be as he who createth not? Do ye not therefore confider? If ye attempt
to reckon up the favours of G od, ye fhall not be able to compute their
number : G od is furely gracious, and merciful ; and G od knoweth that which
ye conceal and that which ye publifh. But the idols which ye invoke
befides G o d , create nothing, but are themfelves created. They are dead'
and not living; neither do they underftand when they fhall be raifed*. Your
G od is one G o d . A s to thofe who believe not in the life to come, their
hearts deny the plaineft evidence, and they proudly rejedt the truth. There
is no doubt but G od knoweth that which they conceal and that which they
difcover: verily he loveth not the proud. And when it is faid unto them.
What hath your L o r d fent down unto Mohammed? they anfwer, Fables
of ancient times. Thus are they given up to error, that they may bear their
own burthens without diminution on the day of refurredtion, and alfo a part
of the burthens of thofe whom they caufed to err, without knowledge. Will
it not be an evil burthen which they fhall bear ? Their predecefiors deviled
plots heretofore; but G od came unto their building, to overthrow it
from the foundations: and the roof fell on them from above, and a punilhment
came upon them, from whence they did not expedtb. Alfo on the
day of refurredtion he will cover them with fhame ; and will fay, Where are
my companions, concerning whom ye difputed ? Thofe unto whom knowledge
fhall have been given % fhall anfwer, This day Jhall fhame and mifery fall
upon the unbelievers. They whom the angels fhall caufe to die, having
dealt unjuftly with their own fouls, fhall offer to make their peace1* in tht
article of death, faying, We have done no evil. But the angels fhall reply,
Yea ; verily G od well knoweth that which ye have wrought: wherefore
enter the gates of hell, therein to remain for ever ; and miferable fhall be
the a bode of the proud. And it fhall be faid unto thofe who fhall fear Goo,
What hath your L ord fent down ? They fhall anfwer, Good : unto thofe
who do right Jhall be given an excellent reward in this world ; but the dwelling
of the next life Jhall be better ; and happy fhall be the dwelling of the pious!
namely, gardens of eternal abode % into which they fhall enter ; rivers fhall
flow beneath the fame; therein Jhall they enjoy whatever they wifh. Thus will
G od recompenfe the pious. Unto the righteous whom the angels fhall caufe
to
* When they Jhall be raifed;] i. e. At what
-time they or their worlhippers fhall be raifed to
receive judgment.
b G od overthrew their building, &c.J Some
underftand this paflage figuratively, of God’s
difappointing their wicked defigns ; but others
fuppofe the words literally relate to the tower
which Nimrod (whom the Mohammedans will
have to be the fon o f Canaan, the fon of Ham, and
fo the nephew of Cujh, and not his fon) built in
Babel, and carried to an immenfe height, (five
thoufand cubits, fay fome,.) foolifhly purpofing
/thereby to afcend to heaven and wage war with
the inhabitants of. that place j but God fruftrated
his attempt, utterly overthrowing the tower by
a violent wind and earthquake l .
c Thofe unto whom knowledge Jhall have been
given j] viz. The prophets, and the teachers
and profeflbrs of G o d ’ s unity, or, the angels.
d Shall offer to make their peace j] Making their
fubmiflion, and humbly excufing their evil a&i-
ons, as proceeding from ignorance, and not front
obftinacy or malice 2.
e Gardens o f eternal abode >] Literally, gardens
o f Eden. See chap. 9. p. 158.
1 Idem, J a l l a l o ’ d d i n . V. D'Herbel. B ill. Orient* Art. Nemr-od. 2 Iidem Interp.
to die, they fhall fay, Peace be upon you ; enter ye into paradife, as a reward
for that which ye have wrought. Do the unbelievers expedt any other
than that the angels come unto them, to part their fouls from their bodies-, or
that the fentence of thy L ord come to be executed on them ? So did they aft who
were before them ; and G od was not unjuft towards them in that he deflroyed
them-, but they dealt unjuftly with their own fouls; the evils of that which
they committed, reached them ; and the divine judgment which they fcoft'ed
at, fell upon them. The idolaters fay, If G od had pleafed, we had not
worfhipped any thing befides him, neither had our fathers: neither had we
forbidden any thing, without him.. So did they who were before them.
But is the duty of the apoftles any other, than public preaching? We have
heretofore raifed up in every nation an apoftle to admonifh them, faying,
Worfhip G o d , and avoid T agh u t \ And of them there were fome whom
G od diredted, and there were others of them who were decreed to go aftray.
Wherefore go. through the earth, O tribe of K oreish, and fee what hath been
the end of thofe who accused their apoftles of impofture. If thou, O prophet,
doft earneftly wifh for their diredlion; verily G od will not diredt him whom
he hath refolved to lead into error ; neither fhall they have any helpers.
And they fwear moft folemnly by G o d , faying, G od will not raife the dead.
Yea; the promife thereof is true: but the greater part of men know it not.
He will raife them that he may clearly fhew them the truth ■ concerning which
they now difagree, and that the unbelievers may know that they are liars.
Verily our fpeech unto any thing, when we wjll the fame, is, that we only fay
unto it, Be ; and it is. As for thofe who have fled, their country for the fake
of G o d , after they had been unjuftly perfecutedc; we will furely provide
them an excellent habitation in this world, but the reward of the next life
fhall be greater; if they knew it1. They who perfevere patiently, and put
their truft in their L o r d , Jhall not fail of happinefs in this life and in that which
is to come. We have not fent any before thee, as our apoftles, other than
men % unto whom we fpake by revelation. Enquire therefore of thofe who
have the cuftody of the fcriptures, if ye know not this to be truth. We
fent them with evident miracles, and written revelations ; and we have fent.
F f down
2 I f G od had pleafed, we had not worjhipped
My befides him, &c.J This they fpoke in a
ftoffing manner, juftifying their idolatry and
fuperftitious abftaining from certain cattle z, by
pretending, that had thefe things been difagree-
able to G od, he would not have fuffered them
to be prattifed.
b Taghut;] See chap. 2. p. 31.
c Who have fled their country after they had
been unjuflly perfecuted j] Some fuppofe the prophet
and the companions of his flight in general,
are here intended : others fuppofe that thofe are
particularly meant in this place, who, after Mo-
bammed's departure, were imprifoned at Mecca
on account of their having embraced his religion,
and fuffered great perfecution from the
Koreijh ; as, Belal, Soheib, Khabbab, Ammdr,
Abes, Abu'l Jahdal, and Sohail2.
d I f they knew it j] It is uncertain whether
the pronoun they relates to the infidels, or to the
true believers. I f to the-Jormer, the confe-
quence would be, that they would be defirous of
attaining to the happinefs of thé Mohajerin, by
profefling the fame faith; i f to the latter, the
knowlèdge of this is urged as a motive to patience
and perfeverance 3.
: e See chap. 7. p. 122. not.‘k. chap. 12. p.
199,-ÖV.
1 See chap. 6. p. 114, tsV. 2 Al Seidawi. 3 Idem.