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CHAPTER LIII.

INTITLED, THE STAR; REVEALED AT MECCA.

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IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

Phe star, when it setteth; your companion Mohammed erreth not; nr i he led astray: neither doth he speak of his own will. It is no other than revelation, which hath been revealed unto him. One mighty in power, endued with understanding, taught it him: and he appeared in the highest part of the horizon. Afterwards he approached the prophet," and near unto him; until he was at the distance of two bows' length' from him, or yet nearer; and he revealed unto his servant that which he revealed. The heart of Mohammed did not falsely represent that which he saw.* Will ye therefore dispute with him concerning that which he saw? also saw him another time, by the lote-tree beyond which there is no passing near it is the garden of eternal abode. When the lote-tree covered that which it covered, his eyesight turned not aside, neither did it wander and he really beheld some of the greatest signs of his Lord." What think ye of Allat, and Al Uzza, and Manah, that other third goddess?• Have ye male children, and God female? This, therefore, is an unjust partition. They are no other than empty names, which ye and your

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Some suppose the stars in general, and others the Pleiades in particular, to be meant in this place.

Or, according to a contrary signification of the verb here used, when it riseth. 'Namely, the angel Gabriel.

In his natural form, in which God created him, and in the eastern part of the sky. It it said that this angel appeared in his proper shape to none of the prophets, except Mohammed; and to him only twice: once when he received the first revelation of the Koran, and a second time when he took his night journey to heaven; as it follows in the text. In a human shape.

'Or, as the word also signifies, two cubits' length.

But he saw it in reality.

This tree, say the commentators, stands in the seventh heaven, on the right hand of the throne of God; and is the utmost bounds beyond which the angels themselves must not pass; or, as some rather imagine, beyond which no creature's knowledge can extend.

The words seem to signify, that what was under this tree exceeded all description and number. Some suppose the whole host of angels worshipping beneath it' are intended; and others, the birds which sit on its branches.

"He had before seen the same angel near the lotos which bounds the abode of delights. Near this tree is the garden of refuge. The lotos was shadowed by the veil which covers it. The eye of the prophet bore the splendour of the divine magnificence." -Savary.

Seeing the wonders both of the sensible and the intellectual world.'

Those were three idols of the ancient Arabs, of which we have spoken in the Preliminary Discourse.

As to the blasphemy which some pretend Mohammed once uttered, through inadvertence, as he was reading this passage, see chap. 22, p. 279, note t.

See chap. 16, p. 218, &c.

* Al Beidâwi.

• Jallalo'ddin.

This lotos, says Jallalo'ddin, is the tree called Nabe.-Savary.

This garden is thus denominated because that it will be the asylum of the angels, the martyrs, and the virtuous.-Savary.

Al Beidâwi.

Sect. i. p. 13.

fathers have named goddesses. God hath not revealed concerning them any thing to authorize their worship. They follow no other than a vain opinion, and what their souls desire: yet hath the true direction come unto them from their LORD. Shall man have whatever he wisheth for? The life to come and the present life are God's: and how many angels soever there be in the heavens, their intercession shall be of no avail, until after GOD shall have granted permission unto whom he shall please and shall accept. Verily they who believe not in the life to come give unto the angels a female appellation. But they have no knowledge herein they follow no other than a bare opinion; and a bare opinion attaineth not any thing of truth. Wherefore withdraw from him who turneth away from our admonition, and seeketh only the present life. This is their highest pitch of knowledge. Verily thy LORD well knoweth him who erreth from his way; and he well knoweth him who is rightly directed. Unto God belongeth whatever is in heaven and earth: that he may reward those who do evil, according to that which they shall have wrought; and may reward those who do well, with the most excellent reward. As to those who avoid great crimes, and heinous sins, and are guilty only of lighter faults;† verily thy LORD will be extensive in mercy towards them. He well knew you when he produced you out of the earth, and when ye were embryos in your mothers' wombs: wherefore justify not yourselves: he best knoweth the man who feareth him. What thinkest thou of him who turneth aside from following the truth, and giveth little, and covetously stoppeth his hand? Is the knowledge of futurity with him, so that he seeth the same? • Hath he not been informed of that which is contained in the books of Moses, and of Abraham who faithfully performed his engagements? To wit: that a burdened soul shall not bear the burden of another; and that nothing shall be imputed to a man for righteousness, except his own labour; and that his labour shall surely be made manifest hereafter, and that he shall be rewarded for the same with a most abundant reward; and that unto thy LORD will be the end of all things; and that he causeth to laugh, and causeth to weep; and that he putteth to death, and giveth life: and that he createth

i.. Shall he dictate to God, and name whom he pleases for his intercessors, or for his prophet; or shall he choose a religion according to his own fancy, and prescribe the terme on which he may claim the reward of this life and the next?"

"The unbelievers pretend that the angels are the daughters of God."-Savary. "Who are guilty only of those faults which are inevitable to human weakness.”Savary.

This passage, it is said, was revealed on account of al Walid Ebn al Mogheira, who following the prophet one day, was reviled by an idolater for leaving the religion of the Koreish, and giving occasion of scandal; to which he answered, that what he did was out of apprehension of the divine vengeance: whereupon the man offered, for a certain sum to take the guilt of his apostacy on himself; and the bargain being made, al Walîd returned to his idolatry, and paid the man part of what had been agreed on, but afterwards, on farther consideration, he thought it too much, and kept back the remainder."

That is, Is he assured that the person with whom he made the abovementioned agree ment will be allowed to suffer in his stead hereafter?"

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the two sexes, the male and the female, of seed when it is emitted; that unto him appertaineth another production, namely, the raising of the dead again to life hereafter; and that he enricheth, and causeth to acquire possessions; and that he is the LORD of the dog-star; and that he destroyed the ancient tribe of Ad, and Thamud, and left not any of them alive; and also the people of Noah, before them; for they were most un just and wicked: and he overthrew the cities which were turned upsid down; and that which covered them, covered them. Which, therefore, of thy LORD's benefits, O man, wilt thou call in question? This our apostle is a preacher like the preachers who preceded him. The approaching day of judgment draweth near: there is none who can reveal the exact time of the same, besides GOD. Do ye, therefore, wonder at this new revelation, and do ye laugh, and not weep,† spending your time in idle diversions? But rather worship GoD, and serve him.

CHAPTER LIV.

INTITLED, THE MOON; REVEALED AT MECCA.

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IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

THE hour of judgment approacheth; and the moon hath been split in sunder: but if the unbelievers see a sign, they turn aside, saying, This is a powerful charm. And they accuse thee, O Mohammed, of imposture, and follow their own lusts: but every thing will be immutably fixed. And now hath a message' come unto them, wherein is a determent from obstinate infidelity; the same being consummate wisdom: but warners profit them not; wherefore do thou withdraw from them. The day whereon the summoner

*Of earth and water mingled together."-Savary.

* Sirius, or the greater dog-star, was worshipped by some of the old Arabs.'

* viz. Sodom, and the other cities involved in her ruin. See chap. 11, p. 183. +"Ye laugh when ye ought to weep."-Savary.

Y This passage is expounded two different ways. Some imagine the words refer to a famous miracle supposed to have been performed by Mohammed: for it is said that, on the infidels demanding a sign of him, the moon appeared cloven in two, one part vanishing, and the other remaining; and Ebn Masúd affirmed that he saw mount Harâ interpose between the two sections. Others think the preter tense is here used, in the prophetic style, for the future, and that the passage should be rendered, The moon shall be split in sunder: for this, they say, is to happen at the resurrection. The former opinion is supported by reading, according to some copies, wakad inshakka'lkamaro, i. e. since the moon hath already been split in sunder; the splitting of the moon being reckoned by some to be one of the previous signs of the last day."

Or, as the participle here used may also signify, a continued series of magic, or a tranient magic illusion.

Or will reach a final period of ruin or success in this world, and of misery or happiness in the next, which will be conclusive and unchangeable thenceforward for ever."

i. e. The Korân, containing stories of former nations which have been chastised for their incredulity, and threats of a more dreadful punishment hereafter.

See the Prelim. Disc. sect. i. p. 12, and Hyd. not. in Ulug. Beig, Tab. Stell. fix. p. 53. See a long and fabulous account of this pretended miracle in Gagnier, Vie de Mohan.. chap. 19.

'Al Zamakh, al Beidâwi.

• Iidem.

shall summon 11ankind to an ungrateful business, they shall come forth from their graves with downcast looks: numerous as locusts scattered far abroad; hastening with terror unto the summoner. The unbelievers shall say, This is a day of distress. The people of Noah accused that prophet of imposture, before thy people rejected thee: they accused our servant of imposture, saying, He is a madman; and he was rejected with reproach. He called, therefore, upon his Lord, saying, Verily I am overpowered; wherefore avenge me. So we opened the gates of heaven, with water pouring down, and we caused the earth to break forth into springs; so that the water of heaven and earth met, according to the decree which had been established. And we bare him on a vessel composed of planks and nails; which moven forward under our eyes: as a recompense unto him who had been ungratefully rejected. And we left the said vessel for a sign: but is any one warned thereby? And how severe was my vengeance, and my threatening! 7 Now have we made the Korân easy for admonition: but is any one admonished thereby? Ad charged their prophet with imposture: but how severe was my vengeance, and my threatening! Verily we sent against them a roaring wind, on a day of continued ill luck; it carried men away, as though they had been roots of palm-trees forcibly torn up. And how severe was my vengeance and my threatening! Now have we made the Korân easy for admonition: but is any one admonished thereby? Thamud charged the admonitions of their prophet with falsehood, and said, Shall we follow a single man among us? verily we should then be guilty of error, and preposterous madness is the office of admonition committed unto him preferably to the rest of us? Nay; he is a liar, and an insolent fellow. But God said to Saleh, To-morrow shall they know who is the liar, and the insolent person: for we will surely send the she-camel for a trial of them: and do thou observe them, and bear their insults with patience and prophesy unto them that the water shall be divided between them, and each portion shall be sat down to alternately. And they called their companion: and he took a

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That is, When the angel Israfil shall call men to judgment.

"They shall hasten to whither the voice shall call them. The unbelievers shall say, Behold the terrible day."-Savary.

This petition was not preferred by Noah till after he had suffered repeated violence from his people: for it is related, that one of them having fallen upon him and almos strangled him, when he came to himself he said, O Lord forgive them, for they know not what they do.

i. e. Under our special regard and keeping.

+"What punishments have followed my threats!"-Savary.

'Or, a cold wind.

viz. On a Wednesday. See chap. 41, p. 390, note s.

It is related that they sought shelter in the clefts of rocks, and in pits, holding fast by one another; but that the wind impetuously tore them away, and threw them down dead. "No, doubtless; he is an ambitious impostor."-Savary.

See chap. 7, p. 124, &c.

That is, between the Thamudites and the camel. See chap. 26, p. 30 note s. Namely Kodâr Ebn Salef; who was not an Arab, but a stranger dweling amor g the Thamudites. See chap. 7, p. 123, note d.

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sword,TM and slew her. But how severe was my vengeance, and my threatening! For we sent against them one cry of the angel Gabriel; and they became like the dry sticks used by him who buildeth a fold for cattle.* And now have we made the Korân easy for admonition: but is any one admo nished thereby? The people of Lot charged his preaching with falsehood: but we sent against them a wind driving a shower of stones, which destroyed them all except the family of Lot; whom we delivered early in the morning, through favour from us. Thus do we reward those who are thankful. And Lot had warned them of our severity in chastising; but they doubted of that warning. And they demanded his guests of him, that they might abuse them but we put out their eyes, saying, Taste my vengeance, and my threatening. And early in the morning a lasting punishment surprised them. Taste, therefore, my vengeance, and my threatening.† Now have we made the Korân easy for admonition: but is any one admonished thereby? The warning of Moses also came unto the people of Pharaoh; but they charged every one of our signs with imposture: wherefore we chastised them with a mighty and irresistible chastisement. Are your unbelievers, O Meccans, better than these? Is immunity from punishment promised unto you in the scriptures? Do they say, We are a body of men able to prevail against our enemies? The multitude shall surely be put to flight, and shall turn their back. But the hour of judgment is their threatened time of punishment: and that hour shall be more grievous and more bitter than their afflictions in this life. Verily the wicked wander in error, and shall be tormented hereafter in burning flames. On that day they shall be dragged into the fire on their faces; and it shall be said unto them, Taste ye the touch of hell. All things have we created bound by a fixed decree : and our command is no more than a single word, like the twinkling of an eye. We have formerly destroyed nations like unto you; but is any of

Or, as the word also imports, He became resolute and daring.

The words may signify either the dry boughs with which, in the east, they make folds or enclosures, to fence their cattle from wind and cold; or the stubble and other stuff with which they litter them in those folds during the winter season.

"A single cry was heard, and they were reduced like unto dry and chopped straw." -Savary.

So that their sockets became filled up even with the other parts of their faces. This, It is said, was done by one stroke of the wing of the angel Gabriel. See chap. 11, p. 183. Under which they shall continue till they receive their full punishment in hell. "They wished to wrest from him his guests. We deprived them of sight, and we said unto them, Taste the punishments which have been foretold unto you. A terrible scourge rushed upon the inhabitants of Sodom at the rising of the sun. Undergo the punishment with which ye have been threatened."-Savary.

This prophecy was fulfilled by the overthrow of the Koreish at Bedr. It is related, from a tradition of Omar, that when this passage was revealed, Mohammed professed himself to be ignorant of its true meaning; but on the day of the battle of Bedr, he repeated these words as he was putting on his coat of mail.'

i. e. The time when they shall receive their full punishment; what they suffer in this world being only the forerunner or earnest of what they shall feel in the next.

viz. Kun, i. e. Be. The passage may also be rendered, The execution of our purpose u but a single act, exerted in a moment. Some suppose it refers to the business of the day 11 judgment.

"And in the twinkling of an eye we are obeyed."-Savary.

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