wherefore their husbands were of no advantage unto them at all, in the fight
of G od 1: and it'fhall be faid unto them, at. the laft day, Enter ye into hell fire,
with' thofe who enter therein. G od alfo propoundeth as a fimilitude unto
• thofe who believe, the wife of P haraoh b; when fhe faid, L ord, build me
•an houfe with thee inparadife-, and deliver mefrqm P haraoh and his doings,
and deliver me from the unjuft people and M a r y the daughter of Imran ;
who preferved her chaftity, and into whofe womb, we breathed of our fpiritrc,
and who believed in the words'of her L ord and his feriptures, and was a devout
and obedient perfon 4.
s W h e re fo re th e i r husbands w ere o f no advantage
unto, them.,, in th e f ig h t of G od : 3 For they
both met with-a.difaftrous end in this world/,
and will.be doomed to eternal mifery in. the next.
In likfe manner, as Mohammed Would infinuate,
the infidels of his time had no reafon to expefit
any mitigationofi their punifliment, on account
of their relation to himfelf and the reft of the
true believers.. .
b The wife o f Pharaoh; ] Viz. Afia the daughter
oi Mozahem. The commentators relate,
that becaufe fhe believed in Mofes, her huf-
band cruelly tormented her,.fattening her hands,
and feet to four, flakes, and laying a large ..mil;
ftone on herbreaft, her face, at the lame time,
being expofed to the fcorching beams of the
fun: thefe pains, however, were alleviated by
the angels fhading her with their wings, and
the view of the manlion prepared for her in pa-
radife, which was exhibited, to her on her pronouncing
the prayer-in the text: at length.G od
received her foul; or, as fome fay> fhe was taken,
up alive iiito paradife, where fhe eats and
drinks z .
c See chap. 19. p. 250» &c.
d On occafion of the honourable mention
here made of thefe two extraordinary women,
the commentators introduce, a faying of their
prophet, That among men there had been many
perfeft,. but no more than four, of lb e\ other Jex had
attained perfection', to wit, Afia the wife^ of
Pharaoh, Mary the daughter o/Imran, Khadijah
the daughter of Khowailed, ( the prophet’s firft
wife,) and Fatema the daughter of Mohammed.
1 See chap. 11 . p . i j y . a n d p . 183, and 184. * Ja l l a l . A l Z amak».
C HA P . LXVII. § |
Intitled, The Kingdom*; revealed at M e cc a.
In the name of the moil merciful G od.
•5CXT5f * "OLefied be he in whofe hand is'the kingdom ; for he is almighty ! Who
a a i a . hath create(j death and life, that he might prove you, which of you is
moft righteous in his aftions: and he is mighty, and ready to forgive. Who
hath created feven heavens, one above another : thou canft not fee in a creature
of the moft Merciful any unfitneft or difproportion. Lift up thine eyes
again to heaven, and look whether thou feelt any fiaw: then take two other
views and thy fight fhall return unto thee dull and fatigued. Moreover we
have
have adorned the lowed heaven w.ijth lamps, and have appointed them to
be darted at the devils“, for whom we have prepare^ the torment of burn,
ing fire : and for thofe who believe not in their L ord, is alfo prepared the
torment of hell ■, an ill journey Jhall it be thither! When they fhall be
thrown thereinto, they fhall hear it bray like an afsb; and it fhall boil, and al-
mofl burd for fury. So often as a company-of them fhall be thrown therein,
the keepers thereof fhall ask them, faying, Did riot a warner come unto you ?
They fhall anfwer, Yea, a warner came unto us : but we accufed him of
impofture, and faid, God hath -not revealed any thing; ye are in no other
than a great error : and they fhall fay, If we had hearkened, or had rightly
confidered, we fhould not have been among the inhabitants of burning fire :
and they fhall confefs their fins 5 but far be the inhabitants -of burning fire
from obtaining mercy! Verily they who fear their L ord in fecret, fhall, receive
pardon and a great reward. Either conceal your difeourfe, or make it
public ■, he knoweth the innermoft parts of your breads : fhall not he know
all things who hath created them ; fince he is the fagacious, the knowing ? It is
he who hath levelled the earth for you: therefore walk through the regions
thereof, and eat of his provifion ; unto him fhall be the refurreftion. Are
ye fccure that he who dwelleth in heaven will not caufe the earth to fwallow
you up ? and behold, it fhall fhake. Or are ye fecure that he who dwelleth
in heaven will not fend againft you an impetuous whirlwind, driving the lands
to overwhelm you ? then fhall ye know how important my warning was. Thofe
alfo who were before you disbelieved ; and how grievous was my difpleafure!
Do they not behold the birds above them, extending and drawing back their
wings ? None fudaineth them, except the Merciful; for he regardeth all
things. Or who is he that will be as an army unto you, to defend you a-
gaind the Merciful? Verily the unbelievers are in no other than a midake.
Or who is he that will give you food, if he withholdeth his provifion ? yet
they perdd in perverfenefs, and Hying from the truth. Is he, therefore, who go-
eth grovelling upon his face, better direfted than he who walketh upright
in a drait way c ? Say, It is he who hath given you being, and endued you
with hearing, and fight, and underdanding -, yet how little gratitude have ye!
Say, It is he who hath fown you in the earth, and unto him fhall ye be gathered
together. They fay, When Jhall this menace be put in execution, if
ye fpeak truth ? Anfwer, The knowledge of this matter is with God alone:
for I am only a public warner. But when they fhall fee the fame nigh at
hand, the countenance of the inddels fhall grow fad : and it fhall be faid unto
them, This is what ye have been demanding. Say, What think ye? Whether
G od dedroy me and thofe who are with me, or have mercy on us ; who will
proteft the unbelievers from a painful punifhment ? Say, He is the Merciful
; in him do we believe, and in him-do we put our trud. Ye lhall here-
N n n 2 after
» See chap. 15. p. 211. &c.] This companion ii applied-by the expofib
See chap. 31. p. 337. tors to the infidel and the true believer.
c Is be who goetb gravelling m bis fate,