bitants of the wood near Midian,- and the people o f T obba": all thefs ac-
cufed the apoftles of impofture ; wherefore the judgments which I threatened
were juftly infiitSted on them, Is our power exhausted by the firft creation?
Yea ; they are in a perplexity, becaufe of a new creation which is foretold them,,
■ namely, the raiftng of the dead We created man, and we know what his foul
whifpereth within him ; and we are nearer unto him than bis jugular vein.
When- the two angels deputed to take account of a man's behaviour, take an
account thereof; one fitting on the right hand, and the other on the left: he
uttereth not a word, but there is with him a watcher, ready to note i tb. And
the agony ,of death lhall come in truth: this, O man, is what thou foughteft
to avoid. And the trumpet lhall found : this will be the day which hath
been threatened. And every foul lhall come ; and therewith Jhall be a driver
and a witnefs'. And the former Jhall fay. unto the unbeliever. Thou waft
negligent heretofore of this day : but we have removed thy vail from off thee;
and thy fight is become piercing this day. And his companion lhall fay,
This is what is ready with me to be attejled. And God Jhall fay, Call into
hell every unbeliever, aW'perverfe perfon, and every one who forbad good,
and every tranfgreffor, and doubter of the faith, who fet up another god
with the true G od ; and call him into a grievous torment. His companion
d lhall fay, O L o r d , I did not feduce him ; but he was in a wide error'.
God lhall fay, Wrangle not in my prefence: fince I threatened you before
hand with the torments which ye now fee prepared for you. The fentence is not
changed with me : neither do I treat my fervants unjuftly. On that day we
will fay unto hell, Art thou full ? and it lhall anfwer, Is there yet any addition
f? And paradiie lhall be brought near unto the pious; and it Jhall
be faid unto them, This is what ye have been promifed ; unto every one
a See chap. 44. p. 40^.
b When thè two angels deputed to take account
of a man's behaviour, &c,]^Phe intent of the
paffage is to exalt the omnifcience of G od ;
who wants not the information of the guardian
angels, tho’ he has thought fity in his wifdom,
to give them that employmentfor if they are
fo exafl as to write down every word which
falls from a man’s mouth, how can we hope to
efcape the obfervation of him who fees our in-
moft thoughts ?.
The Mohammedans have a tradition that the
angel who notes a man’s good attions, has the
command over him who notes his evil aftions;
and that when a man does a good aftion, the
angel of the right hand writes it down ten times,
and when he commits an ill adfion, 'the fame
angel fays to the angel of the left hand, Forbear
letting it down for Jeven hours s per adventure he
may pray, or may ask pardon J.
c A driver and a witYiefs;] i. e. Two angels,
ene acting as a _ ferjeant, to bring every perfon
before the tribunal; and the other prepared as a
witnefs, to teftify either for or againll him. Some
fay the former will be the guardian angel who
took down his. evil aflions, and the other the
angel who took down his good aétions 2.
d His companion;} viz. The devil which lhall
be chained to him.
e I did not feduce him, &c. ] This "will be the
anfwer of thé devil, whom the wicked perfon
will accufe as his .fèducer : for the devil has no
power over a man, to caufe him to do evil; any
otherwife than by fuggefting what is agreeable;
to his corrupt inclinations 3.
f Is there yet any addition ?^ V. e. Are there yet
any more condemned to this place; or is my
fpace to be enlarged and rendred more capacious
to receive them ? . . .
The commentators fuppofe hell will be quite
filled at the day of judgment; according to that,
repeated expreffion in the Koran, Verily I w ill
f ill hell with you, &c;
1 Idem. 1 Idem. 3 See chap. 14. p. 207, &c.
who turned himfelf unto God, and kept. his commandments; who1 feared the
Merciful in fecret, and came unto him with a converted heart: enter the
fame in peace : this is the day of eternity. Therein lhall they have whatever.
they lhall defire ; and there will be a fuperabundant addition ofblifs with
usa. How many generations have we deftroyed before the M e c c a n s , which
were more mighty than they in ftrength ? Pafs, therefore, through the regions
of the earth, and fee whether there be any refuge from our vengeance ?' Verily
herein is an admonition unto him who hath a heart to underjland, or giveth
ear, and is prefent with. an attentive mind. We created the hea vens and the
earth, and whatever is between them, infix days; and no wearinefs affedtetf
usb. - Wherefore patiently .fuffer what they fay“; and celebrate the praifeof
thy L ord before fun-rife, and before fun-fet, and praife him in feme pa rt of
the night : and perform the additional parts of worlhipd. And hearken unto
the day whereon the cryer lhall call men to judgment from a near place“ :
the day whereon they lhall hear the voice of the trumpet in truth : this will
be the day of mens coming forth from their graves: we give life, and we-caufe
to die; and unto us jhall be the return of all creatures: the day whereon the-
earth lhall fuddenly cleave in funder over them. This will be an afiembly
eafy for us to ajfemble. We well know what the unbelievers fay ; and thou •
art not fent to compel them forcibly to the faith. Wherefore warn, by_ the
Koran, him who feareth my threatening.
“ See the Prelim. Difc. iV. p. 100. voluntary, and of fupererogation; and may
b And no wearinefs affelied us)] This was re- therefore be added, or omitted, indifferently,
vealed in anfwer to the Jews, who faid that e When the cryer Jhall callmen tojudgment from
G od relied from his work of creation on the asnear place;] That is, from a place whence e- ■
feventh day, and repofed himfelf on his throne, very creature may equally hear the call. This
as one fatigued 1 . place, it is fuppofed, will be the mountain of the
“ Wherefore patiently fuffer what they [a, :] temple of JeruJalem, which fome fancy to be
Viz.. Either what the idolaters fay, in denying nigher heaven than any other part of the earth r
the refurredlion ; or the Jews, in fpeaking in- whence Ifra filwill found the trumpet, and Ga-
decentlyof G od. tried will make the following proclamation, O
d Ihe additional parts of worjhip ;] Thefe are ye rotten hones, and torn flejb, and difperfed hairs,
the two inclinations ufedafter the evening pray- G od commandeth you to be gathered together to.
er, which are not neceflary, or of precept, but judgment *.
1 ^/Beidawi, Ja lla l. a Iidem.
C HAP . i f f
Intitled, The Difperfing ; revealed at Mecca.
In the name of the mod merciful God.
BY the winds difperfing and fcattering the duft *; and by the clouds bearing
; By the winds dijperftng the dujl;] Or. By the women wb> bring forth vt fatter children,