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m This chapter is so entitled, because some superstitious customs of
the Meccans, as to certain cattle, are therein incidentally mentioned.
n Except only six verses, or, say others, three verses, which are taken
notice of in the notes.
o By the last term some understand the time of the resurrection.
Others think that by the first term is intended the space between creation and
death, and by the latter, that between death and the resurrection.
p That is, they shall be convinced of the truth which they have made a
jest of, when they see the punishment which they shall suffer for so doing,
both in this world and the next; or when they shall see the glorious success
of Mohammedism.
q i.e., We had blessed them with greater power and length of prosperity
than we have granted you, O men of Mecca.1 Mohammed seems here to mean the
ancient and potent tribes of Ad and Thamûd, &c.2
r That is to say, As they would not have believed, even if an angel had
descended to them from heaven, GOD has shown his mercy in not complying with
their demands; for if he had, they would have suffered immediate condemnation,
and would have been allowed no time for repentance.
s As Gabriel generally appeared to Mahommed; who, though a prophet, was
not able to bear the sight of him when he appeared in his proper form, much
less would others be able to support it.

1 Al Beidâwi. 2 See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. I. p. 5,
&c.

Unto him is owing whatsoever happeneth by night or by day; it is he who
heareth and knoweth.
Say, Shall I take any other protector than GOD, the creator of heaven and
earth, who feedeth all and is not fed by any? Say, Verily I am commanded to
be the first who professeth Islâm,t and it was said unto me, Thou shalt by no
means be one of the idolaters.
Say, Verily I fear, if I should rebel against my LORD, the punishment of
the great day:
from whomsoever it shall be averted on that day, God will have been
merciful unto him; this will be manifest salvation.
If GOD afflict thee with any hurt, there is none who can take it off from
thee, except himself; but if he cause good to befall thee, he is almighty;
he is the supreme Lord over his servants, and he is wise and knowing.
Say, What thing is the strongest in bearing testimony?u Say, GOD; he is
witness between me and you. And this Koran was revealed unto me, that I should
admonish you thereby, and also those unto whom it shall reach. Do ye really
profess that there are other gods together with GOD? Say, I do not profess
this. Say, Verily he is one GOD; and I am guiltless of what ye associate with
him.
20 They unto whom we have given the scripture know our apostle, even as
they know their own children;x but they who destroy their own souls will not
believe.
Who is more unjust than he who inventeth a lie against GOD,y or chargeth
his signs with imposture? Surely, the unjust shall not prosper.
And on the day of resurrection we will assemble them all; then will we
say unto those who associated others with God, Where are your companions,z
whom ye imagined to be those of God?
But they shall have no other excuse, than that they shall say, by GOD our
LORD, we have not been idolaters.
Behold, how they lie against themselves, and what they have blasphemously
imagined to be the companion of God flieth from them.a
There is of them who hearkeneth unto thee when thou readest the Korân;b
but we have cast veils over their hearts, that they should not understand it,
and a deafness in their ears: and though they should see all kinds of signs,
they will not believe therein; and their infidelity will arrive to that height
that they will even come unto thee, to dispute with thee. The unbelievers
will say, This is nothing but silly fables of ancient times.

t That is, the first of my nation.1
u This passage was revealed when the Koreish told Mohammed that they
had asked the Jews and Christians concerning him, who assured them they found
no mention or description of him in their books of scripture, Therefore, said
they, who bears witness to thee, that thou art the apostle of GOD?2
x See chapter 2, p. 16.
y Saying the angels are the daughters of GOD, and intercessors for us
with him, &c.3
z i.e., Your idols and false gods.
a That is, their imaginary deities prove to be nothing, and disappear
like vain phantoms and chimeras.
b The persons here meant were Abu Sofiân, al Walîd, al Nodar, Otha, Abu
Jahl, and their comrades, who went to hear Mohammed repeat some of the Korân;
and Nodar being asked what he said, answered, with an oath, that he knew not,
only that he moved his tongue, and told a parcel of foolish stories, as he had
done to them.4

1 Al Beidâwi. 2 Idem, Jallalo'ddin. 3 Al Beidâwi.
4 Idem.

And they will forbid others from believing therein, and will retire afar
off from it; but they will destroy their own souls only, and they are not
sensible thereof.
If thou didst see when they shall be set over the fire of hell! and they
shall say, Would to GOD we might be sent back into the world; we would not
charge the signs of our LORD with imposture, and we would become true
believers:
nay, but that is become manifest unto them, which they formerly
concealed;c and though they should be sent back into the world, they would
surely return to that which was forbidden them; and they are surely liars.
And they said, There is no other life than our present life; neither
shall we be raised again.
30 But if thou couldest see, when they shall be set before their LORD!d He
shall say unto them, Is not this in truth come to pass? They shall answer,
Yea, by our LORD. God shall say, Taste therefore the punishment due unto you,
for that ye have disbelieved.
They are lost who reject as a falsehood the meeting of GOD in the next
life, until the houre cometh suddenly upon them. Then will they say, Alas!
for that we have behaved ourselves negligently in our lifetime; and they shall
carry their burdens on their backs;f will it not be evil which they shall be
loaden with?
This present life is no other than a play and a vain amusement; but
surely the future mansion shall be better for those who fear God: will they
not therefore understand?
Now we know that what they speak grieveth thee: yet they do not accuse
thee of falsehood; but the ungodly contradict the signs of GOD.g
And apostles before thee have been accounted liars: but they patiently
bore their being accounted liars, and their being vexed, until our help came
unto them; for there is none who can change the words of GOD: and thou hast
received some information concerning those who have been formerly sent from
him.h
If their aversion to thy admonitions be grievous unto thee, if thou canst
seek out a den whereby thou mayest venetrate into the inward parts of the
earth, or a ladder by which thou mayest ascend into heaven, that thou mayest
show them a sign, do so, but thy search will be fruitless; for if GOD pleased
he would bring them all to the true direction: be not therefore one of the
ignorant.

c Their hypocrisy and vile actions; nor does their promise proceed from
any sincere intention of amendment, but from the anguish and misery of their
condition.5
d viz., In order for judgment.
e The last day is here called the hour, as it is in scripture;6 and the
preceding expression of meeting GOD on that day is also agreeable to the
same.7
f When an infidel comes forth from his grave, says Jallalo'ddin, his
works shall be represented to him under the ugliest form that ever he beheld,
having a most deformed countenance, a filthy smell, and a disagreeable voice;
so that he shall cry out, GOD defend me from thee, what art thou? I never saw
anything more detestable! To which the figure will answer, Why dost thou
wonder at my ugliness? I am thy evil works;1 thou didst ride upon me while
thou wast in the world; but now will I ride upon thee, and thou shalt carry
me. and immediately it shall get upon him; and whatever he shall meet shall
terrify him, and say, Hail, thou enemy of God, thou art he who was meant by
(these words of the Korân), and they shall carry their burdens, &c.2
g That is, it is not thou but GOD whom they injure by their impious
gainsaying of what has been revealed to thee. It is said that Abu Jahl once
told Mohammed that they did not accuse him of falsehood, because he was known
to be a man of veracity, but only they did not believe the revelations which
he brought them; which occasioned this passage.3
h i.e., Thou has been acquainted with the stories of several of the
preceding prophets; what persecutions they suffered from those to whom they
were sent, and in what manner GOD supported them and punished their enemies,
according to his unalterable promise.4

5 Idem. 6 1 John v. 25, &c. 7 1 Thess. iv. 17.
1 See Milton's Paradise Lost, bk. ii v. 737, &c.
2 See also cap. 3, p. 48. 3 Al Beidâwi. 4 Idem.

He will give a favorable answer unto those only who shall hearken with
attention: and GOD will raise the dead; then unto him shall they return.
The infidels say, Unless some sign be sent down unto him from his LORD,
we will not believe: answer, Verily GOD is able to send down a sign: but the
greater part of them know it not.k
There is no kind of beast on earth, nor fowl which flieth with its wings,
but the same is a people like unto you;l we have not omitted anything in the
book of our decrees: then unto their LORD shall they return.n
They who accuse our signs of falsehood are deaf and dumb, walking in
darkness: GOD will lead into error whom he pleaseth, and whom he pleaseth he
will put in the right way.
40 Say, What think ye? if the punishment of GOD come upon you, or the hour
of the resurrection come upon you, will ye call upon any other than GOD, if ye
speak truth?
yea, him shall ye call upon, and he shall free you from that which ye
shall ask him to deliver you from, if he pleaseth; and ye shall forget that
which ye associated with him.o
We have already sent messengers unto sundry nations before thee, and we
afflicted them with trouble and adversity that they might humble themselves:
yet when the affliction which we sent came upon them, they did not humble
themselves; but their hearts became hardened, and Satan prepared for them that
which they committed.
And when they had forgotten that concerning which they had been
admonished, we opened unto them the gates of all things;p until, while they
were rejoicing for that which had been given them, we suddenly laid hold on
them, and behold, they were seized with despair;
and the utmost part of the people which had acted wickedly was cut off:
praise be unto GOD, the LORD of all creatures!
Say, what think ye? if GOD should take away your hearing and your sight,
and should seal up your hearts; what god besides GOD will restore them unto
you? See how variously we show forth the signs of God's unity;q yet do they
turn aside from them.
Say unto them, What think ye? if the punishment of GOD come upon you
suddenly, or in open view;r will any perish, except the ungodly people?
We send not our messengers otherwise than bearing good tidings and
denouncing threats. Whoso therefore shall believe and amend, on them shall no
fear come, neither shall they be grieved:

i In this passage Mohammed is reproved for his impatience in not
bearing with the obstinacy of his countrymen, and for his indiscreet desire of
effecting what GOD hath not decreed, namely, the conversion and salvation of
all men.5
k Being both ignorant of GOD'S almighty power, and of the consequence
of what they ask, which might prove their utter destruction.
l Being created and preserved by the same omnipotence and providence as
ye are.
m That is, in the preserved table, wherein GOD'S decrees are written,
and all things which come to pass in this world, as well the most minute as
the more momentous, are exactly registered.6
n For, according to the Mohammedan belief, the irrational animals will
also be restored to life at the resurrection, that they may be brought to
judgment, and have vengeance taken on them for the injuries they did one
another while in this world.7
o That is, ye shall then forsake your false gods, when ye shall be
effectually convinced that GOD alone is able to deliver you from eternal
punishment. But others rather think that this forgetting will be the effect
of the distress and terror which they will then be in.8
p That is, we gave them all manner of plenty; that since they took no
warning by their afflictions, their prosperity might become a snare to them,
and they might bring down upon themselves swifter destruction.
q Laying them before you in different views, and making use of
arguments and motives drawn from various considerations.
r That is, says al Beidâwi, either without any previous notice, or
after some warning given.

5 Idem. 6 See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. 7 See ibid.
p. 67. 8 Al Beidâwi.

but whoso shall accuse our signs of falsehood, a punishment shall fall on
them, because they have done wickedly.
50 Say, I say not unto you, The treasures of GOD are in my power: neither
do I say, I know the secrets of God: neither do I say unto you, Verily I am an
angel: I follow only that which is revealed unto me. Say, Shall the blind and
the seeing be held equal? do ye not therefore consider?
Preach it unto those who fear that they shall be assembled before their
LORD: they shall have no patron nor intercessor, except him; that peradventure
they may take heed to themselves.
Drive not away those who call upon their LORD morning and evening,
desiring to see his face;s it belongeth not unto thee to pass any judgment on
them,t nor doth it belong unto them to pass any judgment on thee: therefore if
thou drive them away, thou wilt become one of the unjust.
Thus have we proved some part of them by other part, that they may say,
Are these the people among us unto whom GOD hath been gracious?u Doth not GOD
most truly know those who are thankful?
And when they who believe in our signs shall come unto thee, say, Peace
be upon you. Your LORD hath prescribed unto himself mercy; so whoever among
you worketh evil through ignorance, and afterwards repenteth and amendeth;
unto him will he surely be gracious and merciful.
Thus have we distinctly propounded our signs, that the path of the wicked
might be made known.
Say, Verily I am forbidden to worship the false deities which ye invoke,
besides GOD. Say, I will not follow your desires; for then should I err,
neither should I be one of those who are rightly directed.
Say, I behave according to the plain declaration, which I have received
from my LORD; but ye have forged lies concerning him. That which ye desire
should be hastened, is not in my power;x judgment belongeth only unto GOD; he
will determine the truth; and he is the best discerner.
Say, If what ye desire should be hastened were in my power, the matter
had been determined between me and you:y but GOD well knoweth the unjust.

s These words were occasioned when the Koreish desired Mohammed not to
admit the poor or more inferior people, such as Ammâr, Soheib, Khobbâb, and
Salmân, into his company, pretending that then they would come and discourse
with him; but he refusing to turn away any believers, they insisted at least
that he should order them to rise up and withdraw when they came, which he
agreed to do. Others say that the chief men of Mecca expelled all the poor
out of their city, bidding them go to Mohammed; which they did, and offered to
embrace his religion; but he made some difficulty to receive them, suspecting
their motive to be necessity, and not real conviction;1 whereupon this passage
was revealed.
t i.e., Rashly to decide whether their intentions be sincere or not;
since thou canst not know their heart, and their faith may possibly be more
firm than that of those who would persuade thee to discard them.
u That is to say, the noble by those of mean extraction, and the rich
by the poor; in that GOD chose to call the latter to the faith before the
former.2
x This passage is an answer to the audacious defiances of the infidels,
who bad Mohammed, if he were a true prophet, to call for a shower of stones
from heaven, or some other sudden and miraculous punishment, to destroy them.3
y For I should ere now have destroyed you, out of zeal for GOD'S
honour, had it been in my power.4

1 Idem, Jallalo'ddin. 2 Al Beidâwi. 3 Idem.
4 Idem.

With him are the keys of the secret things; none knoweth them besides
himself: he knoweth that which is on the dry land and in the sea; there
falleth no leaf, but he knoweth it; neither is there a single grain in the
dark parts of the earth, neither a green thing, nor a dry thing, but it is
written in the perspicuous book.z
60 It is he who causeth you to sleep by night, and knoweth what ye merit by
day; he also awaketh you therein, that the prefixed term of your lives may be
fulfilled; then unto him shall ye return, and he shall declare unto you that
which ye have wrought.
He is supreme over his servants, and sendeth the guardian angels to watch
over you,a until, when death overtaketh one of you, our messengersb cause him
to die: and they will not neglect our commands.
Afterwards shall they return unto GOD, their true LORD: doth not judgment
belong unto him? he is the most quick in taking an account.c
Say, Who delivereth you from the darknessd of the land, and of the sea,
when ye call upon him humbly and in private, saying, Verily if thou deliver
use from these dangers, we will surely be thankful?
Say, GOD delivereth you from them, and from every grief of mind; yet
afterwards ye give him companions.f
Say, He is able to send on you a punishment from above you,g or from
under your feet,h or to engage you in dissension, and to make some of you
taste the violence of others. Observe how variously we show forth our signs,
that peradventure they may understand.
This people hath accused the revelation which thou hast brought of
falsehood, although it be the truth. Say, I am not a guardian over you: every
prophecy hath its fixed time of accomplishment; and he will hereafter know it.
When thou seest those who are engaged in cavilling at, or ridiculing our
signs, depart from them, until they be engaged in some other discourse: and if
Satan cause thee to forget this precept, do not sit with the ungodly people
after recollection.
They who fear God are not at all accountable for them, but their duty is
to remember that they may take heed to themselves.i
Abandon those who make their religion a sport and a jest; and whom the
present life hath deceived: and admonish them by the Koran, that a soul
becometh liable to destruction for that which it committeth: it shall have no
patron nor intercessor besides GOD: and if it could pay the utmost price of
redemption, it would not be accepted from it. They who are delivered over to
perdition for that which they have committed shall have boiling water to
drink, and shall suffer a grievous punishment, because they have disbelieved.

z i.e., The preserved table, or register of GOD'S decrees.
a See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.
b That is, the angel of death and his assistants.5
c See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.
d That is, the dangers and distresses.
e The Cufic copies read it in the third person, if he deliver us, &c.
f Returning to your old idolatry.
g That is, by storms from heaven, as he destroyed the unbelieving
people of Noah, and of Lot, and the army of Abraha, the lord of the elephant.1
h Either by drowning you, as he did Pharaoh and his host, or causing
the earth to open and swallow you up, as happened to Korah, or (as the
Mohammedans name him) Karun.2
i And therefore need not be troubled at the indecent and impious talk
of the infidels, provided they take care not to be infected by them. When the
preceding passage was revealed, the Moslems told their prophet that if they
were obliged to rise up whenever the idolaters spoke irreverently of the
Korân, they could never sit quietly in the temple, nor perform their devotions
there; whereupon these words were added.3

5 See the Prelim. Disc. Sec. IV. 1 Al Beidâwi. 2
Idem. 3 Idem, Jallalo'ddin.

70 Say, Shall we call upon that, besides GOD, which can neither profit us,
nor hurt us? and shall we turn back on our heels, after that GOD hath directed
us; like him whom the devils have infatuated, wandering amazedly in the earth,
and yet having companions who call him into the true direction, saying, Come
unto us? Say, the direction of GOD is the true direction; we are commanded to
resign ourselves unto the LORD of all creatures;
and it is also commanded us, saying, Observe the stated times of prayer,
and fear him; for it is he before whom ye shall be assembled.
It is he who hath created the heavens and the earth in truth; and
whenever he saith unto a thing, Be, it is.
His word is the truth; and his will be the kingdom on the day whereon the
trumpet shall be sounded:k he knoweth whatever is secret, and whatever is
public; he is the wise, the knowing.
Call to mind when Abraham said unto his father Azer,l Dost thou take
images for gods?m Verily I perceive that thou and thy people are in a
manifest error.
And thus did we show unto Abraham the kingdom of heaven and earth, that
he might become one of those who firmly believe.n
And when the night overshadowed him, he saw a star, and he said, This is
my LORD;o but when it set, he said, I like not gods which set.

k See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV.
l This is the name which the Mohammedans give to Abraham's father,
named in scripture Terah. However, some of their writers pretend that Azer
was the son of Terah,1 and D'Herbelot says that the Arabs always distinguish
them in their genealogies as different persons; but that because Abraham was
the son of Terah according to Moses, it is therefore supposed (by European
writers) that Terah is the same with the Azer of the Arabs.2 How true this
observation may be in relation to some authors, I cannot say, but I am sure it
cannot be true of all; for several Arab and Turkish writers expressly make
Azer and Terah the same person.3 Azer, in ancient times, was the name of the
planet Mars, and the month of March was so called by the most ancient
Persians; for the word originally signifying fire (as it still does,) it was
therefore given by them and the Chaldeans to that planet,4 which partaking, as
was supposed, of a fiery nature, was acknowledged by the Chaldeans and
Assyrians as a god or planetary deity, whom in old times they worshipped under
the form of a pillar: whence Azer became a name among the nobility, who
esteemed it honourable to be denominated from their gods,5 and is found in the
composition of several Babylonish names. For these reasons a learned author
supposes Azer to have been the heathen name of Terah, and that the other was
given him on his conversion.6 Al Beidâwi confirms this conjecture, saying
that Azer was the name of the idol which he worshipped. It may be observed
that Abraham's father is also called Zarah in the Talmud and Athar by
Eusebius.
m That Azer, or Terah, was an idolater is allowed on all hands; nor can
it be denied, since he is expressly said in scripture to have served strange
gods.7 The eastern authors unanimously agree that he was a statuary, or
carver of idols; and he is represented as the first who made images of clay,
pictures only having been in use before,8 and taught that they were to be
adored as gods.9 However, we are told his employment was a very honourable
one,10 and that he was a great lord, and in high favour with Nimrod, whose
son-in-law he was,11 because he made his idols for him, and was excellent in
his art. Some of the Rabbins say Terah was a priest, and chief of the
order.12
n That is, we gave him a right apprehension of the government of the
world and of the heavenly bodies, that he might know them all to be ruled by
GOD, by putting him on making the following reflections.

1 Tarîkh Montakhab, apud D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 12. 2
D'Herbel. ibid. 3 Al Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin, Yahya, Ebn Shohnah, Mirat
Kainat, &c. Vide etiam Pharhang Jehang-hiri, apud Hyde de Rel. Vet. Persar.
p. 68. 4 Hyde, ibid. p. 63. 5 Idem, ibid. p. 64.
6 Idem, ibid. p. 62. 7 Josh. xxiv. 2, 14. 8 Epiphan.
adv. Hær. l. r, p. 7, 8.
9 Suidas in Lexico, voce ?epúx. 10 Vide Hyde, ubi sup. p. 63.
11 D'Herbel. ubi sup. 12 Shalshel. hakkab. p. 94.