G od will be obliged to reward him, for G od is gracious and merciful. When
ye march to war in the earth, it lhall be no crime in you if ye ihorten your
prayers, in cafe ye fear the infidels may attack you ; for the infidels are your
open enemy. But when thou, O prophet, (halt be among them, and Ihalc
pray with them, let a party of them arife to prayer with thee, and let them
take their arms ; and when diey lhall have worlhipped, let them Hand behind
you % and let another party come that hath not prayed, and let them pray with
thee, and let them be cautious and take their .arms. iThe unbelievers would that
ye lhould negleft your arms and your baggage while ye pray, that they might
turn upon you at once. It lhall be no crime in you, if ye be incommoded
by rain, or be lick, that ye lay down your arms ; but take your necejfary
precaution6: G od hath prepared for the unbelievers an ignominious punilh-
men't. And when ye lhall have ended your prayer, remember G o d , Handing,
and fitting, and lying on your fidesc. But when ye are fecure from danger, com.
plete your prayers; for prayer is commanded the faithful, and appointed to be
faid at the Hated times. Be not negligent in feeking out the unbelieving people,
though ye fufier fome inconvenience-, for they alfodhzM fuffer, as yeliiffer, and
ye hope for a reward from G od which they cannot hope for ; and G od is knowing
and wife11. We have fent down unto thee the book of the Korkin with
truth, that thou mayefi judge.between men through that wifdom which G od
lheweth thee therein ; and be not an advocate for the fraudulent'; but alk
pardon of G o d for thy .wrong intention,, fince G od is indulgent and merciful.
Difpute not for thofe who, deceive one another, for G od loveth not him who
is, a deceiver or unjuH {. Such conceal themfelves from men, but they conceal
not themfelves from G o d ; for he is with them when they imagine by
night a faying which pleafeth him nots, and G od comprehended; what they
do. Behold, ye are they who have difputed for them in this prefent life;
, but
and before he. arrived at Medina, perceiving his
end approached,- he. clapped his right hand on
his left, and (olemnly plighting his faith to God
and his apoftle, died.
a And lét them f t and behind you j] T o defend
thofe who are at prayers, and to face the enemy.
b Take your necejfary .precaution By, keeping
Arid, guard..
* Standing*. and fittings and lying on your fidesy
That is, in (uch .poiiure as ye jhall.be able,1 .
d Be not negligent in feeking out the unbelievers,.
ice.} This, verfe was revealed on occafion of the
unwillingnefs o f Mohammed's men to accompany
him, in the leffer expedition of Bedr z.
^ And be not an advocate for the fraudulent) 8cc.J
TimaB^n Qbeirak of the Ions, of Dhafar,. one of
MobamtyefT's, .companions, hole a coat of mail
from Kfs neighbour Kitada Ebn al Nomdny in
a bag of meal $ and hid it at a Jew's* named
fejd Ebn al Samin: Tima being fufpeded, the
coa.i of mail was demanded of him, buf he denying
he knew anything, o f it, they, followed
tfys'track of the meal, which had ran out thro’
* See before, ch, 3. p, 58.
a hole in the bag, to the Jew's houfe, and there
feized it, accufing him. of the theft-j but he
producing witnefies of hi$*own religion that he
had it of Tima, the Tons of Dhafar came to Mohammed,&
nd defired him to defend his companion’s
reputation, and condemn the Jew; which
he having fome thoughts o f -doing, this pafiage-
was revealed,-reprehending him for his ralh intention,
and commanding him to judge not according
to. his own prejudice and opinion, but
according to the merit of the cafe 3.
1 For G od loveth not a deceiver or unjuft perfon]
A l BeidawiySS an inftance of the, divine juitice,
adds, that Tima, i after' the fad above mentioned,
fled to Mecca, and returned :to idolatry; and
there undermining the, wall o f a houfe*.in order
to(commi.t a robbery, the wall fell in upon him
and cruflied him to; death. :
g When they imagine by night a faying which
pleafeth him not;] That is, when they iecretly
contrive means, by falfe evidence or. otherwife#-
to-lay their, crimes.on innocent perfons.
3 Idemi a Al B e i -d a w f . Jallalo’ddin, Y ahya.
but who lhall difpute with God for them bn the day of refurreSHon, or
who will become their patron ? yèt he Who doth evil, or injureth his own
foul and afterwards asketh pardon of Gob, lhall find G od gracious and
merciful. Whofo committeth wickednéls, committeth it againfi his own foul:
G od is knowing and wife. And ivhofo cömïnitteth a fin or iniquity, and afterwards
layéth it on the innocent, he lhall Tritely bear the guilt of calumny a'nd
manifeH injuHice. If the indulgence -and mercy of G od had not been upon
thee, furely a part of thetrfhad fiüdied to feduce thee*; but they lhall feduce
themfelves only, and lhall not hurt thee at all. G od hath fent down unto
thee the book of the Korkin and wifdom, and hath taught thee that which thou
kiiewefi not6; for the favour of Gob hath been great towards thee. There
is no good in the multitude of their privaté difeourfes, unlefs in the difeourfe
of him who recommendeth alms, or that which is right, or agreement a-
mongH men : whoever doth this out of a defire to pleafe G od, we will furely
give him a great reward. But whofo feparateth himfelf from the apoHle,
after true direction hath been manifefied unto him, and followeth any other
way, than that of the true believers, we will caufe him to obtain that to which
he is inclined % and will cafi him to be burned in hell; and an unhappy journey
lhall it be thither. Verily G o d will not pardon the giving him a companion,
but he will pardon any crime betides that, unto whom he pleafeth: and he who
giveth a companion unto G od, is furely led afide Into a wide mifiake: the infidels
invoke befide him only female deitiesi ; and only invoke rebellious S a t
a n , G od curfed him; and he faid, Verily I will take of thy fervants a part
cut off from the reft", and I will feduce them, and will infinuate vain defires
into them, and I will command them and they lhall cut off the ears of cattlef;
and I will command them and they lhall change G od’ s creature®.
But whoever taketh S a t a n for his patron, befides G o d 6, lhall furely perilh
with a manifeH defiru&ion. He maketh them promifes, and infinuateth into
them vain defires ; yet S a t a n maketh them only deceitful promifes.' The
receptacle of thefe lhall be hell, they lhall find no refuge from it. But they
who believe, and do good works, we will furely lead them Into gardens,
L 2 through
* A part of them hadfiudied to feduce thee
Meaning the Tons of Dhafar.
b And hath taught thee that which thou knewefi
not 5] By inftruding thee in the knowledge of
right and wrong, and the rules of jpftiee.
1 We will caufe him to obtain that .towards which
he is inclined ;] viz. Error, and falfe notions of
religion.
d The infidels invoke befides him only female deities
;] Namely, Allat, al Uzza, and Menat, the
idols of the Meccans; or the angels, whom they
called the daughters of G od r.
* A part cut off from the reft ;] Or, as the original
may be trariflated, a part defiined ox predetermined
to be feduced by me.
1 And they Jhall cut off the ears of cattle
Which was done out of fuperftition by the old
pagan Arabs. See more of this cuflom in the
notes to the 5th chapter.
e And they Jhall change G odV creature i f Either
by maiming it, or putting it to ufès not
defigned by the Creator. A l Beidawi fuppofes
the text to intend not only the fuperftitious amputations
of the ears and other parts of cattle,
but the caftra-tion of (laves, the marking their
bodies with figures, by pricking and dying them
with woad or indico, (as the Arabs did and fiili
do) the (harpening their teeth by filing; and al-
fo fodomy, and the unnatural amours between
thofe of the female fex, the worflrip of the fun,
moon, and other parts of nature, and the like.
h Befides G odj] i. e- By leaving the fervice
of G od, and doing thé works of th$ devil.
1 Bee the Prelim, Difeourfe, §. 1, p. 17, &c.