fbever G o d fhall pleafe to direift, he -will open his b r e a d to receive the fa ith of I s l a m : but whomfoever he fhall pleafe to lead into error, he will render his
bread drait narrow, as though he were climbing up to heaven *. Thus
doth' G o d inflift a terrible punifhment on thofe who believe not. This is the
rioht way of thy L o r d . Now have we plainly declared our figns unto
thofe people who will confider. ~ They lhall have a dwelling of peace with
their L o r d , and he fhall^be their patron, becaufe of that which they have
wrought. ‘Think on the day whereon G od lhall gather them all together, and
Jhall fay, O company of geniib, ye have been much concerned with mankind
c ; and their friends from among mankind fhall fay, O L o r d , the one
of us hath received advantage from the otherd, and we are arrived at our
limited term'', which thou had appointed us. G od will fay, Hell fire jhall be
your habitation, therein lhall ye remain f o r e v e r ; unlefs as G o d lhall pleafe
to mitigate your fa in s f, for thy L o r d is wife and knowing. Thus do we fet
feme of the unjuft over others of them, becaufe of that which they have de-
ferved. O company of genii and men, did not meffengers from amongyour felves
come unto you *,■ rehearfirig my figns. unto you, 'and forewarning you of
the meeting o f this your day ? They lhall anfwer, We bear witnefs agamft.
ourfelves-: the prefent life deceived them: and they lhall bear witnefs agamft
themfelves that they were unbelievers. g This hath, been the method o f G o n
dealing with his creatures, becaufe thy L o r d ' would not dedroy the cities in
their iniquity, while their inhabitants were carelefs“ . Every one lhall ihttve
decrees o f recompenfe of that which they lhall defy for thy L o r d is not re-
s-ardlefs of that which they do, and thy L o r d is felf-fufficient and indued with
mercy. If he pleafeth’he can dedroy you, andcaufe fuch as he pleafeth to
fiicceed you, in like manner as he produced you from the poderity of other
people Yerily that which is threatened you, lhall furely come to pafs; nei-
r r ther
a As though he were climbing up to heaven;J
O r had undertaken the moft impoffible thing in
the vyorld. In like manner lhall the heart of
fuch a man be incapable of receiving the truth.
b O company of genii That is, of devils }.
c Ye have been much concerned with mankind ;]
In tempting and feducing them to fin.
4 The one of us hath received advantage from
the other;] The advantage which men received
from the evil fpirits, was their railing and fatis-
fying their lufts and appetites ; and that which
the latter received in return, was the obedience
paid them by the former, See 2.
* Our limited term, & c ] viz. The day of re-
furre&ion, which we believed not in the other
world.
f.Unlefs as G od Jhall pleafe to mitigate your
pains ;] The commentators tell us that this alleviation
of the pains of the damned, will be
when they lhall be taken out of the lire to drink
.the boiling water 3, or to fuffer the extreme
cold, called al Zamharir, which is to be one
part of their punilhment; but others think the
refpit which G od will grant to fome before they
are thrown into hell, is here intended 4. According
to the expofition of Ebn Abbas, thefe
words may be rendred, Unlefs him whom God
jhall pleafe to deliver thence 5.
* Did not meffengers from among your felves come
unto you, &c.J It is the Mohammedan belief that
apoftles were fent by G od for the converfion
both of genii and of men; being generally of
humane race (as Mohammed, in particular, who
pretended to have a commiflion to preach to
both kinds); according to this pafiage, it feems
there muff have been prophets of the race of
genii alfo, though their million be a fecret 40
us.
b While their inhabitants were carelefs;] Or
.confidered not their danger ; but God fall
fent fome prophet to them to warn them of
it, and to invite them to repentance.
j ^ /B eidawi. 2 Idem, J allalo’ddin. 3 J allalq’ddin.
* Bee the Prelim. Difc. §. IV. p ’. 92, Upc.
ther fhall ye caufe it to fail. Say unto thofe o f M ecc^s , O my people, aft according
to your power; verily I will aft according to my duty a: and hereafter
fhall ye know whofe will be the reward of paradife. The ungodly
(hall not profper. Thofe o f M e c c^i fet apart unto G o d a portion of that
which he hath produced of the fruits of the earth, and of cattle; and fay, This
belongeth unto G o d , (according to their imagination,) and this unto our companions
b. And that which is de fined for their companions cometh not unto
G o d ; yet that which is fe t apart unto G o d cometh unto their companionsc.
How ill do they judge! In like manner have their companions induced many
of the idolaters to flay their childrend, that they might bring them to perdition,
and that they might render their religion obfeure and confufed unto
them'. But if G o d had pleafed, they had not done this: therefore leave
them, and that which they falfely imagine. They alfo fay, Thefe cattle and
fruits of the earth are facred”; none fhall eat thereof but who we pleafef, (according
to their imagination ;) and there are cattle' whofe backs are forbidden
to be rode on, or loaden with burthens s ; and there are cattle on which they
commemorate not the name of G o d when they flay them h, deviling a lie_againft
him: G od fhall reward them for that which they falfely devife. And they fay,
That which is in the bellies of thefe cattle ‘ , is allowed our males to eat, and
is forbidden to our wives : but if it prove abortive, then they are both partakers
thereof fc. G od fhall give them the reward of their attributing thefe things
to him i he is knowing and wife. They are utterly loft who have flain their children
foolifhly l, without knowledge “ ; and have forbidden that which G o d
Q_ - hath
* AH according to your.power ; and I will afi
according to my duty ;] That is, Ye may proceed
in your rebellion againfi: God and your
malice towards me, and be -confirmed in youj
infidelity ; but I will perfeve e to bear your in-
felts with patience, and to publilh thofe revelations
which G od has commanded me x.
“ Our companions;] i. e. Our idols. In which
fenfe this word is to be taken thro’ the whole
paffage.
c As to this cufiom of the pagan Arabs, fee
the Prelim. Difc. .§. I. p. 16. T o what is there
faid we may | add, that the fhare fet apart for
God was employed chiefly iii relieving the
P°or, and Arrangers ; and the fhare of the idols,
for paying their priefts, and providing facrifices
for them 2.
d To flay, their children;] Either by that inhuman
cuftom, which prevailed among thofe of
Kendah and fome other tribes, of burying their
daughters alive, fo foon as they were born, if
they apprehended they couldnot maintain them3;
or elfe by offering them to their idols, at the
tnftigation of thofe who had the cuftody of
their temples 4,
6 And render their religion obfeure and confufed,
&c.J By corrupting with horrid fuperftitions
that religion which Ifmael had left to his po-
fterity *.
f But who we pleafe;] That is, Thole who
ferve our idols, and are of the male fex ; for
the women were not allowed to eat of them 6.
8 And there are cattle whofe backs are forbidden
to be rode on, &c.] Which they fuperftitioufly exempted
from fuch lervices, in fome particular
cafes; as they did the Bahira, the Saiba, and the
Hami 7.
h See chap. 5. p. 82.
■ lhat which is in the bellies of thefe cattle ;]
That is, the foetus or embryo’s of the Bahira
and the Saiba, which lhall be brought forth a-
live.
* But i f it prove abortive, they both partake
thereof;] For if thofe cattle caft their young,
the women might eat thereof as well as the
men.
'See above, noted.
m Without knowledge;] Not having a due fenfe
of G od’s providence.
1 - ^B eidawi.
Idem, 6 idtm.
2 Idem, J allalo’ddin. 3 See chap. 81. 4 ^ /B e id aw i.
7 See chap. 5. p. 96. and Prelim. Difc. §. V.