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is between them, otherwise than in truth, and for a determined period: ` 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? When our evident signs are rehearsed unto them, the unbelievers say of the truth, 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 favour 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; 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, and believeth therein; and ye proudly reject the same: are ye not unjust doers? Verily GOD directeth not unjust people. 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. And when they are not guided thereby, they say, This is an antiquated lie. Whereas the book of Moses was revealed before the Korân, 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 for ever: in recom

See chap. 21, p. 265, and chap. 38, p. 373, &c.

Being to last but a certain space of time, and not for ever.

"We have called from nothing the heaven, the earth, and the immensity of space. Truth presided over our work. All beings have their appointed time."-Savary. "Partake they of the empire of the heavens ?"-Savary.

i. e. Any part of the revelations of the Korân.

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."

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."

! These words were spoken, as some think, by the Jews, when Abdallah professed Islam; 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, Ghatfan, and Asad, on the conversion of those of Joheinah, Mozeinah, Aslam, and Ghifar.'

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pense 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; until, when he attaineth his age of strength, and attaineth the age of forty years, he saith, O LORD, excite me, by thy inspiration, that I may be grateful for their favours, wherewith thou hast favoured 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. 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? 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. 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. Remember the brother of Ad, 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

At the least. For if the full time of suckling an infant be two years, or twenty-four honths, there remain but six months for the space of his being carried in the womb; which is the least that can be allowed.'

These words, it is said, were revealed on account of Abu Becr. who professed Islam in the fortieth year of his age, two years after Mohammed's mission; and was the only person, either of the Mohajerin or the Ansars, whose father and mother was also converted: his son Abd'alrahmân, and his grandson Abu Atik, likewise embracing the same faith. He is brought up under the paternal roof till he is of mature age. Having attained his fortieth year," &c.-Savary.

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The words seem to be general: but it is said they were revealed particularly on occa sion of Abd'alrahmân, the son of Abu Becr; who used these expressions to his father and mother, before he professed Islam.'

Unless they redeem their fault by repentance, and embracing the true faith; as did Abd'alrahmân.

'i. e. The prophet Hud.

See chap. 2, p. 27, 28.

'Al Beidâwi.

Idem, Jallalo'ddin, &c. 'Al Beidaw

knowledge of the time when your punishment will be inflicud is with God, and I only declare unto you that which I am sent to preach; but I sae ye are an ignorant people. And when they saw the preparation made for then punishment, namely, a cloud traversing the sky, and tending towards thei 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 every thing," 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;" 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. Remember when we caused certain of the genii 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, confirming the scripture which was delivered before it; and directing unto the truth, and the right way. 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

:

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. 1, p. 5, and the notes to chap. 7, p. 123.

As the settlements of the Thamudites, Midianites, and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, &c.

These genii, according to different opinions, were of Nisibin, or of Yaman, or of Nineveh; and in number nine, or seven. They heard Mohammed reading the Korân by night, or after the morning prayer, in the valley of al Naklah, during the time of his retreat to al Tayef, and believed on him.

Hence the commentators suppose those genii, before their conversion to Moham medism, to have been of the Jewish religion.

Al Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin.

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, bare 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?

CHAPTER XLVII.

INTITLED, MOHAMMED;' REVEALED AT MEDINA.'

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. 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. This shall ye do. Verily if Gon 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 fight in defence of God's true religion, God

"Is not this really fire? It is fire, they will reply, we call God to witness that it is. Taste, then, the torments the reality of which ye have denied "-Savary.

Some intitle this chapter War; which is therein commanded to be vigorously carried on against the enemies of the Mohammedan faith.

Some suppose the whole to have been revealed at Mecca.

"The unbelievers have taken falsehood for their guide; the believers walk enlight. ened by the torch of the true faith. God offereth this striking contrast unto the consider. ation of man."-Savary.

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 Moham. medism, 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.'

See chap. 8, p. 140, and 146. Militari Mohammedanor, p. 32.

'Al Beidâwi. Vide Reland. Dissert. de Jure

will not suffer their works to perish: he will guide them, and will dispose .heir 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 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 for ever in hell fire; and will have the boiling water given him to drink, which shall burst their bowels? 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," 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 directel, God will grant them a more ample direction, and he will instruct them what to avoid. Do the infidels wait for any other than the last hour, that it may come upon them suddenly? Some signs thereof are already come: 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, and for the true believers, both men and

'Some copies, instead of kâtilu, read kûtilu, according to which latter reading it should be rendered, who are slain, or suffer martyrdom, &c.

The unbelievers, intoxicated with earthly pleasures, live in a brutish state. Savary. +"The grace of the Lord watcheth there over those whom he hath chosen."-Savary. i. e. The more learned of Mohammed's companions; such as Ebn Masud, and Ebn Abbâs."

Or, as the words may also be translated, And he will reward them for their piety. As the mission of Mohammed, the splitting of the moon, and the smoke' mentioned the 44th chapter.

Though Mohammed here and elsewhere' acknowledges himself to be a sinner, yel 'Jallalo'ddin. ' Idem, al Beidâwi See chap. 48, in the beginning

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