Retaliation
They hold that on the day of judgment two angels, named Mibr and
Sorujh, will ftand on the bridge we {hall defcribe by and by, to examine
of injuries.
every perfon as he paffes; that the former, who reprefen ts the
divine mercy, will hold a balance in his hand, to weigh the actions
o f men; that according to the report he {hall make thereof to G od,
fentence will be pronounced, and thofe whofe good works are found
more ponderous, if they turn the fcale but by the weight of a hair, will
be permitted to pafs forward to paradife; but thofe whofe good works
{hall be found light, will be by the other angel, who represents G od’s
juftice, precipitated from the bridge into hell
This examination being part, and every one’s works weighed in a
juft balance, that mutual retaliation will follow, according to which
every creature will take vengeance one of another, or have fatisfac-
tion made them for the injuries which they have fuffered. And fince
there will then be no other way of returning like for like, the manner
of giving this fatisfatftion will be, by taking away a proportionable
part of the good works of him who offered the injury, and adding it
to thofe of him who fuffered it. Which being done, i f the angels
(by whofe miniftry this is to be performed) fay, Lord we have given to every
one his due; and their remaineth of this perfon's good works Jo much as
equalleth the weight of an ant, G od will of his mercy caufe it to be
doubled unto him, that he may be admitted into paradife; but if on
the contrary his good works be exhaufted, and there remain evil
works only, and there be any who have not yet received fatisfadfion
from him, G od will order that an equal weight of their fins be added
unto his, that he may be punifhed for them in their ftead, and he will
be fent to hell loaden with both. This will be the method of G o d ’s
dealing with mankind. As to brutes, after they {hall have likewife
taken vengeance of one another, as we have mentioned above, he will
command them to be changed into duft2; wicked men being referved to
more grievous punifhment: fo that they {hall cry out, on hearing
this fentence paffed on the brutes, Would to G od that we were duji
alfo. As to the genii, many Mohammedans are of opinion that fuch of
them as are true believers, will undergo the fame fate as the irrational
animals, and have no other reward than the favour of being converted
into duft ; and for this they quote the authority o f their prophet.
But this however is judged not fo very reafonable, fince the genii
1 Hyde, de rel. vet. Perf. p. 2-4-5, 4OI> &c- f Yet they fay the dog of the (even fleepers, and
Ezra’s afs, which was raifed to life, will, by peculiar favour, be admitted into paradife. See Kor.
c, 18, and c. J. p. 31.
being
being capable o f putting themfelves in thé ftate o f believers as well
as men, mult confequently deferve, as it feems, to be rewarded for
their faith, as well as to be punifhed for their infidelity. Wherefore
fome entertain a more favourable opinion, and aflign the; believing
genii a place near the confines of paradife, where they will enjoy fuf-
ficient felicity, tho’ they be not admitted into that delightful manfion.
But the unbelieving genii, it is univerfally agreed, will be punifhed e-
ternally,. and be thrown into hell with the infidels of mortal race. It
may not be improper to obferve, that under the denomination of unbelieving
genii, the Mohammedans comprehend alfo the devil and his
companions '.
The trials being over and the affembly diffolved, the Mohammedans of the
hold, that thofe who are to be admitted into paradife will take the bridge *l
right hand way, and thofe who are deftined to hell fire will take the S‘raU
left, but both of them muft firft pafs the bridge, called in Arabic, al
Sirdt, which they fay is laid over the midft of hell, and defcribe to
be finer than a hair, and {harper than the edge of a fword; fo that it
feems very difficult to conceive how any one {hall be able to ftand
upon it: for which reafon moft of the fe£b of the Motdzalites reject
it as a fable, tho’ the orthodox think it a fufficient proof of the truth
of this article, that it was ferioufly affirmed by him who never afferted a
falfhood, meaning their prophet; who to add to the difficulty o f the paf-
fage has likewife declared that this bridge is befet on each fide with
briars and hooked thorns; which will however be no impediment to the
good, for they {hall pafs with wonderful eafe and fwiftnefs, like lightning,
or the wind, Mohammed and his Mojlems leading the way;
whereas the wicked, what with the flipperinefs and extreme narrow-
nefs of the path, the intangling o f the thorns, and the extinótion o f
the light which directed the former to paradife, will foon mifs their
footing, and fall down headlong into hell, which is gaping beneath
them 2.
This circumftance Mohammed feems alfo to have borrowed from
the Magians, who teach that on the laft day all mankind will be
obliged to pafs a bridge which they call Pul Cbfnavad, or Chinavar,
that is, the fir ait bridge, leading diredly into the other world; on the
midft o f which they fuppofe the angels, appointed by G o d to perform
that office, will ftand, who will require of every one a ftridt
account of his actions, and weigh them in the manner we have
already mentioned 3. It is true the Jews fpeak likewife o f the bridge
1 V. Koran, c. 18. * Pocock, ubi fup. p.282-289. 3 Hyde, de rel. vet Perf. p. 245, 402, tc c .
a 2 o f