\n     And youths appointed to attend them shall go round them: beautiful as\npearls hidden in their shell.\n     And they shall approach unto one another, and shall ask mutual questions.\n     And they shall say, Verily we were heretofore amidst our family, in great\ndread with regard to our state after death:\n     but GOD hath been gracious unto us, and hath delivered us from the pain\nof burning fire:\n     for we called on him heretofore; and he is the beneficent, the merciful.\n     Wherefore do thou, O prophet, admonish thy people.  Thou art not, by the\ngrace of thy LORD, a soothsayer, or a madman.\n30\tDo they say, He is a poet; we wait, concerning him, some adverse turn of\nfortune?\n     Say, Wait ye my ruin: verily I wait, with you, the time of your\ndestruction.\n     Do their mature understandings bid them say this; or are they people who\nperversely transgress?\n     Do they say, He hath forged the Koran?  Verily they believe not.\n     Let them produce a discourse like unto it, if they speak truth.\n     Were they created by nothing; or were they creators of themselves?\n     Did they create the heavens and the earth?  Verily they are not firmly\npersuaded that God hath created them.d\n     Are the stores of thy LORD in their hands?  Are they the supreme\ndispensers of all things?\n\n\tc  i.e., Every man is pledged unto GOD for his behaviour; and if he does\nwell, he redeems his pledge, but if evil, he forfeits it.\n\td  For though they confess this with their tongues, yet they deny it by\ntheir averseness to render him his due worship.\n\n\t\t\t\t3  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.\n\n\n     Have they a ladder whereby they may ascend to heaven, and hear the\ndiscourses of angels?  Let one, therefore, who hath heard them, produce an\nevident proof thereof.\n     Hath God daughters, and have ye sons?e\n40\tDost thou ask them a reward for thy preaching? but they are laden with\ndebts.\n     Are the secrets of futurity with them; and do they transcribe the same\nfrom the table of God's degrees?\n     Do they seek to lay a plot against thee?  But the unbelievers are they\nwho shall be circumvented.f\n     Have they any god, besides GOD?  Far be GOD exalted above the idols which\nthey associate with him!\n     If they should see a fragment of the heaven falling down upon them, they\nwould say, It is only a thick cloud.g\n     Wherefore leave them, until they arrive at their day wherein they shall\nswoon for fear:h\n     a day, in which their subtle contrivances shall not avail them at all,\nneither shall they be protected.\n     And those who act unjustly shall surely suffer another punishment besides\nthis:i but the greater part of them do not understand.\n     And wait thou patiently the judgment of thy LORD concerning them; for\nthou art in our eye: and celebrate the praise of thy LORD, when thou risest\nup;\n     and praise him in the night-season, and when the stars begin to\ndisappear.\n\n\n______\n\n\nCHAPTER LIII.\n\nENTITLED, THE STAR; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     BY the star,k when it setteth;l\n     your companion Mohammed erreth not; nor is he led astray:\n     neither doth he speak of his own will.\n     It is no other than a revelation, which hath been revealed unto him.\n     One mighty in power, endued with understanding, taught it him:m\n     and he appearedn\n     in the highest part of the horizon.\n     Afterwards he approached the prophet,o and near unto him;\n\n\te  See chapter 16, p. 199, &c.\n\tf  See chapter 8, p. 128, &c.\n\tg  This was one of the judgments which the idolatrous Meccans defied\nMohammed to bring down upon them; and yet, says the text, if they should see a\npart of the heaven falling on them, they would not believe it till they were\ncrushed to death by it.1\n\th  i.e., At the first sound of the trumpet.2\n\ti  That is, besides the punishment to which they shall be doomed at the\nday of judgment, they shall be previously chastised by calamities in this\nlife, as the slaughter at Bedr, and the seven years' famine, and also after\ntheir death, by the examination of the sepulchre.3\n\tk  Some suppose the stars in general, and others the Pleiades in\nparticular, to be meant in this place.\n\tl  Or, according to a contrary signification of the verb here used, when\nit riseth.\n\tm  Namely, the angel Gabriel.\n\tn  In his natural form, in which GOD created him, and in the eastern\npart of the sky.  It is said that this angel appeared in his proper shape to\nnone of the prophets, except Mohammed, and to him only twice: once when he\nreceived the first revelation of the Kor\u00e2n, and a second time when he took his\nnight journey to heaven; as it follows in the text.\n\to  In a human shape.\n\n\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 64.\n\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     until he was at the distance of two bows' lengthp from him, or yet\nnearer;\n10\tand he revealed unto his servant that which he revealed.\n     The heart of Mohammed did not falsely represent that which he saw.\n     Will ye therefore dispute with him concerning that which he saw?q\n     He also saw him another time,\n     by the lote-tree beyond which there is no passing:r\n     near it is the garden of eternal abode.\n     When the lote-tree covered that which it covered,s\n     his eyesight turned not aside, neither did it wander:\n     and he really beheld some of the greatest signs of his LORD.t\n     What think ye of Allat, and Al Uzza,\n20\tand Manah, that other third goddess?u\n     Have ye male children, and God female?x\n     This, therefore, is an unjust partition.\n     They are no other than empty names, which ye and your fathers have named\ngoddesses.  GOD hath not revealed concerning them anything to authorize their\nworship.  They follow no other than a vain opinion, and what their souls\ndesire: yet hath the true direction come unto them from their LORD.\n     Shall man have whatever he wisheth for?y\n     The life to come and the present life are GOD'S:\n     and how many angels soever there be in the heavens, their intercession\nshall be of no avail,\n     until after GOD shall have granted permission unto whom he shall please\nand shall accept.\n     Verily they who believe not in the life to come give unto the angels a\nfemale appellation.\n     But they have no knowledge herein: they follow no other than a bare\nopinion; and a bare opinion attaineth not anything of truth.\n30\tWherefore withdraw from him who turneth away from our admonition, and\nseeketh only the present life.\n     This is their highest pitch of knowledge.  Verily thy LORD well knoweth\nhim who erreth from his way; and he well knoweth him who is rightly directed.\n     Unto GOD belongeth whatever is in heaven and earth: that he may reward\nthose who do evil, according to that which they shall have wrought; and may\nreward those who do well, with the most excellent reward.\n     As to those who avoid great crimes, and heinous sins, and are guilty only\nof lighter faults; verily thy LORD will be extensive in mercy towards them.\nHe well knew you when he produced you out of the earth, and when ye were\nembryos in your mothers' wombs: wherefore justify not yourselves: he best\nknoweth the man who feareth him.\n     What thinkest thou of him who turneth aside from following the truth,\n\n\tp  Or, as the word also signifies, two cubits' length.\n\tq  But he saw it in reality.\n\tr  This tree, say the commentators, stands in the seventh heaven, on the\nright hand of the throne of GOD; and is the utmost bounds beyond which the\nangels themselves must not pass; or, as some rather imagine, beyond which no\ncreature's knowledge can extend.\n\ts  The words seem to signify that what was under this tree exceeded all\ndescription and number.  Some suppose the whole host of angels worshipping\nbeneath it1 are intended, and others, the birds which sit on its branches.2\n\tt  Seeing the wonders both of the sensible and the intellectual world.3\n\tu  Those were three idols of the ancient Arabs, of which we have spoken\nin the Preliminary Discourse.4\n\tAs to the blasphemy which some pretend Mohammed once uttered, through\ninadvertence, as he was reading this passage, see chapter 22, p. 255.\n\tx  See chapter 16, p. 199, &c.\n\ty  i.e., Shall he dictate to GOD, and name whom he pleases for his\nintercessors, or for his prophet; or shall he choose a religion according to\nhis own fancy, and prescribe the terms on which he may claim the reward of\nthis life and the next?5\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Jalallo'ddin.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\t4  Sect. I. p. 14, &c.\n5  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     and giveth little, and covetously stoppeth his hand?z\n     Is the knowledge of futurity with him, so that he seeth the same?a\n     Hath he not been informed of that which is contained in the books of\nMoses,\n     and of Abraham who faithfully performed his engagements?\n     To wit: that a burdened soul shall not bear the burden of another;\n40\tand that nothing shall be imputed to a man for righteousness, except his\nown labor;\n     and that his labor shall surely be made manifest hereafter,\n     and that he shall be rewarded for the same with a most abundant reward;\n     and that unto thy LORD will be the end of all things;\n     and that he causeth to laugh, and causeth to weep;\n     and that he putteth to death, and giveth life:\n     and that he createth the two sexes, the male and the female,\n     of seed when it is emitted;\n     and that unto him appertaineth another production, namely, the raising of\nthe dead again to life hereafter;\n     and that he enricheth, and causeth to acquire possessions;\n50\tand that he is the LORD of the dog-star;b\n     and that he destroyed the ancient tribe of Ad,\n     and Thamud, and left not any of them alive;\n     and also the people of Noah, before them; for they were most unjust and\nwicked:\n     and he overthrew the cities which were turned upside down;c\n     and that which covered them, covered them.\n     Which, therefore, of thy LORD'S benefits, O man, wilt thou call in\nquestion?\n     This our apostle is a preacher like the preachers who preceded him.\n     The approaching day of judgment draweth near: there is none who can\nreveal the exact time of the same, besides GOD.\n     Do ye, therefore, wonder at this new revelation,\n60\tand do ye laugh, and not weep,\n     spending your time in idle diversions?\n     But rather worship GOD, and serve him.\n\n_______\n\nCHAPTER LIV.\n\nENTITLED, THE MOON; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     THE hour of judgment approacheth; and the moon hath been split in\nsunder:d\n\n\tz  This passage, it is said, was revealed on account of al Walid Ebn al\nMogheira, who, following the prophet one day, was reviled by an idolater for\nleaving the religion of the Koreish, and giving occasion of scandal; to which\nhe answered, that what he did was out of apprehension of the divine vengeance:\nwhereupon the man offered, for a certain sum, to take the guilt of his\napostacy on himself; and the bargain being made, al Walid returned to his\nidolatry, and paid the man part of what had been agreed on; but afterwards, on\nfarther consideration, he thought it too much, and kept back the remainder.6\n\ta  That is, is he assured that the person with whom he made the above-\nmentioned agreement will be allowed to suffer in his stead hereafter?7\n\tb  Sirius, or the greater dog-star, was worshipped by some of the old\nArabs.1\n\tc  viz., Sodom, and the other cities involved in her ruin.  See chapter\n11, p. 166.\n\td  This passage is expounded two different ways.  Some imagine the words\nrefer to a famous miracle supposed to have been performed by Mohammed; for it\nis said that, on the infidels demanding a sign of him, the moon appeared\ncloven in two,1 one part vanishing, and the other remaining; and Ebn Mas\u00fad\naffirmed that he saw Mount Har\u00e2 interpose between the two sections.  Others\nthink the preter tense is here used in the prophetic style for the future, and\nthat the passage should be rendered, The moon shall be split in sunder: for\nthis, they say, is to happen at the resurrection.  The former opinion is\nsupported by reading, according to some copies, wakad inshakka 'lkamaro, i.e.,\nsince the moon hath already been split in sunder; the splitting of the moon\nbeing reckoned by some to be one of the previous signs of the last day.2\n\n\t6  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t7  Idem.\t\t1  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect.\nI. p. 13, and Hyde, not. in Ulug. Beig. Tab. Stell. fix. p. 53.\n1  See a long and fabulous account of this pretended miracle in Gagnier, Vie\nde Mah. c. 19\t\t\t2  Al Zamakh., al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     but if the unbelievers see a sign, they turn aside, saying, This is a\npowerful charm.e\n     And they accuse thee, O Mohammed, of imposture, and follow their own\nlusts: but everything will be immutably fixed.f\n     And now hath a messageg come unto them, wherein is a determent from\nobstinate infidelity;\n     the same being consummate wisdom: but warners profit them not;\n     wherefore do thou withdraw from them.  The day whereon the summoner shall\nsummon mankind to an ungrateful business,h\n     they shall come forth from their graves with downcast looks: numerous as\nlocusts scattered far abroad;\n     hastening with terror unto the summoner.  The unbelievers shall say, This\nis a day of distress.\n     The people of Noah accused that prophet of imposture, before thy people\nrejected thee: they accused our servant of imposture, saying, He is a madman;\nand he was rejected with reproach.\n10\tHe called, therefore, upon his LORD, saying, Verily I am overpowered;\nwherefore avenge me.i\n     So we opened the gates of heaven, with water pouring down,\n     and we caused the earth to break forth into springs; so that the water of\nheaven and earth met, according to the decree which had been established.\n     And we bare him on a vessel composed of planks and nails;\n     which moved forward under our eyes:k as a recompense unto him who had\nbeen ungratefully rejected.\n     And we left the said vessel for a sign: but is any one warned thereby?\n     And how severe was my vengeance, and my threatening!\n     Now have we made the Koran easy for admonition: but is any one admonished\nthereby?\n     Ad charged their prophet with imposture: but how severe was my vengeance,\nand my threatening!\n     Verily we sent against them a roaringl wind, on a day of continued ill\nluck;m\n20\tit carried men away, as though they had been roots of palm-trees\nforcibly torn up.n\n     And how severe was my vengeance and my threatening!\n     Now have we made the Koran easy for admonition: but is any one admonished\nthereby?\n     Thamud charged the admonitions of their prophet with falsehood,\n     and said, Shall we follow a single man among us? verily we should then be\nguilty of error, and preposterous madness:\n     is the office of admonition committed unto him preferably to the rest of\nus?  Nay; he is a liar, and an insolent fellow.\n\n\te  Or, as the participle here used may also signify, a continued series\nof magic, or a transient magic illusion.\n\tf  Or will reach a final period of ruin or success in this world, and of\nmisery or happiness in the next, which will be conclusive and unchangeable\nthenceforward for ever.3\n\tg  i.e., The Kor\u00e2n, containing stories of former nations which have been\nchastised for their incredulity, and threats of a more dreadful punishment\nhereafter.\n\th  That is, when the angel Israfil shall call men to judgment.\n\ti  This petition was not preferred by Noah till after he had suffered\nrepeated violence from his people; for it is related that one of them having\nfallen upon him and almost strangled him, when he came to himself he said, O\nLORD, forgive them, for they know not what they do.4\n\tk  i.e., Under our special regard and keeping.\n\tl  Or, a cold wind.\n\tm  viz., On a Wednesday.  See chapter 41, p. 356, note t.\n\tn  It is related that they sought shelter in the clefts of rocks, and in\npits, holding fast by one another; but that the wind impetuously tore them\naway, and threw them down dead.5\n\n\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t4  Idem.\t\t5  Idem.\n\n\n     But God said to Saleh, To-morrow shall they know who is the liar, and the\ninsolent person:\n     for we will surely send the she-camel for a trial of them:o and do thou\nobserve them, and bear their insults with patience:\n     and prophesy unto them that the water shall be divided between them,p and\neach portion shall be sat down to alternately.\n     And they called their companion:q and he took a sword,r and slew her.\n30\tBut how severe was my vengeance, and my threatening!\n     For we sent against them one cry of the angel Gabriel; and they became\nlike the dry sticks used by him who buildeth a fold for cattle.s\n     And now have we made the Koran easy for admonition: but is any one\nadmonished thereby?\n     The people of Lot charged his preaching with falsehood:\n     but we sent against them a wind driving a shower of stones, which\ndestroyed them all except the family of Lot; whom we delivered early in the\nmorning,\n     through favor from us.  Thus do we reward those who are thankful.\n     And Lot had warned them of our severity in chastising; but they doubted\nof that warning.\n     And they demanded his guests of him, that they might abuse them: but we\nput out their eyes,t\n     saying, Taste my vengeance, and my threatening.\n     And early in the morning a lasting punishmentu surprised them.  Taste,\ntherefore, my vengeance, and my threatening.\n40\tNow have we made the Koran easy for admonition: but is any one\nadmonished thereby?\n     The warning of Moses also came unto the people of Pharaoh;\n     but they charged every one of our signs with imposture: wherefore we\nchastised them with a mighty and irresistible chastisement.\n     Are your unbelievers, O Meccans, better than these?  Is immunity from\npunishment promised unto you in the scriptures?\n     Do they say, We are a body of men able to prevail against our enemies?\n     The multitude shall surely be put to flight, and shall turn their back.x\n     But the hour of judgment is their threatened time of punishment:y and\nthat hour shall be more grievous and more bitter than their afflictions in\nthis life.\n     Verily the wicked wander in error, and shall be tormented hereafter in\nburning flames.\n     On that day they shall be dragged into the fire on their faces; and it\nshall be said unto them, Taste ye the touch of hell.\n     All things have we created bound by a fixed decree:\n50\tand our command is no more than a single word,z like the twinkling of an\neye.\n\n\to  See chapter 7, p. 112, &c.\n\tp  That is, between the Thamudites and the camel.  See chapter 26, p.\n280, note f.\n\tq  Namely, Kod\u00e2r Ebn Salef; who was not an Arab, but a stranger dwelling\namong the Thamudites.  See chapter 7, p. 112, note k.\n\tr  Or, as the word also imports, He became resolute and daring.\n\ts  The words may signify either the dry boughs with which, in the east,\nthey make folds or enclosures, to fence their cattle from wind and cold; or\nthe stubble and other stuff with which they litter them in those folds during\nthe winter season.\n\tt  So that their sockets became filled up even with the other parts of\ntheir faces.  This, it is said, was done by one stroke of the wing of the\nangel Gabriel.  See chapter 11, p. 166.\n\tu  Under which they shall continue till they receive their full\npunishment in hell.\n\tx  This prophecy was fulfilled by the overthrow of the Koreish at Bedr.\nIt is related, from a tradition of Omar, that when this passage was revealed,\nMohammed professed himself to be ignorant of its true meaning; but on the day\nof the battle of Bedr, he repeated these words as he was putting on his coat\nof mail.1\n\ty  i.e., The time when they shall receive their full punishment; what\nthey suffer in this world being only the forerunner or earnest of what they\nshall feel in the next.\n\tz  viz., Kun, i.e., Be.  The passage may also be rendered, The execution\nof our purpose is but a single act, exerted in a moment.  Some suppose it\nrefers to the business of the day of judgment.1\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     We have formerly destroyed nations like unto you; but is any of you\nwarned by their example?\n     Everything which they do is recorded in the books kept by the guardian\nangels:\n     and every action both small and great, is written down in the preserved\ntable.\n     Moreover the pious shall dwell among gardens and rivers,\n     in the assembly of truth, in the presence of a most potent king.\n\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER LV.\n\nENTITLED, THE MERCIFUL; REVEALED AT MECCA.a\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     THE Merciful hath taught his servant the Koran.\n     He created man:\n     he hath taught him distinct speech.\n     The sun and the moon run their courses according to a certain rule:\n     and the vegetables which creep on the ground, and the trees submit to his\ndisposition.\n     He also raised the heaven; and he appointed the balance,b\n     that ye should not transgress in respect to the balance:\n     wherefore observe a just weight; and diminish not the balance.\n     And the earth hath he prepared for living creatures:\n10\ttherein are various fruits, and palm-trees bearing sheaths of flowers;\n     and grain having chaff, and leaves.\n     Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?c\n     He created man of dried clay like an earthen vessel:\n     but he created the genii of fire clear from smoke.\n     Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n     He is the LORD of the east,\n     and the LORD of the west.d\n     Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n     He hath let loose the two seas,e that they meet each another:\n20\tbetween them is placed a bar which they cannot pass.\n     Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n     From them are taken forth unions and lesser pearls.\n     Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n     His also are the ships, carrying their sails aloft in the sea like\nmountains.\n     Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n     Every creature which liveth on the earth is subject to decay:\n     but the glorious and honourable countenance of thy LORD shall remain\nforever.\n\n\ta  Most of the commentators doubt whether this chapter was revealed at\nMecca or at Medina; or partly at the one place, and partly at the other.\n\tb  Or justice and equity in mutual dealings.\n\tc  The words are directed to the two species of rational creatures, men\nand genii; the verb and the pronoun being in the dual number.\n\tThis verse is intercalated, or repeated by way of burden, throughout the\nwhole chapter no less than thirty-one times, which was done, as Marracci\nguesses, in imitation of David.2\n\td  The original words are both in the dual number, and signify the\ndifferent points of the horizon at which the sun rises and sets at the summer\nand winter solstice.  See chapter 37, p. 334, note e.\n\te  Of salt water and fresh;3 or the Persian and Mediterranean seas.4\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  See Psalm cxxxvi.\t\t3  See cap. 25, p. 274.\n\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n     Unto him do all creatures which are in heaven and earth make petition:\nevery day is he employed in some new work.f\n30\tWhich, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n     We will surely attend to judge you, O men and genii, at the last day.\n     Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n     O ye collective body of genii and men, if ye be able to pass out of the\nconfines of heaven and earth,g pass forth: ye shall not pass forth but by\nabsolute power.\n     Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n     A flame of fire without smoke, and a smoke without flameh shall be sent\ndown upon you; and ye shall not be able to defend yourselves therefrom.\n     Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n     And when the heaven shall be rent in sunder, and shall become red as a\nrose, and shall melt like ointment.i\n     (Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?)\n     On that day neither man nor genius shall be asked concerning his sin.k\n40\tWhich, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n     The wicked shall be known by their marks;l and they shall be taken by the\nforelocks, and the feet, and shall be cast into hell.\n     Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n     This is hell, which the wicked deny as a falsehood:\n     they shall pass to and fro between the same and hot boiling water.m\n     Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n     But for him who dreadeth the tribunal of his LORD are prepared two\ngardens:n\n     (Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?)\n     planted with shady trees.\n     Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n50\tIn each of them shall be two fountains flowing.\n     Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n     In each of them shall there be of every fruit two kinds.o\n     Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n     They shall repose on couches, the linings whereof shall be of thick silk\ninterwoven with gold: and the fruit of the two gardens shall be near at hand\ntogether.p\n     Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n     Therein shall receive them beauteous damsels, refraining their eyes from\nbeholding any besides their spouses: whom no man shall have deflowered before\nthem, neither any genius:\n\n\tf  In executing those things which he hath decreed from eternity; by\ngiving life and death, raising one and abasing another, hearing prayers and\ngranting petitions, &c.5\n\tg  To fly from the power and to avoid the decree of GOD.\n\th  Or, as the word also signifies, molten brass, which shall be poured\non the heads of the damned.\n\ti  Or, shall appear like red leather; according to a different\nsignification of the original word.\n\tk  For their crimes will be known by their different marks; as it\nfollows in the text.  This, says al Beid\u00e2wi, is to be understood of the time\nwhen they shall be raised to life, and shall be led towards the tribunal: for\nwhen they come to trial, they will then undergo an examination, as is declared\nin several places of the Kor\u00e2n.\n\tl  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 66, &c.\n\tm  For the only respite they shall have from the flames of hell, will be\nwhen they are suffered to go to drink this scalding liquor.  See chapter 37,\np. 336.\n\tn  i.e., One distinct paradise for men, and another for genii, or, as\nsome imagine, two gardens for each person; one as a reward due to his works,\nand the other as a free and superabundant gift, &c.\n\to  Some being known, and like the fruits of the earth; and others of new\nand unknown species, or fruits both green and ripe.\n\tp  So that a man may reach them as he sits or lies down.\n\n\t\t\t\t5  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     (Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?)\n     Having complexions like rubies and pearls.\n     Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n60\tShall the reward of good works be any other good?\n     Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n     And besides these there shall be two other gardens:q\n     (Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?)\n     Of a dark green.r\n     Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n     In each of them shall be two fountains pouring forth plenty of water.\n     Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n     In each of them shall be fruits, and palm-trees, and pomegranates.\n     Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n70\tTherein shall be agreeable and beauteous damsels:\n     Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n     Having fine black eyes, and kept in pavilions from public view:\n     Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n     Whom no man shall have deflowered before their destined spouses, nor any\ngenius.\n     Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n     Therein shall they delight themselves, lying on green cushions and\nbeautiful carpets.\n     Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?\n     Blessed be the name of thy LORD, possessed of glory and honour!\n\n\n______\n\n\nCHAPTER LVI.\n\nENTITLED, THE INEVITABLE; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     WHEN the inevitables day of judgment shall suddenly come,\n     no soul shall charge the prediction of its coming with falsehood:\n     it will abase some, and exalt others.\n     When the earth shall be shaken with a violent shock;\n     and the mountains shall be dashed in pieces,\n     and shall become as dust scattered abroad;\n     and ye shall be separated into three distinct classes:\n     the companions of the right hand; (how happy shall the companions of the\nright hand be!)\n     and the companions of the left handt (how miserable shall the companions\nof the left hand be!),\n\n\tq  For the inferior classes of the inhabitants of paradise.\n\tr  From hence, says al Beid\u00e2wi, it may be inferred that these gardens\nwill chiefly produce herbs or the inferior sorts of vegetables, whereas the\nformer will be planted chiefly with fruit-trees.  The following part of this\ndescription also falls short of that of the other gardens, prepared for the\nsuperior classes.\n\ts  The original word, the force whereof cannot well be expressed by a\nsingle one in English, signifies a calamitous accident, which falls surely and\nwith sudden violence, and is therefore made use of here to design the day of\njudgment.\n\tt  That is, the blessed and the damned; who may be thus distinguished\nhere, because the books wherein their actions are registered will be delivered\ninto the right hands of the former and into the left hands of the latter,1\nthought he words translated right hand and left hand do also signify happiness\nand misery.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n10\tand those who have preceded others in the faith shall precede them to\nparadise.u\n     These are they who shall approach near unto God:\n     they shall dwell in gardens of delight:\n     (There shall be many of the former religions;\n     and few of the last.x)\n     Reposing on couches adorned with gold and precious stones;\n     sitting opposite to one another thereon.y\n     Youths which shall continue in their bloom forever, shall go round about\nto attend them,\n     with goblets, and beakers, and a cup of flowing wine:\n     their heads shall not ache by drinking the same, neither shall their\nreason be disturbed:\n20\tand with fruits of the sorts which they shall choose,\n     and the flesh of birds of the kind which they shall desire.\n     And there shall accompany them fair damsels having large black eyes;\nresembling pearls hidden in their shells:\n     as a reward for that which they shall have wrought.\n     They shall not hear therein any vain discourse, or any charge of sin;\n     but only the salutation, Peace! Peace!\n     And the companions of the right hand (how happy shall the companions of\nthe right hand be!)\n     shall have their abode among lote-trees free from thorns,\n     and trees of mauzz loaded regularly with their produce from top to\nbottom;\n     under an extended shade,\n30\tnear a flowing water,a\n     and amidst fruits in abundance,\n     which shall not fail, nor shall be forbidden to be gathered:\n     and they shall repose themselves on lofty beds.b\n     Verily we have created the damsels of paradise by a peculiar creation;c\n     and we have made them virgins,d\n     beloved by their husbands, of equal age with them;\n     for the delight of the companions of the right hand.\n     There shall be many of the former religions,\n     and many of the latter.e\n\n\tu  Either the first converts to Mohammedism, or the prophets, who were\nthe respective leaders of their people, or any persons who have been eminent\nexamples of piety and virtue, may be here intended.  The original words\nliterally rendered are, The leaders, the leaders: which repetition, as some\nsuppose, was designed to express the dignity of these persons and the\ncertainty of their future glory and happiness.2\n\tx  i.e., There shall be more leaders, who have preceded others in faith\nand good works, among the followers of the several prophets from Adam down to\nMohammed, than of the followers of Mohammed himself.3\n\ty  See chapter 25, p. 193, note a.\n\tz  The original word Talh is the name, not only of the mauz,1 but also\nof a very tall and thorny tree, which bears abundance of flowers of an\nagreeable smell,2 and seems to be the Acacia.\n\ta  Which shall be conveyed in channels to such places and in such manner\nas every one shall desire.3  Al Beid\u00e2wi observes that the condition of the few\nwho have preceded others in faith and good works, is represented by whatever\nmay render a city life agreeable; and that the condition of the companions of\nthe right hand, or the generality of the blessed, is represented by those\nthings which make the principal pleasure of a country life; and that this is\ndone to show the difference of the two conditions.\n\tb  The word translated beds, signifies also, by way of metaphor, wives\nor concubines; and if the latter sense be preferred, the passage may be\nrendered thus, And they shall enjoy damsels raised on lofty couches, whom we\nhave created, &c.\n\tc  Having created them purposely of finer materials than the females of\nthis world, and subject to none of those inconveniences which are natural to\nthe sex.4  Some understand this passage of the beatified women; who, though\nthey died old and ugly, shall yet be restored to their youth and beauty in\nparadise.5\n\td  For how often soever their husbands shall go in unto them, they shall\nalways find them virgins.\n\te  Father Marracci thinks this to be a manifest contradiction to what is\nsaid above, There shall be many of the former and few of the latter: but al\nBeid\u00e2wi obviates such an objection, by observing that the preceding passage\nspeaks of the leaders only, and those who have preceded others in faith and\ngood works; and the passage before us speaks of the righteous of inferior\nmerit and degree; so that though there be many of both sorts, yet there may be\nfew of one sort, comparatively speaking, in respect to the other.\n\n\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t1  See p. 338.\t\t2  Vide J.\nLeon. Descript. Afric\u00e6, l. 2.\n3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t4  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 75, &c.\n\t5  See ibid. p. 80.\n\n\n40\tAnd the companions of the left hand (how miserable shall the companions\nof the left hand be!)\n     shall dwell amidst burning winds,f and scalding water,\n     under the shade of a black smoke,\n     neither cool nor agreeable.\n     For they enjoyed the pleasures of life before this, while on earth;\n     and obstinately persisted in a heinous wickedness:\n     and they said,\n     After we shall have died, and become dust and bones, shall we surely be\nraised to life?\n     Shall our forefathers also be raised with us?\n     Say, Verily both the first and the last\n50\tshall surely be gathered together to judgment, at the prefixed time of a\nknown day.\n     Then ye, O men, who have erred, and denied the resurrection as a\nfalsehood,\n     shall surely eat of the fruit of the tree of al Zakkum,\n     and shall fill your bellies therewith:\n     and ye shall drink thereon boiling water;\n     and ye shall drink as a thirsty camel drinketh.\n     This shall be their entertainment on the day of judgment.\n     We have created you: will ye not therefore believe that we can raise you\nfrom the dead?\n     What think ye?  The seed which ye emit,\n     do ye create the same, or are we the creators thereof?\n60\tWe have decreed death unto you all:\n     and we shall not be prevented.  We are able to substitute others like\nunto you in your stead, and to produce you again in the condition or form\nwhich ye know not.\n     Ye know the original production by creation; will ye not therefore\nconsider that we are able to produce you by resuscitation?\n     What think ye?  The grain which ye sow,\n     do ye cause the same to spring forth, or do we cause it to spring forth?\n     If we pleased, verily we could render the same dry and fruitless, so that\nye would not cease to wonder,g saying,\n     Verily we have contracted debtsh for seed and labor, but we are not\npermittedi to reap the fruit thereof.\n     What think ye?  The water which ye drink,\n     do ye send down the same from the clouds, or are we the senders thereof?\n     If we pleased, we could render the same brackish: will ye not therefore\ngive thanks?\n70\tWhat think ye?  The fire which ye strike,\n     do ye produce the tree whence ye obtain the same,k or are we the\nproducers thereof?\n     We have ordained the same for an admonition,l and an advantage to those\nwho travel through the deserts.\n     Wherefore praise the name of thy LORD, the great God.\n     Moreover I swearm by the setting of the stars;\n     (and it is surely a great oath, if ye knew it;)\n     that this is the excellent Koran,\n     the original whereof is written in the preserved book:\n     none shall touch the same, except those who are clean.n\n     It is a revelation from the LORD of all creatures.\n80\tWill ye, therefore, despise this new revelation?\n\n\tf  Which shall penetrate into the passages of their bodies.\n\tg  Or to repent of your time and labour bestowed to little purpose, &c.\n\th  Or, We are undone.\n\ti  Or, We are unfortunate wretches, who are denied the necessaries of\nlife.\n\tk  See chapter 36, p. 334, note b.\n\tl  To put men in mind of the resurrection;1 which the production of fire\nin some sort resembles, or, of the fire of hell.2\n\tm  The particle la is generally supposed to be intensive in this place;\nbut if it be taken for a negative, the words must be translated, I will not or\ndo not swear, because what is here asserted is too manifest to need the\nconfirmation of an oath.3\n\tn  Or, Let none touch the same, &c.  Purity both of body and mind being\nrequisite in him who would use this book with the respect he ought, and hopes\nto edify by it: for which reason these words are usually written on the\ncover.4\n\n\t1  See cap. 36, p. 334.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Idem.\n\t4  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 54.\n\n\n     And do ye make this return for your food which ye receive from God, that\nye deny yourselves to be obliged to him for the same?o\n     When the soul of a dying person cometh up to his throat,\n     and ye at the same time are looking on;\n     (and we are nigher unto him than ye, but ye see not his true condition;)\n     would ye not, if ye are not to be rewarded for your action hereafter,\n     cause the same to return into the body, if ye speak the truth?p\n     And whether he be of those who shall approach near unto God,q\n     his reward shall be rest, and mercy, and a garden of delights:\n     or whether he be of the companions of the right hand,\n90\the shall be saluted with the salutation, Peace be unto thee! by the\ncompanions of the right hand, his brethren:\n     or whether he be of those who have rejected the true faith,\n     and gone astray,\n     his entertainment shall consist of boiling water,\n     and the burning of hell fire.\n     Verily this is a certain truth.\n     Wherefore praise the name of thy LORD, the great God.\n\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER LVII.\n\nENTITLED, IRON;r REVEALED AT MECCA, OR AT MEDINA.s\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     WHATEVER is in heaven and earth singeth praise unto GOD; and he is mighty\nand wise.\n     His is the kingdom of heaven and earth; he giveth life, and he putteth to\ndeath; and he is almighty.\n     He is the first, and the last; the manifest and the hidden: and he\nknoweth all things.\n     It is he who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and then\nascended his throne.  He knoweth that which entereth into the earth, and that\nwhich issueth out of the same, and that which descendeth from heaven, and that\nwhich ascendeth thereto; and he is with you, wheresoever ye be: for GOD seeth\nthat which ye do.\n     His is the kingdom of heavens and earth; and unto GOD shall all things\nreturn.\n     He causeth the night to succeed the day, and he causeth the day to\nsucceed the night; and he knowest the innermost part of men's breasts.\n     Believe in GOD and his apostle, and lay out in alms a part of the wealth\nwhereof GOD hath made you inheritors: for unto such of you as believe, and\nbestow alms, shall be given a great reward.\n\n\to  By ascribing the rains, which fertilize your lands, to the influence\nof the stars.5\n\tSome copies instead of rizkacom, i.e., your food, read shocracom, i.e.,\nyour gratitude; and then the passage may be rendered thus, And do ye make this\nreturn of gratitude, for GOD'S revealing the Kor\u00e2n, that ye reject the same as\na fiction?\n\tp  The meaning of this obscure passage is, if ye shall not be obliged to\ngive an account of your actions at the last day, as by your denying the\nresurrection ye seem to believe, cause the soul of the dying person to return\ninto his body; for ye may as easily do that as avoid the general judgment.6\n\tq  That is, of the leaders, or first professors of the faith.\n\tr  The word occurs toward the end of the chapter.\n\ts  It is uncertain which of the two places was the scene of revelation\nof this chapter.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t35\n\t\t\t5  See ibid. Sect. I. p. 25.\t\t6  Jallal., al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     And what aileth you, that ye believe not in GOD, when the apostle\ninviteth you to believe in your LORD; and he hath received your covenantt\nconcerning this matter, if ye believe any proposition?\n     It is he who hath sent down unto his servant evident signs, that he may\nlead you out of darkness into light; for GOD is compassionate and merciful\nunto you.\n10\tAnd what aileth you, that ye contribute not of your substance for the\ndefence of GOD'S true religion?  Since unto GOD appertaineth the inheritance\nof heaven and earth.  Those among you who shall have contributed and fought in\ndefence of the faith, before the taking of Mecca, shall not be held equal with\nthose who shall contribute and fight for the same afterwards.u  These shall be\nsuperior in degree unto those who shall contribute and fight for the\npropagation of the faith, after the above-mentioned success; but unto all hath\nGOD promised a most excellent reward; and GOD well knoweth that which ye do.\n     Who is he that will lend unto GOD an acceptable loan? for he will double\nthe same unto him, and he shall receive moreover an honourable reward.\n     On a certain day, thou shalt see the true believers of both sexes: their\nlight shall run before them, and on their right hands;x and it shall be said\nunto them, Good tidings unto you this day: gardens through which rivers flow;\nye shall remain therein forever.  This will be great felicity.\n     On that day the hypocritical men and the hypocritical women shall say\nunto those who believe, Stay for us,y what we may borrow some of your light.\nIt shall be answered, Return back into the world, and seek light.  And a high\nwall shall be set betwixt them, wherein shall be a gate, within which shall be\nmercy; and without it, over against the same, the torment of hell.  The\nhypocrites shall call out unto the true believers, saying, Were we not with\nyou?  They shall answer, Yea; but ye seduced your own souls by your hypocrisy;\nand ye waited our ruin; and ye doubted concerning the faith; and your wishes\ndeceived you, until the decree of GOD came, and ye died: and the deceiver\ndeceived you concerning GOD.\n     This day, therefore, a ransom shall not be accepted of you, nor of those\nwho have been unbelievers.  Your abode shall be hell fire: this is what ye\nhave deserved; and an unhappy journey shall it be thither!\n     Is not the time yet come unto those who believe, that their hearts should\nhumbly submit to the admonition of GOD, and to that truth which hath been\nrevealed; and that they be not as those unto whom the scripture was given\nheretofore, and to whom the time of forbearance was prolonged, but their\nhearts were hardened, and many of them were wicked doers?\n     Know that GOD quickeneth the earth, after it hath been dead.  Now have we\ndistinctly declared our signs unto you, that ye may understand.\n     Verily as to the almsgivers, both men and women, and those who lend unto\nGOD an acceptable loan, he will double the same unto them; and they shall\nmoreover receive an honourable reward.\n     And they who believe in GOD and his apostles, these are the men of\nveracity, and the witnesses in the presence of their LORD: they shall have\ntheir reward, and their light.  But as to those who believe not, and accuse\nour signs of falsehood, they shall be the companions of hell.\n\n\tt  That is, ye are obliged to believe in him by the strongest arguments\nand motives.\n\tu  Because afterwards there was not so great necessity for either, the\nMohammedan religion being firmly established by that great success.\n\tx  One light leading them the right way to paradise, and the other\nproceeding from the book wherein their actions are recorded, which they will\nhold in their right hand.\n\ty  For the righteous will hasten to paradise swift as lightning.\n\n\n     Know that this present life is only a toy and a vain amusement: and\nworldly pomp, and the affectation of glory among you, and the multiplying of\nriches and children, are as the plants nourished by the rain, the springing up\nwhereof delighteth the husbandmen; afterwards they wither, so that thou seest\nthe same turned yellow, and at length they become dry stubble.  And in the\nlife to come will be a severe punishment for those who covet worldly grandeur;\n20\tand pardon from GOD, and favor for those who renounce it: for this\npresent life is no other than a deceitful provision.\n     Hasten with emulation to obtain pardon from your LORD, and paradise, the\nextent whereof equalleth the extent of heaven and earth, prepared for those\nwho believe in GOD and his apostles.  This is the bounty of GOD: he will give\nthe same unto whom he pleaseth; and GOD is endued with great bounty.\n     No accident happeneth in the earth, nor in your persons, but the same was\nentered  in the book of our decrees, before we created it: verily this is easy\nwith GOD:\n     and this is written lest ye immoderately grieve for the good which\nescapeth you, or rejoice for that which happened unto you; for GOD loveth no\nproud or vain-glorious person,\n     or those who are covetous, and command men covetousness.  And whoso\nturneth aside from giving alms; verily GOD is self-sufficient, worthy to be\npraised.\n     We formerly sent our apostles with evident miracles and arguments; and we\nsent down with them the scriptures and the balance,z that men might observe\njustice: and we sent them down iron,a wherein is mighty strength for war,b and\nvarious advantages unto mankind: that GOD may know who assisteth him and his\napostles in secret;c for GOD is strong and mighty.\n     We formerly sent Noah and Abraham, and we established in their posterity\nthe gift of prophecy, and the scripture: and of them some were directed, but\nmany of them were evil-doers.\n     Afterwards we caused our apostles to succeed in their footsteps; and we\ncaused Jesus the son of Mary to succeed them, and we gave him the gospel: and\nwe put in the hearts of those that followed him compassion and mercy: but as\nto the monastic state, they instituted the same (we did not prescribe it to\nthem) only out of a desire to please GOD; yet they observed not the same as it\nought truly to have been observed.  And we gave unto such of them as believed\ntheir reward: but many of them were wicked doers.\n     O ye who believe in the former prophets,d fear GOD, and believe in his\napostle Mohammed: he will give you two portions of his mercy,e and he will\nordain a light wherein ye may walk, and he will forgive you; for GOD is ready\nto forgive, and merciful:\n     that those who have received the scriptures may know that they have not\npower over any of the favours of GOD,f and that good is in the hand of GOD; he\nbestoweth the same on whom he pleaseth; for GOD is endued with great\nbeneficence.\n\n\tz  i.e., A rule of justice.  Some think that a balance was actually\nbrought down from heaven by the angel Gabriel to Noah, the use of which he was\nordered to introduce among his people.\n\ta  That is, we taught them how to dig the same from mines.  Al\nZamakhshari adds, that Adam is said to have brought down with him from\nparadise five things made of iron, viz., an anvil, a pair of tongs, two\nhammers, a greater and a lesser, and a needle.\n\tb  Warlike instruments and weapons being generally made of iron.\n\tc  That is, sincerely and heartily.\n\td  These words are directed to the Jews and Christians, or rather to the\nlatter only.\n\te  One as a recompence for their believing in Mohammed, and the other as\na recompense for their believing in the prophets who preceded him; for they\nwill not lose the reward of their former religion, though it be now abrogated\nby the promulgation of Isl\u00e2m.1\n\tf  i.e., That they cannot expect to receive any of the favours above\nmentioned, because they believe not in his apostle, and those favours are\nannexed to faith in him; or, that they have not power to dispose of GOD'S\nfavours, particularly of the greatest of them, the gift of prophecy, so as to\nappropriate the same to whom they please.1\n\n\n\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t1  Idem.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LVIII.\n\nENTITLED, SHE WHO DISPUTED; REVEALED AT MEDINA.g\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     NOW hath GOD heard the speech of her who disputed with thee concerning\nher husband, and made her complaint unto GOD;h and GOD hath heard your mutual\ndiscourse: for GOD both heareth and seeth.\n     As to those among you who divorce their wives, by declaring that they\nwill thereafter regard them as their mothers; let them know that they are not\ntheir mothers.  They only are their mothers who brought them forth;i and they\ncertainly utter an unjustifiable saying and a falsehood:\n     but GOD is gracious and ready to forgive.\n     Those who divorce their wives by declaring that they will for the future\nregard them as their mothers, and afterwards would repairk what they have\nsaid, shall be obliged to free a captive,l before they touch one another.\nThat is what ye are warned to perform: and GOD is well apprised of that which\nye do.\n     And whoso findeth not a captive to redeem, shall observe a fast of two\nconsecutive months, before they touch one another.  And whoso shall not be\nable to fast that time, shall feed threescore poor men.  This is ordained you,\nthat ye may believe in GOD and his apostle.  These are the statutes of GOD:\nand for the unbelievers is prepared a grievous torment.\n     Verily they who oppose GOD and his apostle shall be brought low, as the\nunbelievers who preceded them were brought low.  And now have we sent down\nmanifest signs: and an ignominious punishment awaiteth the unbelievers.\n\n\tg  Some are of opinion that the first ten verses of this chapter, ending\nwith these words, and fear GOD, before whom ye shall be assembled, were\nrevealed at Mecca, and the rest at Medina.2\n\th  This was Khawla bint Th\u00e1laba, the wife of Aws Ebn al S\u00e2mat, who,\nbeing divorced by her husband by a form in use among the Arabs in the time of\nignorance, viz., by saying to her, Thou art to me as the back of my mother,3\ncame to ask Mohammed's opinion whether they were necessarily obliged to a\nseparation; and he told her that it was not lawful for her to cohabit with her\nhusband any more: to which she replying, that her husband had not put her\naway, the prophet repeated his former decision, adding that such form of\nspeaking was by general consent understood to imply a perpetual separation.\nUpon this the woman, being greatly concerned because of the smallness of her\nchildren, went home, and uttered her complaint to GOD in prayer: and thereupon\nthis passage was revealed,4 allowing a man to take his wife again,\nnotwithstanding his having pronounced the above-mentioned form of divorce, on\ndoing certain acts of charity or mortification, by way of penance.\n\ti  And therefore no woman ought to be placed in the same degree of\nprohibition, except those whom GOD has joined with them, as nursing mothers,\nand the wives of the prophet.5\n\tk  This seems to be here the true meaning of the original word, which\nproperly signifies to return, and is variously expounded by the Mohammedan\ndoctors.\n\tl  Which captive, according to the most received decision, ought to be a\ntrue believer, as is ordered for the expiation of manslaughter.6\n\n\t2  Idem.\t\t3  See cap. 33, p. 312.\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi,\nJallalo'ddin, &c.\t\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi  See cap. 4, p. 56, and cap. 33, p. 319.\n\t\t6  See cap. 4, p. 64.\n\n\n     On a certain day GOD shall raise them all to life, and shall declare unto\nthem that which they have wrought.  GOD hath taken an exact account thereof;\nbut they have forgotten the same: and GOD is witness over all things.\n     Dost thou not perceive that GOD knoweth whatever is in heaven and in\nearth?  There is no private discourse among three persons, but he is the\nfourth of them; nor among five, but he is the sixth of them; neither among a\nsmaller number than this, nor a larger, but he is with them, wheresoever they\nbe: and he will declare unto them that which they have done, on the day of\nresurrection; for GOD knoweth all things.\n     Hast thou not observed those who have been forbidden to use clandestine\ndiscourse, but afterwards return to what they have been forbidden, and\ndiscourse privily among themselves of wickedness, and enmity, and disobedience\ntowards the apostle?m  And when they come unto thee, they salute thee with\nthat form of salutation wherewith GOD doth not salute thee;n and they say\namong themselves, by way of derision, Would not GOD punish us for what we say,\nif this man were a prophet?  Hell shall be their sufficient punishment: they\nshall go down into the same to be burned; and an unhappy journey shall it be!\n10\tO true believers, when ye discourse privily together, discourse not of\nwickedness, and enmity, and disobedience towards the apostle; but discourse of\njustice and piety: and fear GOD, before whom ye shall be assembled.\n     Verily the clandestine discourse of the infidels proceedeth from Satan,\nthat he may grieve the true believers: but there shall be none to hurt them in\nthe least, unless by the permission of GOD; wherefore in GOD let the faithful\ntrust.\n     O true believers, when it is said unto you, Make room in the assembly;\nmake room:o GOD will grant you ample room in paradise.  And when it is said\nunto you, Rise up; rise up: GOD will raise those of you who believe, and those\nto whom knowledge is given, to superior degrees of honour; and GOD is fully\napprised of that which ye do.\n     O true believers, when ye go to speak with the apostle, give alms\npreviously to your discoursing with him;p this will be better for you, and\nmore pure.  But if ye find not what to give, verily GOD will be gracious and\nmerciful unto you.\n     Do ye fear to give alms previously to your discoursing with the prophet,\nlest ye should impoverish yourselves?  Therefore if ye do it not, and GOD is\ngracious unto you, by dispensing with the said precept for the future, be\nconstant at prayer, and pay the legal alms; and obey GOD and his apostle in\nall other matters: for GOD well knoweth that which ye do.\n\n\tm  That is, the Jews and hypocritical Moslems, who caballed privately\ntogether against Mohammed, and made signs to one another when they saw the\ntrue believers; and this they continued to do, notwithstanding they were\nforbidden.\n\tn  It seems they used, instead of Al sal\u00e2m aleica, i.e., Peace be upon\nthee, to say, Al s\u00e2m aleica, i.e., Mischief on thee, &c.1\n\to  In this passage the Moslems are commanded to give place, in the\npublic assemblies, to the prophet and the more honourable of his companions;\nand not to press and crowd upon him, as they used to do, out of a desire of\nbeing near him, and hearing his discourse.\n\tp  To show your sincerity, and to honour the apostle.  It is doubted\nwhether this be a counsel or a precept; but, however, it continued but a very\nlittle while in force, being agreed on all hands to be abrogated by the\nfollowing passage, Do ye fear to give alms, &c.2\n\n\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Idem\n\n\n     Hast thou not observed those who have taken for their friends a people\nagainst whom GOD is incensed?q  They are neither of you, nor of them:r and\nthey swear to a lies knowingly.\n     GOD hath prepared for them a grievous punishment; for it is evil which\nthey do.\n     They have taken their oaths for a cloak, and they have turned men aside\nfrom the way of GOD: wherefore a shameful punishment awaiteth them;\n     neither their wealth nor their children shall avail them at all against\nGOD.  These shall be the inhabitants of hell fire; they shall abide therein\nforever.\n     On a certain day GOD shall raise them all: then will they swear unto him,\nas they swear now unto you, imagining that it will be of service to them.  Are\nthey not liars?\n20\tSatan hath prevailed against them, and hath caused them to forget the\nremembrance of GOD.  These are the party of the devil; and shall not the party\nof the devil be doomed to perdition?\n     Verily they who oppose GOD and his apostle shall be placed among the most\nvile.  GOD hath written, Verily I will prevail, and my apostles: for GOD is\nstrong and mighty.\n     Thou shalt not find people who believe in GOD and the last day to love\nhim who opposeth GOD and his apostle; although they be their fathers, or their\nsons, or their brethren, or their nearest relations.  In the hearts of these\nhath GOD written faith; and he hath strengthened them with his spirit: and he\nwill lead them into gardens, beneath which rivers flow, to remain therein\nforever.  GOD is well pleased in them; and they are well pleased in him.\nThese are the party of GOD: and shall not the party of GOD prosper?\n\n\n________\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LIX.\n\nENTITLED, THE EMIGRATION;t REVEALED AT MEDINA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     WHATEVER is in heaven and earth celebrateth the praise of GOD: and he is\nthe mighty, the wise.\n\n\tq  i.e., The Jews.\n\tr  Being hypocrites, and wavering between the two parties.\n\ts  i.e., They have solemnly professed Isl\u00e2m, which they believe not in\ntheir hearts.\n\tt  The original word signifies the quitting or removing from one's\nnative country or settlement, to dwell elsewhere, whether it be by choice or\ncompulsion.\n\n\n\n     It was he who caused those who believed not, of the people who receive\nthe scripture, to depart from their habitations at the first emigration.u  Ye\ndid not think that they would go forth: and they thought that their fortresses\nwould protect them against GOD.  But the chastisement of GOD came upon them,\nfrom whence they did not expect; and he cast terror into their hearts.  They\npulled down their houses with their own hands,x and the hands of the true\nbelievers.  Wherefore take example from them, O ye who have eyes.\n     And if GOD had not doomed them to banishment, he had surely punished them\nin this world:y and in the world to come they shall suffer the torment of hell\nfire.\n     This, because they opposed GOD and his apostle: and whoso opposeth GOD,\nverily GOD will be severe in punishing him.\n     What palm-trees ye cut down, or left standing on their roots, were so cut\ndown or left by the will of GOD; and that he might disgrace the wicked doers.\n     And as to the spoils of these people which GOD hath granted wholly to his\napostle,z ye did not push forward any horses or camels against the same;a but\nGOD giveth unto his apostles dominion over whom he pleaseth: for GOD is\nalmighty.\n     The spoils of the inhabitants of the towns which GOD hath granted to his\napostle are due unto GOD and to the apostle, and to him who is of kin to the\napostle, and the orphans, and the poor, and the traveller; that they may not\nbe forever divided in a circle among such of you as are rich.  What the\napostle shall give you, that accept; and what he shall forbid you, that\nabstain from: and fear GOD; for GOD is severe in chastising.\n     A part also belongeth to the poor Moh\u00e2jer\u00een,b who have been dispossessed\nof their houses and their substance, seeking favor from GOD, and his good-\nwill, and assisting GOD and his apostle.  These are the men of veracity.\n\n\tu  The people here intended were the Jews of the tribe of al Nad\u00eer, who\ndwelt in Medina, and when Mohammed fled thither from Mecca, promised him to\nstand neuter between him and his opponents, and made a treaty with him to that\npurpose.  When he had gained the battle of Bedr, they confessed that he was\nthe prophet described in the law: but upon his receiving that disgrace at\nOhod, they changed their note; and Caab Ebn al Ashraf, with forty horse, went\nand made a league with Abu Sofi\u00e2n, which they confirmed by oath.  Upon this,\nMohammed got Caab dispatched, and, in the fourth year of the Hejra, set\nforward against al Nad\u00eer, and besieged them in their fortress, which stood\nabout three miles from Medina, for six days, at the end of which they\ncapitulated, and were allowed to depart, on condition that they should\nentirely quit that place: and accordingly some of them went into Syria, and\nothers to Khaibar and Hira.1\n\tThis was the first emigration, mentioned in the passage before us.  The\nother happened several years after, in the reign of Omar, when that Khal\u00eef\nbanished those who had settled at Khaibar, and obliged them to depart out of\nArabia.2\n\tDr. Prideaux, speaking of Mohammed's obliging those of al Nad\u00eer to quit\ntheir settlements, says that a party of his men pursued those who fled into\nSyria, and having overtaken them, put them all to the sword, excepting only\none man that escaped.  With such cruelty, continues he, did those barbarians\nfirst set up to fight for that imposture they had been deluded into.3  But a\nlearned gentleman has already observed that this is all grounded on a mistake,\nwhich the doctor was led into by an imperfection in the printed edition of\nElmacinus; where, after mentioning the expulsion of the Nad\u00eerites, are\ninserted som e incoherent words relating to another action which happened the\nmonth before, and wherein seventy Moslems, instead of putting others to the\nsword, were surprised and put to the sword themselves, together with their\nleader al Mondar Ebn Omar, Caab Ebn Zeid alone escaping.4\n\tx  Doing what damage they could, that the Moslems might make the less\nadvantage of what they were obliged to leave behind them.\n\ty  By delivering them up to slaughter and captivity, as he did those of\nKoreidha.\n\tz  It is remarkable that in this expedition the spoils were not divided\naccording to the law given for that purpose in the Kor\u00e2n,5 but were granted to\nthe apostle, and declared to be entirely in his disposition.  And the reason\nwas, because the place was taken without the assistance of horse, which became\na rule for the future.6\n\ta  For the settlement of those of al Nad\u00eer being so near Medina, the\nMoslems went all on foot thither, except only the prophet himself.7\n\tb  Wherefore Mohammed distributed those spoils among the Moh\u00e2jer\u00een, or\nthose who had fled from Mecca, only, and gave no part thereof to the Ans\u00e2rs,\nor those of Medina, except only to three of them, who were in necessitous\ncircumstances.8\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallal. &c.  Vide Abulf. Vit. Moh. c. 35.\t\t2\nIdem interp.\t\t3  Prid. Life of Mah. p. 82.\n4  Vide Gagnier, not. in Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 72.\t\t5  Cap. 8, p. 130.\n\t\t6  Vide Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 91.\n7  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t8  Idem.  Vide Abulf. ubi sup. p. 72.\n\n\n     And they who quietly possessed the town of Medina, and professed the\nfaith without molestation, before them,c love him who hath fled unto them, and\nfind in their breasts no want of that which is given the Moh\u00e2jer\u00een,d but\nprefer them before themselves, although there be indigence among them.  And\nwhoso is preserved from the covetousness of his own soul, those shall surely\nprosper.\n10\tAnd they who have come after theme say, O LORD, forgive us and our\nbrethren who have preceded us in the faith, and put not into our hearts ill-\nwill against those who have believed: O LORD, verily thou art compassionate\nand merciful.\n     Hast thou not observed them who play the hypocrites?  They say unto their\nbrethren who believe not, of those who have received the scriptures,f Verily\nif ye be expelled your habitations, we will surely go forth with you; and we\nwill not pay obedience, in your respect, unto any one forever: and if ye be\nattacked, we will certainly assist you.  But GOD is witness that they are\nliars.\n     Verily if they be expelled, they will not go forth with them: and if they\nbe attacked, they will not assist them;g and if they do assist them, they will\nsurely turn their backs: and they shall not be protected.\n     Verily ye are stronger than they, by reason of the terror cast into their\nbreasts from GOD.  This, because they are not people of prudence.\n     They will not fight against you in a body, except in fenced towns, or\nfrom behind walls.  Their strength in war among themselves is great:h thou\nthinkest them to be united; but their hearts are divided.  This, because they\nare people who do not understand.\n     Like those who lately preceded them,i they have tasted the evil\nconsequence of their deed; and a painful torment is prepared for them\nhereafter.\n     Thus have the hypocrites deceived the Jews: like the devil, when he saith\nunto a man, Be thou an infidel; and when he is become an infidel, he saith,\nVerily I am clear of thee; for I fear GOD, the LORD of all creatures.\n     Wherefore the end of them both shall be that they shall dwell in hell\nfire, abiding therein forever: and this shall be the recompense of the unjust.\n     O true believers, fear GOD; and let a soul look what it sendeth before\nfor the morrow:k and fear GOD, for GOD is well acquainted with that which ye\ndo.\n     And be not as those who have forgotten GOD, and whom he hath caused to\nforget their own souls: these are the wicked doers.\n20\tThe inhabitants of hell fire and the inhabitants of paradise shall not\nbe held equal.  The inhabitants of paradise are they who shall enjoy felicity.\n     If we had sent down this Koran on a mountain, thou wouldest certainly\nhave seen the same humble itself, and cleave in sunder for fear of GOD.  These\nsimilitudes do we propose unto men, that they may consider.\n     He is GOD, besides whom there is no GOD; who knoweth that which is\nfuture, and that which is present: he is the most Merciful;\n\n\tc  That is, the Ans\u00e2rs; who enjoyed their houses and the free exercise\nof their religion before the Hejra, while the converts of Mecca were\npersecuted and harassed by the idolaters.\n\td  i.e., And bear them no grudge or envy on that account.\n\te  The persons here meant seem to be those who fled from Mecca after\nMohammed began to gain strength, and his religion had made a considerable\nprogress.\n\tf  That is, the Jews of the tribe of al Nad\u00eer.\n\tg  And it happened accordingly; for Ebn Obba and his confederates wrote\nto the Nad\u00eerites to this purpose, but never performed their promise.1\n\th  i.e., It is not their weakness or cowardice which makes them decline\na field battle with you, since they show strength and valour enough in their\nwars with one another; but both fail them when they enter into the lists with\nGOD and his apostle.\n\ti  viz., The idolaters who were slain at Bedr; or the Jews of Kainok\u00e2,\nwho were plundered and sent into exile before those of al Nad\u00eer.\n\tk  That is, for the next life, which may be called the morrow, as this\npresent life may be called to-day.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     he is GOD, besides whom there is no GOD: the King, the Holy, the Giver of\npeace, the Faithful, the Guardian, the Powerful, the Strong, the most High.\nFar be GOD exalted above the idols which they associate with him!\n     He is GOD, the Creator, the Maker, the Former.  He hath most excellent\nnames.l  Whatever is in heaven and in earth praiseth him: and he is the\nMighty, the Wise.\n\n\n________\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LX.\n\nENTITLED, SHE WHO IS TRIED;m REVEALED AT MEDINA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     O TRUE believers, take not my enemy and your enemy for your friends,n\nshowing kindness towards them; since they believe not in the truth which hath\ncome unto you, having expelled the apostle and yourselves from your native\ncity, because ye believe in GOD, your LORD.  If ye go forth to fight in\ndefence of my religion, and out of a desire to please me, and privately show\nfriendship unto them;o verily I well know that which ye conceal, and that\nwhich ye discover: and whoever of you doth this, hath already erred from the\nstraight path.\n     If they get the better of you, they will be enemies unto you, and they\nwill stretch forth their hands and their tongues against you with evil: and\nthey earnestly desire that ye should become unbelievers.\n     Neither your kindred nor your children will avail you at all on the day\nof resurrection, which will separate you from one another: and GOD seeth that\nwhich ye do.\n     Ye have an excellent pattern in Abraham, and those who were with him,\nwhen they said unto their people, Verily we are clear of you, and of the idols\nwhich ye worship, besides GOD: we have renounced you; and enmity and hatred is\nbegun between us and you forever, until ye believe in GOD alone: except\nAbraham's saying unto his father, Verily I will beg pardon for thee:p but I\ncannot obtain aught of GOD in thy behalf.  O LORD, in thee do we trust, and\nunto thee are we turned; and before thee shall we be assembled hereafter.\n\n\tl  See cap. 7, p. 123, note x.\n\tm  This chapter bears this title because it directs the women who desert\nand come over from the infidels to the Moslems to be examined, and tried\nwhether they be sincere in their profession of the faith.\n\tn  This passage was revealed on account of Hateb Ebn Abi Balpaa, who\nunderstanding that Mohammed had a design to surprise Mecca, wrote a letter to\nthe Koreish, giving them notice of the intended expedition, and advised them\nto be on their guard: which letter he sent by Sarah, a maid-servant belonging\nto the family of H\u00e2shem.  The messenger had not been gone long, before Gabriel\ndiscovered the affair to the prophet, who immediately sent after her; and\nhaving intercepted the letter, asked Hateb how he came to be guilty of such an\naction?  To which he replied that it was not out of infidelity, or a desire to\nreturn to idolatry, but merely to induce the Koreish to treat his family,\nwhich was still at Mecca, with some kindness; adding that he was well assured\nhis intelligence would be of no service at all to the Meccans, because he was\nsatisfied GOD would take vengeance on them.  Whereupon Mohammed received his\nexcuse and pardoned him; but it was thought proper to forbid any such\npractices for the future.1\n\to  The verb here used has also a contrary signification, according to\nwhich the words may be rendered, and yet openly show friendship unto them.\n\tp  For in this Abraham's example is not to be followed.  See chapter 9,\np. 148.\n\n\t\t\t1  Idem.  Vide Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 192.\n\n\n     O LORD, suffer us not to be put to trial by the unbelievers:q and forgive\nus, O LORD; for thou art mighty and wise.\n     Verily ye have in them an excellent example, unto him who hopeth in GOD\nand the last day: and whoso turneth back; verily GOD is self-sufficient, and\npraiseworthy.\n     Peradventure GOD will establish friendship between yourselves and such of\nthem as ye now hold for enemies:r for GOD is powerful; and GOD is inclined to\nforgive, and merciful.\n     As to those who have not borne arms against you on account of religion,\nnor turned you out of your dwellings, GOD forbiddeth you not to deal kindly\nwith them, and to behave justly towards them:s for GOD loveth those who act\njustly.\n     But as to those who have borne arms against you on account of religion,\nand have dispossessed you of your habitations, and have assisted in\ndispossessing you, GOD forbiddeth you to enter into friendship with them: and\nwhosoever of you entereth into friendship with them, those are unjust doers.\n10\tO true believers, when believing women come unto you as refugees, try\nthem: GOD well knoweth their faith.  And if ye know them to be true believers,\nsend them not back to the infidels: they are not lawful for the unbelievers to\nhave in marriage; neither are the unbelievers lawful for them.  But give their\nunbelieving husbands what they shall have expended for their dowers.t  Nor\nshall it be any crime in you if ye marry them, provided ye give them their\ndowries.u  And retain not the patronage of the unbelieving women: but demand\nback that which ye have expended for the dowry of such of your wives as go\nover to the unbelievers; and let them demand back that which they have\nexpended for the dowry of those who come over to you.  This is the judgment of\nGOD, which he establisheth among you: and GOD is knowing and wise.\n\n\tq  i.e., Suffer them not to prevail against us, lest they thence\nconclude themselves to be in the right, and endeavour to make us deny our\nfaith by the terror of persecution.1\n\tr  And this happened accordingly on the taking of Mecca; when Abu Sofi\u00e2n\nand others of the Koreish, who had till then been inveterate enemies to the\nMoslems, embraced the same faith, and became their friends and brethren.  Some\nsuppose the marriage of Mohammed with Omm Hab\u00eeba, the daughter of Abu Sofi\u00e2n,\nwhich was celebrated the year before, to be here intended.2\n\ts  This passage, it is said, was revealed on account of Koteila bint\nAbd'al Uzza, who having, while she was an idolatress, brought some presents to\nher daughter, Asma bint Abi Becr, the latter not only refused to accept them,\nbut even denied her admittance.3\n\tt  For, according to the terms of the pacification of al Hodeibiya,4\neach side was to return whatever came into their power belonging to the other;\nwherefore when the Moslems were, by this passage, forbidden to restore the\nmarried women who should come over to them, they were at the same time\ncommanded to make some sort of satisfaction, by returning their dowry.\n\tIt is related that, after the aforesaid pacification, while Mohammed was\nyet at al Hodeibiya, Sobeia bint al Hareth, of the tribe of Aslam, having\nembrace Mohammedism, her husband, Mos\u00e2fer the Makhzumite, came and demanded\nher back; upon which this passage was revealed: and Mohammed, pursuant\nthereto, administered to her the oath thereafter directed, and returned her\nhusband her dower; and then Omar married her.5\n\tu  For what is returned to their former husbands is not to be considered\nas their dower.\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Vide Gagnier, not in Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 91.\n\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t4  See cap. 48, p. 380, &c.\t\t5  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     If any of your wivesx escape from you to the unbelievers, and ye have\nyour turn by the coming over of any of the unbelievers' wives to you;y give\nunto those believers whose wives shall have gone away, out of the dowries of\nthe latter, so much as they shall have expended for the dowers of the former:\nand fear GOD, in whom ye believe.\n     O prophet, when believing women come unto thee, and plight their faith\nunto thee,z that they will not associate anything with GOD, nor steal, nor\ncommit fornication, nor kill their children,a nor come with a calumny which\nthey have forged between their hands and their feet,b nor be disobedient to\nthee in that which shall be reasonable: then do thou plight thy faith unto\nthem, and ask pardon for them of GOD; for GOD is inclined to forgive, and\nmerciful.\n     O true believers, enter not into friendship with a people against whom\nGOD is incensed;c they despair of the life to come,d as the infidels despair\nof the resurrection of those who dwell in the graves.\n\n________\n\nCHAPTER LXI.\n\nENTITLED, BATTLE-ARRAY; REVEALED AT MECCA.e\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     WHATEVER is in heaven and in earth celebrateth the praise of GOD; for he\nis mighty and wise.\n     O true believers, why do ye say that which ye do not?f\n     It is most odious in the sight of GOD, that ye say that which ye do not.\n     Verily GOD loveth those who fight for his religion in battle-array, as\nthough they were a well-compacted building.\n     Remember when Moses said unto his people, O my people, why do ye injure\nme;g since ye know that I am the apostle of GOD sent unto you?  And when they\nhad deviated from the truth, GOD made their hearts to deviate from the right\nway; for GOD directeth not wicked people.\n\n\tx  Literally, anything of your wives; which some interpret, any part of\ntheir dowry.\n\ty  Or, as the original verb may also be translated, and ye take spoils;\nin which case the meaning will be, that those Moslems, whose wives shall have\ngone over to the infidels, shall have a satisfaction for their dower out of\nthe next booty.  This law, they saw, was given because of the idolaters, after\nthe preceding verse had been revealed, refused to comply therewith, or to make\nany return of the dower of those women who went over to them from the\nMoslems;1 so that the latter were obliged to indemnify themselves as they\ncould.\n\tz  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. II. p. 37.  Some are of opinion that this\npassage was not revealed till the day of the taking of Mecca; when, after\nhaving received the solemn submission of the men, he proceeded to receive that\nof the women.2\n\ta  See chapter 81.\n\tb  Jallalo'ddin understands these words of their laying their spurious\nchildren to their husbands.\n\tc  i.e., The infidels in general; or the Jews in particular.3\n\td  By reason of their infidelity; or because they well know they cannot\nexpect to be made partakers of the happiness of the next life, by reason of\ntheir rejecting of the prophet foretold in the law, and whose mission is\nconfirmed by miracles.4\n\te  Or, as some rather judge, at Medina; which opinion is confirmed by\nthe explication in the next note.\n\tf  The commentators generally suppose these words to be directed to the\nMoslems, who, notwithstanding they had solemnly engaged to spend their lives\nand fortunes in defence of their faith, yet shamefully turned their backs at\nthe battle of Ohod.5  They may, however, be applied to hypocrites of all\nsorts, whose actions contradict their words.\n\tg  viz., By your disobedience; or by maliciously aspersing me.6\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  See cap. I, p. 1.\t\t4  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\t\t5  Cap. 3, p. 45, &c.\n6  See cap. 33, p. 320.\n\n\n     And when Jesus the Son of Mary said, O children of Israel, verily I am\nthe apostle of GOD sent unto you, confirming the law which was delivered\nbefore me, and bringing good tidings of an apostle who shall come after me,\nand whose name shall be Ahmed.i  And when he produced unto them evident\nmiracles, they said, This is manifest sorcery.\n     But who is more unjust than he who forgeth a lie against GOD, when he is\ninvited unto Islam?  And GOD directeth not the unjust people.\n     They seek to extinguish GOD'S light with their mouths: but GOD will\nperfect his light, though the infidels be averse thereto.\n     It is he who hath sent his apostle with the direction, and the religion\nof truth, that he may exalt the same above every religion, although the\nidolaters be averse thereto.\n10\tO true believers, shall I show you a merchandise which will deliver you\nfrom a painful torment hereafter?\n     Believe in GOD and his apostle; and defend GOD'S true religion with your\nsubstance, and in your own persons.  This will be better for you, if ye knew\nit.\n     He will forgive you your sins, and will introduce you into gardens\nthrough which rivers flow, and agreeable habitations in gardens of perpetual\nabode.  This will be great felicity.\n     And ye shall obtain other things which ye desire, namely, assistance from\nGOD, and a speedy victory.  And do thou bear good tidings to the true\nbelievers.\n     O true believers, be ye assistants of GOD; as Jesus the son of Mary said\nto the apostles, Who will be my assistants with respect to GOD?k  The apostles\nanswered, We will be the assistants of GOD.  So a part of the children of\nIsrael believed, and a part believed not:l but we strengthened those who\nbelieved, above their enemy; wherefore they became victorious over them.\n\n\n______\n\n\nCHAPTER LXII.\n\nENTITLED, THE ASSEMBLY; REVEALED AT MEDINA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     WHATEVER is in heaven and earth praiseth GOD; the King, the Holy, the\nMighty, the Wise.\n\n\ti  For Mohammed also bore the name of Ahmed; both names being derived\nfrom the same root, and nearly of the same signification.  The Persian\nparaphrast, to support what is here alleged, quotes the following words of\nChrist, I go to my father, and the Paraclete shall come:7 the Mohammedan\ndoctors unanimously teaching that by the Paraclete (or, as they choose to read\nit, the Periclyte, or Illustrious) their prophet is intended, and no other.8\n\tk  See chapter 3, p. 38.\n\tl  Either by rejecting him, or by affirming him to be GOD, and the son\nof GOD.9\n\n\t7  See John xvi. 7, &c.\t\t8  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 58.\n\t9  Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n     It is he who hath raised up amidst the illiterate Arabians an apostle\nfrom among themselves,m to rehearse his signs unto them, and to purify them,\nand to teach them the scriptures and wisdom; whereas before they were\ncertainly in a manifest error;\n     and others of them have not yet attained unto them, by embracing the\nfaith; though they also shall be converted in God's good time; for he is\nmighty and wise.\n     This is the free grace of GOD: he bestoweth the same on whom he pleaseth:\nand GOD is endued with great beneficence.\n     The likeness of those who were charged with the observance of the law,\nand then observed it not, is as the likeness of an ass laden with books.n  How\nwretched is the likeness of the people who charge the signs of GOD with\nfalsehood! and GOD directeth not the unjust people.\n     Say, O ye who follow the Jewish religion, if ye say that ye are the\nfriends of GOD above other men, wish for death,o if ye speak truth.\n     But they will never wish for it, because of that which their hands have\nsent before them:p and GOD well knoweth the unjust.\n     Say, Verily death, from which ye fly, will surely meet you: then shall ye\nbe brought before him who knoweth as well what is concealed as what is\ndiscovered; and he will declare unto you that which ye have done.\n     O true believers, when ye are called to prayer on the day of assembly,q\nhasten to the commemoration of GOD and leave merchandising.  This will be\nbetter for you, if you knew it.\n10\tAnd when prayer is ended, then disperse yourselves through the land as\nye list, and seek gain of the liberality of GOD:r and remember GOD frequently,\nthat ye may prosper.\n     But when they see any merchandising, or sport, they flock thereto, and\nleave thee standing up in the pulpit.s  Say, The reward which is with GOD is\nbetter than any sport or merchandise: and GOD is the best provider.\n\n\tm  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. II. p. 32.\n\tn  Because they understand not the prophecies contained in the law,\nwhich bear witness to Mohammed, no more than the ass does the books he\ncarries.\n\to  i.e., Make it your request to GOD that he would translate you from\nthis troublesome world to a state of never-fading bliss.\n\tp  See chapter 2, p. 11.\n\tq  That is, Friday, which being more peculiarly set apart by Mohammed\nfor the public worship of GOD, is therefore called Yawm al jom\u00e1, i.e., the day\nof the assembly or congregation; whereas before it was called al Ar\u00fbba.  The\nfirst time this day was particularly observed, as some say, was on the\nprophet's arrival at Medina, into which city he made his first entry on a\nFriday: but others tell us that Caab Ebn Lowa, one of Mohammed's ancestors,\ngave the day its present name, because on that day the people used to be\nassembled before him.1  One reason given for the observation of Friday,\npreferably to any other day of the week, is because on that day GOD finished\nthe creation.2\n\tBy returning to your commerce and worldly occupations, if ye think fit:\nfor the Mohammedans do not hold themselves obliged to observe the day of their\npublic assembly with the same strictness as the Christians and Jews do their\nrespective Sabbath; or particularly to abstain from work, after they have\nperformed their devotions.  Some, however, from a tradition of their prophet,\nare of opinion that works of charity, and religious exercises, which may draw\ndown the blessing of GOD, are recommended in this passage.\n\tr  It is related that one Friday, while Mohammed was preaching, a\ncaravan of merchants happened to arrive with their drums beating, according to\ncustom; which the congregation hearing, they all ran out of the mosque to see\nthem, except twelve only.3\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Vide Gol. in Alfrag p. 15.\t\t3  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n  CHAPTER LXIII.\n\nENTITLED, THE HYPOCRITES; REVEALED AT MEDINA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     WHEN the hypocrites come unto thee, they say, We bear witness that thou\nart indeed the apostle of GOD.  And GOD knoweth that thou art indeed his\napostle: but GOD beareth witness that the hypocrites are certainly liars.\n     They have taken their oaths for a protection, and they turn others aside\nfrom the way of GOD: it is surely evil which they do.\n     This is testified of them, because they believed, and afterwards became\nunbelievers: wherefore a seal is set on their hearts, and they shall not\nunderstand.\n     When thou beholdest them, their persons please thee:t and if they speak,\nthou hearest their discourse with delight.  They resemble pieces of timber set\nup against a wall.u  They imagine every shout to be against them.x  They are\nenemies: wherefore beware of them.  GOD curse them: how are they turned aside\nfrom the truth!\n     And when it is said unto them, Come, that the apostle of GOD may ask\npardon for you; they turn away their heads, and thou seest them retire big\nwith disdain.\n     It shall be equal unto them, whether thou ask pardon for them, or do not\nask pardon for them: GOD will by no means forgive them; for GOD directeth not\nthe prevaricating people.\n     These are the men who say to the inhabitants of Medina, Do not bestow\nanything on the refugees who are with the apostle of GOD, that they may be\nobliged to separate from him.  Whereas unto GOD belong the stores of heaven\nand earth: but the hypocrites do not understand.\n     They say, Verily, if we return to Medina, the worthier shall expel thence\nthe meaner.y  Whereas superior worth belongeth unto GOD and his apostle, and\nthe true believers: but the hypocrites know it not.\n     O true believers, let not your riches or your children divert you from\nthe remembrance of GOD: for whosoever doth this, they will surely be losers.\n10\tAnd give alms out of that which we have bestowed on you; before death\ncome unto one of you, and he say, O LORD, wilt thou not grant me respite for a\nshort term: that I may give alms, and become one of the righteous?\n     For GOD will by no means grant further respite to a soul, when its\ndetermined time is come: and GOD is fully apprised of that which ye do.\n\n\tt  The commentators tell us, that Abdallah Ebn Obba, a chief hypocrite,\nwas a tall man of a very graceful presence, and of a ready and eloquent\ntongue; and used to frequent the prophet's assembly, attended by several like\nhimself; and that these men were greatly admired by Mohammed, who was taken\nwith their handsome appearance, and listened to their discourse with\npleasure.1\n\tu  Being tall and big, but void of knowledge and consideration.2\n\tx  Living under continual apprehensions; because they are conscious of\ntheir hypocrisy towards GOD, and their insincerity towards the Moslems.\n\ty  These, as well as the preceding, were the words of Ebn Obba to one of\nMedina, who in a certain expedition quarrelling with an Arab of the desert\nabout water, received a blow on the head with a stick, and made his complaint\nthereof to him.3\n\n\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\n\n\n  CHAPTER LXIV\n\nENTITLED, MUTUAL DECEIT; REVEALED AT MECCA.z\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     WHATEVER is in heaven and earth celebrateth the praises of GOD: his is\nthe kingdom, and unto him is the praise due; for he is almighty.\n     It is he who hath created you; and one of you is predestined to be an\nunbeliever, and another of you is predestined to be a believer: and GOD\nbeholdeth that which ye do.\n     He hath created the heavens and the earth with truth; and he hath\nfashioned you, and given you beautiful forms: and unto him must ye all go.\n     He knoweth whatever is in heaven and earth: and he knoweth that which ye\nconceal, and that which ye discover; for GOD knoweth the innermost part of\nmen's breasts.\n     Have ye not been acquainted with the story of those who disbelieved\nheretofore, and tasted the evil consequence of their behavior?  And for them\nis prepared in the life to come a tormenting punishment.\n     This shall they suffer, because their apostles came unto them with\nevident proofs of their mission, and they said, Shall men direct us?\nWherefore they believed not, and turned their backs.  But GOD standeth in need\nof no person: for GOD is self-sufficient, and worthy to be praised.\n     The unbelievers imagine that they shall not be raised again.  Say, Yea,\nby my LORD, ye shall surely be raised again; then shall ye be told that which\nye have wrought; and this is easy with GOD.\n     Wherefore believe in GOD and his apostle, and the light which we have\nsent down: for GOD is well acquainted with that which ye do.\n     On a certain day he shall assemble you, at the day of the general\nassembly: that will be the day of mutual deceit.a  And whoso shall believe in\nGOD, and shall do that which is right, from him will he expiate his evil\ndeeds, and he will lead him into gardens beneath which rivers flow, to remain\ntherein forever.  This will be great felicity.\n10\tBut they who shall not believe, and shall accuse our signs of falsehood,\nthose shall be the inhabitants of hell fire, wherein they shall remain\nforever; and a wretched journey shall it be thither!\n     No misfortune happeneth but by the permission of GOD; and whoso believeth\nin GOD, he will direct his heart: and GOD knoweth all things.\n     Wherefore obey GOD, and obey the apostle: but if ye turn back, verily the\nduty incumbent on our apostle is only public preaching.\n     GOD! there is no GOD but he: wherefore in GOD let the faithful put their\ntrust.\n     O true believers, verily of your wives and your children ye have an\nenemy:b wherefore beware of them.  But if ye pass over their offences, and\npardon, and forgive them;c GOD is likewise inclined to forgive, and merciful.\n\n\tz  The commentators are not agreed whether this chapter was revealed at\nMecca, or at Medina; or partly at the one place, and partly at the other.\n\ta  When the blessed will deceive the damned, by taking the places which\nthey would have had in paradise had they been true believers; and\ncontrariwise.1\n\tb  For these are apt to distract a man from his duty, especially in time\nof distress;2 a married man caring for the things that are of this world,\nwhile the unmarried careth for the things that belong to the LORD.3\n\tc  Considering that the hindrance they may occasion you proceeds from\ntheir affection, and their ill bearing your absence in time of war, &c.\n\n\t1  Idem, Jallalo'ddin, Yahya.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  See I Cor. vii.\n25, &c.\n\n\n     Your wealth and your children are only a temptation; but with GOD is a\ngreat reward.\n     Wherefore fear GOD, as much as ye are able; and hear, and obey: and give\nalms, for the good of your souls; for whoso is preserved from the covetousness\nof his own soul, they shall prosper.\n     If ye lend unto GOD an acceptable loan, he will double the same unto you,\nand will forgive you: for GOD is grateful, and long-suffering,\n     knowing both what is hidden, and what is divulged; the Mighty, the Wise.\n\n\n________\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LXV.\n\nENTITLED, DIVORCE; REVEALED AT MEDINA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     O PROPHET, when ye divorce women, put them away at their appointed term;d\nand compute the term exactly: and fear GOD, your LORD.  Oblige them not to go\nout of their apartments, neither let them go out, until the term be expired,\nunless they be guilty of manifest uncleanness.  These are the statutes of GOD:\nand whoever transgresseth the statutes of GOD assuredly injureth his own soul.\nThou knowest not whether GOD will bring something new to pass, which may\nreconcile them after this.\n     And when they shall have fulfilled their term, either retain them with\nkindness, or part from them honourably: and take witnesses from among you, men\nof integrity; and give your testimony as in the presence of GOD.  This\nadmonition is given unto him who believeth in GOD and the last day: and whoso\nfeareth GOD, unto him will he grant a happy issue out of all his afflictions,\nand he will bestow on him an ample provision from whence he expecteth it not:\n     and whoso trusteth in GOD, he will be his sufficient support; for GOD\nwill surely attain his purpose.  Now hath GOD appointed unto everything a\ndetermined period.\n     As to such of your wives as shall despair having their courses, by reason\nof their age; if ye be in doubt thereof, let their term be three months: and\nlet the same be the term of those who have not yet had their courses.  But as\nto those who are pregnant, their term shall be, until they be delivered of\ntheir burden.e  And whoso feareth GOD, unto him will he make his command easy.\n     This is the command of GOD, which he hath sent down unto you.  And whoso\nfeareth GOD, he will expiate his evil deeds from him, and will increase his\nreward.\n\n\td  That is, when they shall have had their courses thrice after the time\nof their divorce, if they prove not to be with child; or, if they prove with\nchild, when they shall have been delivered.1  Al Beid\u00e2wi supposes husbands are\nhereby commanded to divorce their wives while they are clean; and says that\nthe passage was revealed on account of Ebn Omar, who divorced his wife when\nshe had her courses upon her, and was therefore obliged to take her again.\n\te  See chapter 2, p. 24.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  cap. 2, p. 24.\n\n\n     Suffer the women whom ye divorce to dwell in some part of the houses\nwherein ye dwell; according to the room and conveniences of the habitations\nwhich ye possess: and make them not uneasy, that ye may reduce them to\nstraits.  And if they be with child, expend on them what shall be needful,\nuntil they be delivered of their burden.  And if they suckle their children\nfor you, give them their hire;f and consult among yourselves, according to\nwhat shall be just and reasonable.  And if ye be put to a difficulty herein,\nand another woman shall suckle the child for him,\n     let him who hath plenty expend proportionably in the maintenance of the\nmother and the nurse, out of his plenty: and let him whose income is scanty\nexpend in proportion out of that which GOD hath given him.  GOD obligeth no\nman to more than he hath given him ability to perform: GOD will cause ease to\nsucceed hardship.\n     How many cities have turned aside from the command of the LORD and his\napostles!  Wherefore we brought them to a severe account; and we chastised\nthem with a grievous chastisement:\n     and they tasted the evil consequence of their business; and the end of\ntheir business was perdition.\n10\tGOD hath prepared for them a severe punishment: wherefore fear GOD, O ye\nwho are endued with understanding.\n     True believers, now hath GOD sent down unto you an admonition, an apostle\nwho may rehearse unto you the perspicuous signs of GOD; that he may bring\nforth those who believe and do good works, from darkness into light.  And\nwhoso believeth in GOD, and doth that which is right, him will he lead into\ngardens beneath which rivers flow, to remain therein forever: now hath GOD\nmade an excellent provision for him.\n     It is GOD who hath created seven heavens, and as many different stories\nof the earth: the divine command descendeth between them;g that ye may know\nthat GOD is omnipotent, and that GOD comprehendeth all things by his\nknowledge.\n\n\n________\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LXVI.\n\nENTITLED, PROHIBITION; REVEALED AT MEDINA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     O PROPHET, why holdest thou that to be prohibited which GOD hath allowed\nthee, seeking to please thy wives;h since GOD is inclined to forgive, and\nmerciful?\n\n\tf  Which ought at least to be sufficient to maintain and clothe them\nduring the time of suckling.  See chapter 2, p. 25.\n\tg  Penetrating and pervading them all with absolute efficacy.\n\n\n\n     GOD hath allowed you the dissolution of your oaths:i and GOD is your\nmaster; and he is knowing and wise.\n     When the prophet intrusted as a secret unto one of his wives a certain\naccident; and when she disclosed the same, and GOD made it known unto him; he\nacquainted her with part of what she had done, and forbore to upbraid her with\nthe other part thereof.  And when he had acquainted her therewith, she said,\nWho hath discovered this unto thee?  He answered, The knowing, the sagacious\nGod hath discovered it unto me.k\n\n\th  There are some who suppose this passage to have been occasioned by\nMohammed's protesting never to eat honey any more, because, having once eaten\nsome in the apartment of Hafsa, or of Zeinab, three other of his wives,\nnamely, Ayesha, Sawda, and Safia, all told him they smelt he had been eating\nof the juice which distils from certain shrubs in those parts, and resembles\nhoney in taste and consistence, but is of a very strong flavour, and which the\nprophet had a great aversion to.1  But the more received opinion is, that the\nchapter was revealed on the following occasion.  Mohammed having lain with a\nslave of his named Mary, of Coptic extract (who had been sent him as a present\nby al Mokawkas, governor of Eygpt), on the day which was due to Ayesha, or to\nHafsa, and, as some say, on Hafsa's own bed, while she was absent; and this\ncoming to Hafsa's knowledge, she took it extremely ill, and reproached her\nhusband so sharply that, to pacify her, he promised, with an oath, never to\ntouch the maid again:1 and to free him from the obligation of this promise was\nthe design of the chapter.\n\tI cannot here avoid observing, as a learned writer2 has done before me,\nthat Dr. Prideaux has strangely misrepresented this passage.  For having given\nthe story of the prophet's amour with his maid mary, a little embellished, he\nproceeds to tell us that in this chapter Mohammed brings in GOD allowing him,\nand all his Moslems, to lie with their maids when they will, notwithstanding\ntheir wives (whereas the words relate to the prophet only, who wanted not any\nnew permission for that purpose, because it was a privilege already granted\nhim,3 though to none else); and then, to show what ground he had for his\nassertion, adds that the first words of the chapter are, O prophet, why dost\nthou forbid what GOD hath allowed thee, that thou mayest please thy wives?\nGOD hath granted unto you to lie with your maid-servants.4  Which last words\nare not to be found here, or elsewhere in the Kor\u00e2n, and contain an allowance\nof what is expressly forbidden therein;5 though the doctor has thence taken\noccasion to make some reflections which might as well have been spared.  I\nshall say nothing to aggravate the matter, but leave the reader to imagine\nwhat this reverend divine would have said of a Mohammedan if he had caught him\ntripping in the like manner.\n\tHaving digressed so far, I will venture to add a word or two in order to\naccount for one circumstance which Dr. Prideaux relates concerning Mohammed's\nconcubine Mary; viz., that after her master's death, no account was had of her\nor the son which she had borne him, but both were sent away into Egypt, and no\nmention made of either ever after among them; and then he supposes (for he\nseldom is at a loss for a supposition) that Ayesha, out of the hatred which\nshe bore her, procured of her father, who succeeded the impostor in the\ngovernment, to have her thus disposed of.6  But it being certain, by the\ngeneral consent of all the eastern writers, that Mary continued in Arabia till\nher death, which happened at Medina about five years after that of her master,\nand was buried in the usual burying-place there, called al Bak\u00ed, and that her\nson died before his father, it has been asked, whence the doctor had this?7  I\nanswer, that I guess he had it partly from Abulfaragius, according to the\nprinted edition of whose work, the Mary we are speaking of is said to have\nbeen sent with her sister Shirin (not with her son) to Alexandria by al\nMokawkas;8 though I make no doubt but we ought in that passage to read min,\nfrom, instead if ila, to (notwithstanding the manuscript copies of this author\nused by Dr. Pocock, the editor, and also a very fair one in my own possession,\nagree in the latter reading); and that the sentence ought to run thus, quam\n(viz., Mariam) un\u00e0 cum sorore Shirina ab Alexandria miserat al Mokawkas.\n\ti  By having appointed an expiation for that purpose;9 or, as the words\nmay be translated, God hath allowed you to use an exception in your oaths if\nit please GOD; in which case a man is excused from guilt if he perform not his\noath.10  The passage, though directed to all the Moslems in general, seems to\nbe particularly designed for quieting the prophet's conscience in regard to\nthe oath above mentioned: but Al Beid\u00e2wi approves not this opinion, because\nsuch an oath was to be looked upon as an inconsiderate one, and required no\nexpiation.\n\tk  When Mohammed found that Hafsa knew of his having injured her, or\nAyesha, by lying with his concubine Mary on the day due to one of them, he\ndesired her to keep the affair secret, promising, at the same time, that he\nwould not meddle with Mary any more; and foretold her, as a piece of news\nwhich might soothe her vanity, that Abu Becr and Omar should succeed him in\nthe government of his people.  Hafsa, however, could not conceal this from\nAyesha, with whom she lived in strict friendship, but acquainted her with the\nwhole matter: whereupon the prophet, perceiving, probably by Ayesha's\nbehaviour, that his secret had been discovered, upbraided Hafsa with her\nbetraying him, telling her that GOD had revealed it to him; and not only\ndivorced her, but separated him from all his other wives for a whole month,\nwhich time he spent in the apartment of Mary.  In a short time,\nnotwithstanding, he took Hafsa again, by the direction, as he gave out, of the\nangel Gabriel, who commended her for her frequent fasting and other exercises\nof devotion, assuring him likewise that she should be one of his wives in\nparadise.11\n\n\t1  Al Zamakh., al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t1  Idem, Jallal., Yahya.\n\t2  Gagnier, not. ad Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 150.\n3  See cap. 33, p. 318, 319.\t\t4  Prid. Life of Mah. p. 113.\t\t5  See\ncap. 17, p. 209; cap. 4, p. 56; and cap. 24, p. 267, &c.\n6  Prid. Life of Mah. p. 114.\t\t7  Gagnier, ubi supra.\t\t8\nAbulfarag. Hist. Dynast. p. 165.\t\t9  See cap. 5, p. 84.\n10  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t11  Idem. al Zamakh, &c.\n\n\n     If ye both be turned unto GOD (for your hearts have swerved) it is well:\nbut if ye join against him, verily GOD is his patron; and Gabriel, and the\ngood man among the faithful, and the angels also are his assistants.l\n     If he divorce you, his LORD can easily give him in exchange other wives\nbetter than you, women resigned unto God, true believers, devout, penitent,\nobedient, given to fasting, both such as have been known by other men, and\nvirgins.\n     O true believers, save your souls, and those of your families, from the\nfire whose fuel is men and stones, over which are set angels fierce and\nterrible;m who disobey not GOD in what he hath commanded them, but perform\nwhat they are commanded.\n     O unbelievers, excuse not yourselves this day; ye shall surely be\nrewarded for what ye have done.n\n     O true believers, turn unto GOD with a sincere repentance: peradventure\nyour LORD will do away from you your evil deeds, and will admit you into\ngardens, through which rivers flow; on the day whereon GOD will not put to\nshame the prophet, or those who believe with him: their light shall run before\nthem, and on their right hands,o and they shall say, LORD, make our light\nperfect, and forgive us: for thou art almighty.\n     O prophet, attack the infidels with arms, and the hypocrites with\narguments; and treat them with severity: their abode shall be hell, and an ill\njourney shall it be thither.\n10\tGOD propoundeth as a similitude unto the unbelievers, the wife of Noah,\nand the wife of Lot: they were under two of our righteous servants, and they\ndeceived them both;p wherefore their husbands were of no advantage unto them\nat all, in the sight of GOD:q and it shall be said unto them, at the last day,\nEnter ye into hell fire, with those who enter therein.\n     GOD also propoundeth as a similitude unto those who believe, the wife of\nPharaoh;r when she said, LORD, build me a house with thee in paradise; and\ndeliver me from Pharaoh and his doings, and deliver me from the unjust people:\n     and Mary the daughter of Imran; who preserved her chastity, and into\nwhose womb we breathed of our spirit,s and who believed in the words of her\nLORD, and his scriptures, and was a devout and obedient person.t\n\n\tl  This sentence is directed to Hafsa and Ayesha; the pronouns and verbs\nof the second person being in the dual number.\n\tm  See chapter 74, and the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 72.\n\tn  These words will be spoken to the infidels at the last day.\n\to  See chapter 57, p. 400.\n\tp  Who were both unbelieving women, but deceived their respective\nhusbands by their hypocrisy.  Noah's wife, named W\u00e2\u00efla, endeavoured to\npersuade the people her husband was distracted; and Lot's wife, whose name was\nW\u00e2hela (though some writers give this name to the other, and that of W\u00e2\u00efla to\nthe latter), was in confederacy with the men of Sodom, and used to give them\nnotice when any strangers came to lodge with him, by a sign of smoke by day,\nand of fire by night.1\n\tq  For they both met with a disastrous end in this world,2 and will be\ndoomed to eternal misery in the next.  In like manner, as Mohammed would\ninsinuate, the infidels of his time had no reason to expect any mitigation of\ntheir punishment, on account of their relation to himself and the rest of the\ntrue believers.\n\tr  viz., Asia, the daughter of Moz\u00e2hem.  The commentators relate, that\nbecause she believed in Moses, her husband cruelly tormented her, fastening\nher hands and feet to four stakes, and laying a large mill-stone on her\nbreast, her face, at the same time, being exposed to the scorching beams of\nthe son.  These pains, however, were alleviated by the angels shading her with\ntheir wings, and the view of the mansion prepared for her in paradise, which\nwas exhibited to her on her pronouncing the prayer in the text.  At length GOD\nreceived her soul; or, as some say, she was taken up alive into paradise,\nwhere she eats and drinks.3\n\ts  See chapter 19, p. 228, &c.\n\tt  On occasion of the honourable mention here made of these two\nextraordinary women, the commentators introduce a saying of their prophet,\nThat among men there had been many perfect, but no more than four of the other\nsex had attained perfection; to wit, Asia, the wife of Pharaoh; Mary, the\ndaughter of Imr\u00e2n; Khad\u00eejah, the daughter of Khowailed (the prophet's first\nwife); and F\u00e2tema, the daughter of Mohammed.\n\n\t1  Jallal., al Zamakh.\t\t2  See cap. 11, p. 162, 166, and 167.\n\t3  Jallal., al Zamakh.\n\n\n  CHAPTER LXVII.\n\nENTITLED, THE KINGDOM;u REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     BLESSED be he in whose hand is the kingdom, for he is almighty!\n     Who hath created death and life, that he might prove you, which of you is\nmost righteous in his actions: and he is mighty, and ready to forgive.\n     Who hath created seven heavens, one above another: thou canst not see in\na creature of the most Merciful any unfitness or disproportion.\n     Lift up thine eyes again to heaven, and look whether thou seest any flaw:\nthen take two other views; and thy sight shall return unto thee dull and\nfatigued.\n     Moreover we have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps, and have appointed\nthem to be darted at the devils,x for whom we have prepared the torment of\nburning fire:\n     and for those who believe not in their LORD is also prepared the torment\nof hell; and ill journey shall it be thither.\n     When they shall be thrown thereinto, they shall hear it bray like an\nass;y and it shall boil, and almost burst for fury.\n     So often as a company of them shall be thrown therein, the keepers\nthereof shall ask them, saying, Did not a warner come unto you?\n     They shall answer, Yea, a warner came unto us: but we accused him of\nimposture, and said, GOD hath not revealed anything; ye are in no other than a\ngreat error:\n10\tand they shall say, If we had hearkened, or had rightly considered, we\nshould not have been among the inhabitants of burning fire:\n     and they shall confess their sins; but far be the inhabitants of burning\nfire from obtaining mercy!\n     Verily they who fear their LORD in secret shall receive pardon and a\ngreat reward.\n     Either conceal your discourse, or make it public; he knoweth the\ninnermost part of your breasts:\n     shall not he know all things who hath created them; since he is the\nsagacious, the knowing?\n     It is he who hath levelled the earth for you: therefore walk through the\nregions thereof, and eat of his provision; unto him shall be the resurrection.\n     Are ye secure that he who dwelleth in heaven will not cause the earth to\nswallow you up? and behold, it shall shake.\n     Or are you secure that he who dwelleth in heaven will not send against\nyou an impetuous whirlwind, driving the sands to overwhelm you? then shall ye\nknow how important my warning was.\n     Those also who were before you disbelieved; and how grievous was my\ndispleasure!\n     Do they not behold the birds above them, extending and drawing back their\nwings?  None sustaineth them, except the Merciful; for he regardeth all\nthings.\n20\tOr who is he that will be as an army unto you, to defend you against the\nMerciful?  Verily the unbelievers are in no other than a mistake.\n     Or who is he that will give you food, if he withholdeth his provision?\nyet they persist in perverseness, and flying from the truth.\n\n\tu  It is also entitled by some, The Saving, or The Delivering, because,\nsay they, it will save him who reads it from the torture of the sepulchre.\n\tx  See chapter 15, p. 192.\n\ty  See chapter 31, p. 308.\n\n\n     Is he, therefore, who goeth grovelling upon his face, better directed\nthan he who walketh upright in a straight way?z\n     Say, It is he who hath given you being, and endued you with hearing, and\nsight, and understanding; yet how little gratitude have ye!\n     Say, It is he who hath sown you in the earth, and unto him shall ye be\ngathered together.\n     They say, When shall this menace be put in execution, if ye speak truth?\n     Answer, The knowledge of this matter is with GOD alone: for I am only a\npublic warner.\n     But when they shall see the same nigh at hand, the countenance of the\ninfidels shall grow sad: and it shall be said unto them, This is what ye have\nbeen demanding.\n     Say, What think ye?  Whether GOD destroy me and those who are with me, or\nhave mercy on us; who will protect the unbelievers from a painful punishment?\n     Say, He is the Merciful; in him do we believe, and in him do we put our\ntrust.  Ye shall hereafter know who is in a manifest error.\n30\tSay, What think ye?  If your water be in the morning swallowed up by the\nearth, who will give you clear and running water?\n\n______\n\n\nCHAPTER LXVIII.\n\nENTITLED, THE PEN; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     N.a  BY the pen, and what they write,b\n     thou, O Mohammed, through the grace of thy LORD, art not distracted.\n     Verily there is prepared for thee an everlasting reward:\n     for thou art of a noble disposition.c\n     Thou shalt see, and the infidels shall see,\n     which of you are bereaved of your senses.\n     Verily thy LORD well knoweth him who wandereth from his path; and he well\nknoweth those who are rightly directed:\n     wherefore obey not those who charge thee with imposture.\n     They desire that thou shouldest be easy with them, and they will be easy\nwith thee.d\n\n\tz  This comparison is applied by the expositors to the infidel and the\ntrue believer.\n\ta  This letter is sometimes made the title of the chapter, but its\nmeaning is confessedly uncertain.  They who suppose it stands for the word N\u00fbn\nare not agreed as to its signification in this place; for it is not only the\nname of the letter N in Arabic, but signifies also an inkhorn and a fish; some\nare of opinion the former signification is the most proper here, as consonant\nto what is immediately mentioned of the pen and writing, and, considering that\nthe blood of certain fish is good ink, not inconsistent with the latter\nsignification; which is, however, preferred by others, saying that either the\nwhole species of fish in general is thereby intended, or the fish which\nswallowed Jonas (who is mentioned in this chapter), or else that vast one\ncalled Behemoth, fancied to support the earth, in particular.  Those who\nacquiesce in none of the foregoing explications have invented others of their\nown, and imagine this character stands for the table of GOD'S decrees, or one\nof the rivers in paradise, &c.1\n\tb  Some understand these words generally, and others of the pen with\nwhich GOD'S decrees are written on the preserved table, and of the angels who\nregister the same.\n\tc  In that thou hast borne with so much patience and resignation the\nwrongs and insults of thy people, which have been greater than those offered\nto any apostle before thee.2\n\td  i.e., If thou wilt let them alone in their idolatry and other wicked\npractices, they will cease to revile and persecute thee.\n\n\t1  Al Zamakh., al Beid\u00e2wi, Yahya.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3\nIdem, Jallal.\n\n\n10\tBut obey not any who is a common swearer, a despicable fellow,\n     a defamer, going about with slander,\n     who forbiddeth that which is good, who is also a transgressor, a wicked\nperson,\n     cruel, and besides this, of spurious birth:e\n     although he be possessed of wealth and many children:\n     when our signs are rehearsed unto him, he saith, They are fables of the\nancients.\n     We will stigmatize him on the nose.f\n     Verily we have tried the Meccans,g as we formerly tried the owners of the\ngarden;h when they swore that they would gather the fruit thereofi in the\nmorning,\n     and added not the exception, if it please God:\n     wherefore a surrounding destruction from thy LORD encompassed it, while\nthey slept;\n20\tand in the morning it became like a garden whose fruits had been\ngathered.k\n     And they called the one to the other as they rose in the morning,\n     saying, Go out early to your plantation, if ye intend to gather the fruit\nthereof:\n     so they went on, whispering to one another,\n     No poor man shall enter the garden upon you, this day.\n     And they went forth early, with a determined purpose.\n     And when they saw the garden blasted and destroyed, they said, We have\ncertainly mistaken our way:\n     but when they found it to be their own garden, they cried, Verily we are\nnot permittedl to reap the fruit thereof.\n     The worthier of them said, Did I not say unto you, Will ye not give\npraise unto GOD?\n     They answered, Praise be unto our LORD!  Verily we have been unjust\ndoers.\n30\tAnd they began to blame one another,m\n     and they said, Woe be unto us! verily we have been transgressors:\n     peradventure our LORD will give us in exchange a better garden than this:\nand we earnestly beseech our LORD to pardon us.\n     Thus is the chastisement of this life: but the chastisement of the next\nshall be more grievous: if they had known it, they would have taken heed.\n     Verily for the pious are prepared, with their LORD, gardens of delight.\n     Shall we deal with the Moslems, as with the wicked?n\n\n\te  The person at whom this passage was particularly levelled is\ngenerally supposed to have been Mohammed's inveterate enemy, al Walid Ebn al\nMogheira, whom, to complete his character, he calls bastard, because al\nMogheira did not own him for his son till he was eighteen years of age.1\nSome, however, think it was al Akhnas Ebn Shoraik, who was really of the tribe\nof Thak\u00eef, though reputed to be of that of Zahra.2\n\tf  Which being the most conspicuous part of the face, a mark set thereon\nis attended with the utmost ignominy.  It is said that this prophetical menace\nwas actually made good, al Walid having his nose slit by a sword at the battle\nof Bedr, the mark of which wound he carried with him to his grave.3\n\tg  By afflicting them with a grievous famine.  See chapter 23, p. 260.\n\th  This garden was a plantation of palm-trees, about two parsangs from\nSanaa, belonging to a certain charitable man, who, when he gathered his dates,\nused to give public notice to the poor, and to leave them such of the fruit as\nthe knife missed, or was blown down by the wind, or fell beside the cloth\nspread under the tree to receive it: after his death, his sons, who were then\nbecome masters of the garden, apprehending they should come to want if they\nfollowed their father's example, agreed to gather the fruit early in the\nmorning, when the poor could have no notice of the matter: but when they came\nto execute their purpose, they found, to their great grief and surprise, that\ntheir plantation had been destroyed in the night.4\n\ti  Literally, that they would cut it; the manner of gathering dates\nbeing to cut the clusters off with a knife.  Marracci supposes they intended\nto cut down the trees, and destroy the plantation; which, as he observes,\nrenders the story ridiculous and absurd.\n\tk  Or, as the original may also be rendered, like a dark night; it being\nburnt up and black.5\n\tl  The same expression is used, chapter 56, p. 398.\n\tm  For one advised this expedition, another approved of it, a third gave\nconsent by his silence, but the fourth was absolutely against it.5\n\tn  This passage was revealed in answer to the infidels, who said, If we\nshall be raised again, as Mohammed and his followers imagine, they will not\nexcel us; but we shall certainly be in a better condition than they in the\nnext world, as we are in this.6\n\n\t1  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\n\t4  Idem.\t\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi\n6  Idem.\n\n\n     What aileth you that ye judge thus?\n     Have ye a book from heaven, wherein ye read\n     that ye are therein promised that which ye shall choose?\n     Or have ye received oaths which shall be binding upon us to the day of\nresurrection, that ye shall enjoy what ye imagine?\n40\tAsk them, which of them will be the voucher of this.\n     Or have they companionso who will vouch for them?  Let them produce their\ncompanions, therefore, if they speak truth.\n     On a certain day the leg shall be made bare;p and they shall be called\nupon to worship, but they shall not be able.q\n     Their looks shall be cast down: ignominy shall attend them; for that they\nwere invited to the worship of God, while they were in safety, but would not\nhear.\n     Let me alone, therefore, with him who accuseth this new revelation of\nimposture.  We will lead them gradually to destruction, by ways which they\nknow not:r\n     and I will bear with them for a long time; for my stratagem is effectual.\n     Dost thou ask them any reward for thy preaching?  But they are laden with\ndebts.\n     Are the secrets of futurity with them; and do they transcribe the same\nfrom the table of God's decrees?s\n     Wherefore patiently wait the judgment of thy LORD: and be not like him\nwho was swallowed by the fish;t when he cried unto God, being inwardly vexed.\n     Had not grace from his LORD reached him, he had surely been cast forth on\nthe naked shore, covered with shame:\n50\tbut his LORD chose him, and made him one of the righteous.\n     It wanteth little but that the unbelievers strike thee down with their\nmalicious looks, when they hear the admonition of the Koran; and they say, He\nis certainly distracted:\n     but it is no other than an admonition unto all creatures.\n\n\n______\n\n\nCHAPTER LXIX.\n\nENTITLED, THE INFALLIBLE; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     THE infallible!u\n     What is the infallible?\n     And what shall cause thee to understand what the infallible is?\n\n\to  Or, as some interpret the word, idols; which can make their\ncondition, in the next life, equal to that of the Moslems?\n\tp  This expression is used to signify a grievous and terrible calamity:\nthus they say, War has made bare the leg, when they would express the fury and\nrage of battle.7\n\tq  Because the time of acceptance shall be past.  Al Beid\u00e2wi is\nuncertain whether the words respect the day of judgment, or the article of\ndeath: but Jallalo'ddin supposes them to relate to the former, and adds that\nthe infidels shall not be able to perform the act of adoration, because their\nbacks shall become stiff and inflexible.\n\tr  i.e., By granting them long life and prosperity in this world; which\nwill deceive them to their ruin.\n\ts  See chapter 52, p. 389.\n\tt  That is, be not impatient and pettish, as Jonas was.  See chapter 21,\np. 248.\n\tu  The original word al H\u00e2kkat is one of the names or epithets of the\nday of judgment.  As the root from which it is derived signifies not only to\nbe or come to pass of necessity, but also to verify; some rather think that\nday to be so called because it will verify and show the truth of what men\ndoubt of in this life, viz., the resurrection of the dead, their being brought\nto account, and the consequent rewards and punishments.8\n\n\t\t\t\t7  Idem, Jallalo'ddin\t\t8  Idem\n\n\n     The tribes of Thamud and Ad denied as a falsehood the day which shall\nstrikex men's hearts with terror.\n     But Thamud were destroyed by a terrible noise:\n     and Ad were destroyed by a roaring and furious wind;\n     which God caused to assail them for seven nights and eight days\nsuccessively: thou mightest have seen people during the same, lying prostrate,\nas though they had been the roots of hollow palm-trees;y\n     and couldest thou have seen any of them remaining?\n     Pharaoh also, and those who were before him, and the cities which were\noverthrown,z were guilty of sin:\n10\tand they severally were disobedient to the apostle of their LORD;\nwherefore he chastised them with an abundant chastisement.\n     When the water of the deluge arose, we carried you in the ark which swam\nthereon;\n     that we might make the same a memorial unto you, and the retaining ear\nmight retain it.\n     And when one blast shall sound the trumpet,\n     and the earth shall be moved from its place, and the mountains also, and\nshall be dashed in pieces at one stroke:\n     on that day the inevitable hour of judgment shall suddenly come;\n     and the heavens shall cleave in sunder, and shall fall in pieces, on that\nday:\n     and the angels shall be on the sides thereof;a and eight shall bear the\nthrone of thy LORD above them, on that day.b\n     On that day ye shall be presented before the judgment-seat of God; and\nnone of your secret actions shall be hidden.\n     And he who shall have his book delivered into his right hand shall say,\nTake ye, read this my book;\n20\tverily I thought that I should be brought to this my account:\n     he shall lead a pleasing life,\n     in a lofty garden,\n     the fruits whereof shall be near to gather.\n     Eat and drink with easy digestion; because of the good works which ye\nsent before you, in the days which are past.\n     But he who shall have his book delivered into his left hand shall say, Oh\nthat I had not received this book;\n     and that I had not known what this my account was!\n     Oh that death had made an end of me!\n     My riches have not profited me;\n     and my power is passed from me.\n30\tAnd God shall say to the keepers of hell, Take him, and bind him,\n     and cast him into hell to be burned:\n     then put him into a chain of the length of seventy cubits:c\n     because he believed not in the great GOD;\n     and was not solicitous to feed the poor:\n     wherefore this day he shall have no friend here;\n     nor any food, but the filthy corruption flowing from the bodies of the\ndamned,\n     which none shall eat but the sinners.\n     I sweard by that which ye see,\n     and that which ye see not,\n40\tthat this is the discourse of an honourable apostle\n     and not the discourse of a poet: how little do ye believe!\n     Neither is it the discourse of a soothsayer: how little are ye\nadmonished!\n     It is a revelation from the LORD of all creatures.\n     If Mohammed had forged any part of these discourses concerning us,\n\n\tx  Arab. al K\u00e2ri\u00e1t, or the striking; which is another name or epithet of\nthe last day.\n\ty  See chapter 54, p.  392.\n\tz  Viz., Sodom and Gomorrah.  See chapter 9, p. 142, note p.\n\ta  These words seem to intimate the death of the angels at the\ndemolition of their habitation; beside the ruins whereof they shall lie like\ndead bodies.\n\tb  The number of those who bear it at present being generally supposed\nto be but four; to whom four more will be added at the last day, for the\ngrandeur of the occasion.1\n\tc  i.e., Wrap him round with it, so that he may not be able to stir.\n\td  Or, I will not swear.  See chapter 56, p. 398, note m.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t1  Idem.\n\n\n     verily we had taken him by the right hand,\n     and had cut in sunder the vein of his heart;\n     neither would we have withheld any of you from chastising him.\n     And verily this book is an admonition unto the pious;\n     and we well know that there are some of you who charge the same with\nimposture:\n50\tbut it shall surely be an occasion of grievous sighing unto the\ninfidels;\n     for it is the truth of a certainty.\n     Wherefore praise the name of thy LORD, the great God.\n\n\n______\n\n\nCHAPTER LXX.\n\nENTITLED, THE STEPS; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     ONE demanded and called for vengeance to fall\n     on the unbelievers:e there shall be none to avert the same\n     from being inflicted by GOD, the possessor of the steps:f\n     by which the angels ascend unto him, and the spirit Gabriel also, in a\nday whose space is fifty thousand years:g\n     wherefore bear the insults of the Meccans with becoming patience;\n     for they see their punishment afar off,\n     but we see it nigh at hand.\n     On a certain day the heaven shall become like molten brass,\n     and the mountains like wool of various colours, scattered abroad by the\nwind:\n10\tand a friend shall not ask a friend concerning his condition,\n     although they see one another.  The wicked shall wish to redeem himself\nfrom the punishment of that day, by giving up his children,\n     and his wife, and his brother,\n     and his kindred who showed kindness unto him,\n     and all who are in the earth; and that this might deliver him:\n     by no means: for hell fire,\n     dragging them by their scalps,\n     shall call him who shall have turned his back, and fled from the faith,\n     and shall have amassed riches, and covetously hoarded them.\n     Verily man is created extremely impatient:h\n20\twhen evil toucheth him, he is full of complaint;\n\n\te  The person here meant is generally supposed to have been al Nodar Ebn\nal Hareth, who said, O GOD, if what Mohammed preaches be the truth from thee,\nrain down upon us a shower of stones, or send some dreadful judgment to punish\nus.1  Others, however, think it was Abu Jahl, who challenged Mohammed to cause\na fragment of heaven to fall on them.2\n\tf  By which prayers and righteous actions ascend to heaven; or by which\nthe angels ascend to receive the divine commands, or the believers will ascend\nto paradise.  Some understand thereby the different orders of angels; or the\nheavens, which rise gradually one above another.\n\tg  This is supposed to be the space which would be required for their\nascent from the lowest part of creation to the throne of GOD, if it were to be\nmeasured; or the time which it would take a man up to perform that journey;\nand this is not contradictory to what is said elsewhere3 (if it be to be\ninterpreted of the ascent of the angels), that the length of the day whereon\nthey ascend is one thousand years; because that is meant only of their ascent\nfrom earth to the lower heaven, including also the time of their descent.\n\tBut the commentators generally taking the day spoken of in both these\npassages to be the day of judgment, have recourse to several expedients to\nreconcile them, some of which we have mentioned in another place;4 and as both\npassages seem to contradict what the Mohammedan doctors teach, that GOD will\njudge all creatures in the space of half a day,5 they suppose those large\nnumber of years are designed to express the time of the previous attendance of\nthose who are to be judged;6 or else to the space wherein GOD will judge the\nunbelieving nations, of which they say there will be fifty, the trial of each\nnation taking up one thousand years, though that of the true believers will be\nover in the short space above mentioned.7\n\th  See chapter 17, p. 208.\n\n\t1  Al Zamakh., al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Cap. 32,\np. 310.\t\t4  Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 65.\t\t5  See ibid. p.\n69.\t\t6  See ibid. p. 67.\t\t7  Al Zamakh.\n\n\n     but when good befalleth him, he becometh niggardly:\n     except those who are devoutly given,\n     and who persevere in their prayers;\n     and those of whose substance a due and certain portion\n     is ready to be given unto him who asketh, and him who is forbidden by\nshame to ask:\n     and those who sincerely believe the day of judgment,\n     and who dread the punishment of their LORD:\n     (for there is none secure from the punishment of their LORD:)\n     and who abstain from the carnal knowledge of women\n30\tother than their wives, or the slaves which their right hands possess:\n(for as to them they shall be blameless;\n     but whoever coveteth any woman besides these, they are transgressors:)\n     and those who faithfully keep what they are intrusted with, and their\ncovenant;\n     and who are upright in their testimonies,\n     and who carefully observe the requisite rites in their prayers:\n     these shall dwell amidst gardens, highly honoured.\n     What aileth the unbelievers, that they run before thee in companies,\n     on the right hand and on the left?\n     Doth every man of them wish to enter into a garden of delight?\n     By no means: verily we have created them of that which they know.i\n40\tI sweark by the LORD of the east and of the west,l that we are able to\ndestroy them,\n     and to substitute better than them in their room; neither are we to be\nprevented, if we shall please so to do.\n     Wherefore suffer them to wade in vain disputes, and to amuse themselves\nwith sport: until they meet their day with which they have been threatened;\n     the day whereon they shall come forth hastily from their graves, as\nthough they were troops hastening to their standard:\n     their looks shall be downcast; ignominy shall attend them.  This is the\nday with which they have been threatened.\n\n______\n\n\nCHAPTER LXXI.\n\nENTITLED, NOAH; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     VERILY we sent Noah unto his people, saying, Warn thy people, before a\ngrievous punishment overtake them.\n     Noah said, O my people, verily I am a public warner unto you;\n     wherefore serve GOD, and fear him, and obey me;\n     he will forgive you part of your sins;m and will grant you respite until\na determined time: for GOD'S determined time, when it cometh, shall not be\ndeferred; if ye were men of understanding, ye would know this.\n\n\ti  viz., Of filthy seed, which bears no relation or resemblance to holy\nbeings; wherefore it is necessary for him who would hope to be an inhabitant\nof paradise, to perfect himself in faith and spiritual virtues, to fit himself\nfor that place.1\n\tk  Or, I will not swear, &c.  See chapter 56, p. 398, note m.\n\tl  The original words are in the plural number, and signify the\ndifferent points of the horizon at which the sun rises and sets in the course\nof the year.  See chapter 37, p. 334, note e.\n\tm  i.e., Your past sins; which are done away by the profession of the\ntrue faith.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     He said, LORD, verily I have called my people night and day; but my\ncalling only increaseth their aversion:\n     and whensoever I call them to the true faith, that thou mayest forgive\nthem, they put their fingers in their ears, and cover themselves with their\ngarments, and persist in their infidelity, and proudly disdain my counsel.\n     Moreover I invited them openly,\n     and I spake to them again in public; and I also secretly admonished them\nin private;\n     and I said, Beg pardon of your LORD; for he is inclined to forgive:\n10\tand he will cause the heaven to pour down rain plentifully upon you,\n     and will give you increase of wealth and of children;n and he will\nprovide you gardens, and furnish you with rivers.\n     What aileth you, that ye hope not for benevolence in GOD;o\n     since he hath created you variously?p\n     Do ye not see how GOD hath created the seven heavens, one above another;\n     and hath placed the moon therein for a light, and hath appointed the sun\nfor a taper?\n     GOD hath also produced and caused you to spring forth from the earth:\n     hereafter he will cause you to return into the same; and he will again\ntake you thence, by bringing you forth from your graves.\n     And GOD hath spread the earth as a carpet for you,\n     that ye may walk therein through spacious paths.\n20\tNoah said, LORD, verily they are disobedient unto me; and they follow\nhim whose riches and children do no other than increase his perdition.\n     And they devised a dangerous plot against Noah:\n     and the chief men said to the others, Ye shall by no means leave your\ngods; neither shall ye forsake Wadd, nor Sowa,\n     nor Yaghuth, and Yauk, and Nesr.q\n     And they seduced many; (for thou shalt only increase error in the\nwicked:)\n     because of their sins they were drowned, and cast into the fire of hell;\n     and they found none to protect them against GOD.\n     And Noah said, LORD, leave not any families of the unbelievers on the\nearth:\n     for if thou leave them, they will seduce thy servants, and will beget\nnone but a wicked and unbelieving offspring.r\n     LORD, forgive me and my parents,s and every one who shall enter my\nhouse,t being a true believer, and the true believers of both sexes; and add\nunto the unjust doers nothing but destruction.\n\n\tn  It is said that after Noah had for a long time preached to them in\nvain, GOD shut up the heaven for forty years, and rendered their women\nbarren.2\n\to  i.e., That GOD will accept and amply reward those who serve him?  For\nsome suppose Noah's people made him this answer, If what we now follow be the\ntruth, we ought not to forsake it; but if it be false, how will GOD accept, or\nbe favourable unto us, who have rebelled against him?3\n\tp  That is, as the commentators expound it, by various steps or changes,\nfrom the original matter, till ye became perfect men.4\n\tq  These were five idols worshipped by the Antediluvians, and afterwards\nby the ancient Arabs.  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. I. p. 15.\n\tr  They say Noah preferred not this prayer for the destruction of his\npeople till after he had tried them for nine hundred and fifty years, and\nfound them incorrigible reprobates.\n\ts  His father Lamech, and his mother, whose name was Shamkha, the\ndaughter of Enosh, being true believers.\n\tt  The commentators are uncertain whether Noah's dwelling-house be here\nmeant, or the temple he had built for the worship of GOD, or the ark.\n\n\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t4  See cap. 22, p. 250, and cap. 23,\np. 257, &c.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LXXII.\n\nENTITLED, THE GENII; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     SAY, It hath been revealed unto me that a company of genii attentively\nheard me reading the Koran,u and said, Verily we have heard an admirable\ndiscourse;\n     which directeth unto the right institution; wherefore we believe therein,\nand we will by no means associate any other with our LORD.\n     He (may the majesty of our LORD be exalted!) hath taken no wife, nor hath\nhe begotten any issue.\n     Yet the foolish among usx hath spoken that which is extremely false of\nGOD;\n     but we verily thought that neither man nor genius would by any means have\nuttered a lie concerning GOD.\n     And there are certain men who fly for refuge unto certain of the genii;y\nbut they increase their folly and transgression:\n     and they also thought, as ye thought,z that GOD would not raise any one\nto life.\n     And we formerly attempted to pry into what was transacting in heaven; but\nwe found the same filled with a strong guard of angels, and with flaming\ndarts:\n     and we sat on some of the seats thereof to hear the discourse of its\ninhabitants; but whoever listeneth now, findeth a flame laid in ambush for\nhim, to guard the celestial confines.a\n10\tAnd we know not whether evil be hereby intended against those who are in\nthe earth, or whether their LORD intendeth to direct them aright.\n     There are some among us who are upright; and there are some among us who\nare otherwise: we are of different ways.\n     And we verily thought that we could by no means frustrate GOD in the\nearth, neither could we escape him by flight:\n     wherefore, when we had heard the direction contained in the Koran, we\nbelieved therein.  And whoever believeth in his LORD, need not fear any\ndiminution of his reward, nor any injustice.\n     There are some Moslems among us; and there are others of us who swerve\nfrom righteousness.b  And whoso embraceth Islam, they earnestly seek true\ndirection:\n     but those who swerve from righteousness shall be fuel for hell.\n     If they tread in the way of truth, we will surely water them with\nabundant rain:c\n     that we may prove them thereby: but whoso turneth aside from the\nadmonition of his LORD, him will he send into a severe torment.\n     Verily the places of worship are set apart unto GOD: wherefore invoke not\nany other therein together with GOD.\n     When the servant of GODd stood up to invoke him, it wanted little but\nthat the genii had pressed on him in crowds, to hear him rehearse the Koran.\n\n\tu  See chapter 46, p. 374, note q.\n\tx  viz., Eblis, or the rebellious genii.\n\ty  For the Arabs, when they found themselves in a desert in the evening\n(the genii being supposed to haunt such places about that time), used to say,\nI fly for refuge unto the Lord of this valley, that he may defend me from the\nfoolish among his people.1\n\tz  It is uncertain which of these pronouns is to be referred to mankind,\nand which to the genii, some expositors taking that of the third person to\nrelate to the former, and that of the second person to the latter; and others\nbeing of the contrary opinion.\n\ta  See chapter 15, p. 192.\n\tb  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.\n\tc  i.e., We will grant them plenty of all good things.  Some think by\nthese words rain is promised to the Meccans, after their seven years' drought,\non their embracing Isl\u00e2m.\n\td  viz., Mohammed.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n20\tSay, Verily I call upon my LORD only, and I associate no other god with\nhim.\n     Say, Verily I am not able, of myself, to procure you either hurt, or a\nright institution.\n     Say, Verily none can protect me against GOD;\n     neither shall I find any refuge besides him.\n     I can do no more than publish what hath been revealed unto me from GOD,\nand his messages.  And whosoever shall be disobedient unto GOD, and his\napostle, for him is the fire of hell prepared; they shall remain therein\nforever.\n     Until they see the vengeance with which they are threatened, they will\nnot cease their opposition: but then shall they know who were the weaker in a\nprotector, and the fewer in number.\n     Say, I know not whether the punishment with which ye are threatened be\nnigh, or whether my LORD will appoint for it a distant term.  He knoweth the\nsecrets of futurity; and he doth not communicate his secrets unto any,\n     except an apostle in whom he is well pleased: and he causeth a guard of\nangels to march before him, and behind him;\n     that he may know that they have executed the commissions of their LORD;e\nhe comprehendeth whatever is with them; and counteth all things by number.\n\n______\n\nCHAPTER LXXIII.\n\nENTITLED, THE WRAPPED UP; REVEALED AT MECCA.f\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     O THOU wrapped up,g\n     arise to prayer, and continue therein during the night, except a small\npart;h\n     that is to say, during one half thereof: or do thou lessen the same a\nlittle\n     or add thereto.i  And repeat the Koran with a distinct and sonorous\nvoice:\n\n\te  That is to say, either that the prophet may know that Gabriel and the\nother angels, who bring down the revelation, have communicated it to him pure\nand free from any diabolical suggestions; or that GOD may know that the\nprophet has published the same to mankind.1\n\tf  Some will have the last verse, beginning at these words, Verily thy\nLORD knoweth, &c., to have been revealed at Medina.\n\tg  When this revelation was brought to Mohammed, he was wrapped up in\nhis garments, being affrighted at the appearance of Gabriel; or, as some say,\nhe lay sleeping unconcernedly, or, according to others, praying, wrapped up in\none part of a large mantle or rug, with the other part of which Ayesha had\ncovered herself to sleep.2\n\tThis epithet of wrapped up, and another of the same import given to\nMohammed in the next chapter, have been imagined, by several learned men,3\npretty plainly to intimate his being subject to the falling sickness: a malady\ngenerally attributed to him by the Christians,4 but mentioned by no Mohammedan\nwriter.  Though such an inference may be made, yet I think it scarce probable,\nmuch less necessary.5\n\th  For a half is such, with respect to the whole.  Or, as the sentence\nmay be rendered, Pray half the night, within a small matter, &c.  Some expound\nthese words as an exception to nights in general; according to whom the sense\nwill be, Spend one-half of every night in prayer, except some few nights in\nthe year, &c.6\n\ti  i.e., Set apart either less than half the night, as one-third, for\nexample, or more, as two-thirds.  Or the meaning may be, either take a small\nmatter from a lesser part of the night than one-half, e.g., from one-third,\nand so reduce it to a fourth; or add to such lesser part, and make it a full\nhalf.1\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Al Zamakh., al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  Hotting. Hist.\nOrient. l. I, c. 2.  Marracc. in Alc. p. 763.  Vide Gagnier, not. ad Abulf.\nVit. Moh. p. 9.\t\t4  See Prideaux, Life of Mahomet, p. 16, and the\nauthors there cited.\t\t5  See Ockley's Hist. of the Saracens, vol. i.\np. 300, &c\t\t\t6  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t1  Idem.\n\n\n     for we will lay on thee a weighty word.k\n     Verily the rising by nightl is more efficacious for steadfast continuance\nin devotion, and more conducive to decent pronunciation:m\n     for in the day-time thou hast long employment.\n     And commemorate the name of thy LORD; and separate thyself unto him,\nrenouncing worldly vanities.\n     He is the LORD of the east, and of the west; there is no GOD but he.\nWherefore take him for thy patron:\n10\tand patiently suffer the contumelies which the infidels utter against\nthee; and depart from them with a decent departure.\n     And let me alone with those who charge the Koran with falsehood, who\nenjoy the blessings of this life; and bear with them for a while:\n     verily with us are heavy fetters, and a burning fire,\n     and food ready to choke him who swalloweth it,n and painful torment.\n     On a certain day the earth shall be shaken, and the mountains also, and\nthe mountains shall become a heap of sand poured forth.\n     Verily we have sent unto you an apostle, to bear witness against you; as\nwe sent an apostle unto Pharaoh;\n     but Pharaoh was disobedient unto the apostle; wherefore we chastised him\nwith a heavy chastisement.\n     How, therefore, will ye escape, if ye believe not, the day which shall\nmake children become gray-headed through terror?\n     The heaven shall be rent in sunder thereby: the promise thereof shall\nsurely be performed.\n     Verily this is an admonition; and whoever is willing to be admonished\nwill take the way unto his LORD.\n20\tThy LORD knoweth that thou continuest in prayer and meditation sometimes\nnear two third parts of the night, and sometimes one half thereof, and at\nother times one third part thereof; and a part of thy companions, who are with\nthee, do the same.  But GOD measureth the night and the day; he knoweth that\nye cannot exactly compute the same: wherefore he turneth favourably unto you.o\nRead, therefore, so much of the Koran as may be easy unto you.  He knoweth\nthat there will be some infirm among you; and others travel through the earth,\nthat they may obtain a competency of the bounty of GOD; and others fight in\nthe defence of GOD'S faith.  Read, therefore, so much of the same as may be\neasy.  And observe the stated times of prayer, and pay the legal alms; and\nlend unto GOD an acceptable loan; for whatever good ye send before your souls,\nye shall find the same with GOD.  This will be better, and will merit a\ngreater reward.p  And ask GOD forgiveness; for GOD is ready to forgive, and\nmerciful.\n\n\tk  viz., The precepts contained in the Kor\u00e2n; which are heavy and\ndifficult to those who are obliged to observe them, and especially to the\nprophet, whose care it was to see that his people observed them also.2\n\tl  Or, the person who riseth by night; or, the hours, or particularly\nthe first hours of the night, &c.\n\tm  For the nighttime is most proper for meditation and prayer, and also\nfor reading GOD'S word distinctly and with attention, by reason of the absence\nof every noise and object which may distract the mind.\n\tMarracci, having mentioned this natural explication of the Mohammedan\ncommentators, because he finds one word in the verse which may be taken in a\nsense tending that way, says the whole may with greater exactness be expounded\nof the fitness of the night season for amorous diversions and discourse; and\nhe paraphrases it in Latin thus: Certe in principio noctis majus robur et vim\nhabet homo, ad foeminas premendas et subagitandas, et ad clarioribus verbis\namores suos propalandos.3  A most effectual way, this, to turn a book into\nridicule!\n\tn  As thorns and thistles, the fruit of the infernal tree al Zakk\u00fbm, and\nthe corruption flowing from the bodies of the damned.\n\to  By making the matter easy to you, and dispensing with your scrupulous\ncounting of the hours of the night which ye are directed to spend in reading\nand praying: for some of the Moslems, not knowing how the time passed, used to\nwatch the whole night, standing and walking about till their legs and feet\nswelled in a sad manner.  The commentators add that this precept of dedicating\na part of the night to devotion, is abrogated by the institution of the five\nhours of prayer.4\n\tp  i.e., The good which ye shall do in your lifetime will be much more\nmeritorious in the sight of GOD, than what ye shall defer till death, and\norder by will.1\n\n\t2  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t3  Marracc. in Alc. p. 759.\t\t4  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\t\t1  Idem.\n\n\n  CHAPTER LXXIV\n\nENTITLED, THE COVERED; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     O THOU covered,q\n     arise and preach,r\n     and magnify thy LORD.\n     And cleanse thy garments:\n     and fly every abomination:s\n     and be not liberal in hopes to receive more in return:\n     and patiently wait for thy LORD.\n     When the trumpet shall sound,\n     verily that day shall be a day of distress\n10\tand uneasiness unto the unbelievers.\n     Let me alone with him whom I have created,t\n     on whom I have bestowed abundant riches,\n     and children dwelling in his presence,u\n     and for whom I have disposed affairs in a smooth and easy manner,x\n     and who desireth that I will yet add other blessings unto him.\n     By no means: because he is an adversary to our signs.y\n     I will afflict him with grievous calamities:z\n     for he hath devised and prepared contumelious expressions to ridicule the\nKoran.\n     May he be cursed: how maliciously hath he prepared the same!\n20\tAnd again, may he be cursed: how maliciously hath he prepared the same!\n     Then he looked,\n     and frowned, and put on an austere countenance:\n\n\tq  It is related, from Mohammed's own mouth, that being on Mount Har\u00e2,\nand hearing himself called, he looked on each hand, and saw nobody; but\nlooking upwards, he saw the angel Gabriel on a throne, between heaven and\nearth; at which sight being much terrified, he returned to his wife Khad\u00eejah,\nand bade her cover him up; and that then the angel descended, and addressed\nhim in the words of the text.  From hence some think this chapter to have been\nthe first which was revealed: but the more received opinion is, that it was\nthe 96th.  Others say that the prophet, having been reviled by certain of the\nKoreish, was sitting in a melancholy and pensive posture, wrapped up in his\nmantle, when Gabriel accosted him: and some say he was sleeping.  See the\nsecond note to the preceding chapter.\n\tr  It is generally supposed that Mohammed is here commanded more\nespecially to warn his near relations, the Koreish; as he is expressly ordered\nto do in a subsequent revelation.2\n\ts  By the word abomination the commentators generally agree idolatry to\nbe principally intended.\n\tt  The person here meant is generally supposed to have been al Walid Ebn\nal Mogheira,3 a principal man among the Koreish.\n\tu  Being well provided for, and not obliged to go abroad to seek their\nlivings, as most others of the Meccans were.4\n\tx  By facilitating his advancement to power and dignity; which were so\nconsiderable that he was surnamed Rih\u00e2na Koreish, or The sweet odour of the\nKoreish, and al Wah\u00eed, i.e., The only one, or The incomparable.5\n\ty  On the revelation of this passage it is said that Walid's prosperity\nbegan to decay, and continued daily so to do to the time of his death.6\n\tz  Or, as the words may be strictly rendered, I will drive him up the\ncrag of a mountain; which some understand of a mountain of fire, agreeably to\na tradition of their prophet, importing that al Walid will be condemned to\nascend this mountain, and then to be cast down from thence, alternately for\never; and that he will be seventy years in climbing up, and as many in falling\ndown.7\n\n\t2  See cap. 26, p. 281, and the Prelim. Disc. Sect. II. p. 33.\n\t3  Al Zamakh., al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallal.\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n5  Idem.\t\t6  Idem.\t\t7  Idem.\n\n\n     then he turned back, and was elated with pride;\n     and he said, This is no other than a piece of magic, borrowed from\nothers:\n     these are only the words of a man.\n     I will cast him to be burned in hell.\n     And what shall make thee to understand what hell is?\n     It leaveth not anything unconsumed, neither doth it suffer anything to\nescape:\n     it scorcheth men's flesh:\n30\tover the same are nineteen angels appointed.\n     We have appointed none but angels to preside over hell fire:a and we have\nexpressed the number of them only for an occasion of discord to the\nunbelievers;b that they to whom the scriptures have been given may be certain\nof the veracity of this book,c and the true believers may increase in faith;\n     and that those to whom the scriptures have been given, and the true\nbelievers, may not doubt hereafter;\n     and that those in whose hearts there is an infirmity, and the\nunbelievers, may say, What mystery doth GOD intend by this number?\n     Thus doth GOD cause to err whom he pleaseth; and he directeth whom he\npleaseth.  None knoweth the armies of thy LORD,d besides him; and thise is no\nother than a memento unto mankind.\n     Assuredly.  By the moon,\n     and the night when it retreateth,\n     and the morning when it reddeneth,\n     I swear that this is one of the most terrible calamities,\n     giving warning unto men,\n40\tas well as unto him among you who desireth to go forward, as unto him\nwho chooseth to remain behind.\n     Every soul is given in pledge for that which it shall have wrought:f\nexcept the companions of the right hand;g\n     who shall dwell in gardens, and shall ask one another questions\nconcerning the wicked,\n     and shall also ask the wicked themselves, saying, What hath brought you\ninto hell?\n     They shall answer, We were not of those who were constant at prayer,\n     neither did we feed the poor;\n     and we waded in vain disputes with the fallacious reasoners;\n     and we denied the day of judgment,\n     until deathh overtook us:\n     and the intercession of the interceders shall not avail them.\n50\tWhat aileth them, therefore, that they turn aside from the admonition of\nthe Koran,\n     as though they were timorous asses flying from a lion?\n     But every man among them desireth that he may have expanded scrolls\ndelivered to him from God.i\n     By no means.  They fear not the life to come.\n     By no means: verily this is a sufficient warning.\n     Whoso is willing to be warned, him shall it warn: but they shall not be\nwarned, unless GOD shall please.  He is worthy to be feared; and he is\ninclined to forgiveness.\n\n\ta  The reason of which is said to be, that they might be of a different\nnature and species from those who are to be tormented, lest they should have a\nfellow-feeling of, and compassionate their sufferings; or else, because of\ntheir great strength and severity of temper.1\n\tb  Or, for a trial of them: because they might say this was a particular\nborrowed by Mohammed of the Jews.\n\tc  And especially the Jews; this being conformable to what is contained\nin their books.2\n\td  i.e., All his creatures; or particularly the number and strength of\nthe guards of hell.\n\te  The antecedent seems to be hell.\n\tf  See chapter 52, p. 388.\n\tg  i.e., The blessed;3 who shall redeem themselves by their good works.\nSome say these are the angels, and others, such as die infants.4\n\th  Literally, That which is certain.\n\ti  For the infidels to   Mohammed that they would never obey him as a\nprophet till he brought each man a writing from heaven, to this effect, viz.,\nFrom GOD to such a one: Follow Mohammed.5\n\n\t1  Idem\t\t2  Jallal.\t\t3  See cap. 56, p. 396, note t.\n\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t5  Idem.\n\n\nCHAPTER LXXV.\n\nENTITLED, THE RESURRECTION; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     VERILY I sweark by the day of resurrection;\n     and I swear by the soul which accuseth itself:l\n     doth man think that we will not gather his bones together?\n     Yea: we are able to put together the smallest bones of his fingers.\n     But man chooseth to be wicked, for the time which is before him.\n     He asketh, When will the day of resurrection be?\n     But when the sight shall be dazzled,\n     and the moon shall be eclipsed,\n     and the sun and the moon shall be in conjunction;m\n10\ton that day man shall say, Where is a place of refuge?\n     By no means: there shall be no place to fly unto.\n     With thy LORD shall be the sure mansion of rest on that day:\n     on that day shall a man be told that which he hath done first and last.n\n     Yea; a man shall be an evidence against himself:\n     and though he offer his excuses, they shall not be received.\n     Move not thy tongue, O Mohammed, in repeating the revelations brought\nthee by Gabriel, before he shall have finished the same, that thou mayest\nquickly commit them to memory:\n     for the collecting the Koran in thy mind, and the teaching thee the true\nreading thereof, are incumbent on us.\n     But when we shall have read the same unto thee by the tongue of the\nangel, do thou follow the reading thereof:\n     and afterwards it shall be our part to explain it unto thee.\n20\tBy no means shalt thou be thus hasty for the future.  But ye love that\nwhich hasteneth away,o\n     and neglect the life to come.\n     Some countenances on that day shall be bright,\n     looking towards their LORD:\n     and some countenances, on that day, shall be dismal:\n     they shall think that a crushing calamity shall be brought upon them.\n     Assuredly.  When a man's soul shall come up to his throat, in his last\nagony,\n     and the standers-by shall say, Who bringeth a charm to recover him?\n     and shall think it to be his departure out of this world;\n\n\tk  Or, I will not swear.  See chapter 56, p. 398, note m.\n\tl  Being conscious of having offended, and of failing of perfection,\nnotwithstanding its endeavours to do its duty; or, the pious soul which shall\nblame others, at the last day, for having been remiss in their devotions, &c.\nSome understand the words of the soul of Adam, in particular; who is\ncontinually blaming himself for having lost paradise by his disobedience.6\n\tm  Rising both in the west:1 which conjunction is no contradiction to\nwhat is mentioned just before, of the moon's being eclipsed; because those\nwords are not to be understood of a regular eclipse, but metaphorically, of\nthe moon's losing her light at the last day in a preternatural manner.  Some\nthink the meaning rather to be, that the sun and the moon shall be joined in\nthe loss of their light.2\n\tn  Or, the good which he hath done, and that which he hath left undone,\n&c.\n\to  i.e., The fleeting pleasures of this life.  The words intimate the\nnatural hastiness and impatience of man,3 who takes up with a present\nenjoyment, though short and bitter in its consequences, rather than wait for\nreal happiness in futurity.\n\n\t6  Idem.\t\t1  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 62.\t\t2  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  See cap. 17, p. 208.\n\n\n     and one leg shall be joined with the other leg:p\n30\ton that day unto thy LORD shall he be driven.\n     For he believed not,q neither did he pray;\n     but he accused God's apostle of imposture, and turned back from obeying\nhim:\n     then he departed unto his family, walking with a haughty mien.\n     Wherefore, woe be unto thee; woe!\n     And again, woe be unto thee; woe!\n     Doth man think that he shall be left at full liberty, without control?\n     Was he not a drop of seed, which was emitted?\n     Afterwards he became a little coagulated blood, and God formed him, and\nfashioned him with just proportion;\n     and made of him two sexes, the male and the female.\n40\tIs not he who hath done this able to quicken the dead?\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER LXXVI.\n\nENTITLED, MAN; REVEALED AT MECCA.r\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     DID there not pass over man a long space of time; during which he was a\nthing not worthy of remembrance?s\n     Verily we have created man of the mingled seed of both sexes, that we\nmight prove him: and we have made him to hear and to see.t\n     We have surely directed him in the way; whether he be grateful, or\nungrateful.\n     Verily we have prepared for the unbelievers chains, and collars, and\nburning fire.\n     But the just shall drink of a cup of wine, mixed with the water of\nCafur,u\n     a fountain whereof the servants of GOD shall drink; they shall convey the\nsame by channels whithersoever they please.\n     These fulfil their vow, and dread the day, the evil whereof will disperse\nitself far abroad;\n     and give food unto the poor, and the orphan, and the bondman, for his\nsake,\n     saying, We feed you for GOD'S sake only: we desire no recompense from\nyou, nor any thanks:\n\n\tp  i.e., And when he shall stretch forth his legs together, as is usual\nwith dying persons.  The words may also be translated, And when one affliction\nshall be joined with another affliction.\n\tq  Or, He did not give alms; or, He was not a man of veracity.  Some\nsuppose Abu Jahl, and others one Adi Ebn Rab\u00eea, to be particularly inveighed\nagainst in this chapter.\n\tr  It is somewhat doubtful whether this chapter was revealed at Mecca or\nMedina.\n\ts  Some take these words to be spoken of Adam, whose body, according to\nMohammedan tradition, was at first a figure of clay, and was left forty years\nto dry before GOD breathed life into it;1 others understand them of man in\ngeneral and of the time he lies in the womb.\n\tt  That he might be capable of receiving the rules and directions given\nby GOD for his guidance;2 and of meriting reward or punishment for his\nobservance or neglect of them.\n\tu  Is the name of a fountain in paradise, so called from its resembling\ncamphire (which the word signifies) in odour and whiteness.  Some take the\nword for an appellative, and think the wine of paradise will be mixed with\ncamphire, because of its agreeable coolness and smell.3\n\n\t1  See the notes to cap. 2, p. 4.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3\nIdem.\n\n\n10\tverily we dread, from our LORD, a dismal and calamitous day.x\n     Wherefore GOD shall deliver them from the evil of that day, and shall\ncast on them brightness of countenance, and joy;\n     and shall reward them, for their patient persevering, with a garden and\nsilk garments:\n     therein shall they repose themselves on couches; they shall see therein\nneither sun nor moon;y\n     and the shades thereof shall be near spreading above them, and the fruits\nthereof shall hang low, so as to be easily gathered.\n     And their attendants shall go round about unto them, with vessels of\nsilver, and goblets:\n     the bottles shall be bottles of silver shining like glass; they shall\ndetermine the measure thereof by their wish.\n     And therein shall they be given to drink of a cup of wine, mixed with the\nwater of Zenjebil,z\n     a fountain in paradise named Salsabil:a\n     and youths, which shall continue forever in their bloom, shall go round\nto attend them; when thou seest them, thou shalt think them to be scattered\npearls:\n20\tand when thou lookest, there shalt thou behold delights, and a great\nkingdom.\n     Upon them shall be garments of fine green silk, and of brocades, and they\nshall be adorned with bracelets of silver: and their LORD shall give them to\ndrink of a most pure liquor;\n     and shall say unto them, Verily this is your reward: and your endeavor is\ngratefully accepted.\n     Verily we have sent down unto thee the Koran, by a gradual revelation.\n     Wherefore patiently wait the judgment of thy LORD; and obey not any\nwicked person or unbeliever among them.\n     And commemorate the name of thy LORD, in the morning, and in the evening:\n     and during some part of the night worship him, and praise him a long part\nof the night.\n     Verily these men love the transitory life, and leave behind them the\nheavy day of judgment.\n     We have created them, and have strengthened their joints; and when we\nplease, we will substitute others like unto them, in their stead.\n     Verily this is an admonition: and whoso willeth, taketh the way unto his\nLORD:\n30\tbut ye shall not will, unless GOD willeth; for GOD is knowing and wise.\n     He leadeth whom he pleaseth into his mercy; but for the unjust hath he\nprepared a grievous punishment.\n\n\tx  It is related that Hasan and Hosein, Mohammed's grandchildren, on a\ncertain time being both sick, the prophet, among others, visited them, and\nthey wished Ali to make some vow to GOD for the recovery of his sons:\nwhereupon Ali, and F\u00e2tema, and Fidda, their maid-servant, vowed a fast of\nthree days in case they did well; as it happened they did.  This vow was\nperformed with so great strictness, that the first day, having no provisions\nin the house, Ali was obliged to borrow three measures of barley of one\nSimeon, a Jew, of Khaibar, one measure of which F\u00e2tema ground the same day,\nand baked five cakes of the meal, and they were set before them to break their\nfast with after sunset: but a poor man coming to them, they gave all their\nbread to him, and passed the night without tasting anything except water.  The\nnext day F\u00e2tema made another measure into bread, for the same purpose; but an\norphan begging some food, they chose to let him have it, and passed that night\nas the first; and the third day they likewise gave their whole provision to a\nfamished captive.  Upon this occasion Gabriel descended with the chapter,\nbefore us, and told Mohammed that GOD congratulated him on the virtues of his\nfamily.1\n\ty  Because they shall not need the light of either.2  The word Zamhar\u00eer,\nhere translated moon, properly signifies extreme cold: for which reason some\nunderstand the meaning of the passage to be, that in paradise there shall be\nfelt no excess either of heat or of cold.\n\tz  The word signifies ginger, which the Arabs delight to mix with the\nwater they drink; and therefore the water of this fountain is supposed to have\nthe taste of that spice.3\n\ta  Signifies water which flows gently and pleasantly down the throat.\n\n\t\t1  Idem.\t\t2  See Revel. xxi. 23.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi,\nJallal.\n\n\nCHAPTER LXXVII.\n\nENTITLED, THOSE WHICH ARE SENT; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     BY the angels which are sent by God, following one another in a continual\nseries;\n     and those which move swiftly, with a rapid motion;\n     and by those which disperse his commands, by divulging them through the\nearth;\n     and by those which separate truth from falsehood, by distinguishing the\nsame;\n     and by those which communicate the divine admonitions,\n     to excuse, or to threaten:b\n     verily that which ye are promisedc is inevitable.\n     When the stars, therefore, shall be put out,\n     and when the heaven shall be cloven in sunder,\n10\tand when the mountains shall be winnowed,\n     and when the apostles shall have a time assigned to them to appear and\nbear testimony against their respective people;\n     to what a day shall that appointment be deferred!\n     to the day of separation:\n     and what shall cause thee to understand what the day of separation is?\n     On that day, woe be unto them who accused the prophets of imposture!\n     Have we not destroyed the obstinate unbelievers of old?\n     We will also cause those of the latter times to follow them.\n     Thus do we deal with the wicked.\n     Woe be, on that day, unto them who accused the prophets of imposture!\n20\tHave we not created you of a contemptible drop of seed,\n     which we placed in a sure repository,\n     until the fixed term of delivery?\n     And we were able to do this: for we are most powerful.\n     On that day, woe be unto those who accused the prophets of imposture:\n     Have we not made the earth to contain\n     the living and the dead,\n     and placed therein stable and lofty mountains, and given you fresh water\nto drink?\n     Woe be, on that day, unto those who accused the prophets of imposture!\n     It shall be said unto them, Go ye to the punishment which ye denied as a\nfalsehood:\n30\tgo ye into the shadow of the smoke of hell, which shall ascend in three\ncolumns,\n     and shall not shade you from the heat, neither shall it be of service\nagainst the flame;\n     but it shall cast forth sparks as big as towers,\n     resembling yellow camels in colour.d\n     Woe be, on that day, unto those who accused the prophets of imposture!\n     This shall be a day whereon they shall not speak to any purpose;\n     neither shall they be permitted to excuse themselves.\n     Woe be, on that day, unto those who accused the prophets of imposture!\n     This shall be the day of separation: we will assemble both you and your\npredecessors.\n     Wherefore, if ye have any cunning stratagem, employ stratagems against\nme.\n40\tWoe be, on that day, unto those who accused the prophets of imposture!\n\n\tb  Some understand the whole passage of the verses of the Kor\u00e2n; which\ncontinued to be sent down, parcel after parcel, during the space of several\nyears, and which rescind (for so the verb \u00e1safa may also be translated) and\nabolish all former dispensations, divulging and making known the ways of\nsalvation, distinguishing truth from falsehood, and communicating admonition,\n&c.  Some interpret the first three verses of the winds, sent in a continual\nsuccession, blowing with a violent gust, and dispersing rain over the earth;\nand others give different explications.\n\tc  viz., The day of judgment.\n\td  Being of fiery colour.  Others, however, suppose these sparks will be\nof a dusky hue, like that of black camels, which always inclines a little to\nthe yellow; the word translated yellow, signifying sometimes black.  Some\ncopies, by the variation of a vowel, have cables, instead of camels.\n\n\n     But the pious shall dwell amidst shades and fountains,\n     and fruits of the kinds which they shall desire:\n     and it shall be said unto them, Eat and drink with easy digestion, in\nrecompense for that which ye have wrought;\n     for thus do we reward the righteous doers.\n     Woe be, on that day, unto those who accused the prophets of imposture!\n     Eat, O unbelievers, and enjoy the pleasures of this life, for a little\nwhile: verily ye are wicked men.\n     Woe be, on that day, unto those who accused the prophets of imposture!\n     And when it is said unto them, Bow down; they do not bow down.\n     Woe be, on that day, unto those who accused the prophets of imposture!\n50\tIn what new revelation will they believe, after this.\n\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER LXXVIII.\n\nENTITLED, THE NEWS; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     CONCERNING what do the unbelievers ask questions of one another?\n     Concerning the great news of the resurrection,\n     about which they disagree.\n     Assuredly they shall hereafter know the truth thereof.\n     Again, Assuredly they shall hereafter know the truth thereof.\n     Have we not made the earth for a bed,\n     and the mountains for stakes to fix the same?e\n     And have we not created you of two sexes;\n     and appointed your sleep for rest;\n10\tand made the night a garment to cover you;\n     and destined the day to the gaining your livelihood;\n     and built over you seven solid heavens;\n     and placed therein a burning lamp?\n     And do we not send down from the clouds pressing forth rain, water\npouring down in abundance,\n     that we may thereby produce corn, and herbs,\n     and gardens planted thick with trees?\n     Verily the day of separation is a fixed period:\n     the day whereon the trumpet shall sound, and ye shall come in troops to\njudgment;\n     and the heaven shall be opened, and shall be full of gates for the angels\nto pass through;\n20\tand the mountains shall pass away, and become as a vapor;\n     verily hell shall be a place of ambush,\n     a receptacle for the transgressors,\n     who shall remain therein for ages:\n     they shall not taste any refreshment therein, or any drink,\n     except boiling water, and filthy corruption:\n     a fit recompense for their deeds!\n     For they hope that they should not be brought to an account,\n     and they disbelieved our signs, accusing them of falsehood.\n     But everything have we computed, and written down.\n30\tTaste, therefore: we will not add unto you any other than torment.f\n     But for the pious is prepared a place of bliss:\n     gardens planted with trees, and vineyards,\n\n\te  See chapter 16, p. 196, and chapter 31, p. 307.\n\tf  This, say the commentators, is the most severe and terrible sentence\nin the whole Kor\u00e2n, pronounced against the inhabitants of hell; they being\nhereby assured that every change in their torments will be for the worse.\n\n\n     and damsels with swelling breasts, of equal age with themselves,\n     and a full cup.\n     They shall hear no vain discourse there, nor any falsehood.\n     This shall be their recompense from thy LORD; a gift fully sufficient:\n     from the LORD of heaven and earth, and of whatever is between them; the\nMerciful.  The inhabitants of heaven or of earth shall not dare to demand\naudience of him:\n     the day whereon the spirit Gabriel and the other angels shall stand in\norder, they shall not speak in behalf of themselves or others, except he only\nto whom the Merciful shall grant permission, and who shall say that which is\nright.\n     This is the infallible day.  Whoso, therefore, willeth, let him return\nunto his LORD.\n40\tVerily we threaten you with a punishment nigh at hand:\n     the day whereon a man shall behold the good or evil deeds which his hands\nhave sent before him; and the unbeliever shall say, Would to GOD I were dust!\n\n\n________\n\nCHAPTER LXXIX.\n\nENTITLED, THOSE WHO TEAR FORTH; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     BY the angels who tear forth the souls of some with violence;\n     and by those who draw forth the souls of others with gentleness;g\n     by those who glide swimmingly through the air with the commands of God;\n     and those who precede and usher the righteous to paradise;\n     and those who subordinately govern the affairs of this world:\n     on a certain day, the disturbing blast of the trumpet shall disturb the\nuniverse;\n     and the subsequent blast shall follow it.\n     On that day men's hearts shall tremble:\n     their looks shall be cast down.\n10\tThe infidels say, Shall we surely be made to return whence we came?h\n     After we shall have become rotten bones, shall we be again raised to\nlife?\n     They say, This then will be a return to loss.\n     Verily it will be but one sounding of the trumpet,i\n     and, behold, they shall appear alive on the face of the earth.k\n     Hath not the story of Moses reached thee?\n     When his LORD called unto him in the holy valley Towa,l\n     saying, Go unto Pharaoh; for he is insolently wicked:\n     and say, Hast thou a desire to become just and holy;\n     and I will direct thee unto thy LORD, that thou mayest fear to\ntransgress.\n20\tAnd he showed him the very great sign of the rod turned into a serpent:\n     but he charged Moses with imposture, and rebelled against God.\n     Then he turned back hastily;\n     and he assembled the magicians, and cried aloud,\n\n\tg  These are the angel of death and his assistants, who will take the\nsouls of the wicked in a rough and cruel manner from the inmost part of their\nbodies, as a man drags up a thing from the bottom of the sea; but will take\nthe souls of the good in a gentle and easy manner from their lips, as when a\nman draws a bucket of water at one pull.1\n\tThere are several other interpretations of this whole passage; some\nexpounding all the five parts of the oath of the stars, others of the souls of\nmen, others of the souls of warriors in particular, and others of war-horses:\na detail of which, I apprehend, would rather tire than please.\n\th  i.e., Shall we be restored to our former condition?\n\ti  viz., The second or third blast, according to different opinions.\n\tk  Or, they shall appear at the place of judgment.  The original word al\nS\u00e2hira is also one of the names of hell.\n\tl  See chapter 20, p. 234.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     saying, I am your supreme LORD.\n     Wherefore GOD chastised him with the punishment of the life to come, and\nalso of this present life.\n     Verily herein is an example unto him who feareth to rebel.\n     Are ye more difficult to create, or the heaven which God hath built?\n     He hath raised the height thereof, and hath perfectly formed the same:\n     and he hath made the night thereof dark, and hath produced the light\nthereof.\n30\tAfter this, he stretched out the earth,m\n     whence he caused to spring forth the water thereof, and the pasture\nthereof;\n     and he established the mountains,\n     for the use of yourselves, and of your cattle.\n     When the prevailing, the great day shall come,\n     on that day shall a man call to remembrance what he hath purposely done:\n     and hell shall be exposed to the view of the spectator.\n     And whoso shall have transgressed,\n     and shall have chosen this present life;\n     verily hell shall be his abode;\n40\tbut whoso shall have dreaded the appearing before his LORD, and shall\nhave refrained his soul from lust,\n     verily paradise shall be his abode.\n     They will ask thee concerning the last hour, when will be the fixed time\nthereof?\n     By what means canst thou give any information of the same?\n     Unto thy LORD belongeth the knowledge of the period thereof:\n     and thou art only a warner, who fearest the same.\n     The day whereon they shall see the same, it shall seem to them as though\nthey had not tarried in the world longer than an evening, or a morning\nthereof.\n\n______\n\nCHAPTER LXXX.\n\nENTITLED, HE FROWNED; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     THE prophet frowned, and turned aside,\n     because the blind man came unto him:n\n     and how dost thou know whether he shall peradventure be cleansed from his\nsins,\n     or whether he shall be admonished, and the admonition shall profit him?\n     The man who is wealthy,\n     thou receivest respectfully;\n     whereas it is not to be charged on thee, that he is not cleansed:\n     but him who cometh unto thee earnestly, seeking his salvation,\n     and who feareth God,\n10\tdost thou neglect.\n     By no means shouldst thou act thus.  Verily the Koran is an admonition\n     (and he who is willing retaineth the same;)\n     written in volumes honourable,\n     exalted, and pure;\n     by the hands of scribes honoured, and just.o\n\n\tm  Which had been created before the heavens, but without expansion.1\n\tn  This passage was revealed on the following occasion.  A certain blind\nman, named Abdallah Ebn Omm Mact\u00fbm, came and interrupted Mohammed while he was\nengaged in earnest discourse with some of the principal Koreish, whose\nconversion he had hopes of; but the prophet taking no notice of him, the blind\nman, not knowing he was otherwise busied, raised his voice, and said, O\napostle of GOD, teach me some part of what GOD hath taught thee; but Mohammed,\nvexed at this interruption, frowned and turned away from him; for which he is\nhere reprehended.  After this, whenever the prophet saw Ebn Omm Mact\u00fbm, he\nshowed him great respect, saying, The man is welcome, on whose account my LORD\nhath reprimanded me; and he made him twice governor of Medina.2\n\to  Being transcribed from the preserved table, highly honoured in the\nsight of GOD, kept pure and uncorrupted from the hands of evil spirits, and\ntouched only by the angels.  Some understand hereby the books of the prophets,\nwith which the Kor\u00e2n agrees in substance.1\n\n\t\t1  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Idem  al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     May man be cursed!  What hath seduced him to infidelity?\n     Of what thing doth God create him?\n     Of a drop of seed\n     doth he create him; and he formeth him with proportion;\n20\tand then facilitateth his passage out of the womb:\n     afterwards he causeth him to die, and layeth him in the grave;\n     hereafter, when it shall please him, he shall raise him to life.\n     Assuredly, He hath not hitherto fully performed what God hath commanded\nhim.\n     Let man consider his food; in what manner it is provided.\n     We pour down water by showers;\n     afterwards we cleave the earth in clefts,\n     and we cause corn to spring forth therein,\n     and grapes, and clover,\n     and the olive, and the palm,\n30\tand gardens planted thick with trees,\n     and fruits, and grass,\n     for the use of yourselves and of your cattle.\n     When the stunning sound of the trumpet shall be heard;\n     on that day shall a man fly from his brother,\n     and his mother, and his father,\n     and his wife, and his children.\n     Every man of them, on that day, shall have business of his own sufficient\nto employ his thoughts.\n     On that day the faces of some shall be bright,\n     laughing, and joyful:\n40\tand upon the faces of others, on that day, shall there be dust;\n     darkness shall cover them.\n     These are the unbelievers, the wicked.\n\n______\n\nCHAPTER LXXXI.\n\nENTITLED, THE FOLDING UP; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     WHEN the sun shall be folded up;p\n     and when the stars shall fall;\n     and when the mountains shall be made to pass away;\n     and when the camels ten months gone with young shall be neglected;q\n     and when the wild beasts shall be gathered together;r\n     and when the seas shall boil;s\n     and when the souls shall be joined again to their bodies;\n     and when the girl who hath been buried alive shall be asked\n     for what crime she was put to death;t\n10\tand when the books shall be laid open;\n     and when the heaven shall be removed;u\n     and when hell shall burn fiercely;\n     and when paradise shall be brought near;\n     every soul shall know what it hath wrought.\n\n\tp  As a garment that is laid by.\n\tq  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 64.\n\tr  See ibid. p. 64 and 67.\n\ts  See ibid. p. 64.\n\tt  For it was customary among the ancient Arabs to bury their daughters\nalive as soon as they were born; for fear they should be impoverished by\nproviding for them, or should suffer disgrace on their account.  See chapter\n16, p. 199.\n\tu  Or plucked away from its place, as the skin is plucked off from a\ncamel which is flaying; for that is the proper signification of the verb here\nused.  Marracci fancies the passage alludes to that in the Psalms,2 where,\naccording to the versions of the Septuagint and the Vulgate, GOD is said to\nhave stretched out the heaven like a skin.\n\t\t\t1  Al Zamakh.\t\t2  Psalm civ. 2.\n\n\n     Verily I swearx by the stars which are retrograde,\n     which move swiftly, and which hide themselves;y\n     and by the night, when it cometh on;\n     and by the morning, when it appeareth;\n     these these are the words of an honourable messenger,z\n20\tendued with strength, of established dignity in the sight of the\npossessor of the throne,\n     obeyed by the angels under his authority, and faithful:\n     and your companion Mohammed is not distracted.\n     He had already seen him in the clear horizon:a\n     and he suspected notb the secrets revealed unto him.\n     Neither are these the words of an accursed devil.c\n     Whither, therefore, are you going?\n     This is no other than an admonition unto all creatures;\n     unto him among you who shall be willing to walk uprightly:\n     but ye shall not will, unless GOD willeth, the LORD of all creatures.\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER LXXXII.\n\nENTITLED, THE CLEAVING IN SUNDER; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     WHEN the heaven shall be cloven in sunder;\n     and when the stars shall be scattered;\n     and when the seas shall be suffered to join their waters;\n     and when the graves shall be turned upside down:\n     every soul shall know what it hath committed, and what it hath omitted.\n     O man, what hath seduced thee against thy gracious LORD,\n     who hath created thee, and put thee together, and rightly disposed thee?\n     In what form he pleased hath he fashioned thee.\n     Assuredly.  But ye deny the last judgment as a falsehood.\n10\tVerily there are appointed over you guardian angels,d\n     honourable in the sight of God, writing down your actions;\n     who know that which ye do.\n     The just shall surely be in a place of delight:\n     but the wicked shall surely be in hell;\n     they shall be cast therein to be turned, on the day of judgment,\n     and they shall not be absent therefrom forever.\n     What shall cause thee to understand what the day of judgment is?\n     Again, What shall cause thee to understand what the day of judgment is?\n     It is a day whereon one soul shall not be able to obtain anything in\nbehalf of another soul: and the command, on that day, shall be GOD'S.\n\n\tx  Or, I will not swear, &c.  See chapter 56, p. 398, note m.\n\ty  Some understand hereby the stars in general, but the more exact\ncommentators, five of the planets, viz., the two which accompany the sun, and\nthe three superior planets; which have both a retrograde and a direct motion,\nand hide themselves in the rays of the sun, or when they set.\n\tz  i.e., Gabriel.\n\ta  See chapter 53, p. 389.\n\tb  Some copies, by a change of one letter only, instead of dhan\u00eenin,\nread dan\u00eenin; and then the words should be rendered, He is not tenacious of,\nor grudges not to communicate to you, the secret revelations which he has\nreceived.\n\tc  Who has overheard, by stealth, the discourse of the angels.  The\nverse is an answer to a calumny of the infidels, who said the Kor\u00e2n was only a\npiece of divination, or magic; for the Arabs suppose the soothsayer, or\nmagician, receives his intelligence from those evil spirits, who are\ncontinually listening to learn what they can from the inhabitants of heaven.\n\td  See chapter 50, p. 384, and the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 56.\n\n\nCHAPTER LXXXIII.\n\nENTITLED, THOSE WHO GIVE SHORT MEASURE OR WEIGHT; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     WOE be unto those who give short measure or weight:\n     who, when they receive by measure from other men, take the full;\n     but when they measure unto them, or weigh unto them, defraud!\n     Do not these think they shall be raised again,\n     at the great day,\n     the day whereon mankind shall stand before the LORD of all creatures?\n     By no means.  Verily the register of the actions of the wicked is surely\nin Sejj\u00een.e\n     And what shall make thee to understand what Sejj\u00een is?\n     It is a book distinctly written.\n10\tWoe be on that day, unto those who accused the prophets of imposture;\n     who denied the day of judgment as a falsehood!\n     And none denieth the same as a falsehood, except every unjust and\nflagitious person:\n     who, when our signs are rehearsed unto him, saith, They are fables of the\nancients.\n     By no means: but rather their lusts have cast a veil over their hearts.\n     By no means.  Verily they shall be shut out from their LORD on that day;\n     and they shall be sent into hell to be burned:\n     then shall it be said unto them by the infernal guards, This is what ye\ndenied as a falsehood.\n     Assuredly.  But the register of the actions of the righteous is\nIlliyy\u00fbn:f\n     and what shall cause thee to understand what Illiyyun is?\n20\tIt is a book distinctly written:\n     those who approach near unto God are witnesses thereto.g\n     Verily the righteous shall dwell among delights:\n     seated on couches they shall behold objects of pleasure;\n     thou shalt see in their faces the brightness of joy.\n     They shall be given to drink of pure wine, sealed;\n     the seal whereof shall be musk:h and to this let those aspire, who aspire\nto happiness:\n     and the water mixed therewith shall be of Tasn\u00eem,i\n     a fountain whereof those shall drink who approach near unto the divine\npresence.k\n\n\te  Is the name of the general register, wherein the actions of all the\nwicked, both men and genii, are distinctly entered.  Sejn signifies a prison;\nand this book, as some think, derives its name from thence, because it will\noccasion those whose deeds are there recorded to be imprisoned in hell.\nSejjin, or Sajin, is also the name of the dungeon beneath the seventh earth,\nthe residence of Eblis and his host, where, it is supposed by some, that this\nbook is kept, and where the souls of the wicked will be detained till the\nresurrection.1  If the latter explication be admitted, the words, And what\nshall make thee to understand what Sejjin is? should be enclosed within a\nparenthesis.\n\tf  The word is a plural, and signifies high places.  Some say it is the\ngeneral register wherein the actions of the righteous, whether angels, men, or\ngenii, are distinctly recorded.  Others will have it to be a place in the\nseventh heaven, under the throne of GOD, where this book is kept, and where\nthe souls of the just, as many think, will remain till the last day.2  If we\nprefer the latter opinion, the words, And what shall make thee to understand\nwhat Illiyy\u00fbn is? should likewise be enclosed in a parenthesis.\n\tg  Or, are present with, and keep the same.\n\th  i.e., The vessels containing the same shall be sealed with musk,\ninstead of clay.  Some understand by the seal of this wine its farewell, or\nthe flavour it will leave in the mouth after it is drank.\n\ti  Is the name of a fountain in paradise, so called from its being\nconveyed to the highest apartments.\n\tk  For they shall drink the water of Tasn\u00eem pure and unmixed, being\ncontinually and wholly employed in the contemplation of GOD; but the other\ninhabitants of paradise shall drink it mixed with their wine.3\n\n\t1  Jallalo'ddin, al Beid\u00e2wi.  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 61.\n\t2  Jallalo'ddin.  See the Prelim. Disc. ubi sup.\n3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     They who act wickedly laugh the true believers to scorn:\n30\tand when they pass by them, they wink at one another:\n     and when they turn aside to their people, they turn aside making\nscurrilous jests;\n     and when they see them, they say, Verily these are mistaken men.\n     But they are not sent to be keepers over them.l\n     Wherefore one day the true believers, in their turn, shall laugh the\ninfidels to scorn:m\n     lying on couches they shall look down upon them in hell.\n     Shall not the infidels be rewarded for that which they have done?\n\n________\n\nCHAPTER LXXXIV.\n\nENTITLED, THE RENDING IN SUNDER; REVEALED AT MECCA.n\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     WHEN the heaven shall be rent in sunder,\n     and shall obey its LORD, and shall be capable thereof;\n     and when the earth shall be stretched out,o\n     and shall cast forth that which is therein,p and shall remain empty,\n     and shall obey its LORD, and shall be capable thereof:\n     O man, verily laboring thou laborest to meet thy LORD, and thou shalt\nmeet him.q\n     And he who shall have his book given into his right hand\n     shall be called to an easy account,\n     and shall turn unto his familyr with joy:\n10\tbut he who shall have his book given him behind his back,s\n     shall invoke destruction to fall upon him,\n     and he shall be sent into hell to be burned;\n     because he rejoiced insolently amidst his family on earth.\n     Verily he thought he should never return unto God:\n     yea verily, but his LORD beheld him.\n     Wherefore I sweart by the redness of the sky after sunset,\n     and by the night, and the animals which it driveth together,\n     and by the moon when she is in the full;\n     ye shall surely be transferred successively from state to state.u\n20\tWhat aileth them, therefore, that they believe not the resurrection;\n     and that, when the Koran is read unto them, they worship not?x\n     Yea: the unbelievers accuse the same of imposture:\n     but GOD well knoweth the malice which they keep hidden in their breasts.\n     Wherefore denounce unto them a grievous punishment,\n     except those who believe and do good works: for them is prepared a never-\nfailing reward.\n\n\tl  i.e., The infidels are not commissioned by GOD to call the believers\nto account, or to judge of their actions.\n\tm  When they shall see them ignominiously driven into hell.  It is also\nsaid, that a door shall be shown the damned, opening into paradise, and they\nshall be bidden to go in; but when they come near the door it shall be\nsuddenly shut, and the believers within shall laugh at them.1\n\tn  There are some who take this chapter to have been revealed at Medina.\n\to  Like a skin; every mountain and hill being levelled.\n\tp  As the treasures hidden in its bowels, and the dead bodies which lie\nin their graves.\n\tq  Or, and thou shalt meet thy labour; whether thy works be good, or\nwhether they be evil\n\tr  i.e., His relations or friends who are true believers; or rather, to\nhis wives and servants, of the damsels and youths of paradise, who wait to\nreceive him.2\n\ts  That is, into his left hand; for the wicked will have that hand bound\nbehind their back, and their right hand to their neck.\n\tt  Or, I will not swear.  See chapter 56, p. 398, note m.\n\tu  i.e., From the state of the living, to that of the dead; and from the\nstate of the dead, to a new state of life in another world.\n\tx  Or, humble not themselves.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Idem.\n\n\nCHAPTER LXXXV.\n\nENTITLED, THE CELESTIAL SIGNS; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     BY the heaven adorned with signs;y\n     by the promised day of judgment;\n     by the witness, and the witnessed;z\n     cursed were the contrivers of the pit,a\n     of fire supplied with fuel;\n     when they sat around the same,\n     and were witnesses of what they did against the true believers:b\n     and they afflicted them for no other reason, but because they believed in\nthe mighty, the glorious GOD,\n     unto whom belongeth the kingdom of heaven and earth: and GOD is witness\nof all things.\n10\tVerily for those who persecute the true believers of either sex, and\nafterwards repent not, is prepared the torment of hell; and they shall suffer\nthe pain of burning.c\n     But for those who believe, and do that which is right, are destined\ngardens beneath which rivers flow: this shall be great felicity.\n     Verily the vengeance of thy LORD is severe.\n     He createth, and he restoreth to life:\n     he is inclined to  forgive, and gracious;\n     the possessor of the glorious throne,\n     who effecteth that which he pleaseth.\n     Hath not the story of the hosts\n     of Pharaohd and of Thamude reached thee?\n     Yet the unbelievers cease not to accuse the divine revelations of\nfalsehood:\n\n\ty  The original word properly signifies towers, which some interpret of\nreal towers,1 wherein it is supposed the angels keep guard;2 and others, of\nthe stars of the first magnitude: but the generality of expositors understand\nthereby the twelve signs of the zodiac, wherein the planets make their several\nstations.3\n\tz  The meaning of these words is very uncertain, and the explications of\nthe commentators consequently vary.  One thinks the witness to be Mohammed,\nand that which is borne witness of, to be the resurrection, or the professors\nof the Mohammedan faith; or else that these latter are the witness, and the\nprofessors of every other religion, those who will be witnessed against by\nthem.  Another supposes the witness to be the guardian angel, and his charge\nthe person witnessed against.  Another expounds the words of the day of\nArafat, the 9th of Dhu'lhajja, and of the day of slaying the victims, which is\nthe day following, or else of Friday, the day of the weekly assembling of the\nMohammedans at their mosques, and of the people who are assembled on those\ndays, &c.4\n\ta  Literally, the lords of the pit.  These were the ministers of the\npersecution raised by Dhu Now\u00e2s, king of Yaman, who was of the Jewish\nreligion, against the inhabitants of Najr\u00e2n; for they having embraced\nChristianity (at that time the true religion, by the confession of Mohammed\nhimself), the bigoted tyrant commanded all those who would not renounce their\nfaith to be cast into a pit, or trench, filled with fire, and there burnt to\nashes.5  Others, however, tell the story with different circumstances.6\n\tb  Or, as some choose to understand the words, And shall be witnesses\nagainst themselves, at the day of judgment, of their unjust treatment of the\ntrue believers.\n\tc  Which pain, it is said, the persecutors of the Christian martyrs\nabove mentioned felt in this life; the fire bursting forth upon them from the\npit, and consuming them.7\n\td  See chapter 7, p. 115, &c.\n\te  See ibid. p. 111, &c.\n\n\t1  Yahya.\t\t2  See cap. 15, p. 191.\t\t3  Jallal., al Beid\u00e2wi,\nYahya.\t\t4  Idem.\t\t5  Idem.  Vide Poc. Spec. p. 62;\nEcchellens. Hist. Arab. part i. c. 10; and Prid. Life of Mah. p. 61.\n\t6  Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Abou Navas.\n7  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Yahya.\n\n\n20\tbut GOD encompasseth them behind, that they cannot escape.\n     Verily that which they reject is a glorious Koran;\n     the original whereof is written in a table kept in heaven.f\n\n\n________\n\n\n\nCHAPTER LXXXVI.\n\nENTITLED, THE STAR WHICH APPEARED BY NIGHT; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     BY the heaven, and that which appeareth by night:\n     but what shall cause thee to understand what that which appeareth by\nnight is?\n     it is the star of piercing brightness:g\n     every soul hath a guardian set over it.\n     Let a man consider, therefore, of what he is created.\n     He is created of seed poured forth,\n     issuing from the loins, and the breastbones.h\n     Verily God is able to restore him to life,\n     the day whereon all secret thoughts and actions shall be examined into;\n10\tand he shall have no power to defend himself, nor any protector.\n     By the heaven which returneth the rain;i\n     and by the earth which openeth to let forth vegetables and springs:\n     verily this is a discourse distinguishing good from evil:\n     and it is not composed with lightness.\n     Verily the infidels are laying a plot to frustrate my designs:\n     but I will lay a plot for their ruin.\n     Wherefore, O prophet, bear with the unbelievers: let them alone a while.\n\n______\n\n\nCHAPTER LXXXVII.\n\nENTITLED, THE MOST HIGH;k REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     PRAISE the name of thy LORD, the most high;\n     who hath created, and completely formed his creatures:\n\n\tf  And preserved from the least change or corruption.  See the Prelim.\nDisc. Sect. III. p. 50, and Sect. IV. p. 58.\n\tg  Some take the words to signify any bright star, without restriction;\nbut others think some particular star or stars to be thereby intended; which\none supposes to be the morning star (peculiarly called al T\u00e2rek, or the\nappearing by nights), another Saturn (that planet being by the Arabs surnamed\nal Thakeb, or the piercing, as it was by the Greeks, Phoenon, or the shining),\nand a third, the Pleiades.\n\th  i.e., From the loins of the man, and the breast-bones of the woman.1\n\ti  Or, as some expound it, Which performeth its periodic motion,\nreturning to the point from whence it began the same.  The words seem designed\nto express the alternate returns of the different seasons of the year.\n\tk  Some take the first word of this chapter, viz., Praise, for its\ntitle.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Yahya\n\n\n     and who determineth them to various ends,l and directeth them to attain\nthe same;m\n     and who produceth the pasture for cattle,\n     and afterwards rendereth the same dry stubble of a dusky hue.\n     We will enable thee to rehearse our revelations;n and thou shalt not\nforget any part thereof,\n     except what GOD shall please;o for he knoweth that which is manifest, and\nthat which is hidden.\n     And we will facilitate unto thee the most easy way.p\n     Wherefore admonish thy people, if thy admonition shall be profitable unto\nthem.\n10\tWhoso feareth God, he will be admonished:\n     but the most wretched unbeliever will turn away therefrom;\n     who shall be cast to be broiled in the greater fire of hell,\n     wherein he shall not die, neither shall he live.\n     Now hath he attained felicity, who is purified by faith,\n     and who remembereth the name of his LORD, and prayeth.\n     But ye prefer this present life:\n     yet the life to come is better, and more durable.\n     Verily this is written in the ancient books,\n     the books of Abraham and Moses.\n\n________\n\nCHAPTER LXXXVIII.\n\nENTITLED, THE OVERWHELMING;q REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     HATH the news of the overwhelming day of judgment reached thee?\n     The countenances of some, on that day, shall be cast down;\n     labouring and toiling:r\n     they shall be cast into scorching fire to be broiled:\n     they shall be given to drink of a boiling fountain:\n     they shall have no food, but of dry thorns and thistles:s\n     which shall not fatten, neither shall they satisfy hunger.\n     But the countenances of others, on that day, shall be joyful;\n     well pleased with their past endeavor:\n10\tthey shall be placed in a lofty garden,\n     wherein thou shalt hear no vain discourse:\n     therein shall be a running fountain;\n     therein shall be raised beds,\n     and goblets placed before them,\n     and cushions laid in order,\n     and carpets ready spread.\n     Do they not consider the camels,t how they are created;\n\n\tl  Determining their various species, properties, ways of life, &c.1\n\tm  Guiding the rational by their reason and also by revelation, and the\nirrational by instinct, &c.2\n\tn  See chapter 75, p. 431.\n\to  i.e., Except such revelations as GOD shall think fit to abrogate and\nblot out of thy memory.  See chapter 2, p. 13, and chapter 75, p. 431.\n\tp  To retain the relations communicated to thee by Gabriel; or, as some\nunderstand the words, We will dispose thee to the profession and strict\nobservance of the most easy religion, that is, of Isl\u00e2m.\n\tq  That is a name, or epithet, of the last day; because it will suddenly\noverwhelm all creatures with fear and astonishment.  It is also a name, or\nepithet, of hell fire.\n\tr  i.e., Dragging their chains, and labouring through hell fire, as\ncamels labour through mud, &c.  Or, Employing and fatiguing themselves in what\nshall not avail them.3\n\ts  Such as the camels eat when green and tender.  Some take the original\nword al Dar\u00ed for the name of a thorny tree.\n\tt  These animals are of such use, or rather necessity, in the east, that\nthe creation of a species so wonderfully adapted to those countries is a very\nproper instance, to an Arabian, of the power and wisdom of GOD.  Some,\nhowever, think the clouds (which the original word ibl also signifies) are\nhere intended; the heaven being mentioned immediately after.\n\n\t\t\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\n\n\n     and the heaven, how it is raised;\n     and the mountains, how they are fixed;\n20\tand the earth, how it is extended?\n     Wherefore warn thy people; for thou art a warner only:\n     thou art not impowered to act with authority over them.\n     But whoever shall turn back,u and disbelieve,\n     GOD shall punish him with the greater punishment of the life to come.\n     Verily unto us shall they return:\n     then shall it be our part to bring them to account.\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER LXXXIX.\n\nENTITLED, THE DAYBREAK; REVEALED AT MECCA.x\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     BY the daybreak, and ten nights;y\n     by that which is double, and that which is single;z\n     and by the night when it cometh on:\n     is there not in this an oath formed with understanding?\n     Hast thou not considered how thy LORD dealt with Ad,\n     the people of Irem,a adorned with lofty buildings,b\n     the like whereof hath not been erected in the land;c\n     and with Thamud, who hewed the rocks in the valleyd into houses;\n\n\tu  Or, Except him who shall turn back, and be an infidel: and GOD shall\nalso punish him &c.  By which exception some suppose that power is here given\nto Mohammed to chastise obstinate infidels and apostates.\n\tx  Some are of opinion this chapter was revealed at Medina.\n\ty  That is, the ten nights of Dhu'lhajja, or the 10th of that month\n(whence some understand the daybreak mentioned just before, of the morning of\nthat day, or of the preceding); or the nights of the 10th of Moharram; or, as\nothers rather think, the 10th, 11th, and 12th of Dhu'lhajja; all which are\ndays peculiarly sacred among the Mohammedans.\n\tz  These words are variously interpreted.  Some understand thereby all\nthings in general; some, all created beings (which are said to have been\ncreated by pairs, or of two kinds),1 and the Creator, who is single; some, of\nthe primum mobile, and the other orbs; some, of the constellations and the\nplanets; some, of the nights before mentioned, taken either together or\nsingly; and some, of the day of slaying the victims (the 10th of Dhu'lhajja),\nand of the day of Arafat, which is the day before, &c.2\n\ta  Was the name of the territory or city of the Adites, and of the\ngarden mentioned in the next note; which were so called from Irem, or Aram,\nthe grandfather of Ad, their progenitor.  Some think Aaron himself to be here\nmeant, and his name to be added to signify the ancient Adites, his immediate\ndescendants, and to distinguish them from the latter tribe of that name:3 but\nthe adjective and relative joined to the word are, in the original, of the\nfeminine gender, which seems to contradict this opinion.\n\tb  Or pillars.  Some imagine these words are used to express the great\nsize and strength of the old Adites;4 and then they should be translated, who\nwere of enormous stature.  But the more exact commentators take the passage to\nrelate to the sumptuous palace and delightful gardens built and made by\nShedd\u00e2d the son of Ad.  For they say Ad left two sons, Shedd\u00e2d and Shedd\u00eed,\nwho reigned jointly after his decease, and extended their power over the\ngreater part of the world; but Shedd\u00eed dying, his brother became sole monarch;\nwho, having heard of the celestial paradise, made a garden in imitation\nthereof, in the deserts of Aden, and called it Irem, after the name of his\ngreat-grandfather: when it was finished he set out, with a great attendance,\nto take a view of it; but when they were come within a day's journey of the\nplace, they were all destroyed by a terrible noise from heaven.  Al Beid\u00e2wi\nadds that one Abdallah Ebn Kel\u00e2bah (whom, after D'Herbelot, I have elsewhere\nnamed Colabah)5 accidentally hit on this wonderful place, as he was seeking a\ncamel.\n\tc  If we suppose the preceding words to relate to the vast stature of\nthe Adites, these must be translated, The like of whom hath not been created,\n&c.\n\td  The learned Greaves, in his translation of Abulfeda's description of\nArabia,6 has falsely rendered these words, which are there quoted, Quibus\npetroe vallis responsum dederunt, i.e., To whom the rocks of the valley\nreturned answer: which slip being made by so great a man, I do not at all\nwonder that La Roque, and Petis de la Croix, from whose Latin version, and\nwith whose assistance, La Roque made his French translation of the aforesaid\ntreatise, have been led into the same mistake, and rendered those words, A qui\nles pierres de la val\u00e9e rendirent r\u00e9ponse.1  The valley here meant, say the\ncommentators,2 is W\u00e2di'lkora, lying about one day's journey3 (not five and\nupwards, as Abulfeda will have it) from al Hejr.\n\n\t1  See cap. 51, p. 387.\t\t2  Al Zamakh.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi,\nJallalo'ddin.\t\t4  Idem.  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 5.\t\t5\nPrelim. Disc. p. 5.\t\t6  p. 43.  It was published by Dr. Hudson, in\nthe third vol. of the Geograhphi\u00e6 Veteris Scriptor. Gr. minor.\n\n\n     and with Pharaoh, the contriver of the stakes:e\n10\twho had behaved insolently in the earth,\n     and multiplied corruption therein?\n     Wherefore thy LORD poured on them various kindsf of chastisement:\n     for thy LORD is surely in a watch-tower, whence he observeth the actions\nof men.\n     Moreover man, when his LORD trieth him by prosperity, and honoureth him,\nand is bounteous unto him,\n     saith, My LORD honoureth me;\n     but when he proveth him by afflictions, and withholdeth his provisions\nfrom him,\n     he saith, My LORD despiseth me.\n     By no means:g but ye honour not the orphan,\n     neither do ye excite one another to feed the poor;\n20\tand ye devour the inheritance of the weak,h with undistinguishing\ngreediness,\n     and ye love riches with much affection.\n     By no means should ye do thus.  When the earth shall be minutely ground\nto dust;\n     and thy LORD shall come, and the angels rank by rank;\n     and hell, on that day, shall be brought nigh:i on that day shall man call\nto remembrance his evil deeds; but how shall remembrance avail him?\n     He shall say, Would to GOD that I had heretofore done good works in my\nlifetime!k  On that day none shall punish with his punishment;\n     nor shall any bind with his bonds.l\n     O thou soul which art at rest,m\n     return unto thy LORD, well pleased with thy reward, and well pleasing\nunto God:\n     enter among my servants;\n30\tand enter my paradise.\n\n\te  See chapter 38, p. 340.\n\tf  The original word signifies a mixture, and also a scourge of platted\nthongs: whence some suppose the chastisement of this life is here represented\nby scourge, and intimated to be as much lighter than that of the next life, as\nscourging is lighter than death.4\n\tg  For worldly prosperity or adversity is not a certain mark either of\nthe favour or disfavour of GOD.\n\th  Not suffering women or young children to have any share in the\ninheritance of their husbands or parents.  See chapter 4, p. 54.\n\ti  There is a tradition that at the last day hell will be dragged\ntowards the tribunal by 70,000 halters, each halter being hauled by 70,000\nangels, and that it will come with great roaring and fury.5\n\tk  Or, for this my latter life.\n\tl  i.e., None shall be able to punish or to bind, as GOD shall then\npunish and bind the wicked.6\n\tm  Some expound this of the soul, which, having, by pursuing the\nconcatenation of natural causes, raised itself to the knowledge of that Being\nwhich produced them, and exists of necessity, rests fully contented, or\nacquiesces in the knowledge of him, and the contemplation of his perfections.\nBy this the reader will observe that the Mohammedans are no strangers to\nQuietism.  Others, however, understand the words of the soul, which, having\nattained the knowledge of the truth, rests satisfied, and relies securely\nthereon, undisturbed by doubts; or of the soul which is secure of its\nsalvation, and free from fear or sorrow.7\n\n\t1  Descr. de l'Arabie, mise \u00e0 la suite du Voyage de la Palestine, par La\nRoque, p. 35.\t\t2  Jallalo'ddin, al Beid\u00e2wi.\n3  Ebn Hawkal, apud Abulf. ubi sup.  Geogr. Nub. p. 110.\t\t4  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi.\t\t5  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t6  Idem.\n7  Al Beid\u00e2wi\n\n\nCHAPTER XC.\n\nENTITLED, THE TERRITORY; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     I SWEARn by this territory,o\n     (and thou, O prophet, residest in this territory,)p\n     and by the begetter, and that which he hath begotten;q\n     verily we have created man in misery.r\n     Doth he think that none shall prevail over him?s\n     He saith, I have wasted plenty of riches.t\n     Doth he think that none seeth him?\n     Have we not made him two eyes,\n     and a tongue, and two lips;\n10\tand shown him the two highways of good and evil?\n     Yet he attempteth not the cliff.\n     What shall make thee to understand what the cliff is?\n     It is to free the captive;\n     or to feed, in the day of famine,\n     the orphan who is of kin, or the poor man who lieth on the ground.\n     Whoso doth this, and is one of those who believe, and recommend\nperseverance unto each other, and recommend mercy unto each other;\n     these shall be the companions of the right hand.u\n     But they who shall disbelieve our signs\n     shall be the companions of the left hand:x\n20\tabove them shall be arched fire.\n_____\n\nCHAPTER XCI.\n\nENTITLED, THE SUN; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     BY the Sun, and its rising brightness;\n     by the moon when she followeth him;y\n     by the day, when it showeth its splendor;\n     by the night, when it covereth him with darkness;\n     by the heaven, and him who built it;\n     by the earth, and him who spread it forth;\n     by the soul, and him who completely formed it,\n     and inspired into the same its faculty of distinguishing, and power of\nchoosing, wickedness and piety:\n\n\tn  Or, I will not swear, &c.  See chapter 56, p. 398, note m.\n\to  viz., The sacred territory of Mecca.\n\tp  Or, Thou shalt be allowed to do what thou pleasest in this territory;\nthe words, in this sense, importing a promise of that absolute power which\nMohammed attained on the taking of Mecca.1\n\tq  Some understand these words generally; others of Adam or Abraham, and\nof their offspring, and of Mohammed in particular.2\n\tr  Or, to trouble.  This passage was revealed to comfort the prophet\nunder the persecutions of the Koreish.3\n\ts  Some expositors take a particular person to be here intended, who was\none of Mohammed's most inveterate adversaries; as al Walid Ebn al Mogheira;4\nothers suppose Abu'l Ashadd Ebn Calda to be the man, who was so very strong,\nthat a large skin being spread under his feet, and ten men pulling at it, they\ncould not make him fall, though they tore the skin to pieces.5\n\tt  In a vain and ostentatious manner, or in opposing of Mohammed.6\n\tu  See chapter 56, p. 396.\n\tx  See ibid.\n\ty  i.e., When she rises just after him, as she does at the beginning of\nthe month; or when she gets after him, as happens when she is a little past\nthe full.7\n\n       1  Idem.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Idem.\t\t4  Al Zamakh.\n\t5  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n6  Idem.\t\t7  Idem.\n\n\n     now is he who hath purified the same, happy;\n10\tbut he who hath corrupted the same, is miserable.\n     Thamud accused their prophet Saleh of imposture, through the excess of\ntheir wickedness:\n     when the wretchz among them was sent to slay the camel;\n     and the apostle of GOD said unto them, Let alone the camel of GOD; and\nhinder not her drinking.\n     But they charged him with imposture; and they slew her.\n     Wherefore their LORD destroyed them, for their crime, and made their\npunishment equal unto them all:\n     and he feareth not the issue thereof.\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER XCII.\n\nENTITLED, THE NIGHT; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     BY the night, when it covereth all things with darkness;\n     by the day, when it shineth forth;\n     by his who hath created the male, and the female:\n     verily your endeavor is different.\n     Now whoso is obedient, and feareth God,\n     and professeth the truth of that faith which is most excellent;\n     unto him will we facilitate the way to happiness:\n     but whoso shall be covetous, and shall be wholly taken up with this\nworld,\n     and shall deny the truth of that which is most excellent;\n10\tunto him will we facilitate the way to misery;\n     and his riches shall not profit him, when he shall fall headlong into\nhell.\n     Verily unto us appertaineth the direction of mankind:\n     and ours is the life to come, and the present life.\n     Wherefore I threaten you with fire which burneth fiercely,\n     which none shall enter to be burned except the most wretched;\n     who shall have disbelieved, and turned back.\n     But he who strictly bewareth idolatry and rebellion shall be removed far\nfrom the same;\n     who giveth his substance in alms,\n     and by whom no benefit is bestowed on any, that it may be recompensed,\n20\tbut who bestoweth the same for the sake of his LORD, the most High,a\n     and hereafter he shall be well satisfied with his reward.\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER XCIII.\n\nENTITLED, THE BRIGHTNESS; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     BY the brightness of the morning;b\n     and by the night, when it groweth dark:\n\n\tz  viz., Ked\u00e2r Ebn S\u00e2lef.  See chapter 7, p. 112, and chapter 54, p.\n393.\n\ta  Jallalo'ddin thinks this whole description belongs peculiarly to Abu\nBecr: for when he had purchased Bel\u00e2l, the Ethiopian (afterwards the prophet's\nMuedhdhin, or crier to prayers), who purchased Bel\u00e2l, the Ethiopian\n(afterwards the prophet's Muedhdhin, or crier to prayers), who had been put to\nthe rack on account of his faith, the infidels said he did it only out of a\nview of interest; upon which this passage was revealed.\n\tb  The original word properly signifies the bright part of the day, when\nthe sun shines full out, three or four hours after it is risen.\n\n\n     thy LORD hath not forsaken thee, neither doth he hate thee.c\n     Verily the life to come shall be better for thee than this present life:\n     and thy LORD shall give thee a reward wherewith thou shalt be well\npleased.\n     Did he not find thee an orphan, and hath he not taken care of thee?\n     And did he not find thee wandering in error, and hath he not guided thee\ninto the truth?\n     And did he not find thee needy, and hath he not enriched thee?\n     Wherefore oppress not the orphan:\n10\tneither repulse the beggar:\n     but declare the goodness of thy LORD.\n\n_______\n\n\nCHAPTER XCIV.\n\nENTITLED, HAVE WE NOT OPENED; REVEALED AT MECCA\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     HAVE we not opened thy breast;d\n     and eased thee of thy burden,e\n     which galled thy back;\n     and raise thy reputation for thee?\n     Verily a difficulty shall be attended with ease.\n     Verily a difficulty shall be attended with ease.\n     When thou shalt have ended thy preaching; labor to serve God in return\nfor his favours;f\n     and make thy supplication unto thy LORD.\n\n_______\n\n\nCHAPTER XCV.\n\nENTITLED, THE FIG; WHERE IT WAS REVEALED IS DISPUTED.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     BY the fig, and the olive;g\n     and by mount Sinai,\n\n\tc  It is related that no revelation having been vouchsafed to Mohammed\nfor several days, in answer to some questions put to him by the Koreish,\nbecause he had confidently promised to resolve them the next day, without\nadding the exception, if it please GOD,1 or because he had repulsed an\nimportunate beggar, or else because a dead puppy lay under his seat, or for\nsome other reason; his enemies said that GOD had left him: whereupon this\nchapter was sent down for his consolation.2\n\td  By disposing and enlarging it to receive the truth, and wisdom, and\nprophecy; or, by freeing thee from uneasiness and ignorance?  This passage is\nthought to intimate the opening of Mohammed's heart, in his infancy, or when\nhe took his journey to heaven, by the angel Gabriel; who having wrung out the\nblack drop, or seed of original sin, washed and cleansed the same, and filled\nit with wisdom and faith:3 but some think it relates to the occasion of the\npreceding chapter.4\n\te  i.e., Of thy sins committed before thy mission; or of thy ignorance,\nor trouble of mind.\n\tf  Or When thou shalt have finished thy prayer, labour in preaching the\nfaith.5\n\tg  GOD, say the commentators swears by these two fruits, because of\ntheir great uses and virtues: for the fig is wholesome and of easy digestion,\nand physically good to carry off phlegm, and gravel in the kidneys or bladder,\nand to remove obstructions of the liver and spleen, and also cures the piles\nand the gout, &c.; the olive produces oil, which is not only excellent to eat,\nbut otherwise useful for the compounding of ointments;1 the wood of the olive-\ntree, moreover, is good for cleansing the teeth, preventing their growing\nrotten, and giving a good odour to the mouth, for which reason the prophets,\nand Mohammed in particular, made use of no other for toothpicks.2\n\tSome, however, suppose that these words do not mean the fruits or trees\nabove mentioned, but two mountains in the holy land, where they grow in\nplenty; or else the temple of Damascus and that at Jerusalem.3\n\n\t1  See cap. 18, p. 219\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t3  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi, Yahya.  Vide Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 8 and 33; Prid, Life of Mohamet, p.\n105, &c.\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t5  Idem.\t\t1  Idem, al\nZamakh.\n2  Al Zamakh.\t\t3  Idem, Yahya, al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallal.\n\n\n     and this territory of security;h\n     verily we created man of a most excellent fabric;\n     afterwards we rendered him the vilest of the vile:i\n     except those who believe, and work righteousness; for they shall receive\nan endless reward.\n     What, therefore, shall cause thee to deny the day of judgment after\nthis?k\n     Is not GOD the most wise judge?\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER XCVI.\n\nENTITLED, CONGEALED BLOOD; REVEALED AT MECCA.l\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     READ, in the name of thy LORD, who hath created all things;\n     who hath created man of congealed blood.m\n     Read, by thy most beneficent LORD;n\n     who taught the use of the pen;\n     who teacheth man that which he knoweth not.\n     Assuredly.  Verily man becometh insolent,\n     because he seeth himself abound in riches.o\n     Verily unto thy LORD shall be the return of all.\n     What thinkest thou as to him who forbiddeth\n10\tour servant, when he prayeth?p\n     What thinkest thou; if he follow the right direction; or command piety?\n     What thinkest thou; if he accuse the divine revelations of falsehood, and\nturn his back?\n\n\th  viz., The territory of Mecca.4  These words seem to argue the chapter\nto have been revealed there.\n\ti  i.e., As the commentators generally expound this passage, We created\nman of comely proportion of body, and great perfection of mind; and yet we\nhave doomed him, in case of disobedience, to be an inhabitant of hell.  Some,\nhowever, understand the words of the vigorous constitution of man in the prime\nand strength of his age, and of his miserable decay when he becomes old and\ndecrepit: but they seem rather to intimate the perfect state of happiness\nwherein man was originally created, and his fall from thence, in consequence\nof Adam's disobedience, to a state of misery in this world, and becoming\nliable to one infinitely more miserable in the next.5\n\tk  Some suppose these words directed to Mohammed, and others to man in\ngeneral, by way of apostrophe.\n\tl  The first five verses of this chapter, ending with the words, Who\ntaught man that which he knew not, are generally allowed to be the first\npassage of the Kor\u00e2n which was revealed, though some give this honour to the\nseventy-four chapter, and others to the first, the next, they say, being the\nsixty-eighth.\n\tm  All men being created of thick or concreted blood,6 except only Adam,\nEve, and Jesus.7\n\tn  These words, containing a repetition of the command, are supposed to\nbe a reply to Mohammed, who, in answer to the former words spoken by the\nangel, had declared that he could not read, being perfectly illiterate; and\nintimate a promise that GOD, who had inspired man with the art of writing,\nwould graciously remedy this defect in him.8\n\to  The commentators agree the remaining part of the chapter to have been\nrevealed against Abu Jahl, Mohammed's great adversary.\n\tp  For Abu Jahl threatened that if he caught Mohammed in the act of\nadoration, he would set his foot on his neck; but when he came and saw him in\nthat posture, he suddenly turned back as in a fright, and, being asked what\nwas the matter, said there was a ditch of fire between himself and Mohammed,\nand a terrible appearance of troops, to defend him.9\n\n\t4  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.\t\t5  Vide Marracc. in loc. p.\n809.\t\t6  See cap. 22, p. 250.\t\t7  Yahya.\n8  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t9  Idem.\n\n\n     Doth he not know that GOD seeth?\n     Assuredly.  Verily, if he forbear not, we will drag him by the forelock,q\n     the lying, sinful forelock.\n     And let him call his councilr to his assistance:\n     we also will call the infernal guards to cast him into hell.\n     Assuredly.  Obey him not: but continue to adore God; and draw nigh unto\nhim.\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER XCVII.\n\nENTITLED, AL KADR; WHERE IT WAS REVEALED IS DISPUTED.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     VERILY we sent down the Koran in the night of al Kadr.s\n     And what shall make thee understand how excellent the night of al Kadr\nis?\n     The night of al Kadr is better than a thousand months.\n     Therein do the angels descend, and the spirit of Gabriel also, by the\npermission of their LORD, with his decrees concerning every matter.t\n     It is peace until the rising of the morn.\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER XCVIII.\n\nENTITLED, THE EVIDENCE;u WHERE IT WAS REVEALED IS DISPUTED.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     THE unbelievers among those to whom the scriptures were given, and among\nthe idolaters, did not stagger,x until the clear evidencey had come unto them:\n\n\tq  See chapter 11, p. 164, note o.\n\tr  i.e., The council or assembly of the principal Meccans, the far\ngreater part of whom adhered to Abu Jahl.\n\ts  The word al Kadr signifies power and honor or dignity, and also the\ndivine decree; and the night is so named either from its excellence above all\nother nights in the year, or because, as the Mohammedans believe, the divine\ndecrees for the ensuing year are annually on this night fixed and settled, or\ntaken from the preserved table by GOD'S throne, and given to the angels to be\nexecuted.1  On this night Mohammed received his first revelations; when the\nKor\u00e2n, say the commentators, was sent down from the aforesaid table, entire\nand in one volume, to the lowest heaven, from whence Gabriel revealed it to\nMohammed by parcels, as occasion required.\n\tThe Moslem doctors are not agreed where to fix the night of al Kadr; the\ngreater part are of opinion that it is one of the ten last nights of Ramad\u00e2n,\nand, as is commonly believed, the seventh of those nights, reckoning backward;\nby which means it will fall between the 23rd and 24th days of that month.2\n\tt  See the preceding note, and chapter 44, p. 367.\n\tu  Some entitle this chapter, from the first words, Did not.\n\tx  i.e., Did not waver in their religion, or in their promises to follow\nthe truth, when an apostle should come unto them.  For the commentators\npretend that before the appearance of Mohammed, the Jews and Christians, as\nwell as the worshippers of idols, unanimously believed and expected the coming\nof that prophet, until which time they declared they would persevere in their\nrespective religions, and then would follow him; but when he came, they\nrejected him through envy.3\n\ty  viz., Mohammed, or the Kor\u00e2n.\n\n\t1  See cap. 44, p. 367.\t\t2  Al Zamakh., al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\n\t3  Idem.\n\n\n     an apostle from GOD, rehearsing unto them pure books of revelations;\nwherein are contained right discourses.\n     Neither were they unto whom the scriptures were given divided among\nthemselves, until after the clear evidence had come unto them.z\n     And they were commanded no other in the scriptures than to worship GOD,\nexhibiting unto him the pure religion, and being orthodox; and to be constant\nat prayer, and to give alms;a and this is the right religion.\n     Verily those who believe not, among those who have received the\nscriptures, and among the idolaters, shall be cast into the fire of hell, to\nremain therein forever.  These are the worst of creatures.\n     But they who believe, and do good works; these are the best of creatures:\n     their reward with their LORD shall be gardens of perpetual abode, through\nwhich rivers flow; they shall remain therein forever.\n     GOD will be well pleased in them; and they shall be well pleased in him.\nThis is prepared for him who shall fear his LORD.\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER XCIX.\n\nENTITLED, THE EARTHQUAKE; WHERE IT WAS REVEALED IS DISPUTED.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     WHEN the earth shall be shaken by an earthquake;b\n     and the earth shall cast forth her burdens;c\n     and a man shall say, What aileth her?\n     On that day the earth shall declare her tidings,\n     for that thy LORD will inspire her.d\n     On that day men shall go forward in distinct classes, that they may\nbehold their works.\n     And whoever shall have wrought good of the weight of an ant,e shall\nbehold the same.\n     And whoever shall have wrought evil of the weight of an ant, shall behold\nthe same.\n\n\tz  But when the promised apostle was sent, and the truth became manifest\nto them, they withstood the clearest conviction, differing from one another in\ntheir opinions; some believing and acknowledging Mohammed to be the prophet\nforetold in the scriptures, and others denying it.1\n\ta  But these divine precepts in the law and the gospel have they\ncorrupted, changed, and violated.2\n\tb  This earthquake will happen at the first, or, as others say, at the\nsecond blast of the trumpet.3\n\tc  viz., The treasures and dead bodies within it.4\n\td  i.e., Will inform all creatures of the occasion of her trembling, and\ncasting forth her treasures and her dead, by the circumstances which shall\nimmediately attend them.  Some say the earth will, at the last day, be\nmiraculously enabled to speak, and will give evidence of the actions of her\ninhabitants.5\n\te  See chapter 4, p. 58, note y.\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  Idem.\t\t3  Al Zamakh., al Beid\u00e2wi.  See the\nPrelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 65\t\t4  See cap. 84, p. 441.\n5  Al Beid\u00e2wi.  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.\n\n\nCHAPTER C.\n\nENTITLED, THE WAR-HORSES WHICH RUN SWIFTLY; WHERE IT WAS REVEALED IS DISPUTED.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     BY the war-horses which run swiftly to the battle, with a panting noise;\n     and by those which strike fire, by dashing their hoofs against the\nstones;\n     and by those which make a sudden incursion on the enemy early in the\nmorning,\n     and therein raise the dust,\n     and therein pass through the midst of the adverse troops:f\n     verily man is ungrateful unto his LORD;\n     and he is witness thereof:\n     and he is immoderate in the love of worldly good.\n     Doth he not know, therefore, when that which is in the graves shall be\ntaken forth,\n10\tand that which is in men's breasts shall be brought to light,\n     that their LORD will, on that day, be fully informed concerning them?\n\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER CI.\n\nENTITLED, THE STRIKING; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     THE striking!g  What is the striking?\n     And what shall make thee to understand how terrible the striking will be?\n     On that day men shall be like moths scattered abroad,\n     and the mountains shall become like carded wool of various colours driven\nby the wind.\n     Moreover he whose balance shall be heavy with good works, shall lead a\npleasing life:\n     but as to him whose balance shall be light, his dwelling shall be the pit\nof hell.h\n     What shall make thee to understand how frightful the pit of hell is?\n     It is a burning fire.\n\n\tf  Some will have it that not horses, but the camels which went to the\nbattle of Bedr, are meant in this passage.1  Others interpret all the parts of\nthe oath of the human soul;2 but their explications seem a little forced, and\ntherefore I choose to omit them.\n\tg  This is one of the names or epithets given to the last day, because\nit will strike the hearts of all creatures with terror.3\n\th  The original word H\u00e2wiyat is the name of the lowest dungeon of hell,\nand properly signifies a deep pit or gulf.\n\n\t1  Yahya, ex trad. Ali Ebn Abi Taleb.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\t3  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\nCHAPTER CII.\n\nENTITLED, THE EMULOUS DESIRE OF MULTIPLYING; WHERE IT WAS REVEALED IS\nDISPUTED.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     THE emulous desire of multiplying riches and children employeth you,\n     until ye visit the graves.i\n     By no means should ye thus employ your time: hereafter shall ye know your\nfolly.\n     Again, By no means: hereafter shall ye know your folly.\n     By no means: if ye knew the consequence hereof with certainty of\nknowledge, ye would not act thus.\n     Verily ye shall see hell:\n     again, ye shall surely see it with the eye of certainty.\n     Then shall ye be examined, on that day, concerning the pleasures with\nwhich ye have amused yourselves in this life.\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER CIII.\n\nENTITLED, THE AFTERNOON; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     BY the afternoon;k\n     verily man employeth himself in that which will prove of loss:\n     except those who believe, and do that which is right; and who mutually\nrecommend the truth, and mutually recommend perseverance unto each other.\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER CIV.\n\nENTITLED, THE SLANDERER; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     WOE unto every slanderer, and backbiter:l\n     who heapeth up riches, and prepareth the same for the time to come!\n\n\ti  i.e., Until ye die.  According to the exposition of some\ncommentators, the words should be rendered thus: The contending or vieing in\nnumbers wholly employeth you, so that ye visit even the graves, to number the\ndead: to explain which, they relate that there was a great dispute and\ncontention between the descendants of Abd Men\u00e2f and the descendants of Sahm,\nwhich of the two families were the more numerous; and it being found, on\ncalculation, that the children of Abd Men\u00e2f exceeded those of Sahm, the\nSahmites said that their numbers had been much diminished by wars in the time\nof ignorance, and insisted that the dead, as well as the living, should be\ntaken into the account; and by this way of reckoning they were found to be\nmore than the descendants of Abd Men\u00e2f.1\n\tk  Or the time from the sun's declination to his setting, which is one\nof the five appointed times of prayer.  The original word also signifies, The\nage, or time in general.\n\tThis passage is said to have been revealed against al Akhnas Ebn\nShoreik, or al Wal\u00eed Ebn al Mogheira, or Omeyya Ebn Khalf, who were all guilty\nof slandering others, and especially the prophet.1\n\n\t\t\t1  Al Zamakh., al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallal.\t\t1  Idem.\n\n\n     He thinketh that his riches will render him immortal.\n     By no means.  He shall surely be cast into Al Hotama.m\n     And who shall cause thee to understand what Al Hotama is?\n     It is the kindled fire of GOD;n\n     which shall mount above the hearts of those who shall be cast therein.\n     Verily it shall be as an arched vault above them\n     on columns of vast extent.\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER CV.\n\nENTITLED, THE ELEPHANT; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     HAST thou not seen how thy LORD dealt with the masters of the elephant?o\n     Did he not make their treacherous design an occasion of drawing them into\nerror;\n\n\tm  Is one of the names of hell, or the name of one of its apartments;2\nwhich is so called because it will break in pieces whatever shall be thrown\ninto it.\n\tn  And therefore shall not be extinguished by any.3\n\to  This chapter relates to the following piece of history, which is\nfamous among the Arabs; Abraha Ebn al Sab\u00e2h, surnamed al Ashram, i.e., the\nSlit-nosed, king or viceroy of Yaman, who was an Ethiopian,4 and of the\nChristian religion, having built a magnificent church at Sanaa with a design\nto draw the Arabs to go in pilgrimage thither, instead of visiting the temple\nof Mecca, the Koreish, observing the devotion and concourse of the pilgrims at\nthe Caaba began considerably to diminish, sent one Nofail, as he is named by\nsome of the tribe of Ken\u00e2nah, who getting into the aforesaid church by night,\ndefiled the altar and walls thereof with his excrements.  At this profanation\nAbraha being highly incensed, vowed the destruction of the Caaba, and\naccordingly set out against Mecca at the head of a considerable army, wherein\nwere several elephants, which he had obtained of the king of Ethiopia, their\nnumbers being, as some say, thirteen, though others mention but one.  The\nMeccans, at the approach of so considerable a host, retired to the\nneighbouring mountains, being unable to defend their city or temple; but GOD\nhimself undertook the protection of both.  For when Abraha drew near to Mecca,\nand would have entered it, the elephant on which he rode, which was a very\nlarge one, and named Mahm\u00fbd, refused to advance any nigher to the town, but\nknelt down whenever they endeavoured to force him that way, though he would\nrise and march briskly enough if they turned him towards any other quarter:\nand while matters were in this posture, on a sudden a large flock of birds,\nlike swallows, came flying from the sea coast, every one of which carried\nthree stones, one in each foot, and one in its bill; and these stones they\nthrew down upon the heads of Abraha's men, certainly killing every one they\nstruck.  Then GOD sent a flood, which swept the dead bodies, and some of those\nwho had not been struck by the stones, into the sea: the rest fled toward\nYaman, but perished by the way; none of them reaching Sanaa, except only\nAbraha himself, who died soon after his arrival there, being struck with a\nsort of plague or putrefaction, so that his body opened, and his limbs rotted\noff by piecemeal.  It is said that one of Abraha's army, named Abu Yacs\u00fbm,\nescaped over the Red Sea into Ethiopia, and going directly to the king, told\nhim the tragical story; and upon that prince's asking him what sort of birds\nthey were that had occasioned such a destruction, the man pointed to one of\nthem, which had followed him all the way, and was at that time hovering\ndirectly over his head, when immediately the bird let fall the stone, and\nstruck him dead at the king's feet.5\n\tThis remarkable defeat of Abraha happened the very year Mohammed was\nborn, and as this chapter was revealed before the Hejra, and within fifty-four\nyears, at least, after it came to pass, when several persons who could have\ndetected the lie, had Mohammed forged this story out of his own head, were\nalive, it seems as if there was really something extraordinary in the matter,\nwhich might, by adding some circumstances, have been worked up into a miracle\nto his hands.  Marracci6 judges the whole to be either a fable, or else a feat\nof some evil spirits, of which he gives a parallel instance, as he thinks, in\nthe strange defeat of Brennus, when he was marching to attack the temple of\nApollo at Delphi.7  Dr. Prideaux directly charges Mohammed with coining this\nmiracle, notwithstanding he might have been so easily disproved, and supposes,\nwithout any foundation, that this chapter might not have been published till\nOthman's edition of the Kor\u00e2n,1 which was many years after, when all might be\ndead who could remember anything of the above-mentioned war.2  But Mohammed\nhad no occasion to coin such a miracle himself, to gain the temple of Mecca\nany greater veneration: the Meccans were but too superstitiously fond of it,\nand obliged him, against his inclinations and original design, to make it the\nchief place of his new invented worship.  I cannot, however, but observe Dr.\nPrideaux's partiality on this occasion, compared with the favourable reception\nhe gives to the story of the miraculous overthrow of Brennus and his army,\nwhich he concludes in the following words: \"Thus was GOD pleased in a very\nextraordinary manner to execute his vengeance upon those sacrilegious wretches\nfor the sake of religion in general, how false and idolatrous soever that\nparticular religion was, for which that temple at Delphos was erected.\"3  If\nit be answered, that the Gauls believed the religion, to the devotions of\nwhich that temple was consecrated, to be true (though that be not certain),\nand therefore it was an impiety in them to offer violence to it, whereas\nAbraha acknowledged not the holiness of the Caaba, or the worship there\npractised; I reply, that the doctor, on occasion of Cambyses being killed by a\nwound he accidentally received in the same part of the body where he had\nbefore mortally wounded the Apis, or bull worshipped by the Egyptians, whose\nreligion and worship that prince most certainly believed to be false and\nsuperstitious, makes the same reflection: \"The Egyptians,\" says he, \"reckoned\nthis as an especial judgment from heaven upon him for that fact, and perchance\nthey were not much out in it: for it seldom happening in an affront given to\nany mode of worship, how erroneous soever it may be, but that religion is in\ngeneral wounded hereby, there are many instances in history, wherein GOD hath\nvery signally punished the profanations of religion in the worst of times, and\nunder the worst modes of heathen idolatry.\"4\n\n\t2  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 72.\t\t3  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\t4  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 8.\n5  Al Zamakh., al Beid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin, Abulf. Hist. Gen. &c.  See Prid. Life\nof Mahomet, p. 61, &c., and D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Abrahah.\t\t6\nRefut. in Alcor. p. 823.\t\t7  See Prid. Connection, part ii. book i.\np. 25, and the authors there quoted.\t\t1  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect.\nIII. p. 45.\t\t2  Prid. Life of Mahomet, p. 63, 64.\t\t3  Prid.\nConnection, in the place above cited.\t\t4  Ibid. part i. book iii. p.\n173.\n\n\n     and send against them flocks of birds,\n     which casts down upon them stones of baked clay;p\n     and render them like the leaves of corn eaten by cattle?\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER CVI.\n\nENTITLED, KOREISH; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     FOR the uniting of the tribe of Koreish;q\n     their uniting in sending forth the caravan of merchants and purveyorsr in\nwinter and summer;\n\n\tp  These stones were of the same kind with those by which the Sodomites\nwere destroyed,5 and were no bigger than vetches, though they fell with such\nforce as to pierce the helmet and the man through, passing out at his\nfundament.  It is said also that on each stone was written the name of him who\nwas to be slain by it.\n\tq  Some connect these words with the following, and suppose the natural\norder to be, Let them serve the Lord of this house, for the uniting, &c.\nOthers connect them with the last words of the preceding chapter, and take the\nmeaning to be, that GOD had so destroyed the army of Abraha for the uniting of\nthe Koreish, &c.  And the last opinion is confirmed by one copy, mentioned by\nal Beid\u00e2wi, wherein this and the preceding make but one chapter.  It may not\nbe amiss to observe, that the tribe of Koreish, the most noble among all the\nArabians, and of which was Mohammed himself, were the posterity of Fehr,\nsurnamed Koreish, the son of Malec, the son of al Nadr, who was descended in a\nright line from Ismael.  Some writers say that al Nadr bore the surname of\nKoreish, but the more received opinion is that it was his grandson Fehr, who\nwas so called because of his intrepid boldness, the word being a diminutive of\nKarsh, which is the name of a sea monster, very strong and daring; though\nthere be other reasons given for its imposition.6\n\tr  It was H\u00e2shem, the great-grandfather of Mohammed, who first appointed\nthe two yearly caravans here mentioned;7 one of which set out in the winter\nfor Yaman, and the other in summer for Syria.8\n\n\t5  See cap. 11, p. 166.\t\t6  Vide Gagnier, Vie de Mah. t. I, p. 44\nand 46.\t\t7  See the Prelim. Disc. p. 3.\n8  Al Zamakh., Jallal., al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\n     let them serve the LORD of this house; who supplieth them with food\nagainst hunger,s\n     and hath rendered them secure from fear.t\n\n\n_______\n\n\nCHAPTER CVII.\n\nENTITLED, NECESSARIES; WHERE IT WAS REVEALED IS DISPUTED.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     WHAT thinkest thou of him who denieth the future judgment as a falsehood?\n     It is he who pusheth away the orphan;u\n     and stirreth not up others to feed the poor.\n     Woe be unto those who pray,\n     and who are negligent at their prayer:\n     who play the hypocrites,\n     and deny necessariesx to the needy.\n\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER CVIII.\n\nENTITLED, AL CAWTHAR; REVEALED AT MECCA.y\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     VERILY we have given thee al Cawthar.z\n\n\ts  By means of the aforesaid caravans of purveyors; or, Who supplied\nthem with food in time of a famine, which those of Mecca had suffered.1\n\tt  By delivering them from Abraha and his troops; or, by making the\nterritory of Mecca a place of security.\n\tu  The person here intended, according to some, was Abu Jahl, who turned\naway an orphan, to whom he was guardian, and who came to him naked, and asked\nfor some relief out of his own money.  Somme say it was Abu Sofi\u00e2n, who,\nhaving killed a camel, when an orphan begged a piece of the flesh, beat him\naway with his staff; and others think it was al Walid Ebn al Mogheira, &c.\n\tx  The original word al Ma\u00fbn properly signifies utensils, or whatever is\nof necessary use, as a hatchet, a pot, a dish, and a needle, to which some add\na bucket and a hand-mill; or, according to a tradition of Ayesha, fire, water,\nand salt; and this signification it bore in the time of ignorance: but since\nthe establishment of the Mohammedan religion, the word has been used to denote\nalms, either legal or voluntary; which seems to be the true meaning in this\nplace.\n\ty  There are some, however, who think it to have been revealed at\nMedina.\n\tz  This word signifies abundance, especially of good, and thence the\ngift of wisdom and prophecy, the Kor\u00e2n, the office of intercessor, &c.  Or it\nmay imply abundance of children, followers, and the like.  It is generally,\nhowever, expounded of a river in paradise of that name, whence the water is\nderived into Mohammed's pond, of which the blessed are to drink before their\nadmission into that place.2  According to a tradition of the prophet's, this\nriver, wherein his LORD promised him abundant good, is sweeter than honey,\nwhiter than milk, cooler than snow, and smoother than cream; its banks are of\nchrysolites, and the vessels to drink thereout of silver; and those who drink\nof it shall never thirst.3\n\tEuthymius Zigabenus,4 instead of Cauthar, reading Canthar, supposes the\nword to have the same signification in Arabic as in Greek, and translates the\ntwo first verses of the chapter thus: [Greek text],-i.e., We have given thee\nthe beetle; wherefore pray unto thy LORD, and slay it; and then he cries out,\nO wonderful and magnificent sacrifice, worthy of the legislator!\n\n\t1  Idem.\t\t2  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 74.\t\t3  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi, Jallal. &c.\t\t4  In Panoplia Dogmat. inter Sylburgii\nSarocenic. p. 29.\n\n\n     Wherefore pray unto thy LORD, and slay the victims.a\n     Verily he who hateth thee shall be childless.b\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER CIX.\n\nENTITLED, THE UNBELIEVERS; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     SAY: O unbelievers,c\n     I will not worship that which ye worship;\n     nor will ye worship that which I worship.\n     Neither do I worship that which ye worship;\n     neither do ye worship that which I worship.\n     Ye have your religion, and I my religion.\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER CX.\n\nENTITLED, ASSISTANCE; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     WHEN the assistance of GOD shall come, and the victory;d\n     and thou shalt see the people enter into the religion of GOD by troops:e\n     celebrate the praise of thy LORD, and ask pardon of him;f for he is\ninclined to forgive.\n\n\ta  Which are to be sacrificed at the pilgrimage in the valley of Mina.\nAl Beid\u00e2wi explains the words thus: Pray with fervency and intense devotion,\nnot out of hypocrisy; and slay the fatted camels and oxen, and distribute the\nflesh among the poor; for he says this chapter is the counterpart of the\npreceding, exhorting to those virtues which are opposite to the vices there\ncondemned.\n\tb  These words were revealed against al As Ebn Wayel, who, on the death\nof al K\u00e2sem, Mohammed's son, called that prophet Abtar, which signifies one\nwho has no children or posterity.1\n\tc  It is said that certain of the Koreish once proposed to Mohammed that\nif he would worship their gods for a year, they would worship his GOD for the\nsame space of time; upon which this chapter was revealed.2\n\td  i.e., When GOD shall cause thee to prevail over thy enemies, and thou\nshalt take the city of Mecca.\n\te  Which happened in the ninth year of the Hejra, when, Mohammed having\nmade himself master of Mecca, and obliged the Koreish to submit to him, the\nrest of the Arabs came in to him in great numbers, and professed Isl\u00e2m.3\n\tf  Most of the commentators agree this chapter to have been revealed\nbefore the taking of Mecca, and suppose it gave Mohammed warning of his death;\nfor they say that when he read it al Abb\u00e2s wept, and being asked by the\nprophet what was the reason of his weeping, answered, Because it biddeth thee\nto prepare for death; to which Mohammed replied, It is as thou sayest.4  And\nhence, adds Jallalo'ddin, after the revelation of this chapter the prophet was\nmore frequent in praising and asking pardon of GOD, because he thereby knew\nthat his end approached; for Mecca was taken in the eighth year of the Hejra,\nand he died in the beginning of the tenth.\n\n\t1  Jallalo'ddin.\t\t2  Idem, al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t3  See the Prelim.\nDisc. Sect. II. p. 43.\t\t4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\n\n\nCHAPTER CXI.\n\nENTITLED, ABU LAHEB; REVEALED AT MECCA.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     THE hands of Abu Laheb shall perish,g and he shall perish.h\n     His riches shall not profit him, neither that which he hath gained.i\n     He shall go down to be burned into flaming fire;k\n     and his wife also,l bearing wood,m\n     having on her neck a cord of twisted fibres of a palm-tree.\n\n\n________\n\n\nCHAPTER CXII.\n\nENTITLED, THE DECLARATION OF GOD'S UNITY;n\nWHERE IT WAS REVEALED IS DISPUTED.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     SAY, God is one GOD;\n     the eternal GOD:\n     be begetteth not, neither is he begotten:\n     and there is not any one like unto him.\n\n\tg  Abu Laheb was the surname of Abd'al Uzza, one of the sons of\nAbd'almotalleb, and uncle to Mohammed.  He was a most bitter enemy to his\nnephew, and opposed the establishment of his new religion to the utmost of his\npower.  When that prophet, in obedience to the command he had received to\nadmonish his near relations,1 had called them together, and told them he was a\nwarner sent unto them before a grievous chastisement, Abu Laheb cried out,\nMayest thou perish!  Hast thou called us together for this? and took up a\nstone to cast at him.  Whereupon this passage was revealed.2\n\tBy the hands of Abu Laheb some commentators, by a synecdoche, understand\nhis person; others, by a metonymy, his affairs in general, they being\ntransacted with those members; or his hopes in this world and the next.\n\th  He died of grief and vexation at the defeat his friends had received\nat Bedr, surviving that misfortune but seven days.3  They add, that his corpse\nwas left aboveground three days, till it stank, and then some negroes were\nhired to bury him.4\n\ti  And accordingly his great possessions, and the rank and esteem in\nwhich he lived at Mecca, were of no service to him, nor could protect him\nagainst the vengeance of GOD.  Al Beid\u00e2wi mentions also the loss of his son\nOtha, who was torn to pieces by a lion in the way to Syria, though surrounded\nby the whole caravan.\n\tk  Arab. n\u00e2r dh\u00e2t laheb; alluding to the surname of Abu Laheb, which\nsignifies the father of flames.\n\tl  Her name was Omm Jem\u00eel: she was the daughter of Harb, and sister of\nAbu Sofi\u00e2n.\n\tm  For fuel in hell; because she fomented the hatred which her husband\nbore to Mohammed; or, bearing a bundle of thorns and brambles, because she\ncarried such, and strewed them by night in the prophet's way.5\n\tn  This chapter is held in particular veneration by the Mohammedans, and\ndeclared, by a tradition of their prophet, to be equal in value to a third\npart of the whole Kor\u00e2n.  It is said to have been revealed in answer to the\nKoreish, who asked Mohammed concerning the distinguishing attributes of the\nGOD he invited them to worship.6\n\n\t1  See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. II. p. 34.\t\t2  Al Beid\u00e2wi,\nJallalo'ddin, &c.\t\t3  Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 57.\n4  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t5  Idem, Jallalo'ddin.\t\t6  Idem.\n\n\nCHAPTER CXIII.\n\nENTITLED, THE DAYBREAK; WHERE IT WAS REVEALED IS DISPUTED.\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     SAY, I fly for refuge unto the LORD of the daybreak,o\n     that he may deliver me from the mischief of those things which he hath\ncreated;p\n     and from the mischief of the night, when it cometh on;q\n     and from the mischief of women blowing on knots;r\n     and from the mischief of the envious, when he envieth.\n\n________\n\n\n\nCHAPTER CXIV.\n\nENTITLED, MEN; WHERE IT WAS REVEALED IS DISPUTED.s\n\nIN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.\n\n     SAY, I fly for refuge unto the LORD of men,\n     the king of men,\n     the GOD of men,\n     that he may deliver me from the mischief of the whisperer who slyly\nwithdraweth,t\n     who whispereth evil suggestions into the breasts of men:\n     from genii and men.\n\n\to  The original word properly signifies a cleaving, and denotes, says al\nBeid\u00e2wi, the production of all things in general, from the darkness of\nprivation to the light of existence, and especially of those things which\nproceed from others, as springs, rain, plants, children, &c., and hence it is\nused more particularly to signify the breaking forth of the light from\ndarkness, which is a most wonderful instance of the divine power.\n\tp  i.e., From the mischiefs proceeding either from the perverseness and\nevil choice of those beings which have a power to choose, or the natural\neffects of necessary agents, as fire, poison, &c., the world being good in the\nwhole, though evils may follow from those two causes.1\n\tq  Or, as the words may be rendered, From the mischief of the moon, when\nshe is eclipsed.\n\tr  That is, of witches, who used to tie knots in a cord, and to blow on\nthem, uttering at the same time certain magical words over them, in order to\nwork on or debilitate the person they had a mind to injure.  This was a common\npractice in former days:2 what they call in France Nou\u00ebr l'eguillette, and the\nknots which the wizards in the northern parts tie, when they sell mariners a\nwind (if the stories told of them be true), are also relics of the same\nsuperstition.\n\tThe commentators relate that Lobeid, a Jew, with the assistance of his\ndaughters, bewitched Mohammed, by tying eleven knots on a cord, which they hid\nin a well; whereupon Mohammed falling ill, GOD revealed this chapter and the\nfollowing, and Gabriel acquainted him with the use he was to make of them, and\nof the place where the cord was hidden: according to whose directions the\nprophet sent Ali to fetch the cord, and the same being brought, he repeated\nthe two chapters over it, and at every verse (for they consist of eleven) a\nknot was loosed, till on finishing the last words, he was entirely freed from\nthe charm.3\n\ts  This chapter was revealed on the same occasion and at the same time\nwith the former.\n\tt  i.e., The devil; who withdraweth when a man mentioneth GOD, or hath\nrecourse to his protection.\n\n\t1  Al Beid\u00e2wi.\t\t2  Vide Virgil. in Pharmaceutria.\t\t3  Al\nBeid\u00e2wi, Jallalo'ddin.\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\tFINIS\n\n\nAN INDEX\n\nOF THE\n\nPRINCIPAL MATTERS CONTAINED IN THE KORAN\nAND THE NOTES THEREON.\n_______\n\nAARON, vide Moses.\nAl Abb\u00e2s, one of Mohammed's uncles, taken at Bedr, and obliged to ransom\nhimself, 132, n.; professes Isl\u00e2m, 133, n.; confesses a passage of the Kor\u00e2n\nto\n       be fulfilled in respect to himself, 133, n.; remarkable for his loud\nvoice, 137, n.\nAbda'lhareth, a son of Adam, so named Abda'llah Dhu'lbajadin, 146, n.\nAbda'llah Ebn Obba Sol\u00fbl, the hypocrite, admired for his person and eloquence,\n406, n.; threatens to drive Mohammed from Medina, ib.; raises and\n       inflames a scandalous story of Ayesha, 264, n.; is present at an\ninterview between Mohammed and his adversaries, 312, n.; occasions a\n       quarrel, 382, n.; promises to assist the Nadirites, but fails them, 406,\nn.; endeavours to debauch Mohammed's men at Ohod, 45, n.; excused\n       from going on the expedition to Tab\u00fbc, 140, n.; desires Mohammed's\nprayers in his last sickness, 144; and to be buried in the prophet's\n       shirt, 144, n.\nAbda'llah Ebn Omm Mach\u00eem, a blind man, occasions a passage of the Kor\u00e2n, 437,\nn.\nAbda'llah Ebn Raw\u00e2ha, rebukes Ebn Obba, 382, n.\nAbda'llah Ebn Saad, one of Mohammed's amanuenses, imagines himself inspired,\nand corrupts the Kor\u00e2n, 97, n.; apostatizes and is proscribed, but\n       escapes with life, ib.\nAbda'llah Ebn Sal\u00e2m, a Jew, intimate with Mohammed, his honesty, 40, n.;\nsupposed to have assisted in composing the Kor\u00e2n, 203, n.; confounded by\n       Dr. Prideaux with Salm\u00e2n, the Persian, ib.; commended for his knowledge\nand faith, 71.\nAbd Men\u00e2f, a dispute between his descendants and the Sahmites, 454, n.\nAbda'lrahm\u00e2n Ebn Awf, one of Mohammed's first converts, P. D., 33; an instance\nof his charity, 143, n.\nAbel, vide Cain; his ram sacrificed by Abraham, 337, n.\nAbraha al Ashram, King of Yaman, his expedition against Mecca; the occasion,\nand success thereof, 455, n., &c.\nAbraham, the patriarch, an idolater in his youth, 95, n.; how he came to the\nknowledge of the true God, ib.; demolishes the idols of the Chaldeans, 245;\n       preaches to his people, 298; his religion commended, 14, 15, 42, 104;\ndisputes with Nimrod, 28; escapes the fire into which he was thrown\n       by Nimrod's order, 246; his praying for his father, 148, 408; desires to\nbe convinced of the resurrection, 28; his sacrifice of birds, 29;\n       entertains the angels, 165, 386; receives the promise of Isaac, 165;\ncalled the friend of God, 67; is miraculously supplied by the changing of\nsand into meal, ib. n.; his sacrifice of his son, 337; praises God for\nIsmael and Isaac, 189; commanded, together with Ismael, to build and\ncleanse the Caaba, 14; prays to God to raise up a prophet of their seed,\nand for the plenty and security of Mecca, ib.; bequeaths the religion of\nIsl\u00e2m to his children, ib.\nAbu Amer, vide Amer, &c.\nAd, a potent tribe of Arabs, destroyed for their infidelity, 111, 258, 278,\n356, 373, 367, 446.  Vide H\u00fbd.\nAdam, traditions concerning his creation, 4, n., 208, n., 432, n.; worshipped\nby the angels, 4, 105, 192, 212, 221, 343; his fall, 5, 106; repents and\n       prays, 5; meets Eve at Mount Arafat, 5, n.; retires with her to Ceylon,\nib.; their stature, ib.; his posterity extracted from his loins by God to\nacknowledge him for their Lord, 122, n.; names his eldest son as\ndirected by the devil, 124, n.\nAdoption creates no matrimonial impediment, 312.\nAdulterers, Mohammed's sentence against them, 34, 78, n.\nAdultery, its punishment, 34, 57; what evidence required to convict a woman of\nit, 55.\nAdversaries, the dispute of two terminated by David, 341.\nAhmed, the name under which Mohammed was foretold by Christ, 410.\nAl Ahk\u00e2f, the habitation of the Adites, 371.\nAila, or Elath, the Sabbath-breakers there changed into apes, 8, 121.\nAl Akhnas, a hypocrite, 22, n., 420, n.\nAlexander, vide Dhu'lkarnein.\nAli is sent to Mecca to publish part of the Kor\u00e2n, 134, n.; the abstinence and\ncharity of him and his family, 432, n.\nAll\u00e2t, an idol of the Koreish, 67, 390.\nAlms recommended, 6, 13, 23, 102, 141; the punishment of not giving alms, in\nthe next life, 50, n.\nAmena, Mohammed's mother; he is not permitted to pray for her, 148.\nAmer and Arbad attempt to kill Mohammed, and their punishment, 182, n.\nAmer (Abu), a Christian monk, and violent enemy to Mohammed, 147, n.\nAmer (Banu), their abstinence on the pilgrimage, 107, n.\nAmm\u00e2r Ebn Y\u00e2ser tortured by the Koreish on account of his fatih, 204, n.\nAmru Ebn Lohai, the great introducer of idolatry among the Arabs, 102, 151, n.\nAmru (Banu) build a mosque at Koba, 147, n.\nAnam, the name of Lokm\u00e2n's son, 307, n.\nAngel of death, vide Azra\u00efl.\nAngels, their original, 105, 343; worship Adam, vide Adam; impeccable, 221,\nn.; of different forms and orders, 326; not the objects of worship, 256; nor\n       ought to be hated, 11; the number of them which support God's throne,\n422; are deputed to take an account of men's actions, 384; some of\n       them appointed to take the souls of men, 436; to preside over hell, and\nto keep guard against the devils, 430; assist the Moslems at Bedr,\n       32, 131; believed by the Arabs to be daughters of God, 67, 199, &c.;\nappear to Abraham and Lot, 165, 166, 386.\nAnimals, irrational, will be raised at the resurrection and judged, 92, n.;\ncreated of water, 268.\nAns Ebn al Nadar, his behaviour at Ohod, 46, n.\nAns\u00e2rs, or helpers, who, 146, n.; three of them excommunicated for refusing to\nattend Mohammed to Tab\u00fbc, 148.\nAnts, the valley of, 284; their queen's speech to them on the approach of\nSolomon's army, ib.\nApostles were not believed who wrought miracles, 50; those before Mohammed\naccused likewise of imposture, 51, 91; of Christ, 38; two of them sent to\n       preach at Antioch, 330.\nApparel, what kind ought to be worn by those who approach the divine presence,\n107.\nArabians, their acuteness, 104; their customs in relation to divorce, 312, n.;\nto adoption, ib.; in burying their daughters alive, 101, 438; their\n       superstitions in relation to eating, 101, &c., 270; and in relation to\ncattle, 67, 86; used to worship naked, and why, 107, n.; their injustice\nto orphans and women, 68, n.; deem the birth of a daughter a misfortune,\n199, n.; the reconciliation of their tribes deemed miraculous, 132, n.;\nquit their new religion in great numbers on Mohammed's death, 80.\nArabs of the Desert more obstinate, 145.\nAl Ar\u00e2f, what, 105, n.\nArafat, Mount, why so called, 5, n.; the procession thereto, 21.\nArabad, vide Amer.\nAl Arem, the inundation of, 323, n.\nArk of Israel taken by the Amalekites, 17, n.\nArrows for divination forbidden, 84.\nAl As Ebn Wayel, an enemy of Mohammed's, 194, 232.\nAsaf, Solomon's vizir, 312, n.\nAsem, his charity, 143, n.\nAshadd (Abu'l), his extraordinary strength, 447, n.\nAshama, king of Ethiopia, embraces Mohammedism, 83, n.; prayed for after his\ndeath by Mohammed, 52.\nAsia, the wife of Pharaoh, marytred by her husband for believing in Moses,\n417, n.; is taken alive into paradise, ib.; one of the four perfect women,\n418.\nAslam, 378, n.\nAstrology, hinted at, 52.\nAl Aswad al Ansi, the false prophet, 80, n.\nAl Aswad Ebn Abd Yaghuth, al Aswad Ebn al Motalleb, two of Mohammed's enemies,\n194.\nAws and Khazraj, their enmity, 43, n.\nAyesha, Mohammed's wife; the story of her accusation, 263, n.\nAzra\u00efl, the angel of death, why appointed to that office, 4, n.; a story of\nhim and Solomon, 309, n.\nAzer, the name given to Terah, Abraham's father, 95, n.\n\n\nBAAL, the chief idol of the Chaldeans, 245, n.\nBabel, the tower of, destroyed, 197, n.\nBackbiting, vide Slander.\nBahira, 86.\nBakhtnasr, vide Nebuchadnezzar.\nBalaam, his punishment for cursing the Israelites, 122, n.\nBalk\u00ees, queen of Saba, visits Solomon, and her reception, 286; her legs hairy,\nib.; marries Solomon, ib.\nBarnabas, his apocryphal gospel, some extracts thence, 38, n., 106, n.\nAl Barzakh, what, 261, n.\nBecca, the same with Mecca, 42.\nBecr (Abu) attends Mohammed in his flight from Mecca, 139, n.; bears testimony\nto the truth of Mohammed's journey to heaven, 211, n.; his wager\n       with Obba Ebn Khalf, 302, n.; strikes a Jew on the face for speaking\nirreverently of God, 51, n.; gives all he has towards the expedition of\nTab\u00fbc, 144, n.; purchases Bel\u00e2l, 448, n.; commpared to Abraham, 132, n.\nBedr, Mohammed's victory there, 32, 45, &c.\nBees, made use of as a similitude, 200.\nBelievers; the sincere ones, described, 256; their reward, 60; their sentence,\n108.\nBenjamin, son of Jacob, 176, &c.\nBirds, omens taken from them, 208, n.\nBlessed, their future happiness described, 333, 366.\nBlood forbidden, 18.\nBo\u00e2th, the battle of, 43, n.\nBodeil, a dispute concerning his effects, occasions a passage of the Kor\u00e2n,\n86.\nBoheira, the monk, 203.\nBribery to pervert justice forbidden, 20.\nBurden, every soul to bear its own, 327.\n\n\nCAAB Ebn al Alshraf, a Jew, Mohammed's inveterate enemy, 40, n., 184, n.;\nslain by his means, ib., 404, n.; mistaken by Dr. Prideaux for another\n       person, 41, n.\nCaab Ebn Asad, persuades the Jews in league with Mohammed to desert him, 315,\nn.\nAl Caaba, appointed for a place of worship, 141, 252;  built and cleansed by\nAbraham and Ismael, 14; the keys of it returned to Othm\u00e2n Ebn Telha, 60,\n       n.\nCaf\u00fbr, a fountain in paradise, 432.\nCain and Abel, their sacrifices, 76; Cain kills his brother, 77; instructed by\na raven to bury him, ib.\nCaleb, vide Joshua.\nCalf, the golden, of what and by whom made, 6; animated, ib.; worshipped by\nthe Israelites, ib.\nCalumny forbidden, 70.\nCamels, an instance of God's wisdom, 445; appointed for sacrifice, 434; Jacob\nabstains from their flesh and milk, 42, n.\nCanaan, an unbelieving son of Noah, 162; caravans of purveyors sent out by the\nKoreish, 456.\nCarrion forbidden to be eaten, 18.\nCattle, their use, 102, 354; superstitions of the old Arabs concerning them,\n86, 102, &c.\nAl Cawthar, a river in paradise, 457.\nCeylon, the Isle of, vide Serendib.\nCharity recommended, 58, 432.\nChastity commended, 74.\nChildren, to inherit their parents substance, 25, 53.\nChrist, vide Jesus.\nChristians declared infidels, 75; and enemies of the Moslems, ib.  Vide Jews.\nCollars to be worn by the unbelievers in the life to come, 181.\nCommandments given the Jews, 215, n.\nCommerce from God, 258.\nCompanions of God, what, 101.\nCongealed blood, the matter of which man is created, 450.\nContracts to be performed, 73.\nCow ordered to be sacrificed by the Israelites, 8.\nCreation, some account of it, 355.\nCrimes to be punished with death, 209.\n\n\nDAVID kills Goliah, 27, 207; his extraordinary devotion, 340; the birds and\nmountains sing praises with him, 322; makes breastplates, 27; his\n       repentance for taking the wife of Uriah, 341; his and Solomon's\njudgment, 247.\nDays appointed to commemorate God, 252.\nDead body raised to life by a part of the sacrificed Cow, 8.\nDebtors to be mercifully dealt with, 30.\nDevil, vide Eblis and Satan; the occasion of his fall, 5, 105.\nDevils included under the name Genii, 100; the patrons of unbelievers, 50,\n107, 282; their plot to defame Solomon, 12; were permitted to enter all the\n       seven heavens till the birth of Christ, 192.\nDhu'lkarnein, who he was, 225, n.; builds a wall to prevent the incursions of\nGog and Magog, 226.\nDhu'lkefl, the prophet, opinions concerning him, 248; saves a hundred\nIsraelites from slaughter, 343.\nDhu'ln\u00fbn, vide Jonas.\nDhu Now\u00e2s, king of Yaman, a Jew, persecutes the Christians, 442.\nDisputes to be carried on with mildness, 300.\nDitch, War of the, 313.\nDivorce, laws concerning it, 24, 54, 318, 414.\nDogs, &c., allowed to be trained up for hunting, 74.\nAl Dor\u00e2b, the celestial mode of the Caaba, 388, n.\nDrink of the damned, 94.\nDying persons, what part of the Kor\u00e2n is usually read to them, 330, n.\n\n\nEARTH, its creation, 355; remonstrates against the creation of man, 4, n.; is\nkept steady by the mountains, 196, 307.\nEarthquake, a sign of the approach of the last day, 452.\nEblis refuses to worship Adam at God's command, and why, 5, 105, 102, 212,\n221; his sentence, ib.; occasions the fall of Adam, ib.\nEden, the meaning of the word in Arabic, 143.\nEdris, supposed to be the same with Enoch, 230.\nEducation makes a man an infidel, 305.\nElephant, War of the, 455.\nElias, vide al Khedr.\nElisha the prophet, 96.\nEnoch, vide Edris.\nEntering into houses and apartments abruptly forbidden, 265, 269.\nEnvy forbidden, 58.\nEsop, vide Lokm\u00e2n.\nEucharist, seems to have occasioned a fable in the Kor\u00e2n, 88.\nEve, vide Adam.\nEvidence, vide Witness.\nEvil, vide Good.\nExamination of the sepulchre, 121, n.\nExhortation to the worship of God, 350; to a good life, 168.\nEzekiel raises the dry bones, 26.\nEzra and his ass restored to life after they had been dead a hundred years,\n28; called by the Jews the son of God, and why, 127\n\n\nFAITH must accompany good works, 160; the reward of those who fight for it,\n62, 127, 135, 139, 207, 375, 409, &c.; apostates from it to be put to\n       death, 209; partial faith not sufficient, 69, n.\nFamine afflicts the Meccans, 259; ceases at Mohammed's intercession, 260.\nFast of Ramad\u00e2n instituted, 19.\nF\u00e2tema, Mohammed's daughter, one of the four perfect women, 418, n.; favoured\nof God like the Virgin Mary, 36, n.; her charity, 432, n.\nAl F\u00e2tiha, the first chapter of the Kor\u00e2n, often repeated by the Mohammedans\nin their prayers, I, n.\nFidelity recommended, 135.\nFigs, their virtues, 449, n.\nFire, the manner of striking it in the east, 334, n.\nFishing allowed during the pilgrimage, 85.\nFlood, vide Noah.\nFood, what kinds are forbidden, 18, 73, 100, 102, 205, 270.\nForbidden fruit, what, 5, n.\nForgiveness, to whom it belongs, 316.\nAl Fork\u00e2n, one of the names of the Kor\u00e2n, 271, n.\nFornication forbidden, 55, 57; its punishment, 55, 57, 262.\nFountain of molten brass flows for Solomon, 322.\nFountains of paradise, 432, 433, 440.\nFriday, set apart by Mohammed for public worship, and why, 411, n.\nFriendship with unbelievers forbidden, 80.\nFruits of the earth, their production an instance of God's power, 98.\nFugitives for the sake of religion shall be provided for and rewarded, 65,\n255.\n\n\nGABRIEL revealed the Kor\u00e2n to Mohammed, 12; assists the Moslems at Bedr, 32;\nappears to Zacharias, 36, n.; the angel of revelations, 12, n.; the\n       enemy of the Jews, ib.; appears twice to Mohammed in his proper form,\n390; appears to the Virgin Mary, and causes her to conceive, 228;\n       the dust of his horse's feet animate the golden calf, 239; generally\nappeared to Mohammed in a human form, 90;  commanded to assist\n       Mohammed against the Koreish, 194, n.; orders Mohammed to go against the\nKoradhites, 315, n.\nGaming forbidden, 23, 84.\nG\u00e2nem (Banu) build a mosque with an ill design, which is burnt, 147, n.\nGarden, story of the, 420.\nGenii, what, 98, n.; some of them converted on hearing the Kor\u00e2n, 426.\nGod, proofs of his existence, 303; his omnipresence asserted, 403; his\nomnipotence, 28, 399; his power and providence conspicuous in his works, 17,\n159,\n       369, 434; his omniscience asserted, 66, 321, 358; knoweth the secrets of\nmen's hearts, 288; and of futurity, 427; five things known to him\nalone, 309, n.; his goodness set forth, 22, 150, 195, 391, 394; in\nsending the scriptures and prophets, 22, 100; the author of all good,\n201; his word, laws, and sentence unalterable, 99, 304, 384; his mercy\nset forth, 46, 275, 294, 361, 390; the only giver of victory, 46, 303;\nhis promise to the righteous, 306; who acceptable to him, 136; ruleth\nthe heart of man, 128; his tribunal, 28; his throne, 159; praiseworthy,\n201, 443; his attributes, 123, n.; ought not to be frequently sworn by,\n24; hath no issue, 14, 155, 261; nor similitude, 307, 344; rested not\nthe seventh day through weariness, 385; his worship recommended, ib.;\nhis fear recommended, 153.\nGog and Magog, 225, 249.\nGoliah, vide Jal\u00fbt.\nGood works, who shall be redeemed by them, 399, n.\nGood and evil both from God, 62.\nGospel, vide Jesus.\nGreaves (Mr.), a mistake of his, 445, n.\nGreeks overcome the Persians, 302.\nGudarz, the name of Nebuchadnezzar, 207, n.\n\n\nHABIB, his martyrdom, 331, n.\nH\u00e2fedha, an idol of Ad, 111, n.\nHaman, Pharaoh's chief minister, 290, 293.\nHami, 86.\nHamza, Mohammed's uncle, killed at Ohod, 45, n.; his body abused, 296, n.\nHandha Ebn Safw\u00e2n, a prophet, 254, n., 273, n.\nHareth (Abu), a Christian bishop, disputes with Mohammed, 39, n.\nHaretha (Banu), reproached by Mohammed for flying in battle, 314.\nHar\u00fbt and Mar\u00fbt, two angels, their story and punishment, 12.\nHasan, the son of Ali, an instance of his moderation and generosity, 46, n.\nHateb Ebn Abi Baltaa sends a letter discovering Mohammed's design against\nMecca, which is intercepted, 407, n.\nAl H\u00e2wiyat, the name of an apartment in hell, 453, n.\nHeathens, justice not to be observed with regard to them according to the\nJews, 41.\nHeavens, the Mohamedan belief concerning them, 257, n.; guarded by angels,\n426; and earth manifest God's wisdom, 242; will fall at the last day, 256.\nAl Hejr, the habitation of the Thamudites, 191.\nHell torments described, 252, 398, 434; the portion of unbelievers, 44, 160;\nprepared for those who choose the pomp of this life, 160; and hoard up\n       money, 138; shall not hurt the believers, 231, n.; will be dragged\ntowards God's tribunal at the last day, 446, n.; and will then be filled,\n384, n.\nAl Hodeibiya, the trial there, 85; the expedition thither, 378, &c.\nHoly Spirit, who is meant thereby, 10, n.\nHonein, the battle of, 136.\nHoney, an excellent medicine, 200.\nHospitality recommended, 58.\nAl Hotama, the name of an apartment in hell, 455.\nH\u00fbd, the prophet, his story, 111.  See Ad.\nHunting and fowling forbidden during the pilgrimage, 73, 85.\nHusband, his superiority over the wife, 24; his duty to her, 24, &c.;\ndifference between them to be reconciled by friends, 58, 68.  See Divorce,\nWives,\n       Marriage, &c.\nHypocrites described, 412, &c.; their sentence, 142.\n\n\nIDOLATERS compared to brutes, 274; to a spider, 300; not to be prayed for\nwhile such, 148; their sentence, 108.\nIdolatry, the heinousness thereof, 23; unpardonable, if not repented of, 59.\nIdols, their insignificancy, 18, 256, 305, 324; will appear as witnesses\nagainst their worshippers, 153; worshipped by the antediluvians, 425.\nIlhiz, a sort of food used by the Arabs in time of scarcity, 260, n.\nIlliyy\u00fbn, the meaning of the word, 440, n.\nIlyasin, who, 338, n.\nIm\u00e2m, the meaning of the word, 14, n.\nImmodesty condemned, 266.\nImmunity declared to the idolaters for four months, 134.\nImposture charged on all the prophets, 259.\nImr\u00e2n, father of the Virgin Mary, 32; whether Mohammed confounded him with the\nfather of Moses and Miriam, 34, n.\nInfidels, how they will appear at the last day, 91; will drink boiling water,\n94; would have believed, had the Kor\u00e2n been revealed to some great man,\n364; if not convinced by the Kor\u00e2n, will not be convinced by miracles,\n99; have some notion of a future state, 288; their blasphemy, 339; to be\nmade war upon, 20, 22; those who die such not to be prayed for, 144,\n148; forbidden to approach Mecca, 137.\nInheritances, laws relating thereto, 54, 72.\nInjury, to forgive the same is meritorious, 361.\nIntercalation of a month forbidden, 139.\nIrem, the city of Ad, 445.\nIron, its usefulness, 401; some utensils of that metal brought by Adam down\nfrom paradise, ib.\nIsaac promised, 165; his birth, ib.\nIsl\u00e2m the proper name of the Mohammedan religion, 33, n.; the only true\nreligion, 43; the only religion till the death of Abel, 151.\nIsmael, vide Abraham.\nIsraelites, their males slain by Pharaoh, 6; pass the Red Sea, 118; God's\ngoodness to them, ib., 370; miraculously fed in the wilderness, 121; lust for\nthe\nherbs of Egypt, 7; worship the golden calf, 6, 11, 119; their\npunishment, 6, 10; change the word put into their mouth at Jericho, 7,\n121; commanded to sacrifice a red cow, 8, &c.; demand to see God, and\ntheir punishment, 70; refuse to enter the Holy Land, and their\npunishment, 76; their transgression, 207; desire a king, 26; cursed by\nDavid and Jesus, 83.  Vide Jews.\n\n\nJACOB bequeaths the religion of Isl\u00e2m to his children, 15; grows blind by\nweeping for the loss of Joseph, 178; recovers his sight by means of Joseph's\n       garment, and goes into Egypt, 179.\nJadd Ebn Kais, 140, n.\nJahl (Abu), a great enemy of Mohammed, 251; his injustice to an orphan, 457,\nn.; terrified, seeing Mohammed at prayers, 450; his advice concerning\nMohammed, 129, n.; slain at Bedr, 131, n.\nAl Jall\u00e2s Ebn Soweid, 143, n.\nJal\u00fbt, or Goliah, sent against the Israelites, 207, n.; slain by David, 27.\nAl Jass\u00e2sa, the beast which will appear at the approach of the last day, 288,\nn.\nJesus promised to Mary, 36; his miraculous birth, 36; compared to Adam, 39;\nspeaks in his mother's womb, 57; and in his cradle, ib.; the apostle of the\nJews, ib.; animates a bird of clay, when a child, ib., n.; performs\nseveral miracles, but not by his own power, ib.; raises three persons to\nlife, ib.; causes a table with provisions to descend from heaven, 88;\nhis miracles deemed sorcery, 87; rejected by the Jews, 38; sends two of\nhis disciples to Antioch, who work miracles, 330; a curse denounced\nagainst those who believe not on him, 39; the Jews lay a plot for his\nlife, but are disappointed, 38; not really crucified, ib., 70; whether\nhe died or not, 38; not God nor equal to God, 75, 138; but an apostle\nonly, 83, 27, 365; the Word of God, 36; various opinions concerning him,\n229; will descend on earth before the resurrection, and kill Antichrist,\n&c., 71, 365.\nJethro, vide Shoaib.\nJews, vide Israelites; particularly applied to, 5, 13; accused of having\ncorrupted the scriptures and of stifling passages, 5, n., 40, 59; accuse the\nVirgin\nMary of fornication, 70, n.; plot against Jesus, 38; their unbelief, 11,\n69, n.; covetous of life, 11; reproved for warring against one another,\n10; proof required by them of a prophet's mission, 51; their punishments\nat different times for neglect of their religion, 81; metamorphosed into\napes and swine for their infidelity, 8, 81, 88; pretend their punishment\nin hell shall be short, 10, 34; their law confirmed by Jesus and the\nKor\u00e2n, 79; their laws concerning food, 103; dispute with the Mohammedans\nconcerning God's favour, 252; Mohammed refuses to decide a controversy\nbetween them, 80; league with the Koreish against Mohammed, 60; demand\nthat Mohammed cause a book to descend from heaven, 70; a controversy\nbetween a Jew and a Mohammedan, 61.\nJews and Christians accused of condemning one another, 13; and of corrupting\nthe scriptures, 40; guilty of two extremes as to their opinion of Christ,\n       72; none of them shall die before he believes in Christ, 70; their\ndifferent behaviour to the Moslems, 83; to be protected on payment of tribute,\n       137.\nJob, his story, 247, 342.\nJohn, the son of Zacharias, his character, 36; his murder revenged on the Jews\nby Nebuchadnezzar, 207; the miracle of his blood, ib.\nJon\u00e2da first practises the intercalation of a month among the Arabs, 139.\nJonas, his story, 157, 338, 421; called Dhu'ln\u00fbn, 248.\nJoseph, his story, 169, &c.\nJoshua and Caleb sent as spies into the land of Canaan, 76.\nJourney, Mohammed's to heaven, 207.\nJow\u00e2dh (Abu'l), the hypocrite, finds fault with Mohammed's distribution of the\nspoils at Honein, 141.\nJudgment (day of), the Mohammedan tradition concerning it, 34; described, 272,\n388, 392, 422, 438; the signs of its approach, 376, 438, 250, n.;\n       called the Hour, 91; unknown to any besides God, 123; will come\nsuddenly, ib.; and inevitably, 154, 396.\nAl Judi, the mountain whereon Noah's ark rested, 162.\nJust and unjust, the difference between them, 360.\n\nAL KADR, the name of the night on which the Kor\u00e2n came down from heaven, 451.\nKail sent to Mecca to obtain rain for Ad, 111, n.\nK\u00e2r\u00fbn (or Corah), his story and fearful end, 295, &c.\nKebla, the part towards which the Mohammedans turn in prayer, 42, n.;\nindifferent, 13, changed from Jerusalem to Mecca, 15, 16.\nKendah  a tribe who used to bury their daughters alive, 101, n.\nKeys of knowledge (the five), 309, n.\nKhadijah, Mohammed's wife, one of the four perfect women, 417, n\nKhaibar, the expedition thither, 378, n.\nKhaithama (Abu), a story of him, 149, n.\nKh\u00e2led Ebn al Wal\u00eed puts Mohammed's horse to flight at the battle of Ohod, 47,\nn.; demolishes the idol of al Uzza, 347, n.; drives Acrema and his men\n       into Mecca, 380, n.\nKhantala, vide Handha.\nKhawla bint Thal\u00e2ba, her case occasions a passage of the Kor\u00e2n, 402.\nKhazraj, vide Aws.\nAl Khedr, the prophet, his adventures with Moses, 223, &c.\nKhobaib, his martyrdom, 204, n.\nKhoz\u00e2a (the tribe of) held the angels to be the daughters of God, 243, n.\nKitf\u00eer, Joseph's master, 171, n.\nKoba, Mohammed founds a mosque there, 147, n.\nKobeis (Abu), a mountain near Mecca, whence Abraham proclaimed the pilgrimage,\n252, n.\nKor\u00e2n, the signification of the word, 169, n.; by whom composed, 203, n.;\ntwenty-three years in completing, 273, n.; could not be composed by any\nbesides God, 153; men and genii defied to produce a chapter like it,\nib., 214; no forgery, 422; sent down by God himself, 99; its excellency,\n43, n., 296, 358; consonant to scripture, 160, 294; no revelation more\nevident, 123; contains all things necessary, 92, 202; all differences to\nbe decided by it, 61; its contents partly literal and partly figurative,\n32; traduced by the unbelievers, 271; as a piece of sorcery, 150, as a\npoetical composition, 333; as a pack of fables, 196; the sentence of\nthose who believe not in it, 370; when revealed, 369; not liable to\ncorruption, 158; ought not to be touched by the unclean, 398.\nKoreidha (tribe of), their destruction, 315, n.\nKoreish (the tribe of), their nobility, 49, 456; their enmity to Mohammed,\n100, n.; demand miracles of him, 184; threaten him for abusing their gods,\n347; propound three questions to him, 214; some of them attempt to kill\nhim, but are struck blind, 330; lose seventy of their principal men at\nBedr, 32, 131; persecute Mohammed's followers, 198; plagued with famine,\n260, n.; and several diseases, 194; their manner of praying, 129; make a\ntruce with Mohammed, 380, n.; violate the truce and lose Mecca, 377, n.\nKosai names his sons from four idols, 124, n.; the Koreish demand him to be\nraised to life by Mohammed, 128, n.\n\n\nLAHEB (ABU), Mohammed's uncle, and bitter enemy, 459, n.; his and his wife's\npunishment, ib.\nLapwing gives Solomon an account of the city of Saba, 284; carries a Letter\nfrom him to the queen, ib.; her sagacity in finding water, ib.\nLast day, vide Judgment.\nLaw given to Moses, 6; confirmed by Jesus, 37; and the Kor\u00e2n, 5.\nLaws relating to inheritances, 54, 72; legacies, 19, 86; to divorce, vide\nDivorce; to murder, vide Murder, &c.\nLaws of Moses and Jesus set aside by the Kor\u00e2n, 79, n.\nLaws of God, the punishment of those who conceal them, 51, n.\nLazarus raised, 37, n.\nLegs made bare, the meaning of that expression, 421, n.\nLeith (Banu) thought it unlawful to eat alone, 270.\nLetters, initial, explained, 105, n.\nLife to come, how expressed in Arabic, 2, n.\nLob\u00e2ba (Abu), his treachery, 128, n.\nLokm\u00e2n, his history, 306; whether the same with Esop, 307.\nLot, his story, 113, 165; his wife's infidelity, 417.\nLote-tree in heaven, 390.\nLots forbidden, 23, 84.\n\n\nMADIAN, a city of Hej\u00e2z, 113; its inhabitants destroyed, 281.\nMagog, vide Gog.\nMalec, the principal angel who has the charge of hell, 366.\nMalec Ebn al Seif, a Jew, 40, n.\nMan, his wonderful formation, 345; created various ways, 250; shall be\nrewarded according to his deserts, 58; ought to be thankful for the good\nthings of\n       this life, 333; his ingratitude to God, 305; his presumption in\nundertaking to fulfil the laws of God, 351; why destroyed, 169.\nManna given to the Israelites, 7.\nMarriage, laws relating thereto, 56, 266; Mohammed's privileges as to\nmarriage, 318, &c.; apt to distract a man from his duty, 413.\nMartyrs, not dead but living, 17; the sufferings of two Mohammedans, 204.\nMar\u00fbt, vide Har\u00fbt.\nMary, the Virgin, her story, 228, &c.; free from original sin, 35,\nmiraculously fed, ib.; one of the four perfect women, 418, n.; calumniated by\nthe Jews,\n       70; a woman of veracity, 83.\nAl Mash\u00e9r al Har\u00e2m, 21.\nMas\u00fad (Ebn), a tradition of his in relation to Pharaoh, 353.\nMaturity of age, 54.\nMeasure ought to be just, 114, 440.\nMecca, the security and plenty of that city, 42.  See Caaba.\nMeccans, their idolatry and superstitions condemned, 101, 301; imagined their\nidols interceded for them with God, 150; reproached for their\ningratitude, 188; threatened with destruction, 356; require Mohammed to\nshow them the angels, 99, n.; send their poor out of the city to\nMohammed, 93, n.; hold a council and conspire Mohammed's destruction,\n128, n.; applied indecent circumstances to God, 199, n.; chastised with\nfamine and sword, 348, n.; promised rain on their embracing Isl\u00e2m, 426,\nn.\nMedina, its inhabitants reproved for declining the expedition of Tab\u00fbc, 149.\nMen\u00e2t, an idol of the Meccans, 67, 390.\nMerwa, vide Saf\u00e2.\nMestah, one of the accusers of Ayesha, 265, n.\nMidian, vide Madian.\nMichael the friend of the Jews, 11, n.\nMilk, its production wonderful, 199.\nMina, the valley of, 21.\nMiracles required of Mohammed, 184, n., 215, n., 430.\nMonths, sacred, to be observed, 20, 73, 85, 139.\nMoon split in sunder, 391.\nMoh\u00e2jer\u00een, or refugees, who, 146, n.\nMohammed promised to Adam, 5; foretold by Christ, 410; expected by Jews and\nChristians, 451; sent at forty years of age, 151, n.; complained of by\nthe Koreish to his uncle, Abu Taleb, 340, n.; his revelations ridiculed\nby the Meccans, 152, n.; his journey to heaven, 206; enters into a\nleague with those of Medina, 128, n.; discovers the conspiracy of the\nMeccans against his life, 129, n.; gains some proselytes of the genii by\nreading the Kor\u00e2n, 374, n.; sent as a mercy to all creatures, 249; the\nilliterate prophet, 120; excuses his inability to work miracles, 99,\n182; his promise to those who fly for religion, 301, n.; accused of\ninjustice in dividing the spoils, 48, 141; flies to Medina, 139;\nforetells the victory at Bedr, 393, n.; an account of that victory, 32,\n125, &c.; loses the battle of Ohod, where he is in danger of his life,\n45; reported to be slain, 46, n.; lays the fault on his men for\ndisobeying his orders, 47; endeavours to quiet their murmurs for that\nmisfortune, 46, &c.; goes to meet the Koreish at Bedr according to their\nchallenge, 49, n.; foretells the battle of the ditch, 315; the fear of\nhis men at that battle, ib.; his men swear fidelity to him at al\nHodeibiya, 379, n.; his generosity, 380; makes a truce with the Koreish\nfor ten years, ib.; his courage at the battle of Honein, 137, n.;\nexpostulates with his followers on their unwillingness to go on the\nexpedition to Tab\u00fbc, 140, &c.; some account of that expedition, 113, n.;\na conspiracy to kill him, 143, n., 330, n.; another attempt on his life,\nfrom which he is miraculously preserved, 74, n.; is almost prevailed on\nby the Jews to go into Syria, 213, n.; reproves the hypocritical\nMoslems, 62; his mercy to the disobedient, 48; his wives demand a better\nallowance, on which he offers them a divorce, 316; they choose to stay\nwith him, and he lays down some rules for their behaviour, ib.; the Jews\nreproach him on account of the number of his wives, 185, n.; his\nprivileges in that and some other respects, 318, &c.; his divorced wives\nor widows not to marry again, 319; his amour with Mary, an Egyptian\nslave, 415; disputes in a Jewish synagogue, 34, n.; decides a\ncontroversy in favour of a Jew against a Mohammedan, 61, n.; reprehended\nfor a rash judgment, 66, n.; not allowed to pray for reprobate\nidolaters, 148; utters blasphemy through inadvertance, 255, n.; no\nrevelation vouchsafed him for several days, 219, 449, n.; enjoined to\nadmonish his people, 388; his near relation to the believers, 312;\ndemands respect and obedience from them, 270, 403; challenges his\nopponents to produce a chapter like the Kor\u00e2n, 3; put out of conceit\nwith honey, 415, desires nothing for his pains in preaching, 275;\nacknowledges himself a sinner, 376; commanded to pray by night, 427;\nrefuses the adoration of two Christians, 41, n.; refuses to eat with an\ninfidel, 272, in.; prophesies the defeat of the Persians by the Romans,\n302; reprehends his companions' impatience, 297; and their imitating the\nChristians, 84; speaks by revelation, 389; his dream at Bedr, 130; his\ndream at Medina, 380; his doctrine compared with that of the other\nprophets, 372; is terrified at the approach of Gabriel, 429; is\nreprehended for his neglect of a poor blind man, 437; demolishes the\nidols of Mecca, 214; warned to prepare for death, 458.\nMohammedans believe in all the scriptures and prophets without distinction,\n15; forbidden to hold friendship with infidels, 44, 80; the hypocritical\n       threatened, 149; the lukewarm deceive their own souls, 377; the sincere,\ntheir reward, 294, their description, 381.\nMoseilama, the false prophet, 80, n.\nMoses, his story, 115, &c., 233, &c., 276, &c., 289, &c.; his miraculous\npreservation in his infancy, 235, &c.; the impediment in his speech, how\noccasioned, 234, n.; kills an Egyptian, and flies into Midian, 291; is\nentertained by Shoaib, 292; receives his rod from him, ib. n.; sees the\nfire in the bush, 283; is sent to Pharaoh, and receives the power of\nworking miracles, 215; his transactions in Egypt, 115, 156, &c.; brings\nwater from the rock, 7, 121, n., cleared from an unjust aspersion by a\nstone's running away with his clothes, 320, n.; treats with God, and\nreceives the tables of the law from him, 6, 118; breaks the tables, and\nis wroth with Aaron on account of the golden calf, 120; threatens the\npeople, ib.; part of his law rehearsed, 104; reproved for his vanity,\n222, n.; his expedition in search of al Khedr, ib.; his and Aaron's\nrelics in the ark, 27; his law now corrupted, 34, n.\nMoslems, vide Mohammedans.\nMurder, laws concerning it, 19, 64, 77, 210, 255.\nMusulman, whence the word comes, 14, n.\nMysteries, how expressed in Arabic, 2, n.\n\n\nAL NADIR (the tribe of) expelled Arabia, 404, n.\nNebuchadnezzar takes Jerusalem, 207, n.\nNight, part of it to be spent in prayer, 427.\nNimrod disputes with Abraham, 28; his tower, 196, n.; attempts to ascend to\nheaven, 246, n.; his persecution of Abraham and his punishment, ib.\nNoah, his story, 110, 160, 279, 298, 424, &c.; his prayer, 392; his wife's\ninfideliity, 417.\nAl Nodar, one of Mohammed's adversaries, his opinion of the Kor\u00e2n, 90, n.;\nintroduces a Persian romance as preferable to it, 306, n.\n\n\nOATH, an inconsiderate one, how to be expiated, 84; an extraordinary one, 445.\nOaths, cautions concerning them, 24; not to be violated, 202.\nObba Ebn Khalf disputes against the resurrection, 195, n.; his wager with Abu\nBecr, 302, n.; is wounded by Mohammed, 272, n.\nOda Ebn Kais, an enemy of Mohammed, 194.\nOfferings to God recommended, 253; a large one made by Mohammed, ib\nOg, fables concerning him, 76\nOhod, the battle fought there, 45, n., 47\nOkail (Abu), his charity, 144, n.\nOkba Ebn Abi Moait professes Isl\u00e2m and apostatizes, 272, n.; publicly abuses\nMohammed, ib.; taken and beheaded at Bedr, ib.\nOlive-trees grow at Mount Sinai, 257.\nOlivet (Mount), Christ taken thence by a whirlwind, 39, n.\nOmar, his deciding a dispute between a Jew and a Mohammedan, 61, n.; compared\nto Noah, 132, n.\nOmm Salma, one of Mohammed's wives, 220, n.\nOmeyya Ebn Abi'lsalt, 122, n.\nOpprobrious language forbidden, 382.\nOrphans not to be injured, 54, 449; a curse on those who defraud them, 23; to\nbe instructed in religion, 54.\nOstrich's egg, a fine woman's skin compared to it, 335.\nOthm\u00e2n Ebn Aff\u00e2n sent by Mohammed to the Koreish, is imprisoned, 379, n.;\ncontributes largely to the expedition of Tab\u00fbc, 144, n.\nOthm\u00e2n Ebn Mat\u00fbn, his conversion occasioned by a passage of the Kor\u00e2n, 202, n.\nOthm\u00e2n Ebn Telha has the keys of the Caaba returned to him by Mohammed, 60,\nn.; embraces Mohammedism, ib\nOven, whence the first waters of the deluge poured forth, 161, n.\nOzair, vide Ezra.\n\n\nPARABLES, 29, 188, 200, 220, 267, 341\nParaclete, the Mohammedan opinion concerning the person meant thereby, 410, n.\nParadise described, 184, 375, 395, &c.; where situate, 5, n.; its fruits, 3;\nthe portion of the distressed, 22.\nPardon will be granted to the penitent, 135.\nParents to be honoured, 209, 373; make their children infidels, 304.\nPatience recommended, 53, 353; the sign of a true believer, 147, n.\nPatriarchs before Moses neither Jews nor Christians, 15.\nPen with which God's decrees are written, 419.\nPenitent, their reward, 148.\nPentateuch, vide Law\nPersecutors, their sentence, 442.\nPersians overcome by the Greeks, 303, n.\nPeter (St.), his stratagem to convert those of Antioch, 330, n.\nPharaoh, his story, 115, &c., 156, &c., 289; the common title of the kings of\nEgypt, 115; a punishment used by him, 340; his presumption, 365.\nPhineas Ebn Azura, a Jew, his dishonesty, 40; his indecent expressions\nconcerning God, 51, 81, n.\nPico de Adam, vide Serendib.\nPilgrimage to Mecca commanded, 21; directions concerning it, 21, 42, 252, &c.\nPledges to be given where no contract in writing, 31.\nPlurality of worlds, the belief thereof imputed to Mohammed, I, n.\nPoets censured, 282.\nPomp of this life of no value, 294.\nPolygamy, vide Marriage.\nPrayer commanded and enforced, 6, 13, 241, 300, 303, &c.; directions\nconcerning it, 52, 65, 74, 213, 216; not to be entered on by him who is drunk,\n       59; before reading the Kor\u00e2n, 303; for the penitent, 348.\nPredestination, 46, 208.\nPre-existence of souls a doctrine not unknown to the Mohammedans, 122, n.\nPride, abominable in the sight of God, 210.\nPrideaux (Dr.) charges the Mohammedans with cruelty, without foundation, 405,\nn.  confounds Salm\u00e2n with Abd'allah Ebn Sal\u00e2m, 203, n.; his\n       partiality as to the story of Abraha's overthrow, 456, n.; confounds\nCaab Ebn al Ashraf, the Jew, with Caab Ebn Zohair, the poet, 41, n.;\n       misled by Erpenius, 405, n.; misquotes a passage of the Kor\u00e2n, 416, n.;\nmistaken in asserting Mohammed might marry his nieces, 318, n.\nProdigality, a crime, 209.\nProphets, their enemy will have God for his, 12; rejected and persecuted\nbefore Mohammed, 91, 153; not chosen for their nobility or riches, 100.  Vide\n       Sinai.\nProsperity or adversity, no mark of God's favour or disfavour, 446.\nPunishments and blessings of the next life, 109; the manner, 138.\n\n\nQUAILS given the Israelites, 7; what kind of birds they were, ib., n.\nQuarrels between the true believers to be composed, 382; to be avoided on the\npilgrimage, 21.\nQuietism, Mohammedans no strangers to it, 446, n.\n\n\nRAFE (ABU), a Jew, offers to worship Mohammed, 41.\nRah\u00fbn, vide Serendib.\nRa\u00efna, a word used by the Jews to Mohammed by way of derision, 13.\nAl Rakim, what, 217.\nRamad\u00e2n (the month) appointed for a fast, 19.\nRansom of captives disapproved, 132.\nAl Rass, various opinions concerning it, 273, n.\nRazeka, an idol of Ad, 111.\nReligion, no violence to be used in it, 28; what is the right, 452; fighting\nfor it commanded and encouraged, 20, 47, 62, 127, 135, 137, 254, 410; divided\n       into various sects, 259; harmony therein recommended, 43; whether those\nof any religion may be saved, 8, n.\nRepentance necessary to salvation, 55; a death-bed one ineffectual, ib.\nResurrection asserted, 211, 384, 431, 441; described, 261, 384; the signs of\nits approach, 431; its time known to God alone, 310.\nRetaliation (the law of), 18.\nRevelations in writinng given to several prophets, 2, n.; what are now extant\naccording to the Mohammedans, ib.\nRevenge allowed, 255.\nRiches will not gain a man admission into paradise, 325; employ a man's whole\nlife, 454.\nRight way, what the Mohammmedans so call, I, n.\nRighteous, their reward, 152, 297, 311.\nRighteousness, wherein it consists, 18.\nRites appointed in every religion, 256.\nRock, whence Moses produced water, 7.\n\n\nSAAD Ebn Abi Wakk\u00e2s, 125, 297, n.\nSaad Ebn Moadh, his severity, 132, n.; dooms the Koradhites to destruction,\n315, n.\nSaba, queen of, vide Balk\u00ees.\nSaba, the wickedness of his posterity, and their punishment, 323.\nSabbath, the transgression thereof punished, 121.\nSaf\u00e2 and Merw\u00e2, mountains of, two monuments of God, 17.\nSasiya bint Hoyai, one of Mohammed's wives, 382, n.\nAl S\u00e2hira, one of the names of hell, 436, n.\nSa\u00efba, 86.\nS\u00e2kia, an idol of Ad, 111\nSakhar, a devil, gets Solomon's signet, and reigns in his stead. 342, n.; his\npunishment, ib.\nS\u00e2leh, the prophet, his story, 112, &c., 280, &c.  Vide Tham\u00fbd.\nS\u00e2lema, an idol of Ad, 111.\nSalsabil, a fountain in paradise, 433.\nSalutation, mutual, recommended, 63.\nAl S\u00e2meri, the maker of the golden calf, who, 6, n., 237, n.\nSarah, wife of Abraham, her laughing, 165.\nSatan, his punishment for seducing our first parents, 106; believed to assist\nthe Koreish, 131.\nSaul, his story, 26, &c.\nSects and their leaders shall quarrel at the resurrection, 18.\nSej\u00e2j, the prophetess, 80, n.\nSejj\u00een, what, 440, n.\nSennacherib, 207, n.\nSeparation, the day of, a name of the day of judgment, 368.\nSer\u00e2b, what, 267.\nSerendib, the isle of, Adam cast down thereon from paradise, 5, n.; the print\nof Adam's foot shown on a mountain there, ib.\nSergius, the monk, 203, n.\nSerpent, his sentence for assisting in the seduction of man, 106, n.\nSeventy Israelites demand to see God; are killed by lightning, and restored to\nlife at the prayer of Moses, 6.\nAl Seyid al Najr\u00e2ni, a Jew, offers to worship Mohammed, 41.\nShamhozai, a debauched angel, his penance, 12, n.\nSh\u00e2s Ebn Kais, a Jew, promotes a quarrel between Aws and Khazraj, 43, n.\nSchechinah, misinterpreted by the commentators, 27, n.\nShedd\u00e2d, son of Ad, makes a garden in imitation of paradise, 445, n.; is\ndestroyed in going to view it, ib.\nSheep, the prodigious weight of their tails in the east, 103, n.\nShem, raised to life by Jesus, 37, n.\nShoaib, the prophet, his story, 113, &c., 167.\nSigns, the meaning of the word in the Kor\u00e2n. 5, n.\nAl Sijil, the angel who takes an account of men's actions, 249.\nSin, the irremissible one, in the opinion of the Mohammedans, 10, n.; the\nseven deadly sins, 57, n.\nSinai, Mount, lifted over the Israelites, 8, 11; the souls of all the prophets\npresent at the delivery of the law to Moses thereon, 41.\nSimon the Cyren\u00e6an, supposed to be crucified instead of Jesus, 38, n.\nSirius, or the greater dog-star, worshipped by the old Arabs, 381.\nSlaves, how to be treated, 266; women not to be compelled to prostitute\nthemselves, 267.\nSlander forbidden, 382; the punishment of those who slander the prophets, 143,\n454.\nSleepers, the seven, their story, 216, &c.\nSmoke, which will precede the day of judgment, 367.\nSodom and Gomorrah destroyed, 166.\nSodomy, 55.\nSofi\u00e2n (Abu) commands the army of the Koreish at Ohod, 45; and the convoy of\nthe caravan at Bedr, 126; challenges Mohammed to meet him at Bedr\n       a second time, 47, n.; but fails, 49, n.; embraces Mohammedism on the\ntaking of Mecca, 408; expostulates with Mohammed, 260.\nSohail Ebn Amru treats with Mohammed on behalf of the Koreish, 379.\nSoheib flies to Medinna, 22.\nSolomon succeeds David, 283; has power over the winds, 247, 342; his and\nDavid's judgment, 247; his manner of travelling, 284; what passed between\nhim and the queen of Saba, 284, &c.; a trick of the devil's to blast his\ncharacter, 12; cleared by the mouth of Mohammed, ib.; orders several of\nhis horses to be killed, because they had diverted him from his prayers,\n341; is deprived of his signet and his kingdom for some days, 342; his\ndeath concealed for a year, and in what manner, 322.\nSor\u00e2ka Ebn Malec, the devil appears in his form, 131.\nSoul, the origin of it, 214.\nSpoils, laws concerning their division, 115, 130.\nStars darted at the devils, 192.\nStoning of adulterers, 34, n.\nStriking, an epithet of the last day, 453.\nSupererogation, 213.\nSura, or chapter of the Kor\u00e2n, 142.\nSun and moon, not to be worshipped, 357; are subject to God and the use of\nman, 109.\nSwearer, a common, not to be obeyed, 420.\nSwine's flesh.  Vide Food.\n\n\nTABLE caused to descend form heaven by Jesus, 87; of God's decrees, 92.\nTables of the law, 119.\nTab\u00fbc, the expedition of, 139.\nTagh\u00fbt, the meaning of the word, 28, n.\nT\u00e2leb (Abu), Mohammed's uncle, 148, n.; Mohammed refuses to pray for him on\nhis dying an infidel, ib.\nTal\u00fbt, vide Saul.\nTasn\u00eem, a fountain in paradise, 440.\nTeb\u00e2la and Jorash, their inhabitants embrace Mohammedism, 137.\nTemple of Mecca, vide Caaba; of Jerusalem, built by genii, 322.\nTh\u00e1laba grows suddenly rich on Mohammed's prayer for him, 143, n.; refusing to\npay alms is again reduced to poverty, ib.\nThak\u00eef, the tribe of, demand terms of Mohammed, which are denied them, 213, n.\nTham\u00fbd, the tribe of, their story and destruction, 111, 254, 258, 356.  Vide\nSaleh.\nTheft, its punishment, 78.\nThrone of God, 28; will be borne by eight angels on the day of judgment, 422.\nThunder celebrates the praise of God, 182.\nTima Ebn Obeirak, his theft, 66, n.\nTime computed by the sun and moon, 98.\nTitian, the name of the person supposed to be crucified in Christ's stead, 38,\nn.\nTobba, the people of, destroyed, 368.\nToleihah, the false prophet, 80, 313, n.\nTowa, the valley where Moses saw the burning bush, 436.\nTribute, its imposition. 131.\nTrinity, the belief thereof forbidden, 72, 83.\nTrue believers, who are such, 257.\nTrumpet will sound at the last day, 289, 348.\n\n\nUNBELIEVERS described, 325; their sentence, 17, 60, 346.\nUnity of God asserted, 459.\nUnrighteousness punished, 152.\nUsury forbidden, 30, 305.\nAl Uzza, an idol of the Meccans, 67, n., 390.\n\n\nVARIETY of languages and complexions hard to be accounted for, 304.\nVictory of the Greeks over the Persians foretold by Mohammed, 302.\nVisitation of the Caaba, 21.\n\n\nAL WALID EBN AL MOGHEIRA, a great enemy of Mohammed, was a bastard, 420, n.;\nderides Mohammed for calling God al Rahm\u00e2n, 123; has his nose\n       slit, 420, n.; his prosperity and decay, 429; hires another to bear the\nguilt of his apostacy, 391; his death, 194.\nAl Walid Ebn Okba, 382, n.\nWar against infidels, commanded and recommended, 62, 132, 375, &c.\nWaraka Ebn Nawfal acknowledged one God before the mission of Mohammed, 63, n.\nWas\u00eela, 86.\nWater produced from the rock by Moses, 7.\nWeight to be just, 114, 440.\nWhoredom, laws concerning it, 55, 262.\nWicked, their sentence, 155, 191, 435.  See Unbelievers.\nWidows to be provided for, 26; laws relating to them, 25.\nWife ought to be used justly, 68; may be chastised, 25; the number of wives\nallowed by the Kor\u00e2n, 53; their duty to their husbands, 24.  See Adultery,\n       Divorce and Marriage.\nWinds, their use, 305; subject to Solomon, 247, 342.\nWine forbidden, 23, 84.\nWills, laws relating to them, 86.\nWitnesses, laws relating to them, 69, 82; necessary in bargains, and to secure\ndebts, 31.\nWomen ought to be respected, 53; and to have a part of their relations'\ninheritance, 54; not to be inherited against their will, 55; to be subject to\nthe\nmen, 58; unclean while they have their courses, 23; some directions for\ntheir conduct, 266, 382; the punishment of those who falsely accuse them\nof incontinence, 263, 264; those who come over from the enemy, how to be\ndealt with, 408.\nWorks of an infidel, will appear to him at the last day, 91.\n\n\nAL YAMAMA, its inhabitants a warlike people, 379.\nAl Yaman, the inhabitants thereof slay their prophet, 242, n.; they are\ndestroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, ib.\nYathreb, the ancient name of Medina, 314.\n\n\nAL ZABIR, Mount, 119, n.\nAl Zac\u00e2t, vide Alms.\nZacharias, praying for a son, is promised John, 36, 227; educates the Virgin\nMary, 36.\nAl Zakk\u00fbm, the tree of hell, 212, 336, &c.\nAl Zamhar\u00eer, what, 101, n.\nZeid Ebn Amru, acknowledged one God before the mission of Mohammed, 63, n.\nZeid, the husband of Zeinab, his story, 317, n.; the only person, of\nMohammed's companions, named in the Kor\u00e2n, ib.\nZeinab, her marriage with Mohammed, ib.\nZenjebil, a stream in paradise, 433.\nZoleikha, Joseph's mistress, 171, &c.\n\ni\n\ni\n\n137","title":"The Koran (Al-Qur'an)","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":423332}