fear a breach between the büß and and wife, fend a judge * out of his family,
and a judge out of her family: if they fhall defire a reconciliation, G od will
caufe them to agree ; for G od is knowing and wife. Serve G o d , andafiociate
no creature with him ; and ßew kindnefs unto parents, and relations, and orphans,
and the poor, and your neighbour who is of kin to youb, and alfo
your neighbour who is a ftranger, and to your familiar companion, and the
traveller, and the captives whom your right hands fhall pofiefs; lor G od loveth
not the proud or vainglorious, who are covetous, and recommend covctoufnefs
unto men, and conceal that which G od of his bounty hath given them'; (we
have prepared a fhameful punifhmentfor the unbelievers;) and who beftow their
wealth in charity to be obferved of men, and believe not in G o d , nor in the laft
day; and whoever hath S a t a n for a companion, an evil companion hathhe! And
what harm would befal them if they fhould believe in G o d , and the laft day,
and give alms out of that which G od hath beftowed on them ? fince G od
knoweth them who do this. Verily G o d will not wrong any tme ' even the
weight of an ant*: and if it be a good aftion, he will double it; (a n d will
recompenfe it in his fight with a great reward. How will it be with the unbelievers
when we fhall bring a wknefs out of each nation againfiitfilf c, and
fhall bring thee, O M ohammed, a witnefs againftthefe people [I In that day
they who have not believed, and have rebelled againft the apoftle of Gov,
fhall wifh the earth was levelled with them; and they fhall not be able to
hide any matter from G o d . O true believers, come not to prayers when ye
are drunk5, until ye underftand what ye fay ; nor when ye are polluted by
emiffion of feed, unlefs. ye be travelling on the road, until ye wafh your-
felves. But if ye be lick, or on a journey, or any of you come from eafing
nature, or have touched women, and find no water ; take fine clean fand
hnd rub your faces and your hands therewith11; for G od is merciful and in-
. dined
' Send a judge, &c.] i..e. Let the raagiftrate
firft fend two arbitrators or mediators, one on
each fide, to compofe the difference, and prevent,
if poffible, the ill conferences of an open rapture.
• Tour neighbour who is of kin to you Either
of your own nation or religion.
c And conceal that which G od of bis bounty hath
given them i] Whether it be wealth, knowledge,
©r any other talent whereby they may help their
neighbour»
- God will not wrong any one the weight of an
ant;] Either by diminiihing the recompenfe due
to his good a£tions,. or too feverety punifhing
his fins. Oil the contrary, he will reward the'
former in the next life, far above their deforts.
The Arabic word dharra, which is tranflated
arr ant, ftgttifles a Very fmall fort of that infect,
and is. u fed to denote a thing that is exceeding
fmall, as a mi fa
• Whetywe fhall bring a witnefs out of each na-r
1 See before, t. 2. f . 1 7 .
tion, See.] When the prophet who was fent to
each nation in partic.ukvdhall on the laft day
be produced to give evidence againft fuch of
them as refufed to believe on him, or obferved
not the laws which he hrought.
f Againft thefe people.] That is, the Arabianf,
to whom Mohammed was, as he pretended, more
peculiarly'fent 1..
* Come not to prayers when ye are drank, &c.)
It is related, that before the prohibition of wine,
Abd'alrahman Ebn Azof made an entertainment,
to which he invited feveralof the apoftle’s companions
; and after they had eat and drank plentifully,
the hour of evening prayer being come,
one of the company rofe up to pray, but being
overcome with liquor, made a lhameful blunder
in reciting a paffage of the Koran ; whereupon
to prevent the danger of any fuch indecency for
the future,'this paflage'was revealed *.
b Take fund and rub. your faces and your band*
therewith.] See the Prelim. DiJ'c. § IV»
3 Al Bèibawi^
clined to forgive. Haft thou not obferved thofe unto whom part of the fcrip-
ture1 was delivered ? they fell error, and defire that ye may wander from
the right way; but G od well knoweth your enemies. G od is a fufficient
patron, and G od is a fufficient helper. Of the Jews there are fome who per.
vert words from their places'* ; and fay, We have heard, and have difobeyed
; and do thou hear without underftanding our meaning", and look
upon usd: perplexing with their tongues, and reviling the true religion.
But if they had faid, We have heard, and do obey ; and do thou hear, and
regard us *: certainly it were better for them, and more right. But G od
hath curfed them by reafon of their infidelity ; therefore a few of them only
fhall believe. O ye to whom the feriptures have been given, believe in the
revelation which we have fent down, confirming that which is with you ; before
we deface your countenances, and render them as the back parts thereof5;
orcurfethem, as we curfed thofe who tranfgrefled on the fabbath day*; and
the command of G od was fulfilled. Surely G od will not pardon the giving
him an equal " ; but will pardon any other fin, except that, to whom he
pleafeth1 and whofo giveth a companion unto G o d , hath devifed a great
wickednefs. Haft thou not obferved thofe who juftify themfelvesk? But G od
juftifieth whomfoever he pleafeth, nor fhall they be wronged a hair1. Behold,
how they imagine a lie againft G od ; and therein is iniquity fufficiently manifeft.
Haft thou not confidered thofe to whom part of the feripture hath been given?
They believe in falfe gods and idols ”, and fay of thofe who believe not,
K 2 Thefe
8 Thofe unto whom part of the feripture was delivered
;] Meaning the Jews, and particularly
their Rabbins.
* Who pervert words from their places;] That
is, (according to the commentators,) who change
the true fenfe of the pentateuch by dillocating
pallages, or by wrefting the words according to
their own fancies and lulls 1. But Mohammed
feems chiefly to intend here the Jews bantering
of him in their addrefles, by making ufe of equivocal
words, feeming to bear a good lenfe in A-
rabic, but fpoken by them in derilion according
to their acceptation in Hebrew s an inftance of
which he gives in the following words.
c Without underftanding i\ Literally, without
being made to hear, or apprehend what we fay.
" Look upon usi] The original word is Raina,
which being a term of reproach in Hebrew, Mohammed
forbad their ufing to him3.
e And regard sts."] In Arabic, Ondhorna; which
having no ill equivocal meaning, the prophet
ordered them to ufe inftcad of the former.
f And render them as the back parts thereof;]
That is, perfectly plain, without eyes, nofe,' or
mouth. The original however may alfo be tranflated,
and turn them behind,, by wringing their
necks backward.
8 Thofe who tranfgrejfed on the fab bath day ;]
And were therefore changed into apes 3.
b The giving him an equal»] That is, idolatry
of all kinds.
1 To whom he pleafeth] viz. T o thofe who repent
4>.
k Thofe who juftify tbemfelves;] i. e. The Chri-
ftians and Jews, who palled themfelves the children
of God, and his beloved people 5.
1 A hair. 3 The original word fignifies a little
skin in the cleft of a date-ftone, and is ufod to
exprefs a thing of no value.
m In falfe gods and idols',] The Arabic is, in
Jibt and faghüt. The former is- fuppofed to
have been the proper name of fome idol; but
it feems rather to fignify any falfe deity in general:
The latter we have explained already 85,
It is faid that this paflage was revealed on the
following occasion. Hoy at Ebn Akhtab and Caab
Ebn al AJhraf7, two chief men among the Jews,
with feveral others of that religion, went to Met»
ca, and offered ‘to enter into a confederacy with
thé Koreijb, and to join their forces againft Mohammed.
1 Idem, Jallalo’ddin. 3 Zee before, cr z. pt 14. 3 See before, e. 2. p.<). 4 ^ /Beidawi.
Idem, Jallalo’ddin. See c. 5. not far from the beginning. 6 Seep. 31. noteb. 7 See before,
P- 45* not. <?.