have already had a miracle Jhewn you in two armies, which attacked each
other *: one army fought for G od’s true religion, but the other were infidels;
they faw the faithful twice as many as themfelves in their eye-figh t;
for G od ftrengtheneth with his help whom he pleafeth. Surely herein was
an example unto men of underftanding. The love and eager defire of wives
and children, and fums heaped up of gold and filver, and excellent horfes,
and cattle, and land, is prepared for men; this is the provifion of the pre-
fent life ; but unto G od fhall be the moft excellent return. Say, Shall I declare
unto you better things than this ? For thofe who are de.vo\it.are prepared
with their L o r d , gardens through which rivers flow;, therein fljall
they continue for ever: and they fhall enjoy wives free from impurity, and
the favour of G o d ; for G od regardeth his fervants; who fay, O L ord we
do fincerely believe ; forgive us therefore our fins, and deliver us from tHe
pain of bell fire : the patient, and the lovers of truth, and the devout, and the
almfgivers, and thofe who ask pardon early in the morning. G od hath born
witnefs that there is no G od but he ; and the- angels, and thofe who are endowed
with wifdom profefs the fame ; who executeth righteoufnefs ; there is
no G od but he; the mighty, the wife. Verily the fra? religion in the fight
of G od, is Islam t; and they who had received the*fcriptures dififented not
therefrom, until after the knowledge <?ƒ G od’s unity had come unto them,
out of envy among themfelves ;but whofoever believeth notin the figns of God,
verily G od will be fwift in bringing him to account. I f they difpute with thee,
J r ' f ' %■
a Ye have already had a miracle Jhewn you in wards the enemy in the attack, faying, May their
two armies, &c.] The lign or miracle here faces be confounded; whereupon they immedi-
sieant, was the victory gained by Mohammed in the ately turned their backs and fled. But, tho’ the
iecond year of the Hejra, over the idolatrous prophet feemingly threw the gravel himfelf, yet
Meccans, headed by Abu Sof an, in the valley of he is .told in the Koran 3, that it was not he,
Bedr, vyhich is fltuate near the fea between but God,, who threw i t ; that is to fay, by the
Mecca and Medina. Mohammed's forces confifted miniftry of his angel. 2. The Mohammedan
o f no more than three hundred and nineteen troops feemed to the infidels to be twice as many
men, but the enemies army of near a thoufand ; in number as themfelves, which greatly difcour-
notwithftanding which odds, he put them to aged them. And, 3. God fent down to their
flight, having killed feventy of the principal afliftance firft a thoufand, and afterwards three
Koreijh, and taken as many prifoners, with the thoufand angels, led by Gabriel, mounted on
lofs of only fourteen of his own men 1 . This his horfe Haizum ; and according to the Ko-
was the firft victory obtained by the prophet, ran 4, thefe celeftial auxiliaries really did all
and tho’ it may feem no very confiderableadlion, the execution, tho’ Mohammed's men imagined
yet it was of great advantage to him, and the themfelves did it, and fought ftoutly at the lame
foundation of all his future power and fuccefs. time.
For which reafon it is famous in the Arabian hif- b Ifam.~\ The proper name o f the Moham-
tory, and more than once vaunted- in the Ko- medan religion, which fignifies the refigning or
ran 2, as an effedt of the divine afliftance. The devoting one's fe lf entirely to G o d and his fer-
miracle, it is faid, confifted in three things; 1. vice. This they fay is the religion which all
Mohammed, by the direction of the angel Ga- the prophets were fent to teach, being founded
briel, took a handful of gravel and threw it to- on the unity of G o d 5 .
1 See Elmacin. p. 5. Hottinger. Hijl. Orient. 1. 2 c. 4. Abulfed. vit. Moham. p. 5&
I3V. Pridjeaux’s Life of Mahom. p. 71. &c. 2 See this chap, below, & chap. 8, W
* Chap. 8. not far from the beginning. 4 Ibid* 5 Jallalq’ddin, A l Beidawi.
r I flave refigned my felf unto G od , and he who followeth me doth th e
fame' and fay unto them who have received the fcriptures, and to the ignorant*,
Do ve profefs th e religion o f Islam ? now if they embrace Islam, they are
furelv diredted ; but if they turn-their backs, verily unto thee belongeth preach-
■ ]nu , for G od regardeth his fervants. And unto thofe who believe not:
in the figns of G od, and flay the prophets without a caufe; and put thofe men
to death who teach juftice ; denounce unto them a painful punilhment. Thefe
are they whofe works perilh in this world, and in that which is to come ; and
they fhall have none to help them. Haft thou not obferved thofe unto whom
part of the fcripture was givenb? They were called unto the book of G od,-
fhatit might judge between them*; then fome of them turned their backs,
and redred afar off. This they did- becaufe they faid, The fire o f h e ll ftiall
by no means touch us, but for a ce r ta in number of days d: and that which
they had falfly devifed, hath, deceived them in their religion. How then
m i l it be w i th them , when we fhall gather them together at the day o f ju d g ment
', of which there, is no doubt; and every foul fhall be paid that which
neither ftiall thev be treated uniuftly ? Say, Q G od, whopof-
• The ignorant;] i. e. The-pagan Arab’s, who
had no knowledge of the fcriptures |g
fc Thofe unto whom part of the fcripture was
givenï]-. That is,' the Jéws. -
c They were called, unto the book of G od, £3V. ]
This, paffage was. revealed on -occafion of a difpute
Mohammed had with fome Jews, which is
differently related by the commentators.
Al Beiddwi. fays, That Mohammed going one
day in to a JewiJh fy na gogue, Naim Ebn Amru
and alHareth Ebn Zeid asked him what religion
he was of? To which he anfwering, O f the religion
of Abraham ; they replied, Abraham was a
Jew; but on Mohammed's propofing that the
Pentateuch might decide the ~ queftion, they
would by no means agree to it.
But Jallalo'ddin tells us, That two perfons of
the JewiJh religion having committed adultery,
their punilhment was referred to Mohammed,
who gave fentence that they lhould be ftoned,
according to the law of Mofes. This the Jews
refufed to fubmit to, alledging there was no fuch
command in the Pentateuch: but on Mohammed's
appealing to the book, the faid law was found
therein. Whereupon the criminals were ftoned,
to the great mortification of the Jews.
It is very remarkable that this law of Mofes concerning
the ftoning of adulterers is mentioned
in the New Teftament 2 (tho’ I know fome difpute
the authenticknefs of that whole paffage)
1 Iidem 2 John viii., 5. 3 Lev.
ing the true .text, of the Old Teft. p. 99, 100.
n . Not. b . 6 if/B eidawi.
but is not now tó be found, either in the Hebrew
or Samaritan Pentateuch, or in the Septuagint; it
being only faid that fuch Jhall be put to death 3.
This omilfion is infilled on by the Mohammedans
as one inftance of the corruption of the law of
Mofes by the Jews.
It is alfo obfervable that there was a verfe once
extant in the Koran,- commanding adulterers to
be ftoned; and the commentators fay the words-
only are abrogated, the fenfe or law ftill remaining
in force 4.
'd A certain number of days{\ i. e. Forty; the
time their forefathers worshipped the calf s . Al
Beiddwi adds, that fome of them pretended their
punilhment was to laftbut feven days, that is a
day for every thoufand years which they fuppof-
ed the world was to endure ; and that they
imagined they were to be fo mildly dealt with,
either by reafon of the interceflion of their fathers
the prophets, or becaufe G o d had promif-
ed Jacob, that his offspring /hould be punilhed
but flightly.
* Hozv will it be with them, &c.] The Mohammedans
have a tradition, that the firft banner
of the infidels that fhall be fet up, on the day of
judgment, will be that of the Jews; and that
G o d will firft reproach them with their wicked-
nefs, over .the heads of thofe who are prefent,
and then order them to hell 6.
xx. 10. See W h i s t o n ’ s Effay towards ref or-
4 See the Prelim. Difc. §• 3- ƒ : See bef i re %