WOE be unto those who give short measure or weight:who, when they receive by measure from other men, take the full;but when they measure unto them, or weigh unto them, defraud!Do not these think they shall be raised again,at the great day,the day whereon mankind shall stand before the LORD of all creatures?By no means. Verily the register of the actions of the wicked is surelyin Sejjîn.eAnd what shall make thee to understand what Sejjîn is?It is a book distinctly written.10 Woe be on that day, unto those who accused the prophets of imposture;who denied the day of judgment as a falsehood!And none denieth the same as a falsehood, except every unjust andflagitious person:who, when our signs are rehearsed unto him, saith, They are fables of theancients.By no means: but rather their lusts have cast a veil over their hearts.By no means. Verily they shall be shut out from their LORD on that day;and they shall be sent into hell to be burned:then shall it be said unto them by the infernal guards, This is what yedenied as a falsehood.Assuredly. But the register of the actions of the righteous isIlliyyûn:fand what shall cause thee to understand what Illiyyun is?20 It is a book distinctly written:those who approach near unto God are witnesses thereto.gVerily the righteous shall dwell among delights:seated on couches they shall behold objects of pleasure;thou shalt see in their faces the brightness of joy.They shall be given to drink of pure wine, sealed;the seal whereof shall be musk:h and to this let those aspire, who aspireto happiness:and the water mixed therewith shall be of Tasnîm,ia fountain whereof those shall drink who approach near unto the divinepresence.k
e Is the name of the general register, wherein the actions of all the wicked, both men and genii, are distinctly entered. Sejn signifies a prison; and this book, as some think, derives its name from thence, because it will occasion those whose deeds are there recorded to be imprisoned in hell. Sejjin, or Sajin, is also the name of the dungeon beneath the seventh earth, the residence of Eblis and his host, where, it is supposed by some, that this book is kept, and where the souls of the wicked will be detained till the resurrection.1 If the latter explication be admitted, the words, And what shall make thee to understand what Sejjin is? should be enclosed within a parenthesis. f The word is a plural, and signifies high places. Some say it is the general register wherein the actions of the righteous, whether angels, men, or genii, are distinctly recorded. Others will have it to be a place in the seventh heaven, under the throne of GOD, where this book is kept, and where the souls of the just, as many think, will remain till the last day.2 If we prefer the latter opinion, the words, And what shall make thee to understand what Illiyyûn is? should likewise be enclosed in a parenthesis. g Or, are present with, and keep the same. h i.e., The vessels containing the same shall be sealed with musk, instead of clay. Some understand by the seal of this wine its farewell, or the flavour it will leave in the mouth after it is drank. i Is the name of a fountain in paradise, so called from its being conveyed to the highest apartments. k For they shall drink the water of Tasnîm pure and unmixed, being continually and wholly employed in the contemplation of GOD; but the other inhabitants of paradise shall drink it mixed with their wine.3
1 Jallalo'ddin, al Beidâwi. See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 61.2 Jallalo'ddin. See the Prelim. Disc. ubi sup.3 Al Beidâwi.
They who act wickedly laugh the true believers to scorn:30 and when they pass by them, they wink at one another:and when they turn aside to their people, they turn aside makingscurrilous jests;and when they see them, they say, Verily these are mistaken men.But they are not sent to be keepers over them.lWherefore one day the true believers, in their turn, shall laugh theinfidels to scorn:mlying on couches they shall look down upon them in hell.Shall not the infidels be rewarded for that which they have done?
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ENTITLED, THE RENDING IN SUNDER; REVEALED AT MECCA.n
WHEN the heaven shall be rent in sunder,and shall obey its LORD, and shall be capable thereof;and when the earth shall be stretched out,oand shall cast forth that which is therein,p and shall remain empty,and shall obey its LORD, and shall be capable thereof:O man, verily laboring thou laborest to meet thy LORD, and thou shaltmeet him.qAnd he who shall have his book given into his right handshall be called to an easy account,and shall turn unto his familyr with joy:10 but he who shall have his book given him behind his back,sshall invoke destruction to fall upon him,and he shall be sent into hell to be burned;because he rejoiced insolently amidst his family on earth.Verily he thought he should never return unto God:yea verily, but his LORD beheld him.Wherefore I sweart by the redness of the sky after sunset,and by the night, and the animals which it driveth together,and by the moon when she is in the full;ye shall surely be transferred successively from state to state.u20 What aileth them, therefore, that they believe not the resurrection;and that, when the Koran is read unto them, they worship not?xYea: the unbelievers accuse the same of imposture:but GOD well knoweth the malice which they keep hidden in their breasts.Wherefore denounce unto them a grievous punishment,except those who believe and do good works: for them is prepared a never-failing reward.
l i.e., The infidels are not commissioned by GOD to call the believersto account, or to judge of their actions.m When they shall see them ignominiously driven into hell. It is alsosaid, that a door shall be shown the damned, opening into paradise, and theyshall be bidden to go in; but when they come near the door it shall besuddenly shut, and the believers within shall laugh at them.1n There are some who take this chapter to have been revealed at Medina.o Like a skin; every mountain and hill being levelled.p As the treasures hidden in its bowels, and the dead bodies which liein their graves.q Or, and thou shalt meet thy labour; whether thy works be good, orwhether they be evilr i.e., His relations or friends who are true believers; or rather, tohis wives and servants, of the damsels and youths of paradise, who wait toreceive him.2s That is, into his left hand; for the wicked will have that hand boundbehind their back, and their right hand to their neck.t Or, I will not swear. See chapter 56, p. 398, note m.u i.e., From the state of the living, to that of the dead; and from thestate of the dead, to a new state of life in another world.x Or, humble not themselves.
1 Idem. 2 Idem.
BY the heaven adorned with signs;yby the promised day of judgment;by the witness, and the witnessed;zcursed were the contrivers of the pit,aof fire supplied with fuel;when they sat around the same,and were witnesses of what they did against the true believers:band they afflicted them for no other reason, but because they believed inthe mighty, the glorious GOD,unto whom belongeth the kingdom of heaven and earth: and GOD is witnessof all things.10 Verily for those who persecute the true believers of either sex, andafterwards repent not, is prepared the torment of hell; and they shall sufferthe pain of burning.cBut for those who believe, and do that which is right, are destinedgardens beneath which rivers flow: this shall be great felicity.Verily the vengeance of thy LORD is severe.He createth, and he restoreth to life:he is inclined to forgive, and gracious;the possessor of the glorious throne,who effecteth that which he pleaseth.Hath not the story of the hostsof Pharaohd and of Thamude reached thee?Yet the unbelievers cease not to accuse the divine revelations offalsehood:
y The original word properly signifies towers, which some interpret of real towers,1 wherein it is supposed the angels keep guard;2 and others, of the stars of the first magnitude: but the generality of expositors understand thereby the twelve signs of the zodiac, wherein the planets make their several stations.3 z The meaning of these words is very uncertain, and the explications of the commentators consequently vary. One thinks the witness to be Mohammed, and that which is borne witness of, to be the resurrection, or the professors of the Mohammedan faith; or else that these latter are the witness, and the professors of every other religion, those who will be witnessed against by them. Another supposes the witness to be the guardian angel, and his charge the person witnessed against. Another expounds the words of the day of Arafat, the 9th of Dhu'lhajja, and of the day of slaying the victims, which is the day following, or else of Friday, the day of the weekly assembling of the Mohammedans at their mosques, and of the people who are assembled on those days, &c.4 a Literally, the lords of the pit. These were the ministers of the persecution raised by Dhu Nowâs, king of Yaman, who was of the Jewish religion, against the inhabitants of Najrân; for they having embraced Christianity (at that time the true religion, by the confession of Mohammed himself), the bigoted tyrant commanded all those who would not renounce their faith to be cast into a pit, or trench, filled with fire, and there burnt to ashes.5 Others, however, tell the story with different circumstances.6 b Or, as some choose to understand the words, And shall be witnesses against themselves, at the day of judgment, of their unjust treatment of the true believers. c Which pain, it is said, the persecutors of the Christian martyrs above mentioned felt in this life; the fire bursting forth upon them from the pit, and consuming them.7 d See chapter 7, p. 115, &c. e See ibid. p. 111, &c.
1 Yahya. 2 See cap. 15, p. 191. 3 Jallal., al Beidâwi, Yahya. 4 Idem. 5 Idem. Vide Poc. Spec. p. 62; Ecchellens. Hist. Arab. part i. c. 10; and Prid. Life of Mah. p. 61. 6 Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Abou Navas. 7 Al Beidâwi, Yahya.
20 but GOD encompasseth them behind, that they cannot escape. Verily that which they reject is a glorious Koran; the original whereof is written in a table kept in heaven.f
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BY the heaven, and that which appeareth by night:but what shall cause thee to understand what that which appeareth bynight is?it is the star of piercing brightness:gevery soul hath a guardian set over it.Let a man consider, therefore, of what he is created.He is created of seed poured forth,issuing from the loins, and the breastbones.hVerily God is able to restore him to life,the day whereon all secret thoughts and actions shall be examined into;10 and he shall have no power to defend himself, nor any protector.By the heaven which returneth the rain;iand by the earth which openeth to let forth vegetables and springs:verily this is a discourse distinguishing good from evil:and it is not composed with lightness.Verily the infidels are laying a plot to frustrate my designs:but I will lay a plot for their ruin.Wherefore, O prophet, bear with the unbelievers: let them alone a while.
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ENTITLED, THE MOST HIGH;k REVEALED AT MECCA.
PRAISE the name of thy LORD, the most high; who hath created, and completely formed his creatures:
f And preserved from the least change or corruption. See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 50, and Sect. IV. p. 58. g Some take the words to signify any bright star, without restriction; but others think some particular star or stars to be thereby intended; which one supposes to be the morning star (peculiarly called al Târek, or the appearing by nights), another Saturn (that planet being by the Arabs surnamed al Thakeb, or the piercing, as it was by the Greeks, Phoenon, or the shining), and a third, the Pleiades. h i.e., From the loins of the man, and the breast-bones of the woman.1 i Or, as some expound it, Which performeth its periodic motion, returning to the point from whence it began the same. The words seem designed to express the alternate returns of the different seasons of the year. k Some take the first word of this chapter, viz., Praise, for its title.
1 Al Beidâwi, Yahya
and who determineth them to various ends,l and directeth them to attainthe same;mand who produceth the pasture for cattle,and afterwards rendereth the same dry stubble of a dusky hue.We will enable thee to rehearse our revelations;n and thou shalt notforget any part thereof,except what GOD shall please;o for he knoweth that which is manifest, andthat which is hidden.And we will facilitate unto thee the most easy way.pWherefore admonish thy people, if thy admonition shall be profitable untothem.10 Whoso feareth God, he will be admonished:but the most wretched unbeliever will turn away therefrom;who shall be cast to be broiled in the greater fire of hell,wherein he shall not die, neither shall he live.Now hath he attained felicity, who is purified by faith,and who remembereth the name of his LORD, and prayeth.But ye prefer this present life:yet the life to come is better, and more durable.Verily this is written in the ancient books,the books of Abraham and Moses.
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ENTITLED, THE OVERWHELMING;q REVEALED AT MECCA.
HATH the news of the overwhelming day of judgment reached thee?The countenances of some, on that day, shall be cast down;labouring and toiling:rthey shall be cast into scorching fire to be broiled:they shall be given to drink of a boiling fountain:they shall have no food, but of dry thorns and thistles:swhich shall not fatten, neither shall they satisfy hunger.But the countenances of others, on that day, shall be joyful;well pleased with their past endeavor:10 they shall be placed in a lofty garden,wherein thou shalt hear no vain discourse:therein shall be a running fountain;therein shall be raised beds,and goblets placed before them,and cushions laid in order,and carpets ready spread.Do they not consider the camels,t how they are created;
l Determining their various species, properties, ways of life, &c.1 m Guiding the rational by their reason and also by revelation, and the irrational by instinct, &c.2 n See chapter 75, p. 431. o i.e., Except such revelations as GOD shall think fit to abrogate and blot out of thy memory. See chapter 2, p. 13, and chapter 75, p. 431. p To retain the relations communicated to thee by Gabriel; or, as some understand the words, We will dispose thee to the profession and strict observance of the most easy religion, that is, of Islâm. q That is a name, or epithet, of the last day; because it will suddenly overwhelm all creatures with fear and astonishment. It is also a name, or epithet, of hell fire. r i.e., Dragging their chains, and labouring through hell fire, as camels labour through mud, &c. Or, Employing and fatiguing themselves in what shall not avail them.3 s Such as the camels eat when green and tender. Some take the original word al Darí for the name of a thorny tree. t These animals are of such use, or rather necessity, in the east, that the creation of a species so wonderfully adapted to those countries is a very proper instance, to an Arabian, of the power and wisdom of GOD. Some, however, think the clouds (which the original word ibl also signifies) are here intended; the heaven being mentioned immediately after.
1 Al Beidâwi. 2 Idem. 3 Idem.
and the heaven, how it is raised;and the mountains, how they are fixed;20 and the earth, how it is extended?Wherefore warn thy people; for thou art a warner only:thou art not impowered to act with authority over them.But whoever shall turn back,u and disbelieve,GOD shall punish him with the greater punishment of the life to come.Verily unto us shall they return:then shall it be our part to bring them to account.
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ENTITLED, THE DAYBREAK; REVEALED AT MECCA.x
BY the daybreak, and ten nights;y by that which is double, and that which is single;z and by the night when it cometh on: is there not in this an oath formed with understanding? Hast thou not considered how thy LORD dealt with Ad, the people of Irem,a adorned with lofty buildings,b the like whereof hath not been erected in the land;c and with Thamud, who hewed the rocks in the valleyd into houses;
u Or, Except him who shall turn back, and be an infidel: and GOD shall also punish him &c. By which exception some suppose that power is here given to Mohammed to chastise obstinate infidels and apostates. x Some are of opinion this chapter was revealed at Medina. y That is, the ten nights of Dhu'lhajja, or the 10th of that month (whence some understand the daybreak mentioned just before, of the morning of that day, or of the preceding); or the nights of the 10th of Moharram; or, as others rather think, the 10th, 11th, and 12th of Dhu'lhajja; all which are days peculiarly sacred among the Mohammedans. z These words are variously interpreted. Some understand thereby all things in general; some, all created beings (which are said to have been created by pairs, or of two kinds),1 and the Creator, who is single; some, of the primum mobile, and the other orbs; some, of the constellations and the planets; some, of the nights before mentioned, taken either together or singly; and some, of the day of slaying the victims (the 10th of Dhu'lhajja), and of the day of Arafat, which is the day before, &c.2 a Was the name of the territory or city of the Adites, and of the garden mentioned in the next note; which were so called from Irem, or Aram, the grandfather of Ad, their progenitor. Some think Aaron himself to be here meant, and his name to be added to signify the ancient Adites, his immediate descendants, and to distinguish them from the latter tribe of that name:3 but the adjective and relative joined to the word are, in the original, of the feminine gender, which seems to contradict this opinion. b Or pillars. Some imagine these words are used to express the great size and strength of the old Adites;4 and then they should be translated, who were of enormous stature. But the more exact commentators take the passage to relate to the sumptuous palace and delightful gardens built and made by Sheddâd the son of Ad. For they say Ad left two sons, Sheddâd and Sheddîd, who reigned jointly after his decease, and extended their power over the greater part of the world; but Sheddîd dying, his brother became sole monarch; who, having heard of the celestial paradise, made a garden in imitation thereof, in the deserts of Aden, and called it Irem, after the name of his great-grandfather: when it was finished he set out, with a great attendance, to take a view of it; but when they were come within a day's journey of the place, they were all destroyed by a terrible noise from heaven. Al Beidâwi adds that one Abdallah Ebn Kelâbah (whom, after D'Herbelot, I have elsewhere named Colabah)5 accidentally hit on this wonderful place, as he was seeking a camel. c If we suppose the preceding words to relate to the vast stature of the Adites, these must be translated, The like of whom hath not been created, &c. d The learned Greaves, in his translation of Abulfeda's description of Arabia,6 has falsely rendered these words, which are there quoted, Quibus petroe vallis responsum dederunt, i.e., To whom the rocks of the valley returned answer: which slip being made by so great a man, I do not at all wonder that La Roque, and Petis de la Croix, from whose Latin version, and with whose assistance, La Roque made his French translation of the aforesaid treatise, have been led into the same mistake, and rendered those words, A qui les pierres de la valée rendirent réponse.1 The valley here meant, say the commentators,2 is Wâdi'lkora, lying about one day's journey3 (not five and upwards, as Abulfeda will have it) from al Hejr.
1 See cap. 51, p. 387. 2 Al Zamakh. 3 Al Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin. 4 Idem. See the Prelim. Disc. p. 5. 5 Prelim. Disc. p. 5. 6 p. 43. It was published by Dr. Hudson, in the third vol. of the Geograhphiæ Veteris Scriptor. Gr. minor.
and with Pharaoh, the contriver of the stakes:e10 who had behaved insolently in the earth,and multiplied corruption therein?Wherefore thy LORD poured on them various kindsf of chastisement:for thy LORD is surely in a watch-tower, whence he observeth the actionsof men.Moreover man, when his LORD trieth him by prosperity, and honoureth him,and is bounteous unto him,saith, My LORD honoureth me;but when he proveth him by afflictions, and withholdeth his provisionsfrom him,he saith, My LORD despiseth me.By no means:g but ye honour not the orphan,neither do ye excite one another to feed the poor;20 and ye devour the inheritance of the weak,h with undistinguishinggreediness,and ye love riches with much affection.By no means should ye do thus. When the earth shall be minutely groundto dust;and thy LORD shall come, and the angels rank by rank;and hell, on that day, shall be brought nigh:i on that day shall man callto remembrance his evil deeds; but how shall remembrance avail him?He shall say, Would to GOD that I had heretofore done good works in mylifetime!k On that day none shall punish with his punishment;nor shall any bind with his bonds.lO thou soul which art at rest,mreturn unto thy LORD, well pleased with thy reward, and well pleasingunto God:enter among my servants;30 and enter my paradise.
e See chapter 38, p. 340. f The original word signifies a mixture, and also a scourge of platted thongs: whence some suppose the chastisement of this life is here represented by scourge, and intimated to be as much lighter than that of the next life, as scourging is lighter than death.4 g For worldly prosperity or adversity is not a certain mark either of the favour or disfavour of GOD. h Not suffering women or young children to have any share in the inheritance of their husbands or parents. See chapter 4, p. 54. i There is a tradition that at the last day hell will be dragged towards the tribunal by 70,000 halters, each halter being hauled by 70,000 angels, and that it will come with great roaring and fury.5 k Or, for this my latter life. l i.e., None shall be able to punish or to bind, as GOD shall then punish and bind the wicked.6 m Some expound this of the soul, which, having, by pursuing the concatenation of natural causes, raised itself to the knowledge of that Being which produced them, and exists of necessity, rests fully contented, or acquiesces in the knowledge of him, and the contemplation of his perfections. By this the reader will observe that the Mohammedans are no strangers to Quietism. Others, however, understand the words of the soul, which, having attained the knowledge of the truth, rests satisfied, and relies securely thereon, undisturbed by doubts; or of the soul which is secure of its salvation, and free from fear or sorrow.7
1 Descr. de l'Arabie, mise à la suite du Voyage de la Palestine, par La Roque, p. 35. 2 Jallalo'ddin, al Beidâwi. 3 Ebn Hawkal, apud Abulf. ubi sup. Geogr. Nub. p. 110. 4 Al Beidâwi. 5 Idem, Jallalo'ddin. 6 Idem. 7 Al Beidâwi
I SWEARn by this territory,o(and thou, O prophet, residest in this territory,)pand by the begetter, and that which he hath begotten;qverily we have created man in misery.rDoth he think that none shall prevail over him?sHe saith, I have wasted plenty of riches.tDoth he think that none seeth him?Have we not made him two eyes,and a tongue, and two lips;10 and shown him the two highways of good and evil?Yet he attempteth not the cliff.What shall make thee to understand what the cliff is?It is to free the captive;or to feed, in the day of famine,the orphan who is of kin, or the poor man who lieth on the ground.Whoso doth this, and is one of those who believe, and recommendperseverance unto each other, and recommend mercy unto each other;these shall be the companions of the right hand.uBut they who shall disbelieve our signsshall be the companions of the left hand:x20 above them shall be arched fire._____
BY the Sun, and its rising brightness;by the moon when she followeth him;yby the day, when it showeth its splendor;by the night, when it covereth him with darkness;by the heaven, and him who built it;by the earth, and him who spread it forth;by the soul, and him who completely formed it,and inspired into the same its faculty of distinguishing, and power ofchoosing, wickedness and piety:
n Or, I will not swear, &c. See chapter 56, p. 398, note m.o viz., The sacred territory of Mecca.p Or, Thou shalt be allowed to do what thou pleasest in this territory;the words, in this sense, importing a promise of that absolute power whichMohammed attained on the taking of Mecca.1q Some understand these words generally; others of Adam or Abraham, andof their offspring, and of Mohammed in particular.2r Or, to trouble. This passage was revealed to comfort the prophetunder the persecutions of the Koreish.3s Some expositors take a particular person to be here intended, who wasone of Mohammed's most inveterate adversaries; as al Walid Ebn al Mogheira;4others suppose Abu'l Ashadd Ebn Calda to be the man, who was so very strong,that a large skin being spread under his feet, and ten men pulling at it, theycould not make him fall, though they tore the skin to pieces.5t In a vain and ostentatious manner, or in opposing of Mohammed.6u See chapter 56, p. 396.x See ibid.y i.e., When she rises just after him, as she does at the beginning ofthe month; or when she gets after him, as happens when she is a little pastthe full.7
1 Idem. 2 Idem. 3 Idem. 4 Al Zamakh.5 Al Beidâwi.6 Idem. 7 Idem.
now is he who hath purified the same, happy;10 but he who hath corrupted the same, is miserable.Thamud accused their prophet Saleh of imposture, through the excess oftheir wickedness:when the wretchz among them was sent to slay the camel;and the apostle of GOD said unto them, Let alone the camel of GOD; andhinder not her drinking.But they charged him with imposture; and they slew her.Wherefore their LORD destroyed them, for their crime, and made theirpunishment equal unto them all:and he feareth not the issue thereof.
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BY the night, when it covereth all things with darkness;by the day, when it shineth forth;by his who hath created the male, and the female:verily your endeavor is different.Now whoso is obedient, and feareth God,and professeth the truth of that faith which is most excellent;unto him will we facilitate the way to happiness:but whoso shall be covetous, and shall be wholly taken up with thisworld,and shall deny the truth of that which is most excellent;10 unto him will we facilitate the way to misery;and his riches shall not profit him, when he shall fall headlong intohell.Verily unto us appertaineth the direction of mankind:and ours is the life to come, and the present life.Wherefore I threaten you with fire which burneth fiercely,which none shall enter to be burned except the most wretched;who shall have disbelieved, and turned back.But he who strictly bewareth idolatry and rebellion shall be removed farfrom the same;who giveth his substance in alms,and by whom no benefit is bestowed on any, that it may be recompensed,20 but who bestoweth the same for the sake of his LORD, the most High,aand hereafter he shall be well satisfied with his reward.
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BY the brightness of the morning;b and by the night, when it groweth dark:
z viz., Kedâr Ebn Sâlef. See chapter 7, p. 112, and chapter 54, p. 393. a Jallalo'ddin thinks this whole description belongs peculiarly to Abu Becr: for when he had purchased Belâl, the Ethiopian (afterwards the prophet's Muedhdhin, or crier to prayers), who purchased Belâl, the Ethiopian (afterwards the prophet's Muedhdhin, or crier to prayers), who had been put to the rack on account of his faith, the infidels said he did it only out of a view of interest; upon which this passage was revealed. b The original word properly signifies the bright part of the day, when the sun shines full out, three or four hours after it is risen.
thy LORD hath not forsaken thee, neither doth he hate thee.cVerily the life to come shall be better for thee than this present life:and thy LORD shall give thee a reward wherewith thou shalt be wellpleased.Did he not find thee an orphan, and hath he not taken care of thee?And did he not find thee wandering in error, and hath he not guided theeinto the truth?And did he not find thee needy, and hath he not enriched thee?Wherefore oppress not the orphan:10 neither repulse the beggar:but declare the goodness of thy LORD.
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HAVE we not opened thy breast;dand eased thee of thy burden,ewhich galled thy back;and raise thy reputation for thee?Verily a difficulty shall be attended with ease.Verily a difficulty shall be attended with ease.When thou shalt have ended thy preaching; labor to serve God in returnfor his favours;fand make thy supplication unto thy LORD.
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BY the fig, and the olive;g and by mount Sinai,
c It is related that no revelation having been vouchsafed to Mohammed for several days, in answer to some questions put to him by the Koreish, because he had confidently promised to resolve them the next day, without adding the exception, if it please GOD,1 or because he had repulsed an importunate beggar, or else because a dead puppy lay under his seat, or for some other reason; his enemies said that GOD had left him: whereupon this chapter was sent down for his consolation.2 d By disposing and enlarging it to receive the truth, and wisdom, and prophecy; or, by freeing thee from uneasiness and ignorance? This passage is thought to intimate the opening of Mohammed's heart, in his infancy, or when he took his journey to heaven, by the angel Gabriel; who having wrung out the black drop, or seed of original sin, washed and cleansed the same, and filled it with wisdom and faith:3 but some think it relates to the occasion of the preceding chapter.4 e i.e., Of thy sins committed before thy mission; or of thy ignorance, or trouble of mind. f Or When thou shalt have finished thy prayer, labour in preaching the faith.5 g GOD, say the commentators swears by these two fruits, because of their great uses and virtues: for the fig is wholesome and of easy digestion, and physically good to carry off phlegm, and gravel in the kidneys or bladder, and to remove obstructions of the liver and spleen, and also cures the piles and the gout, &c.; the olive produces oil, which is not only excellent to eat, but otherwise useful for the compounding of ointments;1 the wood of the olive- tree, moreover, is good for cleansing the teeth, preventing their growing rotten, and giving a good odour to the mouth, for which reason the prophets, and Mohammed in particular, made use of no other for toothpicks.2 Some, however, suppose that these words do not mean the fruits or trees above mentioned, but two mountains in the holy land, where they grow in plenty; or else the temple of Damascus and that at Jerusalem.3
1 See cap. 18, p. 219 2 Al Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin. 3 Al Beidâwi, Yahya. Vide Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 8 and 33; Prid, Life of Mohamet, p. 105, &c. 4 Al Beidâwi. 5 Idem. 1 Idem, al Zamakh. 2 Al Zamakh. 3 Idem, Yahya, al Beidâwi, Jallal.
and this territory of security;hverily we created man of a most excellent fabric;afterwards we rendered him the vilest of the vile:iexcept those who believe, and work righteousness; for they shall receivean endless reward.What, therefore, shall cause thee to deny the day of judgment afterthis?kIs not GOD the most wise judge?
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ENTITLED, CONGEALED BLOOD; REVEALED AT MECCA.l
READ, in the name of thy LORD, who hath created all things;who hath created man of congealed blood.mRead, by thy most beneficent LORD;nwho taught the use of the pen;who teacheth man that which he knoweth not.Assuredly. Verily man becometh insolent,because he seeth himself abound in riches.oVerily unto thy LORD shall be the return of all.What thinkest thou as to him who forbiddeth10 our servant, when he prayeth?pWhat thinkest thou; if he follow the right direction; or command piety?What thinkest thou; if he accuse the divine revelations of falsehood, andturn his back?
h viz., The territory of Mecca.4 These words seem to argue the chapter to have been revealed there. i i.e., As the commentators generally expound this passage, We created man of comely proportion of body, and great perfection of mind; and yet we have doomed him, in case of disobedience, to be an inhabitant of hell. Some, however, understand the words of the vigorous constitution of man in the prime and strength of his age, and of his miserable decay when he becomes old and decrepit: but they seem rather to intimate the perfect state of happiness wherein man was originally created, and his fall from thence, in consequence of Adam's disobedience, to a state of misery in this world, and becoming liable to one infinitely more miserable in the next.5 k Some suppose these words directed to Mohammed, and others to man in general, by way of apostrophe. l The first five verses of this chapter, ending with the words, Who taught man that which he knew not, are generally allowed to be the first passage of the Korân which was revealed, though some give this honour to the seventy-four chapter, and others to the first, the next, they say, being the sixty-eighth. m All men being created of thick or concreted blood,6 except only Adam, Eve, and Jesus.7 n These words, containing a repetition of the command, are supposed to be a reply to Mohammed, who, in answer to the former words spoken by the angel, had declared that he could not read, being perfectly illiterate; and intimate a promise that GOD, who had inspired man with the art of writing, would graciously remedy this defect in him.8 o The commentators agree the remaining part of the chapter to have been revealed against Abu Jahl, Mohammed's great adversary. p For Abu Jahl threatened that if he caught Mohammed in the act of adoration, he would set his foot on his neck; but when he came and saw him in that posture, he suddenly turned back as in a fright, and, being asked what was the matter, said there was a ditch of fire between himself and Mohammed, and a terrible appearance of troops, to defend him.9
4 See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. 5 Vide Marracc. in loc. p. 809. 6 See cap. 22, p. 250. 7 Yahya. 8 Al Beidâwi. 9 Idem.
Doth he not know that GOD seeth?Assuredly. Verily, if he forbear not, we will drag him by the forelock,qthe lying, sinful forelock.And let him call his councilr to his assistance:we also will call the infernal guards to cast him into hell.Assuredly. Obey him not: but continue to adore God; and draw nigh untohim.
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VERILY we sent down the Koran in the night of al Kadr.sAnd what shall make thee understand how excellent the night of al Kadris?The night of al Kadr is better than a thousand months.Therein do the angels descend, and the spirit of Gabriel also, by thepermission of their LORD, with his decrees concerning every matter.tIt is peace until the rising of the morn.
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ENTITLED, THE EVIDENCE;u WHERE IT WAS REVEALED IS DISPUTED.
THE unbelievers among those to whom the scriptures were given, and among the idolaters, did not stagger,x until the clear evidencey had come unto them:
q See chapter 11, p. 164, note o. r i.e., The council or assembly of the principal Meccans, the far greater part of whom adhered to Abu Jahl. s The word al Kadr signifies power and honor or dignity, and also the divine decree; and the night is so named either from its excellence above all other nights in the year, or because, as the Mohammedans believe, the divine decrees for the ensuing year are annually on this night fixed and settled, or taken from the preserved table by GOD'S throne, and given to the angels to be executed.1 On this night Mohammed received his first revelations; when the Korân, say the commentators, was sent down from the aforesaid table, entire and in one volume, to the lowest heaven, from whence Gabriel revealed it to Mohammed by parcels, as occasion required. The Moslem doctors are not agreed where to fix the night of al Kadr; the greater part are of opinion that it is one of the ten last nights of Ramadân, and, as is commonly believed, the seventh of those nights, reckoning backward; by which means it will fall between the 23rd and 24th days of that month.2 t See the preceding note, and chapter 44, p. 367. u Some entitle this chapter, from the first words, Did not. x i.e., Did not waver in their religion, or in their promises to follow the truth, when an apostle should come unto them. For the commentators pretend that before the appearance of Mohammed, the Jews and Christians, as well as the worshippers of idols, unanimously believed and expected the coming of that prophet, until which time they declared they would persevere in their respective religions, and then would follow him; but when he came, they rejected him through envy.3 y viz., Mohammed, or the Korân.
1 See cap. 44, p. 367. 2 Al Zamakh., al Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin. 3 Idem.
an apostle from GOD, rehearsing unto them pure books of revelations; wherein are contained right discourses. Neither were they unto whom the scriptures were given divided among themselves, until after the clear evidence had come unto them.z And they were commanded no other in the scriptures than to worship GOD, exhibiting unto him the pure religion, and being orthodox; and to be constant at prayer, and to give alms;a and this is the right religion. Verily those who believe not, among those who have received the scriptures, and among the idolaters, shall be cast into the fire of hell, to remain therein forever. These are the worst of creatures. But they who believe, and do good works; these are the best of creatures: their reward with their LORD shall be gardens of perpetual abode, through which rivers flow; they shall remain therein forever. GOD will be well pleased in them; and they shall be well pleased in him. This is prepared for him who shall fear his LORD.
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WHEN the earth shall be shaken by an earthquake;band the earth shall cast forth her burdens;cand a man shall say, What aileth her?On that day the earth shall declare her tidings,for that thy LORD will inspire her.dOn that day men shall go forward in distinct classes, that they maybehold their works.And whoever shall have wrought good of the weight of an ant,e shallbehold the same.And whoever shall have wrought evil of the weight of an ant, shall beholdthe same.
z But when the promised apostle was sent, and the truth became manifest to them, they withstood the clearest conviction, differing from one another in their opinions; some believing and acknowledging Mohammed to be the prophet foretold in the scriptures, and others denying it.1 a But these divine precepts in the law and the gospel have they corrupted, changed, and violated.2 b This earthquake will happen at the first, or, as others say, at the second blast of the trumpet.3 c viz., The treasures and dead bodies within it.4 d i.e., Will inform all creatures of the occasion of her trembling, and casting forth her treasures and her dead, by the circumstances which shall immediately attend them. Some say the earth will, at the last day, be miraculously enabled to speak, and will give evidence of the actions of her inhabitants.5 e See chapter 4, p. 58, note y.
1 Idem. 2 Idem. 3 Al Zamakh., al Beidâwi. See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 65 4 See cap. 84, p. 441. 5 Al Beidâwi. See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.
BY the war-horses which run swiftly to the battle, with a panting noise;and by those which strike fire, by dashing their hoofs against thestones;and by those which make a sudden incursion on the enemy early in themorning,and therein raise the dust,and therein pass through the midst of the adverse troops:fverily man is ungrateful unto his LORD;and he is witness thereof:and he is immoderate in the love of worldly good.Doth he not know, therefore, when that which is in the graves shall betaken forth,10 and that which is in men's breasts shall be brought to light,that their LORD will, on that day, be fully informed concerning them?
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THE striking!g What is the striking?And what shall make thee to understand how terrible the striking will be?On that day men shall be like moths scattered abroad,and the mountains shall become like carded wool of various colours drivenby the wind.Moreover he whose balance shall be heavy with good works, shall lead apleasing life:but as to him whose balance shall be light, his dwelling shall be the pitof hell.hWhat shall make thee to understand how frightful the pit of hell is?It is a burning fire.
f Some will have it that not horses, but the camels which went to the battle of Bedr, are meant in this passage.1 Others interpret all the parts of the oath of the human soul;2 but their explications seem a little forced, and therefore I choose to omit them. g This is one of the names or epithets given to the last day, because it will strike the hearts of all creatures with terror.3 h The original word Hâwiyat is the name of the lowest dungeon of hell, and properly signifies a deep pit or gulf.
1 Yahya, ex trad. Ali Ebn Abi Taleb. 2 Al Beidâwi. 3 Idem, Jallalo'ddin.
THE emulous desire of multiplying riches and children employeth you,until ye visit the graves.iBy no means should ye thus employ your time: hereafter shall ye know yourfolly.Again, By no means: hereafter shall ye know your folly.By no means: if ye knew the consequence hereof with certainty ofknowledge, ye would not act thus.Verily ye shall see hell:again, ye shall surely see it with the eye of certainty.Then shall ye be examined, on that day, concerning the pleasures withwhich ye have amused yourselves in this life.
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BY the afternoon;kverily man employeth himself in that which will prove of loss:except those who believe, and do that which is right; and who mutuallyrecommend the truth, and mutually recommend perseverance unto each other.
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WOE unto every slanderer, and backbiter:l who heapeth up riches, and prepareth the same for the time to come!
i i.e., Until ye die. According to the exposition of some commentators, the words should be rendered thus: The contending or vieing in numbers wholly employeth you, so that ye visit even the graves, to number the dead: to explain which, they relate that there was a great dispute and contention between the descendants of Abd Menâf and the descendants of Sahm, which of the two families were the more numerous; and it being found, on calculation, that the children of Abd Menâf exceeded those of Sahm, the Sahmites said that their numbers had been much diminished by wars in the time of ignorance, and insisted that the dead, as well as the living, should be taken into the account; and by this way of reckoning they were found to be more than the descendants of Abd Menâf.1 k Or the time from the sun's declination to his setting, which is one of the five appointed times of prayer. The original word also signifies, The age, or time in general. This passage is said to have been revealed against al Akhnas Ebn Shoreik, or al Walîd Ebn al Mogheira, or Omeyya Ebn Khalf, who were all guilty of slandering others, and especially the prophet.1
1 Al Zamakh., al Beidâwi, Jallal. 1 Idem.
He thinketh that his riches will render him immortal. By no means. He shall surely be cast into Al Hotama.m And who shall cause thee to understand what Al Hotama is? It is the kindled fire of GOD;n which shall mount above the hearts of those who shall be cast therein. Verily it shall be as an arched vault above them on columns of vast extent.
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HAST thou not seen how thy LORD dealt with the masters of the elephant?oDid he not make their treacherous design an occasion of drawing them intoerror;
m Is one of the names of hell, or the name of one of its apartments;2 which is so called because it will break in pieces whatever shall be thrown into it. n And therefore shall not be extinguished by any.3 o This chapter relates to the following piece of history, which is famous among the Arabs; Abraha Ebn al Sabâh, surnamed al Ashram, i.e., the Slit-nosed, king or viceroy of Yaman, who was an Ethiopian,4 and of the Christian religion, having built a magnificent church at Sanaa with a design to draw the Arabs to go in pilgrimage thither, instead of visiting the temple of Mecca, the Koreish, observing the devotion and concourse of the pilgrims at the Caaba began considerably to diminish, sent one Nofail, as he is named by some of the tribe of Kenânah, who getting into the aforesaid church by night, defiled the altar and walls thereof with his excrements. At this profanation Abraha being highly incensed, vowed the destruction of the Caaba, and accordingly set out against Mecca at the head of a considerable army, wherein were several elephants, which he had obtained of the king of Ethiopia, their numbers being, as some say, thirteen, though others mention but one. The Meccans, at the approach of so considerable a host, retired to the neighbouring mountains, being unable to defend their city or temple; but GOD himself undertook the protection of both. For when Abraha drew near to Mecca, and would have entered it, the elephant on which he rode, which was a very large one, and named Mahmûd, refused to advance any nigher to the town, but knelt down whenever they endeavoured to force him that way, though he would rise and march briskly enough if they turned him towards any other quarter: and while matters were in this posture, on a sudden a large flock of birds, like swallows, came flying from the sea coast, every one of which carried three stones, one in each foot, and one in its bill; and these stones they threw down upon the heads of Abraha's men, certainly killing every one they struck. Then GOD sent a flood, which swept the dead bodies, and some of those who had not been struck by the stones, into the sea: the rest fled toward Yaman, but perished by the way; none of them reaching Sanaa, except only Abraha himself, who died soon after his arrival there, being struck with a sort of plague or putrefaction, so that his body opened, and his limbs rotted off by piecemeal. It is said that one of Abraha's army, named Abu Yacsûm, escaped over the Red Sea into Ethiopia, and going directly to the king, told him the tragical story; and upon that prince's asking him what sort of birds they were that had occasioned such a destruction, the man pointed to one of them, which had followed him all the way, and was at that time hovering directly over his head, when immediately the bird let fall the stone, and struck him dead at the king's feet.5 This remarkable defeat of Abraha happened the very year Mohammed was born, and as this chapter was revealed before the Hejra, and within fifty-four years, at least, after it came to pass, when several persons who could have detected the lie, had Mohammed forged this story out of his own head, were alive, it seems as if there was really something extraordinary in the matter, which might, by adding some circumstances, have been worked up into a miracle to his hands. Marracci6 judges the whole to be either a fable, or else a feat of some evil spirits, of which he gives a parallel instance, as he thinks, in the strange defeat of Brennus, when he was marching to attack the temple of Apollo at Delphi.7 Dr. Prideaux directly charges Mohammed with coining this miracle, notwithstanding he might have been so easily disproved, and supposes, without any foundation, that this chapter might not have been published till Othman's edition of the Korân,1 which was many years after, when all might be dead who could remember anything of the above-mentioned war.2 But Mohammed had no occasion to coin such a miracle himself, to gain the temple of Mecca any greater veneration: the Meccans were but too superstitiously fond of it, and obliged him, against his inclinations and original design, to make it the chief place of his new invented worship. I cannot, however, but observe Dr. Prideaux's partiality on this occasion, compared with the favourable reception he gives to the story of the miraculous overthrow of Brennus and his army, which he concludes in the following words: "Thus was GOD pleased in a very extraordinary manner to execute his vengeance upon those sacrilegious wretches for the sake of religion in general, how false and idolatrous soever that particular religion was, for which that temple at Delphos was erected."3 If it be answered, that the Gauls believed the religion, to the devotions of which that temple was consecrated, to be true (though that be not certain), and therefore it was an impiety in them to offer violence to it, whereas Abraha acknowledged not the holiness of the Caaba, or the worship there practised; I reply, that the doctor, on occasion of Cambyses being killed by a wound he accidentally received in the same part of the body where he had before mortally wounded the Apis, or bull worshipped by the Egyptians, whose religion and worship that prince most certainly believed to be false and superstitious, makes the same reflection: "The Egyptians," says he, "reckoned this as an especial judgment from heaven upon him for that fact, and perchance they were not much out in it: for it seldom happening in an affront given to any mode of worship, how erroneous soever it may be, but that religion is in general wounded hereby, there are many instances in history, wherein GOD hath very signally punished the profanations of religion in the worst of times, and under the worst modes of heathen idolatry."4
2 See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 72. 3 Al Beidâwi. 4 See the Prelim. Disc. p. 8. 5 Al Zamakh., al Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin, Abulf. Hist. Gen. &c. See Prid. Life of Mahomet, p. 61, &c., and D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Abrahah. 6 Refut. in Alcor. p. 823. 7 See Prid. Connection, part ii. book i. p. 25, and the authors there quoted. 1 See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 45. 2 Prid. Life of Mahomet, p. 63, 64. 3 Prid. Connection, in the place above cited. 4 Ibid. part i. book iii. p. 173.
and send against them flocks of birds, which casts down upon them stones of baked clay;p and render them like the leaves of corn eaten by cattle?
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FOR the uniting of the tribe of Koreish;qtheir uniting in sending forth the caravan of merchants and purveyorsr inwinter and summer;
p These stones were of the same kind with those by which the Sodomites were destroyed,5 and were no bigger than vetches, though they fell with such force as to pierce the helmet and the man through, passing out at his fundament. It is said also that on each stone was written the name of him who was to be slain by it. q Some connect these words with the following, and suppose the natural order to be, Let them serve the Lord of this house, for the uniting, &c. Others connect them with the last words of the preceding chapter, and take the meaning to be, that GOD had so destroyed the army of Abraha for the uniting of the Koreish, &c. And the last opinion is confirmed by one copy, mentioned by al Beidâwi, wherein this and the preceding make but one chapter. It may not be amiss to observe, that the tribe of Koreish, the most noble among all the Arabians, and of which was Mohammed himself, were the posterity of Fehr, surnamed Koreish, the son of Malec, the son of al Nadr, who was descended in a right line from Ismael. Some writers say that al Nadr bore the surname of Koreish, but the more received opinion is that it was his grandson Fehr, who was so called because of his intrepid boldness, the word being a diminutive of Karsh, which is the name of a sea monster, very strong and daring; though there be other reasons given for its imposition.6 r It was Hâshem, the great-grandfather of Mohammed, who first appointed the two yearly caravans here mentioned;7 one of which set out in the winter for Yaman, and the other in summer for Syria.8
5 See cap. 11, p. 166. 6 Vide Gagnier, Vie de Mah. t. I, p. 44 and 46. 7 See the Prelim. Disc. p. 3. 8 Al Zamakh., Jallal., al Beidâwi.
let them serve the LORD of this house; who supplieth them with foodagainst hunger,sand hath rendered them secure from fear.t
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WHAT thinkest thou of him who denieth the future judgment as a falsehood? It is he who pusheth away the orphan;u and stirreth not up others to feed the poor. Woe be unto those who pray, and who are negligent at their prayer: who play the hypocrites, and deny necessariesx to the needy.
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ENTITLED, AL CAWTHAR; REVEALED AT MECCA.y
VERILY we have given thee al Cawthar.z
s By means of the aforesaid caravans of purveyors; or, Who supplied them with food in time of a famine, which those of Mecca had suffered.1 t By delivering them from Abraha and his troops; or, by making the territory of Mecca a place of security. u The person here intended, according to some, was Abu Jahl, who turned away an orphan, to whom he was guardian, and who came to him naked, and asked for some relief out of his own money. Somme say it was Abu Sofiân, who, having killed a camel, when an orphan begged a piece of the flesh, beat him away with his staff; and others think it was al Walid Ebn al Mogheira, &c. x The original word al Maûn properly signifies utensils, or whatever is of necessary use, as a hatchet, a pot, a dish, and a needle, to which some add a bucket and a hand-mill; or, according to a tradition of Ayesha, fire, water, and salt; and this signification it bore in the time of ignorance: but since the establishment of the Mohammedan religion, the word has been used to denote alms, either legal or voluntary; which seems to be the true meaning in this place. y There are some, however, who think it to have been revealed at Medina. z This word signifies abundance, especially of good, and thence the gift of wisdom and prophecy, the Korân, the office of intercessor, &c. Or it may imply abundance of children, followers, and the like. It is generally, however, expounded of a river in paradise of that name, whence the water is derived into Mohammed's pond, of which the blessed are to drink before their admission into that place.2 According to a tradition of the prophet's, this river, wherein his LORD promised him abundant good, is sweeter than honey, whiter than milk, cooler than snow, and smoother than cream; its banks are of chrysolites, and the vessels to drink thereout of silver; and those who drink of it shall never thirst.3 Euthymius Zigabenus,4 instead of Cauthar, reading Canthar, supposes the word to have the same signification in Arabic as in Greek, and translates the two first verses of the chapter thus: [Greek text],-i.e., We have given thee the beetle; wherefore pray unto thy LORD, and slay it; and then he cries out, O wonderful and magnificent sacrifice, worthy of the legislator!
1 Idem. 2 See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 74. 3 Al Beidâwi, Jallal. &c. 4 In Panoplia Dogmat. inter Sylburgii Sarocenic. p. 29.
Wherefore pray unto thy LORD, and slay the victims.aVerily he who hateth thee shall be childless.b
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SAY: O unbelievers,c I will not worship that which ye worship; nor will ye worship that which I worship. Neither do I worship that which ye worship; neither do ye worship that which I worship. Ye have your religion, and I my religion.
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WHEN the assistance of GOD shall come, and the victory;dand thou shalt see the people enter into the religion of GOD by troops:ecelebrate the praise of thy LORD, and ask pardon of him;f for he isinclined to forgive.
a Which are to be sacrificed at the pilgrimage in the valley of Mina. Al Beidâwi explains the words thus: Pray with fervency and intense devotion, not out of hypocrisy; and slay the fatted camels and oxen, and distribute the flesh among the poor; for he says this chapter is the counterpart of the preceding, exhorting to those virtues which are opposite to the vices there condemned. b These words were revealed against al As Ebn Wayel, who, on the death of al Kâsem, Mohammed's son, called that prophet Abtar, which signifies one who has no children or posterity.1 c It is said that certain of the Koreish once proposed to Mohammed that if he would worship their gods for a year, they would worship his GOD for the same space of time; upon which this chapter was revealed.2 d i.e., When GOD shall cause thee to prevail over thy enemies, and thou shalt take the city of Mecca. e Which happened in the ninth year of the Hejra, when, Mohammed having made himself master of Mecca, and obliged the Koreish to submit to him, the rest of the Arabs came in to him in great numbers, and professed Islâm.3 f Most of the commentators agree this chapter to have been revealed before the taking of Mecca, and suppose it gave Mohammed warning of his death; for they say that when he read it al Abbâs wept, and being asked by the prophet what was the reason of his weeping, answered, Because it biddeth thee to prepare for death; to which Mohammed replied, It is as thou sayest.4 And hence, adds Jallalo'ddin, after the revelation of this chapter the prophet was more frequent in praising and asking pardon of GOD, because he thereby knew that his end approached; for Mecca was taken in the eighth year of the Hejra, and he died in the beginning of the tenth.
1 Jallalo'ddin. 2 Idem, al Beidâwi. 3 See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. II. p. 43. 4 Al Beidâwi.
THE hands of Abu Laheb shall perish,g and he shall perish.h His riches shall not profit him, neither that which he hath gained.i He shall go down to be burned into flaming fire;k and his wife also,l bearing wood,m having on her neck a cord of twisted fibres of a palm-tree.
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ENTITLED, THE DECLARATION OF GOD'S UNITY;nWHERE IT WAS REVEALED IS DISPUTED.
SAY, God is one GOD; the eternal GOD: be begetteth not, neither is he begotten: and there is not any one like unto him.
g Abu Laheb was the surname of Abd'al Uzza, one of the sons of Abd'almotalleb, and uncle to Mohammed. He was a most bitter enemy to his nephew, and opposed the establishment of his new religion to the utmost of his power. When that prophet, in obedience to the command he had received to admonish his near relations,1 had called them together, and told them he was a warner sent unto them before a grievous chastisement, Abu Laheb cried out, Mayest thou perish! Hast thou called us together for this? and took up a stone to cast at him. Whereupon this passage was revealed.2 By the hands of Abu Laheb some commentators, by a synecdoche, understand his person; others, by a metonymy, his affairs in general, they being transacted with those members; or his hopes in this world and the next. h He died of grief and vexation at the defeat his friends had received at Bedr, surviving that misfortune but seven days.3 They add, that his corpse was left aboveground three days, till it stank, and then some negroes were hired to bury him.4 i And accordingly his great possessions, and the rank and esteem in which he lived at Mecca, were of no service to him, nor could protect him against the vengeance of GOD. Al Beidâwi mentions also the loss of his son Otha, who was torn to pieces by a lion in the way to Syria, though surrounded by the whole caravan. k Arab. nâr dhât laheb; alluding to the surname of Abu Laheb, which signifies the father of flames. l Her name was Omm Jemîl: she was the daughter of Harb, and sister of Abu Sofiân. m For fuel in hell; because she fomented the hatred which her husband bore to Mohammed; or, bearing a bundle of thorns and brambles, because she carried such, and strewed them by night in the prophet's way.5 n This chapter is held in particular veneration by the Mohammedans, and declared, by a tradition of their prophet, to be equal in value to a third part of the whole Korân. It is said to have been revealed in answer to the Koreish, who asked Mohammed concerning the distinguishing attributes of the GOD he invited them to worship.6