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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; 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; a 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. 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. 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 mother's 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; that peradventure ye may understand. It is he who giveth life, and causeth to die: and when

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In being too backward and negligent in advancing the true religion, for fear of the infidels.'

This sentence may be understood generally; though it was revealed on account of the dolatrous 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.^ "Is more wonderful."-Savary.

"The day for labour."-Savary.

See chap. 22, p. 274.

"As children you enter on the career of life: you reach at length the vigour of your years and soon old age overtaketh you. Many finish their course before they reach the

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he decreeth a thing, he only saith unto it, Be, and it . 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 Korán, 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 shali 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 nothing 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 for ever: 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; 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 endeavour 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; (ye also receive other advantages therefrom;) 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. And when their apostles came unte them with evident proofs of their mission, they rejoiced in the knowledge which was with them: 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

latter, but all fulfil the period which hath been appointed by the Eternal. These divers atages through which man passeth ought to serve for his instruction."—Savary

Seeing an idol is nothing in the world.'

See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 54.

See chap. 16, p. 214.

"They are to you on the land that which a ship is on the sea."-Savary.

'Being prejudiced in favour of their own erroneous doctrines, and despising the instructions of the prophets.

"They scoffed at their doctrines. Their mockeries have fallen back on themselves. Suvary.

'Al Beidâwi.

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.

CHAPTER XLI.

INTITLED, ARE DISTINCTLY EXPLAINED; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

H. M. This is a revelation from the most Merciful; a book, the verses whereof are distinctly explained,' an Arabic Korân, 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; and do ye set up equals unto him? He is the LORD of all creatures. And he placed in the earth mountains firmly rooted,' 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; equally, for those who ask." Then he set his mind to the creation of heaven, and it was smoke; and he said unto it, and to the earth, Come, either

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"But their faith hath been in vain. They believed not until they felt the avenging Scourge."-Savary.

Some intitle this chapter Worship, or Adoration, because the infidels are herein com. manded to forsake the worship of idols, and to worship God: but the thirty-second chap.er bearing the same title, that which we have here prefixed, is, for distinction, generally used.

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

'See chap. 11, p. 175, note t.

viz. The two first days of the week."

1 See chap. 16, p. 215.

That is, including the two former days wherein the earth was created.

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."

Or darkness. Al Zamakhshari says this smoke proceeded from the water 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.

• Jallalo'ddin.

'Jallalo'ddin, al Beidâwi.

obediently, or against your will. They answered, We come, obedient to thy command. And he formed them into seven heavens, in two days; and revealed unto every heaven its office. And we adorned the lower heaven with lights, and placed therein a guard of angels. 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," 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, 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. 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. 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:▪ 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. Whether they bear their torment, hell fire shall be their abode; or whether they beg for favour, they shall not obtain

"He cast his glance on the heaven, which was only a pile of smoke. He said unto heaven and earth, Come, obey my voice. Heaven and earth replied, We obey."-Savary. 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."

See chap. 15, p. 210.

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.

It is said that this wind continued from Wednesday to Wednesday inclusive, being the atter end of the month Shawal; and that a Wednesday is the day whereon God sends down his judgments on a wicked people.'

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

"Why," shall the guilty say unto them, "do ye bear witness against us?"-Savary. 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.

• Jallalo'ddin, al Beidâwi.

• Al Beidâwi.

favour. 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 Korân: but use vain discourse 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, and we will cast them under our feet, that they may become most base and despicable. As for those who say, Our LORD is GOD, and who behave uprightly; the angels shall descend unto them, 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. Verily those who impiously wrong our signs are not concealed from us. Is he, therefore,

Worshippers of the devils who drew unto them delusive pictures of the present and the future, they have been included in the sentence which hath been denounced against the past generations and the rebel spirits: reprobation is their portion."—Savary.

Or, Talk aloud.

7i. 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.'

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."

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