4 7 o A l K O R - A N . C h kv. , 7 3 ,
thou leflen the fame a little, or add thereto *. And repeat the K o r a n with a
diftinft and fonoroUs voice: for we will lay on thee a weighty wordb. Verily
the rifi'ng by night«is. more efficacious for ftedfaft continuance in devotion, and
jnore conducive to decent pronunciation1: for in the day-time thou haft long
employment. And commemorate the name of thy L o r o : and feparate thy
felf unto him, renouncing worldly vanities. He it the L ord of the eaft,
and of the weft j r there is no G od but he. Wherefore take him for thy
patron : and patiently fuffer the contumelies which the infidels utter againjl
thee ; and depart from them with a decent departure. And let me alone with
thofe who charge the Koran with falffiood, who enjoy the bleffings. of this
life v and bear with them for a while : verily with us are heavy fetters, and a
bummer fire, and food ready to choak him who Jwalloweth, it % and painful
torment. On a certain day the earth fliall be ffiaken, and the mountains alfo.,
and the mountains fliall become a heap of fand' poured forth. Verily we
have lent unto you an apoftle, to bear witnefs againft you s as we lent an
apoftle unto P h a r a o h : but P h a r a o h was difobedient unto the apoftle s
wherefore we chaftifed him with a heavy chaftifement. How, therefore, will
ye efcape, if ye believe not, the day which fliall make children become greyheaded
through terror? The heaven frail be rent in funder thereby : the pro-
mife thereof fliall furely be performed. Verily this is an admonition ; and
whoever is willing to be admoni/hed, will,take the way unto his L o r d . Thy
L o rd knoweth that thou continueft in prayer and meditation fometimes near
two third parts of the night, and fometimes one half thereof, and at other
times one third part thereof: and a part of thy companions, who are with
thee, do the fame. But G od meafureth the night and the day ; he knoweth that
ye cannot exactly compute the fame: wherefore lte turneth favourably unto youF.
Read,
* Or do thou lejjen the J ‘amt, or add, theretoti]
i. c. Set apart either left than half the night, as-
<ke third, for example, or more, as two thirds.
Or the meaning may be, Either take a {hull
anatter from a lefler part of the night than one
Half, e. g. from one third, and fo reduce k to a
fourth; or add to foch Idler part, and make it'
a.fall half *.
*» A weighty word;] V iz. The precepts contained
in the Koran; which are heavy and difficult
«) thofe who are obliged to obferve them,
and efpecially to the prophet, whofe care it was
to fee that his people obferved them alfo a.
q The rifing by night i } Or The perfon who
rifetb by night; or the hours, or particularly the
firfi hours of the night, See.
d The rifing by. night is more efficacious for fted-
fetfi continuance in devotion, and more conducive to
decent pronunciation;] For the night-time is
anoft proper for meditation and prayer, and alfo
ior reading G od’s word diftin&ly and with attention
; by reafo.n of the abfence of every noife
and objedl which may diftrad the mind.
Marracci, having mentioned this natural explication
of the Mohammedan commentators,
becaufe. he finds one word in the verfe which
may be taken, in a fenfe tending that way, fay a .
the whole may with greater examinefs be expounded
of the fitnefr o f the night feafon for
amorous diversions and difeourfe; and he para-
phrafes it in Latin thus: Certe in principio no ft is
majas robur & vim habet homo, ad feeminas pre-
mendas & fubagitandas, & ad clarior'tbus verbis
amores fuos propalandos 3. A moft effectual way
this, to turn a book, into ridicule I
e Cloaking food',] As thorns and thiftles, the
fruit of the infernal tree al Zakkum, and the
corruption flowing from the bodies of the
damned,
f Wherefore he turneth favourably unto you; ]
By making the matter eafy to you, and difpenf-
ing with your fcrupulous counting of the hours
of
C hap. 74. A l K O R A N . 471
Read, therefore, fo much of the K o r a n as may be eafy unto you.
He knoweth that there will be fome infirm among you s and others travel
through the earth, that they may obtain a competency of the bounty of G od ;
And others fight in the defence of G o d ’ s faith. Read, therefore,1 fo much
of the fame as may be eafy. And obferve the flared times of prayer, and
fay the legal alms; and lend unto G od an acceptable loan; for whatever
good ye fend before for your fouls, ye fliall find the fame with G od. This
will be better, and will merit a greater reward“.. And alk G o d forgivenefs 5
for G od is ready to forgive, and merciful.
of the night which ye are dire&ed to fpend in ted by the inftitution of the five hours of
reading, and praying; for fome of the Mofiems, prayer 1 .
not knowing how the time paffed, ufed to watch * This w ill merit a greater reward; ] i. e. The
the whole night, Handing and walking about till good which ye (hall do in your life-time will be
their legs and feet fwelled in a fad manner. The much more meritorious in the light of G od,
commentators add, that this precept of dedica- than what ye fliall defer till death, and order by-
ting a part of the night to devotion, is abroga- will *.
1 j^/BridaWi. a Idetn. •
C HA P . LXXIV.
Intitled, The Covered; revealed at Mecca.
In the name of the moft merciful G o d .
OThou covered % arife and preach \ and magnify thy L o r d . And1
cleanfe thy garments: and fly every abomination c: and be not Jiberal,
in hopes to receive more in return: and patiently wait for thy L o r d . When
the trumpet fhull found, verily that day Jhall he a day of diftrefs and uneafinefs
» O thou covered, &c. ]. It is related, from having been reviled by certain o f the Konijh,
Mohammed's own mouth, that being on mount was fitting in a melancholy and penfive poftur-e.
Hard, and hearing himfelf called, he looked on wrapped up in his mantle, when Gabriel ac-
each hand, and faw no-body, but looking up- coiled hitn : and fome fay, he was fleeping.
wards, he faw the angel Gabriel on a throne, See the fecond note to the preceding chapter,
between heaven and earth; at which fight be- b Arife and preach',] It is generally fuppofed
ing much terrified, he returned to his wife that Mohammed is here commanded more efpe-
Kbadija, and bid ter cover him up; and that dally to warn his near relations, the Koreijh i
then the angel defeended, and addrefled him in as he is exprefly ordered to do in a fabfequent
the words erf the text. From hence fome think revelation *.
this chapter to have been the firft winch was re- c Fly every abomination; J By the word ah'
vealed : but the more received opinion is, that mination the commentators generally" agree ido-
it was the 96th. Others fay, that the prophet, latry to be principally intended.
1 See chap. 26. p. 308. and the ?relir% Difc. §. II. p. 43.