later. And this kind of marriage is forbidden the true believers1. But as to
thofe who accufe women of reputation of whoredomb, and produce not four
witnefles of the fail % fcourge them with fourfcore ftripes, and receive n o t
their teftimony for ever •, for fuch are infamous prevaricators: excepting
thofe who fhall afterwards repent, and amend; for unto fuch will G o d be
gracious and merciful. They who fhall accufe their wives ot adultery, and
ihall have no witnefles thereof betides themfelves; the teftimony whichJhall
be required of one of them fhall be, that he fwear four times by G o d that
he fpeaketh the truth: and the fifth time that he imprecate the curfe o f
G o d on him, if he be a liar. And it fhall avert the punithment from the
wife, if the fwear four times by G o d that he is a liar ; and if the f i f t h
time fhe imprecate the wrath of G o d on her, if he fpeaketh the truthd. I f
it were not for the indulgence of G o d towards you, and his mercy, and t h a t
G o d is eafy to be reconciled, and wife; he would immediately dlfcover your
crimes. As to the party among you who have publifhed the fallhood concerning
Atksha% think it not to be an evil unto you : on the contrary, it
: is
3 And this kind o f marriage is forbidden the
true believers.] The preceding paflage was revealed
on account of the meaner and more indigent
Mohdjerins, o r . refugees, who. fought to
marry the whores of the infidels, taken captives
in war, for the fake of the gain which they
made by proftituting themfelves. Some think
4he prohibition was fpecial, and regarded only
the Mohdjerins before mentioned; and others
are of opinion it was general; but it is agreed
to have been abrogated by the words which follow
in this chapter, Marry the fingle women among
you', harlots being comprized under the appellation
of fingle women 1.
It is fuppofed by fame: that not marriage, but
unlawful commerce with fuch women is here
forbidden.
b Women o f reputation;] The Arabic word,
mohfindt, properly fignifies women o f unblame-
able conduct; but to bring the chaftifement af-
termentioned on the-calumniator, it is alfo re-
quifite that they be free women, of ripe age,
having their underftandings perfect, and of the
Mohammedan religion. T h o ’ the word be of the
feminine gender, yet men are alfo fuppofed to
be comprized in this law.
Abu Hanrfa was of opinion that the. flanderer
ought to be fcourged in public, as well as the
fornicator; but the generality are againft him 2.
- c"See chap. 4. p. 62.
d In cafe both fwear, - the man’s oath difcharges
him rfrom the imputation and penalty of Hander,
and the woman’s oath frees her from the imputation
and penalty of adultery : hut tho’ the
1 'Idem, Jalxalo’ddin.
woman do fwear to her innocence, yet the marriage
is aftually void, or ought to be declared
void by the judge becaufe it., is not fit -they
Ihould continue together after they have come
to thefe extremities 3.
e As to the party among you who have publijh-.
ed the fallhood concerning Ayelha, £5V.] For the
underftanding of this paflage, it is neceflary to
relate the following ftory.
Mohammed having undertaken an expedition
againft the tribe of Moftalekjxs the fixth year of the
Hejra, took his wife Ayejha with him, to accompany
him. In their return, wnen they were
not far from Medina, the army removing by
night, Ayejha., on the road, alighted from her
camel, and ftepped afide on a private.occafion:
but, on her return, perceiving the had dropped
her necklace, which was of onyxes of Dhafar,
fhe went back to look for it ; and in the mean
time her attendants, taking it for granted that
fhe was got into her pavillion (or little tent
furrounded with curtains, wherein women are
carried in the eaft) fet it again on the camel, and
led it away. When fhe came back to the road,
and faw her camel was gone, fhe fat down there,
expedling that when fhe was miffed fome would
be fent bach to fetch her j and in a little time
fhe fell afleep. .Early -in;tbe morning, Safuoan
Ebn al Moattel, who had ftaid behind to reft
himfelf, coming by, and perceiving fome body
afleep, went, to fee who it was, and knew her to
be Ayejha; upon which he waked her, by twice
pronouncing with a low voice thefe words, We
are Go d’j, arid unto him mufi we return. Then
2 -Idem. 3 Idem.
is better for you*. Every man of them Jhall be punifhed according to the
injuftice of which he hath been guiltyb; and he among them who hath undertaken
to aggravate the fame', fhall fulfer a grievous punilhment. Did not
the faithful men, and the faithful women, when ye heard this, judge in
their own minds for the beft ; and fay, This is amanifeft fallhood ? Have
they produced four witnefles thereof? wherefore fince they have not produced
the witnefles, they are furely liars in the fight of G o d . Had it not
been for the indulgence of G o d towards you, and his mercy, in this world
and in that which is to come, verily a grievous punilhment had been in-
flidted on you, for the calumny which ye have fpread : when ye publifhed
that with your tongues, and fpoke that with your mouths, of which ye
■ had no knowledge ; andefteemed it to be light, whereas it was a matter
of importance in the fight of G o d . When ye heard it, did ye fay, It
beiongeth not unto us, that we fhould talk of this matter: G o d forbid!
this is a grievous calumny ? G o d warneth you, that ye return not to the
like crime for ever ; if ye be true believers. And G o d declareth unto you
his figns; for G o d is knowing and wife. Verily they who love that fcan-
dal be publifhed of thofe who believe, fhall receive a fevere punilhment
both in this world, and in the next. G o d knoweth, but ye know not.
Had it not been for the indulgence of G o d towards you, and his mercy,
and that G o d is gracious and merciful, ye had felt his -vengeance. O
true believers, follow .not the fteps of the devil: for whofoever fhall follow
the fteps of the devil, he will command him filthy crimes, and
that which is unlawful. If it were not for the indulgence of G o d , and
his mercy towards you, there had not been fo much as one of you cleanfed
P P from
Ayejha immediately covered herfelf with her
vail j and Safwan fet her on his own camel, and
led her after the army, which they overtook
by noon, as they were refting.
This accident had like to have ruined Ayejha,
whofe reputation was publickiy called in quefti-
on, as if flie had been guilty of adultery with
Safwan: and Mohammed himfelf knew not what
to think, when he reflected on the circumftances
0* the affair, which were improved by fome
malicious people very much to Ayejha'$ diflion-
our i and notwithftanding his wife’s protefta-
tionsofher innocence, he could not get rid of his
perplexity, nor ftop the mouths o f the cenfo-
nous, till about a month after, when this paf-
«ge was revealed, declaring the accufation to
be unjuft 1.
a Think it not to be an evil unto you j on the
tontrary, it is better fo r you.] The words are
direfted tothe prophet, and to Abu Beer, Ayejha,
anc* Safwan, the perfons concerned in this falfe
*ep°rt j fince, befides the amends they might
expeö in the next world, G od had done them
the honour to clear their reputations by revealing
eighteen verfes exprefly for that purpofe 2.
b Every man o f them Jhall be punijhed, according
to the injufiice o f which he hath been
guilty. ] The perfons concerned in fpreadingthe
fcandal, were Abdallah EbnObbaJwho firft raifed
it, and inflamed the matter to the utmoft, out of
hatred to Mohammed) Zeid Ebn R ef da, HaJJan
Ebn Thabet, Mefiah Ebn Otbatha, a great grand-
fon of Abdalmotalleb's, and Hamna Bintjahajh :
and every one of them received fourfcore ftripes,
purfuant to the law ordained in this chapter,
except only Abd'allab, who was exempted,being
a man of great confideration 3.
It is faid that, as a farther puriifliment, Hajfdn
and Mefiah became-blind, and that the former of
them alfo loft the ufe of both his hands +.
c He who bath undertaken to aggravate the
fame f) viz. Abd'allab Ebn Obba, who had not
the-grace to become a true believer, but died
an infidel 5.
,. ^ Bokhari in Sonna, A IR eidawi, JaiLlalo’ddin, (Ac: V. Abu’lf.
j f 'f A Gagnier, Vie de Mahomet, lib. 4. c. 7. * A l Beidawi. 3
• /• 83. 4 A lR i iDAWi. 5 Bee chap. 9. p. 139, 160.
vit. Moh. p, 82,
A bulfeda, vit.