n o A l K 0 R A IV. C hap, 6.
the fight j he is the gracious *, the wife. Now have evident demonftrations
come unto you from your L ord ; whofo feeth them, the advantage thereof will
redound to his own foul: and whofo is wilfully blind, the conference will be
• to himfelf. I am not a keeper over you. Thus do we varioufly explain our
fignss that they may fay, Thou haft ftudied diligently bs and that we may
declare them unto people of underftanding. Follow that which hath been
revealed unto thee from thy L ord 4 there is no G od but he : retire therefore
from the idolaters. If G od had fo pleafed, they had not been guilty of idolatry.
We have not appointed thee a keeper over them *, neither art thou a
guardian over- them. Revile not the idols which they invoke befides G od, left
they malicioufiy revile G od, without knowledge. Thus have we prepared for
every nation their works: hereafter unto G od fhall they return, and he (halt
declare unto them that which they have done. They have fworn by G od, by
the moft folemn oath, that if a fign came unto them, they would certainly
believe therein: Say, Verily figns are in the power of G od alone; and he permitted!
you not to underftand that when they come, they will not believe'. And
we will turn afide their, hearts and their Sight from the truth, as they believed
not therein11 the firft time ; and we will leave them to wander in their error.
T ill. *And though we had fent down angels unto them, and the dead had fpoken
unto them,' and we had gathered together before them all things in one view';
they would not have believed, unlefs G od had fo pleafed: but the greater
part of them know it not. Thus have we appointed unto every prophet an
enemy ; the devils of men, and of genii: who privately fuggeft the one to
the other fpecious difcourfes to deceive •, but if thy L ord pleafed, they would
not have done it. Therefore leave them, and that which they have falfely imagined
5 and let the hearts of thofe be inclined thereto, who believe not in the
life to come 4 and let them pleafe themfelves therein, and let them gain that
which they are gaining. Shall I feek after any other judge befides G od to
ju d g e between us ? It is he who hath fent down unto you the book of the
Korean diftinguilhing between good and e v i l ; and they to whom we gave the
fcripture know that it is ’fent down from thy L ord , with truth. Be not
therefore one of thofe who doubt thereof. The words of thy L ord are pera
The gracious;] Or, as the word may be transited,
the incomprebenfible1.
" That they may fay, Thou haft ftudied diligently'^
That is, Thou haft been inftrudled by the Jews
rand Chriftians in thefe matters, and only retail-
eft to us what thou haft learned of them. For
■ this the infidels objected to Mohammed, thinking
it impoflible for him to difcourfe on fubjedts of
fo high a nature, and in fo clear and pertinent
a manner, without being well verfed in the
dottrines and facred writings of thofe people.
c In this paflage Mohammed endeavours to ex-
•cufe his inability of working a miracle, as had
,h£en demanded of him j declaring that G od
did not think fit to comply with their defires ;
and that i f he had fo thought fit, yet it had
been in vain, becaufe if they were not convinced
by the Koran, they would not be convinced
by the greateft miracle a.
d Therein;] i. e. In the Koran.
e And though we had fent down angels unto them,
& c j For the Meccans required that Mobammd
Ihould either fhew them an angel defcending
from heaven in their fight, or raife their dead
fathers, thatthey might difcourfe with them, or
prevail on G od and his angels to appear to
them in a body.
feft, in truth and juftice ; there is none who can change his words1 : he both
heareth and knoweth. But if thou obey the greater part of them who are
in the earth, they will lead thee afide from the path of G od : they follow
an uncertain opinion only b, and fpeak nothing but lies; verily thy L ord
well knoweth thofe who go aftray from his path, and well knoweth thole who
are rightly direfted. Eat of that whereon the name of G od hath been commemorated
', if ye believe in his figns : tad why do ye not eat of that whereon
the name of G od hath been commemorated ? fince he hath plainly declared unto
you what he hath forbidden you ; except that which ye be compelled to by
neceflity eat o f : many lead others into error, becaufe of their appetites, being
void of knowledge; but thy L ord well knoweth who are the tranfgrefiors.
Leave both the outfide of iniquity, and the infide thereof4: for they who
commit iniquity fhall receive the reward of that which they fhall have gained.
Eat not therefore of that whereon the name- of G od hath not been commemorated
; for this is certainly wickednefs: but the devils will fuggeft unto their
friends, that they difpute with you concerning this precept ; but if ye obey
them, ye are furely idolaters. Shall he who hath been dead, and whom we
have reftored unto life, and unto whom we have ordained a light, whereby he
may walk among men, be as he whofe fimilitude is in darknefs, from whence
he fhall not come forth '? Thus- was that which the infidels are doing, prepared
for them; And thus have we placed in every city chief leaders of the
wicked men thereof, that they may aft deceitfully therein ; but they fhall aft
deceitfully againft their-own fouls only ; and they know it not. And when-
i fign8 cometh unto them, they fay, We will by no means believe until a
revelation be brought unto us, like unto that which hath been delivered unto
the meffengers of G od h. G od beft knoweth whom he will appoint for his
mefiengerVilenels in the fight of G od fhall fall upon thofe who deal wickedly,
and a grievous pfmifhment, for that they have dealt deceitfully. And whomfoever
* There is none who can change his words.
interpret this of the immutability of G od’s decree,
and the certainty of his threats and pro-
mifes' j others, of his particular promife to pre-
fervethe Koran from any fuch alterations or corruptions
as they imagine to have happened to
the Pentateuch and the Gofpel *•; and others, o f
the unalterable duration of the Mohammedan law,
which they hold is to latt till the end o f the
world, there being no other prophet, law, or dif-
penfation to be expelled after it.
b They follow an uncertain opinion only ; ], Imagining
that the true religion was that which their
idolatrous anceftors profeffed.
c See chap. 2. p. 20. and chap. 5. p. 82.
Leave the outfide of iniquity, and the infide
thereof;] That is, Both open, and fecret fins.
* The perfons primaryy intended in this paf-
fage, were Hamza-, Mohammed's uncle, and
Abu Jahl; others inftead of Hamza name Omar,
or Ammar.
f And thus 'have we placed in every city, chief
leaders of the wicked men thereof;] In the fame -
manner as we have done in Mecca.
gAftgni]. i. e. Any verfe or paflage of the
Koran.
b We will not believe until a revelation be brought
unto us, &c.J Thefe were the words of the Ko-
reifh, who thought there were perfons among
themfelves more worthy of the honour of being
G od ’s mefienger than Mohammed.
' God beft knoweth whom he will appoint for
his meffenger j] Literally, Where he will place
bis commiffton. G od, fays al Beiddwi, bellows
not the gift of prophecy on any one on account
of his nobility or riches, but for their Ipiri-
tual qualifications; * making choice of fuch of his
fervants-as he pleafes,- and who he knows will".
Execute their commiflions faithfully.