have done that which is right, fhall fpread themfelves couches of repofe in
paradife; that he may reward thofe who fhall believe, and work righteouf-
nefs, of his abundant liberality •, for he loveth not the unbelievers. Of his
figns one is, that he fendeth the winds, bearing welcome tidings of rain,
that he may caufe you to tafte of his mercy ; and that lhips may fail at his
command, that ye may feek to inrich your felves of his abundance ty commerce
; and that ye may give thanks. We lent apoftles, before thee, unto
their refpeltive people, and they came unto them with_ evident proofs: and
we took vengeance on thole who did wickedly ; and it was incumbent on
us to afiift the true believers. It is God who fendeth the winds, and raif-
eth the clouds, and fpreadeth the fame in the heaven, as he pleafeth; and afterwards
difperfeth the fame: and thou mayeft fee the rain iffuing from the
midft thereof; and when he poureth the fame down on fuch of his fervants
as he pleafeth, behold, they are filled with joy ; although before it was lent
down unto them, before fuch relief, they were defpairing. Confider therefore
the traces of G od’s mercy ; how he quickeneth the earth, after its fate
of death : verily the fame will raife the dead ; for he is almighty. Yet if
we Ihould fend a blafting wind, and they Ihould fee their corn yellow and
burnt up, they would furely become ungrateful, after our former favours. Thou
canft not make the dead to hear, neither canft thou make the deaf to hear
thy call, when they retire and turn their backs; neither canft thou direft the
blind out of their error: thou Ihalt make none to hear, except him who fhall
believe in our figns ; for they are refigned unto us. It is God who created
you in weaknefs, and -after weaknefs hath given you ftrength ; and after
ftrength, he will again reduce you to weaknefs, and grey hairs: he created)
that which he pleafeth ; and he is the wife, the powerful. On the day whereon
the laft hour fhall come, the wicked will fwear that they have not tarried'
above an hour : in like manner did they utter lies in their life-time. But
thofe on whom knowledge hath been bellowed, and faith, will fay, Ye have
tarried, according to the book of God b, until the day of refurredtion : for
this is the day of refurreftion; but ye knew it not. On that day their ex-
cufe lhall not avail thofe who have added unjuftly*; neither fhall they
be invited any more to make themfelves acceptable unto God. And now have
we propounded unto men, in this K oran, parables of every kind: yet if
thou bring them a verfe thereof, the unbelievers will furely fay, Ye are no
other than publilhers of vain fallhoods. Thus hath God fealed up the hearts
of thofe who believe not. But do thou, O M ohammed, perfevere with
conftancy, for the promife of God is true; and let not thofe induce thee to
waver, who have no certain knowledge.
C H A P .
* Ibat they hive not tnrriedi] viz. In the world
or in their graves. See chap. 23. p. 287.
b According to the book o f G od ;] That is,
According to his fore-knowledge and decree in the
preferved Table; or according to what is faid
in the Koran, where the ftate of the dead is ex-
prelfed by thefe words l , Behind them there jhall
be a bar, until the day o f refurreftion *.
#
C H A P . XXXI.
Intitled, L o k m a n 1 ; revealed at M e c c a 13.
In the name of the molt merciful G o d.
A. L: M c. Thefe are the figns of the wife book, a diredtion, and a
mercy unto the righteous; who obferve the appointed times of prayer,
and give alms, and have firm afiurance in the life to come: thefe are directed
by their L ord, and they lhall profper. There is a man who purchafeth a
ludicrous ftory d, that he may feduce men from the way of G od, without
knowledge, and may laugh the fame to fcorn : thefe lhall fuffer a lhameful
punilhment. And when our figns are rehearfed unto him, he difdainfully turn-
eth his back, as though he heard them not, as though there were a deafnefs
in his ears : wherefore denounce unto him a grievous punilhment. But they
who lhall believe, and work righteoufnefs, lhall enjoy gardens of pleafure ;
they lhall continue therein forever: this is the certain promife of G od ; and
he is the mighty, the wife. He hath created the heavens without vifible pillars
to fuflain them, and hath thrown on the earth mountains firmly rooted, left it
ihould move with you c; and he hath replenilhed the fame with all kinds of
beafts: and we fend down rain from heaven, and caule every kind of noble vegetable
to fpring forth therein. This is the creation of G od : fhew me now what
they have created, who are worjhipped befides him ? verily the ungodly are
in a manifeffi error. We heretofore bellowed wifdom on L okman f, and commanded
* The chapter is fo intitled from a perfon of to thofe who were inclined to become Mojlems,
this name mentioned therein, of whom more to divert them from their purpoft by fongs and
immediately. tales 1.
b Some except the fourth verfe, beginning at e Tie hath thrown on the earth mountains firm-
thefe words, Who obferve the appointed times o f ly rooted, &c.] See chap. 16. p. 215. A learn-
■ prayer, and /give alms, &c. And others three ed writer 2, in his notes on this palfage, fays
verfes, beginning at tiiefe words, I f a ll the trees the original word rawafiya, which the comments
the earth were pens, &c. tators in general will have to fignify fiable mounc
See the Prelim. Difc. §. III. p. 59, & c. tains, feems properly to exprefs the Hebrew word
d A ludicrous fiory (\ i.e. Vain and filly fables, mechonim, i. e. bafes, or foundations', and there-
The palfage was revealed, it is faid, on occafion fore he thinks the Koran has here tranflated that
of al Nodar Ebn al Hareth, who having brought palfage of the Pfalms, He laid the foundations of
from Perfia the romance of Rofiam and Isfandi- the earth, that it Jhould not be moved for ever K
yar, the two heroes of that country, recited it This is not the only inftance which might be
in the alfemblies of the Koreijh, highly extolling given, that the Mohammedan dodlors are not al-
the power and fplendor of the ancient Perfian ways the bell interpreters of their own fcrip-
«ings, and preferring their ftories to thole of tures.
^ and Thamud, David and Solomon, and the reft f Lokman j] The Arab writers fay, that Lokwhich
are told in the Koran. Some fay that al man was the fon of Baura, who was the fon or
Nodar bought finging-girls, and carried them' grandfon of a filter or aunt of Job j and that he
. lived
* G ol, in Append. adErpenii 1 Idem. Gram. p. 187. : 3 Pfal. civ.' 5.