wherein is a medicine for men*. Verily herein is a fign unto people who
conlider. G od hath created you, and he will hereafter caufe you to die •
and fome of you fhall have his life prolonged to a decrepit age, fo that he
fhall forget whatever he knew ; for God is wife and powerful. GoDcaufeth
fome of you to excel others in worldly poffeffions: yet they who are cauf-
ed to excel, do not give their wealth unto the Jlaves whom their fight hands
polfefs, that they may become equal Jharers thereinb. Do they therefore deny
the beneficence of God ? God hath ordained you wives from among your-
felves', and of your wives hath granted you children and grand-children; and
hath beftowed on you good things for food. Will they therefore believe in
that which is vain, and ungratefully deny the goodnefs of God ? They wor-
fhip, befides God, idols which pofiefs nothing wherewith to fuftain them, either
in heaven, or on earth ; and have no power. Wherefore liken not any
thing unto God d: for God knoweth, but ye know not. God propoundeth as
a parable a poflefled (lave, who hath power over nothing, and him on whom
we have beftowed a good provifion from us, and who giveth alms thereout
both fecretly and openly ': fhall thefe two be efteemed equal ? G od forbid!
But the greater part of them know it not. God alfo propoundeth as a parable
two men ; one of them born dumb, who is unable to do'or underftand any
thing, but is a burthen unto his matter; whitherfoever he fhall fend him, he'
fhall not return with any good fuccefs; fhall this man, and he who hath, his
fpeech and underftanding, and who commandeth that which is juft, and fol-
loweth the right way, be efteemed equal* ? Unto God alone is the fecret of
heaven and earth known. And the bufinefs of the lajl hour8 fhall be only as
the
a Wherein is a medicine for men;] The fame
being not only good food, but a ufeful remedy
in feveral diftempers, particularly thofe occafion-
ed by phlegm. There is a ftory, that a man
came once to Mohammed, and told him that his
brother was affli&ed with a violent pain in his
belly : upon which the prophet bade him give
him fome honey. The fellow took his advice;
but foon after coming again, told him that the
medicine had done his brother no manner of fer-
vice : Mohammed anfwered, Go and give him
more honey, for G od [peaks truth, and thy brother's
belly lies. Ana the dofe being repeated,
the man, by G od’s mercy, was immediately
cured x.
b I hey give not their wealth unto their faves,
&c.] Thefe words reprove the idolatrous Meccans,
who could admit created beings to a lhare
©f the divine honour, tho’ they fuffered not
their Haves to lhare with themfelves in what
G od had beftowed on them a.
c From among your felves;] That is, of your
own nations and tribes. Some think the formation
of Eve from Adam is here intended.
d Liken not any thing unto G od ;] Or propound
no fimilitudes or companions between him and
his creatures. One argument the Meccans employed
in defence of their idolatry, it feems,
was, that the worlhip of inferior deities did
honour to G od ; in the fame manner as the re-
fpe& Ihewed to the fervants of a prince, does
honour to the prince himfelf 3.
e G od propoundeth as a parable apoffeffed flavt,
&c.] The idols are here likened to a Have, who
is fo far from having any thing of his own, that
he is himfelf in the pofleffion of another} whereas
G od is as a rich free man, who provideth for
his family abundantly, and alfo affifteth others
who have need, both in public and in private 4.
f G od alfo propoundeth as a parable two men foe.]
The idol is here again reprefented under the i-
mage of one who, by a defeat in hisj ienfes, is a
ufelefs burthen to the man who maintains him;
and G o d , under that of a peribn completely
qualified either to direft or to execute any ule-
ful undertaking. Some fuppofe the comparifon
is intended of a true believer and an infidel.
g The bufinefs of the laft hour j] That is, The
refurrettion of the dead.
1 Idem. * Idem. 3 Idem * Idem, J a l l a l o ’ d d in .
the twinkling o f an eye, or even more quick: for G od is almighty. God
hath brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers ; ye knew nothing,
and he gave you the fenfes of hearing and feeing, and underftandings, that ye
might give thanks. Do they not behold the fowls which are enabled to fly
in the open firmament of heaven ? none fupporteth them except G od. Verily
herein are figns unto people who believe. G od hath alfo provided your
houfes for habitations for you ; and hath alfo provided you tents of the (kins
of cattle, which ye find light to be removed on the day of your departure
to new quarters, and eafy to be pitched bn the day of your fitting down therein
: and of their wool, and their furr, and their hair hath he fupplied you
with furniture and houfehold-ftuff for a feafon. And G od hath provided for
you, of that which he hath created, conveniences to fhade you from the
jim \ and he hath alfo provided you places o f retreat in the mountainsb, and
he hath given you garments to defend you from the heat', and coats of
moil to defend you in your wars. Thus doth he accomplifh his favour towards
you, that ye may refign your felves unto him. But if they turn
back ; verily thy duty is public preaching only. They acknowledge the
goodnels of God, and afterwards they deny the fame d; but the greater part
of them are unbelievers'. On a certain day we will raife a witnefs out of
every nation': then they who fhall have been unbelievers fhall not be fuffered
to excufe themfelves, neither fhall they be received into favour. And when
they who fhall have a died unjuftly fhall fee the torment prepared fo r them ;
(it fhall not be mitigated unto them, neither fhall they be refpited;) and
when thofe who fhall have been guilty of idolatry fhall fee their falfe gods8,
they fhall fay, O L ord, thefe are our idols which we invoked, befides thee.
But they fhall return an anfwef unto them, faying, Verily ye are liars8.
And on that day fhall the wicked offer fubmifiion unto G od ; and the falfe
deities which they imagined fhall abandon them. A s fo r thofe who-fhall have
been infidels, and fhall have turned afide others from the way of God, we will
add unto them punifhment upon punifhment, becaufe they have corrupted others.
On a certain day we will raife up in every nation a witnefs againft them, from
among themfelves; and we will bring thee, O M ohammed, as a witnefs a-
gainft thefe Arabians. We have fent down unto thee the book of the
Koran,
* Conveniencies to fhade you from the fun;] As
trees, houfes, tents, mountains, fs'e.
b Places of retreat in the mountains;] viz.
Caves and grotto’s, both natural and artificial.
c To defend you from the heat;] AlBeidausi
fays, that one extream, and that the moil infup-
portable in Arabia, is here put for both s but
Jallalo'ddin fuppofes that by heat we are in this
place to underftand cold.
d They acknmledge the goodnefs of G o d , and
afterwards they deny the fames] ConfeflingGoD
to be the author of all the blefiings they enjoy;
and yet directing their worihip and thanks to
their idols, by whofe dnterceffion they imagine
blefiings are obtained.
e But the greater part of them are unbelievers ;1
Abfolutely denying G o d ’s providence, either
through ignorance, or perverfenefs.
f See chap. 4. p. 66. not. e.
8 Their falfe gods;] Literally, Their companions.
8 Te are liars;] For that we are not the
companions of G o d , as ye imagined ; neither
did ye really ferve us, but your own corrupt
affe&ions and lulls ; nor yet were ye led into
idolatry by us, but ye fell into it of your own
accord L .
1 Al Beidawi.