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1 Exod. xxiv. 9, 10, 11. 2 See the Kor. c. 19, and that
virulent book entitled Toldoth Jesu.

and have said, Verily we have slain Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the
apostle of GOD; yet they slew him not, neither crucified him, but he was
represented by one in his likeness;o and verily they who disagreed concerning
himp were in a doubt as to this matter, and had no sure knowledge thereof, but
followed only an uncertain opinion. They did not really kill him; but GOD
took him up unto himself: and GOD is mighty and wise.
And there shall not be one of those who have received the scriptures, who
shall not believe in him, before his death;q and on the day of resurrection he
shall be a witness against them.r
Because of the iniquity of those who Judaize, we have forbidden them good
things, which had been formerly allowed them;s
and because they shut out many from the way of GOD, and have taken usury,
which was forbidden them by the law, and devoured men's substance vainly: we
have prepared for such of them as are unbelievers a painful punishment.
160 But those among them who are well grounded in knowledge,t and the
faithful, who believe in that which hath been sent down unto thee, and that
which hath been sent down unto the prophets before thee, and who observe the
stated times of prayer, and give alms, and believe in GOD and the last day
unto these will we give a great reward.
Verily we have revealed our will unto thee, as we have revealed it unto
Noah and the prophets who succeeded him; and as we revealed it unto Abraham,
and Ismael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and unto Jesus, and Job, and
Jonas, and Aaron, and Solomon; and we have given thee the Koran, as we gave
the psalms unto David:
some apostles have we sent, whom we have formerly mentioned unto thee;
and other apostles have we sent, whom we have not mentioned unto thee; and GOD
spake unto Moses, discoursing with him;
apostles declaring good tidings, and denouncing threats, lest men should
have an argument of excuse against GOD, after the apostles had been sent unto
them; GOD is mighty and wise.
GOD is witness of that revelation which he hath sent down unto thee; he
sent it down with his special knowledge: the angels also are witnesses
thereof; but GOD is a sufficient witness.
They who believe not, and turn aside others from the way of GOD, have
erred in a wide mistake.

o See chapter 3, p. 38, and the notes there.
p For some maintained that he was justly and really crucified; some
insisted that it was not Jesus who suffered, but another who resembled him in
the face, pretending the other parts of his body, by their unlikeness, plainly
discovered the imposition; some said he was taken up into heaven; and others,
that his manhood only suffered, and that his godhead ascended into heaven.3
q This passage is expounded two ways.
Some, referring the relative his, to the first antecedent, take the
meaning to be, that no Jew or Christian shall die before he believes in Jesus:
for they say, that when one of either of those religions is ready to breathe
his last, and sees the angel of death before him, he shall then believe in
that prophet as he ought, though his faith will not then be of any avail.
According to a tradition of Hejâj, when a Jew is expiring, the angels will
strike him on the back and face, and say to him, O thou enemy of GOD, Jesus
was sent as a prophet unto thee, and thou didst not believe on him; to which
he will answer, I now believe him to be the servant of GOD; and to a dying
Christian they will say, Jesus was sent as a prophet unto thee, and thou hast
imagined him to be GOD, or the son of GOD; whereupon he will believe him to be
the servant of GOD only, and his apostle.
Others, taking the above-mentioned relative to refer to Jesus, suppose
the intent of the passage to be, that all Jews and Christians in general shall
have a right faith in that prophet before his death, that is, when he descends
from heaven and returns into the world, where he is to kill Antichrist, and to
establish the Mohammedan religion, and a most perfect tranquility and security
on earth.1
r i.e., Against the Jews, for rejecting him; and against the
Christians, for calling him GOD, and the son of GOD.2
s See chapter 3, p. 38 and 42, and the notes there.
t As Abda'llah Ebn Salâm, and his companions.3

3 Al Beidâwi. 1 Jallalo'ddin, Yahya, al Zamakhshari, and al
Beidâwi. See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. 2 Al Beidâwi. 3
Idem.

Verily those who believe not, and act unjustly, GOD will by no means
forgive, neither will he direct them into any other way,
than the way of hell; they shall remain therein forever: and this is easy
with GOD.
O men, now is the apostle come unto you, with truth from your LORD;
believe therefore, it will be better for you. But if ye disbelieve, verily
unto GOD belongeth whatsoever is in heaven and on earth; and GOD is knowing
and wise.
O ye who have received the scriptures, exceed not the just bounds in your
religion,u neither say of GOD any other than the truth. Verily Christ Jesus
the son of Mary is the apostle of GOD, and his Word, which he conveyed into
Mary, and a spirit proceeding from him. Believe therefore in GOD, and his
apostles, and say not, There are three Gods;x forbear this; it will be better
for you. GOD is but one GOD. Far be it from him that he should have a son!
unto him belongeth whatever is in heaven and on earth; and GOD is a sufficient
protector.
170 Christ doth not proudly disdain to be a servant unto GOD; neither the
angels who approach near to his presence:
and whoso disdaineth his service, and is puffed up with pride, God will
gather them all to himself, on the last day.
Unto those who believe, and do that which is right, he shall give their
rewards, and shall superabundantly add unto them of his liberality: but those
who are disdainful and proud, he will punish with a grievous punishment;
and they shall not find any to protect or to help them, besides GOD.
O men, now is an evident proof come unto you from your LORD, and we have
sent down unto you manifest light.y They who believe in GOD and firmly adhere
to him, he will lead them into mercy from him, and abundance; and he will
direct them in the right way to himself.z
They will consult thee for thy decision in certain cases; say unto them,
GOD giveth you these determinations, concerning the more remote degrees of
kindred.a If a man die without issue, and have a sister, she shall have the
half of what he shall leave:b and he shall be heir to her,c in case she have
no issue. But if there be two sisters they shall have between them two third
parts of what he shall leave; and if there be several, both brothers and
sisters, a male shall have as much as the portion of two females. GOD
declareth unto you these precepts, lest ye err: and GOD knoweth all things.

u Either by rejecting and contemning of Jesus as the Jews do; or
raising him to an equality with GOD, as do the Christians.4
x Namely, God, Jesus, and Mary.1 For the eastern writers mention a
sect of Christians which held the Trinity to be composed of those three;2 but
it is allowed that this heresy has been long since extinct.3 The passage,
however, is equally levelled against the Holy Trinity, according to the
doctrine of the orthodox Christians, who, as al Beidâwi acknowledges, believe
the divine nature to consist of three persons, the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Ghost; by the Father understanding GOD'S essence; by the Son his
knowledge, and by the Holy Ghost his life.
y That is, Mohammed and his Korân.
z viz., Into the religion of Islâm, in this world, and the way to
paradise in the next.4
a See the beginning of this chapter, p. 53.
b And the other half will go to the public treasury.
c That is, he shall inherit her whole substance.

4 Al Beidâwi. 1 Idem, Jallalo'ddin, Yahya. 2 Elmacin.
p. 227. Eutych. p. 120. See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. II 3 Ahmed Ebn
Abd'al Halim. 4 Al Beidâwi.

CHAPTER V.

ENTITLED, THE TABLE;d REVEALED AT MEDINA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

O TRUE believers, perform your contracts. Ye are allowed to eat the
brute cattle,e other than what ye are commanded to abstain from; except the
game which ye are allowed at other times, but not while ye are on pilgrimage
to Mecca; GOD ordaineth that which he pleaseth.
O true believers, violate not the holy rites of GOD,f nor the sacred
month,g nor the offering, nor the ornaments hung thereon,h nor those who are
travelling to the holy house, seeking favor from their LORD, and to please
him.
But when ye shall have finished your pilgrimage; then hunt. And let not
the malice of some, in that they hindered you from entering the sacred
temple,i provoke you to transgress, by taking revenge on them in the sacred
months. Assist one another according to justice and piety, but assist not one
another in injustice and malice: therefore fear GOD; for GOD is severe in
punishing.
Ye are forbidden to eat that which dieth of itself, and blood, and
swine's flesh, and that on which the name of any besides GOD hath been
invocated;k and that which hath been strangled, or killed by a blow, or by a
fall, or by the horns of another beast, and that which hath been eaten by a
wild beast,l except what ye shall kill yourselves;m and that which hath been
sacrificed unto idols.n It is likewise unlawful for you to make division by
casting lots with arrows.o This is an impiety. On this day,p woe be unto
those who have apostatized from their religion; therefore fear not them, but
fear me.
This day have I perfected your religion for you,q and have completed my
mercy upon you;r and I have chosen for you Islam, to be your religion. But
whosoever shall be driven by necessity through hunger, to eat of what we have
forbidden, not designing to sin, surely GOD will be indulgent and merciful
unto him.

d The title is taken from the Table, which, towards the end of the
chapter, is fabled to have been let down from heaven to Jesus. It is
sometimes also called the chapter of Contracts, which word occurs in the first
verse.
e As camels, oxen, and sheep; and also wild cows, antelopes, &c.;1 but
not swine, nor what is taken in hunting during the pilgrimage.
f i.e., The ceremonies used in the pilgrimage of Mecca.
g See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. VII.
h The offering here meant is the sheep led to Mecca, to be there
sacrificed, about the neck of which they used to hang garlands, green boughs,
or some other ornament, that it may be distinguished as a thing sacred.2
i In the expedition of Al Hodeibiya.3
k For the idolatrous Arabs used, in killing any animal for food, to
consecrate it, as it were, to their idols, by saying, In the name of Allât, or
al Uzza.4
l Or by a creature trained up to hunting.5
m That is, unless ye come up time enough to find life in the animal,
and to cut its throat.
n The word also signifies certain stones, which the pagan Arabs used to
set up near their houses, and on which they superstitiously slew animals, in
honour of their gods.6
o See Prelim. Disc. Sect. V.
p This passage, it is said, was revealed on Friday evening, being the
day of the pilgrims visiting Mount Arafat, the last time Mohammed visited the
temple of Mecca, therefore called the pilgrimage of valediction.7
q And therefore the commentators say, that after this time, no positive
or negative precept was given.1
r By having given you a true and perfect religion; or, by the taking of
Mecca, and the destruction of idolatry.

1 Jallalo'ddin, al Beidâwi. 2 See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.
3 See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. II.
4 See c. 2, p. 18. 5 Al Beidâwi. 6 Idem. 7
Idem. See Prid. Life of Mahom. p. 99.
1 Vide Abulfed. Vit. Moh. p. 131.

They will ask thee what is allowed them as lawful to eat? Answer, Such
things as are goods are allowed you; and what ye shall teach animals of prey
to catch,t training them up for hunting after the manner of dogs, and teaching
them according to the skill which GOD hath taught you. Eat therefore of that
which they shall catch for you; and commemorate the name of GOD thereon;u and
fear GOD, for GOD is swift in taking an account.
This day are ye allowed to eat such things as are good, and the food of
those to whom the scriptures were givenx is also allowed as lawful unto you;
and your food is allowed as lawful unto them. And ye are also allowed to
marry free women that are believers, and also free women of those who have
received the scriptures before you, when ye shall have assigned them their
dower; living chastely with them, neither committing fornication, nor taking
them for concubines. Whoever shall renounce the faith, his work shall be
vain, and in the next life he shall be of those who perish.
O true believers, when ye prepare yourselves to pray, wash your faces,
and your hands unto the elbows; and rub your heads, and your feet unto the
ankles;
and if ye be polluted by having lain with a woman, wash yourselves all
over. But if ye be sick, or on a journey, or any of you cometh from the
privy, or if ye have touched women, and ye find no water, take fine clean
sand, and rub your faces and your hands therewith; GOD would not put a
difficulty upon you; but he desireth to purify you, and to complete his favor
upon you, that ye may give thanks.
10 Remember the favor of GOD towards you, and his covenant which he hath
made with you, when ye said, We have heard, and will obey.y Therefore fear
God, for God knoweth the innermost parts of the breasts of men.
O true believers, observe justice when ye appear as witnesses before GOD,
and let not hatred towards any induce you to do wrong: but act justly; this
will approach nearer unto piety; and fear GOD, for GOD is fully acquainted
with what ye do.
GOD hath promised unto those who believe, and do that which is right,
that they shall receive pardon and a great reward.
But they who believe not, and accuse our signs of falsehood, they shall
be the companions of hell.
O true believers, remember God's favor towards you, when certain men
designed to stretch forth their hands against you, but he restrained their
hands from hurting you;z therefore fear GOD and in GOD let the faithful trust.

s Not such as are filthy, or unwholesome.
t Whether beasts or birds.
u Either when ye let go the hound, hawk, or other animal, after the
game; or when ye kill it.
x viz., Slain or dressed by Jews or Christians.
y These words are the form used at the inauguration of a prince; and
Mohammed here intends the oath of fidelity which his followers had taken to
him at al Akaba.2
z The commentators tell several stories as the occasion of this
passage. One says, that Mohammed and some of his followers being at Osfân (a
place not far from Mecca, in the way to Medina), and performing their noon
devotions, a company of idolaters, who were in view, repented they had not
taken that opportunity of attacking them, and therefore waited till the hour
of evening prayer, intending to fall upon them then: but GOD defeated their
design, by revealing the verse of fear. Another relates, that the prophet
going to the tribe of Koreidha (who were Jews) to levy a fine for the blood of
two Moslems, who had been killed by mistake, by Amru Ebn Ommeya al Dimri, they
desired him to sit down and eat with them, and they would pay the fine;
Mohammed complying with their request, while he was sitting, they laid a
design against his life, one Amru Ebn Jahâsh undertaking to throw a millstone
upon him; but GOD withheld his hand, and Gabriel immediately descended to
acquaint the prophet with their treachery, upon which he rose up and went his
way. A third story is, that Mohammed having hung up his arms on a tree, under
which he was resting himself, and his companions being dispersed some distance
from him, an Arab of the desert came up to him and drew his sword, saying, Who
hindereth me from killing thee? To which Mohammed answered, GOD; and Gabriel
beating the sword out of the Arab's hand, Mohammed took it up, and asked him
the same question, Who hinders me from killing thee? the Arab replied, nobody,
and immediately professed Mohammedism.1 Abûlfeda2 tells the same story, with
some variation of circumstances.

2 Vide Abulfed. ibid. p. 43, and the Prelim. Disc. Sect. II.
1 Al Beidâwi. 2 Vit. Moh. p. 73.

GOD formerly accepted the covenant of the children of Israel, and we
appointed out of them twelve leaders: and GOD said, Verily I am with you:a if
ye observe prayer, and give alms, and believe in my apostles, and assist them,
and lend unto GOD on good usury,b I will surely expiate your evil deeds from
you, and I will lead you into gardens, wherein rivers flow: but he among you
who disbelieveth after this, erreth from the straight path.
Wherefore because they have broken their covenant, we have cursed them,
and hardened their hearts; they dislocate the words of the Pentateuch from
their places, and have forgotten part of what they were admonished; and thou
wilt not cease to discover deceitful practices among them, except a few of
them. But forgive them,c and pardon them, for GOD loveth the beneficent.
And from those who say, We are Christians, we have received their
covenant; but they have forgotten part of what they were admonished; wherefore
we have raised up enmity and hatred among them, till the day of resurrection;
and GOD will then surely declare unto them what they have been doing.
O ye who have received the scriptures, now is our apostle come unto you,
to make manifest unto you many things which ye concealed in the scriptures;d
and to pass overe many things. Now is light and a perspicuous book of
revelations come unto you from God. Thereby will GOD direct him who shall
follow his good pleasure, into the paths of peace; and shall lead them out of
darkness into light, by his will, and shall direct them in the right way.
They are infidels, who say, Verily GOD is Christ the son of Mary. Say
unto them, And who could obtain anything from GOD to the contrary, if he
pleased to destroy Christ the son of Mary, and his mother, and all those who
are on the earth?
20 For unto GOD belongeth the kingdom of heaven and earth, and whatsoever
is contained between them; he createth what he pleaseth, and GOD is almighty.

a After the Israelites had escaped from Pharaoh, GOD ordered them to go
against Jericho, which was then inhabited by giants, of the race of the
Canaanites, promising to give it into their hands; and Moses, by the divine
direction, appointed a prince or captain over each tribe, to lead them in that
expedition,3 and when they came to the borders of the land of Canaan, sent the
captains as spies to get information of the state of the country, enjoining
them secresy; but they being terrified at the prodigious size and strength of
the inhabitants, disheartened the people by publicly telling them what they
had seen, except only Caleb the son of Yufanna (Jephunneh) and Joshua the son
of Nun.4
b By contributing towards this holy war.
c That is, if they repent and believe, or submit to pay tribute. Some,
however, think these words are abrogated by the verse of the sword.5
d Such as the verse of stoning adulterers,6 the description of
Mohammed, and Christ's prophecy of him by the name of Ahmed.7
e i.e., Those which it was not necessary to restore.

3 See Numb. i. 4. 5. 4 Al Beidâwi. Numb. xiii. and xiv
5 Al Beidâwi. 6 See c. 3, p. 34.
7 Al Beidâwi.

The Jews and the Christians say, We are the children of GOD and his
beloved. Answer, Why therefore doth he punish you for your sins? Nay, but ye
are men, of those whom he hath created. He forgiveth whom he pleaseth, and
punisheth whom he pleaseth; and unto GOD belongeth the kingdom of heaven and
earth, and of what is contained between them both; and unto him shall all
things return.
O ye who have received the scriptures, now is our apostle come unto you,
declaring unto you the true religion, during the cessation of apostles,f lest
ye should say, There came unto us no bearer of good tidings, nor any warner:
but now is a bearer of good tidings, and a warner come unto you; for GOD is
almighty.
Call to mind when Moses said unto his people, O my people, remember the
favor of GOD towards you, since he hath appointed prophets among you, and
constituted you kings,g and bestowed on you what he hath given to no other
nation in the world.h
O my people, enter the holy land, which GOD hath decreed you, and turn
not your backs, lest ye be subverted and perish.
They answered, O Moses, verily there are a gigantic people in the land;i
and we will by no means enter it, until they depart thence; but if they depart
thence, then will we enter therein.
And two menk of those who feared GOD, unto whom GOD had been gracious,
said, Enter ye upon them suddenly by the gate of the city; and when ye shall
have entered the same, ye shall surely be victorious: therefore trust in GOD,
if ye are true believers.
They replied, O Moses, we will never enter the land, while they remain
therein: go therefore thou, and thy LORD, and fight; for we will sit here.
Moses said, O LORD, surely I am not master of any except myself, and my
brother; therefore make a distinction between us and the ungodly people.
GOD answered, Verily the land shall be forbidden them forty years; during
which time they shall wander like men astonished on the earth;l therefore be
not thou solicitous for the ungodly people.

f The Arabic word al Fatra signifies the intermediate space of time
between two prophets, during which no new revelation or dispensation was
given; as the interval between Moses and Jesus, and between Jesus and
Mohammed, at the expiration of which last, Mohammed pretended to be sent.
g This was fulfilled either by GOD'S giving them a kingdom, and a long
series of princes; or by his having made them kings or masters of themselves,
by delivering them from the Egyptian bondage.
h Having divided the Red Sea for you, and guided you by a cloud, and
fed you with quails and manna, &c.1
i The largest of these giants, the commentators say, was Og, the son of
Anak; concerning whose enormous stature, his escaping the Flood, and the
manner of his being slain by Moses, the Mohammedans relate several absurd
fables.2
k Namely, Caleb and Joshua.
l The commentators pretend that the Israelites, while they thus
wandered in the desert, were kept within the compass of about eighteen (or as
some say twenty-seven) miles; and that though they travelled from morning to
night, yet they constantly found themselves the next day at the place from
whence they set out.1

1 Al Beidâwi. 2 Vide Marraacc. in Alcor. p. 231, &c.
D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 336. 1 Al Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin.

30 Relate unto them also the history of the two sons of Adam,m with truth.
When they offeredn their offering, and it was accepted from one of them,o and
was not accepted from the other, Cain said to his brother, I will certainly
kill thee. Abel answered, GOD only accepteth the offering of the pious;
if thou stretchest forth thy hand against me, to slay me, I will not
stretch forth my hand against thee, to slay thee; for I fear GOD, the LORD of
all creatures.p
I choose that thou shouldest bear my iniquity and thine own iniquity; and
that thou become a companion of hell fire; for that is the reward of the
unjust.q
But his soul suffered him to slay his brother, and he slew him;r
wherefore he became of the number of those who perish.
And GOD sent a raven, which scratched the earth, to show him how he
should hide the shame of his brother,s and he said, Woe is me! am I unable to
be like this raven, that I may hide my brother's shame? and he became one of
those who repent.
Wherefore we commanded the children of Israel, that he who slayeth a
soul, without having slain a soul, or committed wickedness in the earth,t
shall be as if he had slain all mankind:u but he who saveth a soul alive,
shall be as if he had saved the lives of all mankind.
Our apostles formerly came unto them, with evident miracles; then were
many of them after this, transgressors on the earth.
But the recompense of those who fight against GOD and his apostle, and
study to act corruptly in the earth, shall be, that they shall be slain, or
crucified, or have their hands and their feet cut off on the opposite sides,
or be banished the land.x This shall be their disgrace in this world, and in
the next world they shall suffer a grievous punishment;
except those who shall repent, before ye prevail against them; for know
that GOD is inclined to forgive, and merciful.