ly with fcoffing, faying, Is this he, whom G o d hath fent as his apoftle?
Verily he had almoft drawn us afide from the worfhip o f our gods ; if wj
had not firmly perfevered in our devotion towards them. But they fhall
know hereafter, when they fhall fee the punifhment prepared fo r them, who
hath ftrayed more widely from the right path. What thinkeft thou ? He who
taketh his lull for his god ; canft thou be his guardiana ? Doft thou imagine
that the greater part of them hear, or underftand ? They are no other man
like the brute cattle ; yea, they ftray more widely from the true path. Doft
thou not confider the works o f thy L o r d , how he ftretcheth forth the lhadow
before fu n - r ife ? If he had pleafed, he would have made it immovable for
ever. Then we caufe the fun to rife, and to fhew the fame; and afterwards
we contraft it by an eafy and gradual contraftion. It is he who hath ordained
the night to cover you as a garment; and fleep to g iv e you reft ; and hath ordained
the day for waking. It is he who fendeth the winds, driving abroad
the pregnant clouds, as the forerunners of his mercyb: and we fend down
pure water c from heaven, that we may thereby revive a dead country, and
give to drink thereof unto what we have created, both of cattle and men
in great numbersd; and we diftribute the fame among them at various times,
that they may confider : but the greater part of men refufe to confider, only
out of ingratitude*. If we had pleafed, we had fent a preacher unto every
cityf : wherefore do not thou obey the unbelievers ; but oppofe them herewith,
with a ftrong oppofition. It is he who hath let loofe the two feas;
this frefh and fweet, ana that fait and bitter: and hath placed between them a
bar 5, and a bound which cannot be palled. It is he who hath created man
of water h; and hath made him to bear the double relation o f confanguinity and
affinity •, for thy L o r d is powerful. They worlhip, befides G o d , that which
can neither profit them nor hurt them : and the unbeliever is an affiftant of
the devil again!! his L o r d . We have fent thee to be no other than a bearer
of good tidings, and a denouncer of threats. Say, I alk not of you any
reward
1 Canft thou be bis guardian ?] i. e. Doft thou
cxpeft to reclaim fuch a one from idolatry and
infidelity ?
b See chap. 7. p. 122. There is the fame
various reading here, as is mentioned in the
notes to that paflage.
c Pure water i] Properly, purifying water;
which epithet may perhaps refer to the cleanfing
quality of that element, of fb great ufe both on
'religious and on common occafions.
d To cattle and to men in great numbers;] That
is, T o fuch as live in the dry defarts, and are
obliged to drink rain water ; which the inhabitants
of towns, and places well-watered, have no
©ccafion to do.
e Out o f ingratitude;] Or, out of infidelity :
for fhe old Arabs ufed to think themfelves indebted
for their rains, not to God, but to the
influence of fome particular ftars r.
f We had fent a preacher unto every city;] And
had not given thee, O Mohammed, the honour
and trouble of being a preacher to the whole
world in general.
* A bar;] To keep them afunder, and prevent
their mixing with each other. The original
word is barzakh ; which has been already explained
*.
h O f water i] With which Adam's primitive
clqg was mixed; or, of feed. See chap. 24.
P- .293 -
1 An affiftant o f the devilagainft his L ord ;]
Joining with him in his rebellion and infidelity.
Some think Abu Ja b l is particularly ftruck at in
this paflage. The words may alfo be tranflated,
The unbeliever is contemptible in the fight of his
L ord.
* See the Prelim. Difc. §. I. p. 31. In not. ad cap. 23. p. 286.'
reward for this my preaching ; befides the converfion o f him who fhall defire to take
the way unto his L o r d a. And do thou truft in him who li veth, and dieth not;
and celebrate his praife: (he is fufficiently acquainted with the faults of his
fervants:) who hath created the heavens and the earth, and whatever is between
them, in fix days; and then afcended his throne; the Merciful! ‘ Alk now the
knowing concerning him. When it is faid unto the unbelievers, Adore the Merciful
; they reply, And who is the Mercifulb ? Shall we adore that which thou com-
mandeft us ? And this precept caufeth them to fly the fafter from the fa ith . Blefied
be he who hath placed the twelve figns in the heavens; and hath placed therein a
lampc by day, and the moon which Ihineth by n ig h t! It is he who hath ordained
the .night and the day to fucceed each other, for the obfervation o f him who
will confider, or defireth to fh ew 'h is gratitude. The fervants of the Merciful
are thofe who walk meekly on the earth, and, when the ignorant fpeak
unto them, anfwer, Peaced: and who pafs the night adoring their L o r d ,
and Handing up to pray unto h im ; and who fay, O L o r d , avert from us the
torment of hell, for the torment thereof is perpetual; verily the fame is a
miferable abode, oxA a wretched ftation : and who, when they beftow, are neither
profufe, nor niggardly ; but obferve a juft medium between thefe B; and
who invoke not another god together with the true G o d ; neither flay the
foul, which G o d hath forbidden to be Jlain, unlefs for a juft caufe: and who
are not guilty of fornication. But he who lhall do this, fhall meet the reward
of his wickednefs: his punifhment fhall be doubled unto him on the day
of refurreftion § and he fhall remain therein, covered with ignominy, f o r ev e r :
except him who lhall repent, and believe, and fhall work a righteous work ;
unto them will G o d change their former evils into good f s for G o d is ready
to forgive, and merciful. And whoever repenteth, and doth that which is
right; verily he turneth unto G o d with an acceptable converfion. And they
who do not bear falfe witnefs; and when they pafs by vain difcourfe, pafs by
the fame with decency : and who, when they are admonilhed by the figns of
their L o r d , fall not down as i f they were deaf and blind, but f t and up and
are attentive thereto: and who fay, O L o r d , grant us of our wives and our
offspring fuch as may be the fatisfaftion of our eyes ; and make us patterns
unto thofe who fear thee. Thefe lhall be rewarded with the higheft apartments
in paradife, becaufe they have perfevered with conftancy ; arid they lhall
meet therein with greeting and falutation ; they lhall remain in the fame for
ever :
* Befides the converfion o f him who fhall take
the way unto his L ord ;] Seeking to draw near
unto him, by embracing the religion taught by
nie his apoftle; which is the beft return I expett
from you for my labours 1. The paflage, however,
is capable of another meaning, v iz. That
Mohammed defires none to give, but him who
fliall contribute freely and voluntarily towards
the advancement of God’s true religion.
6 See chap. 17. p. 237.
c Alamp'f]_\. e. The fun.
* Peace;] This is intended here not as a falutation,
but as a waving all farther difcourfe and
communication with the idolaters.
e See chap. 17. p. 230.
f G od w ill change their former evils into good;]
Blotting out their former rebellion, on their repentance,
and confirming and encreafing their
faith and obedience z.