We have heard, and do obey: we implore thy mercy, O LORD, for unto thee must we return. GOD will not force any soul beyond its capacity: it shall have the good which it gaineth, and it shall suffer the evil which it gaineth. O LORD, punish us not, if we forget, or act sinfully: O LORD, lay not on us a burthen like that which thou hast laid on those who have been before us; neither make us, O LORD, to bear what we have not strength to bear, but be favourable unto us, and spare us, and be merciful unto Thou art our patron, help us therefore against the unbelieving nations.

us.

Lay not on us such a burthen, as thou didst lay on those who have been before us.] That is, on the Jews, who, as the commentators tell us, were ordered to kill a lamb by way of atonement, to give onefourth of their substance in alms,

(1) JALLALO'Ddin.

and to cut off an unclean ulcerous part (1), and were forbidden to eat fat, or animals that divided not the hoof, and were obliged to observe the sabbath, and other particulars wherein the Mohammedans are at liberty (2).

(2) YAHYA.

CHAP. III.

Intitled, The Family of IMRAN; revealed at MEDINA.

In the name of the most merciful God.

A. L. M'. There is no God but GOD, the living, the self-subsisting: He hath sent down unto thee the book of the KORAN with truth, confirming that which was revealed before it; for he had formerly sent down the law, and the gospel, a direction unto men; and he had also sent down the distinction between good and evil. Verily those who believe not the signs of GOD, shall suffer a grievous punishment;

Imrân.] This name is given in the Koran to the father of the virgin Mary. See below, p. 57.

b A. L. M.] For the meaning of these letters, the reader is referred to the Preliminary Discourse, Sect. III.

for GOD is mighty, able to revenge. Surely nothing is hidden from GOD, of that which is on earth, or in heaven it is he who formeth you in the wombs, as he pleaseth; there is no God but he, the mighty, the wise. It is he who hath sent down unto thee the book, wherein are some verses clear to be understood; they are the foundation of the book; and others are parabolical c. But they whose hearts are perverse will follow that which is parabolical therein, out of love of schism, and a desire of the interpretation thereof; yet none knoweth the interpretation thereof, except God. But they who are well grounded in knowledge say, We believe therein, the whole is from our LORD; and none will consider except the prudent. O LORD, cause not our hearts to swerve from truth, after thou hast directed us: and give us from thee mercy, for thou art he who giveth. O LORD, thou shalt surely gather mankind together, unto a day of resurrection: there is no doubt of it, for God will not be contrary to the promise. As for the Infidels, their wealth shall not profit them any thing, nor their children, against GOD: they shall be the fuel of hellfire. According to the wont of the people of PHARAOH, and of those who went before them, they charged our signs with a lie; but God caught them in their wickedness, and GOD is severe in punishing. Say unto those who believe not, Ye shall be overcome, and thrown together into hell; an unhappy couch shall it be. Ye have already had a miracle shewn you in two armies, which attacked each other": one army fought for God's true religion, but the other

c Wherein are some verses clear to be understood, and others are parabolical.] This passage is translated according to the exposition of al Zamakhshari and al Beidâwi, which seems to be the truest.

The contents of the Korân are here distinguished into such passages as are to be taken in the literal sense, and such as require a figurative acceptation. The former being plain and obvious to be understood, com

posed the fundamental part, or, as the original expresses it, the mother of the book, and contain the principal doctrines and precepts; agreeably to, and consistently with, which, those passages which are wrapt up in metaphors, and delivered in an enigmatical, allegorical style, are always to be interpreted (1).

d Ye have already had a miracle shewn you in two armies, &c.] The sign or miracle here meant, was the

(1) See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III.

were infidels; they saw the faithful twice as many as themselves in their eye-sight; for God strengtheneth with his help whom he pleaseth. Surely herein was an example unto men of understanding. The love and eager desire of wives, and children, and sums heaped up of gold and silver, and excellent horses, and cattle, and land, is prepared for men: this is the provision of the present life; but unto God shall be the most excellent return. Say, Shall I declare unto you better things than this? For those who are devout are prepared with their LORD, gardens through which rivers flow; therein shall they continue for ever: and they shall enjoy wives free from impurity, and the favour of GOD; for GOD regardeth his servants; who say, O LORD, we do sincerely believe; forgive us therefore our sins, and deliver us from the pain of hell-fire: the patient, and the lovers of truth, and the devout, and the almsgivers, and those who ask pardon early in the morning. GOD hath borne witness that there is no GOD but

victory gained by Mohammed in the second year of the Hejra, over the idolatrous Meccans, headed by Abu Sofiân, in the valley of Bedr, which is situate near the sea between Mecca and Medina. Mohammed's forces consisted of no more than three hundred and nineteen men, but the enemy's army of near a thousand; notwithstanding which odds he put them to flight, having killed seventy of the principal Koreish, and taken as many prisoners, with the loss of only fourteen of his own men (1). This was the first victory obtained by the prophet; and though it may seem no very considerable action, yet it was of great advantage to him, and the foundation of all his future power and success. For which reason it is famous in the Arabian history, and more than once vaunted in the Koran (2), as an effect of the divine assistance. The miracle, it is said, consisted in three things:

1. Mohammed, by the direction of the angel Gabriel, took a handful of gravel, and threw it towards the enemy in the attack, saying, May their faces be confounded; whereupon, they immediately turned their backs and fled. But, though the prophet seemingly threw the gravel himself, yet he is told in the Korân (3), that it was not he but God who threw it; that is to say, by the ministry of his angel. 2. The Mohammedan troops seemed to the infidels to be twice as many in number as themselves, which greatly discouraged them. And, 3. GOD sent down to their assistance, first a thousand, anaerwards three thousand angels, led by Gabriel, mounted on his horse Hiazûm; and, according to the Korân (4), these celestial auxiliaries really did all the execution, though Mohammed's men imagined themselves did it, and fought stoutly at the same time.

ABUL

(1) See ELMACIN. p. 5. HOTTINGER. Hist. Orient. 1. 2. c. 4. FED. vit. Moham. p. 56, &c. PRIDEAUX's Life of Moham. p. 71, &c. (2) See this chap. below, & chap. 8, & 32.

(3) Chap. 8. not far

from the beginning.

(4) Ibid.

he; and the angels, and those who are endowed with wisdom, profess the same; who executeth righteousness; there is no God but he; the mighty, the wise, Verily the true religion, in the sight of GOD, is IsLAM; and they who had received the scriptures dissented not therefrom, until after the knowledge of God's unity had come unto them, out of envy among themselves: but whosoever believeth not in the signs of GOD, verily GOD will be swift in bringing him to account. If they dispute with thee, say, I have resigned myself unto God, and he who followeth me doth the same: and say unto them who have received the scriptures, and to the ignorant', Do ye profess the religion of ISLAM? Now, if they embrace ISLAM, they are surely directed; but if they turn their backs, verily unto thee belongeth preaching only; for GOD regardeth his servants. And unto those who believe not in the signs of GOD, and slay the prophets without a cause, and put those men to death who teach justice; denounce unto them a painful punishment. These are they whose works perish in this world, and in that which is to come; and they shall have none to help them Hast thou not observed those unto whom part o. the scripture was given? They were called unto the book of GOD, that it might judge between them"; then some of them turned their backs, and retired

e

Islam.] The proper name of the Mohammedan religion, which signifies the resigning or devoting one's self entirely to GOD and his service. This, they say, is the religion which all the prophets were sent to teach, being founded on the unity of GOD(1). The ignorant.] i. e. The pagan Arabs, who had no knowledge of the scriptures (2).

& Those unto whom part of the scripture was given.] That is, the Jews.

h They were called unto the book of GOD, &c.] This passage was revealed on occasion of a dispute Mohammed had with some Jews, which is differently related by the commentators.

Al Beidâwi says, that, Mohammed going one day into a Jewish synagogue, Naïm Ebn Amru an Al Hareth Ebn Zeid asked him what religion he was of? To which he answering, Of the religion of Abraham; they replied, Abraham was a Jew; but, on Mohammed's proposing that the Pentateuch might decide the question, they would by no means agree to it.

But Jallalo'ddin tells us, that, two persons of the Jewish religion having committed adultery, their punishment was referred to Mohammed, who gave sentence that they should be stoned, according to the law of Moses. This the Jews refused to submit to, alleging there was no (2) Idem.

(1) JALLALO'DDIN, al BEIDAWI.

afar off. This they did because they said, The fire of hell shall by no means touch us, but for a certain number of days: and that which they had falsely devised, hath deceived them in their religion. How then will it be with them, when we shall gather them together at the day of judgment, of which there is no doubt; and every soul shall be paid that which it hath gained, neither shall they be treated unjustly? Say, O GOD, who possessest the kingdom; thou givest the kingdom unto whom thou wilt, and thou takest away the kingdom from whom thou wilt: Thou exaltest whom thou wilt, and thou humblest whom thou wilt. In thy hand is good, for thou art almighty. Thou makest the night to succeed the day: thou bringest forth the living out of the dead, and thou bringest forth the dead out of the living1; and providest food for whom thou wilt, without measure. Let not the faithful take the infidels for their protectors, rather than the faithful: he who doth this, shall not be protected of God at all; unless you fear any danger from

such command in the Pentateuch: but, on Mohammed's appealing to the book, the said law was found therein. Whereupon the criminals were stoned, to the great mortification of the Jews.

It is very remarkable that this law of Moses concerning the stoning of adulterers is mentioned in the New Testament (1), (though I know some dispute the authenticity of that whole passage,) but is not now to be found, either in the Hebrew or Samaritan Pentateuch, or in the Septuagint; it being only said that such shall be put to death (2). This omission is insisted on by the Mohammedans as one instance of the corruption of the law of Moses by the Jews.

It is also observable that there was a verse once extant in the Korân, commanding adulterers to be stoned; and the commentators say the words only are abrogated, the sense or law still remaining in force (3).

i A certain number of days.].i.e. Forty, the time their forefathers wor

(1) John viii. 5.

shipped the calf (4). Al Beidâwi adds, that some of them pretended their punishment was to last but seven days, that is, a day for every thousand years which they supposed the world was to endure; and that they imagined they were to be so mildly dealt with, either by reason of the intercession of their fathers the prophets, or because GOD had promised Jacob, that his offspring should be punished but slightly.

k How will it be with them, &c.] The Mohammedans have a tradition, that the first banner of the infidels that shall be set up, on the day of judgment, will be that of the Jews; and that God will first reproach them with their wickedness, over the heads of those who are present, and then order them to hell (5).

Thou bringest forth the living out of the dead, and the dead out of the living.] As a man from seed, and a bird from an egg; and vice versâ (6).

(2) Lev. xx. 10. See WHISTON's Essay towards restoring the true Text of the Old Test. p. 99, 100. (3) See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. (4) See before, p. 15. Note.

(5) Al

REIDAWI.

(6) JALLALO'DDIN.