thy L o r d hath not forfaken thee, neither doth he hate thee \ Verily the
life to come Jhall be better for thee than thisprefent life : and thy L o r d lhall
give thee a reward wherewith thou fhalt be well pleajbd. Did he not find
thee an orphan, and hath he not taken care of thee ? And did he not find
thee wandring in error, and hath he not guided thee into the truth ? And did
he not find thee needy, and hath he not enriched thee? Wherefore opprefs
not the orphan; neither repulfe the beggar: but declare the goodnefs of thy
L o r d . -
a Thy L ord hath not forfaken thee, See. ] It
is related, that no revelation having been
vouchfafed to Mohammed for feveral days, in
anfwer to fome queftions put to him by the
Koreifh, becaufe he had confidently promifed to
refolve them the next day, without adding the
3 See chap. 18. p. 241.
exception, i f it pieafe G od r , or becaufe.he had
repulfed an importunate beggar, or elfe becaufe
a dead puppy lay under his feat, or for fome o-
ther reafon; his enemies (aid that God had
left him: whereupon this chapter was fent
down for his confolation *.
* ^ /B eudawi, J allal.
CHA P . XCIV.
Intitled, Have we not opened; revealed at M e c c a .
In the name of the moft merciful G od.
HA V E we not opened thy breafta; and eafed thee of thy burthen b,
which galled thy back *, and raifed thy reputation for thee ? Verily a
difficulty Jhall be attended with eafe. Verily a difficulty Jhall he attended with
eafe. When thou fhalt have ended thy f reaching, labour to ferve G od in re-
turn for his favoursc ; and make thy fupplication unto thy L o r d .
a Have we not opened thy breaft ; ] By difpo-
ling and enlarging it to receive the truth, and
wifdom, and prophecy j or, by freeing thee
from uneafinefs, and ignorance ? This paffage
is thought to intimate the opening of Moham-
med’s heart, in his infancy, or when he took
his journeyto heaven, by the angel Gabrieli
who having wrung out the black drop, or feed
of original fin, wafhed and cleanfed the fame,
and filled it with wifdom and faith 1 : but fome
think it relates to the occafion of the preceding
chapter 2.
b And eafed thee of thy burthen; ] i. e. O f thy
fins, committed before thy million j or of thy
ignorance, or trouble of mind.
c When thou fhalt have finifhed thy preaching,
labour to ferve G od, &c. ] Or, When thou fhalt
have finifhed thy prayer, labour in preaching the
faith M
1 A l Beiqawi, Y a h y a . V Ab v if . vit. Mob, p. 9. & 33. P rid, Life of Mah. p. 105, Sec.
2 A l BfiittAWi. 3 Idem.
CHAP. XCV.
Intitled, The. Fig: where it was revealed is difputed.
In the name of the moft merciful G o fp
B Y the fig, and the olivea; and by mount Sin a i , and this territory of
fecurity b : verily we created man of a moft excellent fabric ; afterwards,
we rendred him the vileft of the vile c : except thofe who believe, and work
righteoufnefs j for they fhall receive an endlefs reward. What therefore (hall
caufe thee to deny the day-of judgment after thisd ? Is not God the moft wife
judge ?
a By the Jig and the olive j G od, fay the tory of Mecca*. Thefe words feem to argue
commentators,fwears by thefe two fruits,becaufe the chapter to have been revealed there,
of their great ufes and virtues : for the fig is c We created man of a moft excellent fabric ;
whole fome and of eafy digeftion, and phyfically afterwards we rendred him the 'Vileft of the vile .*3
good to carry off phlegm, and gravel in the i. e. as .the commentators generally expound
kidneys or bladder, and to remove obftruftions this paflage, We created man of comely proportion
of the liver and fpleen, and alfo cures the piles, of body, and great perfection of mind'; and yet
and the gout, (Ac. the olive produces oil, which we have doomed him, in cafe of difobedience, to
is not only excellent to eat, but otherwife ufe- he an inhabitant of hell. Some, -however; underfill
.for the compounding of ointments r ; the Hand the words of the vigorous conftitution of
wood of the olive-tree moreover is good for man in the prime and ftrength of his age, and,
cleanfing the teeth, preventing their growing of his miferable decay when he becomes old
rotten, and giving'a good odour to the mouth; and decrepit: but they feem rather to intimate
for which reafon the prophets and Mohammed the perfedl ftate of happinefs wherein man was
in particular, made ufe of no other for tooth- originally created, and his fall from thenCe, in
-picks 2‘ confequence of Adam's difobedience, to a Hate
Some, however, fuppofe that thefe words do of mifery in this world, and becoming liable to.
not mean the fruits or trees above-mentioned, one infinitely more miferable in the next
but two-mountains in the holy land, where they d What Jhall caufe thee to .deny the day of
grow in plenty ; or elfe .the temple of Damafcus judgment after this.? ] Some fuppofe thefe words
and that at Jerufalem 3. _ directed to Mohammed, and others to man in ,geb
This territory of fecurity;] Viz. The terri- neral, by way of apoftrophe.
** Idem, A IZ auakh. 2 .Al Z amakh. 3 Idem, Y ahya, ^ /B eidawi, Ja l l a l *
4 See the Prelim. Difc. §. IV. 1 V. Marracc. in loc. p. 809,
C H A R