belly, and another of them walketh upon two feet, and another of them
walketh upon four feet: G od createth that which he pleafeth; for God is
almighty. Now have we fent down evident figns : and God direfteth
whom he pleafeth into the right way. The hypocrites fay, We believe in
G od, and on his apoftle; and we obey them: yet a part of them turneth
back, after this ; but thefe are not really believers. And when they are
fummoned before God and his apoftle, that he may judge between them •
behold, a part of them retire: but if the right had been on their fide’
they WQuld have come and fubmitted themfelves unto him. Is there an in’
firmity in their hearts ? Do they doubt ? Or do they fear left God and his
apoftle aft unjuftly towards them ? But themfelves are the unjuft doers*.
The faying of the true believers, when they are fummoned before God
and his apoftle, that he may judge between them, is no other than that
they fay, We have heard, and do obey : and thefe are they who fhall
profper. Whoever lhall obey God and his apoftle, and fhall fear God
and fhall be devout towards him ; thefe fhall enjoy great felicity. They
fwear by G od, with a moft folemn oath, that if thou commandeft then/
they will go forth from their houfes and pojfejfions. Say, Swear not to ’a
faljhood: obedience is more requifite : and God is well acquainted with that
which ye do. Say, Obey God, and obey the apoftle : but if ye turn back
venly it is expected of him th at he perform his duty, and of you th at ye perform
your duty ; and if ye obey him, ye (hall be direfted: but the duty
of our apoftle is only public preaching. God promifeth unto fuch of you
as believe, and do good- works, that he will caufe them to fucceedthe
unbelievers m the earth, as he caufed thofe who were before you to fuc-
ceed J h e infidels of their timeb; and that he will eftablifh for them rheir
religion which pleafeth them, and will change their fear into fecurity They
fhall worfhip me-, and fhall not affociate any other with me. But whoever
fhall difbelieve after this ; they, will be the wicked doers Obferve
prayer, and give alms, and obey the apoftle; that ye may obtain mercy.
Think not that the unbelievers fhall fruftrate the defigns of G od on earth •
and their abode hereafter fhall be hell fire ; a miferable journey Jhall it be
th ith e r! O true believers, let your flaves and thofe among you who fhall
not have attained the age of puberty, afk leave of you, before they come into
your prefence, three times in the day‘ -, namely, before the morning
prayer,
a The hypocrites fay, We believe in G od and
bis apoftle, jfSSr.J This paiTage was occafioned by
Bajhir the hypocrite, who having a controver-
fy with a jew , appealed to Caab Ebn al AJh-
raf, whereas the jew appealed to Mohammed1',
or, as others tell us, by Mogbeira Ebn Wayel,
who refufed to fubmit a dilute he had with
A li to the prophet’s decifion 2.
b As he caufed thofe who were before you, to
fucceed the infidels o f their time;] - i. e. As he
caufed the lfraelites to difpoflefs the Canaan-
ites, See.
c Let your flaves and thofe who Jhall not have
attained the age o f puberty, ask leave before they
come into your prefence, &c.] Becaufe there are
certain times^ when it is not convenient, even
for a domeftic, or a child, to come in to one
without notice. It is faid this paiTage was revealed
on account of Afma Bint Mortbed,
whofe fervant entred fuddenly upon her, at an
* See ehap. 4. p, 69. 2 A l Eeidawj.
prayer4, and when ye lay afide your garments at noonb, and after the
evening prayer'. Thefe are the three times for you to be p riv a te j it fhall
be no crime in you, or in them, if they go into you without asking permijfion
after thefe times, while ye are in frequent attendance, the one of you on the
other. Thus God declareth his figns unto you ; for God is knowing and
wife. And when your children attain the age of puberty, let them afk leave
to come into your prefence at all times, in the fame manner as thofe who have
attained th at age before them, afk leave. Thus G od declareth his figns unto
you; and G od is knowing and wife. As to fuch women as are paft
child-bearing, who hope not to marry again, becaufe of their advanced age ; it
fhall be no crime in them, if they lay afide their outer garments, not
fhewing their ornaments4; but if they abftain from this, it will be better for
them. God both heareth and knoweth. It fhall be no crime in the blind,
nor fhall it be any crime in the lame, neither fhall it be any crime in the
fick, or in your felves, that ye eat in your houfes', or in the houfes of
your fathers, or the houfes of your mothers, or in the houfes of your
brothers, or the houfes of your lifters, or the houfes of your uncles
on the father’s fide, or the houfes of your aunts on the father’s fide, or the
houfes of your uncles on the mother’s fide, or the houfes of your aunts on
the mother’s fide, or in thofe houfes the keys whereof ye have in your pof-
feflion, or in the houfe of your friend. It fhall not be any crime in you
whether ye eat together, or feparatelyf. And when ye enter any houfes,
falute one another8 on the part of G od, with a blefied and a welcome falutation.
improper time j but others. fay, it was occafioned
by Modraj Ebn Amru, then a boy, who
being fent by Mohammed to call Omar to him,
went dire&ly into the room where he was,
without giving notice, and found him taking
his noon’s nap, and in no very decent pof-
ture ; at which Omar was fo ruffled, that he
wifhed G od would forbid even their fathers,
and children, to come in to them abruptly, at
fuch times *.
a Before the morning prayer;] Which is the
time of peoples riling from their beds, and dref-
fmg themfelves for the day.
b When ye lay bfide your garments at noon j]
That is, when ye take off your upper garments
to fleep at noon ; which is a common cuftom
in the eaft, and all warm countries.
c And after evening prayer ;] When ye un-
drefs your felves to prepare for bed. A l Bei-
dawi adds a fourth feafon, when permillion to
enter muft be asked, v iz. at night: but this
follows of courfe.
d See .before, p. 291.
e That ye eat in your houfes;] i. e. Where
your wives or families are ; or in the houfes
°f your fons, which may be looked on as
your own.
This paflage was defigned to remove fome
fcruples or fuperftitions of the Arabs in Mohammed's
time; fome of whom thought their eating
with maimed or lick people defiled them; o-
thers imagined they ought not to eat in the
houfe of another, tho’ ever fo nearly related
to them, or tho’ they were intrufted with the
key and care of the houfe in the mailer’s ab-
fence, and might therefore conclude it would
be no offence j and others declined eating with
their friends tho’ invited, left they lhould be bur-
thenfome 2. The whole paiTage feems to be no
more; than a ' declaration that the things feru-
pled were perfectly innocent; however the commentators
fay it is now abrogated, and that it
related only to the old Arabs, in the infancy
of Mohammedifm.
f It fhall be no crime, whether ye eat together
or fetarate;] As the tribe of Leith thought it unlawful
for a man to eat alone; and fome of
the Anfars, if they had a gueft with them,
never eat but in his company ; fo there were
others who refufed to eat with any, out of a
fuperftitious caution left they lhould be defiled,
or out of a hoggifh greedinefs 3.
g Salute one another;] Literally your felves ;
that is, according to al Beidawi, the people of
the