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Books: The Koran

U >> Unknown >> The Koran




3 See Exod. xiv. 30. 1 See Jonah iii. 4. 2 Al
Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin, Abulfeda. See cap. 21 and 37.


Do they therefore expect any other than some terrible judgment, like unto
the judgments which have fallen on those who have gone before them? Say, Wait
ye the issue; and I also will wait with you;
then will we deliver our apostles and those who believe. Thus is it a
justice due from us, that we should deliver the true believers.
Say, O men of Mecca, if ye be in doubt concerning my religion, verily I
worship not the idols which ye worship, besides GOD; but I worship GOD, who
will cause you to die: and I am commanded to be one of the true believers.
And it was said unto me, Set thy face towards the true religion, and be
orthodox; and by no means be one of those who attribute companions unto God;
neither invoke, besides GOD, that which can neither profit thee nor hurt
thee: for if thou do, thou wilt then certainly become one of the unjust.
If GOD afflict thee with hurt, there is none who can relieve thee from
it, except he; and if he willeth thee any good, there is none who can keep
back his bounty: he will confer it on such of his servants as he pleaseth; and
he is gracious and merciful.
Say, O men, now hath the truth come unto you from your LORD. He
therefore who shall be directed, will be directed to the advantage of his own
soul: but he who shall err, will err only against the same. I am no guardian
over you.
Do thou, O prophet, follow that which is revealed unto thee: and
persevere with patience, until GOD shall judge; for he is the best judge.



________




CHAPTER XI.

ENTITLED, HUD;t REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

AL. R.u THIS book, the verses whereof are guarded against corruption,
and are also distinctly explained,y is a revelation from the wise, the knowing
God:
that ye serve not any other GOD: (verily I am a denouncer of threats, and
a bearer of good tidings unto you from him;)

t The story of which prophet is repeated in this chapter.
u See the Prelim. Disc. p. 46, &c.
x According to the various senses which the verb ohkimat, in the
original, may bear, the commentators suggest as many different
interpretations. Some suppose the meaning to be, according to our version,
that the Korân is not liable to be corrupted,1 as the law and the gospel have
been, in the opinion of the Mohammedans; others, that every verse in this
particular chapter is in full force, and not one of them abrogated; others,
that the verses of the Korân are disposed in a clear and perspicuous method,
or contain evident and demonstrative arguments; and others, that they comprise
judicial declarations, to regulate both faith and practice.2
y The signification of the verb fossilat, which is here used, being
also ambiguous, the meaning of this passage is supposed to be, either that the
verses are distinctly proposed or expressed in a clear manner; or that the
subject matter of the whole may be distinguished or divided into laws,
monitions, and examples; or else that the verses were revealed by parcels.

1 See the Prelim. Disc. p. 53. 2 Al Beidâwi,
Jallalo'ddin, al Zamakhshari, &c.


and that ye ask pardon of your LORD, and then be turned unto him. He
will cause you to enjoy a plentiful provision, until a prefixed time: and unto
every one that hath merit by good works will he give his abundant reward. But
if ye turn back, verily I fear for you the punishment of the great day:
unto GOD shall ye return; and he is almighty.
Do they not double the folds of their breasts,z that they may conceal
their designs from him?
When they cover themselves with their garments, doth not he know that
which they conceal, and that which they discover?
For he knoweth the innermost parts of the breasts of men.a
There is no creature which creepeth on the earth, but GOD provideth its
food; and he knoweth the place of its retreat, and where it is laid up.b The
whole is written in the perspicuous book of his decrees.
It is he who hath created the heavens and the earth in six days, (but his
throne was above the waters before the creation thereof),c that he might prove
you, and see which of you would excel in works.
10 If thou say, Ye shall surely be raised again, after death; the
unbelievers will say, This is nothing but manifest sorcery.
And verily if we defer their punishment unto a determined season, they
will say, What hindereth it from falling on us? Will it not come upon them on
a day, wherein there shall be none to avert it from them; and that which they
scoffed at shall encompass them?
Verily, if we cause man to taste mercy from us, and afterwards take it
away from him; he will surely become desperate,d and ungrateful.
And if we cause him to taste favor, after an affliction hath befallen
him, he will surely say, The evils which I suffered are passed from me, and he
will become joyful and insolent:
except those who persevere with patience, and do that which is right;
they shall receive pardon, and a great reward.
Peradventure thou wilt omit to publish part of that which hath been
revealed unto thee, and thy breast will become straitened, lest they say,
Unless a treasure be sent down unto him, or an angel come with him, to bear
witness unto him, we will not believe. Verily thou art a preacher only; and
GOD is the governor of all things.
Will they say, He hath forged the Koran? Answer, Bring therefore ten
chapterse like unto it, forged by yourselves: and call on whomsoever ye may to
assist you, except GOD, if ye speak truth.

z Or, as it may be translated, Do they not turn away their breasts, &c.
a This passage was occasioned by the words of certain of the idolaters,
who said to one another, When we let down our curtains (such as the women use
in the east to screen themselves from the sight of the men when they happen to
be in the room), and wrap ourselves up in our garments, and fold up our
breasts, to conceal our malice against Mohammed, how should he come to the
knowledge of it? Some suppose the passage relates to certain hypocritical
Moslems; but this opinion is generally rejected, because the verse was
revealed at Mecca, and the birth of hypocrisy among the Mohammedans happened
not till after the Hejra.
b i.e., Both during its life and after its death; or the repository of
every animal, before its birth, in the loins and wombs of the parents.
c For the Mohammedans suppose this throne, and the waters whereon it
stands, which waters they imagine are supported by a spirit or wind, were,
with some other things, created before the heavens and earth. This fancy they
borrowed from the Jews, who also say that the throne of glory then stood in
the air, and was borne on the face of the waters, by the breath of GOD'S
mouth.1
d Casting aside all hopes of the divine favour, for want of patience
and trust in GOD.
e This was the number which he first challenged them to compose; but
they not being able to do it, he made the matter still easier, challenging
them to produce a single chapter only,2 comparable to the Korân in doctrine
and eloquence.

1 Rashi, ad Gen. i. 2. Vide Reland. de Relig. Moh. p. 50, &c.
2 See c. 2, p. 3; c. 10, p. 153, &c.


But if they whom ye call to your assistance hear you not; know that this
book hath been revealed by the knowledge of GOD only,f and that there is no
GOD but he. Will ye therefore become Moslems?
Whoso chooseth the present life, and the pomp thereof, unto them will we
give the recompense of their works therein, and the same shall not be
diminished unto them.
These are they for whom no other reward is prepared in the next life,
except the fire of hell: that which they have done in this life shall perish;
and that which they have wrought shall be vain.
20 Shall he therefore be compared with them, who followeth the evident
declaration of his LORD, and whom a witness from himg attendeth, preceded by
the book of Moses,h which was revealed for a guide, and out of mercy to
mankind? These believe in the Koran: but whosoever of the confederate
infidels believeth not therein, is threatened the fire of hell, which threat
shall certainly be executed: be not therefore in a doubt concerning it; for it
is the truth from thy LORD: but the greater part of men will not believe.
Who is more unjust than he who imagineth a lie concerning GOD? They
shall be set before the LORD, at the day of judgment, and the witnessesi shall
say, These are they who devised lies against their LORD. Shall not the curse
of GOD fall on the unjust;
who turn men aside from the way of GOD, and seek to render it crooked,
and who believe not in the life to come? These were not able to prevail
against God on earth, so as to escape punishment; neither had they any
protectors besides GOD: their punishment shall be doubled unto them.k They
could not hear, neither did they see
These are they who have lost their souls; and the idols which they
falsely imagined have abandoned them.
There is no doubt but they shall be most miserable in the world to come.
But as for those who believe and do good works, and humble themselves
before their LORD, they shall be the inhabitants of paradise; they shall
remain therein forever.
The similitude of the two partiesl is as the blind and the deaf, and as
he who seeth and heareth: shall they be compared as equal? Will ye not
therefore consider?
We formerly sent Noahm unto his people; and he said, Verily I am a public
preacher unto you;
that ye worship GOD alone; verily I fear for you the punishment of the
terrible day.
But the chiefs of the people, who believed not, answered, We see thee to
be no other than a man, like unto us; and we do not see that any follow thee,
except those who are the most abject among us, who have believed on thee by a
rash judgment;n neither do we perceive any excellence in you above us: but we
esteem you to be liars.
30 Noah said, O my people, tell me; if I have received an evident
declaration from my LORD, and he hath bestowed on me mercy from himself, which
is hidden from you, do we compel you to receive the same, in case ye be averse
thereto?

f Or containing several passages wrapped up in dark and mysterious
expressions, which can proceed from and are perfectly comprehended by none but
GOD.3
g The Korân; or, as others suppose, the angel Gabriel.
h Which bears testimony thereto.
i That is, the angels, and prophets, and their own members.
k For they shall be punished both in this life and in the next.
l i.e., The believers and the infidels.
m See chapter 7, p. 110, &c.
n For want of mature consideration, and moved by the first impulse of
their fancy.

3 See c. 3, p. 32.


O my people, I ask not of you riches, for my preaching unto you: my
reward is with GOD alone. I will not drive away those who have believed:o
verily they shall meet their LORD, at the resurrection; but I perceive that ye
are ignorant men.
O my people, who shall assist me against GOD, if I drive them away? Will
ye not therefore consider?
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, Verily I am an angel;p
neither do I say of those whom your eyes do contemn, GOD will by no means
bestow good on them: (GOD best knoweth that which is in their souls;) for then
should I certainly be one of the unjust.
They answered, O Noah, thou hast already disputed with us, and hast
multiplied disputes with us; now therefore do thou bring that punishment upon
us wherewith thou hast threatened us, if thou speakest truth.
Noah said, Verily GOD alone shall bring it upon you, if he pleaseth; and
ye shall not prevail against him, so as to escape the same.
Neither shall my counsel profit you, although I endeavor to counsel you
aright, if GOD shall please to lead you into error. He is your LORD, and unto
him shall ye return.
Will the Meccans say, Mohammed hath forged the Koran? Answer, If I have
forged it, on me be my guilt: and let me be clear of that which ye are guilty
of.
And it was revealed unto Noah, saying, Verily none of thy people shall
believe, except he who hath already believed: be not therefore grieved, for
that which they are doing.
But make an ark in our presence, according to the form and dimensions
which we have revealed unto thee: and speak not unto me in behalf of those who
have acted unjustly; for they are doomed to be drowned.
40 And he built the ark; and so often as a company of his people passed by
him, they derided him:q but he said, Though ye scoff at us now, we will scoff
at you hereafter, as ye scoff at us; and ye shall surely know
on whom a punishment shall be inflicted, which shall cover him with
shame, and on whom a lasting punishment shall fall.

o For this they asked him to do, because they were poor mean people.
The same thing the Koreish demanded of Mohammed, but he was forbidden to
comply with their request.1
p See chapter 6, p. 93.
q For building a vessel in an inland country, and so far from the sea;
and for that he was turned carpenter after he had set up for a prophet.2

1 See cap. 6, p. 93. 2 Al Beidâwi. 3 Idem.
4 Jallalo'ddin, &c. 5 Vide D'Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. Art.
Noah. 6 Vide Hyde, de Rel. Vet. Persar, and Lord's Account of the
Relig. of the Persees, p. 9.


Thus were they employed until our sentence was put in execution, and the
oven poured forth water.r And we said unto Noah, Carry into the ark of every
species of animals one pair;s and thy family,t (except him on whom a previous
sentence of destruction hath passed),u and those who believe.x But there
believed not with him except a few.y
And Noah said, Embark thereon, in the name of GOD; while it moveth
forward, and while it standeth still;z for my LORD is gracious and merciful.
And the ark swam with them between waves like mountains:a and Noah called
unto his son,b who was separated from him, saying, Embark with us, my son, and
stay not with the unbelievers.
He answered, I will get on a mountain, which will secure me from the
water. Noah replied, There is no security this day from the decree of GOD,
except for him on whom he shall have mercy. And a wave passed between them,
and he became one of those who were drowned.

r Or, as the original literally signifies, boiled over; which is
consonant to what the Rabbins say, that the waters of the Deluge were boiling
hot.
This oven was, as some say, at Cûfa, in a spot whereon a mosque now
stands; or, as others rather think, in a certain place in India, or else at
Ain warda in Mesopotamia;3 and its exundation was the sign by which Noah knew
the flood was coming.4 Some pretend that it was the same oven which Eve made
use of to bake her bread in, being of a form different from those we use,
having the mouth in the upper part, and that it descended from patriarch to
patriarch, till it came to Noah.5 It is remarkable that Mohammed, in all
probability, borrowed this circumstance from the Persian Magi, who also
fancied that the first waters of the Deluge gushed out of the oven of a
certain old woman named Zala Cûfa.6
But the word tannûr, which is here translated oven, also signifying the
superficies of the earth, or a place whence waters spring forth, or where they
are collected, some suppose it means no more in this passage than the spot or
fissure whence the first eruption of waters brake forth.
s Or, as the words may also be rendered, and some commentators think
they ought, two pair, that is, two males and two females of each species;
wherein they partly agree with divers Jewish and Christian writers,1 who from
the Hebrew expression, seven and seven and two and two, the male and his
female,2 suppose there went into the ark fourteen pair of every clean, and two
pair of every unclean species. There is a tradition that GOD gathered
together unto Noah all sorts of beasts, birds, and other animals (it being
indeed difficult to conceive how he should come by them all without some
supernatural assistance), and that as he laid hold on them, his right hand
constantly fell on the male, and his left on the female.3
t Namely, thy wife, and thy sons and their wives.4
u This was an unbelieving son of Noah,5 named Canaan,6 or Yam;7 though
others say he was not the son of Noah, but his grandson by his son Ham, or his
wife's son by another husband; nay, some pretend he was related to him no
farther than by having been educated and brought up in his house.8 The best
commentators add, that Noah's wife, named Wâïla, who was n infidel, was also
comprehended in this exception, and perished with her son.9
x Noah's family being mentioned before, it is supposed that by these
words are intended the other believers, who were his proselytes, but not of
his family: whence the common opinion among the Mohammedans, of a greater
number than eight being saved in the ark, seems to have taken its rise.10
y viz., His other wife, who was a true believer, his three sons, Shem,
Ham, and Japhet, and their wives, and seventy-two persons more.11
z That is, omit no opportunity of getting on board. According to a
different reading, the latter words may be rendered, Who shall cause it to
move forward, and to stop, as there shall be occasion. The commentators tell
us that the ark moved forwards, or stood still, as Noah would have it, on his
pronouncing only the words, In the name of GOD.12
It is to be observed that the more judicious commentators make the
dimensions of the ark to be the same with those assigned by Moses:13
Notwithstanding, others have enlarged them most extravagantly,14 as some
Christian writers15 have also done. They likewise tell us that Noah was two
years in building the ark, which was framed of Indian plane-tree,16 that it
was divided into three stories, of which the lower was designed for the
beasts, the middle one for the men and women, and the upper for the birds;17
and that the men were separated from the women by the body of Adam, which Noah
had taken into the ark.18 This last is a tradition of the eastern
Christians,19 some of whom pretend that the matrimonial duty was superseded
and suspended during the time Noah and his family were in the ark;20 though
Ham has been accused of not observing continency on that occasion, his wife,
it seems, bringing forth Caanan in the very ark.21
a The waters prevailing fifteen cubits above the mountains.22
b See above, note u.

1 Aben Ezra, Justin Martyr, Origen, &c. 2 Gen. vii. 2.
3 Jallalo'ddin. 4 Al Beidâwi. 5 Yahya. 6
Jallalo'ddin, al Beidâwi. 7 Ebn Shohnah. 8 Al Zamakhshari.
Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 676. 9 Jallalo'ddin, al
Zamakhshari, al Beidâwi. 10 See c. 7, p. 111. 11 See
ibid. note x. 12 Al Beidâwi, &c. 13 Idem, &c.
14 Yahya. Vide Marracc. in Alcor. p. 340.
15 Origen. Contr. Cels. l. 4. Vide Kircher. de Arca Noe, c. 8. 16 Al
Beidâwi. Vide D'Herbel. p. 675, and Eutych. p. 34.
17 Al Beidâwi. Vide Eutych. Annal. p. 34. 18 Yahya. 19
Jacob, Edessenus, apud Barcepham de Parad. part i. c. 14. Eutych. ubi sup.
Vide etiam Eliezer. pirke c. 23. 20 Ambros. de Noa et Arca, c. 21.
21 Vide Heidegger. Hist. Patriarchar. vol. i. p. 409.
22 Al Beidâwi.


And it was said, O earth, swallow up thy waters, and thou, O heaven,
withhold thy rain. And immediately the water abated, and the decree was
fulfilled, and the ark rested on the mountain Al Judi;c and it was said, Away
with the ungodly people!
And Noah called upon his LORD, and said, O LORD, verily my son is of my
family, and thy promise is true;d for thou art the most just of those who
exercise judgment.
God answered, O Noah, verily he is not of thy family;e this intercession
of thine for him is not a righteous work.f Ask not of me therefore that
wherein thou hast no knowledge: I admonish thee that thou become not one of
the ignorant.
Noah said, O LORD, I have recourse unto thee for the assistance of thy
grace, that I ask not of thee that wherein I have no knowledge; and unless
thou forgive me, and be merciful unto me, I shall be one of those who perish.
50 It was said unto him, O Noah, come down from the ark,g with peace from
us, and blessings upon thee, and upon part of those who are with thee:h but as
for a part of them,i we will suffer them to enjoy the provision of this world;
and afterwards shall a grievous punishment from us be inflicted on them, in
the life to come.
This is a secret history, which we reveal unto thee: thou didst not know
it, neither did thy people, before this. Wherefore persevere with patience:
for the prosperous issue shall attend the pious.
And unto the tribe of Ad we sent their brother Hud.k He said, O my
people, worship GOD; ye have no GOD besides him: ye only imagine falsehood, in
setting up idols and intercessors of your own making.

c This mountain is one of those which divide Armenia, on the south,
from Mesopotamia, and that part of Assyria which is inhabited by the Curds,
from whom the mountains took the name of Cardu, or Gardu, by the Greeks turned
into Gordyæi, and other names.1 Mount al Jûdi (which name seems to be a
corruption, though it be constantly so written by the Arabs, for Jordi, or
Giordi) is also called Thamanin,2 probably from a town at the foot of it,3 so
named from the number of persons saved in the ark, the word thamanin
signifying eighty, and overlooks the country of Diyâr Rabîah, near the cities
of Mawsel, Forda, and Jazîrat Ebn Omar, which last place one affirms to be but
four miles from the place of the ark, and says that a Mohammedan temple was
built there with the remains of that vessel, by the Khalif Omar Ebn
Abd'alaziz, whom he by mistake calls Omar Ebn al Khattâb.4
The tradition which affirms the ark to have rested on these mountains,
must have been very ancient, since it is the tradition of the Chaldeans
themselves:5 the Chaldee paraphrasts consent to their opinion,6 which obtained
very much formerly, especially among the eastern Christians.7 To confirm it,
we are told that the remainders of the ark were to be seen on the Gordyæan
mountains: Berosus and Abydenus both declare there was such a report in their
time;8 the first observing that several of the inhabitants thereabouts scraped
the pitch off the planks as a rarity, and carried it about them for an amulet:
and the latter saying that they used the wood of the vessel against many
diseases with wonderful success. The relics of the ark were also to be seen
here in the time of Epiphanius, if we may believe him;9 and we are told the
emperor Heraclius went from the town of Thamanin up to the mountain al Jûdi,
and saw the place of the ark.10 There was also formerly a famous monastery,
called the monastery of the ark, upon some of these mountains, where the
Nestorians used to celebrate a feast day on the spot where they supposed the
ark rested; but in the year of Christ 776, that monastery was destroyed by
lightning, with the church, and a numerous congregation in it.11 Since which
time it seems the credit of this tradition hath declined, and given place to
another, which obtains at present, and according to which the ark rested on
Mount Masis, in Armenia, called by the Turks Aghir dagh, or the heavy or great
mountain, and situate about twelve leagues south-east of Erivan.12
d Noah here challenges GOD'S promise that he would save his family.
e Being cut off from it on account of his infidelity.
f According to a different reading, this passage may be rendered, For
he hath acted unrighteously.
g The Mohammedans say that Noah went into the ark on the tenth of
Rajeb, and came out of it the tenth of al Moharram, which therefore became a
fast. So that the whole time of Noah's being in the ark, according to them,
was six months.1
h viz., Such of them as continued in their belief.
i That is, such of his posterity as should depart from the true faith,
and fall into idolatry.
k See chapter 7, p. 111.

1 See Bochart. Phaleg. l. I, c. 3. 2 Geogr. Nub. p. 202.
3 Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 404 and 676, and Agathiam, l. 14, p.
135. 4 Benjamin. Itiner. p. 61. 5 Berosus, apud Joseph.
Antiq. l. I, c. 4. 6 Onkelos et Jonathan, in Gen. viii. 4.
7 Vide Eutych. Annal. p. 41. 8 Berosus, apud Joseph. ubi sup.
Abydenus, apud Euseb. Præp. Ev. l. 9, c.4. 9 Epiph. Hæres. 18.
10 Elmacin. l. I, c. I. 11 Vide Chronic. Dionysii Patriarch.
Jacobitar. apud Asseman. Bibl. Orient. t. 2, p. 113. 12 Al Beidâwi.
1 Idem. See D'Herbel. ubi sup.