Chapter XXXVII
ENTITLED, THOSE WHO RANK THEMSELVES IN ORDER; REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
BY the angels who rank themselves in order;c and by those who drive forward and dispel the clouds;d and by those who read the Koran for an admonition; verily your GOD is one: the LORD of heaven and earth, and of whatever is between them, and the LORD of the east.e We have adorned the lower heaven with the ornament of the stars: and we have placed therein a guard against every rebellious devil; that they may not listen to the discourse of the exalted princes (for they are darted at from every side, to repel them, and a lasting torment is prepared for them); 10 except him who catcheth a word by stealth, and is pursued by a shining flame.f Ask the Meccans, therefore, whether they be stronger by nature, or the angels, whom we have created? We have surely created them of stiff clay. Thou wonderest at God's power and their obstinacy; but they mock at the arguments urged to convince them:
a See chapter 16, p. 195, note b The usual way of striking fire in the east is by rubbing together two pieces of wood, one of which is commonly of the tree called Markh, and the other of that called Afâr: and it will succeed even though the wood be green and wet.1 c Some understand by these words the souls of men who range themselves in obedience to GOD'S laws, and put away from them all infidelity and corrupt doings; or the souls of those who rank themselves in battle array, to fight for the true religion, and push on their horses to charge the infidels, &c.2 d Or, who put in motion all bodies, in the upper and lower world, according to the divine command; or, who keep off men from disobedience to GOD, by inspiring them with good thoughts and inclinations; or, who drive away the devils from them, &c.3 e The original word, being in the plural number, is supposed to signify the different points of the horizon from whence the sun rises in the course of the year, which are in number 360 (equal to the number of days in the old civil year), and have as many corresponding points where it successively sets, during that space.4 Marracci groundlessly imagines this interpretation to be built on the error of the plurality of worlds.5 f See chapter 15, p. 192.
1 Vide Hyde, de Rel. Vet. Pers. c. 25, p. 333, &c. 2 Al Beidâwi. 3 Idem. 4 Idem, Yahya. 5 Marracc. in Alc. p. 589.
when they are warned, they do not take warning; and when they see any sign, they scoff thereat, and say, This is no other than manifest sorcery: after we shall be dead, and become dust and bones, shall we really be raised to life, and our forefathers also? Answer, Yea: and ye shall then be despicable. There shall be but one blast of the trumpet, and they shall see themselves raised: 20 and they shall say, Alas for us! this is the day of judgment, this is the day of distinction between the righteous and the wicked, which ye rejected as a falsehood. Gather together those who have acted unjustly, and their comrades, and the idols which they worshipped besides GOD, and direct them in the way to hell; and set them before God's tribunal; for they shall be called to account. What aileth you that ye defend not one another? But on this day they shall submit themselves to the judgment of God: and they shall draw nigh unto one another, and shall dispute among themselves. And the seduced shall say unto those who seduced them, Verily ye came unto us with presages of prosperity;g and the seducers shall answer, Nay, rather ye were not true believers: for we had no power over you to compel you; but ye were people who voluntarily transgressed: 30 wherefore the sentence of our LORD hath been justly pronounced against us, and we shall surely taste his vengeance. We seduced you; but we also erred ourselves. They shall both therefore be made partakers of the same punishment on that day. Thus will we deal with the wicked: because, when it is said unto them, There is no god besides the true GOD, they swell with arrogance, and say, Shall we abandon our gods for a distracted poet? Nay: he cometh with the truth, and beareth witness to the former apostles. Ye shall surely taste the painful torment of hell; and ye shall not be rewarded, but according to your works. But as for the sincere servants of GOD, 40 they shall have a certain provision in paradise, namely, delicious fruits: and they shall be honoured: they shall be placed in gardens of pleasure, leaning on couches, opposite to one another:h a cup shall be carried round unto them, filled from a limpid fountain, for the delight of those who drink: it shall not oppress the understanding, neither shall they be inebriated therewith. And near them shall lie the virgins of paradise, refraining their looks from beholding any besides their spouses, having large black eyes, and resembling the eggs of an ostrich covered with feathers from the dust.i And they shall turn the one unto the other, and shall ask one another questions. And one of them shall say, Verily I had an intimate friend while I lived in the world, 50 who said unto me, Art thou one of those who assertest the truth of the resurrection? After we shall be dead, and reduced to dust and bones, shall we surely be judged? Then he shall say to his companions, Will ye look down? And he shall look down, and shall see him in the midst of hell: and he shall say unto him, By GOD, it wanted little but thou hadst drawn me into ruin: and had it not been for the grace of my LORD, I had surely been one of those who have been delivered up to eternal torment.
g Literally, from the right hand. The words may also be rendered, with force, to compel us; or with an oath, swearing that ye were in the right. h See chapter 15, p. 193, note i This may seem an odd comparison to an European; but the orientals think nothing comes so near the colour of a fine woman's skin as that of an ostrich's egg when kept perfectly clean.
31
Shall we die any other than our first death; or do we suffer any punishment? Verily this is great felicity: for the obtaining a felicity like this let the laborers labor. 60 Is this a better entertainment, or the tree of al Zakkum?k Verily we have designed the same for an occasion of dispute unto the unjust.l It is a tree which issueth from the bottom of hell: the fruit thereof resembleth the heads of devils;m and the damned shall eat of the same, and shall fill their bellies therewith; and there shall be given them thereon a mixture of filthy and boiling water to drink: afterwards shall they return into hell.n They found their fathers going astray, and they trod hastily in their footsteps: for the greater part of the ancients erred before them. 70 And we sent warners unto them heretofore: and see how miserable was the end of those who were warned; except the sincere servants of GOD. Noah called on us in former days: and we heard him graciously: and we delivered him and his family out of the great distress; and we caused his offspring to be those who survived to people the earth: and we left the following salutation to be bestowed on him by the latest posterity, namely, Peace be on Noah among all creatures! Thus do we reward the righteous; for he was one of our servants the true believers. 80 Afterwards we drowned the others. Abraham also was of his religion:o when he came unto his LORD with a perfect heart. When he said unto his father and his people, What do ye worship? Do ye choose false gods preferably to the true GOD? What therefore is your opinion of the LORD of all creatures? And he looked and observed the stars, and said, Verily I shall be sick,p and shall not assist at your sacrifices: and they turned their backs and departed from him.q And Abraham went privately to their gods, and said, scoffingly unto them, Do ye not eat of the meat which is set before you? 90 What aileth you that ye speak not? And he turned upon them, and struck them with his right hand, and demolished them. And the people came hastily unto him: and he said, Do ye worship the images which ye carve? whereas GOD hath created you, and also that which ye make. They said, Build a pile for him, and cast him into the glowing fire. And they devised a plot against him; but we made them the inferior, and delivered him.r And Abraham said, Verily I am going unto my LORD,s who will direct me. O LORD, grant me a righteous issue. Wherefore we acquainted him that he should have a son, who should be a meek youth.
k There is a thorny tree so called, which grows in Tehâma, and bears fruit like an almond, but extremely bitter; and therefore the same name is given to this infernal tree. l The infidels not conceiving how a tree could grow in hell, where the stones themselves serve for fuel. m Or of serpents ugly to behold; the original word signifies both. n Some suppose that the entertainment mentioned will be the welcome given the damned before they enter that place; and others, that they will be suffered to come out of hell from time to time, to drink their scalding liquor. o For Noah and he agreed in the fundamental points both of faith and practice; though the space between them was no less than 2640 years.1 p He made as if he gathered so much from the aspect of the heavens-the people being greatly addicted to the superstitions of astrology-and made it his excuse for being absent from their festival, to which they had invited him. q Fearing he had some contagious distemper.2 r See chapter 21, p. 246, &c. s Whither he hath commanded me.
1 Al Beidâwi. 2 Idem.
100 And when he had attained to years of discretion,t and could join in acts of religion with him, Abraham said unto him, O my son, verily I saw in a dream that I should offer thee in sacrifice:u consider therefore what thou art of opinion I should do. He answered, O my father, do what thou art commanded: thou shalt find me, if GOD please, a patient person. And when they had submitted themselves to the divine will, and Abraham had laid his son prostrate on his face,x we cried unto him, O Abraham, now hast thou verified the vision. Thus do we reward the righteous. Verily this was a manifest trial. And we ransomed him with a noble victim.y And we left the following salutation to be bestowed on him by the latest posterity, namely, Peace be on Abraham! 110 Thus do we reward the righteous: for he was one of our faithful servants. And we rejoiced him with the promise of Isaac: and of their offspring were some righteous doers, and others who manifestly injured their own souls. We were also gracious unto Moses and Aaron, heretofore: and we delivered them and their people from a great distress. And we assisted them against the Egyptians; and they became the conquerors. And we gave them the perspicuous book of the law, and we directed them into the right way, and we left the following salutation to be bestowed on them by the latest posterity, 120 namely, Peace be on Moses and Aaron! Thus do we reward the righteous; for they were two of our faithful servants. And Eliasz was also one of those who were sent by us.
t He was then thirteen years old.3 u The commentators say, that Abraham was ordered in a vision, which he saw on the eighth night of the month Dhu'lhajja, to sacrifice his son; and to assure him that this was not from the devil, as he was inclined to suspect, the same vision was repeated a second time the next night, when he knew it to be from GOD, and also a third time the night following, when he resolved to obey it, and to sacrifice his son; and hence some think the eighth, ninth, and tenth days of Dhu'lhajja are called Yawm altarwiya, yawm ar afat, and yawm alnehr, that is, the day of the vision, the day of knowledge, and the day of the sacrifice. It is the most received opinion among the Mohammedans that the son whom Abraham offered was Ismael, and not Isaac, Ismael being his only son at that time: for the promise of Isaac's birth is mentioned lower, as subsequent in time to this transaction. They also allege the testimony of their prophet, who is reported to have said, I am the son of the two who were offered in sacrifice; meaning his great ancestor, Ismael, and his own father Abd'allah: for Abd'almotalleb had made a vow that if GOD would permit him to find out and open the well Zemzem, and should give him ten sons, he would sacrifice one of them. Accordingly, when he had obtained his desire in both respects, he cast lots on his sons, and the lot falling on Abd'allah, he redeemed him by offering a hundred camels, which was therefore ordered to be the price of a man's blood in the Sonna.1 x The commentators add, that Abraham went so far as to draw the knife with all his strength across the lad's throat, but was miraculously hindered from hurting him.2 y The epithet of great or noble is here added, either because it was large and fat, or because it was accepted as the ransom of a prophet. Some suppose this victim was a ram, and, if we may believe a common tradition, the very same which Abel sacrificed, having been brought to Abraham out of paradise; others fancy it was a wild goat, which came down from Mount Thabîr, near Mecca, for the Mohammedans lay the scene of this transaction in the valley of Mina; as a proof of which they tell us that the horns of the victim were hung upon the spout of the Caaba, where they remained till they were burnt, together with that building, in the days of Abda'llah Ebn Zobeir;3 though others assure us that they had been before taken down by Mohammed himself, to remove all occasion of idolatry.4 z This prophet the Mohammedans generally suppose to be the same with al Khedr, and confound him with Phineas,5 and sometimes with Edris, or Enoch. Some say he was the son of Yasin, and nearly related to Aaron; and others suppose him to have been a different person. He was sent to the inhabitants of Baalbec, in Syria, the Heliopolis of the Greeks, to reclaim them from the worship of their idol Baal, or the sun, whose name makes part of that of the city, which was anciently called Becc.6
3 Idem. 1 Idem, Jallalo'ddin, al Zamakh. 2 Idem, Jallalo'ddin. 3 Idem. 4 Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Ismail. 5 See cap. 18, p. 223, note 6 Jallalo'ddin, al Beidâwi.
When he said unto his people, Do ye not fear God? Do ye invoke Baal, and forsake the most excellent Creator? GOD is your LORD, and the LORD of your forefathers. But they accused him of imposture: wherefore they shall be delivered up to eternal punishment; except the sincere servants of GOD. And we left the following salutation to be bestowed on him by the latest posterity, 130 namely, Peace be on Ilyâsin!a Thus do we reward the righteous: for he was one of our faithful servants. And Lot was also one of those who were sent by us. When we delivered him and his whole family, except an old woman, his wife, who perished, among those that remained behind: afterwards we destroyed the others.b And ye, O people of Mecca, pass by the places where they once dwelt, as ye journey in the morning, and by night; will ye not therefore understand? Jonas was also one of those who were sent by us.c 140 When he fledd into the loaded ship; and those who were on board cast lots among themselves,e and he was condemned:f and the fish swallowed him;g for he was worthy of reprehension. And if he had not been one those who praised GOD,h verily he had remained in the belly thereof until the day of resurrection. And we cast him on the naked shore, and he was sick:i and we caused a plant of a gourdk to grow up over him; and we went him to an hundred thousand persons, or they were a greater number, and they believed: wherefore we granted them to enjoy this life for a season. Inquire of the Meccans whether thy LORD hath daughters, and they sons?l 150 Have we created the angels of the female sex? and were they witnesses thereof?
a The commentators do not well know what to make of this word. Some think it is the plural of Elias, or, as the Arabs write it, Ilyâs, and that both that prophet and his followers, or those who resembled him, are meant thereby; others divide the word, and read âl Yasîn, i.e., the family of Yasin, who was the father of Elias according to an opinion mentioned above; and others imagine it signifies Mohammed, or the Korân, or some other book of scripture. But the most probable conjecture is that Ilyâs and Ilyâsin are the same name, or design one and the same person, as Sinai and Sinin denote one and the same mountain; the last syllable being added here, to keep up the rhyme or cadence, at the close of the verse. b See chapter 7, p. 113, &c., and chapter 11, p. 166, &c. c See chapter 10, p. 157. d See chapter 21, p. 248. e Al Beidâwi says the ship stood stock-still, wherefore they concluded that they had a fugitive servant on board, and cast lots to find him out. f i.e., He was taken by the lot. g When the lot fell on Jonas he cried out, I am the fugitive; and immediately threw himself into the sea.7 h The words seem to relate particularly to Jonas's supplication while in the whale's belly.8 i By reason of what he had suffered; his body becoming like that of a new-born child.9 It is said that the fish, after it had swallowed Jonas, swam after the ship with its head above water, that the prophet might breathe, who continued to praise GOD till the fish came to land and vomited him out. The opinions of the Mohammedan writers as to the time Jonas continued in the fish's belly differ very much: some suppose it was part of a day, others three days, others seven, others twenty, and others forty.10 k The original word signifies a plant which spreads itself upon the ground, having no erect stalk or stem to support it, and particularly a gourd; though some imagine Jonas's plant to have been a fig, and others the small tree or shrub called Mauz,1 which bears very large leaves, and excellent fruit.2 The commentators add, that this plant withered the next morning, and that Jonas being much concerned at it, GOD made a remonstrance to him in behalf of the Ninivites, agreeable to what is recorded in scripture. l See chapter 16, p. 199.
7 Idem. 8 See cap. 21, p. 248. 9 Al Beidâwi. 10 Idem. 1 Idem. 2 Vide J Leon. Descr. Afric. lib. 9. Gab. Sionit. de Urb. Orient. ad calcem Geogr. Nub. p. 32, et Hottinger. Hist. Orient. p. 78, &c.
Do they not say of their own false invention, GOD hath begotten issue? and are they not really liars? Hath he chosen daughters preferably to sons? Ye have no reason to judge thus. Will ye therefore not be admonished? Or have ye a manifest proof of what ye say? Produce now your book of revelations, if ye speak truth. And they make him to be of kin unto the genii;m whereas the genii know that they who affirm such things shall be delivered up to eternal punishment; (far be that from GOD, which they affirm of him!) 160 except the sincere servants of GOD. Moreover ye and that which ye worship shall not seduce any concerning God, except him who is destined to be burned in hell. There is none of us but hath an appointed place: we range ourselves in order, attending the commands of God; and we celebrate the divine praise.n The infidels said, If we had been favored with a book of divine revelations, of those which were delivered to the ancients, we had surely been sincere servants of GOD: 170 yet now the Koran is revealed, they believe not therein; but hereafter shall they know the consequence of their unbelief. Our word hath formerly been given unto our servants the apostles; that they shall certainly be assisted against the infidels, and that our armies should surely be the conquerors. Turn aside therefore from them, for a season: and see the calamities which shall afflict them; for they shall see thy future success and prosperity. Do they therefore seek to hasten our vengeance? Verily when it shall descend into their courts, an evil morning shall it be unto those who were warned in vain. Turn aside from them therefore for a season, and see: hereafter shall they see thy success and their punishment. 180 Praise be unto thy LORD, the LORD who is far exalted above what they affirm of him! And peace be on his apostles! And praise be unto GOD, the LORD of all creatures!
m That is, the angels, who are also comprehended under the name of genii, being a species of them. Some say that the infidels went so far as to assert that GOD and the devil were brothers,3 which blasphemous expression may have been occasioned by the magian notions. n These words are supposed to be spoken by the angels, disclaiming the worship paid to them by the idolaters, and declaring that they have each their station and office appointed them by GOD, whose commands they are at all times ready to execute, and whose praises they continually sing. There are some expositors, however, who think they are the words of Mohammed and his followers; the meaning being, that each of them has a place destined for him in paradise, and that they are the men who range themselves in order before GOD, to worship and pray to him, and who celebrate his praise by rejecting every false notion derogatory to the divine wisdom and power.
3 Al Beidâwi.
________
XXXVIII. ENTITLED, S.; REVEALED AT MECCA
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
S.o BY the Korân full of admonition.p Verily the unbelievers are addicted to pride and contention. How many generations have we destroyed before them; and they cried for mercy, but it was not a time to escape. They wonder that a warner from among themselves hath come unto them. And the unbelievers said, This man is a sorcerer, and a liar: doth he affirm the gods to be but one GOD. Surely this is a wonderful thing.
o The meaning of this letter is unknown:1 some guess it stands for Sidk, i.e., Truth; or for Sadaka, i.e., He (viz., Mohammed) speaketh the truth; and others propose different conjectures, all equally uncertain. p Something must be understood to answer this oath, which the commentators variously supply.
1 See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c.
And the chief men among them departed,q saying to one another, Go, and persevere in the worship of your gods: verily this is the thing which is designed.r We have not heard anything like this in the last religion:s this is no other than a false contrivance. Hath an admonition been sent unto him preferable to any other among us? Verily they are in a doubt concerning my admonition: but they have not yet tasted my vengeance. Are the treasures of the mercy of thy LORD, the mighty, the munificent God, in their hands? Is the kingdom of the heavens, and the earth, and of whatever is between them, in their possession? If it be so, let them ascend by steps unto heaven. 10 But any army of the confederates shall even here be put to flight. The people of Noah, and the tribe of Ad, and Pharaoh the contriver of the stakes,t and the tribe of Thamud, and the people of Lot, and the inhabitants of the wood near Madian,u accused the prophets of imposture before them; these were the confederates against the messengers of God. All of them did no other than accuse their apostles of falsehood: wherefore my vengeance hath been justly executed upon them. And these wait only for one sounding of the trumpet; which there shall be no deferring. And they scoffingly say, O LORD, hasten our sentence unto us, before the day of account. Do thou patiently bear that which they utter: and remind them of our servant David, endued with strength;x for he was one who seriously turned himself unto God. We compelled the mountains to celebrate our praise with him, in the evening and at sunrise, and also the birds, which gathered themselves together unto him:y all of them returned frequently unto him for this purpose. And we established his kingdom, and gave him wisdom and eloquence of speech. 20 Hath the story of the two adversariesz come to thy knowledge; when they ascended over the wall into the upper apartment,
q On the conversion of Omar, the Koreish being greatly irritated, the most considerable of them went in a body to Abu Taleb, to complain to him of his nephew Mohammed's proceedings; but being confounded and put to silence by the prophet's arguments, they left the assembly, and encouraged one another in their obstinacy.2 r Namely, to draw us from their worship. s i.e., In the religion which we received from our fathers; or, in the religion of Jesus, which was the last before the mission of Mohammed.3 t For they say Pharaoh used to tie those he had a mind to punish by the hands and feet to four stakes fixed in the ground, and so tormented them.4 Some interpret the words, which may also be translated the lord or master of the stakes, figuratively, of the firm establishment of Pharaoh's kingdom; because the Arabs fix their tents with stakes;5 but they may possibly intend that prince's obstinacy and hardness of heart. u See chapter 15, p. 194. x The commentators suppose that ability to undergo the frequent practice of religious exercises is here meant. They say David used to fast every other day, and to spend one-half of the night in prayer.1 y See chapter 21, p. 247. z These were two angels, who came unto David in the shape of men, to demand judgment in the feigned controversy after mentioned. It is no other than Nathan's parable to David,2 a little disguised.
2 Al Beidâwi. 3 Idem. 4 Jallalo'ddin. 5 Al Beidâwi. 1 Idem. interp. 2 2 Sam. xii.
when they went in unto David, and he was afraid of them.a They said, Fear not: we are two adversaries who have a controversy to be decided. The one of us hath wronged the other: wherefore judge between us with truth, and be not unjust; and direct us into the even way. This my brother had ninety and nine sheep: and I had only one ewe: and he said, Give her me to keep; and he prevailed against me in the discourse which we had together. David answered, Verily he hath wronged thee in demanding thine ewe as an addition to his own sheep: and many of them who are concerned together in business wrong one another, except those who believe and do that which is right; but how few are they! And David perceived that we had tried him by this parable, and he asked pardon of his LORD: and he fell down and bowed himself, and repented.b Wherefore we forgave him this fault; and he shall be admitted to approach near unto us, and shall have an excellent place of abode in paradise. O David, verily we have appointed thee a sovereign prince in the earth: judge therefore between men with truth; and follow not thy own lust, lest it cause thee to err from the way of GOD: for those who err from the way of GOD shall suffer a severe punishment, because they have forgotten the day of account. We have not created the heavens and the earth, and whatever is between them, in vain.c This is the opinion of the unbelievers: but woe unto those who believe not, because of the fire of hell. Shall we deal with those who believe and do good works, as with those who act corruptly in the earth? Shall we deal with the pious as with the wicked? A blessed book have we sent down unto thee, O Mohammed, that they may attentively meditate on the signs thereof, and that men of understanding may be warned. And we gave unto David Solomon; how excellent a servant! for he frequently turned himself unto God. 30 When the horses standing on three feet, and touching the ground with the edge of the fourth foot, and swift in the course, were set in parade before him in the evening,d he said, Verily I have loved the love of earthly good above the remembrance of my LORD: and have spent the time in viewing these horses, until the sun is hidden by the veil of night; bring the horses back unto me. And when they were brought back, he began to cut off their legs and their necks.
a Because they came suddenly upon him, on a day of privacy: when the doors were guarded, and no person admitted to disturb his devotions. For David, they say, divided his time regularly, setting apart one day for the service of GOD, another day for rendering justice to his people, another day for preaching to them, and another day for his own affairs.3 b The crime of which David had been guilty, was the taking the wife of Uriah, and ordering her husband to be set in the front of the battle to be slain.4 Some suppose this story was told to serve as an admonition to Mohammed, who, it seems, was apt to covet what was another's. c So as to permit injustice to go unpunished, and righteousness unrewarded. d Some say that Solomon brought these horses, being a thousand in number, from Damascus and Nisibis, which cities he had taken; others say that they were left him by his father, who took them from the Amalekites; while others, who prefer the marvellous, pretend that they came up out of the sea, and had wings. However, Solomon, having one day a mind to view these horses, ordered them to be brought before him, and was so taken up with them that he spent the remainder of the day, till after sunset, in looking on them; by which means he neglected the prayer, which ought to have been said at that time, till it was too late; but when he perceived his omission, he was so greatly concerned at it, that ordering the horses to be brought back, he killed them all as an offering to GOD, except only a hundred of the best of them. But GOD made him ample amends for the loss of these horses, by giving him dominion over the winds.5
3 Al Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin. 4 Idem. 5 Al Beidâwi, al Zamakh., Yahya.
We also tried Solomon, and placed on his throne a counterfeit body:e afterwards he turned unto God, and said, O LORD, forgive me, and give me a kingdom which may not be obtained by any after me;f for thou art the giver of kingdoms. And we made the wind subject to him; it ran gently at his command, whithersoever we directed. And we also put the devils in subjection under him; and among them such as were every way skilled in building, and in diving for pearls:g and others we delivered to him bound in chains, saying, This is our gift: therefore be bounteous, or be sparing unto whom thou shalt think fit,h without rendering an account. And he shall approach near unto us, and shall have an excellent abode in paradise. 40 And remember our servant Job,i when he cried unto his LORD, saying, Verily Satan hath afflicted me with calamity and pain. And it was said unto him, Strike the earth with thy foot; which when he had done, a fountaink sprang up, and it was said to him, This is for thee to wash in, to refresh thee, and to drink. And we restored unto him his family, and as many more with them, through our mercy; and for an admonition unto those who are endued with understanding. And we said unto him, Take a handful of rodsl in thy hand, and strike thy wife therewith;m and break not thine oath.n Verily we found him a patient person: how excellent a servant was he! for he was one who frequently turned himself unto us. Remember also our servants Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, who were men strenuous and prudent.
e The most received exposition of this passage is taken from the following Talmudic fable.1 Solomon, having taken Sidon, and slain the king of that city, brought away his daughter Jerâda, who became his favourite; and because she ceased not to lament her father's loss, he ordered the devils to make an image of him for her consolation: which being done, and placed in her chamber, she and her maids worshipped it morning and evening, according to their custom. At length Solomon being informed of this idolatry, which was practised under his roof, by his vizir Asâf, he broke the image, and having chastised the woman, went out into the desert, where he wept and made supplications to GOD; who did not think fit, however, to let his negligence pass without some correction. It was Solomon's custom, while he eased or washed himself, to entrust his signet, on which his kingdom depended, with a concubine of his named Amîna: one day, therefore, when she had the ring in her custody, a devil, named Sakhar, came to her in the shape of Solomon, and received the ring from her; by virtue of which he became possessed of the kingdom, and sat on the throne in the shape which he had borrowed, making what alterations in the law he pleased. Solomon, in the meantime, being changed in his outward appearance, and known to none of his subjects, was obliged to wander about, and beg alms for his subsistence; till at length, after the space of forty days, which was the time the image had been worshipped in his house, the devil flew away, and threw the signet into the sea: the signet was immediately swallowed by a fish, which being taken and given to Solomon, he found the ring in its belly, and having by this means recovered the kingdom, took Sakhar, and tying a great stone to his neck, threw him into the lake of Tiberias.2 f i.e., That I may surpass all future princes in magnificence and power. g See chapter 21, p. 247; chapter 27, p. 284, &c. h Some suppose these words to relate to the genii, and that Solomon is thereby empowered to release or to keep in chains such of them as he pleased. i See chapter 21, p. 247. k Some say there were two springs, one of hot water, wherein he bathed; and the other of cold, of which he drank.3 l The original not expressing what this handful was to consist of, one supposes it was to be only a handful of dry grass or of rushes, and another that it was a branch of a palm-tree.4 m The commentators are not agreed what fault Job's wife had committed to deserve this chastisement: we have mentioned one opinion already.5 Some think it was only because she stayed too long on an errand. n For he had sworn to give her a hundred stripes if he recovered.
1 Vide Talm. En Jacob, part ii. et Yalkut in lib. Reg. p. 182. 2 Al Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin, Abulfeda. 3 Al Beidâwi. 4 See the notes to cap. 21, p. 247. 5 See ibid.
Verily we purified them with a perfect purification, through the remembrance of the life to come;o and they were in our sight, elect and good men. And remember Ismael, and Elisha,p and Dhu'lkefl:q for all these were good men. This is an admonition. Verily the pious shall have an excellent place to return unto, 50 namely, gardens of perpetual abode, the gates whereof shall stand open unto them. As they lie down therein, they shall there ask for many sorts of fruits, and for drink; and near them shall sit the virgins of paradise, refraining their looks from beholding any besides their spouses, and of equal age with them.r This is what ye are promised, at the day of account. This is our provision, which shall not fail. This shall be the reward of the righteous. But for the transgressors is prepared an evil receptacle, namely, hell: they shall be cast into the same to be burned, and a wretched couch shall it be. This let them taste, to wit, scalding water, and corruption flowing from the bodies of the damned, and divers other things of the same kind. And it shall be said to the seducers, This troop which was guided by you shall be thrown, together with you, headlong into hell: they shall not be bidden welcome: for they shall enter the fire to be burned. 60 And the seduced shall say to their seducers, Verily ye shall not be bidden welcome: ye have brought it upon us; and a wretched abode is hell. They shall say, O LORD, doubly increase the torment of him who hath brought this punishment upon us, in the fire of hell. And the infidels shall say, Why do we not see the men whom we numbered among the wicked, and whom we received with scorn? Or do our eyes miss them? Verily this is a truth; to wit, the disputing of the inhabitants of hell fire. Say, O Mohammed, unto the idolaters, Verily I am no other than a warner: and there is no god, except the one only GOD, the Almighty, the LORD of heaven and earth, and of whatsoever is between them; the mighty, the forgiver of sins. Say, it is a weighty message, from which ye turn aside. I had no knowledge of the exalted princes,s when they disputed concerning the creation of man: 70 (it hath been revealed unto me only as a proof that I am a public preacher:) when thy LORD said unto the angels, Verily I am about to create man of clay: when I shall have formed him, therefore, and shall have breathed my spirit into him, do ye fall down and worship him.t And all the angels worshipped him, in general, except Eblis, who was puffed up with pride, and became an unbeliever. God said unto him, O Eblis, what hindereth thee from worshipping that which I have created with my hands? Art thou elated with vain pride? Or art thou really one of exalted merit? He answered, I am more excellent than he: thou hast created me of fire, and thou hast created him of clay.
o Or, as the words may be interpreted, according to al Zamakhshari, We have purified them, or peculiarly destined and fitted them for paradise. p See chapter 6, p. 96. q See chapter 21, p. 248. Al Beidâwi here takes notice of another tradition concerning this prophet, viz., that he entertained and took care of a hundred Israelites, who fled to him from certain slaughter, from which action he probably had the name of Dhu'lkefl given him, the primary signification of the verb cafala being to maintain or take care of another. If a conjecture might be founded on this tradition, I should fancy the person intended was Obadiah, the governor of Ahab's house.6 r i.e., About thirty or thirty-three.1 s That is, the angels. t See chapter 2, p. 4.
6 See I Kings xviii. 4. 1 See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 77.
God said unto him, Get thee hence therefore; for thou shalt be driven away from mercy; and my curse shall be upon thee, until the day of judgment. 80 He replied, O LORD, respite me, therefore, until the day of resurrection. God said, Verily thou shalt be one of those who are respited until the day of the determined time. Eblis said, By thy might do I swear, I will surely seduce them all, except thy servants who shall be peculiarly chosen from among them. God said, It is a just sentence; and I speak the truth: I will surely fill hell with thee, and with such of them as shall follow thee, altogether.u Say unto the Meccans, I ask not of you any reward for this my preaching: neither am I one of those who assume a part which belongs not to them. The Koran is no other than an admonition unto all creatures: and ye shall surely know what is delivered therein to be true, after a season.
________
XXXIX. ENTITLED, THE TROOPS;x REVEALED AT MECCA.y
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
THE revelation of this book is from the mighty, the wise GOD. Verily we have revealed this book unto thee with truth: wherefore serve GOD, exhibiting the pure religion unto him. Ought not the pure religion to be exhibited unto GOD? But as to those who take other patrons besides him, saying, We worship them only that they may bring us nearer unto GOD; verily GOD will judge between them concerning that wherein they disagree. Surely GOD will not direct him who is a liar, or ungrateful. If GOD had been minded to have had a son, he had surely chosen what he pleased out of that which he hath created.z But far be such a thing from him! He is the sole, the almighty God. He hath created the heavens and the earth with truth: he causeth the night to succeed the day, and he causeth the day to succeed the night, and he obligeth the sun and the moon to perform their services; each of them hastening to an appointed period. Is not he the mighty, the forgiver of sins? He created you of one man, and afterwards out of him formed his wife: and he hath bestoweda on you four pair of cattle.b He formeth you in the wombs of your mothers, by several gradual formations,c within three veils of darkness.d This is GOD, your LORD: his is the kingdom: there is no GOD but he. Why therefore are ye turned aside from the worship of him to idolatry?
u See chapter 7, p. 106, and chapter 15, p. 192, &c. x This title is taken from the latter end of the chapter, where it is said the wicked shall be sent to hell, and the righteous admitted into paradise by troops. y Except the verse beginning, Say, O my servants, who have transgressed against your own souls, &c.1 z Because, says Al Beidâwi, there is no being besides himself but what hath been created by him, since there cannot be two necessarily-existent beings; and hence appears the absurdity of the imagination here condemned, because no creature can resemble the Creator, or be worthy to bear the relation of a son to him. a Literally, He hath sent down; from which expression some have imagined that these four kinds of beasts were created in paradise, and thence sent down to earth.2 b See chapter 6, p. 102. c See chapter 22, p. 250. d i.e., The belly, the womb, and the membranes which enclose the embryo.
1 Jallalo'ddin, al Beidâwi. 2 Al Zamakh.
If ye be ungrateful, verily GOD hath no need of you; yet he liketh not ingratitude in his servants: but if ye be thankful, he will be well pleased with you. A burdened soul shall not bear the burden of another; hereafter shall ye return unto your LORD, and he shall declare unto you that which ye have wrought, and will reward you accordingly; 10 for he knoweth the innermost parts of your breasts. When harm befalleth a man, he calleth upon his LORD, and turneth unto him: yet afterwards, when God hath bestowed on him favor from himself, he forgetteth that Being which he invoked before,e and setteth up equals unto GOD, that he may seduce men from his way. Say unto such a man, Enjoy this life in thy infidelity for a little while; but hereafter shalt thou surely be one of the inhabitants of hell fire. Shall he who giveth himself up to prayer in the hours of the night, prostrate, and standing, and who taketh heed as to the life to come, and hopeth for the mercy of his LORD, be dealt with as the wicked unbeliever? Say, Shall they who know their duty and they who know it not, be held equal? Verily the men of understanding only will be warned. Say, O my servants who believe, fear your LORD. They who do good in this world shall obtain good in the next;f and GOD'S earth is spacious:g verily those who persevere with patience shall receive their recompense without measure. Say, I am commanded to worship GOD, and to exhibit the pure religion unto him: and I am commanded to be the first Moslem.h Say, Verily I fear, if I be disobedient unto my LORD, the punishment of the great day. Say, I worship GOD, exhibiting my religion pure unto him; but do ye worship that which ye will, besides him. Say, Verily they will be the losers, who shall lose their own souls, and their families, on the day of resurrection: is not this manifest loss? Over them shall be roofs of fire, and under them shall be floors of fire. With this doth GOD terrify his servants: wherefore, oh my servants, fear him. But those who eschew the worship of idols, and are turned unto GOD, shall receive good tidings. Bear good tidings therefore unto my servants, who hearken unto my word, and follow that which is most excellent therein: these are they whom GOD directeth, and these are men of understanding. 20 Him, therefore, on whom the sentence of eternal punishment shall be justly pronounced, canst thou, O Mohammed, deliver him who is destined to dwell in the fire of hell? But for those who fear their LORD will be prepared high apartments in paradise, over which shall be other apartments built; and rivers shall run beneath them: this is the promise of GOD; and GOD will not be contrary to the promise. Dost thou not see that GOD sendeth down water from heaven, and causeth the same to enter and form sources in the earth; and produceth thereby corn of various sorts? Afterwards he causeth the same to wither; and thou seest it become yellow: afterwards he maketh it crumble into dust. Verily, herein is an instruction to men of understanding.
e Or, He forgetteth the evil which he before prayed against. f Or, They who do good, shall obtain good even in this world. g Wherefore let him who cannot safely exercise his religion where he was born or resides, fly to a place of liberty and security.1 h i.e., The first of the Koreish who professeth the true religion, or the leader in chief of the Moslems.
1 Al Beidâwi
Shall he, therefore, whose breast GOD hath enlarged to receive the religion of Islam, and who followeth the light from his LORD, be as he whose heart is hardened? But woe unto those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of GOD! they are in a manifest error. GOD hath revealed a most excellent discourse; a book conformable to itself, and containing repeated admonitions. The skins of those who fear their LORD shrink for fear thereat; afterwards their skins grow soft, and their hearts also, at the remembrance of their LORD. This is the direction of GOD: he will direct thereby whom he pleaseth; and whomsoever GOD shall cause to err, he shall have no director. Shall he therefore who shall be obliged to screen himself with his face from the severity of the punishment on the day of resurrection, be as he who is secure therefrom? And it shall be said unto the ungodly, Taste that which ye have deserved. Those who were before them accused their apostles of imposture; wherefore a punishment came upon them from whence they expected it not: and GOD caused them to take shame in this present life; but the punishment of the life to come will certainly be greater. If they were men of understanding, they would know this. Now have we proposed unto mankind, in this Koran, every kind of parable; that they may be warned: an Arabic Koran, wherein there is no crookedness; that they may fear God. 30 GOD propoundeth as a parable a man who hath several companions which are at mutual variance, and a man who committeth himself wholly to one person:l shall these be held in equal comparison? GOD forbid! But the greater part of them do not understand. Verily thou, O Mohammed, shalt die, and they also shall die: and ye shall debate the matterm with one another before your LORD, at the day of resurrection. Who is more unjust than he who uttereth a lie concerning GOD, and denieth the truth when it cometh unto him? Is there not a dwelling provided in hell for the unbelievers? But he who bringeth the truth, and giveth credit thereto,n these are they who fear God; they shall obtain whatever they shall desire, in the sight of their LORD: this shall be the recompense of the righteous; that GOD may expiate from them the very worst of that which they have wrought, and may render them their reward according to the utmost merit of the good which they have wrought.
i For his hands shall be chained to his neck, and he shall not be able to oppose anything but his face to the fire.1 k i.e., No contradiction, defect, or doubt. l This passage represents the uncertainty of the idolater, who is distracted in the service of different masters; and the satisfaction of mind which attends the worshipper of the only true GOD.2 m For the prophet will represent his endeavours to reclaim them from idolatry, and their obstinacy; and they will make frivolous excuses, as that they obeyed their chiefs, and kept to the religion of their fathers, &c.3 n i.e., Mohammed and his followers. Some suppose that by the latter words Abu Becr is particularly intended, because he asserted the prophet's veracity in respect to his journey to heaven.
1 Al Beidâwi. 2 Idem. 3 Idem.
Is not GOD a sufficient protector of his servant? yet they will attempt to make thee afraid of the false deities which they worship besides GOD.o But he whom GOD shall cause to err, shall have none to direct him: and he whom GOD shall direct, shall have none to mislead him. Is not GOD most mighty, able to avenge? If thou ask them who hath created the heavens and the earth, they will surely answer, GOD. Say, Do ye think, therefore, that the deities which ye invoke besides GOD, if GOD be pleased to afflict me, are able to relieve me from his affliction? or if he be pleased to show mercy unto me, that they are able to withhold his mercy? Say, GOD is my sufficient support: in him let those put their trust, who seek in whom to confide. 40 Say, O my people, do ye act according to your state; verily I will act according to mine: hereafter shall ye know on which of us will be inflicted a punishment that shall cover him with shame, and on whom a lasting punishment shall fall. Verily we have revealed unto thee the book of the Koran, for the instruction of mankind, with truth. Whoso shall be directed thereby shall be directed to the advantage of his own soul; and whoso shall err, shall only err against the same: and thou art not a guardian over them. GOD taketh unto himself the souls of men at the time of their death; and those which die not he also taketh in their sleep:p and he withholdeth those on which he hath passed the decree of death,q but sendeth back the others till a determined period.r Verily herein are signs unto the people who consider. Have the Koreish taken idols for their intercessors with God? Say, What, although they have not dominion over anything, neither do they understand? Say, Intercession is altogether in the disposal of GOD:s his is the kingdom of heaven and earth; and hereafter shall ye return unto him. When the one sole GOD is mentioned, the hearts of those who believe not in the life to come, shrink with horror: but when the false gods, which are worshipped besides him, are mentioned, behold they are filled with joy. Say, O GOD, the creator of heaven and earth, who knowest that which is secret, and that which is manifest; thou shalt judge between thy servants concerning that wherein they disagree. If those who act unjustly were masters of whatever is in the earth, and as much more therewith, verily they would give it to ransom themselves from the evil of the punishment, on the day of resurrection: and there shall appear unto them, from GOD, terrors which they never imagined; and there shall appear unto them the evils of that which they shall have gained; and that which they mocked at shall encompass them.
o The Koreish used to tell Mohammed that they feared their gods would do him some mischief, and deprive him of the use of his limbs, or of his reason, because he spoke disgracefully of them. It is thought by some that this passage was verified in Khâled Ebn al Walîd; who, being sent by Mohammed to demolish the idol al Uzza, was advised by the keeper of her temple to take heed what he did, because the goddess was able to avenge herself severely; but he was so little moved at the man's warning, that he immediately stepped up to the idol, and broke her nose. To support the latter explication, they say that what happened to Khâled is attributed to Mohammed, because the former was then executing the prophet's orders.1 A circumstance not much different from the above mentioned is told of the demolition of Allat.2 p That is, seemingly and to outward appearance, sleep being the image of death. q Not permitting them to return again into their bodies. r viz., Into their bodies, when they awake.3 s For none can or dare presume to intercede with him, unless by his permission.
1 Idem. 2 Vide Gagnier, not. in Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 127. 3 Al Beidâwi.
50 When harm befalleth man, he calleth upon us; yet afterwards, when we have bestowed on him favor from us, he saith, I have received it merely because of God's knowledge of my deserts.t On the contrary, it is a trial; but the greater part of them know it not. Those who were before them said the same:u but that which they had gained, profited them not: and the evils which they had deserved, fell upon them. And whoever of these Meccans shall have acted unjustly, on them likewise shall fall the evils which they shall have deserved;x neither shall they frustrate the divine vengeance. Do they not know that GOD bestoweth provision abundantly on whom he pleaseth, and is sparing unto whom he pleaseth? Verily herein are signs unto people who believe. Say, O my servants who have transgressed against your own souls, despair not of the mercy of GOD: seeing that GOD forgiveth all sins,y for he is gracious and merciful. And be turned unto your LORD, and resign yourselves unto him, before the threatened punishment overtake you; for then ye shall not be helped. And follow the most excellent instructions which have been sent down unto you from your LORD, before the punishment come suddenly upon you, and ye perceive not the approach thereof; and a soul say, Alas! for that I have been negligent in my duty to GOD; verily I have been one of the scorners: or say, If GOD had directed me, verily I had been one of the pious: or say, when it seeth the prepared punishment, If I could return once more into the world, I would become one of the righteous. 60 But God shall answer, My signs came unto thee heretofore, and thou didst charge them with falsehood, and wast puffed up with pride; and thou becamest one of the unbelievers. On the day of resurrection, thou shalt see the faces of those who have uttered lies concerning GOD, become black: is there not an abode prepared in hell for the arrogant? But GOD shall deliver those who shall fear him, and shall set them in their place of safety: evil shall not touch them, neither shall they be grieved. GOD is the creator of all things, and he is the governor of all things. His are the keys of heaven and earth: and they who believe not in the signs of GOD, they shall perish. Say, Do ye therefore bid me to worship other than GOD, oh ye fools? since it hath been spoken by revelation unto thee, and also unto the prophets who have been before thee, saying, Verily if thou join any partners with God, thy work will be altogether unprofitable, and thou shalt certainly be one of those who perish: wherefore rather fear GOD, and be one of those who give thanks. But they make not a due estimation of GOD:z since the whole earth shall be but his handful, on the day of resurrection; and the heavens shall be rolled together in his right hand. Praise be unto him! and far be he exalted above the idols which they associate with him!
t Or by means of my own wisdom. u As did Karûn in particular.1 x As it happened accordingly: for they were punished with a sore famine for seven years and had the bravest of their warriors cut off at the battle of Bedr.2 y To those who sincerely repent and profess his unity: for the sins of idolaters will not be forgiven.3 z See chapter 6, p. 97, note a.
1 See cap. 28, p. 295. 2 Al Beidâwi. 3 See p. 10, note h.
the trumpet shall be sounded,a and whoever are in heaven, and whoever are on earth, shall expire; except those whom GOD shall please to exempt from the common fate.b Afterwards it shall be sounded again; and behold, they shall arise and look up. And the earth shall shine by the light of its LORD: and the book shall be laid open,c and the prophets and the martyrs shall be brought as witnesses; and judgment shall be given between them with truth, and they shall not be treated unjustly. 70 And every soul shall be fully rewarded, according to that which it shall have wrought; for he perfectly knoweth whatever they do. And the unbelievers shall be driven unto hell by troops, until, when they shall arrive at the same, the gates thereof shall be opened: and the keepers thereofd shall say unto them, Did not apostles from among you come unto you, who rehearsed unto you the signs of your LORD, and warned you of the meeting of this your day? They shall answer, Yea: but the sentence of eternal punishment hath been justly pronounced on the unbelievers.e It shall be said unto them, Enter ye the gates of hell, to dwell therein forever; and miserable shall be the abode of the proud! But those who shall have feared their LORD shall be conducted by troops towards paradise, until they shall arrive at the same: and the gates thereof shall be ready set open; and the guards thereof shall say unto them, Peace be on you! ye have been good: wherefore enter ye into paradise, to remain therein forever. And they shall answer, Praise be unto GOD, who hath performed his promise unto us, and hath made us to inherit the earth,f that we may dwell in paradise wherever we please! How excellent is the reward of those who work righteousness! And thou shalt see the angels going in procession round the throne, celebrating the praises of their LORD: and judgment shall be given between them with truth; and they shall say, Praise be unto GOD, the LORD of all creatures!
a The first time, says Al Beidâwi; who consequently supposes there will be no more than two blasts (and two only are distinctly mentioned in the Korân), though others suppose there will be three.1 b These, some say, will be the angels Gabriel, Michael, and Israfil, and the angel of death, who yet will afterwards all die, at the command of GOD;2 it being the constant opinion of the Mohammedan doctors, that every soul, both of men and of animals, which live either on land or in the sea, and of the angels also, must necessarily taste of death:3 others suppose those who will be exempted are the angels who bear the throne of GOD,4 or the black-eyed damsels, and other inhabitants of paradise.5 The space between these two blasts of the trumpet will be forty days, according to Yahya and others; there are some, however, who suppose it will be as many years.6 c See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 68. d See chapter 74, and the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 72. e See chapter 7, p. 106; chapter 11, p. 169, &c. It seems as if the damned, by these words, attributed their ruin to GOD'S decree of predestination. f This is a metaphorical expression, representing the perfect security and abundance which the blessed will enjoy in paradise.
1 See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 65. 2 Al Beidâwi, Yahya. 3 Vide Pocock. not. in Port. Mosis. p. 266. 4 Al Beidâwi. 5 Jallalo'ddin 6 See the Prelim. Disc. ubi sup.
XL. ENTITLED, THE TRUE BELIEVER;g REVEALED AT MECCA
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
H. M.h THE revelation of this book is from the mighty, the wise GOD; the forgiver of sin and the accepter of repentance; severe in punishing; long suffering. There is no GOD but he: before him shall be the general assembly at the last day. None disputeth against the signs of GOD, except the unbelievers: but let not their prosperous dealing in the landi deceive thee with vain allurement. The people of Noah, and the confederated infidels which were after them, accused their respective prophets of imposture before these; and each nation hatched ill designs against their apostle, that they might get him into their power; and they disputed with vain reasoning, that they might thereby invalidate the truth: wherefore I chastised them; and how severe was my punishment! Thus hath the sentence of thy LORD justly passed on the unbelievers; and they shall be the inhabitants of hell fire. The angels who bear the throne of God, and those who stand about it,k celebrate the praise of their LORD, and believe in him; and they ask pardon for the true believers, saying, O LORD, thou encompassest all things by thy mercy and knowledge; wherefore forgive those who repent, and follow thy path, and deliver them from the pains of hell: O LORD, lead them also into gardens of eternal abode, which thou hast promised unto them, and unto every one who shall do right, of their fathers, and their wives, and their children; for thou art the mighty, the wise God. And deliver them from evil; for whomsoever thou shalt deliver from evil on that day, on him wilt thou show mercy; and this will be great salvation. 10 But the infidels at the day of judgment, shall hear a voice crying unto them, Verily the hatred of GOD towards you is more grievous than your hatred towards yourselves: since ye were called unto the faith, and would not believe. They shall say, O LORD, thou hast given us death twice, and thou hast twice given us life;l and we confess our sins: is there therefore no way to get forth from this fire? And it shall be answered them, This hath befallen you, for that when one GOD was preached unto you, ye believed not; but if a plurality of gods had been associated with him, ye had believed: and judgment belongeth unto the high, the great GOD.
g This title is taken from the passage wherein mention is made of one of Pharaoh's family who believed in Moses. h See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c. i By trading into Syria and Yaman. See chapter 3, p. 52, note m. k These are the Cherubim, the highest order of angels, who approach nearest to GOD'S presence.1 l Having first created us in a state of death, or void of life and sensation, and then given life to the inanimate body;2 and afterwards caused us to die a natural death, and raised us again at the resurrection. Some understand the first death to be a natural death, and the second that in the sepulchre, after the body shall have been there raised to life in order to be examined;3 and consequently suppose the two revivals to be those of the sepulchre and the resurrection.4
1 Al Beidâwi. 2 See c p. 2, p. 4. 3 See Prelim Disc. Sect. IV. p. 60, &c. 4 Al Beidâwi. Jallal.
It is he who showeth you his signs, and sendeth down food unto you from heaven: but none will be admonished, except he who turneth himself unto God. Call therefore upon GOD, exhibiting your religion pure unto him, although the infidels be averse thereto. He is the Being of exalted degree, the possessor of the throne; who sendeth down the spirit, at his command, on such of his servants as he pleaseth: that he may warn mankind of the day of meeting,m the day whereon they shall come forth out of their graves, and nothing of what concerneth them shall be hidden from GOD. Unto whom will the kingdom belong, on that day? Unto the only, the almighty GOD. On that day shall every soul be rewarded according to its merits: there shall be no injustice done on that day. Verily GOD will be swift in taking an account. Wherefore warn them, O prophet, of the day which shall suddenly approach; when men's hearts shall come up to their throats, and strangle them. The ungodly shall have no friend or intercessor who shall be heard. 20 God will know the deceitful eye, and that which their breasts conceal; and GOD will judge with truth: but the false gods which they invoke, besides him, shall not judge at all: for GOD is he who heareth and seeth. Have they not gone through the earth, and seen what hath been the end of those who were before them? They were more mighty than these in strength, and left more considerable footsteps of their power in the earth: yet GOD chastised them for their sins, and there was none to protect them from GOD. This they suffered, because their apostles had come unto them with evident signs, and they disbelieved: wherefore GOD chastised them; for he is strong, and severe in punishing. We heretofore sent Moses with our signs and manifest power, unto Pharaoh, and Haman, and Karûn; and they said, He is a sorcerer, and a liar. And when he came unto them with the truth from us, they said, Slay the sons of those who have believed with him, and save their daughters alive:n but the stratagem of the infidels was no other than vain. And Pharaoh said, Let me alone, that I may kill Moses;o and let him call upon his LORD: verily I fear lest he change your religion, or cause violence to appear in the earth.p And Moses said unto his people, Verily I have recourse unto my LORD and your LORD, to defend me against every proud person, who believeth not in the day of account. And a man who was a true believer, of the family of Pharaoh,q and concealed in his faith, said, Will ye put a man to death, because he saith, GOD is my LORD; seeing he is come unto you with evident signs from your LORD? If he be a liar, on him will the punishment of his falsehood light; but if he speaketh the truth, some of those judgments with which he threateneth you will fall upon you: verily GOD directeth not him who is a transgressor, or a liar:
m When the Creator and his creatures,5 the inhabitants of heaven and of earth, the false deities and their worshippers, the oppressor and the oppressed, the labourer and his works, shall meet each other.6 n i.e., Pursue the resolution which has been formerly taken, and execute it more strictly for the future. See chapter 7, p. 117, note r. o For they advised him not to put Moses to death, lest it should be thought he was not able to oppose him by dint of argument.1 p By raising of commotions and seditions, in order to introduce his new religion. q This seems to be the same person who is mentioned, chapter 28, p. 291.
5 See cap. 6, p. 91 6 Al Beidâwi, Jallal 1 Al Beidâwi
32
30 O my people, the kingdom is yours this day; and ye are conspicuous in the earth; but who shall defend us from the scourge of GOD, if it come unto us?r Pharaoh said, I only propose to you what I think to be most expedient; and I guide you only into the right path. And he who had believed said, O my people, Verily I fear for you a day like that of the confederates against the prophets in former times; a condition like that of the people of Noah, and the tribes of Ad and Thamud, and of those who have lived after them; for GOD willeth not that any injustice be done unto his servants. O my people, verily I fear for you the day whereon men shall call unto one another;s the day whereon ye shall be turned back from the tribunal, and driven to hell: then shall ye have none to protect you against GOD. And he whom GOD shall cause to err shall have no director. Joseph came unto you, before Moses, with evident signs; but ye ceased not to doubt of the religion which he preached unto you, until, when he died, ye said, GOD will by no means send another apostle after him. Thus doth GOD cause him to err, who is a transgressor, and a sceptic. They who dispute against the signs of GOD, without any authority which hath come unto them, are in great abomination with GOD, and with those who believe. Thus doth GOD seal up every proud and stubborn heart. And Pharaoh said, O Haman, build me a tower, that I may reach the tracts, the tracts of heaven, and may view the GOD of Moses;t for verily I think him to be a liar. 40 And thus the evil of his work was prepared for Pharaoh, and he turned aside from the right path: and the stratagems of Pharaoh ended only in loss. And he who had believed said, O my people, follow me: I will guide you into the right way. O my people, verily this present life is but a temporary enjoyment; but the life to come is the mansion of firm continuance. Whoever worketh evil shall only be rewarded in equal proportion to the same: but whoever worketh good, whether male or female, and is a true believer, they shall enter paradise: they shall be provided for therein superabundantly. And, O my people, as for me, I invite you to salvation; but ye invite me to hell fire: ye invite me to deny GOD, and to associate with him that whereof I have no knowledge; but I invite you to the most mighty, the forgiver of sins. There is no doubt but that the false gods to which ye invite me deserve not to be invoked, either in this world or in the next; and that we must return unto GOD; and that the transgressors shall be the inhabitants of hell fire: and ye shall then remember what I now say unto you. And I commit my affair unto GOD; for GOD regardeth his servants. Wherefore GOD delivered him from the evils which they had devised; and a grievous punishment encompassed the people of Pharaoh.u
r See the speech of Gamaliel to the Jewish Sanhedrim, when the apostles were brought before them.2 s i.e., The day of judgment, when the inhabitants of paradise and of hell shall enter into mutual discourse: when the latter shall call for help, and the seducers and the seduced shall cast the blame upon each other.3 t See chapter 28, p. 293. u Some are of opinion that those who were sent by Pharaoh to seize the true believer, his kinsman, are the persons more particularly meant in this place: for they tell us that the said believer fled to a mountain, where they found him at prayers, guarded by the wild beasts, which ranged themselves in order about him, and that his pursuers thereupon returned in a great fright to their master, who put them to death for not performing his command.1
2 Acts v. 38, 39 3 Al Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin 1 Al Beidâwi.
They shall be exposed to the fire of hell morning and evening:x and the day whereon the hour of judgment shall come, it shall be said unto them, Enter, O people of Pharaoh, into a most severe torment. 50 And think on the time when the infidels shall dispute together in hell fire; and the weak shall say unto those who behaved with arrogance,y Verily we were your followers: will ye therefore relieve us from any part of this fire? Those who behaved with arrogance shall answer, Verily we are all doomed to suffer therein: for GOD hath now judged between his servants. And they who shall be in the fire shall say unto the keepers of hell,z Call ye on your LORD, that he would ease us, for one day, from this punishment. They shall answer, Did not your apostles come unto you with evident proofs? They shall say, Yea. The keepers shall reply, Do ye therefore call on God: but the calling of the unbelievers on him shall be only in vain. We will surely assist our apostles, and those who believe, in this present life, and on the day whereon the witnesses shall stand forth: a day, whereon the excuse of the unbelievers shall not avail them; but a curse shall attend them, and a wretched abode. We heretofore gave unto Moses a direction; and we left as an inheritance unto the children of Israel the book of the law; a direction, and an admonition to men of understanding. Wherefore do thou, O prophet, bear the insults of the infidels with patience; for the promise of GOD is true; and ask pardon for thy fault;a and celebrate the praise of thy LORD, in the evening and in the morning. As to those who impugn the signs of GOD, without any convincing proof which hath been revealed unto them, there is nothing but pride in their breasts;b but they shall not attain their desire: wherefore fly for refuge unto GOD; for it is he who heareth and seeth. Verily the creation of heaven and earth is more considerable than the creation of man: but the greater part of men do not understand. 60 The blind and the seeing shall not be held equal; nor they who believe and work righteousness, and the evil doer: how few revolve these things in their mind! The last hour will surely come; there is no doubt thereof: but the greater part of men believe it not. Your LORD said, Call upon me, and I will hear you: but they who proudly disdain my service shall enter with ignominy into hell. It is GOD who hath appointed the night for you to take your rest therein, and the day to give you light: verily GOD is endued with beneficence towards mankind: but the greater part of men do not give thanks. This is GOD, your LORD, the Creator of all things; there is no GOD besides him: how therefore are ye turned aside from his worship? Thus are they turned aside, who oppose the signs of GOD.
x Some expound these words of the previous punishment they are doomed to suffer according to a tradition of Ebn Masúd, which informs us that their souls are in the crops of black birds, which are exposed to hell fire every morning and evening until the day of judgment.2 y See chapter 14, p. 187, note z See chapter 74. a In being too backward and negligent in advancing the true religion, for fear of the infidels.3 b This sentence may be understood generally, though it was revealed on account of the idolatrous Meccans or of the Jews, who said of Mohammed, This man is not our lord, but the Messias, the Son of David, whose kingdom will be extended over sea and land.4
2 Idem. 3 Idem. 4 Idem.
It is GOD who hath given you the earth for a stable floor, and the heaven for a ceiling; and who hath formed you, and made your forms beautiful, and feedeth you with good things. This is GOD, your LORD. Wherefore blessed be GOD, the LORD of all creatures! He is the living God: there is no GOD but he. Wherefore call upon him, exhibiting unto him the pure religion. Praise be unto GOD, the LORD of all creatures! Say, Verily I am forbidden to worship the deities which ye invoke, besides GOD, after that evident proofs have come unto me from my LORD; and I am commanded to resign myself unto the LORD of all creatures. It is he who first created you of dust, and afterwards of seed, and afterwards of coagulated blood; and afterwards brought you forth infants out of your mothers' wombs: then he permitteth you to attain your age of full strength, and afterwards to grow old men (but some of you die before that age), and to arrive at the determined period of your life;c that peradventure ye may understand. 70 It is he who giveth life, and causeth to die: and when he decreeth a thing, he only saith unto it, Be, and it is. Dost thou not observe those who dispute against the signs of GOD, how they are turned aside from the true faith? They who charge with falsehood the book of the Koran, and the other scriptures and revealed doctrines which we have sent our former apostles to preach, shall hereafter know their folly, when the collars shall be on their necks, and the chains by which they shall be dragged into hell; then shall they be burned in the fire. And it shall be said unto them, Where are the gods which ye associated, besides GOD? They shall answer, They have withdrawn themselves from us: yea, we called on nothingd heretofore. Thus doth GOD lead the unbelievers into error. This hath befallen you, for that ye rejoiced insolently on earth, in that which was false; and for that ye were elated with immoderate joy. Enter the gates of hell, to remain therein forever: and wretched shall be the abode of the haughty! Wherefore persevere with patience, O Mohammed; for the promise of GOD is true. Whether we cause thee to see any part of the punishment with which we have threatened them, or whether we cause thee to die before thou see it; before us shall they be assembled at the last day. We have sent a great number of apostles before thee;e the histories of some of whom we have related unto thee, and the histories of others of them we have not related unto thee: but no apostle had the power to produce a sign, unless by the permission of GOD. When the command of GOD, therefore, shall come, judgment shall be given with truth; and then shall they perish who endeavor to render the signs of God of no effect. It is GOD who hath given you the cattle, that ye may ride on some of them, and may eat of others of them; 80 (ye also receive other advantages therefrom;)f and that on them ye may arrive at the business proposed in your mind: and on them are ye carried by land, and on ships by sea. And he showeth you his signs; which, therefore, of the signs of GOD, will ye deny? Do they not pass through the earth, and see what hath been the end of those who were before them? They were more numerous than these, and more mighty in strength, and left more considerable monuments of their power in the earth: yet that which they had acquired profited them not.
c See chapter 22, p. 250. d Seeing an idol is nothing in the world.1 e See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 59. f See chapter 16, p. 195
1 Idem
And when their apostles came unto them with evident proofs of their mission, they rejoiced in the knowledge which was with them:g but that which they mocked at encompassed them. And when they beheld our vengeance, they said, We believe in GOD alone, and we renounce the idols which we associated with him: but their faith availed them not, after they had beholden our vengeance. This was the ordinance of GOD, which was formerly observed in respect to his servants and then did the unbelievers perish.
_______
XLI. ENTITLED, ARE DISTINCTLY EXPLAINED;h REVEALED AT MECCA
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
H. M.i This is a revelation from the most Merciful; a book, the verses whereof are distinctly explained,k an Arabic Koran, for the instruction of people who understand; bearing good tidings, and denouncing threats: but the greater part of them turn aside, and hearken not thereto. And they say, Our hearts are veiled from the doctrine to which thou invitest us; and there is a deafness in our ears, and a curtain between us and thee: wherefore act thou as thou shalt think fit; for we shall act according to our own sentiments. Say, Verily I am only a man like you. It is revealed unto me, that your GOD is one GOD: wherefore direct your way straight unto him; and ask pardon of him for what is past. And woe be to the idolaters: who give not the appointed alms, and believe not in the life to come! But as to those who believe and work righteousness, they shall receive an everlasting reward. Say, Do ye indeed disbelieve in him who created the earth in two days;l and do ye set up equals unto him? He is the LORD of all creatures. And he placed in the earth mountains firmly rooted,m rising above the same: and he blessed it; and provided therein the food of the creatures designed to be the inhabitants thereof, in four days;n equally, for those who ask.o
g Being prejudiced in favour of their own erroneous doctrines, and despising the instructions of the prophets. h Some entitle this chapter Worship, or Adoration, because the infidels are herein commanded to forsake the worship of idols, and to worship GOD: but the thirty-second chapter bearing the same title, that which we have here prefixed is, for distinction, generally used. i See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c. k See chapter 11, p. 158, note y. l viz., The two first days of the week.1 m See chapter 16, p. 196. n That is, including the two former days wherein the earth was created. o i.e., For all, in proportion to the necessity of each, and as their several appetites require. Some refer the word sawâan, here translated equally, and which also signifies completely, to the four days; and suppose the meaning to be that GOD created these things in just so many entire and complete days.2
1 Jallalo'ddin. 2 Idem, al Beidâwi.
10 Then he set his mind to the creation of heaven, and it was smoke;p and he said unto it, and to the earth, Come, either obediently, or against your will. They answered, We come, obedient to thy command. And he formed them into seven heavens, in two days;q and revealed unto every heaven its office. And we adorned the lower heaven with lights, and placed therein, a guard of angels.r This is the disposition of the mighty, the wise God. If the Meccans withdraw from these instructions, say, I denounce unto you a sudden destruction, like the destruction of Ad and Thamud. When the apostles came unto them before them and behind them,s saying, Worship GOD alone; they answered, If our LORD had been pleased to send messengers, he had surely sent angels; and we believe not the message with which ye are sent. As to the tribe of Ad, they behaved insolently in the earth, without reason, and said, Who is more mighty than we in strength? Did they not see that GOD, who had created them, was more mighty than they in strength? And they knowingly rejected our signs. Wherefore we sent against them a piercing wind, on days of ill luck,t that we might make them taste the punishment of shame in this world: but the punishment of the life to come will be more shameful; and they shall not be protected therefrom. And as to Thamud, we directed them; but they loved blindness better than the true direction: wherefore the terrible noise of an ignominious punishment assailed them, for that which they had deserved; but we delivered those who believed, and feared God.u And warn them of the day, on which the enemies of GOD shall be gathered together unto hell fire, and shall march in distinct bands; until, when they shall arrive thereat, their ears, and their eyes, and their skins, shall bear witness against them of that which they shall have wrought. 20 And they shall say unto their skins, Wherefore do ye bear witness against us? They shall answer, GOD hath caused us to speak, who giveth speech unto all things: he created you the first time; and unto him are ye returned. Ye did not hide yourselves, while ye sinned, so that your ears, and your eyes, and your skins could not bear witness against you:x but ye thought that GOD was ignorant of many things which ye did. This was your opinion, which ye imagined of your LORD: it hath ruined you; and ye are become lost people.
p Or darkness. Al Zamakhshari says this smoke proceeded from the waters under the throne of GOD (which throne was one of the things created before the heavens and the earth), and rose above the water; that the water being dried up, the earth was formed out of it, and the heavens out of the smoke which had mounted aloft. q viz., On the fifth and sixth days of the week. It is said the heavens were created on Thursday, and the sun, moon, and stars on Friday; in the evening of which last day Adam was made.3 r See chapter 15. s That is, on every side; persuading and urging them continually, and by arguments drawn from past examples, and the expectation of future rewards or punishments. t It is said that this wind continued from Wednesday to Wednesday inclusive, being the latter end of the month Shawâl; and that a Wednesday is the day whereon GOD sends down his judgments on a wicked people.4 u See chapter 7, p. 112, &c. x i.e., Ye hid your crimes from men, little thinking that your very members, from which ye could not hide them, would rise up as witnesses against you.
3 Idem. 4 Idem.
Whether they bear their torment, hell fire shall be their abode; or whether they beg for favor, they shall not obtain favor. And we will give them the devils to be their companions; for they dressed up for them the false notions which they entertained of this present world, and of that which is to come; and the sentence justly fitteth them, which was formerly pronounced on the nations of genii and men who were before them; for they perished. The unbelievers say, Hearken not unto this Koran: but use vain discoursey during the reading thereof; that ye may overcome the voice of the reader by your scoffs and laughter. Wherefore we will surely cause the unbelievers to taste a grievous punishment, and we will certainly reward them for the evils which they shall have wrought. This shall be the reward of the enemies of GOD, namely, hell fire; therein is prepared for them an everlasting abode, as a reward for that they have wittingly rejected our signs. And the infidels shall say in hell, O LORD, show us the two that seduced us, of the genii and men,z and we will cast them under our feet, that they may become most base and despicable. 30 As for those who say, Our LORD is GOD, and who behave uprightly; the angels shall descend unto them,a and shall say, Fear not, neither be ye grieved; but rejoice in the hopes of paradise which ye have been promised. We are your friends in this life, and in that which is to come: therein shall ye have that which your souls shall desire, and therein shall ye obtain whatever ye shall ask for; as a gift from a gracious and merciful God. Who speaketh better than he who inviteth unto GOD, and worketh righteousness, and saith, I am a Moslem? Good and evil shall not be held equal. Turn away evil with that which is better; and behold, the man between whom and thyself there was enmity shall become, as it were, thy warmest friend: but none shall attain to this perfection, except they who are patient; nor shall any attain thereto, except he who is endued with a great happiness of temper. And if a malicious suggestion be offered unto thee from Satan, have recourse unto GOD; for it is he who heareth and knoweth. Among the signs of his power are the night, and the day, and the sun, and the moon. Worship not the sun, neither the moon: but worship GOD, who hath created them; if ye serve him. But if they proudly disdain his service; verily the angels, who are with thy LORD, praise him night and day, and are not wearied. And among his signs another is, that thou seest the land waste; but when we send down rain thereon, it is stirred and fermenteth. And he who quickeneth the earth will surely quicken the dead; for he is almighty. 40 Verily those who impiously wrong our signs are not concealed from us. Is he, therefore, better, who shall be cast into hell fire, or he who shall appear secure on the day of resurrection? Work that which ye will: he certainly beholdeth whatever ye do. Verily they who believe not in the admonition of the Koran, after it hath come unto them, shall one day be discovered. It is certainly a book of infinite value:
y Or, talk aloud. z i.e., Those of either species, who drew us into sin and ruin. Some suppose that the two more particularly intended here are Eblis and Cain, the two authors of infidelity and murder.1 a Either while they are living on earth to dispose their minds to good, to preserve them from temptations, and to comfort them; or at the hour of death to support them in their last agony; or at their coming forth from their graves at the resurrection.2
1 Idem, Jallalo'ddin. 2 Idem.
vanity shall not approach it, either from before it, or from behind it:b it is a revelation from a wise God, whose praise is justly to be celebrated. No other is said unto thee by the infidels of Mecca than what hath been formerly said unto the apostles before thee: verily thy LORD is inclined to forgiveness, and is also able to chastise severely. If we had revealed the Koran in a foreign language,c they had surely said, Unless the signs thereof be distinctly explained, we will not receive the same: is the book written in a foreign tongue, and the person unto whom it is directed an Arabian? Answer, It is, unto those who believe, a sure guide, and a remedy for doubt unto those who believe, a sure guide, and a remedy for doubt and uncertainty: but unto those who believe not, it is a thickness of hearing in their ears, and it is a darkness which covereth them; these are as they who are called unto from a distant place.d We heretofore gave the book of the law unto Moses; and a dispute arose concerning the same: and if a previous decree had not proceeded from thy LORD, to respite the opposers of that revelation, verily the matter had been decided between them, by the destruction of the infidels; for they were in a very great doubt as to the same. He who doth right, doth it to the advantage of his own soul; and he who doth evil, doth it against the same: for thy LORD is not unjust towards his servants. Unto him is reserved the knowledge of the hour of judgment: and no fruit cometh forth from the knops which involve it; neither doth any female conceive in her womb, nor is she delivered of her burden, but with his knowledge. On the day whereon he shall call them to him, saying, Where are my companions which ye ascribed unto me? they shall answer, We assure thee there is no witness of this matter among us:e and the idols which they called on before shall withdraw themselves from them; and they shall perceive that there will be no way to escape. Man is not wearied with asking good; but if evil befall him, he despondeth, and despaireth. 50 And if we cause him to taste mercy from us, after affliction hath touched him, he surely saith, This is due to me on account of my deserts: I do not think the hour of judgment will ever come: and if I be brought before my LORD, I shall surely attain, with him, the most excellent condition. But we will then declare unto those who shall not have believed, that which they have wrought; and we will surely cause them to taste a most severe punishment. When we confer favors on man, he turneth aside, and departeth without returning thanks: but when evil toucheth him, he is frequent at prayer. Say, What think ye? if the Koran be from GOD, and ye believe not therein; who will lie under a greater error, than he who dissenteth widely therefrom? Hereafter we will show them our signs in the regions in the regions of the earth, and in themselves;f until it become manifest unto them that this book is the truth. Is it not sufficient for thee that thy LORD is witness of all things? Are they not in a doubt as to the meeting of their LORD at the resurrection? Doth not he encompass all things?
b That is, it shall not be prevailed against, or frustrated by any means or in any respect whatever. c See chapter 16, p. 203, &c. d Being so far off that they hear not, or understand not the voice of him who calls to them. e For they shall disclaim their idols at the resurrection. f By the surprising victories and conquests of Mohammed and his successors.1
1 Al Beidâwi.
XLII. ENTITLED, CONSULTATION;g REVEALED AT MECCA.h
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
H. M. A. S. K.i THUS doth the mighty, the wise GOD reveal his will unto thee; and in like manner did he reveal it unto the prophets who were before thee. Unto him belongeth whatever is in heaven, and in earth; and he is the high, the great God. It wanteth little but that the heavens be rent in sunder from above, at the awfulness of his majesty: the angels celebrate the praise of their LORD, and ask pardon for those who dwell in the earth. Is not GOD the forgiver of sins, the merciful? But as to those who take other gods for their patrons, besides him, GOD observeth their actions: for thou art not a steward over them. Thus have we revealed unto thee an Arabic Koran, that thou mayest warn the metropolis of Mecca, and the Arabs who dwell round about it; and mayest threaten them with the day of the general assembly, of which there is no doubt: one part shall then be placed in paradise, and another part in hell. If GOD had pleased, he had made them all of one religion; but he leadeth whom he pleaseth into his mercy; and the unjust shall have no patron or helper. Do they take other patrons, besides him? whereas GOD is the only true patron: he quickeneth the dead; and he is almighty. Whatever matter ye disagree about, the decision thereof appertaineth unto GOD. This is GOD, my LORD: in him do I trust, and unto him do I turn me: the Creator of heaven and earth: he hath given you wives of your own species, and cattle both male and female; by which means he multiplieth you: there is nothing like him; and it is he who heareth and seeth. 10 His are the keys of heaven and earth; he bestoweth provision abundantly on whom he pleaseth, and he is sparing unto whom he pleaseth; for he knoweth all things. He hath ordained you the religion which he commanded Noah, and which we have revealed unto thee, O Mohammed, and which we commanded Abraham, and Moses, and Jesus:k saying, Observe this religion, and be not divided therein. The worship of one God, to which thou invitest them, is grievous unto the unbelievers:
g The title is taken from the verse wherein the believers are commended, among other things, for using deliberation in their affairs, and consulting together in order to act for the best. Some, instead of this word, prefix the five single letters with which the chapter begins. h Jallalo'ddin excepts three verses, beginning with these words, Say, I ask not of you, for this my preaching, any reward, &c. i See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c. k See ibid. Sect. IV. p. 55 and 59.
GOD will elect thereto whom he pleaseth, and will direct unto the same him who shall repent. Those who lived in times past were not divided among themselves, until after that the knowledge of God's unity had come unto them; through their own perverseness: and unless a previous decree had passed from thy LORD, to bear with them till a determined time, verily the matter had been decided between them, by the destruction of the gainsayers. They who have inherited the scriptures after them,l are certainly in a perplexing doubt concerning the same.m Wherefore invite them to receive the sure faith, and be urgent with them, as thou hast been commanded; and follow not their vain desires: and say, I believe in all the scriptures which GOD hath sent down; and I am commanded to establish justice among you: GOD is our LORD and your LORD: unto us will our works be imputed, and unto you will your works be imputed: let there be no wrangling between us and you; for GOD will assemble us all at the last day, and unto him shall we return. As to those who dispute concerning GOD, after obedience hath been paid him by receiving his religion, their disputing shall be vain in the sight of their LORD; and wrath shall fall on them, and they shall suffer a grievous punishment. It is GOD who hath sent down the scripture with truth; and the balance of true judgment: and what shall inform with truth; and the balance of true judgment: and what shall inform thee whether the hour be nigh at hand? They who believe not therein wish it to be hastened by way of mockery: but they who believe dread the same, and know it to be the truth. Are not those who dispute concerning the last hour in a wide error? GOD is bounteous unto his servants; he provideth for whom he pleaseth; and he is the strong, the mighty. Whoso chooseth the tillage of the life to come,n unto him will we give increase in his tillage: and whoso chooseth the tillage of this world, we will give him the fruit thereof; but he shall have no part in the life to come. 20 Have the idolaters deities which ordain them a religion which GOD hath not allowed? But had it not been for the decree of respiting their punishment to the day of separating the infidels from the true believers, judgment had been already given between them: for the unjust shall surely suffer a painful torment. On that day thou shalt see the unjust in great terror, because of their demerits; and the penalty thereof shall fall upon them: but they who believe and do good works shall dwell in the delightful meadows of paradise; they shall obtain whatever they shall desire, with their LORD. This is the greatest acquisition. This is what GOD promiseth unto his servants who believe and do good works. Say, I ask not of you, for this my preaching, any reward, except the love of my relations: and whoever shall have deserved well by one good action, unto him will we add the merit of another action thereto; for GOD is inclined to forgive, and ready to reward. Do they say, Mohammed hath blasphemously forged a lie concerning GOD? If GOD pleaseth, he will seal up thy heart:o and GOD will absolutely abolish vanity, and will establish the truth in his words;p for he knoweth the innermost part of men's breasts.
l viz., The modern Jews and Christians. m Not understanding the true meaning, nor believing the real doctrines thereof. n Labouring here to obtain a reward hereafter; for what is sown in this world will be reaped in the next. o The meaning of these words is somewhat obscure. Some imagine they express a detestation of the forgery charged on the prophet by the infidels; because none could be capable of so wicked an action but one whose heart was close shut, and knew not his LORD; as if he had said, God forbid that thou shouldst be void of grace, or have so little sense of thy duty. Others think the signification to be that GOD might strike all the revelations which had been vouchsafed to Mohammed, out of his heart at once; and others, that GOD would strengthen his heart with patience against the insults of the unbelievers.1 p Wherefore if the doctrine taught in this book be of man, it will certainly fail and come to nothing; but if it be of GOD, it can never be overthrown.2
1 Al Beidâwi. 2 Idem.
It is he who accepteth repentance from his servants, and forgiveth sins, and knoweth that which ye do. He will incline his ear unto those who believe and work righteousness, and will add unto them above what they shall ask or deserve, of his bounty: but the unbelievers shall suffer a severe punishment. If GOD should bestow abundance upon his servants they would certainly behave insolently in the earth: but he sendeth down by measure unto every one that which he pleaseth; for he well knoweth and seeth the condition of his servants. It is he who sendeth down the rain, after men have despaired thereof, and spreadeth abroad his mercy; and he is the patron, justly to be praised. Among his signs is the creation of heaven and earth, and of the living creatures with which he hath replenished them both; and he is able to gather them together before his tribunal, whenever he pleaseth. Whatever misfortune befalleth you is sent unto you by God, for that which your hands have deserved; and yet he forgiveth many things: 30 ye shall not frustrate the divine vengeance in the earth; neither shall ye have any protector or helper, against GOD. Among his signs also are the ships running in the sea, like high mountains: if he pleaseth, he causeth the wind to cease, and they lie still on the back of the water: (verily herein are signs unto every patient and grateful person): or he destroyeth them by shipwreck, be cause of that which their crews have merited; though he pardoneth many things. And they who dispute against our signs shall know that there will be no way for them to escape our vengeance. Whatever things are given you, they are the provision of this present life: but the reward which is with GOD is better, and more durable, for those who believe, and put their trust in their LORD; and who avoid heinous and filthy crimes, and when they are angry, forgive; and who hearken unto their LORD, and are constant at prayer, and whose affairs are directed by consultation among themselves, and who give alms out of what we have bestowed on them; and who, when an injury is done them, avenge themselvesq (and the retaliation of evil ought to be an evil proportionate thereto): but he who forgiveth and is reconciled unto his enemy, shall receive his reward from GOD;r for he loveth not the unjust doers. And whoso shall avenge himself, after he hath been injured; as to these, it is not lawful to punish them for it: 40 but it is only lawful to punish those who wrong men, and act insolently in the earth, against justice; these shall suffer a grievous punishment. And whoso beareth injuries patiently, and forgiveth; verily this is a necessary work. Whom GOD shall cause to err, he shall afterwards have no protector. And thou shalt see the ungodly,
q Using the means which GOD has put into their hands for their own defence. This is added to complete the character here given; for valour and courage are not inconsistent with clemency,3 the rule being, Parcere subjectis, et debellare superbos. r See chapter 5, p. 79, &c.
3 Idem.
who shall say, when they behold the punishment prepared for them, Is there no way to return back into the world? And thou shalt see them exposed unto hell fire; dejected, because of the ignominy they shall undergo: they shall look at the fire sideways, and by stealth; and the true believers shall say, Verily the losers are they who have lost their own souls, and their families, on the day of resurrection: shall not the ungodly continue in eternal torment? They shall have no protectors to defend them against GOD: and whom GOD shall cause to err, he shall find no way to the truth. Hearken unto your LORD, before the day come, which GOD will not keep back: ye shall have no place of refuge on that day; neither shall ye be able to deny your sins. But if those to whom thou preachest turn aside from thy admonitions, verily we have not sent thee to be a guardian over them: thy duty is preaching only. When we cause man to taste mercy from us, he rejoiceth thereat: but if evil befall them, for that which their hands have formerly committed, verily man becometh ungrateful. Unto GOD appertaineth the kingdom of heaven and earth: he createth that which he pleaseth; he giveth females unto whom he pleaseth, and he giveth males unto whom he pleaseth; or he giveth them males and females jointly: and he maketh whom he pleaseth to be childless; for he is wise and powerful. 50 It is not fit for man that GOD should speak unto him otherwise than by private revelation, or from behind a veil, or by his sending of a messenger to reveal, by his permission, that which he pleaseth; for he is high and wise. Thus have we revealed unto thee a revelation,s by our command. Thou didst not understand, before this, what the book of the Koran was, nor what the faith was: but we have ordained the same for a light; we will thereby direct such of our servants as we please: and thou shalt surely direct them into the right way, the way of GOD, unto whom belongeth whatever is in heaven and in earth. Shall not all things return unto GOD?
________
XLIII. ENTITLED, THE ORNAMENTS OF GOLD;t REVEALED AT MECCA.u
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
H. M.x BY the perspicuous book; verily we have ordained the same an Arabic Koran that ye may understand: and it is certainly written in the original book,y kept with us, being sublime and full of wisdom.
s Or, as the words may be also translated, Thus have we sent the spirit Gabriel unto thee with a revelation. t The words chosen for the title of this chapter occurs p. 364. u Some except the verse beginning with these words, And ask our apostles whom we have sent before thee, &c. x See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c. y i.e., The preserved table; which is the original of all the scriptures in general.
Shall we therefore turn away from you the admonition, and deprive you thereof, because ye are a people who transgress? And how many prophets have we sent among those of old? and no prophet came unto them, out they laughed him to scorn: wherefore we destroyed nations who were more mighty than these in strength; and the example of those who were of old hath been already set before them. If thou ask them who created the heavens and the earth, they will certainly answer, The mighty, the wise God created them: who hath spread the earth as a bed for you, and hath made you paths therein, that ye may be directed: 10 and who sendeth down rain from heaven by measure, whereby we quicken a dead country; (so shall ye be brought forth from your graves:) and who hath created all the various species of things, and hath given you ships and cattle, whereon ye are carried; that ye may sit firmly on the backs thereof, and may remember the favor of your LORD, when ye sit thereon, and may say, Praise be unto him, who hath subjected these unto our service! for we could not have mastered them by our own power: and unto our LORD shall we surely return. Yet have they attributed unto him some of his servants as his offspring: verily man is openly ungrateful. Hath God taken daughters out of those beings which he hath created; and hath he chosen sons for you? But when one of them hath the news brought of the birth of a child of that sex which they attribute unto the Merciful, as his similitude, his face becometh black, and he is oppressed with sorrow.z Do they therefore attribute unto God female issue, which are brought up among ornaments, and are contentious without cause? And do they make the angels, who are the servants of the Merciful, females? Were they present at their creation? Their testimony shall be written down, and they shall be examined concerning the same, on the day of judgment. And they say, If the Merciful had pleased, we had not worshipped them. They have no knowledge herein: they only utter a vain lie. 20 Have we given them a book of revelations before this; and do they keep the same in their custody? But they say, Verily we found our fathers practising a religion; and we are guided in their footsteps. Thus we sent no preacher before thee, unto any city, but the inhabitants thereof who lived in affluence, said, Verily we found our fathers practising a religion: and we tread in their footsteps. And the preacher answered, What, although I bring you a more right religion than that which ye found your fathers to practise? And they replied, Verily we believe not that which ye are sent to preach. Wherefore we took vengeance on them: and behold what hath been the end of those who accused our apostles of imposture. Remember when Abraham said unto his father, and his people, Verily I am clear of the gods which ye worship, except him who hath created me; for he will direct me aright. And he ordained this to be a constant doctrine among his posterity; that they should be turned from idolatry to the worship of the only true God. Verily I have permitted these Meccans and their fathers to live in prosperity, until the truth should come unto them, and a manifest apostle: but now the truth is come unto them, they say, This is a piece of sorcery; and we believe not therein. 30 And they say, Had this Korân been sent down unto some great man of either of the two cities,a we would have received it.
z See chapter 16, p. 100, &c. a i.e., To one of the principal inhabitants of Mecca, or of Tâyef, such as al Walid Ebn al Mogheira, or Erwa Ebn Masud, the Thakifite.1
1 Al Beidâwi.
Do they distribute the mercy of thy LORD?b We distribute the necessary provision among them, in this present life, and we raise some of them several degrees above the others, that the one of them may take the other to serve him: and the mercy of thy LORD is more valuable than the riches which they gather together. If it were not that mankind would have become one sect of infidels, verily we had given unto those who believe not in the Merciful, roofs of silver to their houses, and stairs of silver, by which they might ascend thereto, and doors of silver to their houses, and couches of silver, for them to lean on; and ornaments of gold: for all this is the provision of the present life; but the next life with thy LORD shall be for those who fear him. Whoever shall withdraw from the admonition of the Merciful, we will chain a devil unto him; and he shall be his inseparable companion: (and the devils shall turn them aside from the way of truth; yet they shall imagine themselves to be rightly directed:) until, when he shall appear before us at the last day, he shall say unto the devil,c Would to GOD that between me and thee there was the distance of the east from the west! Oh how wretched a companion art thou! But wishes shall not avail you on this day, since ye have been unjust; for ye shall be partakers of the same punishment. Canst thou, O prophet, make the deaf to hear, or canst thou direct the blind, and him who is in a manifest error? 40 Whether we take thee away, we will surely take vengeance on them; or whether we cause thee to see the punishment with which we have threatened them executed, we will certainly prevail over them. Wherefore hold fast the doctrine which hath been revealed unto thee; for thou art in a right way: and it is a memorial unto thee and thy people, and hereafter shall ye be examined concerning your observance thereof. And ask our apostles whom we have sent before thee,d whether we have appointed gods for them to worship, besides the Merciful. We formerly sent Moses with our signs unto Pharaoh and his princes, and he said, Verily I am the apostle of the LORD of all creatures. And when he came unto them with our signs, behold, they laughed him to scorn; although we showed them no sign, but it was greater than the other:e and we inflicted a punishmentf on them, that peradventure they might be converted. And they said unto Moses, O magician, pray unto thy LORD for us, according to the covenant which he hath made with thee; for we will certainly be directed. But when we took the plague from off them, behold, they brake their promise. 50 And Pharaoh made proclamation among his people, saying, O my people, is not the kingdom of Egypt mine, and these rivers,g which flow beneath me? Do ye not see? Am not I better than this Moses, who is a contemptible person,
b By this expression the prophetic office is here particularly intended. c See chapter 19. d That is, ask those who profess the religions which they taught, and their learned men.2 e Literally, Than its sister. The meaning is that the miracles were all very great and considerable, or, as the French may express it, by a phrase nearly the same, les uns plus grands que les autres. f viz., The successive plagues which they suffered, previous to their final destruction in the Red Sea. g To wit, the Nile and its branches.3
2 Idem, Jallal., &c. 3 Idem.
and can scarce express himself intelligibly?h Have bracelets of gold, therefore, been put upon him;i or do the angels attend him in orderly procession? And Pharaoh persuaded his people to light behavior; and they obeyed him: for they were a wicked people. And when they had provoked us to wrath, we took vengeance on them: and we drowned them all: and we made them a precedent, and an example unto others. And when the son of Mary was proposed for an example, behold, thy people cried out through excess of joy thereat;k and they said, Are our gods better, or he? They have proposed this instance unto thee no otherwise than for an occasion of dispute: yea, they are contentious men. Jesus is no other than a servant, whom we favored with the gift of prophecy; and we appointed him for an examplel unto the children of Israel: 60 (if we pleased, verily we could from ourselves produce angels, to succeed you in the earth):m and he shall be a sign of the approach of the last hour;n wherefore doubt not thereof. And follow me: this is the right way. And let not Satan cause you to turn aside: for he is your open enemy. And when Jesus came with evident miracles, he said, Now am I come unto you with wisdom,o and to explain unto you part of those things concerning which ye disagree; wherefore fear GOD, and obey me. Verily GOD is my LORD, and your LORD; wherefore worship him: this is the right way. And the confederated sects among them fell to variance:p but woe unto those who have acted unjustly, because of the punishment of a grievous day. Do the unbelievers wait for any other than the hour of judgment; that it may come upon them suddenly, while they foresee it not? The intimate friends, on that day, shall be enemies unto one another; except the pious.
h See chapter 20, p. 234, note i Such bracelets were some of the insignia of royalty; for when the Egyptians raised a person to the dignity of a prince, they put a collar or chain of gold about his neck,1 and bracelets of gold on his wrists.2 k This passage is generally supposed to have been revealed on occasion of an objection made by one Ebn al Zabári to those words in the 21st chapter,3 by which all in general, who were worshipped as deities, besides GOD, are doomed to hell: whereupon the infidels cried out, We are contented that our gods should be with Jesus; for he also is worshipped as GOD.4 Some, however, are of opinion it might have been revealed in answer to certain idolaters, who said that the Christians, who received the scriptures, worshipped Jesus, supposing him to be the son of GOD; whereas the angels were more worthy of that honour than he.5 l Or an instance of our power, by his miraculous birth. m As easily as we produced Jesus without a father.6 The intent of the words is to show how just and reasonable it is to think that the angels should bear the relation of children to men, rather than to GOD; they being his creatures, as well as men, and equally in his power. n For some time before the resurrection Jesus is to descend on earth, according to the Mohammedans, near Damascus,7 or, as some say, near a rock in the holy land named Afik, with a lance in his hand, wherewith he is to kill Antichrist, whom he will encounter at Ludd, or Lydda, a small town not far from Joppa.8 They add that he will arrive at Jerusalem at the time of morning prayer, that he shall perform his devotions after the Mohammedan institution, and officiate instead of the Imâm, who shall give place to him; that he will break down the cross, and destroy the churches of the Christians, of whom he will make a general slaughter, excepting only such as shall profess Islâm, etc.9 o That is, with a book of revelations, and an excellent system of religion. p This may be understood either of the Jews in the time of Jesus, who opposed his doctrine, or of the Christians since, who have fallen into various opinions concerning him; some making him to be GOD, others the Son of GOD, and others, one of the persons of the Trinity, &c.10
1 See Gen. xli. 42. 2 Al Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin. 3 See p. 249. 4 Jallalo'ddin, al Beidâwi. 5 Idem. 6 Idem. 7 See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 63. 8 See ibid. p. 63. 9 Al Beidâwi. 10 Idem, Jallalo'ddin.
O my servants, there shall no fear come on you this day, neither shall ye be grieved: who have believed in our signs, and have been Moslems: 70 enter ye into paradise, ye and your wives, with great joy. Dishes of gold shall be carried round unto them, and cups without handles: and therein shall they enjoy whatever their souls shall desire, and whatever their eyes shall delight in: and ye shall remain therein forever. This is paradise, which ye have inherited as a reward for that which ye have wrought. Therein shall ye have fruits in abundance, of which ye shall eat. But the wicked shall remain forever in the torment of hell: it shall not be made lighter unto them; and they shall despair therein. We deal not unjustly with them, but they deal unjustly with their own souls. And they shall call aloud, saying, O Malec,q intercede for us that thy LORD would end us by annihilation. He shall answer,r Verily ye shall remain here forever. We brought you the truth heretofore, but the greater part of you abhorred the truth. Have the infidels fixed on a method to circumvent our apostle? Verily we will fix on a method to circumvent them. 80 Do they imagine that we hear not their secrets, and their private discourse? Yea; and our messengers who attend thems write down the same. Say, If the Merciful had a son, verily I would be the first of those who should worship him. Far be the LORD of heaven and earth, the LORD of the throne, from that which they affirm of him! Wherefore let them wade in their vanity, and divert themselves until they arrive at their day with which they have been threatened. He who is GOD in heaven, is GOD on earth also: and he is the wise, the knowing. And blessed be he unto whom appertaineth the kingdom of heaven and earth, and of whatever is between them; with whom is the knowledge of the last hour; and before whom ye shall be assembled. They whom they invoke besides him have not the privilege to intercede for others; except those who bear witness to the truth, and know the same.t If thou ask them who hath created them, they will surely answer, GOD. How therefore are they turned away to the worship of others? God also heareth the saying of the prophet, O LORD, verily these are people who believe not: and he answereth, Therefore turn aside from them; and say, Peace:u hereafter shall they know their folly.
q This the Mohammedans suppose to be the name of the principal angel who has the charge of hell. r Some say that this answer will not be given till a thousand years after. s i.e., The guardian angels. t That is, to the doctrine of GOD'S unity. The exception comprehends Jesus, Ezra, and the angels; who will be admitted as intercessors, though they have been worshipped as gods.1 u See chapter 25, p. 275, note d.
1 Idem.
XLIV. ENTITLED, SMOKE;x REVEALED AT MECCA.y
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
H. M.z BY the perspicuous book of the Koran; verily we have sent down the same on a blessed nighta (for we had engaged so to do), on the night wherein is distinctly sent down the decree of every determined thing, as a command from us.b Verily we have ever used to send apostles with revelations, at proper intervals, as a mercy from thy LORD; for it is he who heareth and knoweth: the LORD of heaven and earth, and of whatever is between them; if ye are men of sure knowledge. There is no GOD but he: he giveth life, and he causeth to die; he is your LORD, and the LORD of your forefathers. Yet do they amuse themselves with doubt. But observe them, on the day whereon the heaven shall produce a visible smoke, 10 which shall cover mankind:c this will be a tormenting plague. They shall say, O LORD, take this plague from off us: verily we will become true believers. How should an admonition be of avail to them in this condition; when a manifest apostle came unto them, but they retired from him, saying, This man is instructed by others,d or is a distracted person? We will take the plague from off you, a little: but ye will certainly return to your infidelity.e On the day whereon we shall fiercely assault them with great power,f verily we will take vengeance on them. We made trial of the people of Pharaoh before them, and an honourable messenger came unto them,
x This word occurs within a few lines from the beginning of the chapter. y Some except the verse beginning, We will take the plague off you a little, &c. z See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c. a Generally supposed to be that between the twenty-third and twenty- fourth of Ramadân. See ibid. p. 50, and chapter 97, and the notes there. b For annually on this night, as the Mohammedans are taught, all the events of the ensuing year, with respect to life and death and the other affairs of this world, are disposed and settled.1 Some, however, suppose that these words refer only to that particular night on which the Korân, wherein are completely contained the divine determinations in respect to religion and morality, was sent down;2 and, according to this exposition, the passage may be rendered, The night whereon every determined or adjudged matter was sent down. c The commentators differ in their expositions of this passage. Some think it spoke of a smoke which seemed to fill the air during the famine which was inflicted on the Meccans in Mohammed's time,3 and was so thick that, though they could hear, yet they could not see one another.4 But, according to a tradition of Ali, the smoke here meant is that which is to be one of the previous signs of the day of judgment,5 and will fill the whole space from east to west, and last for forty days. This smoke, they say, will intoxicate the infidels, and issue at their nose, ears and posteriors, but will very little inconvenience the true believers.6 d See chapter 16, p. 203. e If we follow the former exposition, the words are to be understood, of the ceasing of the famine upon the intercession of Mohammed, at the desire of the Koreish, and on their promise of believing on him; notwithstanding which, they fell back to their old incredulity; but if we follow the latter exposition, they are to be understood of GOD'S taking away the plague of the smoke, after the expiration of the forty days, at the prayer of the infidels, and on their promise of receiving the true faith, which being done, they will immediately return to their wonted obstinacy. f Some expound this of the slaughter at Bedr, and others of the day of judgment.
1 Jallalo'ddin, al Beidâwi. 2 Idem. 3 See cap. 23, p. 259, note 4 Al Zamakh., al Beidâwi, Yahya, Jallalo'ddin. 5 See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 63. 6 Al Zamakh., al Beidâwi. 33
saying, Send unto me the servants of GOD;g verily I am a faithful messenger unto you: and lift not yourselves up against GOD; for I come unto you with manifest power. And I fly for protection unto my LORD, and your LORD, that ye stone me not.h 20 If ye do not believe me, at least depart from me.i And when they accused him of imposture, he called upon his LORD, saying, These are a wicked people. And God said unto him, March forth with my servants by night; for ye will be pursued: and leave the sea divided, that the Egyptians may enter the same; for they are a host doomed to be drowned. How many gardens, and fountains, and fields of corn, and fair dwellings, and advantages which they enjoyed, did they leave behind them! Thus we dispossessed them thereof; and we gave the same for an inheritance unto another people.k Neither heaven nor earth wept for them;l neither were they respited any longer. And we delivered the children of Israel from a shameful affliction; 30 from Pharaoh; for he was haughty, and a transgressor: and we chose them, knowingly,m above all people; and we showed them several signs,n wherein was an evident trial. Verily these Meccans say, Assuredly our final end will be no other than our first natural death; neither shall we be raised again: bring now our forefathers back to life, if ye speak truth. Are they better, or the people of Tobba,o and those who were before them? we destroyed them, because they wrought wickedness. We have not created the heavens and the earth, and whatever is between them, by way of sport: we have created them no otherwise than in truth;p but the greater part of them do not understand. 40 Verily the day of separationq shall be the appointed term of them all: a day, whereon the master and the servant shall be of no advantage to one another, neither shall they be helped; excepting those on whom GOD shall have mercy; for he is the mighty, the merciful. Verily, the fruit of the tree of al Zakkum shall be the food of the impious:r
g i.e., Let the Israelites go with me to worship their GOD. h Or that ye injure me not, either by word or deed.1 i Without opposing me or offering me any injury, which I have not deserved from you. k See chapter 26, p. 278. l That is, none pitied their destruction. m i.e., Knowing that they were worthy of our choice; or, notwithstanding we knew they would, in time to come, fall into idolatry, &c. n As the dividing of the Red Sea, the cloud which shaded them, the raining on them manna and quails, &c.2 o The Hamyarites, whose kings had the title of Tobba.3 The commentators tell us that the Tobba here meant was very potent, and built Samarcand, or, as others say, demolished it; and that he was a true believer, but his subjects were infidels.4 This prince seems to have been Abu Carb Asaad, who flourished about seven hundred years before Mohammed, and embraced Judaism, which religion he first introduced into Yaman (being the true religion at that time, inasmuch as Christianity was not then promulgated), and was, for that cause probably, slain by his own people.5 p See chapter 21, p. 242, and chapter 38, p. 341. q i.e., The day of judgment; when the wicked shall be separated from the righteous, &c. r Jallalo'ddin supposes this passage to have been particularly levelled against Abu Jahl.
1 Al Beidâwi. 2 Idem. 3 See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. I. p. 7. 4 Al Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin. 5 Al Jannâbi. Vide Poc. Spec. p. 60.
as the dregs of oil shall it boil in the bellies of the damned, like the boiling of the hottest water. And it shall be said to the tormentors, Take him, and drag him into the midst of hell: and pour on his head the torture of boiling water, saying, Taste this; for thou art that mighty and honourable person. 50 Verily this is the punishment of which ye doubted. But the pious shall be lodged in a place of security, among gardens and fountains: they shall be clothed in fine silk, and in satin; and they shall sit facing one another. Thus shall it be: and we will espouse them to fair damsels, having large black eyes. In that place shall they call for all kinds of fruits, in full security: they shall not taste death therein, after the first death; and God shall deliver from the pains of hell: through the gracious bounty of thy LORD. This will be great felicity. Moreover we have rendered the Koran easy for thee, by revealing it in thine own tongue; to the end that they may be admonished: wherefore do thou wait the event; for they wait to see some misfortune befall thee.
________
XLV. ENTITLED, THE KNEELING;s REVEALED AT MECCA
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
H. M.t THE revelation of this book is from the mighty, the wise GOD. Verily both in heaven and earth are signs of the divine power unto the true believers: and in the creation of yourselves, and of the beasts which are scattered over the face of the earth, are signs unto people of sound judgment; and also in the vicissitude of night and day, and the rain which GOD sendeth down from heaven, whereby he quickeneth the earth after it hath been dead: in the change of the winds also are signs unto people of understanding. These are the signs of GOD; we rehearse them unto thee with truth. In what revelation therefore will they believe, after they have rejected GOD and his signs? Woe unto every lying and impious person; who heareth the signs of GOD, which are read unto him, and afterwards proudly persisteth in infidelity, as though he heard them not: (denounce unto him a painful punishment:) and who, when he cometh to the knowledge of any of our signs, receiveth the same with scorn. For these is prepared a shameful punishment: before them lieth hell; and whatever they shall have gained shall not avail them at all, neither shall the idols which they have taken for their patrons, besides GOD; and they shall suffer a grievous punishment. 10 This is a true direction: and for those who disbelieve the signs of their LORD, is prepared the punishment of a painful torment. It is GOD who hath subjected the sea unto you, that the ships may sail therein, at his command; and that ye may seek advantage unto yourselves by commerce; of his bounty; and that ye may give thanks: and he obligeth whatever is in heaven and on earth to serve you; the whole being from him. Verily herein are signs unto people who consider.
s The word from which this chapter is denominated occurs p. 370. t See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c.
Speak unto the true believers, that they forgive those who hope not for the days of GOD,u that he may reward people according to what they shall have wrought. Whoso doeth that which is right doth it to the advantage of his own soul; and whoso doeth evil doth it against the same: hereafter shall ye return unto your LORD. We gave unto the children of Israel the book of the law, and wisdom, and prophecy; and we fed them with good things, and preferred them above all nations: and we gave them plain ordinances concerning the business of religion; neither do they fall to variance, except after that knowledge had come unto them, through envy among themselves: but thy LORD will decide the controversy between them, on the day of resurrection, concerning that wherein they disagree. Afterwards we appointed thee, O Mohammed, to promulgate a law concerning the business of religion: wherefore follow the same, and follow not the desires of those who are ignorant.x Verily they shall not avail thee against GOD at all; the unjust are the patrons of one another; but GOD is the patron of the pious. This Koran delivereth evident precepts unto mankind; and is a direction, and a mercy, unto people who judge aright. 20 Do the workers of iniquity imagine that we will deal with them as with those who believe and do good works; so that their life and their death shall be equal? An ill judgment do they make. GOD hath created the heavens and the earth in truth; that he may recompense every soul according to that which it shall have wrought: and they shall not be treated unjustly. What thinkest thou? He who taketh his own lust for his GOD, and whom GOD causeth knowingly to err, and whose ears and whose heart he hath sealed up, and over whose eyes he hath cast a veil; who shall direct him, after GOD shall have forsaken him? Will ye therefore not be admonished? They say, There is no other life, except our present life: we die, and we live; and nothing but time destroyeth us. But they have no knowledge in this matter; they only follow a vain opinion. And when our evident signs are rehearsed unto them, their argument which they offer against the same is no other than that they say, Bring to life our fathers who have been dead; if ye speak truth. Say, GOD giveth you life; and afterwards causeth you to die: hereafter will he assemble you together on the day of resurrection; there is no doubt thereof; but the greater part of men do not understand. Unto GOD appertaineth the kingdom of heaven and earth; and the day whereon the hour shall be fixed, on that day shall those who charge the Koran with vanity perish. And thou shalt see every nationy kneeling: every nation shall be called unto its book of account; and it shall be said unto them, This day shall ye be rewarded according to that which ye have wrought.
u By the days of GOD, in this place, are meant the prosperous successes of his people in battle against the infidels.1 The passage is said to have been revealed on account of Omar, who being reviled by one of the tribe of Ghifâr, was thinking to revenge himself by force. Some are of opinion that this verse is abrogated by that of war.2 x That is, of the principal Koreish, who were urgent with Mohammed to return to the religion of his forefathers.3 y The original word Ommat properly signifies a people who profess one and the same law or religion.
1 See p. 186, note d. 2 Al Beidâwi. 3 Idem.
This our book will speak concerning you with truth; therein have we written down whatever ye have done.z As to those who shall have believed and done good works, their LORD shall lead them into his mercy: this shall be manifest felicity. 30 But as to the infidels, it shall be said unto them, Were not my signs rehearsed unto you? but ye proudly rejected them, and became a wicked people! And when it was said unto you, Verily the promise of GOD is true: and as to the hour of judgment, there is no doubt thereof: ye answered, We know not what the hour of judgment is: we hold an uncertain opinion only; and we are not well assured of this matter. But on that day the evils of that which they have wrought shall appear unto them; and that which they mocked at shall encompass them: and it shall be said unto them, This day will we forget you, as ye did forget the meeting of this your day: and your abode shall be hell fire; and ye shall have none to deliver you. This shall ye suffer, because ye turned the signs of GOD to ridicule; and the life of the world deceived you. On this day, therefore, they shall not be taken forth from thence, neither shall they be asked any more to render themselves well-pleasing unto God. Wherefore praise be unto GOD, the LORD of the heavens, and the LORD of the earth; the LORD of all creatures: and unto him be glory in heaven and earth; for he is the mighty, the wise God.
_______
XLVI. ENTITLED, AL AHKAF;a REVEALED AT MECCA
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
H. M.b THE revelation of this book is from the mighty, the wise GOD. We have not created the heavens, and the earth, and whatever is between them, otherwise than in truth,c and for a determined period:d but the unbelievers turn away from the warning which is given them. Say, What think ye? Show me what part of the earth the idols which ye invoke, besides GOD, have created? Or, had they any share in the creation of the heavens? Bring me a book of scripture revealed before this, or some footstep of ancient knowledge, to countenance your idolatrous practices; if ye are men of veracity. Who is in a wider error than he who invoketh, besides GOD, that which cannot return him an answer, to the day of resurrection; and idols which regard not their calling on them: and which, when men shall be gathered together to judgment, will become their enemies, and will ungratefully deny their worship?
z See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 70. a Al Ahkâf is the plural of Hekf, and signifies lands which lie in a crooked or winding manner; whence it became the name of a territory in the province of Hadramaut, where the Adites dwelt. It is mentioned about the middle of the chapter. b See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c. c See chapter 21, p. 242, and chapter 38, p. 341, &c. d Being to last but a certain space of time, and not for ever.
When our evident signs are rehearsed unto them, the unbelievers say of the truth,e when it cometh unto them, This is a manifest piece of sorcery. Will they say, Mohammed hath forged it? Answer, If I have forged it, verily ye shall not obtain for me any favor from GOD: he well knoweth the injurious language which ye utter concerning it: he is a sufficient witness between me and you; and he is gracious and merciful. Say, I am not singular among the apostles;f neither do I know what will be done with me or with you hereafter: I follow no other than what is revealed unto me; neither am I any more than a public warner. Say, What is your opinion? If this book be from GOD, and ye believe not therein; and a witness of the children of Israel bear witness to its consonancy with the law,g and believeth therein; and ye proudly reject the same: are ye not unjust doers? Verily GOD directeth not unjust people. 10 But those who believe not say of the true believers, If the doctrine of the Koran had been good, they had not embraced the same before us.h And when they are not guided thereby, they say, This is an antiquated lie. Whereas the book of Moses was revealed before the Koran, to be a guide and a mercy: and this is a book confirming the same, delivered in the Arabic tongue; to denounce threats unto those who act unjustly, and to bear good tidings unto the righteous doers. As to those who say, Our LORD is GOD; and who behave uprightly: on them shall no fear come, neither shall they be grieved. These shall be the inhabitants of paradise, they shall remain therein forever: in recompense for that which they have wrought. We have commanded man to show kindness to his parents: his mother beareth him in her womb with pain, and bringeth him forth with pain: and the space of his being carried in her womb, and of his weaning, is thirty months;i until, when he attaineth his age of strength, and attaineth the age of forty years, he saith,k O LORD, excite me, by the inspiration, that I may be grateful for their favors, wherewith thou hast favored me and my parents; and that I may work righteousness, which may please thee: and be gracious unto me in my issue; for I am turned unto thee, and am a Moslem. These are they from whom we accept the good work which they have wrought, and whose evil works we pass by; and they shall be among the inhabitants of paradise: this is a true promise, which they are promised in this world.
e i.e., Any part of the revelations of the Korân. f That is, I do not teach a doctrine different from what the former apostles and prophets have taught, nor am I able to do what they could not, particularly to show the signs which every one shall think fit to demand.1 g This witness is generally supposed to have been the Jew Abd'allah Ebn Salâm, who declared that Mohammed was the prophet foretold by Moses. Some, however, suppose the witness here meant to have been Moses himself.2 h These words were spoken, as some think, by the Jews, when Abd'allah professed Islâm; or, according to others, by the Koreish, because the first followers of Mohammed were for the most part poor and mean people; or else by the tribes of Amer, Ghatfân, and Asad, on the conversion of those of Joheinah, Mozeinah, Aslam, and Ghifar.3 i At the least. For if the full time of suckling an infant be two years,4 or twenty-four months, there remain but six months for the space of his being carried in the womb; which is the least that can be allowed.5 k These words, it is said, were revealed on account of Abu Becr, who professed Islâm in the fortieth year of his age, two years after Mohammed's mission, and was the only person, either of the Mohâjerin or the Ansârs, whose father and mother were also converted; his son Abd'alrahmân, and his grandson Abu Atik, likewise embracing the same faith.6
1 Al Beidâwi. 2 Idem, Jallalo'ddin 3 Idem. 4 See cap. 2, p. 25. 5 Al Beidâwi. 6 Idem, Jallalo'ddin, &c.
He who saith unto his parents, Fie on you! Do ye promise me that I shall be taken forth from the grave, and restored to life; when many generations have passed away before me, and none of them have returned back?l And his parents implore GOD'S assistance, and say to their son, Alas for thee! Believe: for the promise of GOD is true. But he answereth, This is no other than silly fables of the ancients. These are they whom the sentence passed on the nations which have been before them, of genii and of men, justly fitteth: they shall surely perish.m For every one is prepared a certain degree of happiness or misery, according to that which they shall have wrought: that God may recompense them for their works: and they shall not be treated unjustly. On a certain day, the unbelievers shall be exposed before the fire of hell; and it shall be said unto them, Ye received your good things in your lifetime, while ye were in the world; and ye enjoyed yourselves therein: wherefore this day ye shall be rewarded with the punishment of ignominy; for that ye behaved insolently in the earth, without justice, and for that ye transgressed. 20 Remember the brother of Ad,n when he preached unto his people in Al Ahkaf (and there were preachers before him, and after him), saying, Worship none but GOD: verily I fear for you the punishment of a great day. They answered, Art thou come unto us that thou mayest turn us aside from the worship of our gods? Bring on us now the punishment with which thou threatenest us, if thou art a man of veracity. He said, Verily the knowledge of the time when your punishment will be inflicted is with GOD; and I only declare unto you that which I am sent to preach; but I see ye are an ignorant people. And when they saw the preparation made for their punishment, namely, a cloud traversing the sky, and tending towards their valleys, they said, This is a traversing cloud, which bringeth us rain. Hud answered, Nay; it is what ye demanded to be hastened: a wind, wherein is a severe vengeance: it will destroy everything,o at the command of its LORD. And in the morning nothing was to be seen, besides their empty dwellings. Thus do we reward wicked people. We had established them in the like flourishing condition wherein we have established you, O men of Mecca; and we had given them ears, and eyes, and hearts: yet neither their ears, nor their eyes, nor their hearts profited them at all, when they rejected the signs of GOD; but the vengeance which they mocked at fell upon them. We heretofore destroyed the cities which were round about you;p and we variously proposed our signs unto them, that they might repent. Did those protect them, whom they took for gods, besides GOD, and imagined to be honoured with his familiarity? Nay; they withdrew from them: yet this was their false opinion which seduced them, and the blasphemy which they had devised.
l The words seem to be general; but it is said they were revealed particularly on occasion of Abd'alrahmân, the son of Abu Becr, who used these expressions to his father and mother before he professed Islâm.7 m Unless they redeem their fault by repentance, and embracing the true faith, as did Abd'alrahmân. n i.e., The prophet Hud. o Which came to pass accordingly; for this pestilential and violent wind killed all who believed not in the doctrine of Hud, without distinction of sex, age, or degree; and entirely destroyed their possessions. See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. I. p. 5, and the notes to chapter 7, p. 111. p As the settlements of the Thamudites, Midianites, and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, &c.
7 Al Beidâwi.
Remember when we caused certain of the geniiq to turn aside unto thee, that they might hear the Koran: and when they were present at the reading of the same, they said to one another, Give ear: and when it was ended, they returned back unto their people, preaching what they had heard. They said, Our people, verily we have heard a book read unto us, which hath been revealed since Moses,r confirming the scripture which was delivered before it; and directing unto the truth, and the right way. 30 Our people, obey GOD'S preacher: and believe in him; that he may forgive you your sins, and may deliver you from a painful punishment. And whoever obeyeth not GOD'S preacher shall by no means frustrate God's vengeance on earth: neither shall he have any protectors besides him. These will be in a manifest error. Do they not know that GOD, who hath created the heavens and the earth, and was not fatigued with the creation thereof, is able to raise the dead to life? Yea verily; for he is almighty. On a certain day the unbelievers shall be exposed unto hell fire; and it shall be said unto them, Is not this really come to pass? They shall answer, Yea, by our LORD. God shall reply, Taste, therefore, the punishment of hell, for that ye have been unbelievers. Do thou, O prophet, bear the insults of thy people with patience, as our apostles, who were endued with constancy, bear the injuries of their people: and require not their punishment to be hastened unto them. On the day whereon they shall see the punishment wherewith they have been threatened, it shall seem as though they had tarried in the world but an hour of a day. This is a fair warning. Shall they perish except the people who transgress?
________
XLVII. ENTITLED, MOHAMMED;s REVEALED AT MEDINA.t
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
GOD will render of none effect the works of those who believe not, and who turn away men from the way of GOD: but as to those who believe, and work righteousness, and believe the revelation which hath been sent down unto Mohammed (for it is the truth from their LORD), he will expiate their evil deeds from them, and will dispose their heart aright.
q These genii, according to different opinions, were of Nisibin, or of Yaman, or of Ninive; and in number nine or seven. They heard Mohammed reading the Korân by night, or after the morning prayer, in the valley of al Nakhlah, during the time of his retreat to al Tayef, and believed on him.1 r Hence the commentators suppose those genii, before their conversion to Mohammedism, to have been of the Jewish religion. s Some entitle this chapter War, which is therein commanded to be vigorously carried on against the enemies of the Mohammedan faith. t Some suppose the whole to have been revealed at Mecca.
1 Idem, Jallalo'ddin.
This will he do, because those who believe not follow vanity, and because those who believe follow the truth from their LORD. Thus GOD propoundeth unto men their examples. When ye encounter the unbelievers, strike off their heads, until ye have made a great slaughter among them; and bind them in bonds; and either give them a free dismission afterwards, or exact a ransom; until the war shall have laid down its arms.u This shall ye do. Verily if GOD pleased he could take vengeance on them, without your assistance; but he commandeth you to fight his battles, that he may prove the one of you by the other. And as to those who fightx in defence of GOD'S true religion, God will not suffer their works to perish: he will guide them, and will dispose their heart aright; and he will lead them into paradise, of which he hath told them. O true believers, if ye assist GOD, by fighting for his religion, he will assist you against your enemies; and will set your feet fast: but as for the infidels, let them perish; and their works shall God render vain. 10 This shall befall them, because they have rejected with abhorrence that which GOD hath revealed: wherefore their works shall become of no avail. Do they not travel through the earth, and see what hath been the end of those who were before them? GOD utterly destroyed them: and the like catastrophe awaiteth the unbelievers. This shall come to pass, for that GOD is the patron of the true believers, and for that the infidels have no protector. Verily GOD will introduce those who believe, and do good works, into gardens beneath which rivers flow: but the unbelievers indulge themselves in pleasures, and eat as beasts eat; and their abode shall be hell fire. How many cities were more mighty in strength than thy city which hath expelled thee; yet have we destroyed them, and there was none to help them? Shall he therefore, who followeth the plain declaration of his LORD, be as he whose evil works have been dressed up for him by the devil; and who follow their own lusts? The description of paradise, which is promised unto the pious: therein are rivers of incorruptible water; and rivers of milk, the taste whereof changeth not; and rivers of wine, pleasant unto those who drink; and rivers of clarified honey: and therein shall they have plenty of all kinds of fruits; and pardon from their LORD. Shall the man for whom these things are prepared be as he who must dwell forever in hell fire; and will have the boiling water given him to drink, which shall burst their bowels?
u This law the Hanifites judge to be abrogated, or to relate particularly to the war of Bedr, for the severity here commanded, which was necessary in the beginning of Mohammedism,1 they think too rigorous to be put in practice in its flourishing state. But the Persians and some others hold the command to be still in full force; for, according to them, all the men of full age who are taken in battle are to be slain, unless they embrace the Mohammedan faith; and those who fall into the hands of the Moslems after the battle are not to be slain, but may either be set at liberty gratis or on payment of a certain ransom, or may be exchanged for Mohammedan prisoners, or condemned to slavery, at the pleasure of the Imâm or prince.2 x Some copies, instead of kâtilu, read kûtilu, according to which latter reading it should be rendered, who are slain, or suffer martyrdom, &c.
1 See cap. 8, p. 127 and 132. 2 Al Beidâwi. Vide Reland. Dissert. de Jure Militari Mohammedanor. p. 32.
Of the unbelievers there are some who give ear unto thee, until, when they go out from thee, they say, by way of derision, unto those to whom knowledge hath been given,y What hath he said now? These are they whose hearts GOD hath sealed up, and who follow their own lusts: but as to those who are directed, God will grant them a more ample direction, and he will instruct them what to avoid.z 20 Do the infidels wait for any other than the last hour, that it may come upon them suddenly? Some signs thereof are already come:a and when it shall actually overtake them, how can they then receive admonition? Know therefore, that there is no god but GOD: and ask pardon for thy sin,b and for the true believers, both men and women. GOD knoweth your busy employment in the world, and the place of your abode hereafter. The true believers say, Hath not a Sura been revealed commanding war against the infidels? But when a Sura without any ambiguity is revealed, and war is mentioned therein, thou mayest see those in whose hearts is an infirmity,c look towards thee with the look of one whom death overshadoweth. But obedience would be more eligible for them, and to speak that which is convenient. And when the command is firmly established, if they give credit unto GOD, it will be better for them. Were ye ready, therefore, if ye had been put in authority,d to commit outrages in the earth, and to violate the ties of blood? These are they whom GOD hath cursed, and hath rendered deaf, and whose eyes he hath blinded. Do they not therefore attentively meditate on the Koran? Are there locks upon their hearts? Verily they who turn their backs, after the true direction is made manifest unto them, Satan shall prepare their wickedness for them, and God shall bear with them for a time. This shall befall them, because they say privately unto those who detest what GOD hath revealed, We will obey you in part of the matter.e But GOD knoweth their secrets. How therefore will it be with them, when the angels shall cause them to die, and shall strike their faces, and their backs?f 30 This shall they suffer, because they follow that which provoketh GOD to wrath, and are averse to what is well pleasing unto him: and he will render their works vain. Do they in whose hearts is an infirmity imagine that GOD will not bring their malice to light? If we pleased, we could surely show them unto thee, and thou shouldest know them by their marks; but thou shalt certainly know them by their perverse pronunciation of their words. GOD knoweth your actions: and we will try you, until we know those among you who fight valiantly, and who persevere with constancy: and we will try the reports of your behavior.
y i.e., The more learned of Mohammed's companions, such as Ebn Masúd and Ebn Abbâs.3 z Or, as the words may also be translated, and he will reward them for their piety. a As the mission of Mohammed, the splitting of the moon, and the smoke,1 mentioned in the forty-fourth chapter. b Though Mohammed here and elsewhere2 acknowledges himself to be a sinner, yet several Mohammedan doctors pretend he was wholly free from sin, and suppose he is here commanded to ask forgiveness, not that he wanted it, but that he might set an example to his followers: wherefore he used to say of himself, if the tradition be true, I ask pardon of GOD a hundred times a day.3 c As hypocrisy, cowardice, or instability in their religion. d Or, as the words may also be translated, If ye had turned back, and apostatized from your faith. e i.e., In part of what ye desire of us; by staying at home and not going forth with Mohammed to war, and by private combination against him.4 f These words are supposed to allude to the examination of the sepulchre.
3 Jallalo'ddin. 1 Idem, al Beidâwi. 2 See cap. 48, in the beginning. 3 Jallalo'ddin 4 Al Beidâwi.
Verily those who believe not, and turn away men from the way of GOD, and make opposition against the apostle,g after the divine direction hath been manifested unto them, shall not hurt GOD at all; but he shall make their works to perish. O true believers, obey GOD; and obey the apostle: and render not your works of no effect. Verily those who believe not, and who turn away men from the way of GOD, and then die, being unbelievers, GOD will by no means forgive. Faint not therefore, neither invite your enemies to peace, while ye are the superior: for GOD is with you, and will not defraud you of the merit of your works. Verily this present life is only a play and a vain amusement; but if ye believe, and fear God, he will give you your rewards. He doth not require of you your whole substance: if he should require the whole of you, and earnestly press you, ye would become niggardly, and it would raise your hatred against his apostle. 40 Behold, ye are those who are invited to expend part of your substance for the support of GOD'S true religion; and there are some of you who are niggardly. But whoever shall be niggardly shall be niggardly towards his own soul: for GOD wanteth nothing, but ye are needy: and if ye turn back, he will substitute another people in your stead, who shall not be like unto you.h
________
XLVIII. ENTITLED, THE VICTORY; REVEALED AT MEDINA
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
VERILY we have granted thee a manifest victory:i that GOD may forgive theek thy preceding and thy subsequent sin,l and may complete his favour on thee, and direct thee in the right way;
g These were the tribes of Koreidha and al Nadir; or those who distributed provision to the army of the Koreish at Bedr.1 h i.e., In backwardness and aversion to the propagation of the faith. The people here designed to be put in the place of these lukewarm Moslems are generally supposed to be the Persians, there being a tradition that Mohammed, being asked what people they were, at a time when Salmân was sitting by him, clapped his hand on his thigh, and said, This man and his nation. Others, however, are of opinion the Ansârs or the angels are intended in this place.2 i This victory, from which the chapter takes its title, according to the most received interpretation, was the taking of the city of Mecca. The passage is said to have been revealed on Mohammed's return from the expedition of al Hodeibiya, and contains a promise or prediction of this signal success, which happened not till two years after, the preterite tense being therein used, according to the prophetic style, for the future.3 There are some, notwithstanding, who suppose the advantage here intended was the pacification of al Hodeibiya, which is here called a victory, because the Meccans sued for peace, and made a truce there with Mohammed, their breaking of which occasioned the taking of Mecca. Others think the conquest of Khaibar, or the victory over the Greeks at Mûta, &c., to be meant in this place. k That is to say, that GOD ay give thee an opportunity of deserving forgiveness by eradicating of idolatry, and exalting his true religion, and the delivering of the weak from the hands of the ungodly, &c. l i.e., Whatever thou hast done worthy reprehension; or, thy sins committed as well in the time of ignorance as since. Some expound the words more particularly, and say the preceding or former fault was his lying with his handmaid Mary,1 contrary to his oath; and the latter, his marrying of Zeinab,2 the wife of Zeîd his adopted son.3
1 Al Beidâwi. See cap. 8, p. 129, note y. 2 Idem. 3 Al Zamakh., al Beidâwi, &c. 1 See cap. 66, and the notes thereon. 2 See cap. 33, and the notes thereon. 3 Al Zamakh.
and that GOD may assist thee with a glorious assistance. It is he who sendeth down secure tranquility into the hearts of the true believers, that they may increase in faith, beyond their former faith; (the hosts of heaven and earth are GOD'S; and GOD is knowing and wise) that he may lead the true believers of both sexes into gardens beneath which rivers flow, to dwell therein forever; and may expiate their evil deeds from them: (this will be great felicity with GOD): and that he may punish the hypocritical men, and the hypocritical women, and the idolaters, and the idolatresses, who conceive an ill opinion of GOD. They shall experience a turn of evil fortune: and GOD shall be angry with them, and shall curse them, and hath prepared hell for them; and ill journey shall it be thither! Unto GOD belong the hosts of heaven and earth; and GOD is mighty and wise. Verily we have sent thee to be a witness, and a bearer of good tidings, and a denouncer of threats; that ye may believe in GOD, and his apostle; and may assist him, and revere him, and praise him morning and evening. 10 Verily they who swear fealtym unto thee, swear fealty unto GOD: the hand of GOD is over their hands.n Whoever shall violate his oath, will violate the same to the hurt only of his own soul: but whoever shall perform that which he hath covenanted with GOD, he will surely give him a great reward. The Arabs of the desert who were left behindo will say unto thee, Our substance and our families employed us, so that we went not forth with thee to war; wherefore, ask pardon for us. They speak that with their tongues, which is not in their hearts. Answer, Who shall be able to obtain for you anything from GOD to the contrary, if he is pleased to afflict you, or is pleased to be gracious unto you? Yea, verily, GOD is well acquainted with that which ye do. Truly ye imagined that the apostle and the true believers would never return to their families: and this was prepared in your hearts: but ye imagined an evil imagination; and ye are a corrupt people. Whoso believeth not in GOD and his apostle, verily we have prepared burning fire for the unbelievers. Unto GOD belongeth the kingdom of heaven and earth: he forgiveth whom he pleaseth: and he punisheth whom he pleaseth: and GOD is inclined to forgive, and merciful. Those who were left behind will say, when ye go forth to take the spoil,p Suffer us to follow you. They seek to change the word of GOD.q Say, Ye shall by no means follow us: thus hath GOD said heretofore. They will reply, Nay: ye envy us a share of the booty. But they are men of small understanding.
m The original word signifies publicly to acknowledge or inaugurate a prince, by swearing fidelity and obedience to him. n That is, he beholdeth from above, and is witness to the solemnity of your giving your faith to his apostle, and will reward you for it.4 The expression alludes to the manner of their plighting their faith on these occasions. o These were the tribes of Aslam, Joheinah, Mozeinah, and Ghifâr, who, being summoned to attend Mohammed in the expedition of al Hodeibiya, stayed behind, and excused themselves by saying their families must suffer in their absence, and would be robbed of the little they had (for these tribes were of the poorer Arabs); whereas in reality they wanted firmness in the faith, and courage to face the Koreish.5 p viz., In the expedition of Khaibar. The prophet returned from al Hodeibiya in Dhu'lhajja, in the sixth year of the Hejra, and stayed at Medina the remainder of that month and the beginning of Moharram, and then set forward against the Jews of Khaibar, with those only who had attended him to Hodeibiya; and having made himself master of the place, and all the castles and strongholds in that territory,1 took spoils to a great value, which he divided among them who were present at that expedition, and none else.2 q Which was his promise to those who attended the prophet to al Hodeibiya, that he would make them amends for their missing of the plunder of Mecca at that time by giving them that of Khaibar in lieu thereof. Some think the word here intended, to be that passage in the ninth chapter,3 Ye shall not go forth with me for the future, &c., which yet was plainly revealed long after the taking of Khaibar, on occasion of the expedition of Tabûc.4
4 Jallalo'ddin. 5 Idem, al Beidâwi.
Say unto the Arabs of the desert who were left behind, Ye shall be called forth against a mighty and a warlike nation;r ye shall fight against them, or they shall profess Islâm. If ye obey, GOD will give you a glorious reward: but if ye turn back, as ye turned back heretofore, he will chastise you with a grievous chastisement. It shall be no crime in the blind, neither shall it be a crime in the lame, neither shall it be a crime in the sick, if they go not forth to war: and whoso shall obey GOD and his apostle, he shall lead them into gardens beneath which rivers flow; but whoso shall turn back, he will chastise him with a grievous chastisement. Now GOD was well pleased with the true believers, when they sware fidelity to thee under the tree;s and he knew that which was in their hearts; wherefore he sent down on them tranquility of mind,t and rewarded them with a speedy victory,u and many spoils which they took: for GOD is mighty and wise. 20 GOD promised you many spoils which ye should take; but he have you these by way of earnest; and he restrained the hands of men from you:x that the same may be a sign unto the true believers; and that he may guide you into the right way. And he also promiseth you other spoils, which ye have not yet been able to take: but now hath GOD encompassed them for you; and GOD is almighty. If the unbelieving Meccans had fought against you, verily they had turned their backs; and they would not have found a patron or protector: according to the ordinance of GOD, which hath been put in execution heretofore against opposers of the prophets; for thou shalt not find any change in the ordinance of GOD. It was he who restrained their hands from you, and your hands from them, in the valley of Mecca; after that he had given you the victory over them:y and GOD saw that which ye did.
r These were Banu Honeifa, who inhabited al Yamâma, and were the followers of Moseilama, Mohammed's competitor; or any other of those tribes which apostatized from Mohammedism,5 or, as others rather suppose, the Persians or the Greeks.6 s Mohammed, when at al Hodeibiya, sent Jawwâs Ebn Omeyya the Khozaïte, to acquaint the Meccans that he was come with a peaceable intention to visit the temple; but they, on some jealousy conceived, refusing to admit him, the prophet sent Othman Ebn Affân, whom they imprisoned, and a report ran that he was slain: whereupon Mohammed called his men about him, and they took an oath to be faithful to him, even to death; during which ceremony he sat under a tree, supposed by some to have been an Egyptian thorn, and by others a kind of lote-tree.7 t The original word is Sakînat, of which notice has been taken elsewhere.8 u Namely, the success at Khaibar; or, as some rather imagine, the taking of Mecca, &c. x i.e., The hands of those of Khaibar, or of their successors of the tribes of Asad and Ghatfân, or of the inhabitants of Mecca, by the pacification of al Hodeibiya.1 y Jallalo'ddin says that fourscore of the infidels came privately to Mohammed's camp at al Hodeibiya, with an intent to surprise some of his men, but were taken and brought before the prophet, who pardoned them and ordered them to be set at liberty; and this generous action was the occasion of the truce struck up by the Koreish with Mohammed; for thereupon they sent Sohail Ebn Amru and some others (and not Arwa Ebn Masúd, as is said by mistake in another place,2 for his errand was an actual defiance) to treat for peace. Al Beidâwi explains the passage by another story, telling us that Acrema Ebn Abi Jahl marching from Mecca at the head of five hundred men to al Hodeibiya, Mohammed sent against him Khâled Ebn al Walîd with a detachment, who drove the infidels back to the innermost part of Mecca (as the word here translated valley properly signifies), and then left them, out of respect to the place.
1 Vide Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 87, &c. 2 Al Beidâwi. 3 Page 144. 4 Al Beidâwi. 5 Idem. 6 Jallalo'ddin. 7 Idem, al Beidâwi. Vide Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 86. 8 In not. ad cap. 2, p. 27. 1 Al Beidâwi. 2 Prelim. Disc. Sect. II. p. 41.
These are they who believed not, and hindered you from visiting the holy temple, and also hindered the offering being detained, that it should not arrive at the place where it ought to be sacrificed.z Had it not been that ye might have trampled on divers true believers, both men and women, whom ye know not, being promiscuously assembled with the infidels, and that a crime might therefore have lighted on you on their account, without your knowledge, he had not restrained your hands from them: but this was done, that GOD might lead whom he pleased into his mercy. If they had been distinguished from one another, we had surely chastised such of them as believed not, with a severe chastisement. When the unbelievers had put in their hearts an affected preciseness, the preciseness of ignorance, and GOD sent down his tranquility on his apostle and on the true believers;a and firmly fixed in them the word of piety,b and they were the most worthy of the same, and the most deserving thereof: for GOD knoweth all things. Now hath GOD in truth verified unto his apostle the vision,c wherein he said, Ye shall surely enter the holy temple of Mecca, if GOD please, in full security; having your heads shaved, and your hair cut:d ye shall not fear: for God knoweth that which ye know not; and he hath appointed you, besides this, a speedy victory.e
z Mohammed's intent, in the expedition of al Hodeibiya, being only to visit the temple of Mecca in a peaceable manner, and to offer a sacrifice in the valley of Mina, according to the established rites, he carried beasts with him for that purpose; but was not permitted by the Koreish either to enter the temple or to go to Mina. a This passage was occasioned by the stiffness of Sohail and his companions in wording the treaty concluded with Mohammed; for when the prophet ordered Ali to begin with the form, In the name of the most merciful GOD, they objected to it, and insisted that he should begin with this: In thy name, O GOD; which Mohammed submitted to, and proceeded to dictate, These are the conditions on which Mohammed, the apostle of GOD, has made peace with those of Mecca; to this Sohail again objected, saying, If we had acknowledged thee to be the apostle of GOD, we had not given thee any opposition; whereupon Mohammed ordered Ali to write as Sohail desired, These are the conditions which Mohammed, the son of Abdallah, &c. But the Moslems were so disgusted thereat, that they were on the point of breaking off the treaty, and had fallen on the Meccans, had not GOD appeased and calmed their minds, as it follows in the text.3 The terms of this pacification were that there should be a truce for ten years; that any person might enter into league either with Mohammed or with the Koreish, as he should think fit; and that Mohammed should have the liberty to visit the temple of Mecca the next year for three days.4 b i.e., The Mohammedan profession of faith; or the Bismillah, and the words, Mohammed, the apostle of GOD, which were rejected by the infidels. c Or dream which Mohammed had at Medina before he set out for al Hodeibiya; wherein he dreamed that he and his companions entered Mecca in security, with their heads shaven and their hair cut. This dream being imparted by the prophet to his followers, occasioned a great deal of joy among them, and they supposed it would be fulfilled that same year; but when they saw the truce concluded, which frustrated their expectation for that time, they were deeply concerned; whereupon this passage was revealed for their consolation, confirming the vision, which was not to be fulfilled till the year after, when Mohammed performed the visitation distinguished by the addition of al Kadâ, or completion, because he then completed the visitation of the former year, when the Koreish not permitting him to enter Mecca, he was obliged to kill his victims, and to shave himself at al Hodeibiya.5 d i.e., Some being shaved, and others having only their hair cut. e viz., The taking of Khaibar.
3 Al Beidâwi. Vide Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 87. 4 Idem. 5 Al Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin. Vide Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 84, 87.
It is he who hath sent his apostle with the direction, and the religion of truth; that he may exalt the same above every religion: and GOD is a sufficient witness hereof. Mohammed is the apostle of GOD: and those who are with him are fierce against the unbelievers, but compassionate towards one another. Thou mayest see them bowing down, prostrate, seeking a recompense from GOD, and his good- will. Their signs are in their faces, being marks of frequent prostration. This is their description in the pentateuch, and their description in the gospel: they are as seed which putteth forth its stalk and strengtheneth it, and swelleth in the ear, and riseth upon its stem; giving delight unto the sower. Such are the Moslems described to be: that the infidels may swell with indignation at them. GOD hath promised unto such of them as believe, and do good works, pardon and a great reward.
________
XLIX. ENTITLED, THE INNER APARTMENTS; REVEALED AT MEDINA
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
O TRUE believers, anticipate not any matter in the sight of GOD and his apostle:f and fear GOD; for GOD both heareth and knoweth. O true believers, raise not your voices above the voice of the prophet;g neither speak loud unto him in discourse, as ye speak loud unto one another, lest your works become vain, and ye perceive it not. Verily they who lower their voices in the presence of the apostle of GOD are those whose hearts GOD hath disposed unto piety: they shall obtain pardon, and a great reward. As to those who call unto thee from without the inner apartments;h the greater part of them do not understand the respect due to thee. If they wait with patience, until thou come forth unto them, it will certainly be better for them: but GOD is inclined to forgive, and merciful.
f That is, do not presume to give your own decision in any case, before ye have received the judgment of GOD and his apostle. g This verse is said to have been occasioned by a dispute between Abu Becr and Omar, concerning the appointing of a governor of a certain place; in which they raised their voices so high, in the presence of the apostle, that it was thought proper to forbid such indecencies for the future.1 h These, they say, were Oyeyna Ebn Osein, and al Akrá Ebn Hâbes; who wanting to speak with Mohammed, when he was sleeping at noon in his women's apartment, had the rudeness to call out several times, Mohammed, come forth to us.2
1 Jallal. 2 Al Beidâwi.
O true believers, if a wicked man come unto you with a tale, inquire strictly into the truth thereof; lest ye hurt people through ignorance, and afterwards repent of what ye have done;i and know that the apostle of GOD is among you: if he should obey you in many things, ye would certainly be guilty of a crime, in leading him into a mistake. But GOD hath made the faith amiable unto you, and hath prepared the same in your hearts; and hath rendered infidelity, and iniquity, and disobedience hateful unto you. These are they who walk in the right way; through mercy from GOD, and grace: and GOD is knowing, and wise. If two parties of the believers contend with one another, do ye endeavor to compose the matter between them: and if the one of them offer an insult unto the other, fight against that party which offered the insult, until they return unto the judgment of GOD; and if they do return, make peace between them with equity: and act with justice; for GOD loveth those who act justly.k 10 Verily the true believers are brethren; wherefore reconcile your brethren; and fear GOD, that ye may obtain mercy. O true believers, let not men laugh other men to scorn; who peradventure may be better than themselves: neither let women laugh other women to scorn; who may possibly be better than themselves. Neither defame one another; nor call one another by opprobrious appellations. An ill name it is to be charged with wickedness, after having embraced the faith: and whoso repenteth not, they will be the unjust doers.l O true believers, carefully avoid entertaining a suspicion of another: for some suspicions are a crime. Inquire not too curiously into other men's failings: neither let the one of you speak ill of another in his absence. Would any of you desire to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Surely ye would abhor it. And fear GOD; for GOD is easy to be reconciled, and merciful. O men, verily we have created you of a male and a female; and we have distributed you into nations and tribes, that ye might know one another. Verily the most honourable of you, in the sight of GOD, is the most pious of you: and GOD is wise and knowing. The Arabs of the desertm say, We believe. Answer, Ye do by no means believe; but say, We have embraced Islâm:n for the faith hath not yet entered into your hearts. If ye obey GOD and his apostle, he will not defraud you of any part of the merit of your works: for GOD is inclined to forgive, and merciful.
i This passage was occasioned, it is said, by the following accident. Al Walid Ebn Okba being sent by Mohammed to collect the alms from the tribe of al Mostalek, when he saw them come out to meet him in great numbers, grew apprehensive they designed him some mischief, because of past enmity between him and them in the time of ignorance, and immediately turned back, and told the prophet they refused to pay their alms, and attempted to kill him; upon which Mohammed was thinking to reduce them by force: but on sending Khâled Ebn al Walîd to them, he found his former messenger had wronged them, and that they continued in their obedience.3 k This verse is supposed to have been occasioned by a fray which happened between the tribes of al Aws and al Khazraj. Some relate that the prophet one day riding on an ass, as he passed near Abdallah Ebn Obba, the ass chanced to stale, at which Ebn Obba stopped his nose; and Ebn Rawâha said to him, By GOD, the piss of his ass smells sweeter than thy musk: whereupon a quarrel ensued between their followers, and they came to blows, though they struck one another only with their hands and slippers, or with palm-branches.4 l It is said that this verse was revealed on account of Safiya Bint Hoyai, one of the prophet's wives; who came to her husband and complained that the women said to her, O thou Jewess, the daughter of a Jew and of a Jewess: to which he answered, Canst thou not say, Aaron is my father, and Moses is my uncle, and Mohammed is my husband?5 m These were certain of the tribe of Asad, who came to Medina in a year of scarcity, and having professed Mohammedism, told the prophet that they had brought all their goods and their families, and would not oppose him, as some other tribes had done: and this they said to obtain a part of the alms, and to upbraid him with their having embraced his religion and party.6 n That is, Ye are not sincere believers, but outward professors only of the true religion.
3 Idem, Jallal. 4 Idem 5 Al Beidâwi. See Prid. Life of Mahom. p. 111, &c. 6 Idem.
Verily the true believers are those only who believe in GOD and his apostle, and afterwards doubt not; and who employ their substance and their persons in the defence of GOD'S true religion: these are they who speak sincerely. Say, Will ye inform GOD concerning your religion?o But GOD knoweth whatever is in heaven and in earth: for GOD is omniscient. They upbraid thee that they have embraced Islâm. Answer, Upbraid me not with your having embraced Islâm: rather GOD upbraideth you, that he hath directed you to the faith;p if ye speak sincerely. Verily GOD knoweth the secrets of heaven and earth: and GOD beholdeth that which ye do.
________
L. ENTITLED, K; REVEALED AT MECCA
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
K.q BY the glorious Koran: verily they wonder that a preacher from among themselves is come unto them; and the unbelievers say, This is a wonderful thing: after we shall be dead, and become dust, shall we return to life? This is a return remote from thought. Now we know what the earth consumeth of them; and with us is a book which keepeth an account thereof. But they charge falsehood on the truth, after it hath come unto them: wherefore they are plunged in a confused business.r Do they not look up to the heaven above them, and consider how we have raised it and adorned it; and that there are no flaws therein? We have also spread forth the earth, and thrown thereon mountains firmly rooted:s and we caused every beautiful kind of vegetables to spring up therein; for a subject of meditation, and an admonition unto every man who turneth unto us. And we send down rain as a blessing from heaven, whereby we cause gardens to spring forth, and the grain of harvest, 10 and tall palm-trees having branches laden with dates hanging one above another, as a provision for mankind; and we thereby quicken a dead country: so shall be the coming forth of the dead from their graves.
o i.e., Will ye pretend to deceive him, by saying ye are true believers? p The obligation being not on GOD'S side, but on yours, for that he has favoured you so far as to guide you into the true faith, if ye are sincere believers. q Some imagine that this letter is designed to express the mountain Kâf, which several eastern writers fancy encompass the whole world.1 Others say it stands for Kada al amr, i.e., The matter is decreed, viz., the chastisement of the infidels.2 See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c. r Not knowing what certainly to affirm of the Korân; calling it sometimes a piece of poetry, at other times a piece of sorcery, and at other times a piece of divination, &c. s See chapter 16, p. 196, and chapter 31, p. 307.
1 Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Caf. 2 Al Beidâwi. Jallalo'ddin.
The people of Noah, and those who dwelt at Al Rass,t and Thamud, and Ad, and Pharaoh, accused the prophets of imposture before the Meccans; and also the brethren of Lot, and the inhabitants of the wood near Midian, and the people of Tobba:u all these accused the apostles of imposture; wherefore the judgments which I threatened were justly inflicted on them. Is our power exhausted by the first creation? Yea; they are in a perplexity, because of a new creation which is foretold them, namely the raising of the dead. We created man, and we know what his soul whispereth within him; and we are nearer unto him than his jugular vein. When the two angels deputed to take account of a man's behavior, take an account thereof; one sitting on the right hand, and the other on the left: he uttereth not a word, but there is with him a watcher, ready to note it.x And the agony of death shall come in truth: this, O man, is what thou soughtest to avoid. And the trumpet shall sound: this will be the day which hath been threatened. 20 And every soul shall come; and therewith shall be a driver and a witness.y And the former shall say unto the unbeliever, Thou wast negligent heretofore of this day: but we have removed thy veil from off thee; and thy sight is become piercing this day. And his companions shall say, This is what is ready with me to be attested. And God shall say, Cast into hell every unbeliever, and perverse person, and every one who forbade good, and every transgressor, and doubter of the faith, who set up another god with the true GOD; and cast him into a grievous torment. His companionz shall say, O LORD, I did not seduce him; but he was in a wide error.a God shall say, Wrangle not in my presence: since I threatened you beforehand with the torments which ye now see prepared for you. The sentence is not changed with me: neither do I treat my servants unjustly. On that day we will say unto hell, Art thou full? and it shall answer, Is there yet any addition?b 30 And paradise shall be brought near unto the pious; and it shall be said unto them, This is what ye have been promised; unto every one who turned himself unto God, and kept his commandments;
t See chapter 25, p. 273. u See chapter 44, p. 368. x The intent of the passage is to exalt the omniscience of GOD, who wants not the information of the guardian angels, though he has thought fit, in his wisdom, to give them that employment; for if they are so exact as to write down every word which falls from a man's mouth, how can we hope to escape the observation of him who sees our inmost thoughts? The Mohammedans have a tradition that the angel who notes a man's good actions has the command over him who notes his evil actions; and that when a man does a good action, the angel of the right hand writes it down ten times, and when he commits an ill action, the same angel says to the angel of the left hand, Forbear setting it down for seven hours; peradventure he may pray, or may ask pardon.1 y i.e., Two angels, one acting as a sergeant, to bring every person before the tribunal; and the other prepared as a witness, to testify either for or against him. Some say the former will be the guardian angel who took down his evil actions, and the other the angel who took down his good actions.2 z viz., The devil which shall be chained to him. a This will be the answer of the devil, whom the wicked person will accuse as his seducer; for the devil has no power over a man to cause him to do evil, any otherwise than by suggesting what is agreeable to his corrupt inclinations.3 b i.e., Are there yet any more condemned to this place, or is my space to be enlarged and rendered more capacious to receive them? The commentators suppose hell will be quite filled at the day of judgment, according to that repeated expression in the Korân, Verily I will fill hell with you, &c.
1 Al Beidâwi. 2 Idem. 3 See cap. 14, p. 188, &c.
who feared the Merciful in secret, and came unto him with a converted heart: enter the same in peace: this is the day of eternity. Therein shall they have whatever they shall desire; and there will be a superabundant addition of bliss with us.c How many generations have we destroyed before the Meccans, which were more mighty than they in strength? Pass, therefore, through the regions of the earth, and see whether there be any refuge from our vengeance. Verily herein is an admonition unto him who hath a heart to understand, or giveth ear, and is present with an attentive mind. We created the heavens and the earth, and whatever is between them, in six days, and no weariness affected us.d Wherefore patiently suffer what they say;e and celebrate the praise of thy LORD before sunrise, and before sunset, and praise him in some part of the night: and perform the additional parts of worship.f 40 And hearken unto the day whereon the crier shall call men to judgment from a near place:g the day whereon they shall hear the voice of the trumpet in truth: this will be the day of men's coming forth from their graves: we give life, and we cause to die; and unto us shall be the return of all creatures: the day whereon the earth shall suddenly cleave in sunder over them. This will be an assembly easy for us to assemble. We well know what the unbelievers say; and thou art not sent to compel them forcibly to the faith. Wherefore warn, by the Koran, him who feareth my threatening.
________
LI. ENTITLED, THE DISPERSING; REVEALED AT MECCA
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
BY the winds dispersing and scattering the dust;h and by the clouds bearing a load of rain;i by the ships running swiftly in the sea;k
c See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 78. d This was revealed in answer to the Jews, who said that GOD rested from his work of creation on the seventh day, and reposed himself on his throne, as one fatigued.1 e viz., Either what the idolaters say, in denying the resurrection; or the Jews, in speaking indecently of GOD. f These are the two inclinations used after the evening prayer, which are not necessary, or of precept, but voluntary, and of supererogation; and may therefore be added, or omitted, indifferently. g That is, from a place whence every creature may equally hear the call. This place, it is supposed, will be the mountain of the temple of Jerusalem, which some fancy to be nigher heaven than any other part of the earth; whence Israfil will sound the trumpet, and Gabriel will make the following proclamation: O ye rotten bones, and torn flesh, and dispersed hairs, GOD commandeth you to be gathered together to judgment.2 h Or, by the women who bring forth or scatter children, &c. i Or, by the women bearing a burden in their womb, or the winds bearing the clouds, &c. k Or, by the winds passing swiftly in the air, or the stars moving swiftly in their courses, &c.
1 Al Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin. 2 Idem.
and by the angels who distribute things necessary for the support of all creatures;l verily that wherewith ye are threatened is certainly true; and the last judgment will surely come. By the heaven furnished with paths;m ye widely differ in what ye say.n He will be turned aside from the faith, who shall be turned aside by the divine decree. 10 Cursed be the liars; who wade in deep waters of ignorance, neglecting their salvation. They ask, When will the day of judgment come? On that day shall they be burned in hell fire; and it shall be said unto them, Taste your punishment; this is what ye demanded to be hastened. But the pious shall dwell among gardens and fountains, receiving that which their LORD shall give them; because they were righteous doers before this day. They slept but a small part of the night;o and early in the morning they asked pardon of God: and a due portion of their wealth was given unto him who asked, and unto him who was forbidden by shame to ask. 20 There are signs of the divine power and goodness in the earth, unto men of sound understanding; and also in your own selves: will ye not therefore consider? Your sustenance is in the heaven; and also that which ye are promised.p Wherefore by the LORD of heaven and earth I swear that this is certainly the truth; according to what ye yourselves speak.q Hath not the story of Abraham's honoured guestsr come to thy knowledge? When they went in unto him, and said, Peace: he answered Peace; saying within himself, These are unknown people. And he went privately unto his family, and brought a fatted calf. And he set it before them, and when he saw they touched it not, he said, Do ye not eat? And he began to entertain a fear of them. They said, Fear not:s and they declared unto him the promise of a wise youth. And his wife drew near with exclamation, and she smote her face,t and said, I am an old woman, and barren. 30 The angels answered, Thus saith thy LORD: verily he is the wise, the knowing. And Abraham said unto them, What is your errand, therefore, O messengers of God? They answered, Verily we are sent unto a wicked people: that we may send down upon them stones of baked clay, marked from thy LORD, for the destruction of transgressors. And we brought forth the true believers who were in the city: but we found not therein more than one family of Moslems. And we overthrew the same, and left a sign therein unto those who dread the severe chastisement of God. In Moses also was a sign: when we sent him unto Pharaoh with manifest power. But he turned back, with his princes, saying, This man is a sorceror, or a madman.
l Or, by the winds which distribute the rain, &c. m i.e., The paths or orbs of the stars, or the streaks which appear in the sky like paths, being thin and extended clouds. n Concerning Mohammed, or the Korân, or the resurrection and day of judgment; speaking variously and inconsistently of them. o Spending the greater part in prayer and religious meditation. p i.e., Your food cometh from above, whence proceedeth the change of seasons and rain; and your future reward is also there, that is to say, in paradise, which is situate above the seven heavens. q That is, without any doubt or reserved meaning, as ye affirm a truth unto one another. r See chapter 11, p. 165, and chapter 15, p. 193. s Some add, that to remove Abraham's fear, Gabriel, who was one of these strangers, touched the calf with his wing, and it immediately rose up and walked to its dam; upon which Abraham knew them to be the messengers of GOD.1 t This, some pretend, she did for shame, because she felt her courses coming upon her.
1 Al Beidâwi.
40 Wherefore we took him and his forces, and cast them into the sea: and he was one worthy of reprehension. And in the tribe of Ad also was a sign: when we sent against them a destroying wind;u it touched not aught whereon it came, but it rendered the same as a thing rotten, and reduced to dust. In Thamud likewise was a sign: when it was said unto them, Enjoy yourselves for a time.x But they insolently transgressed the command of their LORD: wherefore a terrible noise from heaven assailed them, while they looked on;y and they were not able to stand on their feet, neither did they save themselves from destruction. And the people of Noah did we destroy before these: for they were a people who enormously transgressed. We have built the heaven with might; and we have given it a large extent: and we have stretched forth the earth beneath; and how evenly have we spread the same! And of everything have we created two kinds,z that peradventure ye may consider. 50 Fly, therefore, unto GOD; verily I am a public warner unto you, from him. And set not up another god with the true GOD: verily I am a public warner unto you, from him. In like manner there came no apostle unto their predecessors, but they said, This man is a magician, or a madman. Have they bequeathed this behavior successively the one to the other? Yea; they are a people who enormously transgress. Wherefore withdraw from them; and thou shalt not be blameworthy in so doing. Yet continue to admonish: for admonition profiteth the true believers. I have not created genii and men for any other end than that they should serve me. I require not any sustenance from them; neither will I that they feed me. Verily GOD is he who provideth for all creatures; possessed of mighty power. Unto those who shall injure our apostle shall be given a portion like unto the portion of those who behaved like them in times past; and they shall not wish the same to be hastened. 60 Woe, therefore, to the unbelievers, because of their day with which they are threatened!
______
LII. ENTITLED, THE MOUNTAIN; REVEALED AT MECCA
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
BY the mountain of Sinai; and by the book written in an expanded scroll;a and by the visited house;b
u See chapter 7, p. 111, &c. x i.e., For three days. See chapter 11, p. 165. y For this calamity happened in the daytime. z As for example: male and female; the heaven and the earth; the sun and the moon; light and darkness; plains and mountains; winter and summer; sweet and bitter, &c.1 a The book here intended, according to different opinions, is either the book or register wherein every man's actions are recorded; or the preserved table containing GOD'S decrees; or the book of the law, which was written by GOD, Moses hearing the creaking of the pen; or else the Korân.2 b i.e., The Caaba, so much visited by pilgrims; or, as some rather think, the original model of that house in heaven, called al Dorâh, which is visited and compassed by the angels, as the other is by men.3
1 Jallalo'ddin. 2 Al Zamakh., al Beidâwi.
and by the elevated roof of heaven; and by the swelling ocean: verily the punishment of thy LORD will surely descend; there shall be none to withhold it. On that day the heaven shall be shaken, and shall reel; 10 and the mountains shall walk and pass away. And on that day woe be unto those who accused God's apostles of imposture; who amused themselves in wading in vain disputes! On that day shall they be driven and thrust into the fire of hell; and it shall be said unto them, This is the fire which ye denied as a fiction. Is this a magic illusion? Or do ye not see? Enter the same to be scorched: whether ye bear your torments patiently, or impatiently, it will be equal unto you: ye shall surely receive the reward of that which ye have wrought. But the pious shall dwell amidst gardens and pleasures; delighting themselves in what their LORD shall have given them: and their LORD shall deliver them from the pains of hell. And it shall be said unto them, Eat and drink with easy digestion; because of that which ye have wrought: 20 leaning on couches disposed in order: and we will espouse them unto virgins having large black eyes. And unto those who believe, and whose offspring follow them in the faith, we will join their offspring in paradise: and we will not diminish unto them aught of the merit of their works. (Every man is given in pledge for that which he shall have wrought.c) And we will give them fruits in abundance, and flesh of the kinds which they shall desire. They shall present unto one another therein a cup of wine, wherein there shall be no vain discourse, nor any incitement unto wickedness. And youths appointed to attend them shall go round them: beautiful as pearls hidden in their shell. And they shall approach unto one another, and shall ask mutual questions. And they shall say, Verily we were heretofore amidst our family, in great dread with regard to our state after death: but GOD hath been gracious unto us, and hath delivered us from the pain of burning fire: for we called on him heretofore; and he is the beneficent, the merciful. Wherefore do thou, O prophet, admonish thy people. Thou art not, by the grace of thy LORD, a soothsayer, or a madman. 30 Do they say, He is a poet; we wait, concerning him, some adverse turn of fortune? Say, Wait ye my ruin: verily I wait, with you, the time of your destruction. Do their mature understandings bid them say this; or are they people who perversely transgress? Do they say, He hath forged the Koran? Verily they believe not. Let them produce a discourse like unto it, if they speak truth. Were they created by nothing; or were they creators of themselves? Did they create the heavens and the earth? Verily they are not firmly persuaded that God hath created them.d Are the stores of thy LORD in their hands? Are they the supreme dispensers of all things?
c i.e., Every man is pledged unto GOD for his behaviour; and if he does well, he redeems his pledge, but if evil, he forfeits it. d For though they confess this with their tongues, yet they deny it by their averseness to render him his due worship.
3 See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.
Have they a ladder whereby they may ascend to heaven, and hear the discourses of angels? Let one, therefore, who hath heard them, produce an evident proof thereof. Hath God daughters, and have ye sons?e 40 Dost thou ask them a reward for thy preaching? but they are laden with debts. Are the secrets of futurity with them; and do they transcribe the same from the table of God's degrees? Do they seek to lay a plot against thee? But the unbelievers are they who shall be circumvented.f Have they any god, besides GOD? Far be GOD exalted above the idols which they associate with him! If they should see a fragment of the heaven falling down upon them, they would say, It is only a thick cloud.g Wherefore leave them, until they arrive at their day wherein they shall swoon for fear:h a day, in which their subtle contrivances shall not avail them at all, neither shall they be protected. And those who act unjustly shall surely suffer another punishment besides this:i but the greater part of them do not understand. And wait thou patiently the judgment of thy LORD concerning them; for thou art in our eye: and celebrate the praise of thy LORD, when thou risest up; and praise him in the night-season, and when the stars begin to disappear.
______
LIII. ENTITLED, THE STAR; REVEALED AT MECCA
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
BY the star,k when it setteth;l your companion Mohammed erreth not; nor is he led astray: neither doth he speak of his own will. It is no other than a revelation, which hath been revealed unto him. One mighty in power, endued with understanding, taught it him:m and he appearedn in the highest part of the horizon. Afterwards he approached the prophet,o and near unto him;
e See chapter 16, p. 199, &c. f See chapter 8, p. 128, &c. g This was one of the judgments which the idolatrous Meccans defied Mohammed to bring down upon them; and yet, says the text, if they should see a part of the heaven falling on them, they would not believe it till they were crushed to death by it.1 h i.e., At the first sound of the trumpet.2 i That is, besides the punishment to which they shall be doomed at the day of judgment, they shall be previously chastised by calamities in this life, as the slaughter at Bedr, and the seven years' famine, and also after their death, by the examination of the sepulchre.3 k Some suppose the stars in general, and others the Pleiades in particular, to be meant in this place. l Or, according to a contrary signification of the verb here used, when it riseth. m Namely, the angel Gabriel. n In his natural form, in which GOD created him, and in the eastern part of the sky. It is said that this angel appeared in his proper shape to none of the prophets, except Mohammed, and to him only twice: once when he received the first revelation of the Korân, and a second time when he took his night journey to heaven; as it follows in the text. o In a human shape.
1 Al Beidâwi. 2 See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 64. 3 Al Beidâwi.
until he was at the distance of two bows' lengthp from him, or yet nearer; 10 and he revealed unto his servant that which he revealed. The heart of Mohammed did not falsely represent that which he saw. Will ye therefore dispute with him concerning that which he saw?q He also saw him another time, by the lote-tree beyond which there is no passing:r near it is the garden of eternal abode. When the lote-tree covered that which it covered,s his eyesight turned not aside, neither did it wander: and he really beheld some of the greatest signs of his LORD.t What think ye of Allat, and Al Uzza, 20 and Manah, that other third goddess?u Have ye male children, and God female?x This, therefore, is an unjust partition. They are no other than empty names, which ye and your fathers have named goddesses. GOD hath not revealed concerning them anything to authorize their worship. They follow no other than a vain opinion, and what their souls desire: yet hath the true direction come unto them from their LORD. Shall man have whatever he wisheth for?y The life to come and the present life are GOD'S: and how many angels soever there be in the heavens, their intercession shall be of no avail, until after GOD shall have granted permission unto whom he shall please and shall accept. Verily they who believe not in the life to come give unto the angels a female appellation. But they have no knowledge herein: they follow no other than a bare opinion; and a bare opinion attaineth not anything of truth. 30 Wherefore withdraw from him who turneth away from our admonition, and seeketh only the present life. This is their highest pitch of knowledge. Verily thy LORD well knoweth him who erreth from his way; and he well knoweth him who is rightly directed. Unto GOD belongeth whatever is in heaven and earth: that he may reward those who do evil, according to that which they shall have wrought; and may reward those who do well, with the most excellent reward. As to those who avoid great crimes, and heinous sins, and are guilty only of lighter faults; verily thy LORD will be extensive in mercy towards them. He well knew you when he produced you out of the earth, and when ye were embryos in your mothers' wombs: wherefore justify not yourselves: he best knoweth the man who feareth him. What thinkest thou of him who turneth aside from following the truth,
p Or, as the word also signifies, two cubits' length. q But he saw it in reality. r This tree, say the commentators, stands in the seventh heaven, on the right hand of the throne of GOD; and is the utmost bounds beyond which the angels themselves must not pass; or, as some rather imagine, beyond which no creature's knowledge can extend. s The words seem to signify that what was under this tree exceeded all description and number. Some suppose the whole host of angels worshipping beneath it1 are intended, and others, the birds which sit on its branches.2 t Seeing the wonders both of the sensible and the intellectual world.3 u Those were three idols of the ancient Arabs, of which we have spoken in the Preliminary Discourse.4 As to the blasphemy which some pretend Mohammed once uttered, through inadvertence, as he was reading this passage, see chapter 22, p. 255. x See chapter 16, p. 199, &c. y i.e., Shall he dictate to GOD, and name whom he pleases for his intercessors, or for his prophet; or shall he choose a religion according to his own fancy, and prescribe the terms on which he may claim the reward of this life and the next?5
1 Al Beidâwi. 2 Jalallo'ddin. 3 Al Beidâwi. 4 Sect. I. p. 14, &c. 5 Al Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin.
and giveth little, and covetously stoppeth his hand?z Is the knowledge of futurity with him, so that he seeth the same?a Hath he not been informed of that which is contained in the books of Moses, and of Abraham who faithfully performed his engagements? To wit: that a burdened soul shall not bear the burden of another; 40 and that nothing shall be imputed to a man for righteousness, except his own labor; and that his labor shall surely be made manifest hereafter, and that he shall be rewarded for the same with a most abundant reward; and that unto thy LORD will be the end of all things; and that he causeth to laugh, and causeth to weep; and that he putteth to death, and giveth life: and that he createth the two sexes, the male and the female, of seed when it is emitted; and that unto him appertaineth another production, namely, the raising of the dead again to life hereafter; and that he enricheth, and causeth to acquire possessions; 50 and that he is the LORD of the dog-star;b and that he destroyed the ancient tribe of Ad, and Thamud, and left not any of them alive; and also the people of Noah, before them; for they were most unjust and wicked: and he overthrew the cities which were turned upside down;c and that which covered them, covered them. Which, therefore, of thy LORD'S benefits, O man, wilt thou call in question? This our apostle is a preacher like the preachers who preceded him. The approaching day of judgment draweth near: there is none who can reveal the exact time of the same, besides GOD. Do ye, therefore, wonder at this new revelation, 60 and do ye laugh, and not weep, spending your time in idle diversions? But rather worship GOD, and serve him.
_______
LIV. ENTITLED, THE MOON; REVEALED AT MECCA
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
THE hour of judgment approacheth; and the moon hath been split in sunder:d
z This passage, it is said, was revealed on account of al Walid Ebn al Mogheira, who, following the prophet one day, was reviled by an idolater for leaving the religion of the Koreish, and giving occasion of scandal; to which he answered, that what he did was out of apprehension of the divine vengeance: whereupon the man offered, for a certain sum, to take the guilt of his apostacy on himself; and the bargain being made, al Walid returned to his idolatry, and paid the man part of what had been agreed on; but afterwards, on farther consideration, he thought it too much, and kept back the remainder.6 a That is, is he assured that the person with whom he made the above- mentioned agreement will be allowed to suffer in his stead hereafter?7 b Sirius, or the greater dog-star, was worshipped by some of the old Arabs.1 c viz., Sodom, and the other cities involved in her ruin. See chapter 11, p. 166. d This passage is expounded two different ways. Some imagine the words refer to a famous miracle supposed to have been performed by Mohammed; for it is said that, on the infidels demanding a sign of him, the moon appeared cloven in two,1 one part vanishing, and the other remaining; and Ebn Masúd affirmed that he saw Mount Harâ interpose between the two sections. Others think the preter tense is here used in the prophetic style for the future, and that the passage should be rendered, The moon shall be split in sunder: for this, they say, is to happen at the resurrection. The former opinion is supported by reading, according to some copies, wakad inshakka 'lkamaro, i.e., since the moon hath already been split in sunder; the splitting of the moon being reckoned by some to be one of the previous signs of the last day.2
6 Al Beidâwi. 7 Idem. 1 See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. I. p. 13, and Hyde, not. in Ulug. Beig. Tab. Stell. fix. p. 53. 1 See a long and fabulous account of this pretended miracle in Gagnier, Vie de Mah. c. 19 2 Al Zamakh., al Beidâwi.
but if the unbelievers see a sign, they turn aside, saying, This is a powerful charm.e And they accuse thee, O Mohammed, of imposture, and follow their own lusts: but everything will be immutably fixed.f And now hath a messageg come unto them, wherein is a determent from obstinate infidelity; the same being consummate wisdom: but warners profit them not; wherefore do thou withdraw from them. The day whereon the summoner shall summon mankind to an ungrateful business,h they shall come forth from their graves with downcast looks: numerous as locusts scattered far abroad; hastening with terror unto the summoner. The unbelievers shall say, This is a day of distress. The people of Noah accused that prophet of imposture, before thy people rejected thee: they accused our servant of imposture, saying, He is a madman; and he was rejected with reproach. 10 He called, therefore, upon his LORD, saying, Verily I am overpowered; wherefore avenge me.i So we opened the gates of heaven, with water pouring down, and we caused the earth to break forth into springs; so that the water of heaven and earth met, according to the decree which had been established. And we bare him on a vessel composed of planks and nails; which moved forward under our eyes:k as a recompense unto him who had been ungratefully rejected. And we left the said vessel for a sign: but is any one warned thereby? And how severe was my vengeance, and my threatening! Now have we made the Koran easy for admonition: but is any one admonished thereby? Ad charged their prophet with imposture: but how severe was my vengeance, and my threatening! Verily we sent against them a roaringl wind, on a day of continued ill luck;m 20 it carried men away, as though they had been roots of palm-trees forcibly torn up.n And how severe was my vengeance and my threatening! Now have we made the Koran easy for admonition: but is any one admonished thereby? Thamud charged the admonitions of their prophet with falsehood, and said, Shall we follow a single man among us? verily we should then be guilty of error, and preposterous madness: is the office of admonition committed unto him preferably to the rest of us? Nay; he is a liar, and an insolent fellow.
e Or, as the participle here used may also signify, a continued series of magic, or a transient magic illusion. f Or will reach a final period of ruin or success in this world, and of misery or happiness in the next, which will be conclusive and unchangeable thenceforward for ever.3 g i.e., The Korân, containing stories of former nations which have been chastised for their incredulity, and threats of a more dreadful punishment hereafter. h That is, when the angel Israfil shall call men to judgment. i This petition was not preferred by Noah till after he had suffered repeated violence from his people; for it is related that one of them having fallen upon him and almost strangled him, when he came to himself he said, O LORD, forgive them, for they know not what they do.4 k i.e., Under our special regard and keeping. l Or, a cold wind. m viz., On a Wednesday. See chapter 41, p. 356, note t. n It is related that they sought shelter in the clefts of rocks, and in pits, holding fast by one another; but that the wind impetuously tore them away, and threw them down dead.5
3 Al Beidâwi. 4 Idem. 5 Idem.
But God said to Saleh, To-morrow shall they know who is the liar, and the insolent person: for we will surely send the she-camel for a trial of them:o and do thou observe them, and bear their insults with patience: and prophesy unto them that the water shall be divided between them,p and each portion shall be sat down to alternately. And they called their companion:q and he took a sword,r and slew her. 30 But how severe was my vengeance, and my threatening! For we sent against them one cry of the angel Gabriel; and they became like the dry sticks used by him who buildeth a fold for cattle.s And now have we made the Koran easy for admonition: but is any one admonished thereby? The people of Lot charged his preaching with falsehood: but we sent against them a wind driving a shower of stones, which destroyed them all except the family of Lot; whom we delivered early in the morning, through favor from us. Thus do we reward those who are thankful. And Lot had warned them of our severity in chastising; but they doubted of that warning. And they demanded his guests of him, that they might abuse them: but we put out their eyes,t saying, Taste my vengeance, and my threatening. And early in the morning a lasting punishmentu surprised them. Taste, therefore, my vengeance, and my threatening. 40 Now have we made the Koran easy for admonition: but is any one admonished thereby? The warning of Moses also came unto the people of Pharaoh; but they charged every one of our signs with imposture: wherefore we chastised them with a mighty and irresistible chastisement. Are your unbelievers, O Meccans, better than these? Is immunity from punishment promised unto you in the scriptures? Do they say, We are a body of men able to prevail against our enemies? The multitude shall surely be put to flight, and shall turn their back.x But the hour of judgment is their threatened time of punishment:y and that hour shall be more grievous and more bitter than their afflictions in this life. Verily the wicked wander in error, and shall be tormented hereafter in burning flames. On that day they shall be dragged into the fire on their faces; and it shall be said unto them, Taste ye the touch of hell. All things have we created bound by a fixed decree: 50 and our command is no more than a single word,z like the twinkling of an eye.
o See chapter 7, p. 112, &c. p That is, between the Thamudites and the camel. See chapter 26, p. 280, note f. q Namely, Kodâr Ebn Salef; who was not an Arab, but a stranger dwelling among the Thamudites. See chapter 7, p. 112, note k. r Or, as the word also imports, He became resolute and daring. s The words may signify either the dry boughs with which, in the east, they make folds or enclosures, to fence their cattle from wind and cold; or the stubble and other stuff with which they litter them in those folds during the winter season. t So that their sockets became filled up even with the other parts of their faces. This, it is said, was done by one stroke of the wing of the angel Gabriel. See chapter 11, p. 166. u Under which they shall continue till they receive their full punishment in hell. x This prophecy was fulfilled by the overthrow of the Koreish at Bedr. It is related, from a tradition of Omar, that when this passage was revealed, Mohammed professed himself to be ignorant of its true meaning; but on the day of the battle of Bedr, he repeated these words as he was putting on his coat of mail.1 y i.e., The time when they shall receive their full punishment; what they suffer in this world being only the forerunner or earnest of what they shall feel in the next. z viz., Kun, i.e., Be. The passage may also be rendered, The execution of our purpose is but a single act, exerted in a moment. Some suppose it refers to the business of the day of judgment.1
1 Al Beidâwi.
We have formerly destroyed nations like unto you; but is any of you warned by their example? Everything which they do is recorded in the books kept by the guardian angels: and every action both small and great, is written down in the preserved table. Moreover the pious shall dwell among gardens and rivers, in the assembly of truth, in the presence of a most potent king.
________
LV. ENTITLED, THE MERCIFUL; REVEALED AT MECCA.a
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
THE Merciful hath taught his servant the Koran. He created man: he hath taught him distinct speech. The sun and the moon run their courses according to a certain rule: and the vegetables which creep on the ground, and the trees submit to his disposition. He also raised the heaven; and he appointed the balance,b that ye should not transgress in respect to the balance: wherefore observe a just weight; and diminish not the balance. And the earth hath he prepared for living creatures: 10 therein are various fruits, and palm-trees bearing sheaths of flowers; and grain having chaff, and leaves. Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?c He created man of dried clay like an earthen vessel: but he created the genii of fire clear from smoke. Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? He is the LORD of the east, and the LORD of the west.d Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? He hath let loose the two seas,e that they meet each another: 20 between them is placed a bar which they cannot pass. Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? From them are taken forth unions and lesser pearls. Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? His also are the ships, carrying their sails aloft in the sea like mountains. Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? Every creature which liveth on the earth is subject to decay: but the glorious and honourable countenance of thy LORD shall remain forever.
a Most of the commentators doubt whether this chapter was revealed at Mecca or at Medina; or partly at the one place, and partly at the other. b Or justice and equity in mutual dealings. c The words are directed to the two species of rational creatures, men and genii; the verb and the pronoun being in the dual number. This verse is intercalated, or repeated by way of burden, throughout the whole chapter no less than thirty-one times, which was done, as Marracci guesses, in imitation of David.2 d The original words are both in the dual number, and signify the different points of the horizon at which the sun rises and sets at the summer and winter solstice. See chapter 37, p. 334, note e. e Of salt water and fresh;3 or the Persian and Mediterranean seas.4
1 Idem. 2 See Psalm cxxxvi. 3 See cap. 25, p. 274. 4 Al Beidâwi.
Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? Unto him do all creatures which are in heaven and earth make petition: every day is he employed in some new work.f 30 Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? We will surely attend to judge you, O men and genii, at the last day. Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? O ye collective body of genii and men, if ye be able to pass out of the confines of heaven and earth,g pass forth: ye shall not pass forth but by absolute power. Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? A flame of fire without smoke, and a smoke without flameh shall be sent down upon you; and ye shall not be able to defend yourselves therefrom. Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? And when the heaven shall be rent in sunder, and shall become red as a rose, and shall melt like ointment.i (Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?) On that day neither man nor genius shall be asked concerning his sin.k 40 Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? The wicked shall be known by their marks;l and they shall be taken by the forelocks, and the feet, and shall be cast into hell. Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? This is hell, which the wicked deny as a falsehood: they shall pass to and fro between the same and hot boiling water.m Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? But for him who dreadeth the tribunal of his LORD are prepared two gardens:n (Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?) planted with shady trees. Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? 50 In each of them shall be two fountains flowing. Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? In each of them shall there be of every fruit two kinds.o Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? They shall repose on couches, the linings whereof shall be of thick silk interwoven with gold: and the fruit of the two gardens shall be near at hand together.p Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? Therein shall receive them beauteous damsels, refraining their eyes from beholding any besides their spouses: whom no man shall have deflowered before them, neither any genius:
f In executing those things which he hath decreed from eternity; by giving life and death, raising one and abasing another, hearing prayers and granting petitions, &c.5 g To fly from the power and to avoid the decree of GOD. h Or, as the word also signifies, molten brass, which shall be poured on the heads of the damned. i Or, shall appear like red leather; according to a different signification of the original word. k For their crimes will be known by their different marks; as it follows in the text. This, says al Beidâwi, is to be understood of the time when they shall be raised to life, and shall be led towards the tribunal: for when they come to trial, they will then undergo an examination, as is declared in several places of the Korân. l See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 66, &c. m For the only respite they shall have from the flames of hell, will be when they are suffered to go to drink this scalding liquor. See chapter 37, p. 336. n i.e., One distinct paradise for men, and another for genii, or, as some imagine, two gardens for each person; one as a reward due to his works, and the other as a free and superabundant gift, &c. o Some being known, and like the fruits of the earth; and others of new and unknown species, or fruits both green and ripe. p So that a man may reach them as he sits or lies down.
5 Idem, Jallalo'ddin.
(Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?) Having complexions like rubies and pearls. Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? 60 Shall the reward of good works be any other good? Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? And besides these there shall be two other gardens:q (Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny?) Of a dark green.r Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? In each of them shall be two fountains pouring forth plenty of water. Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? In each of them shall be fruits, and palm-trees, and pomegranates. Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? 70 Therein shall be agreeable and beauteous damsels: Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? Having fine black eyes, and kept in pavilions from public view: Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? Whom no man shall have deflowered before their destined spouses, nor any genius. Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? Therein shall they delight themselves, lying on green cushions and beautiful carpets. Which, therefore, of your LORD'S benefits will ye ungratefully deny? Blessed be the name of thy LORD, possessed of glory and honour!
______