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to the others, Ye shall by no means leave your gods; neither shall ye forsake Wadd, nor Sowa, nor Yaghuth, and Yauk, and Nesr. And they seduced many; (for thou shalt only increase error in the wicked :) because of their sins they were drowned, and cast into the fire of hell and they found none to protect them against GOD. And Noah said LORD, leave not any families of the unbelievers on the earth: for if thou leave them, they will seduce thy servants, and will beget none but a wicked and unbelieving offspring. LORD, forgive me and my parents," and every one who shall enter my house, being a true believer, and the true believers of both sexes; and add unto the unjust doers nothing but destruction.

CHAPTER LXXII.

INTITLED, THE GENII; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

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SAY, It hath been revealed unto me that a company of genii attentively heard me reading the Korán, and said, Verily we have heard an admirable discourse; which directeth unto the right institution; wherefore we believe therein, and we will by no means associate any other with our LORD. (may the majesty of our LORD be exalted!) hath taken no wife, nor hath he begotten any issue. Yet the foolish among us hath spoken that which is extremely false of God; but we verily thought that neither man nor genius would by any means have uttered a lie concerning GoD. And there are certain men who fly for refuge unto certain of the genii; but they increase their folly and transgression: and they also thought, as ye thought, that God would not raise any one to life. And we formerly attempted to pry into what was transacting in heaven; but we found the same filled with a strong guard of angels, and with flaming darts: and we sat on some of the

These were five idols worshipped by the antediluvians, and afterwards by the ancient Arabs. See the Prelim. Disc. sect. 1, p. 13.

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They say Noah preferred not this prayer for the destruction of his people, till after he had tried them for nine hundred and fifty years, and found them incorrigible reprobates.

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His father Lamech, and his mother, whose name was Shamkha, the daughter of Enosh, being true believers.

The commentators are uncertain whether Noah's dwelling-house be here meant, or he temple he had built for the worship of God, or the ark.

See chap. 46, p. 409, note o.

viz. Eblis, or the rebellious genii.

For the Arabs. when they found themselves in a desert in the evening (the genii being supposed to has such places about that time), used to say, I fly for refuge unto the Lord of this valley, that he may defend me from the foolish among his people."

It is uncertain which of these pronouns is to be referred to mankind, and which to the genii: some expositors taking that of the third person to relate to the former, and that of the second person to the latter; and others being of the contrary opinion.

• Al Beidâwi.

eats thereof to hear the discourse of its inhabitants; but whoever listeneth now, findeth a flame laid in ambush for him, to guard the celestial confines.' And we know not whether evil be hereby intended against those who are in the earth, or whether their LORD intendeth to direct them aright. There are some among us who are upright; and there are some among us who are otherwise we are of different ways. And we verily thought that we could by no means frustrate GOD in the earth, neither could we escape him by flight wherefore, when we had heard the direction contained in the Korân, we believed therein. And whoever believeth in his LORD, need not fear any diminution of his reward, nor any injustice. There are some Moslems among us; and there are others of us who swerve from righteousness," And whoso embraceth Islam, they earnestly seck true direction: but those who swerve from righteousness shall be fuel for hell. If they tread in the way of truth, we will surely water them with abundant rain; that we may prove them thereby but whoso turneth aside from the admonition of his LORD, him will he send into a severe torment. Verily the places o. worship are set apart unto God: wherefore invoke not any other therein together with GOD. When the servant of GoD stood up to invoke him, it wanted little but that the genii had pressed on him in crowds, to hear him rehearse the Korán. Say, Verily I call upon my LORD only, and I associate no other god with him. Say, Verily I am not able, of myself, to procure you either hurt, or a right institution. Say, Verily none can protect me against GOD; neither shall I find any refuge besides him.* I can do no more than publish what hath been revealed unto me from God, and his messages. And whosoever shall be disobedient unto God, and his apostle, for him is the fire of hell prepared; they shall remain therein for ever. Until they see the vengeance with which they are threatened, they will not cease their opposition: but then shall they know who were the weaker in a protector, and the fewer in number. Say, I know not whether the punishment with which ye are threatened be nigh, or whether my LORD will appoint for it a distant term. He knoweth the secrets of futurity; and he doth not communicate his secrets unto any, except an apostle in whom he is well pleased: and he causeth a guard of angels to march before him, and behind him; that he may know that they have executed the commissions of their LORD; he comprehendeth whatever is with them; and counteth all things by number.

See chap. 15, p. 210.

See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. p. 52, &c.

1. e. We will grant them plenty of all good things. Some think by these words rai. is promised to the Meccans, after their seven years' drought, on their embracing Islam. • viz. Mohammed.

“I shall find no shelter from his wrath."-Savary.

That is to say, Either that the prophet may know that Gabrie! and the other angels, who bring down the revelation, have communicated it to him pure and free from any dia. bolical suggestions; or that God may know that the prophet has published the same to mankind.

• Al Beidâwi.

CHAPTER LXXIII.

INTITLED, THE WRAPPED UP; REVEALED AT MECCA·

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

O THOU wrapped up, arise to prayer, and continue therein during the night, except a small part; that is to say, during one half thereof: or do thou lessen the same a little or add thereto. And repeat the Korân with a distinct and sonorous voice: for we will lay on thee a weighty word Verily the rising by night is more efficacious for stedfast continuance in devotion, and more conducive to decent pronunciation:** for in the day-time thou hast long employment. And commemorate the name of thy LORD; and separate thyself unto him, renouncing worldly vanities. He is the LORD of the east, and of the west; there is no God but he. Wherefore take him for thy patron: and patiently suffer the contumelies which the

Some will have the last verse, beginning at these words, Verily thy Lord knoweth, &c. to have been revealed at Medina.

When this revelation was brought to Mohammed, he was wrapped up in his garments, being affrighted at the appearance of Gabriel; or, as some say, he lay sleeping unconcern. edly, or, according to others, praying, wrapped up in one part of a large mantle, or rug, with the other part of which Ayesha had covered herself to sleep.'

This epithet of wrapped up, and another of the same import given to Mohammed in the next chapter, have been imagined, by several learned men, pretty plainly to intimate his being subject to the falling sickness; a malady generally attributed to him by the Christians, but mentioned by no Mohammedan writer. Though such an inference may be made, yet I think it scarcely probable, much less necessary.'

For a half is such, with respect to the whole. Or, as the sentence may be rendered, Pray half the night, within a small matter, &c. Some expound these words as an excep. tion to nights in general; according to whom the sense will be, Spend one half of every night in prayer, except some few nights in the year.

* Set apart either less than half the night, as one-third, for example, or more, as twothirds. Or the meaning may be, Either take a small matter from a lesser part of the night than one-half, e. g. from one-third, and so reduce it to a fourth; or add to such lesser part, and make it a full half."

" viz. The precepts contained in the Korân; which are heavy and difficult to those who are obliged to observe them, and especially to the prophet, whose care it was to see that his people observed them also."

▾ Or, The person who riseth by night; or the hours or particularly the first hours of the night, &c.

"At the beginning of the night, we have more strength of conception, and more facility of expression."-Savary.

For the night-time is most proper for meditation and prayer, and also for reading God's word distinctly and with attention; by reason of the absence of every noise and object which may distract the mind.

Marracci, having mentioned this natural explication of the Mohammedan commentators because he finds one word in the verse which may be taken in a sense tending that way, says the whole may with greater exactness be expounded of the fitness of the night season for amorous diversions and discourse; and he paraphrases it in Latin thus: Certe in prinipio noctis majus robur et vim habet homo, ad fœminas premendas et subagitandas, et ad clarioribus verbis amores suos propalandos. A most effectual way this, to turn a book into ridicule !

Al Zamakh., al Beidawi. 8 Hotting. Hist. Orient. lib. 1, c, 3. Marracc. in Als. p. 763. Vide Gagnier, not. ad Abulf. vit. Mohamm. p. 9. 'See Prideaux, Life of Moh. p. 16, and the authors there cited. 'See Ockley's Hist. of the Saracens, vol. 1, p. 300 &c. ⚫ Al Beidâwi. * Idem. • Idem, Jallalo'ddin. ⚫ Marracc. in Alc. p. 759.

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infidels utter against thee; and depart from them with a decent departure. And let me alone with those who charge the Korân with falsehood, who enjoy the blessings of this life; and bear with them for a while: verily with us are heavy fetters, and a burning fire, and food ready to choke him who swalloweth it, and painful torment. On a certain day the earth shall be shaken, and the mountains also, and the mountains shall become a heap of sand poured forth.* Verily we have sent unto you an apostle, to bear witness against you; as we sent an apostle unto Pharaoh; but Pharaoh was disobedient unto the apostle; wherefore we chastised him with a heavy chastisement. How, therefore, will ye escape, if ye believe not, the day which shall make children become grey-headed through terror? The heaven shall be rent in sunder thereby the promise thereof shall surely be performed. Verily this is an admonition; and whoever is willing to be admonished will take the way unto his LORD. Thy LORD knoweth that thou continuest in prayer and meditation sometimes near two third parts of the night, and sometimes one half thereof, and at other times one third part thereof; and a part of thy companions, who are with thee, do the same. But God measureth the night and the day; he knoweth that ye cannot exactly compute the same: wherefore he turneth favourably unto you. Read, therefore, so much of the Korân as may be easy unto you. He knoweth that there will be some infirm among you; and others travel through the earth, that they may obtain a competency of the bounty of GoD: and others fight in the defence of God's faith. Read, therefore, so much of the same as may be easy. And observe the stated times of prayer, and pay the legal alms; and lend unto God an acceptable loan;† for whatever good ye send before your souls, ye shall find the same with GOD. This will be better, and will merit a greater reward. And ask God forgiveness; for GOD is ready to forgive, and merciful.

As thorns and thistles, the fruit of the infernal tree al Zakkûm, and the corruption flowing from the bodies of the damned.

*The earth shall one day be shaken, and the mountains, crumbled to dust, shall be the sport of the winds."-Savary.

By making the matter easy to you, and dispensing with your scrupulous counting of the hours of the night which ye are directed to spend in reading and praying for some of the Moslems, not knowing how the time passed, used to watch the whole nigh., standing and walking about till their legs and feet swelled in a sad manner. The commen'ators add, that this precept of dedicating a part of the night to devotion is abrogated by the institution of the five hours of prayer."

"Form with the Lord a glorious covenant."-Savary.

i. e. The good which ye shall do in your life-time will be much more meritorions in the sight of God than what ye shall defer till death, and order by will.'

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CHAPTER LXXIV.

INTITLED, THE COVERED; REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

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U THOU Covered, arise and preach, and magnify thy LoRD. And cleanse thy garments: and fly every abomination: and be not liberal in hopes to receive more in return: and patiently wait for thy LORD. When the trumpet shall sound, verily that day shall be a day of distress and uneasiness unto the unbelievers. Let me alone with him whom I have created, on whom I have bestowed abundant riches, and children dwelling in his presence, and for whom I have disposed affairs in a smooth and easy manner, and who desireth that I will yet add other blessings unto him. By no means because he is an adversary to our signs. I will afflict him with grievous calamities: for he hath devised and prepared contumelious expressions to ridicule the Korân. May he be cursed: how maliciously hath he prepared the same! And again, may he be cursed: how maliciously hath he prepared the same! Then he looked, and frowned, and put on an austere countenance: then he turned back, and was elated with pride; and he said, This is no other than a piece of magic, borrowed from others these are only the words of a man. I will cast him to be burned in hell. And what shall make thee to understand what hell is? It leaveth not any thing unconsumed, neither doth it suffer any thing to

It is related, from Mohammed's own mouth, that being on mount Harâ, and hearing himself called, he looked on each hand, and saw nobody, but looking upwards he saw the angel Gabriel on a throne, between heaven and earth: at which sight being much terrified, he returned to his wife Khadîja, and bid her cover him up; and that then the angel descended, and addressed him in the words of the text. From hence some think this chapter to have been the first which was revealed: but the more received opinion is that it was the 96th. Others say that the prophet, having been reviled by certain of the Koreish, was sitting in a melancholy and pensive posture, wrapped up in his mantle, when Gabriel accosted him: and some say he was sleeping. See the second note to the preceding chapter.

It is generally supposed that Mohammed is here commanded more especially to warn his near relations, the Koreish; as he is expressly ordered to do in a subsequent revelation. By the word abomination the commentators generally agree idolatry to be principally intended.

The person here meant is generally supposed to have been al Walid Ebn al Mog. heira, a principal man among the Koreish.

Being well provided for, and not obliged to go abroad to seek their livings, as most others of the Meccans were.'

By facilitating his advancement to power and dignity; which were so considerable that he was surnamed Rihâna Koreish, i. e. The sweet odour of the Koreish, and al Wahîd, i. e. The only one, or The incomparable.

On the revelation of this passage it is said that Walid's prosperity began to decay, and continued daily so to do to the time of his death."

Or, as the words may be strictly rendered, I will drive him up the crag of a mountain which some understand of a mountain of fire, agreeably to a tradition of their prophet importing that al Walid will be condemned to ascend this mountain, and then to be cast down from thence, alternately for ever; and that he will be seventy years in climbing up and as many in falling down.

See chap. 26, p. 307, and the Prelim. Disc. sect. ii. p. 31. Jallalo'ddin. Al Beidâwi. • Idem. • Idem.

Al Zamakh., al Beidâw: • Idem.

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