enemies, and either go forth to ‘war in feparate parties, or go forth all ton-ether
in a body. There is of you who tarrieth behind“ ; and if a misfortune
befal you, he faith, Verify G o d hath been gracious unto me, that I was not
prelent with them: but'if fuccefs attend you from G o d , he will fay, (as if
there was no friendlhip between you and himb,) Would to G o d I had been
with them, for I fhould have acquired great merit. Let them therefore f i g h t
for the religion of G o d , who part with the prefent life in exchange for that w h i c h
is to come“ ; for whofoever fighteth for the religion of G o d , whether he be
fiain, or be victorious4, we will furely give him a great reward. And w h a t
ails you, that ye fight not for G o d ’ s true religion, and in defence o f the w e a k
among men, women, and children °, who fay, O L o r d , bring us forth f r o m
this city, whofe inhabitants are wicked ; grant U s from before thee a protedor,
and grant us from before thee a defenderf. They who believe fight for the
religion of G o d ; but they who believe not fight for the religion of T a g h u t *
Fight therefore againft the friends of S a t a n , for the ftratagem of S a t a n
is weak. Haft thou not obferved thofe unto whom it was laid, With-hold
-your hands from war, and be conftant at prayers, and pay the legal alms* ?
Buc when-war is commanded them, behold, a part of them fear men as t h e y
fhould fear G o d , or with a greater fear, and fay, O L o r d , wherefore h a f t
thou commanded us to go to war, and haft not fu-fffered us to wait our a p proaching
end *? Say unto them. The provifion of this life is hut fmall; but
the future fh a ll be better for him who feareth God ,; and ye fhall not be in
the leaft injured at the day o f judgment. Wherefoever ye be, death will overtake
you, although ye be in lofty towers. If good befal them, they fay, This
is from G o d ; but if evil befal them, they fay, This is from thee, 0 M ohammed*.
fay, All is from G o d ; and what aileth thefe people, that t h e y
are
3 Who tarrieth behind, &c.] Mohammed here
upbraids the hypocritical Mojlems, who for want
or faith and conftancy in their religion were
backward in going to war for its defence.
* As i f there was no friendjhip between you and
him;’] i c. As one who attendeth not to the
public, but his own private intereft- Or elfe
thefe may be the words of the hypocritical Mohammedan
himfelf, infinuating that he ftaid not
behind the reft of the army by his own fault,
but was left by Mohammed, -who chofe to let the
others lhare in his good fortune, preferably to
him T.
* Who part with the prefent life in exchange for
■ that which is to come;] By venturing their lives
end fortunes in defence of the faith,
4 Whether he be fain, or be victorious For no
man ought to quit the field, till he either fall a
martyr, or gn.in fome advantage for thecaufc *,
f In defence of the weak, Sec ] viz. Thofe believers
who ftaid behind at Mecca, being detain*
ed there either forcibly by the idolaters, or for
want of means to fly for refuge to Medina. Al
Seiddzvi obfer.vcs .that children are mentioned
here to Ihew the inhumanity of the Koreijh, who
perfeeuted even that tender age.
* Q L ord bring as forth from this city, and
grant ns from thee a pruteft.br, &c.J This petition,
the commentators fay,-was heard. For
G od afforded feverai of them an opportunity
and means of efcaping, and delivered the reft
at the taking of Mecca by Mohammed, who left
Ot&b tbn Ofaid governor of the city: and un*
der hii care and protection thofe who had fuffer-
ed for their religion, became the molt confide««
ble men injhe^placc,
* Thgb&t ] See before, p. 31,
h Haft thou not obferved thofe unto whom it zm
/aid, With”hold vour handsfrom war, Sec. ] Thefe
were fome df Mohammed's followers,.; who rca*
dily performed the duties'of their religion; lo long
as they were commanded nothing that might
endanger their lives.
1 Our approaching endi^Th'. t is, a natural death.
* I f evil befal them, they fay. This is from tbec\]
As t h e Jems in particular,- who pretended t h a t
their land, was grown barren,, and prqvifions
force, finec Mohammed came to Medina3 4 1.
a r e f o f a r f r o m . u n d e r f t a n d i n g w h a t i s f a i d unto them ? W h a t e v e r g o o d b e -
f a l l e c h t h e e , O man i t i s f r o m G o o ; a n d w h a t e v e r e v i l b e f a l l e t h t h e e , i t i s
f r o m t b y f e l f “ . W e h a v e f e n t t h e e a n a p o f t i e u n t o m e n , a n d G o d i s a f u f -
f i c i e n t w i t n e f s thereof. W h o e v e r o b e y e t h t h e a p o f t i e , o b e y e t b G o d ; a n d w h o ever
t u r n e t h b a c k , w e h a v e n o t f e n t t h e e to be ' a k e e p e r o v e r t h e m b . T h e y
f a v O b e d i e n c e . : y e t w h e n . t h e y g o f o r t h f r o m t h e e , p a r t o f t h e m m e d i t a t e b y
fa h t a matter d i f f e r e n t f r o m w h a t t h o u f p e a k e f t ; b u t G o d f h a l l w r i t e d o w n
w h a t r h e y m e d i t a t e b y n i g h t : t h e r e f o r e l e t t h e m a l o n e , a n d t r u f t i n G o d , - f o r
G o d i s a f u f f i c i e n t p r o t e c t r i r . D o t h e y n o t a t t e n t i v e l y c o n f i d e r t h e K o r a n ? i f i t h a d b e e n f r o m a n y b e f i d e s G o d , t h e y w o u l d c e r t a i n l y h a v e f o u n d t h e r e i
n m a n y c o n t r a d i f t i o n s . W h e n a n y n e w s c o m e t h u n t o t h e m , e i t h e r o f f e c u -
r i t y o r f e a r , : t h e y immediately d i v u l g e i t ; b u t i f t h e y t o l d i t t o t h e a p o f t i e a n d
t o t h o f e w h o - . a r e i n a u t h o r i t y , a m o n g t h e m , f u c h o f t h e m w o u l d . u n d e r f t ä n d .
the truth o f t h e m a t t e r , a s i n f o r m t h e m f e l v e s t h e r e o f from the apoftie and his
chiefs. A n d ' i f t h e f a v o u r o f G o d a n d h i s - m e r c y had n o t been u p o n y o u , y e
| had f o l l o w e d t h e d e v i l , e x c e p t a f e w o f you . F i g h t t h e r e f o r e f o r t h e r e l i g i o n
1 o f G o ß , a n d o b l i g e n o t a n y t o w h a t i s d i f f i c u l t 4 , e x c e p t t h y f e l f ; h o w e v e r e x - I c i t e t h e f a i t h f u l to w a r , p e r h a p s G o d w i l l r e f t r a i n t h e c o u r a g e o f t h e u n b e l i e v
e r s ; f o r G o d i s f t r o n g e r than they, a n d m o r e a b l e t o p u n i f f i . H e w h o i n -
t e r c e d e t h between men w i t h a g o o d i n t e r c e f f i o n e f h a l l h a v e a p o r t i o n t h e r e o f ;
a n d h e w h o i n t e r c e d e d ! w i t h a n e v i l i n t e r c e f f i o n f h a l l h a v e a p o r t i o n t h e r e o f ;
f o r G o d o v e r l o o k e d ! a l l t h i n g s . : W h e n y e a r e f a l u t e d w i t h a f a l u t a t i o n , f a l u t e ,
the perfon w i t h a b e t t e r f a l u t a t i o n f , o r at le a f r e t u r n t h e f a m e ; f o r G o d t a k -
e t h a n a c c o u n t o f a l l t h i n g s . G o d ! t h e r e i s n o G o d b u t h e ; h e w i l l f u r e l y
g a t h e r y o u t o g e t h e r o n t h e d a y o f r e f u r r e f t i o n ; t h e r e i s n o d o u b t o f i t : a n d
w h o i s m o r e t r u e t h a n G c d i n w h a t h e f a i t h ? " W h y a r e y e divided c o n c e r n i n g
t h e u n g o d l y i n t o t w o p a r t i e s 8 ; f i n c e G o d h a t h o v e r t u r n e d t h e m f o r w - h a r t h e y
h a v e
’ Whatever evil befalleth thee, it it from thy
felf;] Thefe words are’ not to be underitood as
contradictory to the preceding, That all proceeds
from God ; fince the evil which befels mankind,
tho* ordered by Gon, is yet theconfequence of
their own wicked aft ions.
b We have not fent thee to be a keeper over ihemi]
Or, to take an account of their aftions> for this
is God’s part.
c I f God’j mercy had not been upon you, ye had
followed the devil, except a few of y o u That is,
if God had not fent his apoftie with the Koran
to inftruft you in yoUr duty, ye had continued
in idolatry and been doomed to deftruftion; except
only thofe who, by God’s favour, and their
fuperior underftanding, fhould have true notions
of the divinity j fuch, for example, as Zeid Ebn
Amru Ebn Nofail1, and War aka. Ebn Nawfal *,
who left idols, and acknowledged but one G od,
before the million of Mohammed 3.
Oblige not any to what is difficult, fxcept thy
J A f ;] It is faid this paffage was revealed when
the Mohammedans refufedjo follow their prophet
to the leffer expedition of B'edr, fo that he was
obliged to fetout withno more than 704. Some
copies vary in this place, and inftead* of la to-
kallafo, in the fecond perfon lingular, read la
nokaliafo, in the firft perlbn plural, We do not
oblige, See. The meaning being, that the prophet
only was under an indilpenfable neceffity of
obeying G od’s commands, however difficult,
but others might chufe, tho* at their peril.
‘ With a good interceffion;} i. e. T o maintain-
the right of a believer, or to prevent his being
wronged.
f Salute the perfon with a better falutation;] By
adding fomething farther. As when one falutes
another by this form, Peace be upon thee, he
ought not only to return the falutation, but to
add, and the mercy of G od, and his bleffing.
? Why are ye divided concerning the ungodly into■
two parties.?] This paffage was revealed, according
to fome, when certain of Mohammed's follower
s, pretending not to like Medina, delired
leave to go elfcwhere, and having obtained it,
went
1 K. Millium,. de Mohammedifmo ante Molx p. 311.
Beida\y i . * See before?, ch. 3. p. 56.
% See the Prelim. Difc. ƒ>. 43., 3 Al