G o d . ..Whateveris befide this,,>is allowed you $ thatyelmaf with your fob-
itance provide wives for your delves, afting that which is right, and avoiding
■ whoredom. Andforthe advantage which ye-receive from them, givb-them their
teward“, according -to what is ordaihed but it lhall be no crime in you to
‘make any other agreement among your felves b, after the ordinance jhall be
complied. with •, for G od is knowing and wife. Whole among you hath not
means fuiHcient that he may marry free womefi, who are believers, let him marry
with fuch of your maid-fer-Vants whom your tight hands poflefs, as are true bc-
. JieverS ; for G od" well knoweth your faith. Ye are the;one from the other ‘j
fherefore marry them with the confent of their mallets ; and give them their
dower according to juftice;, fuch as ■ are modeft, not guilty of whoredom, nor
-entertaining lovers. And when they are married, if they be guilty of adultery,
they lhall fufifer half the-punilhment which is appointed for the free women
J. This is allowed unto him among you, who feareth.to fin by marrying
free-women ; but'if ye icbUs.'mfrom mdrryitfgJlaves^ it will be better for you.;
Gob is gracious and merciful. G od is willing to declare thefe things unto
you and to direft ^®u according to the ordinances of thole who have me
before you and tolbe merciful unto you. G od is knowing and wife. Gan
defireth to be gracious unto you; but they- who follow •their lulls f, defire
that ye Ihould turn afide from the truth with -great deviation. G od is minded
to make his religion light unto you for man' was created weak8. Oftrue be-
. lievers, confume not your wealth among your felves in vanity1" ; unlels thefe
i be merchandizing among you by mutual confent: neither flay your felves ‘ ;
i.. 1 .for
r Ihete legally parted from her husband by divorce; ' the prophets, and other, holy and prudent men
but it is lawful to marry thofe who are Haves, or of former ages 4. 1
taken in war, after they lhall have gone through f They who fo llow th e i r lu jls , &c.J Some com*
the proper purifications, uho’ -their -husbands be mcntators fuppofe that thefe words have a parti-
living, Yet, according to the decifion of A b u cirlar regard to the M a g ia n s , who formerly were
H a n t fa h , it is hot lawful to marry Inch whofe • frequently guilty of ineeftous marriages, their
? husbands lhall be’taken, or in actual llavery with prophet T e rd u jh t. having allowed them to take
ihem *, their mothers and lifters to wife,; and alfo to 3 G iv e them th e i r r ewa rd ;] Tha'tis, allign them the J ew s , who likewife might marry .within'
their dower. fome of the degrees ner^ prohibited V
b' I t - J h a ll h i no c rime in you. to make any o ther g For man was .c reated weak ;] Being-unable to
Agreement amongyour fe lv e s ,' &c. j That is,' either refrain from women, and too fubjefl. to be led
to increafe the dower, dr to abate Ibme part or away,by. carnal appetites 6 .
eVen the whole of it. . h Confume not ypur w ea lth in v a n i t y ;] That
c Y e areone from th e o iW K ] Being alike-ctdfcend- is, employ it not in things prohibited by God;
ed from A d am , and of. the fame faith"*. * fuch as .aforyy extortion, rapine, gaming, and
d T h e J la v e s, i f g u i l ty o f adultery j ■ f h a l l 'f u f f e r the like7. , ,
h a l f th e p u n jfhm e r f o f th efre e-wom en . ] The.rea- • 1 N e ith e r f la y your Literally,fla y not your
fon of this is becaulb‘they are not prefumed to fo u ls ', i. e. fays f f a l la ld ’d d ih , hy committing
have had fo good education. A Have therefore, mortal fins, or fucn crimes as will deftroy them.
. ift'-luch a cafe, is to have fifty ftripes, and to' be Others however are of dpinion that felf-murder,
bafliflfed.for half a year; but Ihe lhall not be which the gentile In d ia n s did, and Hill do, qften
Honed, becauferit is a 'punifhnvent which cannot praftife in honour of their idols, or elfe the tak-
, be infli&ed by halves 3. iijg away the life o f any true believer, is hereby
e O f thofe tv ho f h a v e been befbre y o u 'f ] v i z . O f forbidden8.
1 u^/Beidawi. 2 /Id em . 3..Idem . ■ HJallai/O’ddin. A l Beidawi. 5 .///Beidawi.
c 6> f ld em , Jallajlq?d1)'in. 7 l id em . 8 A I - B e i d ^-w i ,
for G od is merciful towards you : and whoever doth this maficioufly * and
wickedly, he will furely cad him to be broiied in hell fire •, and this is eaiy With
G od. If ye turn afide from the grievous fins", of thofe which ye are forbidden
to commitwe will cleanfe you from- your fmall'er faults; and will introduce
wou into paradifs with an honourable entry. Covet not that which G od hath
bellowed on feme of you preferably to others0. Unto the men Jhall be given
a portion, of what they lhall have gained, and unto the women Jhall be given
a portion, of what they lhall have gained 8: therefore ask G od of his bounty
; for G od is omnifcient. We have appointed unto every one kindred, to
i n h e r i t part of what their parents and relations lhall leave at their deaths. And
unto thofe with whom your right hands have fiiade an alliance, give their
part of the inheritance'; for G o d is witnefs of all things. Men lhall have the
pre-eminence above women, becaufe of thofe advantages wherein G od hath
caitfed the.one of them to excel the other f, and for that which they expend
of the-ir fubftance in maintainingtheir wives. The honeft women are obedient,
careful- in the abfence of their husbands8, for that G od preferveth them, by comm
i t t in g them, to the care and protection of the men. But .thofe, whofe perverfe-
nefs ye lhall.be apprehenfive of,, rebuke ; and remove them into fcparate a-
partments'1, and chaftife them". But if they lhall be obedient unto you, feek
notan occafion of quarrel againll them ; for G od is high and great. And if ye
K , fear
* See Wifdom xvi. 14. in the vulgate.
b Grievous Jinsl\ Thefe fins al Beidawi,
from a tradition of Mohammed, reckons to be
feven (equalling in number the fins called deadly
by Cbriftiam) that is to fay, idolatry, murder,
fallly accufing modeft women of adultery, wafting
the fubftance of orphans, taking of ufury,
defertion in a religious expedition, and difobedi-
ence to parents. But Ebn Abbas fays they a-
mount to near feven hundred; and others fuppofe
.that idolatry only, of different kinds, in
worfhjpping idols or any creature, either in op-
pofition to, or jointly with thestrue G od, is
here intended ; that fin being generally efteemed
by Mohammedans, and in a few lines after declared
by the Koran it felf, to be the only one
which God will not pardon 1.
c Covet not that which G od hath beft owed on
fme of you preferably to- others;] Such as honour,
power, riches, ana other worldly advantages.
Some however underftand this of the diftribution
of inheritances according to the preceding determinations
, whereby fome have a larger fliare
than others *.
Unto the men Jhall be given a portion of what
they Jhall have gained, &c.] That is, they lhall
be bleffed according to their deferts ; and ought
therefore, inftead of difplealing G od by envying
of others, to endeavour to merit his favour by
good works, and to apply to him by prayer.
c Unto thofe with whom ye have made an alliance,
give their part, &g-] A precept conformable to
an old cuftom of the Arabs, that where_perfons
mutually entred into a ftrifl: friendlhip or confederacy,
the furviving friend Ihould have a lixth.
part of'the deceafed’s eftate. But this was afterwards
abrogated, according to Jallaldddin and
al Zamakbfhari, at leaft as to infidels. The paf-
fage may likewife be underftood of a private con-
traQ, whereby the furvivor is to inherit a certain
part of the fubftance of him that dies firft 3.
f Becaufe of thofe advantages wherein G od hath
caufed the one to excel the other;] Such as fuperior
underftanding and ftrength, and the other privileges
of the male fex, which enjoys the dignities
in church and ftate, goes to war in defence
of God’s true religion, and claims a double lhare
of their deceafed anceftors eftates
* Careful in the abfence of their husbands ;]Both
to preferve their husband’s fubftance from lofs or
wafte, and themfelves from all degrees of im-
modefty s.
b Remove them into feparate apartments;] That
is, banilh them from your bed.
' And chaftife them.] By this paflage the Mohammedans
are in plain terms allowed to beat
their wives, in cafe of ftubborn difobedience i
but not in a violent or dangerous manner 6.
1 Idem. Zee before, chap. 2. p. n . 2 Idem, Jallalo’ ddin. 3 V . A l Beidawi-
-Idem. 3 idem, Ja h -alq’dwn. 6 Al Beidawi, .