ready dwélt among you to the age o f fo rty y ea r s ', before I received it. Do
ye not therefore underftand ? And who is more -unjuft than he who de-
vifeth a lie againft G o d , or accufeth his figns of falfehood? Surely the w i c k ed
lhall not profper. They worfhip befides G o d , that which can neither hurt
them nor profit them, and they fay, Theft are our intercefiors with G o d b.
Anfwer, Will ye tell G o d that which he knoweth not, neither in heaven nor
'in earth c ? Praife be unto himi and 'far be that from him, which they a f i b c i -
ate. with h im ! Men were profefiors of one religion onlyd , but they difiented
• therefrom ; and if a decree had not previoufly ifiued from thy L o r d , deferring
their pimifhment, verily the matter had been decided between them, concerning
which they difagreed. They fay, Unlefsa fign be fent down unto him
from his'L o r d , we w ill not believe. Anfwer, Verily that which is hidden is
known only unto G o d : wait therefore tóe pleafure o f G od ; and [ alfo will wait
with you. And when we caufed t-he men o f M ecca to tafte mercy, after an
affliction which had befaHen-them, behold, they devifed a ftratagem againft our
; f ig ns S a y unto them, G o d is more fwift in executing a ftratagem, than ye.
Verily our meffengers f write down that which ye deceitfully devife. It is
he who hath given you conveniences for travelling by land and by fea •, fo that
ye be in fhips, which fail with them, with a favourable wind, and they rejoice
-therein. A n d when a tempeftuous wind overtaketh them, and waves come upon
them-from every fide, and they think themfelves to be encompaffed with
■ inevitable dangers ; they call upon G o d , exhibiting the pure -religion unto
him s, and faying, Verily, if thou deliver us from this pe ril, we will be of
■ thofe who give thanks. But when he had delivered them, behold, they behaved
-themfelves infolently in the earth, without juftice. O men, Verily the violence
-which ye commit againft your own fouls, is f o r the enjoyment of this prefent
life only ; afterwards unto us lhall ye return, and we will declare unto you
tthat which ye have done. Verily the likenefs of this prefent life is no' other
- t h a n
a To the age o f forty years j] For fo old was Mo-
, hammed before he took upon him to be a prophet fc
during which time his fellow citizens well knew
that he had not applied himfelf to learning of any
'fort, nor frequented learned men, nor had ever
exercifed himfelf in compoling verfes, or orations,
whereby he might acquire the art of rhetoric,
or elegance of fpeech 2 . A flagrant proof,
■ fays al Beidawi, that this book could be taught
.'him by none but G od.
b See the Prelim. Difc. §. I. p. 15, & c.
c W ill ye tell G od that which he knoweth not,
;&c.] v iz . That he hath equals or companions
either in heaven, or on earth; flnce he acknowledged
none ?
d Men were profejfors o f cne-religion only, &c.]
That is to fay, the true religion, or Mam, which
•was generally profefled, as feme /ay, till Abel
:was murdered, ' or, as others, till the days of 1
Noah. Some fuppofe the firft ages after the flood
are here intended j others, the Hate of religion in
Arabia, from the time of Abraham to that of
Amru Ebn Lohai, the great introducer of idolatry
into that country.
e And when we.caufed thofe o f Mecca to tafte
■ mercy after affliction, &c.] For it is faid .that they
were afflifled with a dearth for fevenyears, fo
that they were very near perilling j butnofoon-
er relieved by God’s fending them plenty, than
they began again to charge Mohammed with im-
pollute, and to ridicule his revelations 3.
f Our meffengers;] I. e. The guardian angelsg
Exhibiting the pure religion unto him»] That
is, applying themfelves to G od only, and neglecting
their idols; their fears direfling them in fuch
an extremity to ask help of him -only who could
give it.
1 Seethe Prelim. Difc. p. 43. A bulkid. Vit.M oh. c. 7. * See the Prelim. Difc. p. 2.7>
& j f t l J?JEtDA.W.I.
than as water, which we fend down from heaven, and wherewith the produfti-
ons of the earth are mixed, of which men eat, and cattle alfo, until the earth
receive its vefture, and be adorned with various p la n t s : the inhabitants thereof
imagine that they have power over the fame; but our command cometh unto
it by night, or by day, and we render it as though it had been mowen, as
though it had not yefterday abounded with fru its . Thus do we explain car
figns unto people who eonfider. G o d inviteth unto the dwelling of peace *, and
ilireð whom he pleafeth into the right way. ’ They who do right lhall re ceive
a moft excellent reward, and a fiiperabundant addition b; neither black-
nefs I nor fhame lhall cover their faces. Thefe [hall be the inhabitants of
paradife» they lhall continue therein f o r ever. But they who commit evil
/ball receive the reward ofevil, equal thereunto d, and they fhall be covered with
ihame, (for they lhall have no protector againft G o d s ) as though their faces were
covered with the profound darknels of the night. Thefe lhall be the inhabitants
of 1hell fire s they lhall remain therein fo r ever. On the day o f the refur-
reftion we will gather them altogether s then will we fay unto thé idolaters, Get
ye to your place, ye and your companions *: and we will feparate them from one
another s and their companions lhall fay unto them, Ye did not worlhip us fs
and Gob is a fufficient witnefs between us and you s neither did we mind your
worlhipping o f us. There lhall every foul experienceg that which it lhall have
feni: before ith; and they lhall be brought before G o d , their true L o r d s
and the falfe deities which they vainly imagined, lhall difappear from before
them. Say, Who provideth you food from heaven and earth ? or who hath
the abfolute power over the hearing and the fight ? and who bringeth forth
the living from the dead, and bringeth forth the dead from the living ? and who
governeth all things ? They will furely anfwer, G o d . Say, Will ye not therefore
fear him ? This is therefore G o d , your true L o r d : and what remaineth
there after truth, except error? How therefore are ye turned 'afide from the
truth? Thus is the word of thy L o r d verified upon them who do wickedly ;
that they believe nod Say, Is there any of your companions who produceth a
creature, and then caufeth it to return unto himfelf ? Say, G o d produceth a
creature, and then caufeth it to return unto himfelf. How therefore are ye
turned afide from his worjhip ? Say, Is there any of your companions who di-
Z refteth
* lInto tie dwelling o f peace:] viz. Paradife.
b And a fiiperabundant addition:] For their reward
will vaftly exceed the merit of their good
works. A l Ghazdii fuppofes this additional re-
(rnpenfc will be .the beatific vifion r.
e See the Prelim. Difc. p. 86» tsV.
d Equal thereunto j ] ' i. e. Tho’ the blelfed will
be rewarded beyond their deferts, yet G od will
not puniih any beyond their demerits, but treat
them with the exa&eft juftice.
e And pour companions»} That is,, your idols,
or the companions which ye attributed untoGoD.
f Te did not worjhip us ;] But ye really worfhipped
your own lulls, and were feduced to idolatry,
not by us, but by your own fuperllitious
fancies. It is pretended, that G od will, at the
laft day, inable the idols to fpeak, and that they
will thus reproach their worlhippers, inflead of
interceding for them, as they hoped. Some fuppofe
the angels, who were alfo objefls of the
worlhip of the pagan Arabs,' are particularly intended
in. this place.
s Shall. experience»]; Some copies inllead of
tablu, read tatlu, i. e, fflall follow, or meditate
upon.
h See chap. 2. p. 12. not. h.