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bestowed on me mercy from himself; who will protect me from the vengeance of God, if I be disobedient unto him? For ye shall not add unto me, other than loss. And he said, O my people, this she-camel of God is a sign unto you; therefore dismiss her freely, that she may feed in God's earth, and do her no harm, lest a swift punishment seize you. Yet they killed her; and Saleh said, Enjoy yourselves in your dwellings for three days after which ye shall be destroyed. This is an infallible prediction. And when our decree came to be executed, we delivered Saleh and those who believed with him, through our mercy, from the disgrace of that day; for thy LORD is the strong, the mighty God. But a terrible noise from heaven assailed those who had acted unjustly; and in the morning they were found in their houses, lying dead and prostrate; as though they had never dwelt therein. Did not Thamud disbelieve in their LORD? Was not Thamud cast far away? Our messengers also came formerly unto Abraham, with good tidings: they said, Peace be upon thee. And he answered, and on you be Peace! And he tarried not, but brought a roasted calf. And when he saw that their hands did not touch the meat, he misiked them, and entertained a fear of them." But they said, Fear not: for we are sent unto the people of Lot. And his wife Sarah was standing by," and she laughed; and we promised her Isaac, and after Isaac, Jacob. She said, Alas! shall I bear a son, who am old; this my husband also being advanced in years? Verily this would be a wonderful thing. The angels answered, Dost thou wonder at the effect of the command of God? The mercy of God and his blessings be upon you, the family of the house:

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These were the angels, who were sent to acquaint Abraham with the promise of Isaac, and to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Some of the commentators pretend they were twelve, or nine, or ten in number; but others, agreeable to scripture, say they were but three, viz. Gabriel, Michael, and Israfil."

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* "When he saw that they did not touch his hand."†-Savary.

Apprehending that they had some ill design against him, because they would not eat with him.

Being angels, whose nature needs not the support of food.1

• Either behind the curtain, or door of the tent; or else waiting upon them. The commentators are so little acquainted with scripture, that, not knowing the true occasion of Sarah's laughter, they strain their inventions to give some reason for it. One says, that she laughed at the angels discovering themselves, and ridding Abraham and herself of their apprehensions; and another, that it was at the approaching destruction of the Sodomites (a very probable motive in one of her sex). Some, however, interpret the original word differently, and will have it that she did not laugh, but that her courses, which had stopped for several years, came upon her at this time, as a previous sign of her future conception."

Al Beidâwi writes that Sarah was then ninety, or ninety-nine years old, and Abraham a hundred and twenty.

▾ Or the stock whence all the prophets were to proceed for the future. Or the ex

Al Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin. See Gen. xviii.

When the Orientals meet, after having made the ordinary salutation, Peace be with you, they move the hand to the left side, and mutually shake hands. When they are very intimate, they repeat this ceremony, and wish good wishes to each other. If they do not know the person whom they meet, they merely give him the salutation, and if it be an unbeliever, they content themselves by saying Good day. Abraham, seeing that the two celestial messengers did not touch his hand, concluded them to be strangers to whon. he was not known.-Savary.

Al Beidâwi.

* Idem. Jallalo'ddin, Al Zamakhshâri.

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for he is praiseworthy, and to be glorified. And when his apprehension had departed from Abraham, and the good tidings of Isaac's birth had come unto him, he disputed with us concerning the people of Lot; for Abraham was a pitiful, compassionate, and devout person. The angels said unto him, O Abraham, abstain from this; for now is the command of thy LORD come, to put their sentence in execution, and an inevitable punishment is ready to fall upon them. And when our messengers came unto Lot, he was troubled for them, and his arm was straightened concerning them; and he said, This is a grievous day. And his people came unto him, rushing upon him, and they had formerly been guilty of wickedness. Lot said unto them, O my people, these my daughters are more lawful for you: therefore fear GOD, and put me not to shame by wronging my guests. Is there not ⚫ man of prudence among you?* They answered, Thou knowest that we ave no need of thy daughters; and thou well knowest what we would ave. He said, If I had strength sufficient to oppose you, or I could have ecourse unto a powerful support, I would certainly do it. The angels aid, O Lot, verily we are the messengers of thy LORD; they shall by no neans come in unto thee. Go forth, therefore, with thy family, in some art of the night, and let not any of you turn back: but as for thy wife, hat shall happen unto her, which shall happen unto them. Verily the prediction of their punishment shall be fulfilled in the morning: is not the morning near? And when our command came, we turned those cities upside down, and we rained upon them stones of baked clay,' one follow

pression may perhaps refer to Abraham and Ishmael's building the Caaba, which is often called, by way of excellence, the house.

That is, he interceded with us for them. Jallalo'ddin, instead of the numbers mentioned by Moses, says, that Abraham first asked whether God would destroy those cities if three hundred righteous persons were found therein, and so fell successively to two hundred, forty, fourteen, and at last came to one: but there was not one righteous person to be found among them, except only Lot and his family.

Because they appeared in the shape of beautiful young men, which must needs tempt

those of Sodom to abuse them.

i. e. He knew himself unable to protect them against the insults of his townsmen. Is all shame extinct among you ?"-Savary.

Al Beidâwi says, that Lot shut his door, and argued the matter with the riotous assembly from behind it; but at length they endeavoured to get over the wall: whereupon Gabriel seeing his distress, struck them on the face with one of his wings, and blinded them; so that they moved off, crying out for help, and saying that Lot had magicians in his house.

This seems to be the true sense of the passage; but according to a different reading of the vowel, some interpret it, Except thy wife; the meaning being, that Lot is here commanded to take his family with him except his wife. Wherefore the commentators cannot agree whether Lot's wife went forth with him or not; some denying it, and pretending that she was left behind and perished in the common destruction; and others affirming it, and saying, that when she heard the noise of the storm, and overthrow of the cities, she turned back, lamenting their fate, and was immediately struck down and killed by one of the stones mentioned a little lower. A punishment she justly merited for her infidelity and disobedience to her husband."

For they tell us, that Gabriel thrust his wing under them, and lifted them up so high, that the inhabitants of the lower heaven heard the barking of the dogs, and the crowing of the cocks; and then inverting them, threw them down to the earth.

'The kiln wherein they were burned some imagine to have been hell.

Vide Gen. xviii. 23, &c.
Iidem interpretes.

Jallalo'ddin, Al Beidâwi. Vide Joseph. Antiq. lib. 1 'Jallalo'ddin, Al Beidâwi.

• See c. 66.

He said, O my

ing another, and being marked from thy LORD; and they are not far distant from those who act unjustly. And unto Madian we sent the r brother Shoaib: he said, O my people, worship GoD: ye have no Gon but nim: and diminish not measure and weight. Verily I see you to ve in a happy condition: but I fear for you the punishment of the day which will encompass the ungodly. O my people, give full measure and just weight; and diminish not unto men aught of their matters; neither commit injustice in the earth, acting corruptly. The residue which shall remain 10 you as the gift of God, after ye shall have done justice to others, will be better for you, than wealth gotten by fraud, if ye be true believers. I am no guardian over you. They answered, O Shoaib, do thy prayers enjoin thee, that we should leave the gods which our fathers worshipped; or that we should not do what we please with our substance.1 Thou only, it seems, art the wise person, and fit to direct. people, tell me if I have received an evident declaration from my LORD, and he hath bestowed on me an excellent provision, and I will not consent unto you in that which I forbid you; do I seek any other than your reformation, to the utmost of my power? My support is from GoD alone on him do I trust, and unto him do I turn me. O my people, let not your opposing of me draw on you a vengeance like unto that which fell on the people of Noah, or the people of Hud, or the people of Saleh: neither was the people of Lot far distant from you.m Ask pardon, therefore, of your LORD; and be turned unto him: for my LORD is merciful and loving. They answered, O Shoaib, we understand not much of what thou sayest; and we see thee to be a man of no power" among us: if it had not been for the sake of thy family, we had surely stoned thee, neither couldst thou have prevailed against us. Shoaib said, O my people, is my family more worthy in your opinion than God? and do ye cast him behind

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That is, as some suppose, streaked with white and red, or having some other peculiar mark to distinguish them from ordinary stones. But the common opinion is, that each stone had the name of the person who was to be killed by it, written thereon. The armv of Araha al Ashram was also destroyed by the same kind of stones.

This is a kind of threat to other wicked persons, and particularly to the infidels of Mecca, who deserved and might justly apprehend the same punishment.

See chap. 7, p. 125, &c.

That is, enjoying plenty of all things; and therefore having the less occasion to defraud one another, and being the more strongly bound to be thankful and obedient unto God.

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For this liberty, they imagined, was taken from them, by his prohibition of false weights and measures, or to diminish or adulterate their coin.

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For Sodom and Gomorrah were situate not a great way from you, and their destruction happened not many ages ago; neither did they deserve it on account of their obstinacy and wickedness, much more than yourselves.

"O my people, let not your falling off from the faith bring down upon you the Scourges which have caused to perish the people of Noah, of Hud, and of Saleh, and the nhabitants of Sodom, whose chastisement was so recently inflicted."-Savary.

The Arabic word daîf, weak, signifying also, in the Hamyaritic dialect, blind, some suppose that Shoaib was so, and that the Midianites objected that to him, as a defect which disqualified him for the prophetic office.

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i. e. For the respect we bear to thy family and relations: whom we honour as being of our religion, and not for any apprehension we have of their power to assist you agains The original word here translated family, signifies any number from three to Of er ten, but not more.1

118.

Jallalo'ddin, Al Beidâwi.

• Al Beidâwi.

Idem.

you with neglect? Verily my LORD comprehendeth that which ye do. 0 my people, do ye work according to your condition; I will surely work according to my duty. And ye shall certainly know on whom will be inflicted a punishment which shall cover him with shame, and who is a liar. Wait, therefore, the event; for I also will wait it with you. Wherefore, when our decree came to be executed, we delivered Shoaib and those who believed with him, through our mercy and a terrible noise from Heaven assailed those who had acted unjustly; and in the morning they were found in their houses lying dead and prostrate, as though they had never dwelt therein. Was not Madian removed from off the earth, as Thamud had been removed? And we formerly sent Moses with our signs, and manifest power unto Pharaoh and his princes;" but they followed the command of Pharaoh; although the command of Pharaoh did not direct them aright. Pharaoh shall precede his on the day of resurrection, and he shall lead them into hell fire; an un. happy way shall it be which they shall be led. They were followed in this life by a curse, and on the day of resurrection miserable shall be the gift which shall be given them. This is a part of the histories of the cities, which we rehearse unto thee. Of them there are some standing; and others which are utterly demolished. And we treated them not unjustly, but they dealt unjustly with their own souls: and their gods which they invoked, besides GoD, were of no advantage unto them at all, when the decree of thy LORD came to be executed on them, neither were they any other than a detriment unto them. And thus was the punishment of thy LORD inflicted, when he punished the cities which were unjust; for his punishment is grievous and severe. Verily herein is a sign unto him who feareth the punishment of the last day: that shall be a day, whereon all men shall be assembled, and that shall be a day whereon witness shall be borne; we defer it not, but to a determined time. When that day shall come, no soul shall speak to excuse itself, or to intercede for another, but by the permission of God. Of them, one shall be miserable, and another shall be happy. And they who shall be miserable, shall be thrown into hell fire; there shall they wail and bemoan themselves: they shall remain therein so long as the heavens and the earth shall endure; except what thy LoRD shall please to remit of their sentence; for thy LORD effecteth that which

See chap. 6, p. 112, note m.

See chap. 7, p. 127, &c.

Literally, mown down; the sentence presenting the different images of corn standing, and cut down, which is also often used by the sacred writers.

The two words in the original signify, properly, the vehement drawing in and expira tion of one's breath, which is usual to persons in great pain and anguish; and particularly the reciprocation of the voice of an ass, when he brays.

This is not to be strictly understood, as if either the punishment of the damned should have an end, or the heavens and the earth should endure for ever; the expression being only used by way of image or comparison, which needs not agree in every point with the thing signified. Some, however, think the future heavens and earth, into which the pre sent shall be changed, are here meant."

See the Proum. Disc. sect. iv. pp. 66, 67.

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he pleaseth. But they who shall be happy, shall be admitted into paradise they shall remain therein so long as the heavens and the earth endure besides what thy LORD shall please to add unto their bliss; a bounty which shall not be interrupted. Be not therefore in doubt concerning that which these men worship: they worship no other than what their fathers worshipped before them; and we will surely give them their full portion, not in the least diminished. We formerly gave unto Moses the book of the law; and disputes arose among his people concerning it: and unless a previous decree had proceeded from thy LORD, to bear with them during this life, the matter had been surely decided between them. And thy people are also jealous and in doubt concerning the Koran. But unto every one of them will thy LORD render the reward of their works; for he well knoweth that which they do. Be thou stedfast, therefore, as thou hast been commanded; and let him also be stedfast who shall be converted with thee; and transgress not; for he seeth that which ye do. And incline not unto those who act unjustly, lest the fire of hell touch you: for ye have no protectors, except GOD; neither shall ye be assisted against him. Pray regularly morning and even. ing; and in the former part of the night, for good works drive away evils. This is an admonition unto those who consider: wherefore per. severe with patience; for God suffereth not the reward of the righteous to perish. Were such of the generations before you, endued with understanding and virtue, who forbad the acting corruptly in the earth, any more than a few only of those whom we delivered? But they who were unjust followed the delights which they enjoyed in this world, and were wicked doers and thy LORD was not of such a disposition as to destroy the cities unjustly, while their inhabitants behaved themselves uprightly. And if thy LORD pleased, he would have made all men of one religion: but they shall not cease to differ among themselves, unless those on whom thy LoRD shall have mercy and unto this hath he created them; for the word of thy LORD shall be fulfilled, when he said, Verily I will fill hell altogether with genii and men. The whole which we have related of the histories of our apostles do we relate unto thee, that we may confirm thy heart thereby; and herein is the truth come unto thee, and an admonition, and a warning unto the true believers. Say unto those who believe not, Act ye according to your condition; we surely will act according to our duty :" and

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That is, after sunset, and before supper; when the Mohammedans say their fourth prayer, called by them Salât al moghreb, or the evening prayer.'

* Making it their sole business to please their luxurious desires and appetites, and placing their whole felicity therein.

Al Beidâwi says, that this passage gives the reason why the nations were destroyed of old; viz. for their violence and injustice, their following their own lusts, and for their idolatry and unbelief.

Or, as the commentator just named explains it, for their idolatry only, when they observed justice in other respects.

See chap. 6, p. 1 2, note m.

'Al Beldawi.

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