A l K 0 R A N . C h a p , 33,
cafion for, alk it of them from behind a curtain This will be more pure
for your hearts and their hearts. Neither is it f it for you to give any un_
ealinefs to the apoftle of G od, or to marry his wives after him for everb:
for this would be a grievous thing in the fight of G o d . Whether ye divulge
a thing, or conceal it, verily G o d knoweth all things. It Jhall be no crime
in them as to their fathers, or their fons, or their brothers, or their brothers
fons, or their fillers fons, or their women, or the flaves which their right
hands pofiefs, if they, /peak to them unvailedc: and fear ye G od 11; for G od is
witnefs of all things. Verily G od and his angels blefs the prophet: O true
believers, do ye alfo blefs him, and falute him with a refpettful falutation*.
As to thofe who offend G od and his apoftle, G od lhall curfe them in this
world and in the next ; and he hath prepared for them a lhameful punifhment.
And they who lhall injure the true believers of either fex, without their deserving
it, lhall Surely bear the guilt of calumny and a manifeft injuftice'.
O prophet, fpeak unto thy wives, and thy daughters, and the wives of the
true believers, that they call their outer garmentss over them when they walk
abroad ■; this will be more proper, that they may be known to be matrons of
reputation, and may not be affronted by unfeemly words or actions. G od is
gracious and merciful. Verily if the hypocrites, and thole in whofe hearts is
an infirmity, and they who raife difturbances in M e d in a , do not defift; we
•will furely ftir thee up againft them, to chaftife them: henceforth they lhall
not be fuffered to dwell near thee therein, except for a little time, and being
accurfed ; wherever they are found they lhall be taken, and killed with a
general llaughter, according to the fentence of G od concerning thofe who have
been before; and thou fhalt not find any change in the fentence of G od.
Men will alk thee concerning the approach of the laß hour: anfwer, Verily
the
* Aslt it them from behind a curtain;] That
is, Let there be a curtain drawn between you,
©r let them be vailed, while ye talk with them.
As the defign of the former precept was to prevent
the impertinence of troublefome vifiters, the
defign of this was to guard againlb too near an
intercourfe or familiarity between his wives and
his followers; and was occafioned, it is faid, by
the hand of one of his companions accidentally
touching that of Ayefha, which gave the prophet
fome uneafinefs 1.
b Neither is it Jit for you to marry his wives
after him;] i. e. Either fuch as he lhall divorce
in his life-time, or his widows after his death.
This was another privilege peculiar to the prophet.
It is related, that in the Khalifat of Omar,
Ajhath Ebn Kais married the woman whom Mohammed
had difmifled without confummating his
.marriage with her 2 ; upon which the Khali/ at
.£rft was thinking to ftone her, but afterwards
changed his mind, on its being reprefented to
him that this prohibition related only to fuch
women to whom the prophet had gone in 3.
c See chap. 24. p. 291.
d Fear ye G od ;] The words are directed
to the prophet’s wives.
e BlejTthe prophet, and falute him;] Hence
the Mohammedans feldom mention his name
without adding, On whom be the blefjingof God
and peace l or the like words.
f They who Jhall injure the true believers, &c.j
This verfe was revealed, according to fome, on
occalion of certain hypocrites who had flandered
A li i or, according to others, on occasion of
thofe who falfely accufed Ayfha 4, Sec.
8 Their outer garments;] The original word
properly fignifies the large wrappers, ufually of
white linnen, with which the women in the
eaft cover themlelves from head to foot when
they go abroad.
1 A l B e id a w i . 2 See before, p. 348. not. e. 3 Beidawi. 4 See chap. 24.
Chap, 32- A l K O R A N . 351
die knowledge thereof is with G od alone ; and he will not inform thee: per-
adventure the hour is nigh at hand\ Verily G od hath curfed the infidels, and
hath prepared for them a fierce fire, wherein they fhall remain for ever : they
lhall find no patron or defender. On the day whereon their faces lhall be
rolled in hell fire, they lhall fay, O that we had obeyed G o d , and had obeyed
Bs'apoftle! And they lhall fay,- O L o r d , verily we have obeyed our lords,
and our great men ; and they have feduced us from the right way. O L o r d ,
give them the double of our punifhment; and curie them witn a Heavy
curfe! O true believers, be not as thofe who injured M oses ; but G od cleared
him from the fcandal which they had fpoken concerning him * *, and he was of
great confideration in'the fight of G od b. & true believers, fear G od, and
(peak words well-directed; that G od may corredb your works for you, and
may forgive you your fins: and whoever lhall obey G od and his apoftle,
lhall enjoy great felicity. We propofed the faith unto the heavens, and the
earth, and the mountains: and they refufed to undertake the feme* and were
afraid thereof\ but man undertook itc: verily he was unjuft to himfelfj and
foolilh:
a Be not as thofe who injured M c l se s , CsjV .]
The commentators are not agreed what this injury
was. Some fay that Mofes uling to wafh
himfelf apart, certain malicious people gave out
that he had a rupture (of, fay others, that he
was a leper, or an hermaphrodite,) and-for that'
reafon was afhamed to wafh with them : but
God cleared him from this afperlion, by caufiftg
the ftone on Which he had laid his cloaths while
he wafh'ed, to run away with them into the
camp, whither Mofes followed it naked ; and by
that means the Ifraelites, in the midft of whom
he was gotten ere he was aware, plainly perceived
the falfhood of the report. Others fup-
pofe Karlin's accufation of Mofes is here intended1,
or elfe the fufpicion of Aaron's murder, which
was caft on Mofes becaufe he was with him when he
died on mount Hor j of which latter he was j uftified
by the angels bringing his body and expofing it
to public view, of, fay fome, by the teftimony of
Aaron himfelf, who was railed to life for that
purpofe 2.
The paflage is faid to have been occafioned by
fome reflections which were caft on Mohammed>
°n his dividing certain fpoils ; and that when
they came to his ear, he faid> G od be merciful
unto my brother Mofes: he was wronged more than
this, and bore it with patience 3.
b He was of great confederation in the fight of
God ;] Some copies for inda read abda, accord-
lng to which the words Ihould be tranflated, And
he was an illuftrious fervant of G od.
c We propofed the faith utito the heavens, and
the earthy and the mountains, &c.J By faith iy
here underftodd entire obedience to the law of
G od, which is reprefented to be of fo high concern,'
. (ho lefs • than eternal happinefs or mifery
depending on the obfervance oVnegleCt thereof,)
and fo difficult in' the performance, that if Go»
Ihould propofe the fame, on the conditions annexed,
to the vafter parts of the creation, and
they had underftandirig to comprehend the offer,
they would decline it, and‘not dare to take off
them a duty, the failing wherein muft be'attended
with fo terrible a■ conference; and yet man
is faid to have undertaken it, notwithftanding his
weaknefs and the infirmities of his nature. Some'
imagine this propofal is not hypothetical, but
was aftually made to the heavens, earth, and
mountains, which at their firft creation were endued
with reafon, and that G od told them lie
had made a law, and had created paradife for the
recompenfe of fuch as were obedient to- it, and
hell for the punifhment of the difobedient j to
which they anfwered, they were content t’o be‘
obliged to perform the fervices for which they,
were created, but would not undertake to fulfil
the divine law on thofe conditions, and therefore
defired neither reward nor punifhment j they
add, that when Adam was created, the fame offer
was made-him, and he accepted i t 4. The
commentators have other explications of this
paflage, which it would be too prolix to.-tran-
feribe.
See chap. 28. p. 323. 2 Jallalo’ddin, ^/Beidawi.
Jallalo’ddin, A l Beidawi.
3 A lB o k u a r