fered not in -point o f religion, until knowledge had come unto them1 ; verily
thy L o r d will judge between them on the day of refurre&ion, concerning
that wherein they disagreed. If thou art in a doubt concerning any part o f that
which we have fent down unto thee b, alk them who have read the book o f the
law before thee. Now hath the truth come unto thee from thy L o r d ■ , be not
therefore one of thofe who doubt: neither be thou one of thofe who charge
the figns of G o d with fallhood, left thou become one of thofe who perilh.
Verily thofe againft whom the word of thy L o r d is decreed, fhall not believe
although there come unto them every kind o f miracle; until they fee the grievous
punifhment prepared fo r them. And if i t were not fo , fome city, among
the many which have been dejlroyed, would have believed; and the faith of
its inhabitants would have been of advantage unto them : but none o f them be-
lieved, ■ before the execution o f their Jintence, except the people of J o n a s c.
When they believed, we delivered them from the punifhment of ihame in
- this world, and buffered them to enjoy the ir lives and poffeffions for a time11.
But if thy L o r d had pleafed, verily all who are in the earth would have
believed in general. Wilt thou therefore forcibly compel men to be true
believers ? No foul can believe, but by the permiflion of G o d : and he
fhall pour out bis indignation on thofe who will not underftand. Say, Confi-
der whatever is in heaven and on earth: but figns are of no avail, neither preachers,
unto people who will not believe. Do they therefore expeft any other
than fome terrible judgment, like unto the judgments which have fa llen on thofe
who have gone before them? Say, Wait ye the ijfue ; and I alfo will wait with
you: then will we deliver our apoftles and thofe who believe. Thus is it
a juftice due from us, that we fhould deliver the true believers. " Say, 0
men o f M e c c a , if ye be in doubt concerning my religion, verily I worfhip
-not the idols which ye worfhip, befides G o d s but I worfhip G o d , who will
caufe you to die: and I am commanded to be one of the true believers. And
i t was fa id unto me, Set thy face towards the true religion, and be orthodox;
and by no means be one of thofe who attribute companions unto G od -, neither
3 Until after knowledge bad come unto them;]
i.e . After the law had been revealed, and pub-
Jifhed by Mofes.
b Concerning that which we have fent down unto
thee j] That is, concerning the truth of the
'hillories which are here related. The commentators
doubt whether the perfon here fpoken to,
be Mohammed himfelf, or his auditor.
c Ibe people o f Jonas;] v iz. The inhabitants
of Ninive, which ftood on or near the place
where al Mawfel now Hands. This people having
corrupted themfelves with idolatry, Jonas
the Ion of Mattai (or Amittai, which the Mohammedans
fuppofe. to be the name of his mother,)
an Tfraelite of the tribe of Benjamin, was
fent by G od to preach to, and reclaim them.
When he firft began to exhort them to repentance,
inftead of hearkening to him, they ufed
him very ill, fo that he was obliged to leave the
city? threatening them, at his departure, that
they fhould be deftroyed within three days, or,
as others fay, within forty But when the time
drew near, and they faw the heavens overeall
with a black cloud, which fhot forth fire, and
filled the air with fmoke, and hung dire&ly over
their city, they were in a terrible confternation,
and getting into the fields, with their families
and cattle, they put on fackcloth, and humbled
themfelves before God, calling aloud for pardon,
and fincerely repenting of their paft wicicednefs.
Whereupon G od was pleafed to forgive them,
and the ftorm blew over *.
d For a time i. e. Until they died according
to the ordinary courfe of nature.
ther invoke, befides G o d , that which can neither profit thee nor hurt thee:
for if thou do, thou w ilt then certainly become one of the unjuft. If G od
afflict thee with hurt, there is none who- can relieve thee from it, except
he • and if he willech thee any good, there is none who can keep back his
bounty: he will confer it on fuch of his fervants as he pleafeth j and he is
gracious and merciful. Say, O men, now hath the truth come unto you
from your L o r d . He therefore who fhall be diredted, will be directed to
the advantage o f his own foul: but he who fhall err, will err only againft the
fame. I am no guardian over you. Do thou, O prophet, follow that which
is revealed unto thee: and perfevere with patience, until G od fhall judge ;
for he is the belt judge.
CHAP. XI.
Intitled, H u d * ; revealed at M e c c a .
In the name of the rnoft merciful G od.
AL. R.b This book, the verfes whereof are guarded againft corruption
c, and are alfo diftindtly explained d, is a revelation from the wife,
the knowing G od: that ye ferve not any other than G o d *, (verily I am a denouncer
o f threats, and a bearer of good tidings unto you from him *,) and
that ye afk pardon of your L o r d , and then be turned unto him. He will
caufe you to enjoy a plentiful provifion, until a prefixed time : and unto every
one that hath merit by good works, will he give his abundant reward. But
if ye turn back, verily I fear for you the punifhment of the great day :
unto G o d fhall ye return ; and he is almighty. Do they not double the fo lds o f
their breafts*, that they may conceal their deftgns from him ? When they cover
themfelves with their garments, doth not he know that which they conceal,
1 The ftory of which prophet is repeated in
this chapter.
b See the Prelim. Difc. p. 59, &c.
c The verfes whereof are guarded againft corruption
j] According to the various fenfes which the
verb ohkimat, in the original, may bear, the
commentators fuggeft as many different interpretations.
Some fuppofe the meaning to be, according
to our verfion, that the Koran is not liable
to be corrupted 1, as the law and the gofpel
have been, in the opinion of the Mohammedans:
others, that every verfe in this particular chapter
Is In full force, and not one of them abrogated':
pthers, that the verfes of the Koran are difpofed1
ln a clear and perfpicuous method, or contain
evident and demonftrative arguments : and' o-
thers, that they comprize judicial declarations,
to regulate both faith and praétice 2.
d And are alfo diflinllly explained j] The lignification
of the verb fofftlat, which is here ufed,
being alfo ambiguous, the meaning of this paf-
fage is fuppofed to be, either that the verfes are
diftinftly propofed or exprefled in a clear manner
; or that the fubjeft matter of the whole may
be diftinguilhed or divided into laws, monitions,
and examples ; or elfe that the verfes were revealed
by parcels. 3
e Do they not double the folds o f their breafts}]
Or, as it may be tranllated, Do they not turn a-
way their breafts, Sec.