ENTITLED, THE ANT;t REVEALED AT MECCA.
T. S. THESE are the signs of the Koran, and of the perspicuous book: a direction, and good tidings unto the true believers? who regularly perform their prayer, and give alms, and firmly believe in the life to come. As to those who believe not in the life to come, we have prepared their works for them;u and they shall be struck with astonishment at their disappointment, when they shall be raised again: these are they whom an evil punishment awaiteth in this life; and in that which is to come they shall be the greatest losers. Thou hast certainly received the Koran from the presence of a wise, a knowing God. Remember when Moses said unto his family, Verily I perceive fire; I will bring you tidings thereof, or I will bring you a lighted brand, that ye may be warmed.x And when he was come near unto it, a voice cried unto him, saying, Blessed be he who is in the fire, and whoever is about it;y and praise be unto GOD, the LORD of all creatures! O Moses, verily I am GOD, the mighty, the wise: 10 cast down now thy rod. And when he saw it, that it moved, as though it had been a serpent, he retreated, and fled, and returned not. And God said, O Moses, fear not; for my messengers are not disturbed with fear in my sight: except he who shall have done amiss, and shall have afterwards substituted good in lieu of evil; for I am gracious and merciful.z Moreover put thy hand into thy bosom; it shall come forth white, without hurt: this shall be one among the nine signsa unto Pharaoh and his people: for they are a wicked people. And when our visible signs had come unto them, they said, This is a manifest sorcery. And they denied them, although their souls certainly knew them to be from God, out of iniquity and pride: but behold what was the end of the corrupt doers. We heretofore bestowed knowledge on David and Solomon; and they said, Praise be unto GOD, who hath made us more excellent than many of his faithful servants! And Solomon was David's heir;b and he said, O men, we have been taught the speech of birds,c and have had all things bestowed on us; this is manifest excellence.
t In this chapter is related, among other strange things, an odd story of the ant, which has therefore been pitched on for the title. u By rendering them pleasing and agreeable to their corrupt natures and inclinations. x See chapter 20, p. 234. y Some suppose GOD to be intended by the former words, and by the latter, the angels who were present;1 others think Moses and the angels are here meant, or all persons in general in this holy plain, and the country round it.2 z This exception was designed to qualify the preceding assertion, which seemed too general; for several of the prophets have been subject to sins, though not great ones, before their mission, for which they had reason to apprehend GOD'S anger, though they are here assured that their subsequent merits entitle them to his pardon. It is supposed that Moses's killing the Egyptian undesignedly is hinted at.3 a See chapter 17, p. 215. b Inheriting not only his kingdom, but also the prophetical office, preferably to his other sons, who were no less than nineteen.4
1 Yahya. 2 Jallalo'ddin, al Beidâwi. 3 Idem. 4 Idem.
And his armies were gathered together unto Solomon, consisting of genii,d and men, and birds; and they were led in distinct bands, until they came unto the valley of ants.e And an ant, seeing the hosts approaching, said, O ants, enter ye into your habitations, lest Solomon and his army tread you under foot, and perceive it not. And Solomon smiled, laughing at her words, and said, O LORD, excite me that I may be thankful for thy favor, wherewith thou hast favored me, and my parents; and that I may do that which is right, and well-pleasing unto thee: and introduce me, through thy mercy, into paradise, among thy servants the righteous. 20 And he viewed the birds, and said, What is the reason that I see not the lapwing?f Is she absent? Verily I will chastise her with a severe chastisement,g or I will put her to death; unless she bring me a just excuse. And she tarried not long before she presented herself unto Solomon, and said, I have viewed a country which thou hast not viewed; and I come unto thee from Saba, with a certain piece of news. I found a womanh to reign over them, who is provided with everything requisite for a prince, and hath a magnificent throne.i
c That is, the meaning of their several voices, though not articulate; of Solomon's interpretation whereof the commentators give several instances.5 d For this fancy, as well as the former, Mohammed was obliged to the Talmudists,6 who, according to their manner, have interpreted the Hebrew words of Solomon,7 which the English version renders, I gat men-singers and women- singers, as if that prince had forced demons or spirits to serve him at his table, and in other capacities; and particularly in his vast and magnificent buildings, which they could not conceive he could otherwise have performed. e The valley seems to be so called from the great numbers of ants which are found there. Some place it in Syria, and others in Tâyef.8 f The Arab historians tell us that Solomon, having finished the temple of Jerusalem, went in pilgrimage to Mecca, where, having stayed as long as he pleased, he proceeded toward Yaman; and leaving Mecca in the morning, he arrived by noon at Sanaa, and being extremely delighted with the country, rested there; but wanting water to make the ablution, he looked among the birds for the lapwing, called by the Arabs al Hudbud, whose business it was to find it; for it is pretended she was sagacious or sharp-sighted enough to discover water underground, which the devils used to draw, after she had marked the place by digging with her bill: they add, that this bird was then taking a tour in the air, whence, seeing one of her companions alighting, she descended also, and having had a description given her by the other of the city of Saba, whence she was just arrived, they both went together to take a view of the place, and returned soon after Solomon had made the inquiry which occasioned what follows.1 It may be proper to mention her what the eastern writers fable of the manner of Solomon's travelling. They say that he had a carpet of green silk, on which his throne was placed, being of a prodigious length and breadth, and sufficient for all his forces to stand on, the men placing themselves on his right hand, and the spirits on his left; and that when all were in order, the wind, at his command, took up the carpet, and transported it, with all that were upon it, wherever he pleased;2 the army of birds at the same time flying over their heads, and forming a kind of canopy, to shade them from the sun. g By plucking off her feathers, and setting her in the sun, to be tormented by the insects; or by shutting her up in a cage.3 h This queen the Arabs name Balkîs: some make her the daughter of al Hodhâd Ebn Sharhabil,4 and others of Sharahîl Ebn Malec;5 but they all agree she was a descendant of Yárab Ebn Kahtân. She is placed the twenty-second in Dr. Pocock's list of the kings of Yaman.6 i Which the commentators say was made of gold and silver, and crowned with precious stones. But they differ as to the size of it; one making it fourscore cubits long, forty broad, and thirty high; while some say it was fourscore, and others thirty cubits every way.
5 See Maracc. not. in loc. p. 511. 6 Vide Midrash, Yalkut Shemuni, p. 11, f. 29, et Millium, de Mohammedismo ante Mohammed. p. 232. 7 Eccles. ii. 8 8 Al Beidâwi. Jallalo'ddin. 1 Idem. 2 See cap. 21, p. 247. 3 Al Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin. 4 Vide Pocock. Spec. p. 59. 5 Al Beidâwi, &c. Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 182. 6 Ubi sup.
I found her and her people to worship the sun, besides GOD: and Satan hath prepared their works for them, and hath turned them aside from the way of truth (wherefore they are not rightly directed), lest they should worship GOD, who bringeth to light that which is hidden in heaven and earth, and knoweth whatever they conceal, and whatever they discover. GOD! there is no GOD but he; the LORD of the magnificent throne. Solomon said, We shall see whether thou hast spoken the truth, or whether thou art a liar. Go with this my letter, and cast it down unto them; then turn aside from them, and wait to know what answer they will return. And when the Queen of Saba had received the letter,k she said, O nobles, verily an honourable letter hath been delivered unto me; 30 it is from Solomon, and this is the tenor thereof: In the name of the most merciful GOD, Rise not up against me: but come and surrender yourselves unto me.l She said, O nobles, advise me in my business: I will not resolve on anything, until ye be witnesses and approve thereof. The nobles answered, We are endued with strength, and are endued with great prowess in war; but the command appertaineth unto thee: see therefore what thou wilt command.m She said, Verily kings, when they enter a city by force, waste the same, and abase the most powerful of the inhabitants hereof: and so will these do with us. But I will send gifts unto them; and will wait for what further information those who shall be sent shall bring back. And when the queen's ambassador came unto Solomon,n that prince said, Will ye present me with riches? Verily that which GOD hath given me is better than what he hath given you: but ye do glory in your gifts. Return unto the people of Saba. We will surely come unto them with forces, which they shall not be able to withstand; and we will drive them out from their city, humbled; and they shall become contemptible. And Solomon said, O nobles, which of you will bring unto me her throne, before they come and surrender themselves unto me? A terrible geniuso answered, I will bring it unto thee, before thou arise from thy place:p for I am able to perform it, and may be trusted.
k Jallalo'ddin says that the queen was surrounded by her army when the lapwing threw the letter into her bosom; but al Beidâwi supposes she was in an apartment of her palace, the doors of which were shut, and that the bird flew in at the window. The former commentator gives a copy of the epistle somewhat more full than that in the text; viz., From the servant of GOD, Solomon, the son of David, unto Balkîs queen of Saba. In the name of the most merciful GOD. Peace be on him who followeth the true direction. Rise not up against me, but come and surrender yourselves unto me. He adds that Solomon perfumed this letter with musk, and sealed it with his signet. l Or, Come unto me and resign yourselves unto the divine direction, and profess the true religion which I preach. m i.e., Whether thou wilt obey the summons of Solomon, or give us orders to make head against him. n Bearing the presents, which they say were five hundred young slaves of each sex, all habited in the same manner, five hundred bricks of gold, a crown enriched with precious stones, besides a large quantity of musk, amber, and other things of value.1 Some add that Balkîs, to try whether Solomon was a prophet or no, dressed the boys like girls, and the girls like boys, and sent him in a casket, a pearl not drilled, and an onyx drilled with a crooked hole; and that Solomon distinguished the boys from the girls by the different manner of their taking water, and ordered one worm to bore the pearl, and another to pass a thread through the onyx.2 They also tell us that Solomon, having notice of this embassy, by means of the lapwing, even before they set out, ordered a large square to be enclosed with a wall built of gold and silver bricks, wherein he ranged his forces and attendants to receive them.3 o This was an Ifrît, or one of the wicked and rebellious genii; and his name, says al Beidâwi, was Dhacwân or Sakhr. p i.e., From thy seat of justice. For Solomon used to sit in judgment every day till noon.4
1 Jallalo'ddin 2 Al Beidâwi. 3 Jallalo'ddin. 4 Idem interp.
40 And one with whom was the knowledge of the scripturesq said, I will bring it unto thee, in the twinkling of an eye.r And when Solomon saw the throne placed before him, he said, This is a favor of my LORD, that he may make trial of me, whether I will be grateful, or whether I will be ungrateful; and he who is grateful is grateful to his own advantage, but if any shall be ungrateful, verily my LORD is self-sufficient and munificent. And Solomon said unto his servants, Alter her throne, that she may not know it, to the end we may see whether she be rightly directed, or whether she be one of those who are not rightly directed. And when she was come unto Solomon,s it was said unto her, is thy throne like this? She answered, As though it were the same. And we have had knowledge bestowed on us before this, and have been resigned unto God.t But that which she worshipped, besides GOD, had turned her aside from the truth; for she was of an unbelieving people. It was said unto her, Enter the palace.u And when she saw it, she imagined it to be a great water; and she discovered her legs, by lifting up her robe to pass through it.x Whereupon Solomon said unto her, Verily this is a palace evenly floored with glass. Then said the queen, O LORD, verily I have dealt unjustly with my own soul; and I resign myself, together with Solomon, unto GOD, the LORD of all creatures.y Also we heretofore sent unto the tribe of Thamud their brother Saleh; who said unto them, Serve ye GOD. And behold, they were divided into two parties, who disputed among themselves.z Saleh said, O my people why do ye hasten evil rather than good?a Unless ye ask pardon of GOD, that ye may obtain mercy, ye are lost.
q This person, as is generally supposed, was Asaf the son of Barachia, Solomon's Wazir (or Visir), who knew the great or ineffable name of GOD, by pronouncing of which he performed this wonderful exploit.5 Others, however, suppose it was al Khedr, or else Gabriel, or some other angel; and some imagine it to have been Solomon himself.6 r The original is, Before thou canst look at any object, and take thy eye off it. It is said that Solomon, at Asaf's desire, looked up to heaven, and before he cast his eye downwards, the throne made its way underground, and appeared before him. s For, on the return of her ambassador, she determined to go and submit herself to that prince; but before her departure, she secured her throne, as she thought, by locking it up in a strong castle, and setting a guard to defend it; after which she set out, attended by a vast army.7 t It is uncertain whether these be the words of Balkîs, acknowledging her conviction by the wonders she had already seen; or of Solomon and his people, acknowledging the favour of GOD, in calling them to the true faith before her. u Or, as some understand the word, the court before the palace, which Solomon had commanded to be built against the arrival of Balkîs; the floor or pavement being of transparent glass, laid over running water, in which fish were swimming. Fronting this pavement was placed the royal throne, on which Solomon sat to receive the queen.8 x Some Arab writers tell us Solomon had been informed that Balkîs's legs and feet were covered with hair, like those of an ass, of the truth of which he had hereby an opportunity of being satisfied by ocular demonstration. y The queen of Saba having by these words professed Islâm, and renounced idolatry, Solomon had thoughts of making her his wife; but could not resolve to do it; till the devils had by a depilatory taken off the hair from her legs.9 Some,10 however, will have it that she did not marry Solomon, but a prince of the tribe of Hamdân. z Concerning the doctrine preached by Saleh; one party believing on him, and the other treating him as an impostor. a i.e., Why do ye urge and defy the divine vengeance with which ye are threatened, instead of averting it by repentance?
5 Jallalo'ddin. 6 Al Beidâwi. 7 Jallalo'ddin.8 Idem, al Beidâwi9 Jallalo'ddin. 10 Apud al Beidâwi
They answered, We presage evil from thee, and from those who are with thee. Saleh replied, The evil which ye presage is with GOD:b but ye are a people who are proved by a vicissitude of prosperity and adversity. And there were nine men in the city, who acted corruptly in the earth, and behaved not with integrity. 50 And they said unto one another, Swear ye reciprocally by GOD, that we will fall upon Saleh and his family by night: and afterwards we will say unto him who hath right to avenge his blood, We were not so much as present at the destruction of his family; and we certainly speak the truth. And they devised a plot against him: but we devised a plot against them; and they perceived it not. And see what was the issue of their plot:c we utterly destroyed them and their whole people; and these their habitations remain empty, because of the injustice which they committed. Verily herein is a sign unto people who understand. And we delivered those who believed, and feared God. And remember Lot; when he said unto his people, Do ye commit a wickedness, though ye see the heinousness thereof? Do ye approach lustfully unto men, leaving the women? Ye are surely an ignorant people. But the answer of his people was no other than that they said, Cast the family of Lot out of your city: for they are men who preserve themselves pure from the crimes of which ye are guilty. Wherefore we delivered him and his family, except his wife, whom we decreed to be one of those who remained behind to be destroyed. And we rained on them a shower of stones: and dreadful was the shower which fell on those who had been warned in vain.d 60 Say, Praise be unto GOD; and peace be upon his servants whom he hath chosen! Is GOD more worthy, or the false gods which they associate with him? Is not he to be preferred, who hath created the heavens and the earth, and sendeth down rain for you from heaven, whereby we cause delicious groves to spring up? It is not in your power to cause the trees thereof to shoot forth. Is there any other god partner with the true GOD? Verily these are a people who deviate from the truth. Is not he more worthy to be adored, who hath established the earth, and hath caused rivers to flow through the midst thereof, and placed thereon immovable mountains, and set a bar between the two seas?e Is there any other god equal with the true GOD? Yet the greater part of them know it not. Is not he more worthy who heareth the afflicted,f when he calleth upon him, and taketh off the evil which distressed him: and who hath made you the successors of your forefathers in the earth? Is there any other god who can be equalled with the true GOD? How few consider these things!
b See chapter 7, p. 117, where the Egyptians in the same manner accuse Moses as the cause of their calamities. c It is related that Saleh, and those who believed on him, usually meeting to pray in a certain narrow place between the mountains, the infidels said, He thinks to make an end of us after three days,1 but we will be beforehand with him; and that a party of them went directly to the straits above mentioned, thinking to execute their design, but were terribly disappointed; for, instead of catching the prophet, they were caught themselves, their retreat being cut off by a large piece of rock, which fell down at the mouth of the straits, so that they perished there in a miserable manner. d See chapter 7, p. 113, and chapter 11, p. 166. e See chapter 25, p. 274. The word barzakh is not used here, but another of equivalent import. f Literally, Him who is driven by distress to implore GOD'S assistance.
1 See cap. 7, p. 113, note m. 28
Is not he more worthy who directeth you in the dark paths of the land and of the sea; and who sendeth the winds driving abroad the clouds, as the forerunners of his mercy!g Is there any other god who can be equalled with the true God? Far be GOD from having those partners in his power, which ye associate with him. Is not he more worthy, who produceth a creature, and after it hath been dead restoreth it to life; and who giveth you food from heaven and earth? Is there any other god with the true GOD, who doth this? Say, Produce your proof thereof, if ye speak truth. Say, None either in heaven or earth knoweth that which is hidden, besides GOD: neither do they understand when they shall be raised. However, their knowledge attaineth some notion of the life to come:h yet they are in an uncertainty concerning the same; yea, they are blind as to the real circumstances thereof. And the unbelievers say, When we and our fathers shall have been reduced to dust, shall we be taken forth from the grave? 70 Verily we have been threatened with this, both we and our fathers, heretofore. This is no other than fables of the ancients. Say unto them, pass through the earth, and see what hath been the end of the wicked. And be not thou grieved for them; neither be thou in any concern on account of the plots which they are contriving against thee. And they say, When will this threat be accomplished, if ye speak true? Answer, Peradventure some part of that punishment, which ye desire to be hastened may follow close behind you: verily thy LORD is endued with indulgence towards mankind; but the greater part of them are not thankful. Verily thy LORD knoweth what their breasts conceal, and what they discover: and there is nothing hidden in heaven or on earth, but it is written in a clear book. Verily this Koran declareth unto the children of Israel most of those points concerning which they disagree:i and it is certainly a direction, and a mercy unto the true believers. 80 Thy LORD will decide the controversy between them, by his definitive sentence: and he is the mighty, the wise. Therefore, put thy trust in GOD; for thou art in the manifest truth. Verily thou shalt not make the dead to hear, neither shalt thou make the deaf to hear thy call to the true faith, when they retire and turn their backs: neither shalt thou direct the blind to extricate themselves out of their error. Thou shalt make none to hear thee, except him who shall believe in our signs: and they are wholly resigned unto us. When the sentence shall be ready to fall upon them, we will cause a beastk to come forth unto them from out of the earth, which shall speak unto them:l verily men do not firmly believe in our signs. On the day of resurrection we will assemble, out of every nation, a company of those who shall have charged our signs with falsehood; and they shall be prevented from mixing together,
g See chapter 7, p. 110, and chapter 25, p. 274. h Or the words may be translated thus: Yea, their knowledge faileth as to the life to come: yea, &c. i Such as the comparing of GOD to sensible things, or to created beings: the removing all imperfections from the description of the Divine Being; the state of paradise and hell; the stories of Ezra and Jesus Christ, &c.1 k The Mohammedans call this beast, whose appearance will be one sign of the approach of the day of judgment, al Jassâsa, or the Spy. I have given the description of her elsewhere;2 to which should be added that she is to have two wings. l Or, according to a different reading, viz., taclimohom instead of tocallimohom, who shall wound them.3
1 Al Beidâwi. 2 Prelim. Disc. Sec. IV. p. 62, &c. 3 Vide ibid.
until they shall arrive at the place of judgment. And God shall say unto them, Have ye charged my signs with falsehood, although ye comprehended them not with your knowledge. Or what is it that ye were doing? And the sentence of damnation shall fall on them, for that they have acted unjustly: and they shall not speak in their own excuse. Do they not see that we have ordained the night, that they may rest therein, and the day giving open light? Verily herein are signs unto people who believe. On that day the trumpet shall be sounded; and whoever are in heaven and on earth shall be struck with terror, except those whom GOD shall please to exempt therefrom:m and all shall come before him in humble guise. 90 And thou shalt see the mountains, and shalt think them firmly fixed; but they shall pass away, even as the clouds pass away. This will be the work of GOD, who hath rightly disposed all things: and he is well acquainted with that which ye do. Whoever shall have wrought righteousness, shall receive a reward beyond the desert thereof; and they shall be secure from the terror of that day;n but whoever shall have wrought evil, shall be thrown on their faces into hell fire. Shall ye receive the reward of any other than of that which ye shall have wrought? Verily I am commanded to worship the LORD of this territory of Mecca, who hath sanctified the same: unto him belong all things. And I am commanded to be a Moslem, and to rehearse the Koran: he who shall be directed thereby will be directed to his own advantage; and to him who shall go astray, say, Verily I am a warner only. And say, Praise be unto GOD! he will show you his signs,o and ye shall know them: and thy LORD is not regardless of that which they do.
________
ENTITLED, THE STORY;p REVEALED AT MECCA.q
T. S. M.r THESE are the signs of the perspicuous book.We will dictate unto thee, O Mohammed, some parts of the history of Mosesand Pharaoh, with truth; for the sake of people who believe.
m See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 65, &c. Some say the persons exempted from this general consternation will be the angels Gabriel, Michael, Israfil, and Izraël;1 others suppose them to be the virgins of paradise, and the angels who guard that place, and carry GOD'S throne;2 and others will have them to be the martyrs.3 n That is, from the fear of damnation, and the other terrors which will disturb the wicked; not from the general terror or consternation before mentioned. o viz., The successes of the true believers against the infidels, and particularly the victory of Bedr p The title is taken from the 26th verse, where Moses is said to have related the story of his adventures to Shoaib. q Some except a verse towards the latter end, beginning with these words: He who hath given thee the Korân for a rule of faith and practice, &c. r See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46.
1 Jallalo'ddin, al Beidâwi. 2 Idem. 3 Ebn Abbas.
Now Pharaoh lifted himself up in the land of Egypt; and he caused his subjects to be divided into parties;s he weakened one party of them,t by slaying their male children, and preserving their females alive; for he was an oppressor. And we were minded to be gracious unto those who were weakened in the land, and to make them models of religion; and to make them the heirs of the wealth of Pharaoh and his people,u and to establish a place for them in the earth; and to show Pharaoh and Haman,x and their forces, that destruction of their kingdom and nation by them, which they sought to avoid.y And we directed the mother of Moses by revelation, saying, give him suck: and if thou fearest for him, cast him into the river; and fear not, neither be afflicted; for we will restore him unto thee, and will appoint him one of our apostles.z And when she had put the child in the ark, and had cast it into the river, the family of Pharaoh took him up; providence designing that he should become an enemy, and a sorrow unto them. Verily Pharaoh and Haman, and their forces were sinners. And the wife of Pharaoh said, This child is a delight of the eye to me, and to thee:a kill him not; peradventure it may happen that he may be serviceable unto us; or we may adopt him for our son. And they perceived not the consequence of what they were doing. And the heart of the mother of Moses became oppressed with fear; and she had almost discovered him, had we not armed her heart with constancy, that she might be one of those who believe the promises of God. 10 And she said unto his sister, Follow him. And she watched him at a distance; and they perceived it not. And we suffered him not to take the breasts of the nurses who were provided before his sister came up;b and she said, Shall I direct you unto some of his nation, who may nurse him for you, and will be careful of him? And, at their desire, she brought his mother to them. So we restored him to his mother, that her mind might be set at ease, and that she might not be afflicted; and that she might know that the promise of GOD was true: but the greater part of mankind know not the truth.
s i.e., Either into companies, that they might the better attend his order and perform the services he exacted of them; or into opposite factions, to prevent their attempting anything against them, to deliver themselves from his tyranny.1 t viz., The Israelites. u See chapter 26, p. 278. x This name is given to Pharaoh's chief minister; from whence it is generally inferred that Mohammed has here made Haman, the favourite of Ahasuerus king of Persia, and who indisputably lived many ages after Moses, to be that prophet's contemporary. But how probable soever this mistake may seem to us, it will be very hard, if not impossible, to convince a Mohammedan of it; for, as has been observed in a parallel case,2 two very different persons may bear the same name.3 y For Pharaoh had either dreamed, or been told by some diviners, that one of the Hebrew nation should be the ruin of his kingdom; which prophecy is supposed to have been the occasion of his cruelty to them.4 This circumstance is owing to the invention of the Jews.5 z It is related that the midwife appointed to attend the Hebrew women, terrified by a light which appeared between the eyes of Moses at his birth, and touched with an extraordinary affection for the child, did not discover him to the officers, so that his mother kept him in her house, and nursed him three months; after which it was impossible for her to conceal him any longer, the king then giving orders to make the searches more strictly.6 a This sudden affection or admiration was raised in them either by his uncommon beauty, or by the light which shone on his forehead, or because, when they opened the ark, they found him sucking his thumb, which supplied him with milk.7 b See chapter 20, p. 235.
1 Al Beidâwi. 2 See p. 34, note x. 3 Vide Reland. de Rel Moham. p. 217. 4 See cap. 7, p. 117. 5 Vide Shalshel. hakkab, p. 11. et R. Eliez. pirke, c. 48 6 Al Beidâwi. See the notes to cap. 20, p. 235. 7 Idem, Jallalo'ddin.
And when Moses had attained his age of full strength, and was become a perfect man, we bestowed on him wisdom and knowledge: and thus do we reward the upright. And he went into the city, at a time when the inhabitants thereof observed not what passed in the streets:c and he found therein two men fighting; the one being of his own party, and the other of his enemies.d And he who was of his party begged his assistance against him who was of the contrary party; and Moses struck him with his fist, and slew him: but being sorry for what had happened, he said, This is of the work of the devil;e for he is a seducing and an open enemy. And he said, O LORD, verily I have injured my own soul: wherefore forgive me. So God forgave him; for he is ready to forgive, and merciful. He said, O LORD, by the favors with which thou hast favored me, I will not be an assistant to the wicked for the future. And the next morning he was afraid in the city, and looked about him, as one apprehensive of danger: and behold, he whom he had assisted the day before cried out unto him for help a second time. But Moses said unto him, Thou art plainly a quarrelsome fellow. And when he sought to lay hold on him who was an enemy unto them both, he said, O Moses, dost thou intend to kill me, as thou killedst a man yesterday?f Thou seekest only to be an oppressor in the earth, and seekest not to be a reconciler of quarrels. And a certain mang came from the farther part of the city, running hastily, and said, O Moses, verily the magistrates are deliberating concerning thee, to put thee to death: depart therefore; I certainly advise thee well. 20 Wherefore he departed out of the city in great fear, looking this way and that, lest he should be pursued. And he said, O LORD, deliver me from the unjust people. And when he was journeying towards Madian, he said, Peradventure my LORD will direct me in the right way.h And when he arrived at the water of Madian, he found about the well a company of men, who were watering their flocks. And he found, besides them, two women, who kept off their sheep at a distance. And he said unto them, What is the matter with you? They answered, We shall not water our flock, until the shepherds shall have driven away theirs; for our father is an old man, stricken in years. So Moses watered their sheep for them;i and afterwards retired to the shade, saying, O LORD, verily I stand in need of the good which thou shalt send down unto me.
c viz., At noon; at which time it is usual in those countries for people to retire to sleep; or, as others rather suppose, a little within night. d i.e., The one being an Israelite of his own religion and nation, and the other an idolatrous Egyptian. e Mohammed allows that Moses killed the Egyptian wrongfully; but, to excuse it, supposes that he struck him without designing to kill him. f Some suppose these words to have been spoken by the Israelite, who, because Moses had reprimanded him, imagined he was going to strike him; and others, by the Egyptian, who either knew or suspected that Moses had killed his countryman the day before. g This person, says the tradition, was an Egyptian, and Pharaoh's uncle's son, but a true believer; who, finding that the king had been informed of what Moses had done, and designed to put him to death, gave him immediate notice to provide for his safety by flight. h For Moses knew not the way, and coming to a place where three roads met, committed himself to the guidance of GOD, and took the middle road, which was the right; providence likewise so ordering it, that his pursuers took the other two roads, and missed him.1 Some say he was led by an angel in the appearance of a traveller.2 i By rolling away a stone of a prodigious weight, which had been laid over the mouth of the well by the shepherds, and required no less than seven men (though some name a much larger number) to remove it.1
1 Al Beidâwi. 2 Jallalo'ddin. 1 Idem, interp. Yahya.
And one of the damselsk came unto him, walking bashfully, and said, My father calleth thee, that he may recompense thee for the trouble which thou hast taken in watering our sheep for us. And when he was come unto Shoaib, and had told him the story of his adventures, he said unto him, Fear not: thou hast escaped from unjust people. And one of the damsels said, My father, hire him for certain wages: the best servant thou canst hire is an able and trusty person.l And Shoaib said unto Moses, Verily I will give thee one of these my two daughters in marriage, on condition that thou serve me for hire eight years; and if thou fulfil ten years, it is in thine own breast; for I seek not to impose a hardship on thee: and thou shalt find me, if GOD please, a man of probity. Moses answered, Let this be the covenant between me and thee: whichsoever of the two terms I shall fulfil let it be no crime in me if I then quit thy service; and GOD is witness of that which we say. And when Moses had fulfilled the term,m and was journeying with his family towards Egypt, he saw fire on the side of Mount Sinai. And he said unto his family, Tarry ye here; for I see fire: peradventure I may bring you thence some tidings of the way,n or at least a brand out of the fire, that ye may be warmed. 30 And when he was come thereto, a voice cried unto him from the right side of the valley, in the sacred bottom, from the tree, saying, O Moses, verily I am GOD, the LORD of all creatures: cast down now thy rod. And when he saw it that it moved, as though it had been a serpent, he retreated and fled, and returned not. And God said unto him, O Moses, draw near, and fear not; for thou art safe. Put thy hand into thy bosom, and it shall come forth white, without any hurt: and draw back thy hando unto thee which thou stretchest forth for fear. These shall be two evident signs from thy LORD, unto Pharaoh and his princes; for they are a wicked people. Moses said, O LORD, verily I have slain one of them; and I fear they will put me to death: but my brother Aaron is of a more eloquent tongue than I am; wherefore send him with me for an assistant, that he may gain me credit; for I fear lest they accuse me of imposture. God said, We will strengthen thine arm by thy brother, and we will give each of you extraordinary power, so that they shall not come up to you, in our signs. Ye two, and whoever shall follow you, shall be the conquerors.
k This was Sefûra (or Zipporah) the elder, or, as others suppose, the younger daughter of Shoaib, whom Moses afterwards married. l The girl, being asked by her father how she knew Moses deserved this character, told him that he had removed the vast stone above mentioned without any assistance, and that he looked not in her face, but held down his head till he heard her message, and desired her to walk behind him, because the wind ruffled her garments a little, and discovered some part of her legs.2 m viz., The longest terms of ten years. The Mohammedans say, after the Jews,3 that Moses received from Shoaib the rod of the prophets (which was a branch of a myrtle of paradise, and had descended to him from Adam) to keep off the wild beasts from his sheep; and that this was the rod with which he performed all those wonders in Egypt. n See chapter 20, p. 234. o LIterally, thy wing: the expression alludes to the action of birds, which stretch forth their wings to fly away when they are frighted, and fold them together again when they think themselves secure.4
2 Idem. 3 Vide Shals. hakkab. p. 12. R. Eliez. pirke, c. 40, &c. 4 Al Beidâwi.
And when Moses came unto them with our evident signs, they said, This is no other than a deceitful piece of sorcery: neither have we heard of anything like this among our forefathers. And Moses said, My LORD best knoweth who cometh with a direction from him; and who shall have success in this life, as well as the next: but the unjust shall not prosper. And Pharaoh said, O princes, I did not know that ye had any other god besides me.p Wherefore do thou, O Haman, burn me clay into bricks; and build me a high tower,q that I may ascend unto the GOD of Moses: for I verily believe him to be a liar. And both he and his forces behaved themselves insolently and unjustly in the earth; and imagined that they should not be brought before us to be judged. 40 Wherefore we took him and his forces, and cast them into the sea. Behold, therefore, what was the end of the unjust. And we made them deceitful guides, inviting their followers to hell fire; and on the day of resurrection they shall not be screened from punishment. We pursued them with a curse in this life; and on the day of resurrection they shall be shamefully rejected. And we gave the book of the law unto Moses, after he had destroyed the former generations, to enlighten the minds of men, and for a direction, and a mercy; that peradventure they might consider. Thou, O prophet, wast not on the west side of Mount Sinai, when we delivered Moses his commission: neither wast thou one of those who were present at his receiving it: but we raised up several generations after Moses; and life was prolonged unto them. Neither didst thou dwell among the inhabitants of Madian, rehearsing unto them our signs; but we have sent thee fully instructed in every particular. Nor wast thou present on the side of the mount, when we called unto Moses; but thou art sent as a mercy from thy LORD; that thou mightest preach unto a people to whom no preacher hath come before thee,r that peradventure they may be warned; and lest, if a calamity had befallen them, for that which their hands had previously committed, they should have said, O LORD, since thou hast not sent an apostle unto us, that we might follow thy signs, and become true believers, are we not excusable? Yet when the truth is come unto them from before us, they say, Unless he receive the same power to work miracles as Moses received, we will not believe. Have they not likewise rejected the revelation which was heretofore given unto Moses? They say, Two cunning imposturess have mutually assisted one another: and they say, Verily we reject them both. Say, Produce therefore a book from GOD, which is more right than these two, that I may follow it; if ye speak truth.
p See chapter 26, p. 277. q It is said that Haman, having prepared bricks and other materials, employed no less than fifty thousand men, besides labourers, in the building; which they carried to so immense a height that the workmen could no longer stand on it: that Pharaoh, ascending this tower, threw a javelin towards heaven, which fell back again stained with blood, whereupon he impiously boasted that he had killed the GOD of Moses; but at sunset GOD sent the angel Gabriel, who, with one stroke of his wing, demolished the tower, a part whereof, falling on the king's army, destroyed a million of men.5 r That is, to the Arabians; to whom no prophet had been sent, at least since Ismael. s viz., The Pentateuch and the Korân. Some copies read, Two impostors, meaning Moses and Mohammed.
5 Al Zamakhshari.
50 But if they return thee no answer, know that they only follow their own desires: and who erreth more widely from the truth than he who followeth his own desire, without a direction from GOD? Verily GOD directeth not the unjust people. And now have we caused our word to come unto them, that they may be admonished. They unto whom we have given the scriptures which were revealed before it, believe in the same; and when it is read unto them, say, We believe therein; it is certainly the truth from our LORD: verily we were Moslems before this.t These shall receive their reward twice,u because they have persevered, and repel evil by good, and distribute alms out of that which we have bestowed on them; and when they hear vain discourse, avoid the same, saying, We have our works, and ye have your works; peace be on you;x we covet not the acquaintance of the ignorant. Verily thou canst not direct whom thou wilt: but GOD directeth whom he pleaseth; and he best knoweth those who will submit to be directed. The Meccans say, If we follow the same direction with thee, we shall be forcibly expelled our land.y Have we not established for them a secure asylum,z to which fruits of every sort are brought, as a provision for our bounty? but the greater part of them do not understand. How many cities have we destroyed, whose inhabitants lived in ease and plenty? and these their dwellings are not inhabited after them, unless for a little while;a and we were the inheritors of their wealth.b But thy LORD did not destroy those cities, until he had sent unto their capital an apostle, to rehearse our signs unto them: neither did we destroy those cities, unless their inhabitants were injurious to their apostle. 60 The things which are given you are the provisions of this present life, and the pomp thereof; but that which is with GOD is better and more durable: will ye not therefore understand? Shall he then, unto whom we have promised an excellent promise of future happiness, and who shall attain the same, be as he on whom we have bestowed the provision of this present life, and who, on the day of resurrection, shall be one of those who are delivered up to eternal punishment? On that day God shall call unto them, and shall say, Where are my partners, which ye imagined to be so?
t Holding the same faith in fundamentals, before the revelation of the Korân, which we receive because it is consonant to the scriptures, and attested to by them. The passage intends those Jews and Christians who had embraced Mohammedism. u Because they have believed both in their own scriptures and in the Korân. x See chap. 25, p. 275, note d. y This objection was made by Al Hareth Ebn Othmân Ebn Nawfal Ebn Abd Menâf, who came to Mohammed and told him that the Koreish believed he preached the truth, but were apprehensive that if they made the Arabs their enemies by quitting their religion, they would be obliged likewise to quit Mecca, being but a handful of men, in comparison to the whole nation.1 z By giving them for their habitation the sacred territory of Mecca, a place protected by GOD, and reverenced by man. a That is, for a day, or a few hours only, while travellers stay there to rest and refresh themselves; or, as the original may also signify, unless by a few inhabitants: some of those ancient cities and dwellings being utterly desolate, and others thinly inhabited. b There being none left to enjoy it after them.
1 Al Beidâwi.
And they upon whom the sentence of damnation shall be justly pronounced shall answer, These, O LORD, are those whom we seduced: but now we clearly quit them, and turn unto thee. They did not worship us, but their own lusts.c And it shall be said unto the idolaters, Call now upon those whom ye associated with God: and they shall call upon them, but they shall not answer them; and they shall see the punishment prepared for them, and shall wish that they had submitted to be directed. On that day, God shall call unto them, and shall say, What answer did ye return to our messengers? But they shall not be able to give an account thereof on that day;d neither shall they ask one another for information. Howbeit whoso shall repent and believe, and shall do that which is right, may expect to be happy. Thy LORD createth what he pleaseth; and chooseth freely: but they have no free choice. Praise be unto GOD; and far be he removed from the idols which they associate with him! Thy LORD knoweth both the secret malice which their breasts conceal, and the open hatred which they discover. 70 He is GOD; there is no GOD but he. Unto him is the praise due, both in this life and in that which is to come: unto him doth judgment belong; and before him shall ye be assembled at the last day. Say, What think ye? If GOD should cover you with perpetual night, until the day of resurrection; what god, besides GOD, would bring you light? Will ye not therefore hearken? Say, What think ye? If GOD should give you continual day, until the day of resurrection; what god, besides GOD, would bring you night, that ye might rest therein? Will ye not therefore consider? Of his mercy he hath made for you the night and the day, that ye may rest in the one, and may seek to obtain provision for yourselves of his abundance, by your industry, in the other; and that ye may give thanks. On a certain day God shall call unto them, and shall say, Where are my partners, which ye imagined to share the divine power with me? And we will produce a witness out of every nation,e and will say, Bring hither your proof of what ye have asserted. And they shall know that the right is GOD'S alone; and the deities which they have devised shall abandon them. Karûn was of the people of Moses;f but he behaved insolently towards them: for we had given him so much treasure, that his keys would have loaded several strong men.g When his people said unto him, Rejoice not immoderately; for GOD loveth not those who rejoice in their riches immoderately:
c See chap. 10, p. 153. d Literally, The account thereof shall be dark unto them; for the consternation they shall then be under, will render them stupid, and unable to return an answer. e viz., The prophet who shall have been sent to each nation. f The commentators say, Karûn was the son of Yeshar (or Izhar), the uncle of Moses, and, consequently, make him the same with the Korah of the scriptures. This person is represented by them as the most beautiful of the Israelites, and so far surpassing them all in opulency that the riches of Karûn have become a proverb. The Mohammedans are indebted to the Jews for this last circumstance, to which they have added several other fables; for they tell us that he built a large palace overlaid with gold, the doors whereof were of massy gold; that he became so insolent because of his immense riches, as to raise a sedition against Moses, though some pretend the occasion of his rebellion to have been his unwillingness to give alms, as Moses had commanded; that one day, when that prophet was preaching to the people, and, among other laws which he published, declared that adulterers should be stoned, Karûn asked him what if he should be found guilty of the same crime? To which Moses answered, that in such case he would suffer the same punishment; and thereupon Karûn produced a harlot, whom he had hired to swear that Moses had lain with her, and charged him publicly with it; but on Moses adjuring the woman to speak the truth, her resolution failed her, and she confessed that she was suborned by Karûn to accuse him wrongfully; that then God directed Moses, who had complained to him of this usage, to command the earth what he pleased, and it should obey him; whereupon he said, O earth swallow them up! and that immediately the earth opened under Karûn and his confederates, and swallowed them up, with his palace and all his riches.1 There goes a tradition, that as Karûn sank gradually into the ground, first to his knees, then to his waist, then to his neck, he cried out four several times, O Moses, have mercy on me! but that Moses continued to say, O earth, swallow them up, till at last he wholly disappeared; upon which GOD said to Moses, Thou hast no mercy on Karûn, though he asked pardon of thee four times; but I would have had compassion on him if he had asked pardon of me but once.2 g The original word properly signifies any number of persons from ten to forty. Some pretend these keys were a sufficient load for seventy men; and Abulfeda says forty mules used to be employed to carry them.
1 Abulfeda, Jallalo'ddin, al Beidâwi, &c.
but seek to attain by means of the wealth which GOD hath given thee, the future mansion of paradise.h And forget not thy portion in this world; but be thou bounteous unto others, as GOD hath been bounteous unto thee; and seek not to act corruptly in the earth; for GOD loveth not the corrupt doers. He answered, I have received these riches, only because of the knowledge which is with me.i Did he not know that GOD had already destroyed, before him, several generations, who were mightier than he in strength, and had amassed more abundance of riches? And the wicked shall not be asked to discover their crimes. And Karûn went forth unto his people, in his pomp.k And they who loved this present life said, Oh that we had the like wealth, as hath been given unto Karûn? verily he is master of a great fortune. 80 But those on whom knowledge had been bestowed answered, Alas for you! the reward of GOD in the next life will be better unto him who shall believe and do good works; but none shall attain the same, except those who persevere with constancy. And we caused the ground to cleave in sunder, and to swallow up him and his palace: and he had no forces to defend him, besides GOD; neither was he rescued from punishment. And the next morning, those who had coveted his condition the day before said, Aha! verily GOD bestoweth abundant provision on such of his servants as he pleaseth; and he is sparing unto whom he pleaseth. Unless GOD had been gracious unto us, certainly the earth had swallowed us up also. Aha! the unbelievers shall not prosper. As to this future mansion of paradise, we will give it unto them who seek not to exalt themselves in the earth, or to do wrong; for the happy issue shall attend the pious. Whoso doth good shall receive a reward which shall exceed the merit thereof: but as to him who doth evil, they who work evil shall be rewarded according to the merit only of that which they shall have wrought. Verily he who hath given thee the Koran for a rule of faith and practice will certainly bring thee back home unto Mecca.l Say, My LORD best knoweth who cometh with a true direction, and who is in a manifest error.
h This passage is parallel to that in the New Testament, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.3 i For some say he was the most learned of all the Israelites, and the best versed in the law, after Moses and Aaron; others pretend he was skilled in chemistry, or in merchandising, or other arts of gain, and others suppose (as the Jews also fable4) that he found out the treasures of Joseph in Egypt.5 k It is said he rode on a white mule adorned with trappings of gold, and that he was clothed in purple, and attended by four thousand men, all well mounted and richly dressed. l This verse, some say, was revealed to Mohammed when he arrived at Johsa, in his flight from Mecca to Medina, to comfort him and still his complaints.
2 Al Beidâwi. Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. Art. Carun. 3 Luke xvi. 9. 4 Vide R. Ghedal, Shalsh. hakkab. p. 13. 5 Jallalo'ddin, al Beidâwi.
Thou didst not expect that the book of the Koran should be delivered unto thee: but thou hast received it through the mercy of thy LORD. Be not therefore assisting to the unbelievers; neither let them turn thee aside from the signs of GOD, after they have been sent down unto thee: and invite men unto thy LORD. And be not thou an idolater; neither invoke any other god, together with the true GOD: there is no god but he. Everything shall perish, except himself: unto him belongeth judgment: and before him shall ye be assembled at the last day.
________
ENTITLED, THE SPIDER;m REVEALED AT MECCA.n
A. L. M.o Do men imagine that it shall be sufficient for themp to say, We believe; will they not be proved?q We heretofore proved those who were before them; for GOD will surely know them who are sincere, and he will surely know the liars. Do they who work evil think that they shall prevent us from taking vengeance on them? An ill judgment do they make. Whoso hopeth to meet GOD, verily GOD'S appointed time will certainly come; and he both heareth and knoweth. Whoever striveth to promote the true religion, striveth for the advantage of his own soul; for GOD needeth not any of his creatures: and as to those who believe and work righteousness, we will expiate their evil deeds from them; and we will give them a reward according to the utmost merit of their actions. We have commanded man to show kindness towards his parents: but if they endeavor to prevail with thee to associate with me that concerning which thou hast no knowledge, obey them not.r Unto me shall ye return; and I will declare unto you what ye have done. Those who shall believe, and shall work righteousness, we will surely introduce into paradise, among the upright.
m Transient mention is made of this insect towards the middle of the chapter. n Some think the first ten verses, ending with these words, And he well knoweth the hypocrites, were revealed at Medina, and the rest at Mecca; and others believe the reverse. o See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c. p Literally, That they shall be let alone, &c. q This passage reprehends the impatience of some of the prophet's companions, under the hardships which they sustained in defence of their religion, and the losses which they suffered from the infidels; representing to them that such trials and afflictions were necessary to distinguish the sincere person from the hypocrite, and the steady from the wavering. Some suppose it to have been occasioned by the death of Mahja, Omar's slave, killed by an arrow at the battle of Bedr, which was deeply lamented and laid to heart by his wife and parents.1 r That is, If they endeavour to pervert thee to idolatry. The passage is said to have been revealed on account of Saad Ebn Abi Wakkâs, and his mother Hamna, who, when she heard that her son had embraced Mohammedism, swore that she would neither eat nor drink till he returned to his old religion, and kept her oath for three days.2
1 Al Beidâwi. 2 Idem.
There are some men who say, We believe in GOD: but when such a one is afflicted for GOD'S sake, he esteemeth the persecution of men to be as grievous as the punishment of GOD. Yet if success cometh from thy LORD, they say, Verily we are with you. Doth not GOD well know that which is in the breasts of his creatures? 10 Verily GOD well knoweth the true believers, and he well knoweth the hypocrites. The unbelievers say unto those who believe, Follow our way, and we will bear your sins. Howbeit they shall not bear any part of their sins; for they are liars: but they shall surely bear their own burdens, and other burdens besides their own burdens;s and they shall be examined, on the day of resurrection, concerning that which they have falsely devised. We heretofore sent Noah unto his people; and he tarried among them one thousand years, save fifty years:t and the deluge took them away, while they were acting unjustly; but we delivered him and those who were in the ark, and we made the sameu a sign unto all creatures. We also sent Abraham; when he said unto his people, Serve GOD, and fear him; this will be better for you; if ye understand. Ye only worship idols besides GOD, and forge a lie. Verily those which ye worship, besides GOD, are not able to make any provision for you: seek therefore your provision from GOD; and serve him, and give thanks unto him; unto him shall ye return. If he charge me with imposture,x verily sundry nations before you likewise charged their prophets with imposture: but public preaching only is incumbent on an apostle. Do they not see how GOD produceth creatures, and afterwards restoreth them?y Verily this is easy with GOD. Say, go through the earth, and see how he originally produceth creatures: afterwards will GOD reproduce another production; for GOD is almighty. 20 He will punish whom he pleaseth, and he will have mercy on whom he pleaseth. Before him shall ye be brought at the day of judgment: and ye shall not escape his reach, either in earth, or in heaven:z neither shall ye have any patron or defender besides GOD. As for those who believe not in the signs of GOD, or that they shall meet him at the resurrection, they shall despair of my mercy, and for them is a painful punishment prepared.
s viz., The guilt of seducing others, which shall be added to the guilt of their own obstinacy without diminishing the guilt of such as shall be seduced by them. t This is true, if the whole life of Noah be reckoned; and accordingly Abulfeda says he was sent to preach in his two hundred and fiftieth year, and that he lived in all nine hundred and fifty: but the text seeming to speak of those years only which he spent in preaching to the wicked antediluvians, the commentators suppose him to have lived much longer. Some say the whole length of his life was a thousand and fifty years; that his mission happened in the fortieth year of his age, and that he lived after the Flood sixty years;1 and others give different numbers; one, in particular, pretending that Noah lived near sixteen hundred years.2 This circumstance, says al Beidâwi, was mentioned to encourage Mohammed, and to assure him that God, who supported Noah so many years against the opposition and plots of the antediluvian infidels, would not fail to defend him against all attempts of the idolatrous Meccans and their partisans. u i.e., The ark. x This seems to be part of Abraham's speech to his people: but some suppose that GOD here speaks, by way of apostrophe, first to the Koreish, and afterwards to Mohammed; and that the parenthesis is continued to these words, And the answer of his people was no other, &c. In which case we should have said, If ye charge Mohammed your apostle with imposture, &c. y The infidels are bid to consider how GOD causeth the fruits of the earth to spring forth, and reneweth them every year, as in the preceding; which is an argument of his power to raise man, whom he created at first, to life again after death, at his own appointed time. z See Psalm cxxxix. 7, &c.
1 Idem, al Zamakh. 2 Caab, apud Yahyam.
And the answer of his people was no other than that they said, Slay him, or burn him. But GOD saved him from the fire.a Verily herein were signs unto people who believed. And Abraham said, Ye have taken idols, besides GOD, to cement affection between you in this life: but on the day of resurrection, the one of you shall deny the other, and the one of you shall curse the other; and your abode shall be hell fire, and there shall be none to deliver you. And Lot believed on him. And Abraham said, Verily I fly from my people, unto the place which my LORD hath commanded me; or he is the mighty, the wise. And we gave him Isaac and Jacob; and we placed among his descendants the gift of prophecy and the scriptures: and we gave him his reward in this world; and in the next he shall be one of the righteous. We also sent Lot; when he said unto his people, Do ye commit filthiness which no creature hath committed before you? Do ye approach lustfully unto men, and lay wait in the highways,b and commit wickedness in your assembly?c And the answer of his people was no other than that they said, Bring down the vengeance of GOD upon us, if thou speakest truth. 30 Lot said, O LORD, defend me against the corrupt people. And when our messengers came unto Abraham with good tidings,d they said, We will surely destroy the inhabitants of this city: for the inhabitants thereof are unjust doers. Abraham answered, Verily Lot dwelleth there. They replied, We well know who dwelleth therein: we will surely deliver him and his family, except his wife; she shall be one of those who remain behind. And when our messengers came unto Lot, he was troubled for them, and his arm was straitened concerning them.e But they said, Fear not, neither be grieved; for we will deliver thee and thy family, except thy wife; for she shall be one of those who remain behind. We will surely bring down upon the inhabitants of this city vengeance from heaven, for that they have been wicked doers; and we have left thereof a manifest signf unto people who understand. And unto the inhabitants of Madian we sent their brother Shoaib; and he said unto them, O my people, serve GOD, and expect the last day; and transgress not, acting corruptly in the earth. But they accused him of imposture; wherefore a storm from heaveng assailed them, and in the morning they were found in their dwellings dead and prostrate. And we also destroyed the tribes of Ad, and Thamud; and this is well known unto you from what yet remains of their dwellings. And Satan prepared their works for them, and turned them aside from the way of truth, although they were sagacious people. And we likewise destroyed Karûn, and Pharaoh, and Haman. Moses came unto them with evident miracles, and they behaved themselves insolently in the earth: but they could not escape our vengeance.
a See chapter 21.b Some suppose the Sodomites robbed and murdered the passengers;others, that they unnaturally abused their bodies.c Their meetings being scenes of obscenity and riot.d See chapter 11, p. 165, &c.e See ibid. p. 166.f viz., The story of its destruction, handed down by common tradition;or else its ruins, or some other footsteps of this signal judgment; it beingpretended that several of the stones, which fell from heaven on those cities,are still to be seen, and that the ground where they stood appears burnt andblackish.g See chapter 7, p. 114.
40 Every of them did we destroy in his sin. Against some of them we sent a violent wind:h some of them did a terrible noise from heaven destroy:i some of them did we cause the earth to swallow up:k and some of them we drowned.l Neither was GOD disposed to treat them unjustly; but they dealt unjustly with their own souls. The likeness of those who take other patrons besides GOD is as the likeness of the spider, which maketh herself a house: but the weakest of all houses surely is the house of the spider; if they knew this. Moreover GOD knoweth what things they invoke, besides him; and he is the mighty, the wise. These similitudes do we propound unto men: but none understand them, except the wise. GOD hath created the heavens and the earth in truth; verily herein is a sign unto the true believers. Rehearse that which hath been revealed unto thee of the book of the Koran: and be constant at prayer; for prayer preserveth a man from filthy crimes, and from that which is blamable; and the remembering of GOD is surely a most important duty. GOD knoweth that which ye do. Dispute not against those who have received the scriptures, unless in the mildest manner;m except against such of them as behave injuriously towards you: and say, We believe in the revelation which hath been sent down unto us, and also in that which hath been sent down unto you; our GOD and your GOD is one, and unto him are we resigned. Thus have we sent down the book of the Koran unto thee: and they unto whom we have given the former scriptures believe therein; and of these Arabians also there is who believeth therein: and none reject our signs, except the obstinate infidels. Thou couldest not read any book before this; neither couldest thou write it with thy right hand: then had the gainsayers justly doubted of the divine original thereof. But the same is evident signs in the breasts of those who have received understanding: for none reject our signs except the unjust. 50 They say, Unless a sign be sent down unto him from his LORD, we will not believe. Answer, Signs are in the power of GOD alone; and I am no more than a public preacher. Is it not sufficient for them that we have sent down unto thee the book of the Koran, to be read unto them? Verily herein is a mercy, and an admonition unto people who believe. Say GOD is a sufficient witness between me and you: he knoweth whatever is in heaven and earth; and those who believe in vain idols, and deny GOD, they shall perish. They will urge thee to hasten the punishment which they defy thee to bring down upon them:n if there had not been a determined time for their respite, the punishment had come upon them before this; but it shall surely overtake them suddenly, and they shall not foresee it. They urge thee to bring down vengeance swiftly upon them: but hell shall surely encompass the unbelievers.
h The original word properly signifies a wind that drives the graveland small stones before it; by which the storm, or shower of stones, whichdestroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, seems to be intended.i Which was the end of Ad and Thamud.k As it did Karûn.l As the unbelievers in Noah's time, and Pharaoh and his armym i.e., Without ill language or passion. This verse is generallysupposed to have been abrogated by that of the sword; though some think itrelates only to those who are in alliance with the Moslems.n See chapter 6, p. 93
On a certain day their punishment shall suddenly assail them, both from above them, and from under their feet; and God shall say, Taste ye the reward of that which ye have wrought. O my servants who have believed, verily my earth is spacious: wherefore serve me.o Every soul shall taste death: afterwards shall ye return unto us; and as for those who shall have believed, and wrought righteousness, we will surely lodge them in the higher apartments of paradise; rivers shall flow beneath them, and they shall continue therein forever. How excellent will be the reward of the workers of righteousness; 60 who persevere with patience, and put their trust in their LORD! How many beasts are there, which provide not their food? It is GOD who provideth for them, and for you; and he both heareth and knoweth. Verily, if thou ask the Meccans, who hath created the heavens and the earth, and hath obliged the sun and the moon to serve in their courses? they will answer, GOD. How therefore do they lie, in acknowledging of other gods? GOD maketh abundant provision for such of his servants as he pleaseth; and is sparing unto him, if he pleaseth: for GOD knoweth all things.p Verily if thou ask them, who sendeth rain from heaven, and thereby quickeneth the earth, after it hath been dead? they will answer, GOD. Say, GOD be praised! But the greater part of them do not understand. This present life is no other than a toy, and a plaything; but the future mansion of paradise is life indeed: if they knew this they would not prefer the former to the latter. When they sail in a ship, they call upon GOD, sincerely exhibiting unto him the true religion: but when he bringeth them safe to land, behold, they return to their idolatry; to show themselves ungrateful for that which we have bestowed on them, and that they may enjoy the delights of this life; but they shall hereafter know the issue. Do they not see that we have made the territory of Mecca an inviolable and secure asylum, when men are spoiled in the countries round about them? Do they therefore believe in that which is vain, and acknowledge not the goodness of GOD? But who is more unjust than he who deviseth a lie against GOD, or denieth the truth, when it hath come unto him? Is there not in hell an abode for the unbelievers? 70 Whoever do their utmost endeavor to promote our true religion, we will direct them into our ways; for GOD is with the righteous.
o That is, If ye cannot serve me in one city or country, fly unto another, where ye may profess the true religion in safety; for the earth is wide enough, and ye may easily find places of refuge. Mohammed is said to have declared, That whoever flies for the sake of his religion, though he stir but the distance of a span, merits paradise, and shall be the companion of Abraham and of himself.1 p And particularly who will make a good, and who will make a bad use of their riches.
1 Al Beidâwi.