3°4 Al KORAN. C hap. 26.
have given you permiflion ? Verily he is your chief, who hath taught you
magic *: but hereafter ye fhall furely know my power. I will cut off your
hands and your feet, on the oppofite Tides, and I will crucify you all. They
anfwered, It will be no harm unto us; for we fhall return unto our L oro.
We hope that our L o r d will forgive us our fins, fince we are the firft who
have believed b. And we fpake by revelation unto M o s e s , faying, March forth
with my fervants by night; for ye will be purfued. And P h a r a o h fent officers
through the cities to afiemble forces, faying, Verily thefe are a fmall
company ; and they are enraged againft us: • but we are a multitude well
provided. So we caufed them to quit their gardens, and fountains, and treasures,
[and fair dwellings: thus did we do and we made the children of
I s r a e l to inherit the fame c. And they purfued them at fun-rife. And when
the two armies were come in fight of each other, the companions of Mosss
faid, We fhall furely be overtaken. M ose s anfwered, By no means: for
my L o r d is with me, who will furely diredt me. And we commanded M oses
by revelation, faying, Smite the fea with thy rod. And when he had fmittm
it, it became divided into twelve parts, between which were as many paths,
and every part was like a vaft mountain. And we drew thither the others ; and
we delivered M o s e s and all thofe who were with him : then we drowned the
others. Verily herein was a fign -, but the greater part of them* did not believe.
Verily thy Lord is the mighty, and the merciful. And rehearfe unto
them the ftory of A b r a h a m : when he faid unto his father, and his people,
What do ye worfhip ? They anfwered, We worfhip idols ; and we conftantly
ferve them all the day long. A braham faid, Do they hear you, when ye invoke
them ? Or do they either profit you, or hurt you ? They anfwered,
But we found our fathers do the fa me. He faid, What think ye ? The gods
which ye worfhip, and your forefathers worjhipped, are my enemy : except
only the L o r d of all creatures, who hath created me, and diredteth me ; and
who giveth me to eat, and to drink, and when I am fick, healeth me ; and
who will caufe me to die, and will afterwards reftore me to life ; and who,
I hope, will forgive my fins on the day o f judgment. O L ord, grant me
wifdom ; and join me with the righteous : and grant that I may be fpeken
of with honour 4 among the lateft pofterity -, and make me an heir of the
garden of delight: and forgive my father, for that he hath been one of thofe
who go aftray K And cover me not with fhame on the day o f refurredtion;
on
d Grant that I may be fpolen o f with honour;]
Literally, Grant me a tongue o f truth, that is,
a high encomium. The fame expreffion is ufed
in chap. ip. p. 252.
e And forgive my father, &c.] By difpoling
him to repentance, and the receiving of the true
faith. Some fuppofe Abraham pronounced this
prayer after his father’s death, thinking that pof-
fibly he might have been inwardly a true believer,
but have concealed his converfion for fear of Nimrod,
country i .
and before he was forbidden to pray for him4.
1 Idem. * Jallalo’ddin, Y ahya. 4 See
3 A lZ amakh. See chap. 7. p. 131.
a Who hath taught you magic;] But has re-
ferved the moft efficacious fecrets to himfelf1.
b See chap. 7. p. 128, &c.
. c We made the children o f Ifrael to inherit the
fame jj Hence fome fuppofe the Ifraelites, after
the deftruftion of Pharaoh and his hoft, returned
to Egypt, and poffefled themfelves of the riches
of that country *. But others are of opinion
that the meaning is no more than that G od gave
them the like pofleffions and dwellings in another
>. 9. p. 164. and chap. 14. p. .209.
C h a p . 26. Al K O R AN . 3 0 5
on the day in which neither riches nor children fhall avail, uhlefs unto him
who fhall come unto G od with a fincere heart: when paradife fhall be brought
near to the view of the pious, and hell fhall appear plainly to thofe who fhall
have erred •, and it fhall be faid unto them, Where are your deities which ye
ferved befides G od ? will they deliver you from punijhment, or will they
deliver themfelves ? And they fhall be call into the fame, both they % and
thofe who have been feduced to their worfhip ; and all the hoft of E b l is . The
feduced fhall difpute therein with their falfe gods, faying, By G od, we were
in a rpanifeft error, when we equalled you with the L ord of all creatures :
and none feduced us but the wicked. We have now no interceffors, nor any
friend who careth far us. If we were allowed to return once more into the
world, we would certainly become true believers. Verily herein was a fign:
but the greater part of them believed not. Thy L o rd is the mighty, the
merciful. The people of N o a h accufed G od’ s mefiengers of impofture : when
their brother N o a h faid, unto them, Will ye not fear G od ? Verily I am a
faithful meffenger unto you ; wherefore fear G o d , and obey me. I alk no
reward of you for my preaching unto you ; I expelt my reward from no other
than the L o r d of all creatures: wherefore fear G o d , and obey me. They anfwered,
Shall we believe on thee, when only the moft abjedt perfons have followed
thee ? N oah faid, I have no knowledge of that which they did b; it
appertaineth unto my L ord alone to bring them to account, if ye underftand;
wherefore I will not drive away, the believbrsc: I am no more than a public
preacher. They replied, Alfuredly, unlels thou defift, O N o a h , thou
ihalt be ftoned. He faid, O Lord, verily my people take me for a liar:
wherefore judge publickly between me and them I and deliver me and the true
believers who are with me. Wherefore we delivered him, and thole who were
with him, in the ark filled with men and animals; and afterwards we drowned
the reft. Verily herein was a fign: but the greater part of them believed not.
Thy L ord is the mighty, the merciful. The tribe of A d charged G o d ’ s
mefiengers with fallhood: when their brother H ud faid unto them, Will ye
not fear G od ? Verily I am a faithful mefienger unto you ; wherefore fear
G od, and obey me. I demand not of you any reward for my preaching
unto you: I expelt my reward from no other than the L o r d of all creatures.
Do ye build a land-mark on every high place, to divert yourfelves4 ? And
do ye eredt magnificent works, hoping that ye may continue in their pojfeffion
for ever? And when ye exercife your power, do ye exercife it with cruelty
and rigour'? Bear G od, by leaving thefe things-, and obey me. And fear
R r him
a See chap. 21. p. 273;
b 1 have no knowledge o f that which they did;]
1. e. Whether they have embraced the faith which
1 have preached, out of the iincerity of their
hearts, -or in profpedt of fome worldly advantage.
$ See chap. 11. p. 177.
D.o ye huild.a land-mark on every high place,
to divert your felves Or to mock the .paffienger6
; who direft themfelves in their journeys
by the ftars, and have no need of fuch buildings
1 ?.
e Do ye exercife it with cruelty and rigour
Putting to death, and inflicting other corporal
punifhments without mercy, and rather for the
fatisfa&ion of your paffion than the amendment
of the fufferer
1 A l Beidawi. f. w m