through which rivers flow, they lhall continue therein for ever, according to
the true promifeof G od ; and who is more true than God in what he faiths
It lhall not be according to your defires, nor according to the defires of thofe
who have received thefcriptures| Whofo doth evil, lhall be rewarded for it;
and lhall not find any patron or helper, befide G o d ; but whofo doth good
works, whether he be male or female, and is a true believer ; they lhall be
admitted into paradife, and lhall not in the leaft be unjuftly dealt with. Who
is better in point of religion, than he whorefigneth himfelf unto God, and
iis a worker of righteoufnefs, and followeth the law of A b r a h a m the ortho,
dox? fince G od took A b r a h a m for his friendb: and to God belongeth whatsoever
is in heaven and on earth ; G od comprehendeth all things. They will
coiifult thee concerning women'; Anlwer, God inftrufteth you concerning
them *, and that which is read unto you in the book of the Kor^sn concern,
ing female orphans, to whom ye give not that which is ordained them, neither
will ye marry them % and concerning weak infants^ and that.ye ob,
ferve juftice towards orphans : whatever good ye do, G od knoweth it. If
a woman fear ill ufage, or averlion from her husband, it lhall be no
crime in them i f they agree the matter amicably between themfelves! ;
for a reconciliation is better than a. Jeparation. Mens fouls are. natural,
0 iy
■ * It Jbali not be according to your defires; nor ac- of-what had happened;- opening one of the
iording to the defires of thofe who have received the facks, found-good flower in it, and immediate-
fcriptures;] That is, the promifes of G od are 1 y fet out about making of bread. Abraham a-
not to be gained by atting after your own fan* waking and fmeflitfg the'-new bread, asked her
cies, nor yet after the fancies Of tfsajews or whence the had51 the flower ? Why, fays Ihe,
Chrifiians, but by obeying the commands of front your friend /»Egypt; Nay, replied the
G od. This paflage, they fay, was revealed on Patriarch, it mufibave come from no other than my
a difpute which arofe between thofe of the three friend G od Almighty 2.
religions, each preferring his own, and con- c I hey zoill cortfult thee concerning women jj'i.ei
demning the others. Some however fuppofe the As to the fliare they are to have in the diftribu1
perfons here fpokea to in the fecond perfon,were tion of the inheritances of their deceafed rrfa-
not the Mohammedans, but the idolaters z. tions ; for it feems the Arabs were not fatisfied
b Since G od Awf Abraham for bis friend;]. with Mohammed's decifion in this point, againft
Therefore the Mohammedans ufhally call’ that pa- the old cuftoms.
triarch, as the fcripture alfo does, Khalil AllaFi d Gov inftruffethyowconcerning, them, &c.] j.e.
the Friend of G od, and Amply al Khalil; and He hath already mad£ his wilfknown unto you,,
they tell the following ftory. That Abraham in by revealing the paflages concerning inheritances
a time of dearth fent to a friend of his in Egypt in the beginning of this chapter,
for rfupply of corn ; but the friend denied him, e Neither will ye marry with themf] Or the words
faying in :his excufe, That tho’ there was a fa- may be rendred in the affirmative, and whom ye
mine in their country alfo, yet had it been for defire to marry. For the pagan Arabs ufed to
Abraham s own family, he would have fent what wrong their female orphans in both inftances;
he defired,: but he. knew he wanted it only to obliging them to marry againft their inclinations,
entertain his guefts and give, away to the poor, if they, were beautiful or rich ; or elfe not fuf-
according to htsufualhofpitality. The fervants fering them to marry at all, that they might
whom Abraham had fent on this.meflage, being keep what belonged to them 3.
afliamed to return empty, to conceal the matter f And concerning weak infants ; ] That is*
from their neighbours, filled their.facks with fine male chihdrenof tender years, to whom the A-
white fand, which in the eaft pretty much re- rabs, in the time of paganifm, ufed to allow no
fembles meal. Abraham being informed by his fhare in the diftributionof their parents eftate.4;
fervants, on their return, of their ijl fuccefs, the g'I f they agree the matter between themfelves;]
concern he was .under threw him into a fleep; viz. By the wife’s remitting part of her dower
and in the mean time Sarah,, knowing nothing or other dues*
1 A I B e w a w i , Jallalo’ e/otn,. Y ahya.. 2 .<4/ Betdawi; _ See D’H erbel. B ib l.O r ien t-
/. 14* & Morgan’; Mahometifm e x p la in 'd , V . 1. p . 132. 3 A l Beidawi. 4 See before, p . 61.n o t.a
1 inclined to covetoufnefs *: but if ye be kind towards women, and fear to
w r o n g them, G o d is well acquainted with what ye do. Ye can by no means
c a r r y your felves equally between women in all refpeCts, although ye ftudy to
fait- therefore turn notfrom a wife with all manner of averfion b, nor leave
h e r like one in fufpenfe c: if ye agree, and fear to abufe your wives, G o d is
gracious and merciful ; but if they feparate, G o d will fatisfy them both of
his abundance4'; for G o p is extenfivc and wife, and-unto G o d belongeth
whatfoever is in heaven and on earth. We have already commanded thofe
u n t o whom the fcriptures were given before you, and we command you alio,
[mingy Fear G o d ; but if ye dilbelieve, unto G o d belongeth whatfoever is in h e a v e n and on earth ; and G o d is felf-fufficient% and to be praifed; for unto
Gon belongeth whatfosyer is in heaven and on earth, and G o d is a fufficient
proteflor. If he plpafeth He will take you away, O men, and will produce-
’ o t h e r s ’ "in'ypurjtad i for G o d is able to. do this. Whofo defireth the. reward
.of this world, verity with G o d is. the reward of this world, and alfo of
that which is to come ; G o d both' heareth and feeth. O- true believers, ob-
f e r v e juftice. when ye bear witnefs before G o d , although it be againft your
f e l v e s , o r your parents, or relations.;, whether the party, bench, or whether
he be poor-, for G o d . is more worthy than them both: therefore follow not
your own, luft in bearing teftimony, fo that ye fwerve from juftice. And whether
ye. wreft'yoar evidence, or AecYiat'giving it, G o d is well acquainted with
that which ye do. O true believers, believe in G o d and his apoftle, and
thab'ook which he hath caufed to defcend unto his apoftle, and the book
which he . hath formerly’/ent down g. And whofoeyer believeth not in
G o d , and his angels, and his fcriptures, and his apoftles, and the laft day,
h e f u r e l y erreth in a wide miftake. Moreover they who-believed, and afterwards
became infidels, and then believed again, and after that difbelieved, and
increafed in infidelity b,. G o d will by no means forgive them, nor diredt them
into
* Mens fouls are naturally inclined to covetoufnefs
;] So that the woman, on the onefide,isun-
wllling to part with any of her righr, and the
husband, on the otherrcares not to retain one he
has noaffe&ion for; or, if heihould retain-her,
fire cair fcarce expe6t he will ufe her in all re-
Ipeds as he ought1.
6 Turn not from a wife with all manner of aver-
fion;] i. e. Tho’ you cannot ufe her equally well
with a beloved wife, yet obferve fome meafures
of jtifticctowards her ; for .if a man is not able
perfeftly to perform his duty, he ought not, for
that reafon, intirely to negle& it a .
c Nor leave her like one in fufpenfe f] Or like
one that neither'has a husband, . nor is divorced
and at liberty to marry elfewhere.
“ God will fatisfy them both, &c.] That is,
either will blefs them with a better and more
advantageous match, or with peace and tranquil-
hty of mind 3.
° God is felf-fujficient\\ Wanting the fer vice
of no creature.
* And wilt produce others, &c.J i. e. Either
another race of men, or a different fpecies of
creatures.
B Believe in God and his apoftle, &<£] It is
faid that Abdallah Ebn Saldm and his companions
told Mohammed, that they believed in him, and
his Koran, and in Mofes, and the pentateuch,
and in Ezra, but no farther; whereupon this -
paflage was revealed, declaring that a partial
faith is little better than none at all, and that a
true believer muft believe in all G od’s prophets
and revelations without exception 4.
h They who believed and afterwards became in*
fidels; and then believed again, and after that difbelieved,
and again increafed in infidelity;] Thefe
were the Jews, who firft believed in Mofes, and
afterwards fell into idolatry by worlhipping the
golden calf; and tho’ they repented of that, yet
in after ages rejected the prophets who were
fent to thein, and particularly Jefus ihe Ion of
Mary, and now filled up the meafure of their
unbelief by rejecting of Mohammed *.