who hath produced you out of the earth, and hath given you an habitation therein. Ask pardon of him therefore, and be turned unto him; for my LORD is near, and ready to answer. They answered, O SALEH, thou wast a person on whom we placed our hopes before this". Dost thou forbid us to worship that which our forefathers worshipped? But we are certainly in doubt concerning the religion to which thou dost invite us, as justly to be suspected. SALEH said, O my people, tell me; If I have received an evident declaration from my LORD, and he hath bestowed on me mercy from himself; who will protect me from the vengeance of GOD, if I be disobedient unto him? For ye shall not add unto me, other than loss. And he said, O my people, this she-camel of GOD is a sign unto you; therefore dismiss her freely, that she may feed in GoD's earth, and do her no harm, lest a swift punishment seize you. Yet they killed her; and SALEH said, Enjoy yourselves in your dwellings for three days, after which ye shall be destroyed. This is an infallible prediction. And when our decree came to be executed, we delivered SALEH, and those who believed with him, through our mercy, from the disgrace of that day; for thy LORD is the strong, the mighty GOD. But a terrible noise from heaven assailed those who had acted unjustly; and in the morning they were found in their houses, lying dead and prostrate; as though they had never dwelt therein. Did not THAMUD disbelieve in their LORD? Was not THAMUD cast far away? Our messengers' also came

We had placed our hopes on thee before this.] Designing to have made thee our prince, because of the singular prudence, and other good qualities, which we observed in thee; but thy dissenting from us in point of religious worship has frustrated those hopes (1).

* For three days.] viz. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (2). See chap. 7.

(1) Al BEIDAWI. See Gen. xviii.

(2) Idem.

y Our messengers.] These were the angels, who were sent to acquaint Abraham with the promise of İsaac, and to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Some of the commentators pretend they were twelve, or nine, or ten, in number; but others, agreeably to scripture, say they were but three, viz. Gabriel, Michael, and Israfil (3).

(3) Idem. JALLALO'DDIN.

formerly unto ABRAHAM, with good tidings. They said, Peace be upon thee. And he answered, And on you be peace! and he tarried not, but brought a roasted calf. And when he saw that their hands did not touch the meat, he misliked them, and entertained a fear of them. But they said, Fear not: for we are sent unto the people of Lor. And his wife SARAH was standing by, and she laughed ©; and we promised her ISAAC, and after ISAAC, JACOB. She said, Alas! shall I bear a son, who am old; this my husband also being advanced in years? Verily this would be a wonderful thing. The angels answered, Dost thou wonder at the effect of the command of GOD? The mercy of GOD and his blessings be upon you, the family of the house": for he is praise-worthy, and to be glorified. And when his apprehension had departed from ABRAHAM, and the good tidings of ISAAC's birth had come unto him, he disputed with us concerning the people of LoT': for ABRAHAM was a pitiful, com

He entertained a fear of them.] Apprehending they had some ill design against him, because they would not eat with him.

a We are sent unto the people of Lot.] Being angels, whose nature needs not the support of food (1).

b Sarah was standing by.] Either behind the curtain or door of the tent; or else waiting upon them.

And she laughed.] The commentators are so little acquainted with scripture, that, not knowing the true occasion of Sarah's laughter, they strain their inventions to give some reason for it. One says, that she laughed at the angels discovering themselves, and ridding Abraham and herself of their apprehensions; and another, that it was at the approaching destruction of the Sodomites, (a very probable motive in one of her sex !) Some however interpret the original word differently, and will have it that she did not laugh, but that her courses, which had stopped for several years, came upon her at this time, as a previous sign of her future conception (2).

d Shall I bear a son who am old, my husband also being advanced in years?] Al Beidâwi writes, that Sarah was then ninety or ninety-nine years old, and Abraham an hundred and twenty.

e The family of the house.] Or the stock whence all the prophets were to proceed for the future. Or the expression may perhaps refer to Abraham and Ismael's building the Caaba, which is often called, by way of excellence, The house.

f He disputed with us concerning the people of Lot.] That is, he interceded with us for them (3). Jallalo'ddin, instead of the numbers mentioned by Moses, says, that Abraham first asked whether GOD would destroy those cities if three hundred righteous persons were found therein, and so fell successively to two hundred, forty, fourteen, and at last came to one: but there was not one righteous person to be found among them, except only Lot and his family.

(1) Al BEIDAWI, JALLALO'DDIN. See Gen. xviii. (2) Idem, JALLALO'DDIN, AlZAMAKHSHARI. (3) V. Gen. xviii. 23, &c.

passionate, and devout person. The angels said unto him, O ABRAHAM, abstain from this; for now is the command of thy LORD come, to put their sentence in execution, and an inevitable punishment is ready to fall upon them. And when our messengers came unto LOT, he was troubled for them, and his arm was straitened concerning them", and he said, This is a grievous day. And his people came unto him, rushing upon him: and they had formerly been guilty of wickedness. LoT said unto them, O my people, these my daughters are more lawful for you: therefore fear GOD, and put me not to shame by wronging my guests. Is there not a man of prudence among you? They answered, Thou knowest that we have no need of thy daughters; and thou well knowest what we would have. He said, If I had strength sufficient to oppose you, or I could have recourse unto a powerful support, I would certainly do it. The angels said, O LOT, verily we are the messengers of thy LORD; they shall by no means come in unto thee'. Go forth therefore with thy family, in some part of the night, and let not any of you turn back but as for thy wife, that shall happen unto her which shall happen unto them.

He was troubled for them.] Because they appeared in the shape of beautiful young men, which must needs tempt those of Sodom to abuse them (1).

h His arm was straitened concerning them.] i. e. He knew himself unable to protect them against the insults of his townsmen.

iThe angels said, O LOT,-they shall by no means come in unto thee.] Al Beidâwi says, that Lot shut his door, and argued the matter with the riotous assembly from behind it; but at length they endeavoured to get over the wall whereupon Gabriel, seeing his distress, struck them on the face with one of his wings, and blinded them so that they moved off, crying out for help, and saying that Lot had magicians in his house.

But as for thy wife, &c.] This

seems to be the true sense of the passage; but, according to a different reading of the vowel, some interpret it, Except thy wife; the meaning being, that Lot is here commanded to take his family with him, except his wife. Wherefore the commentators cannot agree whether Lot's wife went forth with him or not; some denying it, and pretending that she was left behind, and perished in the common destruction; and others affirming it, and saying, that when she heard the noise of the storm, and overthrow of the cities, she turned back, lamenting their fate, and was immediately struck down and killed by one of the stones mentioned a little lower (2); a punishment she justly merited for her infidelity, and disobedience to her husband (3).

(1) JALLALO'DDIN, Al BEIDAWI. V. JOSEPH. Ant. 1. 1. c. 11. interpretes. (3) See chap. lxvi.

(2) Iidem

Verily the prediction of their punishment shall be fulfilled in the morning: is not the morning near? And when our command came, we turned those cities upside down', and we rained upon them stones of baked clay", one following another, and being marked", from thy LORD; and they are not far distant from those who act unjustly. And unto MADIAN we sent their brother SHOAIBP: he said, O my people, worship GoD; ye have no GOD but him and diminish not measure and weight. Verily I see you to be in a happy condition: but I fear for you the punishment of the day which will encompass the ungodly. O my people, give full measure, and just weight; and diminish not unto men aught of their matters; neither commit injustice in the earth, acting corruptly. The residue which shall remain unto you as the gift of GOD, after ye shall have done justice to others, will be better for you, than wealth gotten by fraud; if ye be true believers. I am no guardian over you. They answered, O SHOAIB, do thy prayers enjoin thee, that we should leave the gods which our fathers worshipped; or that we should not do what we please with our substance? Thou only, it seems, art the wise person, and fit to direct. He said, O my people, tell me; If I have received an

1 We turned those cities upside down.] For they tell us, that Gabriel thrust his wing under them, and lifted them up so high, that the inhabitants of the lower heaven heard the barking of the dogs, and the crowing of the cocks; and then inverting them, threw them down to the earth (1).

Stones of baked clay.] The kiln wherein they were burned, some imagine to have been hell.

" And being marked.] That is, as some suppose, streaked with white and red, or having some other peculiar mark to distinguish them from ordinary stones. But the common opinion is, that each stone had the name of the person who was to be killed by it written thereon (2). The army of Abraha al Ashram was also destroyed by the same kind of stones.

(1) JALLALO'DDIN, A BEIDAWI.

• And they are not far distant from those who act unjustly.] This is a kind of threat to other wicked persons, and particularly to the infidels of Mecca, who deserved, and might justly apprehend, the same punishment.

P See chap. vii.

I see you to be in a happy condition.] That is, enjoying plenty of all things; and therefore having the less occasion to defraud one another, and being the more strongly bound to be thankful and obedient unto God.

That we should not do what we please with our substance.] For this liberty they imagined was taken from them, by his prohibition of false weights and measures, or to diminish or adulterate their coin (3).

(2) lidem. (3) Al BEIDAWI.

evident declaration from my LORD, and he hath bestowed on me an excellent provision, and I will not consent unto you in that which I forbid you; do I seek any other than your reformation to the utmost of my power? My support is from GOD alone; on him do I trust, and unto him do I turn me. O my people, let not your opposing of me, draw on you a vengeance like unto that which fell on the people of NOAH, or the people of HUD, or the people of SALEH: neither was the people of LOT far distant 'from you. Ask pardon therefore of your LORD; and be turned unto him; for my LORD is merciful, and loving. They answered, O SHOAIB, we understand not much of what thou sayest; and we see thee to be a man of no power among us: if it had not been for the sake of thy family", we had surely stoned thee, neither couldest thou have prevailed against us. SHOAIB said, O my people, is my family more worthy in your opinion, than GOD? and do ye cast him behind you with neglect? Verily my LORD comprehendeth that which ye do. O my people, do ye work according to your condition; I will surely work according to my duty". And ye shall certainly know on whom will be inflicted a punishment which shall cover him with shame, and who is a liar. Wait therefore the event; for I also will

t

wait it with you. Wherefore when our decree came to be executed, we delivered SHOAIB and those who believed with him, through our mercy: and a terrible noise from heaven assailed those who had acted unjustly; and in the morning they were found in their

Neither was the people of Lot far distant from you.] For Sodom and Gomorrah were situate not a great way from you, and their destruction happened not many ages ago; neither did they deserve it, on account of their obstinacy and wickedness, much more than yourselves.

A man of no power.] The Arabic word Daif, Weak, signifying also, in the Hamyaritic dialect, Blind, some suppose that Shoaib was so, and that the Midianites objected that to him,

as a defect which disqualified him for the prophetic office.

u For the sake of thy family.] i. e. For the respect we bear to thy family and relations, whom we honour as being of our religion, and not for any apprehension we have of their power to assist you against us. The original word, here translated Family, signifies any number from three to seven or ten, but not more (1). w See chap. 6.

(1) A BEIBAWI.