and a direction _and mercy: and who is more unjuft than he who devifeth
lies againft the figns of G od, and turneth afide from them ? We will rewnM
thofe who turn afide from our figns with a grievous puniftmient, becauih
they have turned afide. Do they wait for any other than that the ano-els fiiouU
come unto them, to p a rt their fouls from the ir bodies; or that thy L ord ilinnH
come to punifh them \ or that fome of the figns of thy L o r d (hould'xome
to pafs, Jhewingthe day, o f judgment to be at band‘ ? On .the day whereon foml
of thy L ord s figns fhall come to pafs, its faith ihall not profit a foul which
believed not before, or wrought not good in its faith b. Say, Wait ve for
th,s d a y , we furely do wait fo r it. They who make a divifion in their re-
ligionc, and become fe&aries, have thou nothing to do with them ; their af.
h i r bel°ng etb only unto G od. Hereafter Ihall he declare unto them that which
they have done. He who Ihall appear with good works, fail} receive i
tenfold recompenfe for the fame; but he who fhall appear with evil works
Ihall receive only an equal punijhment for the fame ; and they Ihall not be
treated umuftly. Say Verily my L ord hath direfted me into a right way
a true rehg.on, the fed of A brah am the orthodox t and he was no idolater
Say Verily my prayers, and my worlhip, and my life, and my death are k -
dicated unto G od, the L ord of all creatures : he: hath no companion This
£av" Ker T r ma" ^ : 1 Mof]em ' SaX. Shall I defire any other
L ord befides G od ? fince he is the L ord of all things ; and no foul lhaFl
acquire any merits or demerits but for itfelf; and no burthened fo u l (hall bear
the burthen of another«. Moreover unto your L ord ihall ye-return; and
he fhall declare unto you that concerning which ye now difpute. It is he
who hath appointed you to fucceed your predecejfors in the earth, and hath
railed iome of you above others by various degrees o f worldly advantages, that
he might prove you by that which he hath beftowed on you. Thv L ord-
is fwift in punilhing ; and he ir alfo gracious and merciful.
C I - fA P :
, from a tradition of Mohammed, lieve other'part of it; or who form fchiims
faya that ten Sgna wiU precede the laft day ;. therein.
° f thn ear? ’ an,e.chPfe thst the 7 "«s w « e divided into feventy one
M S , n0, h! r “ the weft, and a third in fefts, and the Chrifiim„ into feventy two^ and f e j K S i B i E A: f b,a.’ ‘ ^ e appearance of. An- that his own followers would be fplit into feven-
Dcbrift.thz fiin s riling in the weft the eruption ty three feAs; and that all of them would be
19% fM l S i P earth’ ‘3amned> and fire which fhall break forth from Aden l . d See beexfooreep, t pon liyo oone of eaeh1 .
i i , ^ f f t h f all not profit afoul which believed « No burthened foul 'jhall bear the burthen of
not, &c.] For faith in the next life will be of no another;] This was revealed in anLer w the
advantage to thofe who havenot believed in this; preffing inftances of the idolaters who offered
nor yet faith m this life, without good works. to. take the crime upon themfeives, if Man-
who make a dimfion m their religion;] mod would conform to their worlhip 3
That is, who believe in part of it, and disbe- wormip .
a Seethe Prelim. Difi. J. IV. p. 79, £*, * A l Beidawi. 3 Idem.
CHAP. VIL
In ti tied, Al A r a f a; revealed at M e c c a *1.
In the name of the moll merciful G od.
A L. M. S.‘ A book hath been fent down unto thee: and therefore let
there be no doubt in thy breaft concerning i t ; that thou mayeft
preach the fame, and that it may be an admonition unto the faithful. Follow
that which hath been fent down unto you from your L o r d ; and follow
no guides befides him: how little will ye be warned ! How many cities have
we deftroyed ; which our vengeance overtook by night d, or while they were
repofing themfelves at noon-day =! And their fupplication, when ourpunilh-
ment came upon them, was no other than that they faid, Verily we have
been unjuft.. We will furely call thofe to an account, unto whom a prophet
hath been fent; and we will alfo call thofe to account who have been fent
unto them. And we will declare their actions unto them- with knowledge ;
for we are not abfent from them. The weighing of mens atlions on tjiat
day fiall be juftf s and they -frhofe balances laden with their good works Ihall be
heavy, are thofe who Jhall be happy ; but they whofe balances Ihall be light.are
thofe who have loft their fouls, becaufe they injured our figns. And now have we
placed you on the earth, and have provided you food therein: but how little are
ye thankful! We created you, and afterwards formed you ; and then faid unto
the angelsr Worlhip A d a m •, and they all worlhipped him, except E b l i s ,
•who was not one of thofe who worlhipped f G od faid unto him, What hindred
thee from worlhipping A d^m, fince I had commanded thee ? He anfwered,
I am more excellent than he : thou haft created me of fire, and haft created
him of clay. G od faid, Get thee down therefore from paradife ; for it is
not fit that thou behave thy felf proudly therein : get thee hence ; thou (halt
be one of the contemptible. He anfwered, Give me refpite until the day of
refurredtion. G od faid. Verily thou fhalt be one of thofe who are
refpited h. The devil faid, Becaufe thou haft depraved me, I will lay wait
' . f o r
* Al Araf fignifies the partition between pa- whom Lot was fent.
radife and hell, which is mentioned in this * Or while they were repofing themfelves at noon\\
chapter ' As happened to the Midianites, to whom Shoaib
borne however except five or eight verfes, preached,
begin at thefe words, And ask them concerning f See the Prelim. Difc. Seil. IV. p. 8q.
M B I g See chap. 2. p. 4. &c.
Hn BT7fignificationof th° k letters the more h Verily thou Jhalt be one of thofe who are ref
ober Mohammedans x confefs G od alone knows, pi ted j] As the time till which the devil is repriev-
bome however imagine they ftand for, Allah, ed, is not particularly exprefled, the cornmen-
* ■ f ° hammeiif on whom be peace. tators fuppofe his requeft was not wholly grantit
hm l • 0tt r P!iniß?ment overtook by night j] As ed; but agree that he Ihall dy e,' as Well as other
id the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, * to creatures, at the fecond found of the trumpetl .
n -H ff the SfO A s i IV. p. 94. * Al Beidawi. See the Prelim. Pifi. §. IV. p. 83. and
33HEROEEOT, Bib/. Orient. Art. Eblit; e 1