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hearts purpofely defign s for G od is gracious and merciful. The prophet is
nigher unto the true believers than their own fouls1 ; and his wives are their
mothers b. Thofe who, are related by confanguinky are nigher of kin the one
of them unto the others, according to the book of G od, than the other true
believers, and the Mohajerun c : unlefs that ye do what is fitting and reafon-
able to your relations in general. This is written in the book of G od d. p e_
• member when we accepted their covenant from the prophets % and from thee,
O M oham med, and from N o a h , and A b r a h a m , and M oses, and J esus
the fon of M a r y , and received from them a firm covenantf s that G od may
examine the fpeakers of truth concerning their veracity 8: and'he hath prepared
a painful torment for the unbelievers. _ O true believers, remember the fa-
vour of G od towards you, when armies of infidels came againft you h, and
we fent againft them a wind, and hofts of angels which ye faw not1: and
God
a The prophet is nigher unto the true believers
than their own fouls;] Commanding them nothing
but what is for their intereft and advantage,
and being more follicitous for their prefent
and future happinefs even than themfelves; for
which reafon he ought to be dear to them, and
deferves their utmofl love and refpeft. In fome
copies thefe words are added, And he is a fa ther
unto them j every prophet being the fpiritual
father of his people, who are therefore brethren.
It is faid that this pafTage was revealed on fome
of Mohammed"s followers telling him, when he
fummoned them to attend him in the expedition
.o f Tabuc *, that they would ask leave of their
fathers and mothers * .
b His wives are their mothers;] Tho’ the fpiritual
relation between Mohammed and his people,
declared in the preceding words, created
no impediment to prevent his taking to wife
fuch women among them as he thought fit; yet
■ the commentators are of opinion that they are
here forbidden to marry any of his wives 3.
c Thofe who are related by confanguinity are
, nigher o f kin unto one another, according to the
book of G od, than the true believers and the
. Mohajerun.] Thefe words, which alfo occur,
excepting the latter part of the fentence, in the
.eighth chapter, abrogate that law concerning
inheritances, publifhed in the fame chapter,
whereby the Mohajerun and Anfars were to be
the heirs of one another, exclufive of; their near-
. er relations who were infidels 4.
d In the book of G od j] i. e. In the preferved
Table, or the Koran ; or, as others fuppofe, in
the Pentateuch.
e When we received their covenant from the
prophets;] Jallalo'ddin fuppofes this covenant
was made when Adam's pofierity were drawn
forth from his loins, and appeared before God
like fmall ants 1 ; but Marracci conjectures
that the covenant here meant, was the fame
which the Talmudifls pretend all the prophets
entred into with G od on mount Sinai, where
they were all alfembled in perfon with Mofes6.
f A firm covenant;] Whereby they undertook
to execute their feveral commiflions, and pro- ■
mifed to preach the religion commanded them
by G od.
s That G od may examine the fpeakers of truth
concerning their veracity;] i. e. That he may at
the day of judgment demand of the prophets in
what manner they executed their feveral commiflions,
and how they were received by their
people : or, as the words may alfo import, that
he may examine thofe who believed on them,
concerning their belief, and reward them accordingly.
h When armies o f infidels came againft you;]
Thefe were the forces of the Koreijh and the
■ tribe of Ghatfanf confederated with the Jews
of al Nadbir and Koreidhat who befieged Medina
to the number of twelve thoufand men, in
the expedition called the war o f the ditch.
1 We fent againft them a wind and hofts of angels,
&c.] On the enemies approach, Mohammed,
by the advice of Salman the Perfian, ordered
a deep ditch or intrenchn^ent to be dug
round Medina, for the fecurity of the city, and
went out to defend it with three thoufand men.
Both fides remained in their camps near a month,
without any other ads of hoflility than Ihooting
of arrows, and Hinging of Hones; till, in a
1 See chap. 9. p. 154. * A l Beidawi. 3 See the Prelim. Difc. §• V. 4 See chap. 8.
.A fs 148. t See chap. 7 . p. 125. 6 See chap. 3. p. 46.
G od beheld that which ye did. When they came againft you from above
you, and from below you % and when your fight became troubled, and
your hearts came even to your throats for fear, and ye imagined of G od various
imaginations8. There were the faithful tried, and made to tremble
with a violent trembling. And when the hypocrites, and thofe in whofe heart
was an infirmity, faid, G od and his apoftle have made you no other than a
fallacious promife c. And when a party of them i faid, O inhabitants of
Y a th r e b °, there is no place of fecurity fpr you here ; wherefore return home:
And a part of them afked leave of the prophet to depart, faying, Verily our
houfes are defencelefs and expofed to the enemy : but they were not defencelefs ;
and their intention was no other than to fly. If the city had been entred upon
them by the enemy from the parts adjacent, and they had been afked to defert
the true believers, and to fight againft. them ; they had furejy confented thereto :
but they had not, in fuch cafe, remained in the fame ’, but a little while.
They had before made a covenant with G o d , that they would not turn
their backs 8: and the performance of their covenant with G od fhalf be examined
into hereafter. Say, Flight fhall not profit you, if ye fly from death
or from daughter: and if it would, yet fhall ye not enjoy this world but a
little. Say, Who is he who fhall defend you againft G o d , if he is pleafed
to bring evil on you, or is pleafed to fhew mercy towards you ? They fhall
find
winter’s night, G od fent a piercing cold eall
wind, which benummed the limbs of the confederates,
blew the dull in their faces, extinguifhed
their fires, overturned their tents, and put their
horfes in diforder, the angels at the fame time
crying; Allah acbar round about their camp;
whereupon Toleiha Ebn Khowailed the Afadite
faid aloud, Mohammed is going to attack you
with inchantments, wherefore provide for your
fafety by flig h t: and accordingly the Koreijh
firft, and afterwards the Ghatfdnites, broke up
the liege, and returned home ; which retreat
was alfo not a little owing to the diflenfions
among the confederate forces, the railing and
fomenting whereof the Mohammedans alfo afcribe
to God. It is related that when Mohammed
heard that his enemies were retired, he faid, I
have obtained fuccefs by means o f the eaft wind;
and Ad perifhed by the weft wind 1.
a When they came againft you from above you,
and from below you.~\ The Ghatfdnites pitched
on the eafi fide of the town, on the higher
part of the valley j and the Koreijh on the wefi
fide, on the lower part of the valley a.
b Ye imagined o f G od various imaginations;]
The lincere and thofe who were more firm of
heart fearing they fhould not be able to Hand
the trial j and the weaker-hearted and hypocrites
thinking themfelves delivered up to flaughter
and defiru<5tion.
c When the hypocrites faid, G od and his apof-
tle have made you no other than a fallacious promife.
] The perfon who uttered thefe words,
’tis faid, was Moatteb Ebn Kofheir, who told his
fellows that Mohammed had promifed them the
fpoils of the Perfians and the Greeks, whereas
now not one of them dared to flir out of their
intrenchment3.
d When a party o f them faid, &c.] viz. Aws
Ebn Keidhiy and his adherents.
e Yathreb j] This was the ancient and proper
name of Medina, or of the territory wherein it
Hands. Some fuppofe the town was fo named
from its founder, Yathreb the fon of Kabiya, the
fon of Mahlayel\ the fon of Aram, the fon of
Sem, the fon of Noah; tho’ others tell us it was
built by the dmalekites 4.
f In the fame;] i. e. In the cityj or, in their
apoflafy and rebellion, becaufe the Mofiems
would furely fucceed at laH.
g They had made a covenant with G od, &V.]
The perfons meant here were Banu Haretha,
who having behaved very ill and run away on
a certain occafion, promifed they would do fo
no more 5.
* A l Beidawi, Abulf . v!t. Mob. p. 77, & c. * Idem. 3 Idem. V. A bulf.
tibi fup. p. 76. 4 A hmed Ebn Y usof. See tbe Prelim. Difc. p. 4. 1 ^ /Beidawi,