Page images
PDF
EPUB

them, and on their right hands;" and it shall be said unto them, Good tidings unto you this day: gardens through which rivers flow: ye shall remain therein for ever. This will be great felicity. On that day the hypocritical men and the hypocritical women shall say unto those who believe, Stay for us," that we may borrow some of your light. It shall be answered, Return back into the world, and seek light. And a high wall shall be set betwixt them, wherein shall be a gate, within which shall be mercy; and without it, over against the same, the torment of hell. The hypocrites shall call out unto the true believers, saying, Were we not with you? They shall answer, Yea; but ye seduced your own souls by your hypocrisy; and ye waited our ruin; and ye doubted concerning the faith; and your wishes deceived you, until the decree of GOD came, and ye died and the deceiver deceived you concerning GOD. This day, therefore, a ransom shall not be accepted of you, nor of those who have been unbelievers. Your abode shall be hell fire: this is what ye have deserved; and an unhappy journey shall it be thither! Is not the time yet come unto those who believe, that their hearts should humbly submit to the admonition of GOD, and to that truth which hath been revealed; and that they be not as those unto whom the scripture was given heretofore, and to whom the time of forbearance was prolonged, but their hearts were hardened, and many of them were wicked doers? Know that God quickeneth the earth, after it hath been dead. Now have we distinctly declared our signs unto you, that ye may understand. Verily as to the almsgivers, both men and women, and those who lend unto God an acceptable loan, he will double the same unto them; and they shall moreover receive an honourable reward. And they who believe in GoD and his apostles, these are the men of veracity, and the witnesses in the presence of their LORD they shall have their reward, and their light. But as to those who believe not, and accuse our signs of falsehood, they shall be the companions of hell. Know that this present life is only a toy and a vain amusement: and worldly pomp, and the affectation of glory among you, and the multiplying of riches and children, are as the plants nourished by the rain, the springing up whereof delighteth the husbandmen; after vards they wither, so that thou seest the same turned yellow, and at length they become dry stubble. And in the life to come will be a severe punishment for those who covet worldly grandeur; and pardon from GOD, and favour for those who renounce it: for this present life is no other than a deceitful provision. Hasten with emulation to obtain pardon from your

One light leading them the right way to paradise, and the other proceeding from the book wherein their actions are recorded, which they will hold in their right hand. "Thou shalt one day see the faithful encompassed by a resplendent lustre."-Savary. For the righteous will hasten to paradise swift as lightning.

"Remain," it shall be replied unto them, "remain in darkness."-Savary.

Those who shall have entered into the holy covenant, and who support it by their riches, shall be repaid twofold that which they shall have given, and shall be magnifi. cently rewarded.”—Savary.

These are the true believers."-Savary.

LORD, and paradise, the extent whereof equalleth the extent of heaven and earth, prepared for those who believe in GoD and his apostles. This is the bounty of GOD: he will give the same unto whom he pleaseth; and GOD is endued with great bounty. No accident happeneth in the earth, nor in your persons, but the same was entered in the book of our decrees, before we created it: verily this is easy with GOD: and this is written lest ye immoderately grieve for the good which escapeth you, or rejoice for that which happeneth unto you; for God loveth no proud or vainglorious person, or those who are covetous, and command men covetousness. And whoso turneth aside from giving alms; verily God is selfsufficient, worthy to be praised. We formerly sent our apostles with evident miracles and arguments; and we sent down with them the scriptures, and the balance, that men might observe justice: and we sent them down iron, wherein is mighty strength for war, and various advantages unto mankind:* that God may know who assisteth him and his apostles in secret; for GOD is strong and mighty. We formerly sent Noah and Abraham, and we established in their posterity the gift of prophecy, and the scripture and of them some were directed, but many of them were evil doers. Afterwards we caused our apostles to succeed in their footsteps; and we caused Jesus the son of Mary to succeed them, and we gave him the gospel and we put in the hearts of those that followed him compassion and mercy but as to the monastic state, they instituted the same (we did not prescribe it to them) only out of a desire to please God;. yet they observed not the same as it ought truly to have been observed. And we gave unto such of them as believed their reward: but many of them were wicked doers. O ye who believe in the prophets, fear GoD, and believe in his apostle Mohammed he will give you two portions of his mercy, and he will ordain you a light wherein ye may walk, and he will forgive you; for GOD is ready to forgive, and merciful: that those who have received the scriptures may know that they have not power over any of the favours of GOD," and that good is in the hand of God; he bestoweth the same on whom he pleaseth; for God is endued with great beneficence.

:

8

i. e. A rule of justice. Some think that a balance was actually brought down from neaven by the angel Gabriel to Noah, the use of which he was ordered to introduce among his people.

That is, We taught them how to dig the same from mines. Al Zamakhshari adds, that Adam is said to have brought down with him from paradise five things made of iron, viz. an anvil, a pair of tongs, two hammers, a greater and a lesser, and a needle. Warlike instruments and weapons being generally made of iron.

"We taught the art of forging iron, to render it fit for battle, and useful to the wants of life."-Savary.

That is, sincerely and heartily.

These words are directed to the Jews and Christians, or rather to the latter only. One as a recompense for their believing in Mohammed, and the other as a recompense for their believing in the prophets who preceded him: for they will not lose the reward of their former religion, though it be now abrogated by the promulgation of Islam.

i. e. That they cannot expect to receive any of the favours above-mentioned, because they believe not in his apostle, and those favours are annexed to him in faith; or, That they have not power to dispose of God's favours, particularly of the greatest of them, the gift of prophecy, so as to appropriate the same to whom they please. • Idem.

• Al Beidâwi.

CHAPTER LVIII.

INTITLED, SHE WHO DISPUTED; REVEALED AT MEDINA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

*[XXVIII.] Now hath God heard the speech of her who disputed with thee concerning her husband, and made her complaint unto God; and God hath heard your mutual discourse: for GOD both heareth and seeth. As to those among you who divorce their wives, by declaring that they will thereafter regard them as their mothers; let them know that they are not their mothers. They only are their mothers who brought them forth; and they certainly utter an unjustifiable saying and a falsehood:† but God is gracious and ready to forgive. Those who divorce their wives by declaring that they will for the future regard them as their mothers, and afterwards would repair what they have said, shall be obliged to free a captive before they touch one another. That is what ye are warned to perform · and God is well apprized of that which ye do. And whoso findeth not a captive to redeem, shall observe a fast of two consecutive months, before they touch one another. And whoso shall not be able to fast that time, shall feed threescore poor men. This is ordained you, that ye may believe in GoD and his apostle. These are the statutes of GOD: and for the unbelievers is prepared a grievous torment. Verily they who oppose God and his apostle shall be brought low, as the unbelievers who preceded them were brought low. And now have we sent down manifest signs: and an ignominious punishment awaiteth the unbelievers. On a certain day GoD

▾ Some are of opinion that the first ten verses of this chapter, ending with these words, and fear God, before whom ye shall be assembled, were revealed at Mecca, and the rest at Medina.'

This was Khawla bint Thâlaba, the wife of Aws Ebn al Sâmat, who, being divorced by her husband by a form in use among the Arabs in the time of ignorance, viz. by saying to her, Thou art to me as the back of my mother, came to ask Mohammed's opinion whether they were necessarily obliged to a separation; and he told her that it was not lawful for her to cohabit with her husband any more: to which she replying, that her husband had not put her away, the prophet repeated his former decision, adding that such form of speaking was by general consent understood to imply a perpetual separation. Upon this the woman being greatly concerned because of the smallness of her children, went home, and uttered her complaint to God in prayer: and thereupon this passage was revealed, allowing a man to take his wife again, notwithstanding his having pronounced the above-mentioned form of divorce, on doing certain acts of charity, or mortification, by way of penance.

* "Heaven hath heard the voice of her who brought unto thee her complaint against her husband, and who raised to the Lord her eyes bathed in tears."-Savary.

And therefore no woman ought to be placed in the same degree of prohibition, except those whom God has joined with them, as nursing mothers, and the wives of the prophet. "They cannot become their wives."-Savary.

This seems to be here the true meaning of the original word, which properly signifies to return, and is variously expounded by the Mohammedan doctors.

Which captive, according to the most received decision, ought to be a true believer:

as is ordered for the expiation of manslaughter.'

"They who swear to live no longer with their wives, and who repent of their oath, must not have intercourse with them before they have liberated a captive."-Savary. Al Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin, &c. See ibid. p. 71, 72.

A. Peidawi.

See chap. 33, p. 341.

'A' Beidâwi. See chap. 4, p. 62, and chap. 33, p. 349.

shall raise them all to life, and shall declare unto them that which they have wrought. God hath taken an exact account thereof; but they have forgotten the same: and GoD is witness over all things. Dost thou not perceive that God knoweth whatever is in heaven and in earth? There is no private discourse among three persons, but he is the fourth of them; nor among five, but he is the sixth of them; neither among a smaller number than this, nor a larger, but he is with them, wheresoever they be: and he will declare unto them that which they have done, on the day of resurrection; for God knoweth all things. Hast thou not observed those who have been forbidden to use clandestine discourse, but afterwards return to what they have been forbidden, and discourse privily among themselves of wickedness, and enmity, and disobedience towards the apostle? And when they come unto thee, they salute thee with that form of salutation wherewith God doth not salute thee; and they say among themselves, by way of derision, Would not God punish us for what we say, if this man were a prophet? Hell shall be their sufficient punishment: they shall go down into the same to be burned; and an unhappy journey shall it be! O true believers, when ye discourse privily together, discourse not of wickedness, and enmity, and disobedience towards the apostle; but discourse of justice and piety and fear GOD, before whom ye shall be assembled. Verily the clandestine discourse of the infidels proceedeth from Satan,† that he may grieve the true believers: but there shall be none to hurt them in the least, unless by the permission of God; wherefore in God let the faithful trust. O true believers, when it is said unto you, Make room in the assembly; make room: GoD will grant you ample room in paradise. And when it is said unto you, Rise up; rise up: GoD will raise those of you who believe, and those to whom knowledge is given, to superior degrees of honour; and GoD is fully apprized of that which ye do. O true believers, when ye go to speak with the apostle, give alms previously to your discoursing with him; this will be better for you, and more pure. But if ye find not what to give, verily God will be gracious and merciful unto you. Do ye fear to give alms previously to your discoursing with the prophet, lest ye should impoverish yourselves? Therefore if ye do it not, and God is gra

"Hast thou considered those to whom clandestine assemblies have been forbidden, and who resort to them in spite of the prohibition."-Savary.

That is, the Jews and hypocritical Moslems, who caballed privately together against Mohammed, and made signs to one another when they saw the true believers: and this they continued to do, notwithstanding they were forbidden.

It seems they used, instead of Al Salẩm aleica, i. e. Peace be upon thee, to say, Al sâm aleica, i. e. Mischief on thee, &c.

"The clandestine assemblies are prompted by Satan."-Savary.

In this passage the Moslems are commanded to give place, in the public assemblies, to the prophet and the more honourable of his companions; and not to press and crowd upon him, as they used to do, out of a desire of being near him, and hearing his discourse.

To show your sincerity, and to honour the apostle. It is doubted whether this be a counsel or a precept; but however it continued but a very little while in force, being agreed on all hands to be abrogated by the following passage, Do ye fear to give alms, &c.1

[blocks in formation]

cious unto you, by dispensing with the said precept for the future, be constant at prayer, and pay the legal alms; and obey GoD and his apostle in all other matters: for God well knoweth that which ye do. Hast thou not observed those who have taken for their friends a people against whom GOD is incensed? They are neither of you, nor of them: and they swear to a lie knowingly. God hath prepared for them a grievous punishment; for it is evil which they do. They have taken their oaths for a cloak, and they have turned men aside from the way of God:* wherefore a shameful punishment awaiteth them; neither their wealth nor their children shall avail them at all against GOD. These shall be the inhabitants of hell fire; they shall abide therein for ever. On a certain day GOD shall raise them all: then will they swear unto him, as they swear now unto you, imagining that it will be of service to them. Are they not liars? Satan hath prevailed against them, and hath caused them to forget the remembrance of GOD. These are the party of the devil; and shall not the party of the devil be doomed to perdition? Verily they who oppose GOD and his apostle shall be placed among the most vile. God hath written, Verily I will prevail, and my apostles: for God is strong and mighty. Thou shalt not find people who believe in God and the last day to love him who opposeth GoD and his apostle; although they be their fathers, or their sons, or their brethren, or their nearest relations. In the hearts of these hath GoD written faith; and he hath strengthened them with his spirit: and he will lead them into gardens, beneath which rivers flow, to remain therein for ever. GOD is well pleased in them; and they are well pleased in him. These are the party of GoD: and shall not the party of GoD prosper?

CHAPTER LIX.

INTITLED, THE EMIGRATION; REVEALED AT MEDINA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

WHATEVER is in heaven and earth celebrateth the praise of GOD: and he is the mighty, the wise. It was he who caused those who believed not, of the people who receive the scripture, to depart from their habitations at the first emigration. Ye did not think that they would go

i. e. The Jews.

Being hypocrites, and wavering between the two parties.

i. e. They have solemnly professed Islâm, which they believe not in their hearts. "Under the shelter of their perjuries, they turn aside others from the divine law." -Savary.

The original word signifies the quitting or removing from one's native country, or set. tlement, to dwell elsewhere, whether it be by choice or compulsion.

The people here intended were the Jews of the tribe of al Nadir, who dwelt in Medina, and when Mohammed fled thither from Mecca, promised him to stand neuter between him and his opponents, and made a treaty with him to that purpose. When he had gained the battle of Bedr, they confessed that he was the prophet described in the law: but upon his receiving that disgrace at Ohod, they changed their note: and Caab Ebn al Ashraf with

« PreviousContinue »