of you ; but other part were troubled by their own fouls * ; falfely thinking
of G od a foolilh imagination, ‘ faying, Will any thing of the matter happen
unto us6? Say, Verily- the matter lelongeth wholly unto G od. They concealed
in their minds what they declared not unto thee ; faying', If any thing o f
the matter had happened unto us d, we had not been (lain here. Anfwer, If
ye had been in your houfes,, verily they would have gone forth to fight,
whofe (laughter was decreed, to th?'places where they died, and this 'came to
pafs that G od: might try what was in your breads, and might difcern what
was in your hearts ; for G od knoweth the inpermoft parts of . the bréafts o f
men. Verily they among you who turned, their backs on the day whereon
the two armies met each other at O hod, S a t a n caufed them to flip, f o r
fome crime which they had committed': but now hath G od forgiven them;
for G od is gracious and merciful. O true believers, be not as they who believed
not, and faid of their brethren, when they had journeyed in "the land
or had been at war, If they, had been with us, thofe had not died, nor had
thefe. been (lain : whereas what hefel them was fo orefaihed that G od might make
■ it matter o f fighing in their hearts. G od giveth life, and caufeth to die:
and G od fteth that which ye do. Moreover if ye be (lain, or die in defence of
the religion of G od ; verily pardon from G od, and mercy is better than what
they heap together (ƒ worldly riches. And if ye die, or be (lain, Vèrily unto
G od lhall. ye be gathered. And as to the mercy granted unto the difob'edient
from G od, thou O M ohammed haft been mild - towards .them -T but if .thou
hadft been fevere, and hard-hearted, they had fu-rely feparated themfelves
from about thee, Therefore forgive them, and a(k pardon for them : and
confult them in the affair (ƒ war -, and after thou haft deliberated,-truft in
G od ; for G od loveth thofe who truft in h im. If G od help you, none (hall
-conquer you ; but, if he defert you, who is-it that will help you after him !
Therefore in G od let the faithfal truft. It is not the part of a prophet to
defraud f, for he who defraudeth, (hall bring with him what he hath defrauded
' Then b e J en t dozen upon you — a f o f t Jleep, &c.] our companions had not (oft their Jives 3.
After the a£tion, thofe who had ftood firm in _ * For fome c r im e w h ic h they had’ committedi] viz.
the battle were refreihed.as they lay in the field, For their, covetoufnafs in quitting their poft to
.by falling . into; an agreeable ileep, fo that the feize the plunder.
fwords fell out of their hands ; .but thofe who f ‘ J t is not th e p a r t o f a prophet to defraitd.&c.]
had behaved fheriifelv.es.ill were troubled in.their This :paflage was- revealed, as, fome fay, on the
minds, imaginingthey were n ow given over to divifion o f the.fpoil at B ed r ; when fome of the
deftriuftion 1. . foldiers fufpqdted Mohammed of having privately
' W i l l any th in g o f th e m a tte r happen unto us f ] taken a fcarlet carpet made all of filk and very
That is, Is there any appearance of fucceft, o,r rich, which was miffing 4. Others fuppofe the
of the divine favour and, affiitance .which we archers, who occafioned the lofs of the battle of
have been promifed 1 î , ' ’ - , O h o d , left their ftation .becaufe they, imagined
1 Baying,, &c,.] i.e. To themfelves,:or to one Mohammed w o o là not give them their Dure of
another in .private. the plunder; becaufe, as it is related, he once
' I f any th in g o f th e matter h a d happened unto Tent out a party as an advanced guard, and in
ü s , &c.] It G od had affifted us according to his the mean time attacking the enemy, took fome
promife ; or, as, others interpret the. words, if fpoils which he divided among thofe who Were
we had taken the advice of A b d a lla h E b n y tb i with him in the atftion, and gave nothing to the
So lu i, and had kept within the town of M e d in a ', party that was abfent on duty 1.
1 A l Beidawi, jALLAi/o’DDiN. a I i i em . 3 lid em . 4 A l Beidawi, Ja u .aio’ddiS-
1 A l Beidawi.
frauded any one Of, on the day of the refurreftion *. Then (hall every foul
be paid what he hath gained -, and they (halLnot be treated unjuft-ly.
Shall he therefore who followeth that which is well-pleafing unto G od,
be as he who bringeth on himfelf wrath from G o d , and whofe receptacle
is hell? an evil journey ftrall it be thither. There (hall be degrees
o f rewards: and p u n ifh tn sm .m th G o d , for G od. feeth what they do. Now
hath G od been gracious unto-the-believers when he raifed up among them
an apoftle of their own nation \ who (hould recite his figns unto them, and
p u r i f y them, and teach them the book o f the K or^ n and wifdom ' s whereas
they were before in manifeft error.- After a .misfortune hath befallen you,
at O hod, (ye had already obtained two equal advantages4) do ye fay, Whence
cometh this? Anfwer,: This is from yourfelves': for G od is almighty. And
w h a t happened -'Unto- you, on the day whereon the two armies met, was
S e r t a i r r l y °by the permiffion of Gob't- and that he might know the faithful,
and thati he might know the ungodly. It was faid unto them, Come, fight
f o r the religion of G o d , or drive back the enemy: they anfwered, If we had
known ye went out to fight, we had certainly followed youf. They were on
that'day nearer unto unbelief, than they were to faith.; they fpake with their
m o u t h s , what was not in their hearts : but G od perfedtly knew what they
c o n c e a l e d s' who faid of their brethren, while themfelves (laid at home, if they
h a d obeyed us, they had not been. (lain. Say, Then keep back death from
y o u r f e l v e s , if ye fay truth. Thou lhalt in no wife reckon thofe who have
b e e n (lain at O hod in the caufe of G od, dead s nay, they are fuftained alive
w i t h their L o r d 5, rejoicing for what G od of his favour hath granted them;
and being glad for thofe, who coming after thems have -not as yet overtaken
t h e m hs‘ becaufe there lhall- no -fear come on them,neither (hall they be grieved.
.They are; filled with joy for the favour which they have received from G o d ,
and: his bounty s and for chat G od fuffereth not the reward of the faithful to
p e r i i h i They who hearkened unto G od and his apoftle, after a wound had
be-
* He who defraudeth Jball bring with him what
be hath defrauded'any one o f on the day of refur-
reftion.] According to a tradition of Mohammed,
whoever cheateth a’nother will on the. day of
judgment carry his fraudulent purchafe publickly
on his neck-.
b Of their own nation.] Some copies inftead of
min anfofihm, i. e. of themfelves, read min anfafi-
him, i. e. of the nobleft among them ; for fuch was
the tribe of Koreijh, of which Mohammed was
defeended p§
' And wifdom i] i. e. The Sóntta 2.
* Ye had already obt aided two equal advantages
viz. In the battle of Bedr, where ye flew feven-
ty of the enemy, equalling the number of thofè
who loft their lives at- Ohod, and alfo took as
many prifoners 3.
c This is from your felves;] It was the confequence
of youridifobeying the orders of the prophet,
and abandoning your poll for the fake of
plunder.
f I f we had known ye went out to fight, &c.]
That is, if we had conceived the leaft hopes of
fuccefs when ye marched out of Medina to encounter
the infidels, and had not known that ye
went rather to certain deftru&ion, than to battle,
we had gone with you. But this Mohammed
here tells them was only a feigned excufe j the
true reafon: of'their flaying behind being their
want of faith and. firmnefs in their religion +. |
* See before, p. 18.
h Being glad for thofe, who coming after them,
have not as yet overtaken them »] i. e. Rejoicing
all» for their fakes, who are deftined to iuffer
martyrdom, but have not as yet attained it 1
1 Idem, * Idem. 3 See before, p. 3,6..
VI. 1 1.
4 ^ / B e i d a w i . 1 K Revel