>94 A l K O R A N . C ha p . 5.
Therefore hath G od rewarded them, for what they have faid, with gardens
through which rivers flow •, they (hall continue therein f o r ever ; and this is
the reward of the righteous. But they who believe not, and accufe our figns
of falfhood, theyJhall be the companions of hell. O true believers, forbid
rnot the good things which G od hath allowed you*; but tranfgrefs not, for
G od loveth not the tranfgreflors. And eat of what G od hath given you for
food that which is lawful and good : and fear G o d , in whom ye believe.
< jo d will not punifh you for an inconfiderat'e word in your oathsb; but he will
•punifh you for what ye folemnly fwear with deliberation. And the expiation of
fuch an incon fiderate oath Jhall be the feeding of ten poor men with fuch moderate
fo od as ye feed your own families withal 5 or to cloath them £ *, or to free
the neck o f a true believer from captivity : but he who fhall not find where-
w ith to perform one o f thefe three things, fhall faft three daysd. This is the expiation
of your oaths, when ye fwear inadvertently. Therefore keep your
oaths. Thus G od declareth unto you his figns, that ye may give thanks. 0
true believers, furely wine, and lots*, and imagesf, and divining arrowsg are
an abomination of the work of S a t a n 5 therefore avoid them, that ye may
profper. S a t a n feeketh to fow difienfion and hatred among you, by means of
wine and lots, and to divert you from remembring G o d , and from prayer:
will ye not therefore abftain from them ? Obey G o d , and obey the appftle,
and take heed to your fe lv es : but if ye turn back, know that the duty of our
apoftle is only to preach publicklyk In thole who believe and do good
works, it is no fin that they have tailed wine or gaming before they were for*
bidden \ if they fear G o o , and believe, and do good works, and Jhall for the
fu tu r e tear God, and believe, and Jhall perfevere to fear him, and to do good1';
for G od loveth thofe who do good. O true believers, G od will furely prove
you in offering you plenty o f game, which ye may take with your hands or your
lances,
■* Torbid not the good things which God hath allowed
you;] Thefe words were revealed, when
certain of Mohammed's companions agreed to oblige
themfelves to continual falling and watching,
and to abftain from women, eating flelh ,
'fleeping on beds, and other lawful enjoyments
of life, in imitation of fome feif-denying Chri-
ftians; but this the prophet difapproved,declaring,
that he would have no monks in his religion
l .
b See chap. 2. p. 26.
* The commentators give us the different o-
ipinions of the do&ors, as to the quantity of
food and doaths to be given in this cafe; which
1 think fcarce worth tranferibing;
d Shallfaß three days;] That is, three days
together, fays Abu Banff a. But this is not ob-
ferved in practice, being neither explicitly commanded
in the Koran, nor ordered in the Sonna 2.
9JVine and lots jJ That is, all inebriating liquors,
and games of chance. See the Prelim. Difc.
§. V . and chap. 2. p. 2’j . *
f Images;] A l Beidawi and fome other commentators
expound this of idols 5 but others,
with more probability, of the carved pieces, or
men, with which the pagan Arabs played at
chefs, being little figures of men, elephants,
horfes and dromedaries and this is füppofedto
be the only thing which Mohammed difliked in
that'game : for which reafon the Sonnites play
with plain pieces of wood,' or ivory ; but the
Perjians and Indians, who are not fo fcrupulous,
ftill make ufe of the carved ones 3.
8 Seethe Prelim. Difcourfe, $. V.
b See ibid. §. II. p. '48, &c.
1 The commentators endeavour to excufe the
tautology of this paflage, by fuppofing the threefold
repetition of fearing and believing, refer
either to the three parts of time, paft, prefent
and future, or to the threefold duty of man, to*
wards^GoD, himfelf, and his neighbour, &c4-
C h a p . 5 . ; “ *V5ra H ! ”
knees * that G od may know who feareth him in fecret; but whoever tranf-
relfeth after this, fhall fuffer a grievous punifhment. O true believers, kill
fo same while ye are on pilgrimage11; whofoever among you fhall kill any de-
ficmedly, fhall reftore the like of what he fhall have killed, in domeftic anim
als', according to the determination of two juft perfons among you, to be
brought as an offering to the C aaba ; or in attonement thereof fhall feed the
poor ; or inftead thereof fhall faft, that he may tafte the heinoufnefs of his
deed.' G o d hath forgiven what is paft, but whoever returneth to tranfgrefs,
G od will take vengeance on him ; for G od is mighty and able to avenge. It
is lawful for you to fifh in the fëa4, and to eat what ye Jhall catch, as a pro-
vifion for you and for thofe who travel ; but it is unlawful for you to hunt by
land while ye are performing the rites of pilgrimage'; therefore fear G o d ,
before Whom ye fhall be affembled at the lafi day. G od hath appointed the
Caaba, the holy houfe, an eftablifhmentf for mankind; and hath ordained
the facred month6, and the offering, and the ornaments \mng thereon \ This
hath he done that ye might know that G od knoweth whatfoever is in heaven;
and on earth, and that G od is omnifeient. Know that G od is fevere in punching,
and that G od is alfo ready to forgive and merciful. The duty of our a-
poftle is to preach only1; and G od knoweth that which ye difeover, and that,
which ye conceal. Say, Evil and good fhall not be equally efteemed of, though
the abundance of evil pleafeth theek; therefore fear G o d , O ye of under*
God will prove you, in offering you plenty of
game, &c.] This temptation or trial was at al
Hodeibiya, where Mohammed's men,'who had attended
him thither with an intent to perform a
pilgrimage to the Caaba, and had initiated themfelves
with the ufual rites, vyere furrounded by
{0 great a number of birds and beafts, that they
impeded their march j from which unufual accident,
fome of them concluded that God had
allowed them to be taken j but this paflage was
to convince them of the contrary
b While ye are on pilgrimage»] Literally, while
ye are Mohrims, or have aftually initiated your
felves, as pilgrims, by putting on the garment
worn at thatSolemnity. Hunting and fowling
are hereby abfolutejy forbidden to perfons in this
ftate j tho’ they are allowed to kill certain kinds
of noxious animals 2.
e Shall reftore the like in domeftic animals, Ac.]
That is, he lhall bring an offering to the temple
of Mecca, to be flain there and diftributed among
the poorr of fome domeftic or tame animal; e-
qual in value to what he fhall have killed ; as a
fheep, for example; in lieu of an antelope, a
pidgeon for a partridge, &c. And of this value
two prudent perfons were to be judges. I f the
offender was not able to .do this, he was fo
give a certain quantity of food to one or more
poor men ; .or, if he could not afford that, to
faft a proportionable number of. days 3.
d This, fays Jallalo'ddin, is to be underftood
of fifh that live altogether in the fea, and not
of thofe that live in the fea and on land both, as
' crabs, &c. The Turks, who are Hanifites, never
•at this fort of fifh ; but the feft of Ans Ebn
Malec, and perhaps fome others, make no feru-
ple of it.
e See above note k
f An eftablijhment;] That is, the place where
the practice of their religious ceremonies is chiefly
eftablifhed ; where thofe who are,under any
apprehenfion of danger may find a fure afylum,
and the merchant certain gain, &c 4.
8 The facred month s) A l Beidawi underftands
.this of the month of DhuThajja, wherein the
ceremonies of the pilgrimage are performed ;
but Jallalo'ddin fuppofes all the four facred,:
months are here intended k
h See before, p. 82.
‘ See the Prelim. Difcourfe, §. II. p. 48.
k Evil and good Jhall not be equally efteemed, tho'
the abundance of evil pleafeth theei) For judgment
is to be made of things not from their plenty or
fcarcity, but from their intrinlic good or bad
qualities 6.