f f Z M f f * /°,r ever | buT[ God cleanfeth whom he pleafeth ; for Gon
both heareth and'knoweth. Let not thofe among you who poffefs abundance
of wealth, and have ability, fwear that they will not give unto their kindred
and the poor, and thofe who have fled their country for the fake of Gnr/
true religion: but let them forgive, and aft with benevolence towards them
Do ye not defire that G od lhould pardon you*? And G od «gracious'
and merciful. Moreover they who falfly accufe modeft women, who be.
have m a negligent mannerb, and are true believers, lhall be curfed in
this world, and m the world to come -, and they lhall fuffer a fevere nn
mlhment * One day their own tongues lhall bear witnefs againlt them
and their hands, and their feet, concerning that which they have done’
On that day lhall G od render unto them their juft due ; and they fhali
know that G od is the evident truth. The wicked women fhould be ioin
ed to the wicked men, and the wicked men to the wicked women • bur
the good women fhould be married to the good men, and the good men to
the good women. Thefe lhall be cleared from the calumnies which Jlanderen
freak of them : they lhall obtain pardon, and an honourable provifion
O true believers, enter not any houfes, befides your own houfes, until ye
have alked leave, and have faluted the family thereof*: this is better for
you ; peradventure ye will be admonilhed. And if ye lhall find no per
fon in the houfes, yet do not enter them, until leave be granted you:
and if it be faid unto you, Return back; do ye return back. This will
be more decent for youf ; and G od knoweth that which ye do. It lhall
be
a Let not tbofe among you who have ability,
jwear that they w ill not give unto their kindred,
6fr.J This paflage was revealed on account of
Abu Beer; who fwore that he would not for
the future beftow any thing on Mejlah, tho’ he
was his mother’s lifter’s fon, and a poor Mohd-
jer or refugee, becaufe he had joined in fcanda-
Iizing his daughter Ayejha. But on Mohammed's
reading this verfe to him, he continued M ef
tab's penfion f.
b Who behave in a negligent manner;] i. e.
Who may be lefs careful in their conduit, and
more free in their behaviour, as being confcious
of no ill.
c Tho’ the words be general, yet they principally
regard thofe who lhould calumniate
the prophet’s wives. According to a faying
of Ebn Abbas, if the threats contained in the
whole Koran be examined, there are none fo
fevere as thofe occalioned by the falfe accufation
of Ayejha; wherefore he thought even repentance
would Hand her flanderers in no Head
d Thefe fhali be cleared, tsY.J A l Beidawi ob-
ferves, on this paflage, that God cleared four
1 A l Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin. * A l B
thap. 2. p. 8. and chap. 33. * -See (hap. 19. p
perfons, by four extraordinary teftimonies: for
he cleared Jofepb by the teftimony of a child
in his miftrefles family 3 ; Mofes, by means of
the ftone which fled away with his garments
Mary, by the teftimony of her infant■ *; and
Ayejha, by thefe verfes of .the Koran.
e Enter not any houfes bejides your own, till
ye have asked leave, fcfc.J To enter fuddenly
or abruptly into any man’s houfe or apartment,
is reckoned a great incivility in the eaftj be-
caule a perfon may poffibly be furprized in
an indecent adtion or pofture, or may have
fomething difeovered which he would conceal.
It is laid, that a man came to Mohammed, and
wanted to know whether he muft ask leave to
go in to his lifter; which being anfwered in
the affirmative, he told the prophet that his
lifter had no body elle to attend upon her,
and it would be troublelome to ask leave every
time he went in to her : What, replied Mohammed,
woulded thou fee her naked 6 ?
f This will be more decent;] Than to be importunate
for admiffion, or to wait at the door.
eidawi. 3 See chap. 12. p. 190. 4 Set
• 251. 6 A l Beidawi.
be no crime in you, that ye enter uninhabited houfes *, wherein ye may
meet with a convenience. G od knoweth that which ye difeover, and that which
ye conceal. Speak unto the true believers, that they reftrain their eyes,
and keep themfelves from immodeft actions : this will be more pure for
them i for G od is well acquainted with that which they do, And fpeak
unto the believing women, that they reftrain their eyes, and preferve their
modefty, and difeover not their ornamentsb, except what necejfarily appeared
thereof*: and let them throw their vails over their bofoms'1 *, and
not Ihew their ornaments, unlefs to their hufbands *, or their fathers, or
their hulbands fathers, or their fons, or their hufbands fons, or their brothers,
or their brothers fons, or their fifters fonsf, or their women *, or
the captives which their right-hands fhali poffefs b, or unto fuch men as attend
them, and have no need of women1, or unto children, who diftinguilh
not the nakednefs of women. And let them not make a noife with
their feet, that their ornaments which they hide may thereby be difeover.
P p 2 ed.
* Uninhabited botifes j] i. e. Which are not
the private habitation of a family; fuch as
public inns, Ihops, Iheds, & c.
b And difeover not their ornaments ;] As their
cloaths, jewels, and the furniture of their toilet;
much lefs fuch parts of their bodies as ought not
to be feen.
c Except what necejfarily appeareth;] Some
think their outward garments are here meant ;
and others their hands and faces: it is generally
held, however, that a free woman ought
not to difeover even thole parts, unlefs to the
perfons after excepted, or on fome unavoidable
occalion, as their giving evidence in public,
taking advice or medicines in cafe of licknefs,
&c. d Let them throw their vails over their bo-
fonts','] Taking care to cover their heads, necks,
and breafts.
c Unlefs to their husbands;] For whofe fake
it is that they adorn themfelves, and who alone
have the privilege to fee their whole body.
f Or their fathers, &c.J Thefe near relations
are alfo excepted, becaufe they cannot avoid
feeing them frequently, and there is no great
danger to be apprehended from them. They
are allowed, therefore, to fee what cannot well
be concealed in fo familiar an intercourfe 1, but
no other part of their body, particularly whatever
is between the navel and the knees a.
Uncles not being here particularly mentioned,
it is a doubt whether they may be admitted to
fee their nieces. Some think they are included
under the appellation of brothers: but others
1 Idem. * Jallalo’ddin.
Idem, Jallalo’ddin, Y ahya.
are of opinion that they are not comprized in
this exception; and give this reafon for it, v iz.
left they lhould deferibe the perfons of their
nieces to their fons 3.
8 Or their women i] That is, fuch as are of
the Mohammedan religion; it being reckoned
by fome unlawful, or, at leaft, indecent, for a
woman, who is a true believer, to uncover
her felf before one who is an infidel, becaufe
Ihe will hardly refrain deferibing her to the
men: but others fuppofe all women in general
are here excepted ; for, in this particular, doctors
differ 4:
h Or the captives, &c.J Slaves of either fex
are included in this exception, and, as fome
think, domeftic fervants who are not Haves ; as
thofe of a different nation. It is related, that
Mohammed once made a prefent of a man-Have
to his daughter Fatema; and when he brought
him to her, lhe had on a garment which was
fo fcanty that lhe was obliged to leave either
her head or her feet uncovered: and that the
prophet, feeing her in great confulion on that
account, told her, lhe need be under no concern,
for that there was none prefent befides
her father and her Have *.
1 And have no need o f women;] Or have no
delire to enjoy them ; fuch as decrepit old men,
and deformed or filly perfons, who follow people
as hangers - on, for their fpare victuals,
being too defpicable to raife either a woman’ s
paffion, or a man’s jealoufy. Whether eunuchs
are comprehended under this general designation,
is a queftion among the learned 6.
3 A l Beidawi. Idem, Jallalo’ddin. s Idem.