the Creator, the Maker, the Former. . He hath moft excellent' names.. .
Whatever is in heaven and earth praifeth him : and he is the Mighty, the
Wife.
, Set. cbcp.f. p. 13$. not. c.
C H A P. LX.
Intitled> She who is tried3; revealed at Medina.
In the name o f the moil merciful G od.
OTrue believers, take not my enemy and your enemy for ybur friendsb,
fhewing- kindnefs toward them ■; fxnce they believe not in the truth
which hath come unto you, having expelled the apoftle and yourfelves from
your native city, becaufe ye believe in G o d , your L o r d . If ye go forth
to fio-ht in defence of my religion, and out of a delire to pleafe me, and
privately (hew friendfhip unto them' ; verily I Well know that Which ye conceal,
and that which ye difcover : and whoever of you doth this, hath already
erred from the ftrait path. If they get the better of you, they Will be enemies
unto you, and they will ftreteh forth their hands and their tongues
againftyou with evil : and they earneftly defire that ye (hould become unbelievers.
Neither your kindred nor your children will avail you at all on the day
of refurreftion, which will feparate you from one another : and G o d
feeth that which ye do. Ye- have an excellent pattern in A b r a h a m , and
thofe who were with him, when they faid unto their people, Verily we are
clear of you, and of the idols which ye Worlhip, befides G od : we have renounced
asked Haleb how he came to be guilty of ftrdh
an a&ion ? to which he replied, that it was riot
out of infidelity, or & delire to return to idolatry,
but meerly to induce the Koreijh to treat
his family, which was Hill at Mecca, with fome
kindnefs j adding, that he was well allured his
intelligence would be of fto fervice at all to
the Meccans, becaufe he was fatisfied G od
would take vengeance on them. Whereupon
Mohammed received his excufe,- and pardoned
him : but it was thought proper to forbid any
filch practices for the futurd *1 ^
h iif And privately pew friendjhip unto them»]
The verb here ufed' has 3Mb a contrary fignifi-
cation, according to which the words may be
rendred,. and yet openly Jbezo friendjhip unto
them•
* The chapter bears this title, becaufe it di-
refts the women who defert and come over from
the infidels to the Mojlems, to be examined,-
and tried whether' they be firicere in their pro-
feffion of the faith.
b ‘Take not my enemy and your enemy for your
friends, See. ] This paffage was revealed on account
of Haleb. Ebn Abi Balt-aa, who under-
ftanding that Mohammed had a defign to fur-
prize Mecca, wrote a letter to the Koreijh, giving
them notice of the intended expeditiori, and
-advifed them to be on their guard: which letter
he fent by Sarah, ,a raaid-fervant belonging
to the family of Hdjhem. The meffenger had
not been gone long,» before Gabriel difcoVer-
cd the affair to the prophet, who immediately
ient after her, and having: intercepted the letter,
1 Idem. V. Affux*’. vit. Mold. p. 103.
nounced you ; and enmity and hatred is begun between dis and you for ever,
until ye believe in God alone: except A braham’s laying unto his father,
Verily I will beg pardon for thee *; but I cannot obtain ought of God in
thy behalf. O L ord,' in thee do we truft, and unto thee are we turned ;
and before thee (hall we be afiembled hereafter. O L ord, fuffer us not to be
put to trial by the unbelievers“: and forgive us, O L o r d ; for thou art
mighty and wife. Verily ye have in them an excellent example, unto him
who hopeth in God and the iaft day : and whofo turneth back ; verily G od
is felf fufficient, attdpncife Worthy. Peradventufe God will eftablifh friendfhip
between yourfelves and fuch of them as ye now hold for enemiesc: for G od is
powerful; and God is inclined to forgive, and merciful. As to thofe who have
not born arms againftyou on account of religion, nor turned you out of your
dwellings, God1 forbkteth you not1 to deal kindly with them;1;' and to behaivi juft- :
1 y towards them-a for God loveth tHofe who aft juftfy. But as- to thofe who
have bornarmsagainfi: you bn' account bf religion, . a-nd have1 difpbflbftecf yoti
of your habitations, and have affifted 'in 1 dilpofieffing- you, G od forbid-
eth you to enter into fr-iendlhip with them: ! and- whofoever of you enter-
eth into friendfhip with them, thofe are unjuft doers'. O true believers,
when., believing -women- come unto you as refugees, try them : God well,
knoweth their faith. And if ye know them to be true believers, fend them
not back, to the infidel^: they are not lawful for she. unbelievers; to have in
marriages neither ace lawful for them. But give their unbe-"
lieving hufbands what Chejf (hall have expended for their dowers'’, hfovjhdllit'be
any
• Except; Abraham*,.faying- onto his father, Retr, the latter rot only refuted to accept
Verily. J w ill dsk>pardon for :tbee i\ .Eor in this them, but even denied her admittance 3.
Abraham's example is not .to be followed. See * But give their unbelieving husbands what
chap; 9vp.; 164* (, ■ j ' - they Jhall have expended fo r their dowers. For
Suffer us pot to be put to trial by jbe un- according: to the terms of the pacification o f :
believers j] i. e. Suffer them not to.prevail a- at Hodeibiya 4, each fide was to return what-
gainft .us, left they thence: conclude themfelves ever.came into their power belonging to the
to be in the right, and endeavour to make us. other j wherefore when the Mojlems were, by
deny our faith by the terror of perfecution J. this paffage, forbidden to reftore the married*
c Peradventure Gpp w ill eftablijb friendjhip women who lhould come over to them, they
between you, &C.Q0And this happened according- were at-the fame time commanded to make*
ly on the taking of Mecca i when . Abw Sojidn :. fom& fort of fatisfadlion, by returning their
and others .of the Koreijh, who had till then dowry.
been inveterate enemies to the Mojlems, em- It is related, that after the aforefaid pacifiea-
braced the fame faith, and became their,friends tion, while Mohammed was yet. at al Hodeibiya^
and brethren. Some fuppofe the marriage of Sobeia bint al Hareth, of the tribe of AJlam,
Mohammed with Omm Habiba, the daughter of having embraced Mohammedijm, her 'husband,.
Abu Sofian, which was celebrated the year be- Mojajer the Makhzumite, came and demanded,
fore, to be here intended.2. her back ; upon which this paffage was reveals
d As to thofe who. have not born arms againjl ea: and Mohammed,'purfazni thereto, adminiftred
you, &c.} This paffage, it is faid, was reveal- to her the oath thereafter directed, and returned^,
ed on account of Koteila bint Abd'al Uzza, her husband her dower j. and then. Omar mar—
who having; while fhe was an idolatrefs, brought ried her s.
fome' prefents to her daughter, AJrna bint Abi
1 A l Beidawi. 2 V. G agnier not. in Abulf vit. Mob. p. 9.5.
4 See chap. 418. p. 45, &c. .* A l Beldawu
* AL Beidawi