on them, and we gave them rivers which flowed under their feet: yet we
deftroyed them in their fins, and raifed up other generations after them. Although
we had caufed to defcend unto thee a book written on paper, and
.they had handled it with their hands, the unbelievers had furely faid, This«
no other than manifeft forcery. They faid, Unlefs an angel be fent down unto
him, we will not believe. But if we had fent down an angel, verily the
matter had been decreed *, and they Ihould not have been born with, by having
time granted them to repent. And if we had appointed an angel for- our
mejfenger, we Ihould have fent him in the form of a manb, and have cloath-
ed him before them, as they are cloathed. Other apoftles have been laughed
to fcorn, before thee, but the judgment which they made ajeftpf, encompaf-
fed thole who laughed them to fcorn. Say, Go through the earth, and behold
what hath been the end of thofe, who accufed our prophets ofimpofture. Say,
Unto whom belongeth whatfoever is in heaven and earth? Say, Unto G od.
He hath prefcribed unto himfelf mercy. He will furely gather you together
on the day of refurreftion; there is no doubt of it. They who deftroy their
own fouls are thofe who will not believe. Unto him is owing whatfoever happened!
by night or by day; it is he who heareth and knoweth. Say, Shall
I take any other proteffor than G o d , the creator of heaven and earth, who
feedeth all and is not fed by any ? Say, Verily I am commanded* to be the
firfi: who profefieth Is l am ", and it was faid unto me, Thou (halt by no means
be one of the idolaters.'Say, Verily I fear, if I Ihould rebel againft my Lords
the punilhment of the great day: from whomfoever it fliall be averted on
that day, G od will have been merciful unto him; this will be manifeft falvation.
I f G od afflift thee with any hurt: there is none who can take it off from
thee, except himfelf; but if he caufe good to befal thee, he is almighty ; he
is the fupreme L ord over his feryants ; and he is wife and knowing. Say,
What thing is the ftrongeft in bearing teftimony d ? Say, G o d ; he is witnefs
between me and you. And this K o r a n 'was revealed untome, that I Ihould
admonifh you thereby, and alfo thofe unto whom it lhal] reach. Do ye really
profels that there are other gods together with G od ? Say, I do not pro-
SeSs this. Say, Verily he is one G od ; and I am guiltlefs of what ye affociate
with him. They unto whom we have given the fcripture know our apofile,
even as they know their own children ' ; but they who deftroy their own fouls,
will not believe. Who is more unjuft than he who inventeth a lie againft
G od,
• Verily the matter had been decreed, &c.J That
is to fay, As they would not have believed, even
i f an angel had defcended to them from heaven,
G od has ihewn-his mercy in not complying with
their demands; for if he had, they would have
fullered immediate condemnation, and. would
have been allowed no time for repentance.
b We jhould have fent him. in the form of a
man;] As Gabriel generally appeared to Mohammed,
who,tho’ a. prophet, was not able to bear
the light of him when he appeared in his pror
per form, much kfs would others be able to
1 Al Be id aw i.
Support it.
c The firfi who profejfeth Iflamj] That is, the
firft of my nation 1.
d' What thing is the firongeft in bearing teftitno-
ny, &c.J This paffage was revealed when the
Koreijb told Mohammed that they had asked the
Jews and Chrifiians concerning him, w-ho air
fured them they found , no mention or defcription
of him in their books of fcripture, Therefore
faid they, who bears witnefs to thee, that thou art
the apofile of G od * l
'.See chap, z. v. 18.
2 Jallalo’d-din.
r > or chargeth his figns with impofture ? Surely the unjuft fliall not
rofoer And on the day of refurreftion we will affemble them all ; then will
P unto thofe who affociated others with G od, Where are your companions1',
whom ye imagined to be thofe of G od? But they lhall have no other
excufe than that they (hall fay, By G od our L o r d , we have not been
idolaters. Behold, how they lye againft themfelves, and what they have
llafphemoujly imagined to be the companion of G od flieth from them'. There
is of them who hearkeneth unto thee when thou readeft the Kor^n d ; but we
have caft vails over their hearts, that they Ihould not underftand it, and a
deafnefs in their ears ; and though they ihould fee all kinds of figns, they will*
not believe therein ; and their infidelity will arrive to that height that they will
even come unto thee, to difpute with thee. The unbelievers will fay, This
is nothing but filly fables of ancient times. And they will forbid others from
believing therein, and will retire afar off from i t ; but they will deftroy
their own fouls only, and they are not fenfible thereof. If thou didft fee, when
they {hall be fet over the fire of hell! and they fhall fay, Would to G od we
mivht be fent back into the world ; we would not charge the figns of our L ord
with impofture, and we would become true believers: nay, but that is become
manifeft untothem, which-they formerly concealed *; and. though they ihould.
be fent back into the world, they would furely return to, that which was forbidden
them ; and they are furely liars. And they faid, There is no other life
than our prefent life; neither lhall we be raifed again. But if thou couldft fee,
when they fhall be fet before their L ord He fhall fay unto them, Is not
this in truth come to pafs ? They fhall anfwer, Yea, by our L o r d . G od fhall
fiy, Tafte therefore the puniihment^ai? unto you, for that ye have diibelieved.
They are loft who reje&as a falihood the meeting of G od in the next: life,
until the hour8 cometh fuddenly upon them. Then will they fay, Alas! for
that we have behaved our felves negligently in our life time; and they fhall carry
their burthens on their backs11 ; will- it not be evil which they fhall be loaden
with?•
* Who inventeth a lie againjt G od;}. Saying
the angels are the daughters o f G od, and in-
terceffors for us with him, &c L
b Tour companions;] i. e. Your, idols and falfe
gods.
£ And what they have blafphemoujly imagined
fiietb from them;] That is, their imaginary deities
prove to be nothing, and difappear like
vain' fantoms and chimaeras.
d The perfons here meant were Abu Sofidn, al
Watid, al Nodary Otbay Abu Jahl, ana their
comrades, who went to hear Mohammed repeat
fome of the Koranj and Nodar being asked what
he faid, anfwered, with an oath, that he knew
not, only that he moved his tongue, and told a
parcel of fooliih ftories, as he had done to them2.
* That is become manifeft unto them which they
formerly concealed;] viz. Their hypocrify and
1 -^/Beidawi.
iv. 17.
vile a&ions: nor does their promife. proceed
from any lincere intention of amendment, but
from the anguilh and- mifery. of their condition
3.
f When they fhall be-fet. before their L ord,
£5V.] viz. In order for judgment.
« The hour i\ The laft day is here called-/&
Hourt as it is in fcripture 4j and-the preceding
expreflion of meeting G od or that day is alfo a-
greeable. to the fa me,5.
h They fhall carry their burthens on their backs\
&c.] Wheiv an infidel comes forth from his
grave, fays Jallalo'adin, his works lhall be represented
to him under the uglieft form that
ever he beheld,-having a moll deformed countenance,
a filthy fmell, and a difagreeable voice;
fo that he lhall cry out, God defend me from
thee,
2 Idem. 3 Idem. i John v. 25» &c. s i Tbef.