prepared the fire of hell: it shall not be decreed them to die a second time; neither shall any part of the punishment thereof be made lighter unto them. Thus shall every infidel be rewarded. (34) And they shall cry out aloud in hell, saying, LORD, take us hence, and we will work righteousness, and not what we have formerly wrought. But it shall be answered them, Did we not grant you lives of length sufficient, that whoever would be warned might be warned therein; and did not the preacher come unto you? (35) taste therefore the pains of hell. And the unjust shall have no protector.

5

(36) Verily GOD knoweth the secrets both of heaven RIT and earth, for he knoweth the innermost parts of the breasts of men. (37) It is he who hath made you to succeed in the earth. Whoever shall disbelieve, on him be his unbelief; and their unbelief shall only gain the unbelievers greater indignation in the sight of their LORD; and their unbelief shall only increase the perdition of the unbelievers. (38) Say, What think ye of your deities which ye invoke besides GOD? Show me what part of the earth they have created. Or had they any share in the creation of the heavens? Have we given unto the idolaters any book of revelations, so that they may rely on any proof therefrom to authorise their practice? Nay; but the ungodly make unto one another only deceitful promises. (39) Verily GOD sustaineth the [heavens and the earth, lest they fail: and if they should fail, none could support the same besides him; he is gracious and merciful. (40) The Quraish swore by GOD, with a most solemn oath, that if a preacher had come unto them, they would surely have been more willingly directed than any nation: but now a preacher is come unto them, it hath only increased in them their aversion from the truth, (41) their arrogance in the earth, and their

(34) Preacher, i.e., Muhammad. See note on chap. ii. 119. (40) See note on chap. vi. 156.

(41) Contriving of evil, i.e., their plotting evil against Muhammad and the Muslims.

contriving of evil; but the contrivance of evil shall only encompass the authors thereof. Do they expect any other than the punishment awarded against the unbelievers of former times? For thou shalt not find any change in the ordinance of GOD; (42) neither shalt thou find any variation in the ordinance of GOD. (43) Have they not gone through the earth, and seen what hath been the end of those who were before them; although they were more mighty in strength than they? GOD is not to be frustrated by anything either in heaven or on earth; for he is wise and powerful. (44) If GoD should punish men according to what they deserve, he would not leave on the back of the earth so much as a beast: but he respiteth them to a determined time; (45) and when their time shall come, verily GOD will regard his servants.

Ordinance of God. Rodwell translates "way of God." The expression might refer to the ordinances of God's religion, as Brinckman assumes in his argument to show how this statement contradicts the fact of numerous changes in God's ordinances (Notes on Islam, p. 164); but unfortunately for his argument, the context clearly fixes the meaning here as equivalent to "way of dealing with unbelievers." The Quraish shall not escape the wrath of God, for such is his ordinance that all infidels "of former times" have been punished.

(48) This verse clearly proves man's lost condition without God's mercy intervening for his salvation, but the Qurán nowhere presents any way whereby this mercy may be exercised in consistency with His justice, holiness, and truth. Comp. chap. xvi. 63.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

ENTITLED SURAT UL YÁ SÍN (Y. S.)

Revealed at Makkah.

INTRODUCTION.

SALE says: "This chapter had several other titles given it by Muhammad himself, and particularly that of The Heart of the Quran.” The present title is taken from the mystic letters in the beginning.

This chapter is held in great esteem by the Muhammadans, who read it to the dying in their last agony, which is no doubt due to its teaching in regard to the resurrection. It reveals to us Muhammad as a preacher and a warner, yet withal a prophet, having as the seal of his claim the oath of God (vers. 1-3). As yet but few of the Quraish had given heed to his preaching or the warnings of his revelation. Indeed, we may fairly presume that the Prophet had preached so long in vain that he now despaired of the conversion of his hearers (vers. 6-9). We may also infer from the allusion to secret believers (ver. 10), and from the story of persecution (vers. 14-28), that the Muslims were now subjected to persecution of a severer nature than that of scoffs and blasphemous words. Notwithstanding this opposition, however, the Prophet proclaims the Divine unity in opposition to idolatry, and asserts the doctrine of a resurrection and final judgment.

On this account this chapter deserves the exalted title given it by Muhammad, as most of the distinctive doctrines of Islám are found in it in some form or other.

A point of considerable interest is noted by Rodwell: that this chapter and chapter xviii. contain the only references to Church history subsequent to the day of Pentecost to be found in the Qurán. The story of the apostles of Jesus given here, though referred by the commentators to Antioch, looks much more like a garbled rendering of the story of the martyrdom of Stephen. The shrine of

Habib at Antioch may have owed its existence to the story related by the commentators, and not to any real tomb; such shrines, erected to imaginary saints on the sites of imaginary tombs, being by no means uncommon in Muslim countries.

Noëldeke thinks there is probably an omission of a passage beween vers. 24 and 25, giving an account of the martyrdom of "the believer" by the infidels.

Probable Date of the Revelations.

Though this chapter is so clearly Makkan, both in style and matter, yet there have been those who have regarded it as Madínic (see Itqán, 27). Others, on the authority of a tradition as to its origin, regard ver. 11 as Madínic. Similarly ver. 47, in which almsgiving (Zikát) is mentioned, is regarded by some as Madínic, because the law of almsgiving was given after the Hijra (Itqán, 35). However, the practice of almsgiving antedates the Hijra, and we may therefore regard the passage as Makkan.

As to the date of the chapter, the most that can be said is that it must be referred to a time when the opposition of the Quraish was very determined, and when persecution was either begun or threatened. Muir fixes the date at about the beginning of the fifth stage (ie., about the tenth or eleventh year) of Muhammad's mission. It certainly cannot be assigned to a later date. The probability is that it should be fixed somewhat earlier, as the Bann of the Hashimites would almost certainly have been alluded to in a chapter emanating from the Sheb of Abu Tálib.

The greater part of the people of Makkah reprobate
Muhammad's preaching only profitable to secret believers.
The dead shall be raised; all their deeds are registered
Two apostles of Jesus sent to Antioch

They are rejected as impostors and threatened with stoning
The apostles warn the people of Antioch of impending

divine judgments

A certain believer is put to death by the infidels

The persecutors are suddenly destroyed

27, 28

Men generally reject God's messengers

The lessons of the past are forgotten

The doctrine of the resurrection asserted and illustrated

VERSES

Unbelievers unmoved by either fear or the signs of the

Qurán ..

45, 46

They scoff at almsgiving and the resurrection

47, 48

The resurrection trumpet and the judgment-day shall surprise the unbelievers

49-53

God says Be, and it is

God's judgment shall be according to works

The rewards of the righteous and the punishment of the wicked

God deals with the wicked as he pleaseth

Muhammad not a poet; the Qurán is the word of God
God manifest in his works of benevolence

Idolaters will find their trust in idols vain

The Prophet not to grieve at the hard speeches of the

The Creator of all things able to raise the dead to life

Praise be to the Sovereign Creator and raiser of the dead

54

55-65

66-68

69, 70

71-73

74, 75

76

77-81
82

83

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

1

il (1) Y. S. I swear by the instructive Qurán, (2) that R 18. thou art one of the messengers of God, (3) sent to show the right way. (4) This is a revelation of the most mighty, the merciful God: (5) that thou mayest warn a people whose fathers were not warned, and who live in negligence. (6) Our sentence hath justly been pronounced against the greater part of them; wherefore they shall

(1) Y. S. "The meaning of these letters is unknown: some, however, from a tradition of Ibn Abbás, pretend they stand for Yá insan, i.e., O man."—Sale.

(5) Were not warned, i.e., the Arabs. Compare chap. xxxiv. 43. (6) Our sentence, viz., "the sentence of damnation which God pronounced against the greater part of genii and men at the fall of Adam.' -Sale.

See note on chap. ii. 35, and compare chap. xxxviii. 85.

The sentence here intended does not apply to "the genii and men at the fall of Adam," but to the Quraish, who rejected Muhammad. They are spoken of as reprobates given over to destruction. I understand what follows as a vivid description in prophetic idiom of what shall be. This interpretation is confirmed by ver. 9.