other in a debt for a certain time, write it down •, and let a writer write between
you according tojuftice, and let not the writer refuie writing according to what
G od hath taught him •, but let him write, and let him who oweth the debt
diftate, and let him fear G od his L o r d , and not diminilh ought thereof. But
if he who oweth the debt be foolilh, or weak, or be not able to di&ate
himfelf, let his agent * diftate according to equity ; and call to witnefs two
witneffes of your neighbouring men; but if there be not two men, let there It
a man and two women of thofe whom ye fhall choofe for witneffes: if one of
thofe women Ihould miftake, the other of them will caufe her to recoiled.
And the witneffes lhall not refufe, whenfoever they fhall be called. And dif-
dain not to write it down, be it a large debt, or be it a fmall one, until its
time o f payment: this will be more juft in the fight of G o d , and more right
for bearing witnefs, and more eafy, that ye may not doubt. But if it be a pre-
lent bargain which ye tranfadb between your felves, it fhall be no crime in you,
if ye write it not down. And take witneffes when ye fell one to the other, and
let no harm be done to the writer, nor to the witnefs; which if ye do, it will
furely be injuftice in you: and fear G o d , and G od will inftruft you, for God
knoweth all things. And if ye be on a journey, and find no writer, /^pledges
be taken : but if one of you truft the other, let him who is trufted return what
he is trufted with, and fear G od his L o r d . And conceal not the teftimony, for
he who concealeth it, hath furely a wicked heart: G od knoweth-that which ye
do. Whatever is in heaven, and on earth is G o d ’ s : and whether ye manifeft
that which is in your minds, or conceal it, G o d will call you to account for
it, and will forgive whom he pleafeth, and will punifh whom he pleafeth ; for
G od is almighty. The apoftle believeth in that which hath been fent down unto
him from his L o r d , and the faithful alfo. Every one o f them believeth in
G o d , and his angels, and his fcriptures, and his apoftles: we make no dif-
tin&ionat all between his apoftlesh. And they fay, We have heard, and do
obey: -we implore thy mercy, O L o r d , for unto thee muft we return. God
will not force any foul beyond its capacity: it fhall have the good which it
gaineth, and it fhall fuffer the evil which it gaineth. O L o r d punifh us not, if
we forget, or ad finfully : O L ord lay not on us a burthen like that which
thou haft laid on thofe who have been before us c; neither make us, O L ord,
to bear what we have not ftrength to bear, but be favourable unto us, and
fpare us, and be merciful unto us. Thou art our patron, help us therefore a-
eainft the unbelieving nations.
* C H A P .
on thofe who have been before nst] That is on the
Jews, who, as the commentators tell us, were
ordered to kill a man by way of atonement, to
give one fourth of their fubftance in alms, and to
cut off an unclean ulcerous part3, and were forbidden
to eat fat, or animals that divided the
hoof, and were obliged to obferve the fabbath,
and other particulars wherein the Mohammedan
are at liberty 4.
a His agent.'] Whoever manages his affairs,
whether his father, heir, guardian, or interpreter
1. . .
b We make no diftinftion between his apoftles.]
But this, fay the Mohammedans, the Jews do,
who receive Mofes, but reject Jefus ; and the
Chriftians, who receive both thofe prophets, but
rej eft Mohammed 2 •
* Lay not on us fuch a burthen, as thou didft lay
CHAP. III.
Intitled, The family of I mran2; revealed at Medina..
In the name of the moft merciful G od.
AL . M .b. There is no G od but G o d , the living, the felf-fubfifting :
He hath fent down unto thee the book o f the Konun with truth, confirming
that which was revealed before i t ; for he had formerly fent down the
law, and the gofpel, a diredion unto men ; and he had alfo fent down the
diftindion between good and evil. Verily thofe who believe not the figns of
G od, fhall fuffer a grievous punifhment •, for G od is mighty, able to revenge.
Surely nothing is hidden from G o d , o f that which is on earth, or in heaven:
it is he who formeth you in the wombs, as he pleafeth ; there is no God but
he, the mighty, the wife. It is he who hath fent down unto thee the book,
wherein are fome verfes clear to be underftood, they are the foundation o f the
book ; and others are parabolicalc. But they whofe hearts are psrverfe will
follow that which is parabolical therein, out of love of fchifm, and a defire
of the interpretation thereof; yet none knoweth the interpretation thereof,
except G o d . But they who are well grounded in knowledge fay, We believe
therein, the whole is from our L o r d ; and none will confider except
the prudent. O L o r d , caufe not our hearts to fwerve from truth, after thou
haft direded us : and give us from thee mercy, for thou art he who giveth.
O L ord, thou fhalt furely gather mankind together, unto a day o f refurrec-
tion: there is no doubt of it, for G o d will not be contrary to the promife.
As for the infidels, their wealth fhall not profit them any thing, nor their
children, againft’.GoD : they fhall be the fewel of hell fire. According to the
wont of the people of P h a r a o h , and of thofe who went before them, they
charged our figns with a lie ; but G o d caught them in their wickednefs, and
G od is fevere in punifhing. Say unto thofe who believe not, Ye fhall be
overcome, and thrown together into hell; an unhappy couch Jhall it be. Ye
F 2 have
1 Imran.] This name is given in the Koran The contents of the Koran are here diftin-
to the father of the virgin Mary. See below, guiihed into fuch paffages as are to be taken in
p. 38. the literal fenfe, and fuch as require a figurative
b A. L. M.] For the meaning of thefe let- acceptation. The former being plain and ob-
ters, the reader is referred to the Preliminary vious to be underftood, compofe the fundamen-
Difcourfe, Seft. III. tal part, or, as the original expreffes it, the mother
c Wherein are fome verfes clear to be underftood, of the book, and contain the principal doftrines
—— and others are parabolical.] This paffage is and precepts; agreeably to, and confiftently with
tranflated according to the expofition of al Za- which, thofe paffages which are wrapt up in
makhjhari and al Beidawi, which feems to be metaphors, and delivered in an enigmatical, al-
the trueft. legorical ftile, are always to be interpreted 1.