brious appellations. An ill name it is to be charged with wickedness, after having embraced the faith: and whoso repenteth not, they will be the unjust doers. O true believers, carefully avoid entertaining a suspicion of another: for some suspicions are a crime. Inquire not too curiously 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 desert say, We believe. Answer, Ye do by no means believe; but say, We have embraced Islâm: 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. 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? 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; if ye speak sincerely.† Verily GOD knoweth the secrets of heaven and earth and GoD beholdeth that which ye do.

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? 1

These were certain of the tribe of Asad, who came to Medina in a year of scarcity, and having professed Mohammedism, told the prophet that they had brought all their goods and their families, and would not oppose him, as some other tribes had done: and this they said to obtain a part of the alms, and to upbraid him with their having embraced his religion and party."

That is, ye are not sincere believers, but outward professors only of the true religion. (The distinction which the Mohammedans make between faith and Islamism is, that the one is the internal belief, and the other the external sign of that belief by religious acts.)-Savary.

i. e. Will ye pretend to deceive him, by saying ye are true believers?

The obligation being not on God's side, but on yours, for that he has favoured you so far as to guide you into the true faith, if ye are sincere believers.

"They return thanks unto thee for having embraced Islâmism. Say to them, His religion cometh not from me; it is the gift of heaven: he will lead you if your hearts be sincere."-Savary.

CHAPTER L.

INTITLED, K; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

K. By the glorious Korân: 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. Do they not look up to the heaven above them, and consider how we have raised it and adorned it; and that there are no flaws therein? We have also spread forth the earth, and thrown thereon mountains firmly rooted:" and we caused every beautiful kind of vegetables to spring up therein; 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, and tall palm-trees having branches laden with dates hanging one above another,† as a provision for mankind; and we thereby quicken a dead country: so shall be the coming forth of the dead from their graves. The people of Noah, and those who dwelt at Al Rass," and Thamud, and Ad, and Pharaoh, accused the prophets of imposture before the Meccans; and also the brethren of Lot, and the inhabitants of the wood near Midian, and the people of Tobba :P 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

1 Some imagine that this letter is designed to express the mountain Kâf, which several eastern writers fancy encompasses the whole world. Others say it stands for Kada al amr, i. e. The matter is decreed, viz. the chastisement of the infidels. See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iii. p. 42, &c.

Not knowing what certainly to affirm of the Korân; calling it sometimes a piece of poetry, at other times a piece of sorcery, and at other times a piece of divination, &c. *The spirit of confusion hath seized upon them."-Savary.

"See chap. 16, p. 215; and chap. 31, p. 335.

+(The date-tree produces three or four large clusters, which rise from the summit of the tree, and hang round. They are formed of small branches, long and flexible, from which hang the dates. These clusters will sometimes weigh as much as a hundred and twenty pounds. The date is at first of a deep green: as it ripens, it turns red, and it becomes blackish when it is ripe. This fruit, which is of a sugary and agreeable taste, loses much by drying. Savary

"The inhabitants of Aleica."-Savary.

> See chap. 44, p. 403.

Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Caf.

Al Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin.

(The unbelievers pretended that Mohammed was a magician, and the Korân a book of magic; others that he was a poet, and the Korân a book of poetry. The last reproach is not wholly unfounded: the whole of the Korân is written in verses. The first chapters are in rhymed prose; a part of the last in verse. Mohammed has displayed in his work all the treasures of eloquence and poetry.)-Savary.

them, namely the raising of the dead. We created man, and we know what his soul whispereth within him; and we are nearer unto him than his jugular vein. When the two angels deputed to take account of a man's behaviour, take an account thereof; one sitting on the right hand, and the other on the left: he uttereth not a word, but there is with him a watcher, ready to note it. 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. come; and there with shall be a driver and a

And every soul shall witness. ** 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 companion shall say, O LORD, I did not seduce him; but he was in a wide error.t 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? And paradise shall be brought near unto the pious; and it shall be said unto them, This is what ye have been promised; unto every one who turned himself unto God, and kept his commandments; who feared the Merciful in secret, and came 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.

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.'

i. e. Two angels, one acting as a serjeant, to bring every person before the tribunal; and the other prepared as a witness, to testify either for or against him. Some say the former will be the guardian angel who took down his evil actions, and the other the angel who took down his good actions."

* "Every man shall present himself there with a guide and with a witness."-Savary viz. The devil which shall be chained to him.

This will be the answer of the devil, whom the wicked person will accuse as his seducer; for the devil has no power over a man, to cause him to do evil, any otherwise than by suggesting what is agreeable to his corrupt inclinations.'

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.

and there will be a superabundant addition of bliss with us. How many generations have we destroyed before the Meccans, which were more mighty than they in strength? Pass, therefore, through the regions of the earth, and see whether there be any refuge from our vengeance. Verily 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. Wherefore patiently suffer what they say; 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.** And hearken unto the day whereon the crier shall call men to judgment from a near place: the day whereon they shall hear the voice of the trumpet in truth this will be the day of men's coming forth from their graves: we give life, and we cause to die; and unto us shall be the return of all creatures the day where on 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 Korân, him who feareth my threatening.

CHAPTER LI.

INTITLED, THE DISPERSING; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

By the winds dispersing and scattering the dust; and by the clouds bearing a load of rain; by the ships running swiftly in the sea; and by

c

་ See the Prelim. Disc. sect. 4, p. 71.

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.'

viz. Either what the idolaters say, in denying the resurrection; or the Jews, in speaking indecently of God.

These are the two inclinations used after the evening prayer, which are not necessary, or of precept, but voluntary, and of supererogation, and may therefore be added or omitted indifferently.

"Make known his praise at the beginning of the night, and accomplish the adoration."-Savary.

That is, from a place whence every creature may equally hear the call. This place, it is supposed, will be the mountain of the temple of Jerusalem, which some fancy to be nigher heaven than any other part of the earth; whence Israfil will sound the trumpet, and Gabriel will make the following proclamation, O ye rotten bones, and torn flesh, and dispersed hairs, God commandeth you to be gathered together to judgment."

Or, By the women who bring forth or scatter children, &c.

"I swear by the breath of the impetuous winds."-Savary.

Or, By the women bearing a burden in their womb, or the winds bearing the clouds, &c. Or, By the winds passing swiftly in the air, or the stars moving swiftly in their courses, &c.

'Al Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin.

(By these words is to be understood the prayer called el aché, that is, of the supper, which is repeated about two hours after sunset. Marracci is mistaken in supposing that the words signify genuflexions which are not prescribed by the law. Marracci, p. 673.)— Savary.

'Al Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin.

the angels who distribute things necessary for the support of all creatures;e* verily that where with ye are threatened is certainly true; and the last judgment will surely come. By the heaven furnished with paths; ye widely differ in what ye say. He will be turned aside from the faith, who shall be turned aside by the divine decree. 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; and early in the morning they asked pardon of God: and a due portion of their wealth was given unto him who asked, and unto him who was forbidden by shame to ask. There are signs of the divine power and goodness in the earth, unto men of sound understanding; and also in your own selves will ye not therefore consider? Your sustenance is in the heaven; and also that which ye are promised. Wherefore by the LORD of heaven and earth I swear that this is certainly the truth; according to what ye yourselves speak. Hath not the story of Abraham's honoured guests come to thy knowledge? When they went in unto him, and said, Peace: he answered Peace; saying within himself, These are 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: m and they declared unto him the promise of a wise youth. And his wife drew near with exclamation, and she smote her face," and said, I am an old woman, and barren. The angels answered, Thus saith thy LORD: verily he is the wise, the knowing. *[XXVII.] And Abraham said unto them, What is your errand, therefore, O messengers of God? They answered, Verily we are sent unto a wicked people that we may send down upon them stones of baked clay, marked

Or, By the winds which distribute the rain, &c.

"By the angels who execute the decrees of Heaven.”—Savary.

i. e. The paths or orbs of the stars; or the streaks which appear in the sky like paths, being thin and extended clouds.

Concerning Mohammed, or the Korân, or the resurrection and day of judgment; speaking variously and inconsistently of them.

"The liars shall perish: they are buried in the abyss of ignorance."—Savary. Spending the greater part in prayer, and religious meditation.

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.

* That is, without any doubt or reserved meaning, as ye affirm a truth unto one another. See chap. 11, p. 182, and chap. 15, p. 212.

Some add, that to remove Abraham's fear, Gabriel, who was one of these strangers, touched the calf with his wing, and it immediately rose up and walked to its dam; upon which Abraham knew them to be the messengers of God.'

■This, some pretend, she did for shame; because she felt her courses coming upon her.

• Al Beidâwi.