kind j but man cavilleth at moft things therein. Yet nothing hindreth men
from believing, now a direftion is come unto them, and from alking pardon
of their L ord , excepting that they wait until the punilhment of their pre-
decefiors come to he inflated on them, or that the chaftifemenre/ the next life
come upon them publickly. We fend not our meffengers, but to bear good
tidings, and to denounce threats. Thofe who believe not, difpute with vain
arguments, that they may thereby render the truth of no effeft: and they
hold my figns, and the admonitions which have been made them, in deri-
fion. And who is more unjuft than he who hath been acquainted with the
figns of his L o r d , and retireth afar off from the fame, and forget-teth that
which his hands have formerly committed? Verily we have call vails over
their hearts, left they lhould underftand the Koran), and into their ears
thicknefs of hearing : if thou invite them to the true direction, yet will they
not therefore be direfted for ever. Thy L ord is gracious, indued with mercy
•, if he would have punilhed them for that which they have committed
he would doubtlefs have haftened their punilhment: but a threat hath been
denounced againft them’, and they lhall find no refuge, befides him. And
thofe former cities b did we deftroy, when they a died unjuftly ; and we gave
them previous warning of their deftruftion. And remember when M oses laid
unto his fervant J oshua, the fon o f N un, I will not ceafe to go forward, until
I come to the place where the two feas meet; or I'will travel for a
long fpace of time c. But when they were arrived at the meeting of the two
feas», they forgot their filh, which they had taken with theme ; and the
fijh took its way freely f in the fea. And when they had palled beyond
-v that
a A threat hath been denounced againft them;]
viz. O f their calamity at Bedr, (for the Koreijh
are thé infidels here intended,) or their punim-
ment at the refurreftion x.
b Thofe former cities ;] That is, the towns of
the Adites, Thamudites, Sodomites, &c.
c For a long fpace of time;] The original word
properly fignifies the fpace of eighty years and
upwards. To explain this long paffage the
commentators tell the following ftory. They
fay that Mofes once preaching to the people,
they admired his knowledge and eloquence fo
much, that they asked him, whether he knew
any man in the world who was wifer than
himfelf; to which he anfwered in the negative:
whereupon G od, in a revelation, having reprehended
him for his vanity (tho* fome pretend
that Mofes asked G od the queftion of his own
accord) acquainted him that his fervant al Khedr
was more knowing than he ; and, at Mofes1 s re-
queft, told him he might find that perfon at a
certain rock, where' the two feas met; direfting
him to take a filh with him in a basket, and that
where he milfed the filh, that was the place.
1 Al B e i d a w i . 2 Idem, A l Z a m a k h
f ? Idem. 1 Idem.
Accordingly Mofes fet out, with his fervant
Jofhua, in fearch.of al Khedr s which expedition
is here defcribed 2 ;
d The meeting of the Hub feas ;] viz. Thofe of
Perjia and Greece. Some fancy that the meeting
of Mofes and al Khedr is here intended, as
of two feas of knowledge 3. ..
e They forgot their fifb, &c.] Mofes forgot to
inquire concerning it, and jofhua iorgot to tell
him when he miffed if. I t is !faid that when
they came to the rock, Mofes fallingafleep, the
filh, which was roafted, leaped out of the basket
into the fea; fome add, that Jofhua making the
ablution at the fountain of life, (of which ipi-
mediately), fome of the water happened to be
fprinkled on the filh, which immediately reftored
it to,-life 4.
f The fifb took its way freely in the . fea;] The
word here tranllated freely, fignifying alfo a pipe
or arched canal for conveyance of water, ‘fome
have imagined that the water of the fea was mi-
raculoully kept from.touching the body of the
filh, which palTed through it as under an arch s •
s h a r i , A l B o k h a r i , in Sown, & c . , ■ ■ ■ . 3 .Idem»
that place, M oses faid unto his fervant, Bring us our dinner; for now are
we fatigued with this our journey. His fervant anfwered, Doft thou know
what has befallen me ? When we took up our lodging at the rock, verily
I forgot the filh: and none made me to forget it, exceptSATAN, that Ifhould
8ot remind thee o f it. And thefijh took its way in the fea, in a wonderful
manner. M oses faid, This is what we fought after. And they both went
back, returning by the way they came. And coming to the rock. they
found one of our fervants *, unto whom we had granted mercy from us,
and whom we had taught wifdom from before us. And Moses faid unto
him, Shall I follow thee, that thou mayeft teach me fa r t of that which
thou haft been taught, for a direftion unto me ? He anfwered, Verily thou
canft not bear with me: for how canft thou patiently fuffer thofe things, the
knowledge whereof thou doft not comprehend ? M oses replied, Thou lhalt
find me patient, if God pleafe; neither will I be difobedient unto thee,in
any thing. He faid, If thou follow me therefore, afk me not concerning any
thing, until I fhall declare the meaning thereof unto thee. So they both
went on by the -fea fhore, until they went up into a Ihip ; and he made a
hole therein11. And M oses faid unto him, Haft thou made a hole therein,
that thou mighteft drown thofe who are on board ? now haft thou done a
ftrange thing. He anfwered, Did I not tell thee that thou couldeft not bear
with me? M oses faid, Rebuke me not, becaufe I did , forget; and impofe not
on me a difficulty in what I am commanded. Wherefore they left the Jhip
and proceeded, until they met with a youth ; and he flew himc, M oses faid,
Haft thou (lain an innocent perfon, without his having killed another ? now
haft thou committed an unjuft aftion. * He anfwered, Did I not tell thee XVI.
that thou couldeft not bear with me ? M oses faid, If I alk thee concerning
any thing hereafter, fuffer me not to accompany thee: now haft thou
received an excufe from me. They went forwards therefore, until they camera
the inhabitants of a certain cityJ: and they alked food of the inhabitants
thereof; but they refufed to receive them. And they found therein a wall,
which was ready to fall down ; and he fet it upright6. Whereupon M oses
faid unto him, If thou wouldeft, thou mighteft doubtlefs have received a reward
a One of our fervants ;] This perfon, according
to thé general opinion, was the prophet el
Khedr; whom the Mohammedans ufualiy confound
with Phineas, Elias, and St. George,
faying that his foul paifed by a metempfyeholis
fucceffively through all three. Some, however,
fay his true name was Balya Ebn Malcdn, and
that he lived in the time of Afrid&n, one of
the ancient kings of Perjia, and that he pre-,
ceded Dhu'lkarnein, and lived to the time óf
Mofes. They fuppofe al Khedr, having found
out the fountain of life and drank thereof, became
immortal; and that he had therefore this
name, from his fioupifhing and continual yquth1.
Part of tliefe fiflions they took from the Jews,
fome of whom alfo fancy Phineas was Elias».
b He made a hole in the jhip;] For al Khedr
took an ax, and knocked out two of her
planks 3. .
c He flew him ] By twilling his neckround,
or dalhing his head againft a. ,wall, or elfe byl
throwing" him down and cutting.his throat 4.
" d A certain city ;"] This city was Antioch ', or,
as Tome rather think, Obdjtah, hear Bdfra, or
elfe Bdjirwan in Armenia 1:
c He fet it upright;] By only Broking it with
his hand; tho’" others fay "he threw‘it "down
and rebuilt it L
1 Idem) V . IT He a eh i.ot, B ib l . O r ie n t . A r t . K h e d h t r , Skptemcastrens. de T a r ta r , mo-
ribdi, Busbec^ E p i j i . T. p . 93,f,&c.- Hotting. H i f l. O r ie n t , p.,58, &e. 99, S e c ..292, &c.
2R. L ev i B en G e r so n in append. 1. i .'R e g . 1. i f . * 4k B hrbAW i. 4 Id em . 1 Idem. 6 Idem '.