IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

(1) A. L. R. This book have we sent down unto thee, that thou mayest lead men forth from darkness into light, by the permission of their LORD, into the glorious and laudable way. (2) GOD is he unto whom belongeth whatsoever is in heaven and on earth: and woe be to the infidels, because a grievous punishment waiteth them; (3) who love the present life above that which is to come, and turn men aside from the way of GOD, and seek to render it crooked: these are in an error far distant from the truth. (4) We have sent no apostle but with the language of his people, that he might declare their duty plainly unto them; for GOD causeth to err whom he pleaseth, and directeth whom he pleaseth; and he is the mighty, the wise. (5) We formerly sent Moses with our signs, and commanded him, saying, Lead forth thy people from darkness into light, and remind them of the favours of God: verily therein are signs unto every patient and grateful person. (6) And call to mind when Moses said unto his people, Remember the favour of GOD towards you,

(1) A. L. R. See Prelim. Disc., pp. 100-102.

The glorious and laudable way. Rodwell's translation, "Into the path of the mighty, the glorious-of God," is better than that of the

text.

(4) The language of his people. "That so they might not only perfectly and readily understand those revelations themselves, but might also be able to translate and interpret them unto others."— Sale, Baidhawi.

The logical inference from statements like this is that Muhummad regarded himself as merely the prophet of the Arabs. This verse also justifies the translation of the Quran from the Arabic.

God causeth to err. God is here certainly made the author of sin. The Tafsir-i-Raufi says, "Causing to err and directing aright are the load of his wisdom;" hence the clause, "and he is mighty and wise." (5) Moses. See note in chap. vii. 104.

The favours of God. "Literally, the days of GOD;' which may also be translated, the battles of God (the Arabs using the word day to signify a remarkable engagement, as the Italians do giornata, and the French journee), or his wonderful acts manifested in the various success of former nations in their wars.”—Sale, Baidháwi.

SULS.

when he delivered you from the people of Pharaoh : they grievously oppressed you; and they slew your male children, but let your females live: therein was a great trial from your LORD.

(7) And when your LORD declared by the mouth of R Moses, saying, If ye be thankful, I will surely increase my favours towards you; but if ye be ungrateful, verily my punishment shall be severe. (8) And Moses said, If ye be ungrateful, and all who are in the earth likewise; verily GOD needeth not your thanks, though he deserveth the highest praise. (9) Hath not the history of the nations your predecessors reached you, namely, of the people of Noah, and of Ád, and of Thamúd, (10) and of those who succeeded them; whose number none knoweth except GOD? Their apostles came unto them with evident miracles; but they clapped their hands to their mouths out of indignation, and said, We do not believe the message with which ye pretend to be sent; and we are in a doubt concerning the religion to which ye invite us, as justly to be suspected. (11) Their apostles answered, Is there any doubt concerning GOD, the creator of heaven and earth? He inviteth you to the true faith, that he may forgive you part of your sins, and may respite your punishment by granting

(6) Your females. See note on chap. vii. 128.

(7) In this and the following verses Moses is made to figure in Egypt as did Muhammad in Arabia. See notes on chaps. xi. 32, 36, and xii. 102.

(9) Noah, Ad, and Thamúd. See notes on chap. vii. 60, 66,

and 74.

(10) Whose number. The whole number of prophets, according to Muslim tradition, is 144,000; some say 244,000. They only know the names of half a hundred !

Evident miracles. This is what the Quraish and Jews demanded of Muhammad; but, saving the "signs of the Qurán," none were ever given them. Note that all the prophets are declared to have been rejected for the same reason that Muhammad was.

We are in a doubt, &c. See note on chap. xi. 62.

(11) Part of your sins. "That is, such of them as were committed directly against God, which are immediately cancelled by faith or embracing Islám, but not the crimes of injustice and oppression, which were committed against man; for to obtain remission of these

you space to repent, until an appointed time. (12) They answered, Ye are but men, like unto us: ye seek to turn us aside from the gods which our fathers worshipped: wherefore bring us an evident demonstration by some miracle that ye speak truth. (13) Their apostles replied. unto them, We are no other than men like unto you; but GOD is bountiful unto such of his servants as he pleaseth: and it is not in our power to give you a miraculous demonstration of our mission, (14) unless by the permission of GOD; in GOD therefore let the faithful trust. (15) And what excuse have we to allege, that we should not put our trust in GOD, since he hath directed us our paths? Wherefore we will certainly suffer with patience the persecutions wherewith ye shall afflict us: in GOD therefore let those put their confidence who seek in whom to put their trust.

(16) And those who believed not said unto their apostles, We will surely expel you out of our land; or ye shall return unto our religion. And their LORD spake unto them by revelation, saying, We will surely destroy the wicked doers; (17) and we will cause you to dwell in the earth after them. This shall be granted unto him who shall dread the appearance at my tribunal, and shall fear my threatening. (18) And they asked assistance of

last, besides faith, repentance and restitution, according to a man's ability, are also necessary."-Sale, Baidhawi.

(13) It is not in our power, &c. Three things are noteworthy here: (1) Muhammad's picturing the former prophets in the colours in which he figured himself (see above on ver. 7); and (2) his inability to point to any miracle actually wrought by himself. The language here ascribed to other prophets was undoubtedly his own, but see on chap. xiii. 8; (3) the facts of Scripture are contradicted.

(16) We will surely expel, &c. This passage points to the persecution of Muhammad and his followers on the eve of the Hijra. This, however, was the experience of all other apostles.

(18) They asked assistance. "The commentators are uncertain whether these were the prophets who begged assistance against their enemies, or the infidels who called for God's decision between themselves and them, or both. And some suppose this verse has no connection with the preceding, but is spoken of the people of Makkah, who begged rain in a great drought with which they were afflicted at the prayer of their Prophet, but could not obtain it."—Sale, Baidháwi.

God, and every rebellious perverse person failed of success. (19) Hell lieth unseen before him, and he shall have filthy water given him to drink: (20) he shall sup it up by little and little, and he shall not easily let it pass his throat because of its nauseousness; death also shall come upon him from every quarter, yet he shall not die; and before him shall there stand prepared a grievous torment. (21) This is the likeness of those who believe not in their LORD. Their works are as ashes, which the wind violently scattereth in a stormy day: they shall not be able to obtain any solid advantage from that which they have wrought. This is an error most distant from truth. (22) Dost thou not see that GOD hath created the heavens and the earth in wisdom? If he please he can destroy you, and produce a new creature in your stead: (23) neither will this be difficult with GOD. (24) And they shall all come forth into the presence of GOD at the last day: and the weak among them shall say unto those who behaved. themselves arrogantly, Verily we were your followers on earth; will ye not therefore avert from us some part of the divine vengeance? (25) They shall answer, If GOD had directed us aright, we had certainly directed you. It is

(19) Filthy water. "Which will issue from the bodies of the damned, mixed with purulent matter and blood."-Sale.

(20) He shall not die. Tafsir-i-Raufi, on the authority of the Ain-ul-Maani, says the souls of the damned will stick in their throats; they will neither come out, that they may die, nor will they return into their bodies, that they may live.

It would seem that the ordinary opinion among Muslims is that suffering must be corporeal. The soul can only suffer in the body, hence the suffering of the grave and changing of the skins of the damned in hell in order to perpetuate their torment. See chap. iv. 54. As with the sufferings of the lost, so with the joys of the saved: they are all carnal. See note on chap. iii. 15.

(24) The weak... shall say, &c., i.e., "the more simple and inferior people shall say to their teachers and princes, who seduced them to idolatry and confirmed them in their obstinate infidelity." -Sale.

(25) If God had directed, &c. "That is, we made the same choice for you as we did for ourselves; and had not God permitted us to fall into error, we had not seduced you."-Sale.

See above on ver. 4.

equal unto us whether we bear our torments impatiently, or whether we endure them with patience: for we have no way to escape.

|| (26) And Satan shall say after judgment shall have Rt. been given, Verily God promised you a promise of truth: and I also made you a promise; but I deceived you. Yet I had not any power over you to compel you; (27) but I called you only, and ye answered me: wherefore accuse not me, but accuse yourselves. I cannot assist you; neither can ye assist me. Verily I do now renounce your having associated me with God heretofore. A grievous punishment is prepared for the unjust. (28) But they who shall have believed and wrought righteousness shall be introduced into gardens, wherein rivers flow; they shall remain therein for ever by the permission of their LORD; and their salutation therein shall be, Peace! (29) Dost thou not see how GOD putteth forth a parable; representing a good word as a good tree, whose root is firmly fixed in the earth, and whose branches reach unto heaven;

(26) I had not any power, &c. Here the sin of unbelievers is ascribed to their own free-will, which hardly agrees with vers. 4 and 25 above.

(27) Accuse me not, &c. "Lay not the blame on my temptations, but blame your own folly in obeying and trusting to me, who had openly professed myself your irreconcilable enemy.”—Sale.

Having associated me with God. "Or I do now declare myself clear of your having obeyed me preferably to God, and worshipped idols at my instigation. Or the words may be translated, I believed not heretofore in that Being with whom ye did associate me; intimating his first disobedience in refusing to worship Adam at God's command."-Sale, Baidhawi.

(28) Peace. See note on chap. x. 10.

(29) A parable. The parables of Muhammad are in very striking contrast with those of our Lord. Nothing points more decidedly to the human authorship of the Qurán than the imperfection and commonplace of its parables.

A good word. "What is particularly intended in this passage_by the good word and the evil word, the expositors differ about. But the first seems to mean the profession of God's unity, the inviting others to the true religion, or the Qurán itself; and the latter, the acknowledging a plurality of gods, the seducing of others to idolatry, or the obstinate opposition to God's prophets."-Sale, Baidháwi, Jalaluddin.