people. Say, I find not in that which hath been revealed unto me any thing forbidden unto the eater, that he eat it not, except it be that which dieth of itself, or blood poured forth, or swine's flesh for this is an abomination: or that which is profane, having been slain in the name of some other than of GoD. But whoso shall be compelled by necessity to eat of these things, not lusting, nor wilfully transgressing, verily thy LoRD will be gracious unto him and merciful. Unto the Jews did we forbid every beast having an undivided hoof; and of bullocks and sheep, we forbade them the fat of both; except that which should be on their backs, or their inwards, or which should be intermixed with the bone. This have we rewarded them with, because of their iniquity; and we are surely speakers of truth. If they accuse thee of impos ture, say, Your LORD is endued with extensive mercy; but his severity shall not be averted from wicked people. The idolaters will say, If GOD had pleased, we had not been guilty of idolatry, neither our fathers; and pretend that we have not forbidden them any thing. Thus did they who were before them accuse the prophets of inposture, until they tasted our severe punishment. Say, Is there with you any certain knowledge of what ye allege, that ye may produce it unto us? Ye follow only a false imagin ation; and ye utter only lies. Say, therefore, Unto God belongeth the most evident demonstration; for if he had pleased, he had directed you all. Say, Produce your witnesses, who can bear testimony that God hath forbidden this. But if they bear testimony of this, do not thou bear testimony with them, nor do thou follow the desires of those who accuse our signs of falsehood, and who believe not in the life to come, and equalize idols with their LORD. Say, Come; I will rehearse that which your LORD hath forbidden you; that is to say, that ye be not guilty of idolatry, and that ye show kindness to your parents, and that ye murder not your children for fear lest ye be reduced to poverty: we will provide for you and them; and draw not near unto heinous crimes, neither openly nor in secret; and slay not the soul which God hath forbidden you to slay, unless for a just cause. This hath he enjoined you that ye may understand. And meddle not with the substance of the orphan, otherwise than for the improving thereof, until he attain his age of strength and use a full ineasure, and a just balance. We will not impose a task on any soul beyond its ability. And when ye pronounce judgment observe justice, although it be for or against one who is near of kin, and fulfil the covenant of GOD. This hath God commanded you, that ye may be admonished; and

That is, fluid blood; in opposition to what the Arabs suppose to be also blood, but not fluid; as the liver and the spleen.'

See Levit. vii. 23, and iii. 16.

viz. The fat of the rumps or tails of sheep, which are very large in the cast; a small one weighing ten or twelve pounds, and some no less than threescore.

This and the two following verses Jallalo'ddin supposes to have been revealed a Medina.

The original word signifies peculiarly fornication and avarice.

As for murder, apostasy, or adultery."

• Al Beidâwi. Jallalo'ddin.

• Al Beidawi.

that ye may know that this is my right way: therefore follow it, and follow not the path of others, lest ye be scattered from the path of God. This hath he commanded you that ye may take heed. We gave also unto Moses the book of the law; a perfect rule unto him who should do right, and a determination concerning all things needful, and a direction, and mercy; that the children of Israel might believe the meeting of their LORD And this book which we have now sent down is blessed; therefore follow it, and fear God that ye may obtain mercy: lest ye should say, The scrip tures were only sent down unto two people before us; and we neglected to peruse them with attention: or lest ye should say, If a book of divine revelations had been sent down unto us, we would surely have been better directed than they." And now hath a manifest declaration come unto you from your LORD, and a direction and mercy: and who is more unjust than he who deviseth lics against the signs of God, and turneth aside from them? We will reward those who turn aside from our signs with a grievous punishment, because they have turned aside. Do they wait for any other than that the angels should come unto them, to part their souls from their bodies; or that thy LORD should come to punish them; or that some of the signs of thy LORD should come to pass, showing the day of judgment to be at hand? On the day whereon some of thy LORD's signs shall come to pass, its faith shall not profit a soul which believed not before, or wrought not good in its faith. Say, Wait ye for this day; we surely do wait for it. They who make a division in their religion, and become sectaries, have thou nothing to do with them; their affair belongeth only unto God. Hereafter shall he declare unto them that which they have done. He who shall appear with good works, shall receive a tenfold recompense for the same; but he who shall appear with evil works, shall receive only an equal punishment for the same; and they shall not be treated unjustly. Say, Verily my LORD hath directed me into a right way, a true religion, the sect of Abraham the orthodox; and he was no idolater. Say, Verily my prayers, and my worship, and my life, and my death are dedicated unto GOD, the LORD of all creatures: he hath no companion. This have I been

That is, the Jews and Christians.

• Either because we knew nothing of them, or did not understand the language wherein they were written.

Because of the acuteness of our wit, the clearness of our understanding, and out facility of learning sciences; as appears from our excelling in history, poetry, and oratory, notwithstanding we are an illiterate people.'

Al Beidawi, from a tradition of Mohammed, says that ten signs will precede the last day; viz. the smoke, the beast of the earth, an eclipse in the east, another in the west, and a third in the peninsula of Arabia, the appearance of Antichrist, the sun's rising in the west, the irruption of Gog and Magog, the descent of Jesus on the earth, and fire which shall break forth from Aden."

For faith in the next life will be of no advantage to those who have not believed in. this; nor yet faith in this life, without good works.

That is, who believe in part of it, and disbelieve other part of it; or who form schisms herein. Mohammed is reported to have declared, that the Jews were divided into seventyone sects, and the Christians into seventy-two: and that his own followers would be split into seventy-three sects; and that all of them would be damned, except only one of each

• Al Beidâwi.

Sce the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv.

Al Beidâwi.

commanded: I am the first Moslem. Say, shall I desire any other LORD besides God? since he is the LORD of all things; and no soul shall acquire any merits or demerits but for itself; and no burdened soul shall bear the burden of another." Moreover unto your LORD shall ye return; and he shall declare unto you that concerning which ye now dispute. It is he who hath appointed you to succeed your predecessors in the earth, and hath raised some of you above others by various degrees of worldly advantages, that he might prove you by that which he hath bestowed on you. Thy LORD is swift in punishing; and he is also gracious and merciful.

CHAPTER VII.

INTITLED, AL ARAF; REVEALED AT MECCA,

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

AL. M. S. A book hath been sent down unto thee: and therefore itt there be no doubt in thy breast concerning it; that thou mayest preach the same, and that it may be an admonition unto the faithful. Follow that which hath been sent down unto you from your LORD; and follow no guides besides him: how little will ye be warned! How many cities have we destroyed; which our vengeance overtook by night," or while they were reposing themselves at noon-day! And their supplication, when our punishment came upon them, was no other than that they said, Verily we have been unjust. We will surely call those to an account, unto whom a prophet hath been sent; and we will also call those to account who have been sent unto them. And we will declare their actions unto them with knowledge; for we are not absent from them. The weighing of men's actions on that day shall be just; and they whose balances laden with their good works shall be heavy, are those who shall be happy; but they whose balances shall be light, are those who have lost their souls, because they injured our signs. And now have we placed you on the earth, and have

See before, p. 99

This was revealed in answer to the pressing instances of the idolaters, who offered o take the crime upon themselves, if Mohammed would conform to their worship.

Al Arâf signifies the partition between paradise and hell, which is mentioned in this chapter.'

Some however except five or eight verses, beginning at these words, And ask then concerning the city, &c.

The signification of those letters the more sober Mohammedans confess God alone knows. Some however imagine they stand for Allah, Gabriel, Mohammed, on whom be · peace.

"Fea. not to use it for the purpose of threatening the wicked, and exhorting the 'rue Jelievers."-Savary.

As it did the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, to whom Lot was sent.
As happened to the Midianites, to whom Shoaib preached.

•See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv.

provided you foon therein: but how little are ye thankful! We created you, and afterwards formed you; and then said unto the angels, Worship Adam; and they all worshipped him, except Eblis, who was not one of those who worshipped. God said unto him, What hindered thee from worshipping Adam, since I had commanded thee? He answered, I am more excellent than he: thou hast created me of fire, and hast created him of clay. God said, Get thee down therefore froin paradise; for it is not fit that thou behave thyself proudly therein: get thee hence; thou shalt be one of the contemptible. He answered, Give me respite until the day of resurrection. God said, Verily thou shalt be one of those who are respited. The devil said, Because thou hast depraved me, I will lay wait for men in thy strait way; then will I come upon them from before, and from behind, and from their right hands, and from their left; and thou shalt not find the greater part of them thankful. God said unto him, Get thee hence, despised, and driven far away: verily whoever of them shall follow thee, I will surely fill hell with you all: but as for thee, O Adam, dwell thou and thy wife in paradise; and eat of the fruit thereof wherever ye will; but approach not this tree, lest ye become of the number of the unjust. And Satan suggested to them both, that he would discover unto them their nakedness, which was hidden from them; and he said, Your LORD hath not forbidden you this tree, for any other reason but lest ye should become angels, or lest ye become immortal. And he sware unto them, saying, Verily I am one of those who counsel you aright. And he caused them to fall through deceit. And when they had tasted of the tree, their naked. ness appeared unto them; and they began to join together the leaves of paradise, to cover themselves. And their LORD called to them, saying. Did I not forbid you this tree: and did I not say unto you, Verily Satan is

d See chap. 2, p. 5, &c.

h

As the time till which the devil is reprieved is not particularly expressed, the com. mentators suppose his request was not wholly granted: but agree that he shall die, as well as other creatures, at the second sound of the trumpet.

i. e. I will attack them on every side that I shall be able. The other two ways, viz. from above, and from under their feet, are omitted, say the commentators, to show that the devil's power is limited."

The Mohammedan gospel of Barnabas tells us, that the sentence which God pronounced on the serpent for introducing the devil into paradise was, that he should not only be turned out of paradise, but that he should have his legs cut off by the angel Michael, with the sword of God; and that the devil himself, since he had rendered our first parents unclean, was condemned to eat the excrements of them and all their posterity; which two last circumstances I do not remember to have read elsewhere. The words of the manuscript are these:- Y llamó (Dios) a la serpiente, y a Michael, aquel que tiene la espada de Dios, y le dixo; Aquesta sierpe es acelerada, echala la primera del parayso, y cortale las piernas, y si quisieri caminar, arrastrara la vida por tierra. Y llamó à Satanas, el qual vino riendo, y dixole; Porque tu reprobo has enganado a aquestos, y los has hecho immundos? Yo quiero que toda immundicia suya, y de todos sus hijos, en saliendo de sus cuerpos entre por tu boca, porque en verdad ellos haran penitencia, y te quedaras harto de immundicia.

Which they had not perceived before; being clothed, as some say, with light, or garments of paradise, which fell from them on their disobedience. Yaliya imagines their nakedness was hidden by their hair."

Which it is said were fig-leaves.10

Al Beidâwi. See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. and D'Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. Art. Eblis. Al Beidâwi. See the notes to chap. 2, p, 5. • Idem. 10 Idem

your dec ared enemy? They answered, O LORD, we have dealt unjustly with our own souls; and if thou forgive us not, and be not merciful unto us, we shall surely be of those who perish. God said, Get ye down, the one of you an enemy unto the other; and ye shall have a dwelling-place upon the earth, and a provision for a season. He said, Therein shall ye live, and therein shall ye die, and from thence shall ye be taken forth at the resurrection. O children of Adam, we have sent down unto you apparel, to conceal your nakedness, and fair garments; but the clothing of piety is better. This is one of the signs of God; that peradventure ye may consider. O children of Adam, let not Satan seduce you, as he expelled your parents out of paradise, by stripping them of their clothing, that he might show them their nakedness: verily he seeth you, both he and his companions, whereas ye see not them. We have appointed the devils to be patrons of those who believe not: and when they commit a filthy action, they say, We found our fathers practising the same; and God hath commanded us to do it. Say, Verily GoD commandeth not filthy actions. Do ye speak concerning GOD that which ye know not? Say, My LORD hath commanded me to observe justice; therefore set your faces to pray at every place of worship, and call upon him, approving unto him the sincerity of your religion. As he produced you at first, so unto him shall ye return. A part of mankind hath he directed; and a part hath been justly led into error, because they have taken the devils for their patrons besides GOD, and imagine they are rightly directed. O children of Adam, take your decent apparel at every place of worship," and eat and drink," but be not guilty of excess; for he loveth not those who are guilty of excess. Say, Who hath forbidden the decent apparel of GoD, which he hath produced for his servants, and the good things which he hath provided for food? Say, These things are for those who believe, in this present life, but peculiarly on the day of resurrection. Thus do we distinctly explain our signs unto people who understand. Say, Verily my LORD hath forbidden filthy actions, both that which is discovered thereof, and that which is concealed, and also iniquity, and unjust violence;

*Not only proper materials, but also ingenuity of mind and dexterity of hand to make use of them."

Because of the subtlety of their bodies, and their being void of all colour."

This passage was revealed to reprove an immodest custom of the pagan Arabs, who used to encompass the Caaba naked, because clothes, they said, were the signs of their disobedience to God. The Sonna orders that when a man goes to prayers he should put on his better apparel, out of respect to the divine majesty before whom he is to appear. But as the Mohammedans think it indecent, on the one hand, to come into God's presence in a slovenly manner; so they imagine, on the other, that they ought not to appear before him in habits too rich or sumptuous, and particularly in clothes adorned with gold or silver, lest they should seem proud.

"The sons of Amer, it is said, when they performed the pilgrimage to Mecca, used to cat no more than was absolutely necessary, and that not of the more delicious sort of food neither; which abstinence they looked upon as a piece of merit, but they are here told the contrary. 4

Because then the wicked, who also partook of the blessings of this life, will have no share in the enjoyments of the next.

See the notes to chap. ii. p. 5.

Jallalo'ddin.

Idem, al Beidâ wi.

• Iidem.