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when ye rest at noon. He bringeth forth the living out of the dead, and

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he bringeth forth the dead out of the living; and he quickeneth the earth after it hath been dead: and in like manner shall ye be brought forth from your graves. Of his signs one is, that he hath created you of dust, and behold, ye are become men, spread over the face of the earth. And of his signs another is, that he hath created you, out of yourselves, wives, that ye may cohabit with them; and hath put love and compassion between you: verily herein are signs unto people who consider. And of his signs are also the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the variety of your languages, and of your complexions:" verily herein are signs unto men of understanding. And of his signs are your sleeping by night and by day, and your seeking to provide for yourselves of his abundance: verily herein are signs unto people who hearken. Of his signs others are, that he showeth you the lightning, to strike terror, and to give hope of rain, and that he sendeth down water from heaven, and quickeneth thereby the earth, after it hath been dead: verily herein are signs unto people who understand. And of his signs this also is one, namely, that the heaven and the earth stand firm at command: hereafter, when he shall call you out of the earth at one summons, behold, ye shall come forth. Unto him are subject whosoever are in the heavens and on earth: all are obedient unto him. It is he who originally produceth a creature, and afterwards restoreth the same to life and this is most easy with him. He justly challengeth the most exalted comparison, in heaven and earth; and he is the mighty, the wise. He propoundeth unto a comparison taken from yourselves. Have ye, among the slaves whom your right hands possess, any partner in the substance which. we have bestowed on you, so that ye become equal sharers therein with them, or that ye fear them as ye fear one another? Thus we distinctly explain our signs, unto people who understand. But those who act unjustly, by attributing companions unto God, follow their own lusts, without knowledge: and who shall direct him whom God shall cause to err? They shall have none to help them. Wherefore be thou orthodox, and set thy face towards the true religion, the institution of GoD, to which he hath created mankind disposed: there is no change in what God hath created. This

Some are of opinion that the five times of prayer are intended in this passage; the evening including the time both of the prayer of sunset, and of the evening prayer properly so called, and the word I have rendered at sunset, marking the hour of afternoon prayer, since it may be applied also to the time a little before sunset.

m See chap. 3, p. 38.

Which are certainly most wonderful, and, as I conceive, very hard to be accounted for, if we allow the several nations in the world to be all the offspring of one man, as we are assured by scripture they are, without having recourse to the immediate omnipotency of God.

That is, in speaking of him we ought to make use of the most noble and magnificent expressions we can possibly devise.

P See chap. 16, p. 220.

Open thy heart to Islamism; it is the work of God, who hath created men to embrace it: it is the holy and eternal faith; but the greatest part of mankind are plunged into ignorance."-Savary.

e. The immutable law, or rule, to which man is naturally disposed to conform, and which every one would embrace, as most fit for a rational creature, if it were not for the

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is the right religion; but the greater part of men know it not. turned unto him, and fear him, and be constant at prayer, and be no. idolaters. Of those who have made a schism in their religion, and are divided into various sects, every sect rejoice in their own opinion. When adversity befalleth men, they call upon their LORD, turning unto him afterwards, when he hath caused them to taste of his mercy, behold, a part of them associate other deities with their LORD: to show themselves ungrateful for the favours which we have bestowed on them. Enjoy therefore the vain pleasures of this life; but hereafter shall ye know the consequence. Have we sent down unto thern any authority, which speaketh of the false gods which they associate with him? When we cause men to taste mercy, they rejoice therein; but if evil befalleth them, for that which their hands have before committed, behold, they despair. Do they not see that God bestoweth provision abundantly on whom he pleaseth, and is sparing unto whom he pleaseth? Verily herein are signs unto people who believe. Give unto him who is of kin to thee his reasonable due; and also to the poor, and the stranger: this is better for those who seek the face of GOD; and they shall prosper. Whatever ye shall give in usury, to be an increase of men's substance, shall not be increased by the blessing of God: but whatever ye shall give in alms, for God's sake, they shall receive a twofold reward.*_ _It is God who hath created you, and hath provided food for you hereafter will he cause you to die; and after that will he raise you again to life. Is there any of your false gods, who is able to do the least of these things? Praise be unto him; and far be he removed from what they associate with him! Corruption" hath appeared by land and by sea, for the crimes which men's hands have committed; that it might make them to taste a part of the fruits of that which they have wrought, that peradventure they might turn from their evil ways. Say, Go through the earth, and see what hath been the end of those who have been before you the greater part of them were idolaters. Set thy face therefore towards the right religion, before the day cometh, which none can put back from GOD. On that day shall they be separated into two companies: whoever shall have been an unbeliever, on him shall his unbelief be charged; and whoever shall have done that which is right, shall spread themselves couches of repose in paradise; that he may reward those who shall believe, and work

prejudices of education. The Mohammedans have a tradition that their prophet used to say, That every person is born naturally disposed to become a Moslem; but that a man's parents make him a Jew, a Christian, or a Magian.

That is, have we either by the mouth of any prophet, or by any written revelation commanded or encouraged the worship of more gods than one

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And seek not to regain the favour of God by timely repentance.

'Or by way of bribe The word may include any sort of extortion or illicit gain.

"The alms which ye shall give, in the hope of deserving to view his presence, shal

he multiplied a hundred fold."-Savary.

a viz. Mischief and public calamities; such as famine, pestilence, droughts, shipwrecks kc., or erroneous doctrines, or a general depravity of manners.

Some copies read, in the first person plural, That we might cause them to taste, &c.

righteousness, of his abundant liberality; for he loveth not the unbelievers Of his signs one is, that he sendeth the winds, bearing welcome tidings of rain, that he may cause you to taste of his mercy; and that ships may sail at his command, that ye may seek to enrich yourselves of his abundance by commerce; and that ye may give thanks. We sent apostles, before thee, unto their respective people, and they came unto them with evident proofs : and we took vengeance on those who did wickedly; and it was incumbent on us to assist the true believers. It is God who sendeth the winds, and raiseth the clouds, and spreadeth the same in the heaven, as he pleaseth; and afterwards disperseth the same: and thou mayest see the rain issuing from the midst thereof; and when he poureth the same down on such of his servants as he pleaseth, behold, they are filled with joy; although before it was sent down unto them, before such relief, they were despairing. Consider therefore the traces of God's mercy; how he quickeneth the earth, after its state of death: verily the same will raise the dead; for he is almighty. Yet if we should send a blasting wind, and they should see their corn yellow and burnt up, they would surely become ungrateful, after our former favours. Thou canst not make the dead to hear, neither canst thou make the deaf to hear thy call, when they retire and turn their backs; neither canst thou direct the blind out of their error: thou shalt make none to hear, except him who shall believe in our signs; for they are resigned unto us. It is God who created you in weakness, and after weakness hath given you strength; and after strength, he will again reduce you to weakness, and grey hairs he createth that which he pleaseth; and he is the wise, the powerful. On the day whereon the last hour shall come, the wicked will swear that they have not tarried above an hour: in like manner did they utter lies in their lifetime. But those on whom knowledge hath been bestowed, and faith, will say, Ye have tarried, according to the book of GOD, until the day of resurrection; for this is the day of resurrec tion; but ye knew it not. On that day their excuse shall not avail those who have acted unjustly; neither shall they be invited any more to make themselves acceptable unto God. And now have we propounded unto men, in this Korân, parables of every kind: yet if thou bring them a verse thereof,* the unbelievers will surely say, Ye are no other than publishers of vain falsehoods. Thus hath GoD sealed up the hearts of those who beleve not: But do thou, O Mohammed, persevere with constancy, for God is true; and let not those induce thee to waver, who have no certain knowledge.

viz. In the world or in their graves. See chap. 23, p. 286.

That is, according to his foreknowledge and decree in the preserved Table; or according to what is said in the Koran, where the state of the dead is expressed by these words,' Behind them there shall be a bar, until the day of resurrection.10

"The Koran offers multiplied examples unto men; but when a miracle is displayed, the unbeliever will exclaim, it is an imposture!"-Savary.

"It is thus that God sealeth the hearts of those who are blinded by ignorance.

Savary.

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CHAPTER XXXI.

INTITLED, LOCMAN; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

A. L. M. These are the signs of the wise book, a direction, and a mercy unto the righteous; who observe the appointed times of prayer, and give alms, and have firm assurance in the life to come: these are directed by their LORD, and they shall prosper. There is a man who purchaseth a ludicrous story," that he may seduce men from the way of God, without knowledge, and may laugh the same to scorn: these shall suffer a shamefui punishment. And when our signs are rehearsed unto him, he disdainfully turneth his back as though he heard them not, as though there were a deafness in his ears: wherefore denounce unto him a grievous punishment. But they who shall believe and work righteousness, shall enjoy gardens of pleasure: they shall continue therein for ever: this is the certain promise of GOD; and he is the mighty, the wise. He hath created the heavens without visible pillars to sustain them, and thrown on the earth mountains firmly rooted, lest it should move with you; and he hath replenished the same with all kinds of beasts: and we send down rain from heaven, and cause every kind of noble vegetable to spring forth therein. This is the creation of GoD: show me now what they have created, who are worshipped besides him? verily the ungodly are in a manifest error.† We heretofore bestowed wisdom on Lokmân, and commanded him, saying,

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The chapter is so entitled from a person of this name mentioned therein, of whoir. more immediately.

Some except the fourth verse, beginning at these words, Who observe the appointed times of prayer, and give alms, &c. And others three verses, beginning at these words, If all the trees in the earth were pens, &c.

See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iii. p. 42, &c.

di. e. Vain and silly fables. The passage was revealed, it is said, on occasion of al Nodar Ebn al Hareth, who, having brought from Persia the romance of Rostain and Isfandiyar, the two heroes of that country, recited it in the assemblies of the Koreish, highly extolling the power and splendour of the ancient Persian kings, and preferring their stories to those of Ad and Thamud, David and Solomon, and the rest which are told in the Koran. Some say that al Nodar bought singing girls, and carried them to those who were inclined to become Moslems, to divert them from their purpose by songs and tales.1 *There are men, who, making a mock of religion, purchase frivolous stories, calculated to seduce their fellow-creatures, and to turn them aside from the right path. A shameful punishment shall be their reward."-Savary.

See chap. 16, p. 215. A learned writer, in his notes on this passage, says the original word rawasiya, which the commentators in general will have to signify stable mountains, seems properly to express the Hebrew word mechonim, i. e. bases or foundations; and therefore he thinks the Korân has here translated that passage of the Psalms, He laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be moved for ever. This is not the only instance which might be given, that the Mohammedan doctors are not always the best interpreters of their own scriptures.

"Behold his creation. Show me that which your idols have called forth from nothing. The wicked are involved in darkness."-Savary.

The Arab writers say, that Lokmân was the son of Baûra, who was the son or grand

Al Beidâwi.

'Gol. in Append. ad Erpenii Gram. p. 187.

'Psal. civ.

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de thou thankful unto God: for whoever is thankful, shall be thankful to the advantage of his own soul; and if any shall be unthankful, verily GOD is self-sufficient, and worthy to be praised. And remember when Lokman said unto his son,s as he admonished him, Oh my son, give not a partner unto God; for polytheism is a great impiety. We have commanded man concerning his parents (his mother carrieth him in her womb with weakness and faintness, and he is weaned in two years), saying, Be grateful unto me, and to thy parents. Unto me shall all come to be judged. But if thy parents endeavour to prevail on thee to associate with me that concerning which thou hast no knowledge, obey them not: bear them company in this world in what shall be reasonable; but follow the way of him who sincerely turneth unto me.* Hereafter unto me shall ye return, and then will I declare unto you that which ye have done. Oh my son, verily every matter, whether good or bad, though it be of the weight of a grain of mustard-seed, and be hidden in a rock, or in the heavens, or in the earth,

son of a sister or aunt of Job; and that he lived several centuries, and to the time of David. with whom he was conversant in Palestine. According to the description they give of his person, he must have been deformed enough; for they say he was of a black complexion (whence some call him an Ethiopian) with thick lips, and splay feet: but in return, he received from God wisdom and eloquence in a great degree; which some pretend were given him in a vision, on his making choice of wisdom preferably to the gift of prophecy either of which were offered him. The generality of the Mohammedans, therefore, hold him to have been no prophet, but only a wise man. As to his condition, they say he was a slave, but obtained his liberty on the following occasion. His master having one day given him a bitter melon to eat, he paid him such exact obedience as to eat it all; at which his master being surprised, asked how he could eat so nauseous a fruit? To which he replied, it was no wonder that he should for once accept a bitter fruit from the same hand from which he had received so many favours. The commentators mention several quick repartees of Lokman, which, together with the circumstances above-mentioned, agree so well with what Maximus Planudes has written of Esop, that from thence, and from the fables attributed to Lokman by the orientals, the latter has been generally thought to be no other than the Esop of the Greeks. However that be (for I think the matter will bear a dispute), I am of opinion that Planudes borrowed great part of his life of Esop from the traditions he met with in the East concerning Lokman, concluding them to have been the same person, because they were both slaves, and supposed to be the writers of those fables which go under their respective names, and bear a great resemblance to one another; for it has long since been observed by learned men, that the greater part of that monk's performance is an absurd romance, and supported by no evidence of the ancient writers.* Whom some name Anâm (which comes pretty near the Ennus of Planudes), some Ashcan, and others Mathan.

The two verses which begin at these words, and end with the following, viz. : And then will I declare unto you that which ye have done, are no part of Lokman's advice to his son, but are inserted by way of parenthesis, as very pertinent and proper to be repeated here, to show the heinousness of idolatry: they are to be read (excepting some additions) in the twenty-ninth chapter, and were originally revealed on account of Saad Ebn Abi Wakkôs, as has been already observed.

*We have prescribed sacred duties unto man, for him to perform towards the authors of his existence. He has been borne, with numerous pains, in the womb of his mother. He has oeen suckled for two years. Mortals, be grateful for our benefits; be beneficent unto your parents. I am the end of all things."-Savary.

1 That is, Show them all deference and obedience, so far as may be consistent with .ny duty towards God.

*The person particularly meant here was Abu Becr, at whose persuasion Saad had vecome a Moslem.

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Beidâwi, &c. Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 516, et Marrace, in Vide la Vie d'Esope, par M. de Meziriac, et Bayle, Dict. Hist. Art • See chap. 29, p. 325, and the notes thereon.

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