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(30) which bringeth forth its fruit in all seasons, by the will of its LORD? GOD propoundeth parables unto men that they may be instructed. (31) And the likeness of an evil word is as an evil tree, which is torn up from the face of the earth, and hath no stability. (32) GOD shall confirm them who believe, by the steadfast word of faith, both in this life and in that which is to come: but GOD shall lead the wicked into error; for GOD doth that which he pleaseth.

(33) Hast thou not considered those who have changed the grace of GOD to infidelity, and cause their people to descend into the house of perdition, namely, into hell? (34) They shall be thrown to burn therein; and an unhappy dwelling shall it be. (35) They also set up idols as copartners with GOD, that they might cause men to

(31) An evil word. See on ver. 29.

(32) That which is to come. "Jalaluddín supposes the sepulchre to be here understood; in which place, when the true believers come to be examined by the two angels concerning their faith, they will answer properly and without hesitation; which the infidels will not be able to do.”—Sule.

See also Prelim. Disc., p. 127.

(33) Those who have changed, &c. "That is, who requite his favours with disobedience and incredulity; or whose ingratitude obliged God to deprive them of the blessings he had bestowed on them, as he did the Makkans, who, though God had placed them in the sacred territory, and given them the custody of the Kaabah, and abundant provision of all necessaries and conveniences of life, and had also honoured them by the mission of Muhammad, yet in return for all this, became obstinate unbelievers and persecuted his apostles; for which they were not only punished by a famine of seven years, but also by the loss and disgrace they sustained at Badr; so that they who had before been celebrated for their prosperity were now stripped of that, and become conspicuous only for their infidelity. If this be the drift of the passage, it could not have been revealed at Makkah, as the rest of the chapter is agreed to be; wherefore some suppose this verse and the next to have been revealed at Madína.- Sale.

This interpretation, however, is merely an application of the verse to the people of Makkah by the commentators, and therefore predicates nothing as to its Madína origin. The persons intended in the text were the followers of former prophets, and the passage contains a threat of judgment against the Quraish. Comp. vers. 7 and 8 above.

stray from his path. Say unto them, Enjoy the pleasures of this life for a time; but your departure hence shall be into hell-fire. Speak unto my servants who have believed, that they may be assiduous at prayer, and give alms out of that which we have bestowed on them, both privately and in public; (36) before the day cometh, wherein there shall be no buying nor selling, neither any friendship. (37) It is GOD who hath created the heavens and the earth; and causeth water to descend from heaven, and by means thereof produceth fruits for your sustenance: and by his command he obligeth the ships to sail in the sea for your service; and he also forceth the rivers to supply your uses: he likewise compelleth the sun and the moon, which diligently perform their courses, to serve you; and hath subjected the day and the night to your service. He giveth you of everything which ye ask him; and if ye attempt to reckon up the favours of GOD, ye shall not be able to compute the same. Surely man is unjust and ungrateful.

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|| (38) Remember when Abraham said, O LORD, make R 18 this land a place of security; and grant that I and my children may avoid the worship of idols; (39) for they, O LORD, have seduced a great number of men. Whoever therefore shall follow me, he shall be of me; and whosoever shall disobey me, verily thou wilt be gracious and

(37) Obligeth. “The word used here and in the following passages is sakhkhara, which signifies forcibly to press into any service."-Sale. See note on chap. ii. 165.

(38) This land, viz., Makkah and its territory. See Prelim. Disc., P. 42.

Grant that I and my children, &c. "This prayer, it seems, was not heard as to all his posterity, particularly as to the descendants of Ismail; though some pretend that these latter did not worship images, but only paid a superstitious veneration to certain stones, which they set up and compassed, as representations of the Kaabah. -Sale, Baidhawi.

See also Prelim. Disc., p. 43.

(39) Thou wilt be gracious. "That is, by disposing him to repentance. But Jalaluddin supposes these words were spoken by Abraham before he knew that God would not pardon idolatry."

merciful. (40) O LORD, I have caused some of my offspring to settle in an unfruitful valley, near thy holy house, O LORD, that they may be constant at prayer. Grant, therefore, that the hearts of some men may be affected with kindness toward them; and do thou bestow on them all sorts of fruits, that they may give thanks. (41) O LORD, thou knowest whatsoever we conceal, and whatsoever we publish; for nothing is hidden from GOD, either on earth or in heaven. Praise be unto GOD, who hath given me in my old age Ismail and Isaac; for my LORD is the hearer of supplication. (42) O LORD, grant that I may be an observer of prayer, and a part of my posterity also, O LORD, and receive my supplication. O

The Tafsir-i-Raufi excepts idolatry as a sin which would not be pardoned, paraphrasing thus :-"Whosoever shall disobey me, excepting in the matter of idolatry, verily thou," &c. To such straits are the commentators carried by their idea as to the sin of idolatry. The sin alluded to here is idolatry, or that in particular if others be alluded to.

(40) Some of my offspring, i.e., "Ismail and his posterity. The Muhammadans say that Hagar, his mother, belonged to Sarah, who gave her to Abraham; and that, on her bearing him this son, Sarah became so jealous of her that she prevailed on her husband to turn them both out of doors; whereupon he sent them to the territory of Makkah, where God caused the fountain of Zamzam to spring forth for their relief, in consideration of which the Jorhamites, who were the masters of the country, permitted them to settle among them." -Sale, Jalaluddin, &c.

The hearts of some. "Had he said the hearts of men absolutely,

the Persians and the Romans would also have treated them as friends, and both the Jews and Christians would have made their pilgrimages to Makkah."-Sale, Baidháwi, Jalaluddín.

All sorts of fruits. "This part of the prayer was granted; Makkah being so plentifully supplied, that the fruits of spring, summer, and autumn are to be found there at one and the same time."-Sale, Baidhawi, &c.

(41) Ismail and Isaac. I have taken the liberty to correct the text of Sale here, which had "Israel and Isaac," the error having evidently crept in through the printers. Muhammad does not seem to have known of the sons of Keturah.

(42) My posterity. The italics inserted in the text here, in accordance with Muslim interpretation, are certainly not wanted, as is evident by comparing ver. 38.

LORD, forgive me, and my parents, and the faithful, on the day whereon an account shall be taken.

|| (43) Think not, O Prophet, that GOD is regardless of R f what the ungodly do. He only deferreth their punishment unto the day whereon men's eyes shall be fixed: (44) they shall hasten forward, at the voice of the angel calling to judgment, and shall lift up their heads; they shall not be able to turn their sight from the object whereon it shall be fixed, and their hearts shall be void of sense through excessive terror. Wherefore do thou threaten men with the day whereon their punishment shall be inflicted on them, (45) and whereon those who have acted unjustly shall say, O LORD, give us respite unto a term near at hand, (46) and we will obey thy call, and we will follow thy apostles? But it shall be answered unto them, Did you not swear heretofore that no reverse should befall you? (47) yet ye dwelt in the dwellings of those who had treated their own souls unjustly; and it appeared plainly unto you how we had dealt with them; and we propounded their destruction as examples unto you. They employ their utmost subtlety to oppose the truth; but their subtlety

Forgive me. This passage proves that Abraham was a sinner as well as his parents, and furnishes an argument from the Qurán itself against the claim of Muslims that all the prophets were sinless.

And my parents. "Abraham put up this petition to God before he knew that his parents were the enemies of God. Some suppose his mother was a true believer, and therefore read it in the singular, and my father. Others fancy that by his parents the Patriarch here means Adam and Eve.-Sale, Baidhawi, and Jaláluddín.

See also notes on chap. ix. 114.

(46) That no reverse, &c. "That is, that ye should not taste of death, but continue in this world for ever; or that ye should not after death be raised to judgment."-Sale, Jalaluddin, Zamakhshari. (47) The dwellings of those, &c., i.e., of Noah, Ád, and Thamúd, &c. See above, ver. 9.

It appeared plainly, &c. "Not only by the histories of those people revealed in the Qurán, but also by the monuments remaining of them (as the houses of the Thamúdites), and the traditions preserved among you of the terrible judgments which befell them."

They employ... subtlety. Rodwell translates," plotted their plots." The passage probably refers to the plotting of the Quraish

is apparent unto GOD, who is able to frustrate their designs; although their subtlety were so great that the mountains might be moved thereby. (48) Think not, therefore, O prophet, that GOD will be contrary to his promise of assistance made unto his apostles; for GOD is mighty, able to avenge. (49) The day will come when the earth shall be changed into another earth, and the heavens into other heavens; and men shall come forth from their graves to appear before the only, the mighty GoD. (50) And thou shalt see the wicked on that day bound together in fetters: (51) their inner garments shall be of pitch, and fire shall cover their faces; that GOD may reward every soul according to what it shall have deserved; for GOD is swift in taking an account. (52) This is a sufficient admonition unto men, that they may be warned thereby, and that they may know that there is but one GOD; and that those who are endued with understanding may consider.

to expel Muhammad and his followers from Makkah. See note on chap. xiii. 42.

(49) Another earth, &c. "This the Muhammadans suppose will come to pass at the last day; the earth becoming white and even, or, as some will have it, of silver, and the heavens of gold."-Sale, Baidhawi, Jalaluddin, &c.

See also Prelim. Disc., p. 140.