they only utter lies. It is he who hath ordained the night for you, that ye may take your rest therein, and the clear day for labour: verily herein are signs unto people who hearken. They say, GOD hath begotten children: GOD forbid! He is self-sufficient. Unto him belongeth whatsoever is in heaven and on earth ye have no demonstrative proof of this. Do ye speak of GOD that which ye know not? Say, Verily they who imagine a lie concerning GOD, shall not prosper. They may enjoy a provision in this world; but afterwards unto us shall they return, and we will then cause them to taste a grievous punishment, for that they were unbelievers. Rehearse unto them the history of NOAH: when he said unto his people, O my people, if my standing forth among you, and my warning you of the signs of Gon, be grievous unto you; in GOD do I put my trust. Therefore lay your design against me, and assemble your false gods; but let not your design be carried on by you in the dark: then come forth against me, and delay not. And if ye turn aside from my admonitions, I ask not any reward of you for the same'; I expect my reward from GOD alone, and I am commanded to be one of those who are resigned unto him. But they accused him of imposture; wherefore we delivered him, and those that were with him in the ark, and we caused them to survive the flood, but we drowned those who charged our signs with falsehood. Behold, therefore, what was the end of those who were warned by Noah. Then did we send, after him, apostles unto their respective people", and they came unto them with evident demonstrations: yet they were not disposed to believe in that which they had before rejected as false. Thus do we seal up the hearts of the trans

* See chap vi.

1 I ask not any reward, &c.] Therefore ye cannot excuse yourselves, by saying that I am burthensome to you.

m We sent, after him, apostles unto their respective people.] As Hûd, Sâleh, Abraham, Lot, and Shoaib, to those of Ad, Thamûd, Babel, Sodom, and Midian.

gressors. Then did we send, after them, Moses and AARON unto PHARAOH, and his princes, with our signs: but they behaved proudly, and were a wicked people. And when the truth from us had come unto them, they said, Verily this is manifest sorcery. MOSES said unto them, Do ye speak this of the truth, after it hath come unto you? Is this sorcery? but sorcerers shall not prosper. They said, Art thou come unto us to turn us aside from that religion which we found our fathers practise; and that ye too may have the command in the land? But we do not believe you. And PHARAOH said, Bring unto me every expert magician. And when the magicians were come, MOSES said unto them, Cast down that which ye are about to cast down. And when they had cast down their rods and cords, MOSES said unto them, The enchantment which ye have performed, shall GOD surely render vain: for GOD prospereth not the work of the wicked doers. And GOD will verify the truth of his words, although the wicked be averse thereto. And there believed not any on MOSES, except a generation of his people, for fear of PHARAOH and of his princes, lest he should afflict them. And PHARAOH was lifted up with pride in the earth, and was surely one of the transgressors. And MOSES said, O my people, if ye believe in GOD, put your trust in him, if ye be resigned to his will. They answered, We put our trust in GOD: O LORD, suffer us not to be afflicted by unjust people; but deliver us through thy mercy, from the unbelieving people. And we spake by inspiration unto MOSES and his brother, saying, Provide habitations for your people in EGYPT, and make your houses a place of worship", and be con

stant at prayer; and bear good news unto the true believers. And MOSES said, O LORD, verily thou hast given unto PHARAOH and his people, pompous ornaments, and riches in this present life, O LORd, that they may be seduced from thy way: O LORD, bring their riches to nought, and harden their hearts; that they may not believe, until they see their grievous punishment. GOD said, Your petition is heard": be ye upright therefore, and follow not the way of those who are ignorant. And we caused the children of ISRAEL to pass through the sea; and PHARAOH and his army followed them in a violent and hostile manner; until, when he was drowning, he said, I believe that there is no GOD but he on whom the children of ISRAEL believe; and I am one of the resigned. Now dost thou believe, when thou hast been hitherto rebellious, and one of the wicked doers? This day will we raise thy body" from the bottom of the sea, that thou mayest be a sign unto those who shall be after thee; and verily a great number of men are negligent of our signs. And we prepared for the children of ISRAEL an established

which properly signifies that place or quarter towards which one prays. Wherefore al Zamakhshari supposes, that the Israelites are here ordered to dispose their oratories in such a manner, that, when they prayed, their faces might be turned towards Mecca: which he imagines was the Kebla of Moses, as it is that of the Mohammedans. The former commentator adds, that Pharaoh had forbidden the Israelites to pray to GOD; for which reason they were obliged to perform that duty privately in their houses.

Ornaments.] As magnificent ap parel, chariots, and the like.

Your petition is heard.] The pronoun is in the dual number; the antecedent being Moses and Aaron. The commentators say, that in consequence of this prayer, all the treasures of Egypt were turned into stones (1).

Be ye upright.] Or, as al Beidawi interprets it, Be ye constant and steady in preaching to the people.

(1) JALLALO'Ddin.

The Mohammedans pretend that Moses continue in Egypt no less than forty years, after he had first published his mission; which cannot be reconciled to scripture.

I believe that there is no God but he, &c.] These words, it is said, Pharaoh repeated often in his extremity, that he might be heard. But his repentance came too late; for Gabriel soon stopped his mouth with mud, lest he should obtain mercy; reproaching him at the same time in the words which follow.

u We will raise thy dead body, &c.] Some of the children of Israel doubting whether Pharaoh was really drowned, Gabriel,by GoD's command,caused his naked corpse to swim to shore that, they might see it (2). The word here translated Body, signifying also a coat of mail, some imagine the meaning to be, that his corpse floated armed with his coat of mail, which they tell us was of gold,by which they knew that it was he.

(2) See Exod. xiv. 30.

dwelling in the land of CANAAN, and we provided good things for their sustenance: and they differed not in point of religion, until knowledge had come unto them"; verily thy LORD will judge between them on the day of resurrection, concerning that wherein they disagreed. If thou art in a doubt concerning any part of that which we have sent down unto thee, ask them who have read the book of the law before thee. Now hath the truth come unto thee from thy LORD; be not therefore one of those who doubt neither be thou one of those who charge the signs of GOD with falsehood, lest thou become one of those who perish. Verily those against whom the word of thy LORD is decreed, shall not believe, although there come unto them every kind of miracle; until they see the grievous punishment prepared for them. And if it were not so, some city, among the many which have been destroyed, would have believed; and the faith of its inhabitants would have been of advantage unto them: but none of them believed, before the execution of their sentence, except the people of JONAS. When they believed, we delivered them from the punishment of shame in this world, and suffered them to enjoy their lives and possessions for a time. But if thy. LORD had

* Until after knowledge had come unto them.] i.e. After the law had been revealed, and published by Moses.

* Concerning that which we have sent down unto thee.] That is, concerning the truth of the histories which are here related. The commentators doubt whether the person here spoken to, be Mohammed himself, or his auditor.

The people of Jonas.] viz. The inhabitants of Nineve, which stood on or near the place where al Mawsel now stands. This people having corrupted themselves with idolatry, Jonas, the son of Mattai (or Amittai, which the Mohammedans suppose to be the name of his mother), an Israelite of the tribe of Benjamin, was sent by GOD to preach to and reclaim them. When he first began to exhort them to repentance, instead of hearkening

(1) See Jonah iii. 4. See chap. 21 and 37.

to him, they used him very ill, so that he was obliged to leave the city, threatening them, at his departure, that they should be destroyed within three days, or, as others say, within forty (1). But when the time drew near, and they saw the heavens overcast with a black cloud, which shot forth fire, and filled the air with smoke, and hung directly over their city, they were in a terrible consternation, and getting into the fields, with their families and cattle, they put on sackcloth, and humbled themselves before God, calling aloud for pardon, and sincerely repenting of their past wickedness. Whereupon GOD was pleased to forgive them, and the storm blew over (2).

2 For a time.] i. e. Until they died according to the ordinary course of nature.

(2) Al BEIDAWI, JALLALO'DDIN, ABULFED.

pleased, verily all who are in the earth would have believed in general. Wilt thou therefore forcibly compel men to be true believers? No soul can believe, but by the permission of GOD: and he shall pour out his indignation on those who will not understand. Say, Consider whatever is in heaven and on earth: but signs are of no avail, neither preachers, unto people who will not believe. Do they therefore expect any other than some terrible judgment, like unto the judgments which have fallen on those who have gone before them? Say, Wait ye the issue; and I also will wait with you: then will we deliver our apostles and those who believe. Thus is it a justice due from us, that we should deliver the true believers. Say, O men of MECCA, if ye be in doubt concerning my religion, verily I worship not the idols which ye worship, besides GOD; but I worship GoD, who will cause you to die: and I am commanded to be one of the true believers. And it was said unto me, Set thy face towards the true religion, and be orthodox; and by no means be one of those who attribute companions unto GOD; neither invoke, besides GOD, that which can neither profit thee nor hurt thee: for if thou do, thou wilt then certainly become one of the unjust. If GOD afflict thee with hurt, there is none who can relieve thee from it, except he; and if he willeth thee any good, there is none who can keep back his bounty: he will confer it on such of his servants as he pleaseth; and he is gracious and merciful. Say, O men, now hath the truth come unto you froin your LORD. He therefore who shall be directed, will be directed to the advantage of his own soul; but he who shall err, will err only against the same. I am no guardian over Do thou, O prophet, follow that which is revealed unto thee: and persevere with patience, until GOD shall judge; for he is the best judge.

you.