been made known unto them* •, no otherwife than as if they had been led
forth to death, and had feen it with their eyes b. And call to mind when God
promifed you one of the* two parties, that it fhould be delivered unto you' ; and
ye defired that tht party which was not furnilhed with armsi fhould be delivered
unto you : but G o d purpofed to make known the truth in his words, and to
cut off the uttermoft part of the unbelievers *; that he might verify the
truth, and deftroy falfhood, although the wicked were averfe thereto. When
ye a(ked affiftance of your L o r d ' , and he anfwered you, Verily I will a ( l i f t
you with a thoufand 8 angels, following one another in order. And this God
defigned only as good tidings h for you, and that your hearts might thereby
reft fecure: for viftory is from G o d alone ; and G o d is mighty and wife
When
and fifty men. Mohammed had no fooner received
advice of this, than Gabriel defcended
with a promife that he fhould either take the caravan,
or beat the fuccours j whereupon he confuted
with his companions which of the two he
fhould attack. Some of them were for fetting
upon the caravan, faying, that they were not
prepared to fight fuch a body of troops as were
coming with Abu Ja h l: but this propofal Mo-
bammed reje&ed, telling them that the caravan
was at a confiderable diftance by the fea-fide,
whereas Abu Jahl was juft upon them. The
others however infilled fo obftinately on purfuing
the firft defign of falling on the caravan, that the
prophet grew $ngry, but by the interpofition of
Abu Beer, Omar, Saad Ebn Obadah,_ and Mok-
dad Ebn Amru, they at length acquiefced to his
opinion. Mokdad in particular, alfured him
they were all ready to obey his orders, and would
not fay to him, as the children of Ifrael did to
Mofes, Go thou and thy L ord to fight, for we will
fit here 1 ; but, Go thou and thy L ord to fight,
and we will fight with you. At this Mohammed
fmiled, and again fat down to confult with them,
applying himfelf chiefly to the Anfars or helpers; ■
feecaufe they were the greater part of his forces,
and he had fome apprehenfion left they lhould
not think themfelves obliged by the oath they
had taken to him at al Akaba 2, to affift him a-
gainft ahy other than fuch as lhould attack him
in Medina. But Saad Ebn Moadh, in the name
of the reft, told him that they had received him
as the apoftle of G od, and had promifed him o-
feedience, and were therefore all to a man ready
to follow him where he pleafed, though it were
into the fea. Upon which the prophet ordered
them in G od’s name to attack the fuccours, af-
. faring them of the victory 3.
* They difputed with thee concerning the truth,
&c.} That is, concerning their luccefs againft
Abu Jahl and the Koreifh s notwithftanding they
had God’s promife to encourage them.
b As i f they had been led forth to death, &c.]
The reafon of this great backwardnefs was the
fmallnefs of their number, in comparifon of the
enemy, and their being unprepared ; for they
were all foot, having but two horfes among
them, whereas the Koreifh had no left than
a hundred horfe 4.
c When God promifed you one of the two parties]]
That is, either the caravan, or the fuccours from
Mecca. Father Marracci miftaking al ir and al
nafir, which are appellatives and fignify the or
ravan and the troop or body of fuccours, for proper
names, has thence coined two families of the
Koreifh never heard of before, which he calls
Airenfes and Napbirenfes*.
. j d The party which was not furnifhed with arm\\
viz. The caravan, which was guarded by
no more than forty horfe; whereas the other
party was ftrong and well appointed.
* But God would make known the truth, &c.]
As if he had faid, Your view was only to gain
the Ipoils of the caravan, and to avoid danger;
but G od defigned to exalt his true religion by
extirpating its adverfaries 6.
f When ye asked affiftance of your L ord, &c ]
When Mohammed's men faw they could not a-
void fighting, they recommended themfelves
to G od’s proteflion ; and their prophet prayed
with great earneftnefs, crying out, O G od, fulf
i l that which thou haft promifed me: O God, if
this party be cut off, thou wilt be no more worfhif-
ed on earth. And he continued to repeat thefe
words till his cloak fell from off his back 7.
e A thoufand angels ;] Which were afterwards
reinforced with three thoufand more 8. Wherefore
fome copies inftead of a thoufand, read thou-
funds in the plural.
b See chap. 3. p. 51.
1 Koran, chap. 5. p. 85.
V. Abulfed. vit. Mob. p. 56.
V. Abulfed. vit. Mob. p. 58.
2 See the "Prelim. Difc.p. 48.
5 Marracc. in Ate. p. 297.
s See chap. 3. p. 36, and51.
3 Al Be id aw i.
6 .^ /B eidawi.
4 Idem.
7 Idem-
When a fleep fell on you as a fecurity from him> and he fent down upon
you water from heaven, that he might thereby purify you, and take from
you the abomination of S a t a n *, and that he might confirm your hearts,
and eftablifh your feet thereby. Alfo when thy L ord fpake unto the angels,
fafini Verily I am with you ; wherefore confirm thofe who believe. I will
call a dread into the hearts of the unbelievers. Therefore ftrike off their
heads, and ftrike off all the ends of their fingers b. This Jhall they fuffer, be-
caufe they have refilled G o d and his apoftle: and whofoever lhall oppofe
G od and his apoftle, verily G od will be fevere in punching him. This Jhall
be your punifhment ; tafte it therefore: and the infidels fhall alfo fufrer the torment
of hell fire. O true believers, when ye meet the unbelievers marching
in great numbers againft you, turn not your backs unto them: for whofo fhall
turn his back unto them on that day, unlefs he turneth afide to fight, or re-
treateth to another party of the faithful % fhall draw on himfelf the indignation
of G od, and his abode fhall be hell ; an ill journey Jhall it be thither! And
ye flew not thofe who were fain at B edr your /elves, but G od flew them \
Neither didft thou, O Mohammed, caft the gravel into their eyes, when thou
didfl feem to caft i t ; but G o d caft ite, that he might prove the true believers
by a gracious trial from himfelf; for G od heareth and knoweth. This was
done that G od might alfo weaken the crafty devices of the unbelievers. If ye
defire a decifion of the matter between us, now hath a decifion come unto
youf : and if ye defift from oppofing the apoftle, it will be better for you.
But if ye return to attack him, we will alfo return to his ajffiance ; and your
forces fhall not be of advantage unto you at all, although they be numerous;
for G od is with the faithful. O true believers, obey G od and his apoftle,
and turn not back from him, fince ye hear the admonitions of the Koryak. And
be not as thofe who fay, We hear, when they do not hear. Verily the worft
fo rt of beafts in the fight of G o d , are the deaf and the dumb, who underftand
not. If G od had known any good in them, he would certainly have caufed
them
* When a Jleep fell on you, &c.] It is related,
that the fpot where Mohammed's little army lay,
was a dry and deep fand, into which their feet
funk as they walked, the enemy having the command
of the water; and that having fallen afleep,
the greater part of them were difturbed with
dreams, wherein the devil fuggefted to them,
that they could never expert G od’s affiftance in
the battle, fince they were cut off from the water,
arid befides fuffering the inconveniency of
thirft, muft be obliged to pray without wafliing,
tho’ they imagined themfelves to be the favourites
of G od, and that they had his apoftle a-
mong them. But in the night rain fell fo plentifully,
that it formed a little brook, and n.ot only
fupplyed them with water for all their ufes,
but made the fand between them and the infidel
army firm enough to bear them; whereupon the
diabolical fuggeilions ceafed1.
b Therefore ftrike off their heads, &c.] This
is the punifhment exprefsly affigned the enemies
of the Mohammedan religion; tho’ the Moftems
did not inflifi it on the prifoners they took at
Bedr, for which they are reprehended in this
chapter.
c Unlefs he turneth afide to fight, or retreateth
to another party, &c.] That is, if it be not downright
running away, but done either with defign
to rally and attack the enemy again, or by way
of feint or ftratagem, or to fuccour a party which
is hard preffed, & c 2.
d^See chap. 3. p. 36. not. a.
* See ibid.
f I f ye defire a decifion, &c.} Thefe words are
directed to the people of Mecca', whom Mohammed
derides, becaufe the Koreifh, when they were
ready to fet out from Mecca, took hold of the curtains
1 A l Beidawi. 2 Idem.