give the faults of his firvants, and to requite their endeavours. That which
we have revealed unto thee of the book of the K oran, is the truth, confirming
the fcriptures which were revealed before it: for G od knoweth and regarded
his iervants. And we have given the book of the K oran in heritage unto
fuch of our fervants as we have chofen : of them there is one who injureth
his own foul2 ; and there is another of them who keepeth the middle way";
and there is another of them who out-ftrippeth others in good works, by the
permiffion of G od. This is the great excellence. They lhall be introduced into
gardens of perpetual abode ; they fhall be adorned therein with bracelets of
gold and pearls, and their cloathing thereinJhall be of filk : and they lhall fay,
Praife be unto G o d , who hath taken away forrow from us! verily our L ord
is ready to forgive the fmners, and to reward the obedient: who hath caufed us
to take up our reft in a dwelling of eternal liability, through his bounty,
wherein no labour lhall touch us, neither lhall any wearinefs affedi us. But
for the unbelievers is "prepared the fire of hell: it fhall not be decreed them
to die a fecond time ; neither lhall any part of the punilhment thereof be made
lighter unto them. Thus lhall every infidel be rewarded. And they lhall
cry out aloud in hell, faying, L o r d , take us hence, and we will work righte-
oufnefs, and not what we have formerly wrought. But it Jhall be anfwerd
them, Did we not grant you lives of length fufficient, that whoever would
be warned might be warned therein ; and did not the preacherc come unto
you ? tafte therefore the pains of hell. And the unjuft lhall have no, pro-
teftor. Verily G od knoweth the fecrets both of heaven and earth, for he
knoweth the innermoft parts of the- breafts of men. It is he who hath made
you to fucceed in the earth. Whoever lhall dilbelieve, on him be his unbelief:
and their unbelief lhall only gain the unbelievers greater indignation in the
fight of their L o r d ; and their unbelief lhall only, increafe the perdition of
the unbelievers. Say, What think ye of your deities which ye invoke befides
G od ? Shew me what part of the .earth -they have created.. Or had they
any lhare in the creation of the heavens ? Have we.given unto the idolaters any
book of revelations, fo that they may rely on any proof therefrom to authorize
their practice? Nay : but thejungodly make unto one another only deceitful
promifes. Verily G od fuftaineth the heavens and the earth, left they
fail: and if they Ihould fail, none could fiipport the fame befides him ; he is
gracious and merciful. The K oreish fwore by G o d , with a moft folemn oath,
that if a preacher had come unto them, they would furely have .been more
willingly direfted than any nation : but now a preacher is come unto them,
it hath only increafed in them their averfion from the truth, their arrogance in
the earth, and their contriving of evil; but the contrivance of evil UmII only
encompafs the authors thereof. Do they expert any other than the punilhment
awarded againft the unbelievers of former times f For thou- lhalt not find
any change in the ordinance of G od ; neither lhalt thou find any variation
I in
f W he in ju re th h is own fo u lt] By not pracr meaneth well,, and performeth his-duty for the
fifing what he ia taught and commanded in the moft part, but not perfedly
, I ,c the preacher >] viz. Mohammed.
b Who keepeth the middle way ;] That is, Who
inthelordinance of G od. Have they not igone through the earth, .'and feen
what hath been the end of thole who were before them ; although i they, were
m o r e mighty-in ftrength.than they ?. G od is not to be fruftrated by any thing
either in heaven or on earth ; for he i is wife,, and powerful. If ' Gob Ihould
punilh1 men. according to what they defcrve, he.would; not.leave- on the. back
of the e.atth fo much as a beaft : but. he refpiteth,therm to: a determihed time.;
and. when their time -lhalt come, verily -Gop: will -tegarcLhis .fervants. :
C H A R XXXVI.
Infilled, Y. S ; revealed at Mecca.
In the name of the moft merciful G od.
Y. S 2. I /wear by .the inftrudtiye K o r a n , that thou art one of the mef-
fengers of G od, fent to Jhew the right Way., This is a revelation of the
moft mighty, . .the merciful God : that thou mayeft warn a people whofe
fathers were'not warned, and who live in-negligence. Oar fentence b hath
juftly 'beèn prbnounced agalnffi'-the greater pirrt of them -, wherefore they
lhall.not’believè;. We have-put, yokes ' om their necks* whichcomeiip to,their
chins; and they are-forced to hold: up.their heads-: - and we have let.a- bar
before'them, and a bar 'behind themJ ; . and we have covered them with dark-
nefs ; wherefore they fhall not fee e. It Jhall'be equal unto them whether
thou preach unto them, or do not preach unto them ; -they lhall not believe.
But thou lhairpreach with effeU unto him only who followeth the admonition
of the K oran, and feareth the Merciful in fecret. Wherefore bear good tidings
unto him, of mercy, and an honourable reward. Verily we will reftore the
A a a dead
a The meaning of thefe letters is unknown 1 :
fome, however, from a tradition of Ebn. Abbas,
pretend they ftand for Ya infan, d. e. O man.
This chapter, it is faid,. had feveral other titles
given it by Mohammed. himfelf, and particularly
that of Ihe heart of the Koran. The Mohammedans
read it to dying perfons in their laft
agony 2.
b Our fentence;] viz. The fentence of damnation,
.which G od pronounced againft the
greater part of genii and men, at the. fall of
Adam 3. - ic
Yokes;] Or collars, fuch as are deferibed
pag. .201. not. a. \ ;
d We have fet a bar before them9 and a bar
behind them >] That is, We have placed obfta-
cles to prevent their looking either forwards or
backwards.: The whole paflage reprefents the
! blindnefs and invincible obftinacy, with which
God juftly curfes perverfe and reprobate men.'
« It is faid that when the Koreifh, in purfii-
ance of a refolution- they had taken, had fent a
feleft number to beJet Mohammed's houfe, and
to kill him the prophet/ having caufed AH lo
lie down on his bed, to deceive, the aflafEns,
went out and. threw a handful of duft at them,
repeating the nine firft verfes of this chapter,
which, end here ; and that tbey were thereupon
ftricken with blindnefs, fo that they could not
fee him 5i,
* V . Bobov. De vijit. eegrot. p. 17.
4 See the Prelim. Difc. p. 5<f. * y.
1 See the Prelim. Difc. §. JII. p. 59, &c.
See chap. j. p. 118, chap. i t . p. 187, &c.
Abulf. vit. Moh. p. 50.