e The person at whom this passage was particularly levelled is generally supposed to have been Mohammed's inveterate enemy, al Walid Ebn al Mogheira, whom, to complete his character, he calls bastard, because al Mogheira did not own him for his son till he was eighteen years of age.1 Some, however, think it was al Akhnas Ebn Shoraik, who was really of the tribe of Thakîf, though reputed to be of that of Zahra.2 f Which being the most conspicuous part of the face, a mark set thereon is attended with the utmost ignominy. It is said that this prophetical menace was actually made good, al Walid having his nose slit by a sword at the battle of Bedr, the mark of which wound he carried with him to his grave.3 g By afflicting them with a grievous famine. See chapter 23, p. 260. h This garden was a plantation of palm-trees, about two parsangs from Sanaa, belonging to a certain charitable man, who, when he gathered his dates, used to give public notice to the poor, and to leave them such of the fruit as the knife missed, or was blown down by the wind, or fell beside the cloth spread under the tree to receive it: after his death, his sons, who were then become masters of the garden, apprehending they should come to want if they followed their father's example, agreed to gather the fruit early in the morning, when the poor could have no notice of the matter: but when they came to execute their purpose, they found, to their great grief and surprise, that their plantation had been destroyed in the night.4 i Literally, that they would cut it; the manner of gathering dates being to cut the clusters off with a knife. Marracci supposes they intended to cut down the trees, and destroy the plantation; which, as he observes, renders the story ridiculous and absurd. k Or, as the original may also be rendered, like a dark night; it being burnt up and black.5 l The same expression is used, chapter 56, p. 398. m For one advised this expedition, another approved of it, a third gave consent by his silence, but the fourth was absolutely against it.5 n This passage was revealed in answer to the infidels, who said, If we shall be raised again, as Mohammed and his followers imagine, they will not excel us; but we shall certainly be in a better condition than they in the next world, as we are in this.6
1 Idem, Jallalo'ddin. 2 Idem. 3 Idem, Jallalo'ddin.4 Idem. 5 Al Beidâwi6 Idem.
What aileth you that ye judge thus?Have ye a book from heaven, wherein ye readthat ye are therein promised that which ye shall choose?Or have ye received oaths which shall be binding upon us to the day ofresurrection, that ye shall enjoy what ye imagine?40 Ask them, which of them will be the voucher of this.Or have they companionso who will vouch for them? Let them produce theircompanions, therefore, if they speak truth.On a certain day the leg shall be made bare;p and they shall be calledupon to worship, but they shall not be able.qTheir looks shall be cast down: ignominy shall attend them; for that theywere invited to the worship of God, while they were in safety, but would nothear.Let me alone, therefore, with him who accuseth this new revelation ofimposture. We will lead them gradually to destruction, by ways which theyknow not:rand I will bear with them for a long time; for my stratagem is effectual.Dost thou ask them any reward for thy preaching? But they are laden withdebts.Are the secrets of futurity with them; and do they transcribe the samefrom the table of God's decrees?sWherefore patiently wait the judgment of thy LORD: and be not like himwho was swallowed by the fish;t when he cried unto God, being inwardly vexed.Had not grace from his LORD reached him, he had surely been cast forth onthe naked shore, covered with shame:50 but his LORD chose him, and made him one of the righteous.It wanteth little but that the unbelievers strike thee down with theirmalicious looks, when they hear the admonition of the Koran; and they say, Heis certainly distracted:but it is no other than an admonition unto all creatures.
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THE infallible!uWhat is the infallible?And what shall cause thee to understand what the infallible is?
o Or, as some interpret the word, idols; which can make their condition, in the next life, equal to that of the Moslems? p This expression is used to signify a grievous and terrible calamity: thus they say, War has made bare the leg, when they would express the fury and rage of battle.7 q Because the time of acceptance shall be past. Al Beidâwi is uncertain whether the words respect the day of judgment, or the article of death: but Jallalo'ddin supposes them to relate to the former, and adds that the infidels shall not be able to perform the act of adoration, because their backs shall become stiff and inflexible. r i.e., By granting them long life and prosperity in this world; which will deceive them to their ruin. s See chapter 52, p. 389. t That is, be not impatient and pettish, as Jonas was. See chapter 21, p. 248. u The original word al Hâkkat is one of the names or epithets of the day of judgment. As the root from which it is derived signifies not only to be or come to pass of necessity, but also to verify; some rather think that day to be so called because it will verify and show the truth of what men doubt of in this life, viz., the resurrection of the dead, their being brought to account, and the consequent rewards and punishments.8
7 Idem, Jallalo'ddin 8 Idem
The tribes of Thamud and Ad denied as a falsehood the day which shallstrikex men's hearts with terror.But Thamud were destroyed by a terrible noise:and Ad were destroyed by a roaring and furious wind;which God caused to assail them for seven nights and eight dayssuccessively: thou mightest have seen people during the same, lying prostrate,as though they had been the roots of hollow palm-trees;yand couldest thou have seen any of them remaining?Pharaoh also, and those who were before him, and the cities which wereoverthrown,z were guilty of sin:10 and they severally were disobedient to the apostle of their LORD;wherefore he chastised them with an abundant chastisement.When the water of the deluge arose, we carried you in the ark which swamthereon;that we might make the same a memorial unto you, and the retaining earmight retain it.And when one blast shall sound the trumpet,and the earth shall be moved from its place, and the mountains also, andshall be dashed in pieces at one stroke:on that day the inevitable hour of judgment shall suddenly come;and the heavens shall cleave in sunder, and shall fall in pieces, on thatday:and the angels shall be on the sides thereof;a and eight shall bear thethrone of thy LORD above them, on that day.bOn that day ye shall be presented before the judgment-seat of God; andnone of your secret actions shall be hidden.And he who shall have his book delivered into his right hand shall say,Take ye, read this my book;20 verily I thought that I should be brought to this my account:he shall lead a pleasing life,in a lofty garden,the fruits whereof shall be near to gather.Eat and drink with easy digestion; because of the good works which yesent before you, in the days which are past.But he who shall have his book delivered into his left hand shall say, Ohthat I had not received this book;and that I had not known what this my account was!Oh that death had made an end of me!My riches have not profited me;and my power is passed from me.30 And God shall say to the keepers of hell, Take him, and bind him,and cast him into hell to be burned:then put him into a chain of the length of seventy cubits:cbecause he believed not in the great GOD;and was not solicitous to feed the poor:wherefore this day he shall have no friend here;nor any food, but the filthy corruption flowing from the bodies of thedamned,which none shall eat but the sinners.I sweard by that which ye see,and that which ye see not,40 that this is the discourse of an honourable apostleand not the discourse of a poet: how little do ye believe!Neither is it the discourse of a soothsayer: how little are yeadmonished!It is a revelation from the LORD of all creatures.If Mohammed had forged any part of these discourses concerning us,
x Arab. al Kâriát, or the striking; which is another name or epithet ofthe last day.y See chapter 54, p. 392.z Viz., Sodom and Gomorrah. See chapter 9, p. 142, note p.a These words seem to intimate the death of the angels at thedemolition of their habitation; beside the ruins whereof they shall lie likedead bodies.b The number of those who bear it at present being generally supposedto be but four; to whom four more will be added at the last day, for thegrandeur of the occasion.1c i.e., Wrap him round with it, so that he may not be able to stir.d Or, I will not swear. See chapter 56, p. 398, note m.
1 Idem.
verily we had taken him by the right hand,and had cut in sunder the vein of his heart;neither would we have withheld any of you from chastising him.And verily this book is an admonition unto the pious;and we well know that there are some of you who charge the same withimposture:50 but it shall surely be an occasion of grievous sighing unto theinfidels;for it is the truth of a certainty.Wherefore praise the name of thy LORD, the great God.
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ONE demanded and called for vengeance to fallon the unbelievers:e there shall be none to avert the samefrom being inflicted by GOD, the possessor of the steps:fby which the angels ascend unto him, and the spirit Gabriel also, in aday whose space is fifty thousand years:gwherefore bear the insults of the Meccans with becoming patience;for they see their punishment afar off,but we see it nigh at hand.On a certain day the heaven shall become like molten brass,and the mountains like wool of various colours, scattered abroad by thewind:10 and a friend shall not ask a friend concerning his condition,although they see one another. The wicked shall wish to redeem himselffrom the punishment of that day, by giving up his children,and his wife, and his brother,and his kindred who showed kindness unto him,and all who are in the earth; and that this might deliver him:by no means: for hell fire,dragging them by their scalps,shall call him who shall have turned his back, and fled from the faith,and shall have amassed riches, and covetously hoarded them.Verily man is created extremely impatient:h20 when evil toucheth him, he is full of complaint;
e The person here meant is generally supposed to have been al Nodar Ebn al Hareth, who said, O GOD, if what Mohammed preaches be the truth from thee, rain down upon us a shower of stones, or send some dreadful judgment to punish us.1 Others, however, think it was Abu Jahl, who challenged Mohammed to cause a fragment of heaven to fall on them.2 f By which prayers and righteous actions ascend to heaven; or by which the angels ascend to receive the divine commands, or the believers will ascend to paradise. Some understand thereby the different orders of angels; or the heavens, which rise gradually one above another. g This is supposed to be the space which would be required for their ascent from the lowest part of creation to the throne of GOD, if it were to be measured; or the time which it would take a man up to perform that journey; and this is not contradictory to what is said elsewhere3 (if it be to be interpreted of the ascent of the angels), that the length of the day whereon they ascend is one thousand years; because that is meant only of their ascent from earth to the lower heaven, including also the time of their descent. But the commentators generally taking the day spoken of in both these passages to be the day of judgment, have recourse to several expedients to reconcile them, some of which we have mentioned in another place;4 and as both passages seem to contradict what the Mohammedan doctors teach, that GOD will judge all creatures in the space of half a day,5 they suppose those large number of years are designed to express the time of the previous attendance of those who are to be judged;6 or else to the space wherein GOD will judge the unbelieving nations, of which they say there will be fifty, the trial of each nation taking up one thousand years, though that of the true believers will be over in the short space above mentioned.7 h See chapter 17, p. 208.
1 Al Zamakh., al Beidâwi. 2 Al Beidâwi. 3 Cap. 32, p. 310. 4 Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 65. 5 See ibid. p. 69. 6 See ibid. p. 67. 7 Al Zamakh.
but when good befalleth him, he becometh niggardly:except those who are devoutly given,and who persevere in their prayers;and those of whose substance a due and certain portionis ready to be given unto him who asketh, and him who is forbidden byshame to ask:and those who sincerely believe the day of judgment,and who dread the punishment of their LORD:(for there is none secure from the punishment of their LORD:)and who abstain from the carnal knowledge of women30 other than their wives, or the slaves which their right hands possess:(for as to them they shall be blameless;but whoever coveteth any woman besides these, they are transgressors:)and those who faithfully keep what they are intrusted with, and theircovenant;and who are upright in their testimonies,and who carefully observe the requisite rites in their prayers:these shall dwell amidst gardens, highly honoured.What aileth the unbelievers, that they run before thee in companies,on the right hand and on the left?Doth every man of them wish to enter into a garden of delight?By no means: verily we have created them of that which they know.i40 I sweark by the LORD of the east and of the west,l that we are able todestroy them,and to substitute better than them in their room; neither are we to beprevented, if we shall please so to do.Wherefore suffer them to wade in vain disputes, and to amuse themselveswith sport: until they meet their day with which they have been threatened;the day whereon they shall come forth hastily from their graves, asthough they were troops hastening to their standard:their looks shall be downcast; ignominy shall attend them. This is theday with which they have been threatened.
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VERILY we sent Noah unto his people, saying, Warn thy people, before agrievous punishment overtake them.Noah said, O my people, verily I am a public warner unto you;wherefore serve GOD, and fear him, and obey me;he will forgive you part of your sins;m and will grant you respite untila determined time: for GOD'S determined time, when it cometh, shall not bedeferred; if ye were men of understanding, ye would know this.
i viz., Of filthy seed, which bears no relation or resemblance to holy beings; wherefore it is necessary for him who would hope to be an inhabitant of paradise, to perfect himself in faith and spiritual virtues, to fit himself for that place.1 k Or, I will not swear, &c. See chapter 56, p. 398, note m. l The original words are in the plural number, and signify the different points of the horizon at which the sun rises and sets in the course of the year. See chapter 37, p. 334, note e. m i.e., Your past sins; which are done away by the profession of the true faith.
1 Al Beidâwi.
He said, LORD, verily I have called my people night and day; but mycalling only increaseth their aversion:and whensoever I call them to the true faith, that thou mayest forgivethem, they put their fingers in their ears, and cover themselves with theirgarments, and persist in their infidelity, and proudly disdain my counsel.Moreover I invited them openly,and I spake to them again in public; and I also secretly admonished themin private;and I said, Beg pardon of your LORD; for he is inclined to forgive:10 and he will cause the heaven to pour down rain plentifully upon you,and will give you increase of wealth and of children;n and he willprovide you gardens, and furnish you with rivers.What aileth you, that ye hope not for benevolence in GOD;osince he hath created you variously?pDo ye not see how GOD hath created the seven heavens, one above another;and hath placed the moon therein for a light, and hath appointed the sunfor a taper?GOD hath also produced and caused you to spring forth from the earth:hereafter he will cause you to return into the same; and he will againtake you thence, by bringing you forth from your graves.And GOD hath spread the earth as a carpet for you,that ye may walk therein through spacious paths.20 Noah said, LORD, verily they are disobedient unto me; and they followhim whose riches and children do no other than increase his perdition.And they devised a dangerous plot against Noah:and the chief men said to the others, Ye shall by no means leave yourgods; neither shall ye forsake Wadd, nor Sowa,nor Yaghuth, and Yauk, and Nesr.qAnd they seduced many; (for thou shalt only increase error in thewicked:)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 theearth:for if thou leave them, they will seduce thy servants, and will begetnone but a wicked and unbelieving offspring.rLORD, forgive me and my parents,s and every one who shall enter myhouse,t being a true believer, and the true believers of both sexes; and addunto the unjust doers nothing but destruction.
n It is said that after Noah had for a long time preached to them in vain, GOD shut up the heaven for forty years, and rendered their women barren.2 o i.e., That GOD will accept and amply reward those who serve him? For some suppose Noah's people made him this answer, If what we now follow be the truth, we ought not to forsake it; but if it be false, how will GOD accept, or be favourable unto us, who have rebelled against him?3 p That is, as the commentators expound it, by various steps or changes, from the original matter, till ye became perfect men.4 q These were five idols worshipped by the Antediluvians, and afterwards by the ancient Arabs. See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. I. p. 15. r 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. s His father Lamech, and his mother, whose name was Shamkha, the daughter of Enosh, being true believers. t The commentators are uncertain whether Noah's dwelling-house be here meant, or the temple he had built for the worship of GOD, or the ark.
2 Idem. 3 Idem. 4 See cap. 22, p. 250, and cap. 23, p. 257, &c.
SAY, It hath been revealed unto me that a company of genii attentively heard me reading the Koran,u 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. He (may the majesty of our LORD be exalted!) hath taken no wife, nor hath he begotten any issue. Yet the foolish among usx 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;y but they increase their folly and transgression: and they also thought, as ye thought,z 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 seats 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.a 10 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 Koran, 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.b And whoso embraceth Islam, they earnestly seek 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:c 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 of worship are set apart unto GOD: wherefore invoke not any other therein together with GOD. When the servant of GODd stood up to invoke him, it wanted little but that the genii had pressed on him in crowds, to hear him rehearse the Koran.
u See chapter 46, p. 374, note q.x viz., Eblis, or the rebellious genii.y For the Arabs, when they found themselves in a desert in the evening(the genii being supposed to haunt such places about that time), used to say,I fly for refuge unto the Lord of this valley, that he may defend me from thefoolish among his people.1z 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 torelate to the former, and that of the second person to the latter; and othersbeing of the contrary opinion.a See chapter 15, p. 192.b See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.c i.e., We will grant them plenty of all good things. Some think bythese words rain is promised to the Meccans, after their seven years' drought,on their embracing Islâm.d viz., Mohammed.
1 Al Beidâwi.
20 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 forever. 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;e he comprehendeth whatever is with them; and counteth all things by number.
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ENTITLED, THE WRAPPED UP; REVEALED AT MECCA.f
O THOU wrapped up,garise to prayer, and continue therein during the night, except a smallpart;hthat is to say, during one half thereof: or do thou lessen the same alittleor add thereto.i And repeat the Koran with a distinct and sonorousvoice:
e That is to say, either that the prophet may know that Gabriel and the other angels, who bring down the revelation, have communicated it to him pure and free from any diabolical suggestions; or that GOD may know that the prophet has published the same to mankind.1 f Some will have the last verse, beginning at these words, Verily thy LORD knoweth, &c., to have been revealed at Medina. g 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 unconcernedly, 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.2 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,3 pretty plainly to intimate his being subject to the falling sickness: a malady generally attributed to him by the Christians,4 but mentioned by no Mohammedan writer. Though such an inference may be made, yet I think it scarce probable, much less necessary.5 h 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 exception 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, &c.6 i i.e., Set apart either less than half the night, as one-third, for example, or more, as two-thirds. 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.1
1 Idem. 2 Al Zamakh., al Beidâwi. 3 Hotting. Hist. Orient. l. I, c. 2. Marracc. in Alc. p. 763. Vide Gagnier, not. ad Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 9. 4 See Prideaux, Life of Mahomet, p. 16, and the authors there cited. 5 See Ockley's Hist. of the Saracens, vol. i. p. 300, &c 6 Al Beidâwi. 1 Idem.
for we will lay on thee a weighty word.k Verily the rising by nightl is more efficacious for steadfast continuance in devotion, and more conducive to decent pronunciation:m 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: 10 and patiently suffer the contumelies which the infidels utter against thee; and depart from them with a decent departure. And let me alone with those who charge the Koran 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,n 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 gray-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. 20 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.o Read, therefore, so much of the Koran 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.p And ask GOD forgiveness; for GOD is ready to forgive, and merciful.
k 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.2 l Or, the person who riseth by night; or, the hours, or particularly the first hours of the night, &c. m For the nighttime 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 principio noctis majus robur et vim habet homo, ad foeminas premendas et subagitandas, et ad clarioribus verbis amores suos propalandos.3 A most effectual way, this, to turn a book into ridicule! n As thorns and thistles, the fruit of the infernal tree al Zakkûm, and the corruption flowing from the bodies of the damned. o 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 night, standing and walking about till their legs and feet swelled in a sad manner. The commentators add that this precept of dedicating a part of the night to devotion, is abrogated by the institution of the five hours of prayer.4 p i.e., The good which ye shall do in your lifetime will be much more meritorious in the sight of GOD, than what ye shall defer till death, and order by will.1
2 Idem, Jallalo'ddin. 3 Marracc. in Alc. p. 759. 4 Al Beidâwi. 1 Idem.
O THOU covered,qarise and preach,rand magnify thy LORD.And cleanse thy garments:and fly every abomination:sand 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 distress10 and uneasiness unto the unbelievers.Let me alone with him whom I have created,ton whom I have bestowed abundant riches,and children dwelling in his presence,uand for whom I have disposed affairs in a smooth and easy manner,xand who desireth that I will yet add other blessings unto him.By no means: because he is an adversary to our signs.yI will afflict him with grievous calamities:zfor he hath devised and prepared contumelious expressions to ridicule theKoran.May he be cursed: how maliciously hath he prepared the same!20 And again, may he be cursed: how maliciously hath he prepared the same!Then he looked,and frowned, and put on an austere countenance:
q 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 Khadîjah, and bade 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. r 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.2 s By the word abomination the commentators generally agree idolatry to be principally intended. t The person here meant is generally supposed to have been al Walid Ebn al Mogheira,3 a principal man among the Koreish. u Being well provided for, and not obliged to go abroad to seek their livings, as most others of the Meccans were.4 x By facilitating his advancement to power and dignity; which were so considerable that he was surnamed Rihâna Koreish, or The sweet odour of the Koreish, and al Wahîd, i.e., The only one, or The incomparable.5 y 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.6 z 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.7
2 See cap. 26, p. 281, and the Prelim. Disc. Sect. II. p. 33.3 Al Zamakh., al Beidâwi, Jallal. 4 Al Beidâwi.5 Idem. 6 Idem. 7 Idem.
then he turned back, and was elated with pride;and he said, This is no other than a piece of magic, borrowed fromothers: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 anything unconsumed, neither doth it suffer anything toescape:it scorcheth men's flesh:30 over the same are nineteen angels appointed.We have appointed none but angels to preside over hell fire:a and we haveexpressed the number of them only for an occasion of discord to theunbelievers;b that they to whom the scriptures have been given may be certainof the veracity of this book,c and the true believers may increase in faith;and that those to whom the scriptures have been given, and the truebelievers, may not doubt hereafter;and that those in whose hearts there is an infirmity, and theunbelievers, may say, What mystery doth GOD intend by this number?Thus doth GOD cause to err whom he pleaseth; and he directeth whom hepleaseth. None knoweth the armies of thy LORD,d besides him; and thise is noother than a memento unto mankind.Assuredly. By the moon,and the night when it retreateth,and the morning when it reddeneth,I swear that this is one of the most terrible calamities,giving warning unto men,40 as well as unto him among you who desireth to go forward, as unto himwho chooseth to remain behind.Every soul is given in pledge for that which it shall have wrought:fexcept the companions of the right hand;gwho shall dwell in gardens, and shall ask one another questionsconcerning the wicked,and shall also ask the wicked themselves, saying, What hath brought youinto hell?They shall answer, We were not of those who were constant at prayer,neither did we feed the poor;and we waded in vain disputes with the fallacious reasoners;and we denied the day of judgment,until deathh overtook us:and the intercession of the interceders shall not avail them.50 What aileth them, therefore, that they turn aside from the admonition ofthe Koran,as though they were timorous asses flying from a lion?But every man among them desireth that he may have expanded scrollsdelivered to him from God.iBy no means. They fear not the life to come.By no means: verily this is a sufficient warning.Whoso is willing to be warned, him shall it warn: but they shall not bewarned, unless GOD shall please. He is worthy to be feared; and he isinclined to forgiveness.
a The reason of which is said to be, that they might be of a differentnature and species from those who are to be tormented, lest they should have afellow-feeling of, and compassionate their sufferings; or else, because oftheir great strength and severity of temper.1b Or, for a trial of them: because they might say this was a particularborrowed by Mohammed of the Jews.c And especially the Jews; this being conformable to what is containedin their books.2d i.e., All his creatures; or particularly the number and strength ofthe guards of hell.e The antecedent seems to be hell.f See chapter 52, p. 388.g i.e., The blessed;3 who shall redeem themselves by their good works.Some say these are the angels, and others, such as die infants.4h Literally, That which is certain.i For the infidels to Mohammed that they would never obey him as aprophet till he brought each man a writing from heaven, to this effect, viz.,From GOD to such a one: Follow Mohammed.5
1 Idem 2 Jallal. 3 See cap. 56, p. 396, note t. 4 Al Beidâwi. 5 Idem.
VERILY I sweark by the day of resurrection;and I swear by the soul which accuseth itself:ldoth man think that we will not gather his bones together?Yea: we are able to put together the smallest bones of his fingers.But man chooseth to be wicked, for the time which is before him.He asketh, When will the day of resurrection be?But when the sight shall be dazzled,and the moon shall be eclipsed,and the sun and the moon shall be in conjunction;m10 on that day man shall say, Where is a place of refuge?By no means: there shall be no place to fly unto.With thy LORD shall be the sure mansion of rest on that day:on that day shall a man be told that which he hath done first and last.nYea; a man shall be an evidence against himself:and though he offer his excuses, they shall not be received.Move not thy tongue, O Mohammed, in repeating the revelations broughtthee by Gabriel, before he shall have finished the same, that thou mayestquickly commit them to memory:for the collecting the Koran in thy mind, and the teaching thee the truereading thereof, are incumbent on us.But when we shall have read the same unto thee by the tongue of theangel, do thou follow the reading thereof:and afterwards it shall be our part to explain it unto thee.20 By no means shalt thou be thus hasty for the future. But ye love thatwhich hasteneth away,oand neglect the life to come.Some countenances on that day shall be bright,looking towards their LORD:and some countenances, on that day, shall be dismal:they shall think that a crushing calamity shall be brought upon them.Assuredly. When a man's soul shall come up to his throat, in his lastagony,and the standers-by shall say, Who bringeth a charm to recover him?and shall think it to be his departure out of this world;
k Or, I will not swear. See chapter 56, p. 398, note m. l Being conscious of having offended, and of failing of perfection, notwithstanding its endeavours to do its duty; or, the pious soul which shall blame others, at the last day, for having been remiss in their devotions, &c. Some understand the words of the soul of Adam, in particular; who is continually blaming himself for having lost paradise by his disobedience.6 m Rising both in the west:1 which conjunction is no contradiction to what is mentioned just before, of the moon's being eclipsed; because those words are not to be understood of a regular eclipse, but metaphorically, of the moon's losing her light at the last day in a preternatural manner. Some think the meaning rather to be, that the sun and the moon shall be joined in the loss of their light.2 n Or, the good which he hath done, and that which he hath left undone, &c. o i.e., The fleeting pleasures of this life. The words intimate the natural hastiness and impatience of man,3 who takes up with a present enjoyment, though short and bitter in its consequences, rather than wait for real happiness in futurity.
6 Idem. 1 See the Prelim. Disc. p. 62. 2 AlBeidâwi. 3 See cap. 17, p. 208.
and one leg shall be joined with the other leg:p30 on that day unto thy LORD shall he be driven.For he believed not,q neither did he pray;but he accused God's apostle of imposture, and turned back from obeyinghim:then he departed unto his family, walking with a haughty mien.Wherefore, woe be unto thee; woe!And again, woe be unto thee; woe!Doth man think that he shall be left at full liberty, without control?Was he not a drop of seed, which was emitted?Afterwards he became a little coagulated blood, and God formed him, andfashioned him with just proportion;and made of him two sexes, the male and the female.40 Is not he who hath done this able to quicken the dead?
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ENTITLED, MAN; REVEALED AT MECCA.r
DID there not pass over man a long space of time; during which he was athing not worthy of remembrance?sVerily we have created man of the mingled seed of both sexes, that wemight prove him: and we have made him to hear and to see.tWe have surely directed him in the way; whether he be grateful, orungrateful.Verily we have prepared for the unbelievers chains, and collars, andburning fire.But the just shall drink of a cup of wine, mixed with the water ofCafur,ua fountain whereof the servants of GOD shall drink; they shall convey thesame by channels whithersoever they please.These fulfil their vow, and dread the day, the evil whereof will disperseitself far abroad;and give food unto the poor, and the orphan, and the bondman, for hissake,saying, We feed you for GOD'S sake only: we desire no recompense fromyou, nor any thanks:
p i.e., And when he shall stretch forth his legs together, as is usual with dying persons. The words may also be translated, And when one affliction shall be joined with another affliction. q Or, He did not give alms; or, He was not a man of veracity. Some suppose Abu Jahl, and others one Adi Ebn Rabîa, to be particularly inveighed against in this chapter. r It is somewhat doubtful whether this chapter was revealed at Mecca or Medina. s Some take these words to be spoken of Adam, whose body, according to Mohammedan tradition, was at first a figure of clay, and was left forty years to dry before GOD breathed life into it;1 others understand them of man in general and of the time he lies in the womb. t That he might be capable of receiving the rules and directions given by GOD for his guidance;2 and of meriting reward or punishment for his observance or neglect of them. u Is the name of a fountain in paradise, so called from its resembling camphire (which the word signifies) in odour and whiteness. Some take the word for an appellative, and think the wine of paradise will be mixed with camphire, because of its agreeable coolness and smell.3
1 See the notes to cap. 2, p. 4. 2 Al Beidâwi. 3 Idem.
10 verily we dread, from our LORD, a dismal and calamitous day.x Wherefore GOD shall deliver them from the evil of that day, and shall cast on them brightness of countenance, and joy; and shall reward them, for their patient persevering, with a garden and silk garments: therein shall they repose themselves on couches; they shall see therein neither sun nor moon;y and the shades thereof shall be near spreading above them, and the fruits thereof shall hang low, so as to be easily gathered. And their attendants shall go round about unto them, with vessels of silver, and goblets: the bottles shall be bottles of silver shining like glass; they shall determine the measure thereof by their wish. And therein shall they be given to drink of a cup of wine, mixed with the water of Zenjebil,z a fountain in paradise named Salsabil:a and youths, which shall continue forever in their bloom, shall go round to attend them; when thou seest them, thou shalt think them to be scattered pearls: 20 and when thou lookest, there shalt thou behold delights, and a great kingdom. Upon them shall be garments of fine green silk, and of brocades, and they shall be adorned with bracelets of silver: and their LORD shall give them to drink of a most pure liquor; and shall say unto them, Verily this is your reward: and your endeavor is gratefully accepted. Verily we have sent down unto thee the Koran, by a gradual revelation. Wherefore patiently wait the judgment of thy LORD; and obey not any wicked person or unbeliever among them. And commemorate the name of thy LORD, in the morning, and in the evening: and during some part of the night worship him, and praise him a long part of the night. Verily these men love the transitory life, and leave behind them the heavy day of judgment. We have created them, and have strengthened their joints; and when we please, we will substitute others like unto them, in their stead. Verily this is an admonition: and whoso willeth, taketh the way unto his LORD: 30 but ye shall not will, unless GOD willeth; for GOD is knowing and wise. He leadeth whom he pleaseth into his mercy; but for the unjust hath he prepared a grievous punishment.
x It is related that Hasan and Hosein, Mohammed's grandchildren, on a certain time being both sick, the prophet, among others, visited them, and they wished Ali to make some vow to GOD for the recovery of his sons: whereupon Ali, and Fâtema, and Fidda, their maid-servant, vowed a fast of three days in case they did well; as it happened they did. This vow was performed with so great strictness, that the first day, having no provisions in the house, Ali was obliged to borrow three measures of barley of one Simeon, a Jew, of Khaibar, one measure of which Fâtema ground the same day, and baked five cakes of the meal, and they were set before them to break their fast with after sunset: but a poor man coming to them, they gave all their bread to him, and passed the night without tasting anything except water. The next day Fâtema made another measure into bread, for the same purpose; but an orphan begging some food, they chose to let him have it, and passed that night as the first; and the third day they likewise gave their whole provision to a famished captive. Upon this occasion Gabriel descended with the chapter, before us, and told Mohammed that GOD congratulated him on the virtues of his family.1 y Because they shall not need the light of either.2 The word Zamharîr, here translated moon, properly signifies extreme cold: for which reason some understand the meaning of the passage to be, that in paradise there shall be felt no excess either of heat or of cold. z The word signifies ginger, which the Arabs delight to mix with the water they drink; and therefore the water of this fountain is supposed to have the taste of that spice.3 a Signifies water which flows gently and pleasantly down the throat.
1 Idem. 2 See Revel. xxi. 23. 3 Al Beidâwi, Jallal.
BY the angels which are sent by God, following one another in a continualseries;and those which move swiftly, with a rapid motion;and by those which disperse his commands, by divulging them through theearth;and by those which separate truth from falsehood, by distinguishing thesame;and by those which communicate the divine admonitions,to excuse, or to threaten:bverily that which ye are promisedc is inevitable.When the stars, therefore, shall be put out,and when the heaven shall be cloven in sunder,10 and when the mountains shall be winnowed,and when the apostles shall have a time assigned to them to appear andbear testimony against their respective people;to what a day shall that appointment be deferred!to the day of separation:and what shall cause thee to understand what the day of separation is?On that day, woe be unto them who accused the prophets of imposture!Have we not destroyed the obstinate unbelievers of old?We will also cause those of the latter times to follow them.Thus do we deal with the wicked.Woe be, on that day, unto them who accused the prophets of imposture!20 Have we not created you of a contemptible drop of seed,which we placed in a sure repository,until the fixed term of delivery?And we were able to do this: for we are most powerful.On that day, woe be unto those who accused the prophets of imposture:Have we not made the earth to containthe living and the dead,and placed therein stable and lofty mountains, and given you fresh waterto drink?Woe be, on that day, unto those who accused the prophets of imposture!It shall be said unto them, Go ye to the punishment which ye denied as afalsehood:30 go ye into the shadow of the smoke of hell, which shall ascend in threecolumns,and shall not shade you from the heat, neither shall it be of serviceagainst the flame;but it shall cast forth sparks as big as towers,resembling yellow camels in colour.dWoe be, on that day, unto those who accused the prophets of imposture!This shall be a day whereon they shall not speak to any purpose;neither shall they be permitted to excuse themselves.Woe be, on that day, unto those who accused the prophets of imposture!This shall be the day of separation: we will assemble both you and yourpredecessors.Wherefore, if ye have any cunning stratagem, employ stratagems againstme.40 Woe be, on that day, unto those who accused the prophets of imposture!
b Some understand the whole passage of the verses of the Korân; which continued to be sent down, parcel after parcel, during the space of several years, and which rescind (for so the verb ásafa may also be translated) and abolish all former dispensations, divulging and making known the ways of salvation, distinguishing truth from falsehood, and communicating admonition, &c. Some interpret the first three verses of the winds, sent in a continual succession, blowing with a violent gust, and dispersing rain over the earth; and others give different explications. c viz., The day of judgment. d Being of fiery colour. Others, however, suppose these sparks will be of a dusky hue, like that of black camels, which always inclines a little to the yellow; the word translated yellow, signifying sometimes black. Some copies, by the variation of a vowel, have cables, instead of camels.
But the pious shall dwell amidst shades and fountains,and fruits of the kinds which they shall desire:and it shall be said unto them, Eat and drink with easy digestion, inrecompense for that which ye have wrought;for thus do we reward the righteous doers.Woe be, on that day, unto those who accused the prophets of imposture!Eat, O unbelievers, and enjoy the pleasures of this life, for a littlewhile: verily ye are wicked men.Woe be, on that day, unto those who accused the prophets of imposture!And when it is said unto them, Bow down; they do not bow down.Woe be, on that day, unto those who accused the prophets of imposture!50 In what new revelation will they believe, after this.
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CONCERNING what do the unbelievers ask questions of one another?Concerning the great news of the resurrection,about which they disagree.Assuredly they shall hereafter know the truth thereof.Again, Assuredly they shall hereafter know the truth thereof.Have we not made the earth for a bed,and the mountains for stakes to fix the same?eAnd have we not created you of two sexes;and appointed your sleep for rest;10 and made the night a garment to cover you;and destined the day to the gaining your livelihood;and built over you seven solid heavens;and placed therein a burning lamp?And do we not send down from the clouds pressing forth rain, waterpouring down in abundance,that we may thereby produce corn, and herbs,and gardens planted thick with trees?Verily the day of separation is a fixed period:the day whereon the trumpet shall sound, and ye shall come in troops tojudgment;and the heaven shall be opened, and shall be full of gates for the angelsto pass through;20 and the mountains shall pass away, and become as a vapor;verily hell shall be a place of ambush,a receptacle for the transgressors,who shall remain therein for ages:they shall not taste any refreshment therein, or any drink,except boiling water, and filthy corruption:a fit recompense for their deeds!For they hope that they should not be brought to an account,and they disbelieved our signs, accusing them of falsehood.But everything have we computed, and written down.30 Taste, therefore: we will not add unto you any other than torment.fBut for the pious is prepared a place of bliss:gardens planted with trees, and vineyards,
e See chapter 16, p. 196, and chapter 31, p. 307.f This, say the commentators, is the most severe and terrible sentencein the whole Korân, pronounced against the inhabitants of hell; they beinghereby assured that every change in their torments will be for the worse.
and damsels with swelling breasts, of equal age with themselves,and a full cup.They shall hear no vain discourse there, nor any falsehood.This shall be their recompense from thy LORD; a gift fully sufficient:from the LORD of heaven and earth, and of whatever is between them; theMerciful. The inhabitants of heaven or of earth shall not dare to demandaudience of him:the day whereon the spirit Gabriel and the other angels shall stand inorder, they shall not speak in behalf of themselves or others, except he onlyto whom the Merciful shall grant permission, and who shall say that which isright.This is the infallible day. Whoso, therefore, willeth, let him returnunto his LORD.40 Verily we threaten you with a punishment nigh at hand:the day whereon a man shall behold the good or evil deeds which his handshave sent before him; and the unbeliever shall say, Would to GOD I were dust!
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BY the angels who tear forth the souls of some with violence;and by those who draw forth the souls of others with gentleness;gby those who glide swimmingly through the air with the commands of God;and those who precede and usher the righteous to paradise;and those who subordinately govern the affairs of this world:on a certain day, the disturbing blast of the trumpet shall disturb theuniverse;and the subsequent blast shall follow it.On that day men's hearts shall tremble:their looks shall be cast down.10 The infidels say, Shall we surely be made to return whence we came?hAfter we shall have become rotten bones, shall we be again raised tolife?They say, This then will be a return to loss.Verily it will be but one sounding of the trumpet,iand, behold, they shall appear alive on the face of the earth.kHath not the story of Moses reached thee?When his LORD called unto him in the holy valley Towa,lsaying, Go unto Pharaoh; for he is insolently wicked:and say, Hast thou a desire to become just and holy;and I will direct thee unto thy LORD, that thou mayest fear totransgress.20 And he showed him the very great sign of the rod turned into a serpent:but he charged Moses with imposture, and rebelled against God.Then he turned back hastily;and he assembled the magicians, and cried aloud,
g These are the angel of death and his assistants, who will take the souls of the wicked in a rough and cruel manner from the inmost part of their bodies, as a man drags up a thing from the bottom of the sea; but will take the souls of the good in a gentle and easy manner from their lips, as when a man draws a bucket of water at one pull.1 There are several other interpretations of this whole passage; some expounding all the five parts of the oath of the stars, others of the souls of men, others of the souls of warriors in particular, and others of war-horses: a detail of which, I apprehend, would rather tire than please. h i.e., Shall we be restored to our former condition? i viz., The second or third blast, according to different opinions. k Or, they shall appear at the place of judgment. The original word al Sâhira is also one of the names of hell. l See chapter 20, p. 234.
1 Al Beidâwi.
saying, I am your supreme LORD.Wherefore GOD chastised him with the punishment of the life to come, andalso of this present life.Verily herein is an example unto him who feareth to rebel.Are ye more difficult to create, or the heaven which God hath built?He hath raised the height thereof, and hath perfectly formed the same:and he hath made the night thereof dark, and hath produced the lightthereof.30 After this, he stretched out the earth,mwhence he caused to spring forth the water thereof, and the pasturethereof;and he established the mountains,for the use of yourselves, and of your cattle.When the prevailing, the great day shall come,on that day shall a man call to remembrance what he hath purposely done:and hell shall be exposed to the view of the spectator.And whoso shall have transgressed,and shall have chosen this present life;verily hell shall be his abode;40 but whoso shall have dreaded the appearing before his LORD, and shallhave refrained his soul from lust,verily paradise shall be his abode.They will ask thee concerning the last hour, when will be the fixed timethereof?By what means canst thou give any information of the same?Unto thy LORD belongeth the knowledge of the period thereof:and thou art only a warner, who fearest the same.The day whereon they shall see the same, it shall seem to them as thoughthey had not tarried in the world longer than an evening, or a morningthereof.
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THE prophet frowned, and turned aside,because the blind man came unto him:nand how dost thou know whether he shall peradventure be cleansed from hissins,or whether he shall be admonished, and the admonition shall profit him?The man who is wealthy,thou receivest respectfully;whereas it is not to be charged on thee, that he is not cleansed:but him who cometh unto thee earnestly, seeking his salvation,and who feareth God,10 dost thou neglect.By no means shouldst thou act thus. Verily the Koran is an admonition(and he who is willing retaineth the same;)written in volumes honourable,exalted, and pure;by the hands of scribes honoured, and just.o
m Which had been created before the heavens, but without expansion.1 n This passage was revealed on the following occasion. A certain blind man, named Abdallah Ebn Omm Mactûm, came and interrupted Mohammed while he was engaged in earnest discourse with some of the principal Koreish, whose conversion he had hopes of; but the prophet taking no notice of him, the blind man, not knowing he was otherwise busied, raised his voice, and said, O apostle of GOD, teach me some part of what GOD hath taught thee; but Mohammed, vexed at this interruption, frowned and turned away from him; for which he is here reprehended. After this, whenever the prophet saw Ebn Omm Mactûm, he showed him great respect, saying, The man is welcome, on whose account my LORD hath reprimanded me; and he made him twice governor of Medina.2 o Being transcribed from the preserved table, highly honoured in the sight of GOD, kept pure and uncorrupted from the hands of evil spirits, and touched only by the angels. Some understand hereby the books of the prophets, with which the Korân agrees in substance.1
1 Jallalo'ddin. 2 Idem al Beidâwi.
May man be cursed! What hath seduced him to infidelity?Of what thing doth God create him?Of a drop of seeddoth he create him; and he formeth him with proportion;20 and then facilitateth his passage out of the womb:afterwards he causeth him to die, and layeth him in the grave;hereafter, when it shall please him, he shall raise him to life.Assuredly, He hath not hitherto fully performed what God hath commandedhim.Let man consider his food; in what manner it is provided.We pour down water by showers;afterwards we cleave the earth in clefts,and we cause corn to spring forth therein,and grapes, and clover,and the olive, and the palm,30 and gardens planted thick with trees,and fruits, and grass,for the use of yourselves and of your cattle.When the stunning sound of the trumpet shall be heard;on that day shall a man fly from his brother,and his mother, and his father,and his wife, and his children.Every man of them, on that day, shall have business of his own sufficientto employ his thoughts.On that day the faces of some shall be bright,laughing, and joyful:40 and upon the faces of others, on that day, shall there be dust;darkness shall cover them.These are the unbelievers, the wicked.
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WHEN the sun shall be folded up;pand when the stars shall fall;and when the mountains shall be made to pass away;and when the camels ten months gone with young shall be neglected;qand when the wild beasts shall be gathered together;rand when the seas shall boil;sand when the souls shall be joined again to their bodies;and when the girl who hath been buried alive shall be askedfor what crime she was put to death;t10 and when the books shall be laid open;and when the heaven shall be removed;uand when hell shall burn fiercely;and when paradise shall be brought near;every soul shall know what it hath wrought.
p As a garment that is laid by.q See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 64.r See ibid. p. 64 and 67.s See ibid. p. 64.t For it was customary among the ancient Arabs to bury their daughtersalive as soon as they were born; for fear they should be impoverished byproviding for them, or should suffer disgrace on their account. See chapter16, p. 199.u Or plucked away from its place, as the skin is plucked off from acamel which is flaying; for that is the proper signification of the verb hereused. Marracci fancies the passage alludes to that in the Psalms,2 where,according to the versions of the Septuagint and the Vulgate, GOD is said tohave stretched out the heaven like a skin.1 Al Zamakh. 2 Psalm civ. 2.
Verily I swearx by the stars which are retrograde,which move swiftly, and which hide themselves;yand by the night, when it cometh on;and by the morning, when it appeareth;these these are the words of an honourable messenger,z20 endued with strength, of established dignity in the sight of thepossessor of the throne,obeyed by the angels under his authority, and faithful:and your companion Mohammed is not distracted.He had already seen him in the clear horizon:aand he suspected notb the secrets revealed unto him.Neither are these the words of an accursed devil.cWhither, therefore, are you going?This is no other than an admonition unto all creatures;unto him among you who shall be willing to walk uprightly:but ye shall not will, unless GOD willeth, the LORD of all creatures.
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WHEN the heaven shall be cloven in sunder;and when the stars shall be scattered;and when the seas shall be suffered to join their waters;and when the graves shall be turned upside down:every soul shall know what it hath committed, and what it hath omitted.O man, what hath seduced thee against thy gracious LORD,who hath created thee, and put thee together, and rightly disposed thee?In what form he pleased hath he fashioned thee.Assuredly. But ye deny the last judgment as a falsehood.10 Verily there are appointed over you guardian angels,dhonourable in the sight of God, writing down your actions;who know that which ye do.The just shall surely be in a place of delight:but the wicked shall surely be in hell;they shall be cast therein to be turned, on the day of judgment,and they shall not be absent therefrom forever.What shall cause thee to understand what the day of judgment is?Again, What shall cause thee to understand what the day of judgment is?It is a day whereon one soul shall not be able to obtain anything inbehalf of another soul: and the command, on that day, shall be GOD'S.
x Or, I will not swear, &c. See chapter 56, p. 398, note m. y Some understand hereby the stars in general, but the more exact commentators, five of the planets, viz., the two which accompany the sun, and the three superior planets; which have both a retrograde and a direct motion, and hide themselves in the rays of the sun, or when they set. z i.e., Gabriel. a See chapter 53, p. 389. b Some copies, by a change of one letter only, instead of dhanînin, read danînin; and then the words should be rendered, He is not tenacious of, or grudges not to communicate to you, the secret revelations which he has received. c Who has overheard, by stealth, the discourse of the angels. The verse is an answer to a calumny of the infidels, who said the Korân was only a piece of divination, or magic; for the Arabs suppose the soothsayer, or magician, receives his intelligence from those evil spirits, who are continually listening to learn what they can from the inhabitants of heaven. d See chapter 50, p. 384, and the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 56.