Moreover, if they who have received the fcriptures believe, and fear Gap, we
will furely expiate their fins from them, and we will lead them into gardens
of pleafure ; and if they obferve the law, and the gofpel, and th e oth e r fc r ip .
tu r e s which have been fent down unto them from their L o r d , they Ihall furely
eat o f good things both from above them, and from under their feet*. Among -
them there are people who aft uprightly ; but how evil is that which many of
them do work! O apoftle, publilh th e w h o le o f that which hath been fent
down unto thee from thy L ord : for if thou do not, thou doft not in effect
publifh any part thereof11 ; and G od will defend thee againft w ic k ed men ' ;
for G od direfteth not the unbelieving people. Say, O ye who have received
the fcriptures, ye are mot grounded on any thing, until ye obferve the law and
the gofpel, and that which hath been fent down unto you from your L ord,
That which hath been fent down unto thee from thy- L ord Ihall furely increafe
the tranlgreffion and infidelity of many of them: but be not thou follicitous
for the unbelieving people. Verily they who believe, and thofe whojudaize,
and the Sabians, and the Chriftians, whoever o f th em believeth in G od and
the laft day, and doth that which is right, th e r e J h a ll come no fear on them,
neither Ihall they be grieved d. We formerly accepted the covenant of the
children of I s r a e l , and fent apoftles unto them. So often as an apoftle came
unto them wich that which their fouls defired not, they accufed fome of them
of impofture, andfomeof them they killed: and they r imagined that there
Ihould be ho punilhment f o r thofe cr im es, and they, became blind, and deaf".
Then was G od turned unto themf ; afterwards many of them again became
blind and dçaf ; but G od faw what they did. They are furely infidels, who
fay, Verily G od is C h r i s t the fon of M a r y ; fince C h r i s t faid, Q children
of Is r a e l , ferve G o d , my L o rd and your L ord ; . whoever fhall give
a companion unto G o d , G o p fhall excludehifnfrom paradife, and his habitation
Ihall be h e ll fire; and the ungodly fhall have none to help them. They are
certainly infidels, who fay, G od is the third of threes: for there is no G od,
befides one G o d ; and. if they refrain not from what they fay, a painful torment
lhall furely.be inflifted on fuch of them as are unbelievers, Will they
not therefore be turned unto G o d , and ask pardon of him ? fince G o d is gracious
an d merciful, C h r i s t the fon of M a r y is no more than an apoftle;
e th e r apoftles have predededhim ; and his mother was a woman of veracity1:
a They Jhall eat of the good things both from a?
hove them y and from under their feet j] That is,
they ihall enjoy the bleffings both of heaven and
earth.
b I f thou fublijh not the whole, thou doft not y in
effefty publijh any part thereof j] That is> if thou
do not compleat the publication of all thy revelations
without exception, thou doft not anfwer
the end for which they were revealed ; becaufe
the concealing of any part, renders the fyftem
of religion which God has thought fit to pub-
Jiih to mankind by thy miniftry, lame and imperfect
1.
e God will defend thee, &e.} Until this verfe
was revealed, Mohammed entertained a guard of
1 ^//Be id aw i, J allalo’ddin.
armed men for his fecurity j but on his receiv*
ing this affurance of God’s protection, he im*
mediately difmifled them *.
d See chap. z. p. 8.
c And they became blind and deaf j] Shutting
they; eyes and ears againft conviction and there-
mqftftrances of the law i as when they worlhip-
ped the calf.
f Then was God turned unto them;] i. e. Upon
their repentance.
8 See Chap. 4. p. 81.
h His mother was a woman of veracity >] Never
pretending to partake of the divine nature, or
to be the mother of'G od. 3. ,
% Iidcm. 3 Jallalo’ddin.
, , ,fo e a t f o o d * . B e h o l d , h o w w e d e c l a r e u n t o t h e m t h e f i g n s o f G od ’ s.
•f ■ and then behold, how they turn afidefrom the truth. Say unto them,
W i l l V e w o r l h i p , b e f i d e s G o d , t h a t w h i c h c a n c a u f e y o u n e i t h e r h a r m n o r
< f i t ? G o d is h e w h o h e a r e t h and f e e t h . S a y , O y e w h o h a v e r e c e i v e d t h e f c r i p -
I e x c e e d n o t the juft bounds ' i n y o u r r e l i g i o n 6 , by /peaking b e f i d e t h e t r u t h ;
| Either follow the defires of people who have heretofore erred, and who have
feduced m an y, a n d h a v e g o n e a f f r a y f r o m t h e f t r a i t p a t h c. T h o f e a m o n g t h e
c h i l d r e n o f I s r a e l w h o b e l i e v e d n o t , w e r e c u r f e d b y t h e t o n g u e o f D a v i d ,
I a n d o f Tesus t h e f o n o f M a r y d . T h i s befel them b e c a u f e t h e y w e r e r e b e l l i o u s
I a n d t r a n f g r e f l e d : t h e y f o r b a d e n o t o n e a n o t h e r t h e w i c k e d n e f s w h i c h t h e y c o m -
I m i t t e d I a n d w o unto them fo r w h a t t h e y c o m m i t t e d . T h o u f h a l t f e e m a n y
I o f t h e m t a k e f o r t h e i r f r i e n d s , t h o f e w h o b e l i e v e n o t . W o unto them f o r
I w h a t t h e i r f o u l s h a v e f e n t b e f o r e t h e m % f o r t h a t G o d i s i n c e n f e d a g a i n f t t h e m ,
I a n d t h e y f h a l l r e m a i n i n t o r m e n t fo r ever. B u t , i f t h e y h a d b e l i e v e d i n G o d , I a n d t h e ’ p r o p h e t , a n d t h a t w h i c h h a t h b e e n r e v e a l e d u n t o h i m , t h e y h a d n o t
I t a k e n t h e m f o r their f r i e n d s ; b u t m a n y o f t h e m a r e e v i l d o e r s . T h o u f h a l t f u r e -
■ l y f i n d t h e m o f t v i o l e n t o f all m e n i n e n m i t y a g a i n f t t h e t r u e b e l i e v e r s , to be 1 t h e T e w s , a n d t h e i d o l a t e r s : a n d t h o u f h a l t f u r e l y f i n d t h o f e a m o n g t h e m to.
I bt t h e m o f t - i n c l i n a b l e t o entertain f r i e n d f h i p f o r t h e t r u e b e l i e v e r s , w h o f a y ,
I W e a r e C h r i f t i a n s . T h i s cometh to pafs, b e c a u f e t h e r e a r e p r i e f t s a n d m o n k s
I a m o n g t h e m ; a n d b e c a u f e t h e y a r e n o t e l a t e d w i t h p r i d e f : * A n d w h e n V I I .
I t h e y h e a r t h a t w h i c h h a t h b e e n f e n t d o w n t o t h e a p o f t l e read unto them, t h o u
I f h a l t f e e t h e i r e y e s o v e r f l o w w i t h t e a r s , b e c a u f e o f t h e t r u t h w h i c h t h e y p e r -
1 ce;ye therein*, f a y i n g , O L o r d , w e b e l i e v e ; w r i t e u s d o w n t h e r e f o r e w i t h
I t h o f e w h o b e a r w i t n e f s to the truth: a n d w h a t Jhould hinder u s f r o m b e l i e v i n g
I y G o d , a n d t h e t r u t h w h i c h h a t h c o m e u n t o u s , a n d f r o m e a r n e f t l y d r i f t i n g
I t h a t o u r L ord w o u l d i n t r o d u c e u s into paradife w i t h t h e r i g h t e o u s p e o p l e ?
There-
' <Ibei both eat food <1 Being obliged to fup- tended in. this paflage, were, either Asbamac.
port their lives by the fame means, and being king of Ethiopia, and feveralbifhops and priefts,
fubjeft to the fame neceflities and infirmities as who, being aflembled for that purpofe, heard
the reft of mankind, and therefore no Gops Jaafar Ebn Abi Yaleb, who fled to that coun-
" See chap 4. p 80 But here the worda are try in the firft flight I , read the 29th and 30th,
principally directed to the Cbrijliam. and afterwards the 18th, and.19th chapters of
I Neither Mom the defires of people who ,have the Koran ; on hearing .of which the king and
btretofirc erred, &c.l That is, of their prelates the reft of the company burft into tears, and
and predeceflbrs, who erred in afcribing divini- confefled what was delivered therein to be con-
ty to Chriii, before the million of Mohammed 2. formable to truth; that prince himfelf, in par-
'Seebefore p o t n ot.6. ' ticular,Toecoming a profelyte to Mobammedifm*-.
* See chap. 2. p i 2. not. I>. or elfe, thirty, or as others fay, feventy per-
’ And are not elated with pride.i] Having not Tons, fent ambaffadors to Mohammed by thp
that high conceit of themfelves, as the Jews fame king of Ethiopia, to whom the prophet
have; but being humble and well difpofed to- himfelf read the thirty iixth chapter, intitled
receive the truth ; qualities, fays al Beidawi, ' Y. S. Whereupon they began to weep, faying,
'vbich.are to be commended even in infidels. How like is this to that which was revealed unto
e And when they bear that which hath been fent Jefus ! and immediately* profefled themfelves.
down to the apoftle, read unto them, their eyes 0- Mfiern1.
verfim with tears, &c.] Theperfons diredtly in-
1 Idem, A ! Br. 1 d av.";. 2 I id cm . 3 Bee .th e P r e lim . D i f c .p . 4 4» 45* 4 -iff Be idawi,
A l T halaei. r.ABULFEP. v i t . M o h . p . .2 y , dec. Marracc. P r o d r . a d r e fu t . A h a r .
part. 1. p . 43. ' i A l Beidawi, j A L L A t a ’ o o i N r V . Marracc. u b ifu p .