tion ? It is he who hath fent down unto his fervant evident figns, that he may
lead you out of darknefs into light; for G od is compaffionate and merciful unto
you. And what aileth you, that ye contribute not of your fubftance for the defence
of G o d ’ s true religion ? Since unto G od appertained.the Inheritance of
heaven and earth. Th6fe among you who (hall have contributed and fought in
defence of the faith, before the taking s/ MpccA, fhall not be held equal with
thofe who fhall contribute andfight for thu fameafterwards \ Thefe (hall be fupe-
rior in degree (into thofe who (hall contribute and fight for the propagation of
the faith after the abovementioned fuccefs: but untoall hath G od promifed a molt
excellent reward; and G o d well knoweth that which ye do. Who is he that
will -lend unto G od an acceptable loan ? for he will double the fame unto him,
and he (hall receive moreover an honourable reward. On a certain day, .thou
(halt fee the true believers of both fexes : their light flan.ll run before them,
and on their right hands b; and it. fhall be faid unto them, Good tidings unto
' you this day : -gardens through which rivers flow ; ye (hall remain therein for
ever. This will be great felicity. On that day the hypocritical men and the
hypocritical women (hall fay unto thofe who believe, Stay for us c, that we
may borrow fome of your light. It (hall he anfwtred, Return back, into the
world,- and feek light. And a high wall (hall be fet betwixt.them, wherein
fhall be a gate, within vr\\\cb.Jhall be mercyY’and without it, overagainft the
fame, the torment of hell• The hypocrites (ball call out unto the true believers,
faying, Were we not with you ? They (hall anfwer, Yea ; but ye fe-
duced your own fouls by your hypocrify and ye waited our ruin; and ye
doubted concerning the faith •, and your wilhes deceived you, until the decree
of G od came,, and ye died: and the deceiver deceived you concerning G o d .
This,day, therefore, a ranfom (hall not be accepted of you, nor of thofe who
have been unbelievers. Your abode fhall be hell fire: this is what ye have
deferved ( and an unhappy journey fhall it be thither! Is not the time yet come
unto thofe who believe, that their hearts (hould humbly fubmit to the admonition
of G o d , and to that truth which hath been revealed •, and that they be
not as thofe unto whom the fcripture was given heretofore, and to whom the
timc of forbearance was prolonged, but their hearts were hardened, and many
of them ■ rorewicked doers? Know that G od quickeneth the earth, after it
hath been dead. Now have we diftinCHy declared our figns unto you, that
ye may underftand. Verily as to the almfgivers, both men and women, and
thofe who lend unto G od an acceptable loan, he will double the fame unto
them ; and they (hall moreover receive an honourable reward. And they
who believe in G od and his apoftles, thefe are the men of veracity, and the
witnefies in the prefence of their L o r d : they fhall have their reward, and
their light. But as to thofe who believe not, and accufe our figns of falfe-
6 ' hood
.* Thofe who fhall have contributed and fought in
defence of the faith before the taking ofMecca,fhall
not be held equal with thofe who f a ll contribute
after,] Becaufe afterwards there was not fo great
jieceflity for either, the Mohammedan religion being
firmly eftabliflied by that great fuecefs.
Their fight fhall run before them, and .on
their right handy] One light leading them the
right way to paradife, and the other proceeding
from the book wherein their actions are recorded,
which they will hold in their right hand.
c Stay for us:] For the righteous will haften
to paradife fwift as lightning.
hood, they / h a ll be the companions of hell. Know that this prefent life is
only a toy and a vain amufement: and w o rld ly pomp, and the affectation of
glory among you, and the multiplying of riches and children, a r e as the plants
nourifhed by the rain, the fpringing up whereof delighteth the husbandmens
afterwards they wither, fo that thou feeli the fame turned yellow, and at length
they become dry ftubble. And in the life to come w i l l b e a fevere punilhment
f o r thofe w h o co v e t worldly g ran d eu r ; and pardon from G od, and favour f o r
thofe who renounce i t : for this prefent life is no other than a deceitful provi-
fion. Haften with emulation to obtain pardon from your L o r d , and paradife,
the extent whereof equalleth the extent of heaven and earth, prepared for
thofe who believe in Gob and his apoftles. This is the bounty of G od : he
will give the fame unto whom he pleafeth; and G od is endued with great
bounty. No accident happeneth in the earth, nor in your perfons, but th e
fam e w a s en tr ed in the book o f our decrees, before we created i t : verily this
is eafy with G od : an d th is is w r itte n left ye immoderately grieve for the good
which efcapeth you, or rejoice for that which happeneth unto you; for G od
loveth no proud o r vain-glorious perfon, o r thofe who are covetous, and
command men covetoufnefs. And whofo turneth afide f r om g iv in g a lm s ; verily
G od is felf-fufficient, worthy to be praifed. We formerly fent our a-
poftles with evident miracles an d a rg um en ts ; and we fent down with them the
fcriptures, and the balance*, that men might obferve juftice: and we fent
them down iron1’ , wherein is mighty ftrength for war', and v a r io u s advantages
unto mankind r that G od may know who affifteth him and his apoftles
in fecret*; for GoD.fi ft rang an d mighty. We formerly Tent N o a h
and A b r a h a m , and we eftablilhed in their pofterity the gift of prophecy! and
the fcripture: and of them fom e w e r e directed, but many of them- w e r e evil
doers. Afterwards we caufed our apoftles to fucceed in their footfteps ; and
we caufed Jisus the fon of M a r y to fucceed them, and we gave him the
gofpel: and we put in the hearts of thofe who followed him, companion and
mercy : but as to the monaftic date, they inftituted the fame (we did not pre-
feribe it to them } only out of a defire to pleafe G od ; yet they obferved not
the fame as it ought truly to have been obferved. And we gave unto fuch of
them as believed, their reward : but many of them w e r e wicked doers. O ye who
believe in th e fo rm e r p ro p h e ts ” , fear G o d , and believe in hisapoftle M a h o m m e d ;
he will give you two portions of his-mercyf, and he will ordain you-a light Wherein
ye
■ And the balances] (. e. A rule of.juftice.
Some think that a balance was actually brought
down from heaven by the angel Gabriel to
Noah, the ufe of which he was ordered to introduce
among his people.
b And we fent them dozen irons']. That is, We
taught them how to dig the fame from mines.
A l Zamahhjhari adds, that Adant is faid to have
brought down with him from paradile five
things made of iron, viz. an anvil,- a pair of
tongs, two hammers, a greater and a lelfer, and
a needle. .
■ Wherein is. mighty Jlrength for war ; ] Warlike
inftruments and weapons being generally
made of .iron.
d In fecret; ] That is, Jiitcerely and heartity
■
e O ye who believe, &c . } Thefe words are
direftedto the Jews and CbriJHarts, or rather
to the latter only.
f Two portions of his mercy; ] One as a re-
compence fot their believing in Mohammed, and
the other as a recompence for their believing