402 Al K O R A N . C h a p . 44,
fhould an admonition be of avail to them in this condition ; when a manifefl
apoftle came unto them, but they retired from him, faying, ‘This man is ■
ftru&ed by others', or is a diftradted perfon ? We will take the plague from
off you, a little : but ye will certainly return to your infidelity b. On the day
whereon we lhall fiercely affault them with great power', verily we will take
■ vengeance on them. We made trial of the people of P haraoh before them,
and an honourable meffengercame unto them, faying, Send unto me the fer-
vants of God d; verily I aw a faithful meffenger unto you : and lift not your-
felves up a^ainft God : for I come unto you with manifefl: power. And I
fly for protedlion unto my L ord, and your L ord, that ye ftone me not'.
I f ye do not believe me, a t leaft depart from mef. And when they accufed
him of impofiure, he called upon his L ord, faying, Thefe are a wicked people.
And God faid unto him, March forth with my fervants by night; for ye
w ill be purfued: and leave the fea divided, that the E gyptians may enter
the fame -, for they are a hoft doomed to be drowned. How many gardens,
and fountains, and fields of corn, and fair dwellings, and advantages which
they enjoyed, did they leave behind them? Thus we difpojfejfed them thereof-,
and we gave the fame for an inheritance unto another people8. Neither heaven
nor earth wept for themh; neither were they refpited any longer. And we delivered
the children of Israel from a fhameful affliftion ; from P haraoh ;
for he was haughty, and a tranfgreffor: and we chofe them, knowingly
above a ll people; and wefhewed them fevered fignsk, wherein was an evident
trial Verily thefe Meccans fay, Affuredly our final end will be no other
than our firft natural death ; neither (hall we be railed again: bring now
our forefathers back to life, if ye fpeak truth. Are they better, or the people
of T o b b a >, and thofe who were before them ? we deffiroyed them, be-
caufe they wrought wickednefs. We have not created the heavens and the
..... 1 0 ■ ' earth,
a See chap; 16. p. 223.
b We w ill take the plague from off them, a little
1 yet w ill ye certainly return to your infidelity.]
I f we follow the former expofition, the words
are to be underftood of the ceafing of the famine,
upon the interceflion of Mohammed, at
the defire of the Koreijh, and on their promife
o f believing on him; notwithftanding which
they fell back to their old incredulity : but if we
follow the latter expofition, they are to be under -
flood of G od’s taking away the plague of the
fmoke, after the expiration of the forty days, at
the prayer of the infidels, and on their promife
of receiving the true faith; which being done,
they will immediately return to their wonted obftinacy.
„ , - .
c o n the day whereon we Jhall fiercely affault
them with great power;] Some expound this of
the daughter at Bedn and others of the day of
judgment.
d Send unto me the fervants of G odj] i. e. Let
the Ifraelites go with me to worfhip their G od.
e That ye ftone me not',’] Or that ye injure me
not, either by word or deed.1
f Depart from me;] Without oppofing me, or
offering me any injury, which I have not de-
ferved from you.
8 See chap. 26. p. 204*
h Neither, heaven nor earth wept for ihem\]
That is, None pitied their deftrudtion.
1 Knowingly j] i- e. Knowing that they were
worthy of our choice; or notwithftanding we
knew they would, in time to come, fall into idolatry,
&e.
k Several figns;] As the dividing of the red
fea j the cloud which (haded them i the raining
on them manna and quails, &c. * •
1 The people of Tobba;.] viz- The Ham-
yarites, whofe kings had the title of Tobba
T h e commentators tell us that the Tobba here
meant
1 A l Be id aw i. * Idem, 3 Set the Prelim. Difc. §. g p- 9.
C h a p . 45. A l K Ö B A N . 4Ö3
earth, and whatever is between them, by way of fport : wê have created
them no otherwife than in truth *; but the greater part of them do not un-
derftand. Verily the day of feparationb /hall be the appointed term of them
all; a day, whereon the matter and the fervant lhall be of no advantage to
one another, neither lhall they be helped; excepting thofe on whom- God
lhall have mercy: for he is the mighty, the merciful. Verily the fruit of
the tree of a l Zakkum Jhall be the food of the impious': as the dregs of oil
lhall it boil in the bellies of the damned, like the boiling of the hotteft water.
And it Jhall be faid to the tormentors, Take him, and drag him into the
midft of hell: and pour on his head the torture of boiling water, faying,
Tafte this; for thou art that mighty and honourable perfon. Verily this
is the punijhment of which ye doubted. But the pious Jhall be lodged in a
place of fecurity; among gardens and fountains: they lhall be cloathed in
fine filk, and in fattin ; and they Jhall Jit facing one another. Thus Jhall it be:
and we will efpoufe them to fair damfels, having large black eyes. In that
place lhall they call for all kinds of fruits, in full fecurity: they lhall not tafte
death therein, after the firft death; and God lhall deliver from the pains of
hell: through the gracious bounty of thy L ord. This will be great felicity.
Moreover we have rendred the Koran eafy for thee, by revealing it in thine
own tongue: to the end that they may be admoniihed: wherefore do thou
wait the event-, for they wait to fee fome misfortune befall thee.
meant was very potent, and built Samarcand, or,
as others fay, demolilhed it ; and that he was a
true believer, but his fubjefts were infidels.1
This prince feems to have been Abu Carb
Afaady who flourifhed about feven hundred years
before Mohammed, and embraced Judaifm, which
religion he firft introduced into Taman, (being
the true religion at that time, inafmuch asChrif-
iianity was not then promulgated,) and was, for
x A l Beidawi, J allalo^ddin.
that caufe probably, flain by his own people *.
a See chap. 21. p. 266. and chap. 28. p. 374.
b The day of feparation;] i. e. The day of
judgment; when the wicked lhall be feparated
from the righteous, &c.
c The impious;] Jallalo'ddin fuppofes this paf-
fage to have been particularly levelled againft
Abu Jabl.
* A l J annabi. V. Poe. Spet. p. 6<J.
CHAP . XLV.
hit tiled, T h e K n e e l i n g 3 ; revealed « / M e c c a .
In the name of the mo f t mer c i ful G od,
H. M *>. The revelation of this book is from the mighty, the wife Gob.
Verily both in heaven and earth are figns of the divine power unto the
true believers: and in the creation of yourfelves, and of the beafts which are
F f f 2 flattered