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O my people, I ask not of you for this my preaching, any recompense: my
recompense do I expect from him only who hath created me. Will ye not
therefore understand?
O my people, ask pardon of your LORD; and be turned unto him: he will
send the heaven to pour forth rain plentifully upon you,l
and he will increase your strength by giving unto you farther strength:m
therefore turn not aside, to commit evil.
They answered, O Hud, thou hast brought us no proof of what thou sayest;
therefore we will not leave our gods for thy saying, neither do we believe
thee
We say no other than that some of our gods have afflicted thee with
evil.n He replied, Verily I call GOD to witness, and do ye also bear witness
that I am clear of that which ye associate
with God, besides him. Do ye all therefore join to devise a plot against
me, and tarry not;
for I put my confidence in GOD, my LORD and your LORD. There is no
beast, but he holdeth it by its forelock:o verily my LORD proceedeth in the
right way.
60 But if ye turn back, I have already declared unto you that with which I
was sent unto you: and my LORD shall substitute another nation in your stead;
and ye shall not hurt him at all: for my LORD is guardian over all things.
And when our sentence came to be put in execution, we delivered Hud, and
those who had believed with him,p through our mercy; and we delivered them
from a grievous punishment.
And this tribe of Ad wittingly rejected the signs of their LORD, and were
disobedient unto his messengers, and they followed the command of every
rebellious perverse person.
Wherefore they were followed in this world by a curse, and they shall be
followed by the same on the day of resurrection. Did not Ad disbelieve in
their LORD? Was it not said, Away with Ad, the people of Hud?
And unto the tribe of Thamud we sent their brother Saleh.q He said unto
them, O my people, worship GOD; ye have no GOD besides him. It is he who hath
produced you out of the earth, and hath given you an habitation therein. Ask
pardon of him therefore, and be turned unto him; for my LORD is near, and
ready to answer.
They answered, O Saleh, thou wast a person on whom we placed our hopes
before this.r Dost thou forbid us to worship that which our fathers
worshipped? But we are certainly in doubt concerning the religion to which
thou dost invite us, as justly to be suspected.
Saleh 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; who
will protect me from the vengeance of GOD, if I be disobedient unto him? For
ye shall not add unto me, other than loss.
And he said, O my people, this she-camel of GOD is a sign unto you;
therefore dismiss her freely, that she may feed in GOD'S earth, and do her no
harm, lest a swift punishment seize you.

l For the Adites were grievously distressed by a drought for three
years.2
m By giving you children; the wombs of their wives being also rendered
barren during the time of the drought, as well as their lands.3
n Or madness; having deprived thee of thy reason for the indignities
thou hast offered them.
o That is, he exerciseth an absolute power over it. A creature held in
this manner being supposed to be reduced to the lowest subjection.
p Who were in number four thousand.4
q See chapter 7, p. 112.
r Designing to have made thee our prince, because of the singular
prudence and other good qualities which we observed in thee; but thy
dissenting from us in point of religious worship has frustrated those hopes.5

2 See the notes to cap. 7, p. 111. 3 Al Beidâwi. 4
Idem. 5 Idem.

Yet they killed her; and Saleh said, Enjoy yourselves in your dwellings
for three days:s after which ye shall be destroyed. This is an infallible
prediction.
And when our decree came to be executed, we delivered Saleh and those who
believed with him, through our mercy, from the disgrace of that day; for thy
LORD is the strong, the mighty God.
70 But a terrible noise from heaven assailed those who had acted unjustly;
and in the morning they were found in their houses, lying dead and prostrate:
as though they had never dwelt therein. Did not Thamud disbelieve in
their LORD? Was not Thamud cast far away?
Our messengerst also came formerly unto Abraham, with good tidings: they
said, Peace be upon thee. And he answered, and on you be Peace! And he
tarried not, but brought a roasted calf.
And when he saw that their hands did not touch the meat, he misliked
them, and entertained a fear of them.u But they said, Fear not: for we are
sent unto the people of Lot.x
And his wife Sarah was standing by,y and she laughed;z and we promised
her Isaac, and after Isaac, Jacob.
She said, Alas! shall I bear a son, who am old; this my husband also
being advanced in years?a Verily this would be a wonderful thing.
The angels answered, Dost thou wonder at the effect of the command of
GOD? The mercy of God and his blessings be upon you, the family of the
house:b for he is praiseworthy, and to be glorified.
And when his apprehension had departed from Abraham, and the good tidings
of Isaac's birth had come unto him, he disputed with us concerning the people
of Lot;c for Abraham was a pitiful, compassionate, and devout person.
The angels said unto him, O Abraham, abstain from this; for now is the
command of thy LORD come, to put their sentence in execution, and an
inevitable punishment is ready to fall upon them.

s viz., Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.1 See chapter 7, p. 113, note
m.
t These were the angels who were sent to acquaint Abraham with the
promise of Isaac, and to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Some of the commentators
pretend they were twelve, or nine, or ten in number; but others, agreeably to
scripture, say they were but three, viz., Gabriel, Michael and Israfîl.2
u Apprehending they had some ill design against him, because they would
not eat with him.
x Being angels, whose nature needs not the support of food.3
y Either behind the curtain, or door of the tent; or else waiting upon
them.
z The commentators are so little acquainted with scripture, that, not
knowing the true occasion of Sarah's laughter, they strain their invention to
give some reason for it. One says that she laughed at the angels discovering
themselves, and ridding Abraham and herself of their apprehensions; and
another, that it was at the approaching destruction of the Sodomites (a very
probable motive in one of her sex). Some, however, interpret the original
word differently, and will have it that she did not laugh, but that her
courses, which had stopped for several years, came upon her at this time, as a
previous sign of her future conception.4
a Al Beidâwi writes that Sarah was then ninety or ninety-nine years
old, and Abraham a hundred and twenty.
b Or the stock whence all the prophets were to proceed for the future.
Or the expression may perhaps refer to Abraham and Ismael's building the
Caaba, which is often called, by way of excellence, the house.
c That is, he interceded with us for them.5 Jallalo'ddin, instead of
the numbers mentioned by Moses, says that Abraham first asked whether GOD
would destroy those cities if three hundred righteous persons were found
therein, and so fell successively to two hundred, forty, fourteen, and at last
came to one: but there was not one righteous person to be found among them,
except only Lot and his family.

1 Idem. 2 Idem, Jallalo'ddin. See Gen. xviii. 3
Idem. 4 Idem, Jallalo'ddin, al Zamakhshari.
5 Vide Gen. xviii. 23, &c.

And when our messengers came unto Lot, he was troubled for them,d and his
arm was straightened concerning them;e and he said, This is a grievous day.
80 And his people came unto him, rushing upon him, and they had formerly
been guilty of wickedness. Lot said unto them, O my people, these my
daughters are more lawful for you: therefore fear GOD, and put me not to shame
by wronging my guests. Is there not a man of prudence among you?
They answered, Thou knowest that we have no need of thy daughters; and
thou well knowest what we would have.
He said, If I had strength sufficient to oppose you, or I could have
recourse unto a powerful support, I would certainly do it.
The angels said, O Lot, verily we are the messengers of thy LORD; they
shall by no means come in unto thee.f Go forth, therefore, with thy family,
in some part of the night, and let not any of you turn back: but as for thy
wife,g that shall happen unto her, which shall happen unto them. Verily the
prediction of their punishment shall be fulfilled in the morning: is not the
morning near?
And when our command came, we turned those cities upside down,h and we
rained upon them stones of baked clay,i one following another, and being
markedk from thy LORD; and they are not far distant from those who act
unjustly.l
And unto Madian we sent their brother Shoaib:m he said, O people, worship
GOD: ye have no GOD but him: and diminish not measure and weight. Verily I
see you to be in a happy condition:n but I fear for you the punishment of the
day which will encompass the ungodly.
O my people, give full measure and just weight; and diminish not unto men
aught of their matters; neither commit injustice in the earth, acting
corruptly.
The residue which shall remain unto you as the gift of GOD, after ye
shall have done justice to others, will be better for you, than wealth gotten
by fraud, if ye be true believers.
I am no guardian over you.

d Because they appeared in the shape of beautiful young men, which must
needs tempt those of Sodom to abuse them.6
e i.e., He knew himself unable to protect them against the insults of
his townsmen.
f Al Beidâwi says that Lot shut his door, and argued the matter with
the riotous assembly from behind it; but at length they endeavoured to get
over the wall: whereupon Gabriel, seeing his distress, struck them on the face
with one of his wings, and blinded them; so that they moved off, crying out
for help, and saying that Lot had magicians in his house.
g This seems to be the true sense of the passage; but according to a
different reading of the vowel, some interpret it, Except thy wife; the
meaning being that Lot is here commanded to take his family with him except
his wife. Wherefore the commentators cannot agree whether Lot's wife went
forth with him or not; some denying it, and pretending that she was left
behind and perished in the common destruction; and others affirming it, and
saying that when she heard the noise of the storm and overthrow of the cities,
she turned back lamenting their fate, and was immediately struck down and
killed by one of the stones mentioned a little lower.1 A punishment she
justly merited for her infidelity and disobedience to her husband.2
h For they tell us that Gabriel thrust his wing under them, and lifted
them up so high, that the inhabitants of the lower heaven heard the barking of
the dogs and the crowing of the cocks; and then, inverting them, threw them
down to the earth.3
i The kiln wherein they were burned some imagine to have been hell.
k That is, as some suppose, streaked with white and red, or having some
other peculiar mark to distinguish them from ordinary stones. But the common
opinion is that each stone had the name of the person who was to be killed by
it written thereon.4 The army of Abraha al Ashram was also destroyed by the
same kind of stones.
l This is a kind of threat to other wicked persons, and particularly to
the infidels of Mecca, who deserved and might justly apprehend the same
punishment.
m See chap. 7, p. 113, &c.
n That is, enjoying plenty of all things; and therefore having the less
occasion to defraud one another, and being the more strongly bound to be
thankful and obedient unto GOD.

6 Jallalo'ddin, al Beidâwi. Vide Joseph. Ant. l. I, c. II.
1 Idem interpretes. 2 See cap. 66.
3 Jallalo'ddin, al Beidâwi. 4 Idem.

They answered, O Shoaib, do thy prayers enjoin thee, that we should leave
the gods which our fathers worshipped; or that we should not do what we please
with our substance?o Thou only, it seems, art the wise person, and fit to
direct.
90 He said, O my people, tell me: if I have received an evident declaration
from my LORD, and he hath bestowed on me an excellent provision, and I will
not consent unto you in that which I forbid you; do I seek any other than your
reformation, to the utmost of my power? My support is from GOD alone: on him
do I trust, and unto him do I turn me.
O my people, let not your opposing of me draw on you a vengeance like
unto that which fell on the people of Noah, or the people of Hud, or the
people of Saleh: neither was the people of Lot far distant from you.p
Ask pardon, therefore, of your LORD; and be turned unto him: for my LORD
is merciful and loving.
They answered, O Shoaib, we understand not much of what thou sayest; and
we see thee to be a man of no powerq among us: if it had not been for the sake
of thy family,r we had surely stoned thee, neither couldst thou have prevailed
against us.
Shoaib said, O my people, is my family more worthy in your opinion than
GOD? and do ye cast him behind you with neglect? Verily my LORD comprehendeth
that which ye do.
O my people, do ye work according to your condition; I will surely work
according to my duty.s And ye shall certainly know
on whom will be inflicted a punishment which shall cover him with shame,
and who is a liar. Wait, therefore, the event; for I also will wait it with
you.
Wherefore, when our decree came to be executed, we delivered Shoaib and
those who believed with him, through our mercy: and a terrible noise from
Heaven assailed those who had acted unjustly; and in the morning they were
found in their houses lying dead and prostrate,
as though they had never dwelt therein. Was not Madian removed from off
the earth, as Thamud had been removed?
And we formerly sent Moses with our signs, and manifest power unto
Pharaoh and his princes;t but they followed the command of Pharaoh; although
the command of Pharaoh did not direct them aright.
100 Pharaoh shall precede his on the day of resurrection, and he shall lead
them into hell fire; an unhappy way shall it be which they shall be led.
They were followed in this life by a curse, and on the day of
resurrection miserable shall be the gift which shall be given them.
This is a part of the histories of the cities, which we rehearse unto
thee. Of them there are some standing; and others which are utterly
demolished.u

o For this liberty they imagined was taken from them, by his
prohibition of false weights and measures, or to diminish or adulterate their
coin.5
p For Sodom and Gomorrah were situate not a great way from you, and
their destruction happened not many ages ago; neither did they deserve it, on
account of their obstinacy and wickedness, much more than yourselves.
q The Arabic word daîf, weak, signifying also, in the Hamyaritic
dialect, blind, some suppose that Shoaib was so, and that the Midianites
objected that to him as a defect which disqualified him for the prophetic
office.
r i.e., For the respect we bear to thy family and relations, whom we
honour as being of our religion, and not for any apprehension we have of their
power to assist you against us. The original word, here translated family,
signifies any number from three to seven or ten, but not more.6
s See chapter 6, p. 101, note o.
t See chapter 7, p. 115, &c.
u Literally, mown down; the sentence presenting the different images of
corn standing, and cut down, which is also often used by the sacred writers.

5 Al Beidâwi. 6 Idem.

And we treated them not unjustly, but they dealt unjustly with their own
souls: and their gods which they invoked, besides GOD, were of no advantage
unto them at all, when the decree of thy LORD came to be executed on them,
neither were they any other than a detriment unto them.
And thus was the punishment of thy LORD inflicted, when he punished the
cities which were unjust; for his punishment is grievous and severe.
Verily herein is a sign unto him who feareth the punishment of the last
day: that shall be a day, whereon all men shall be assembled, and that shall
be a day whereon witness shall be borne;
we defer it not, but to a determined time.
When that day shall come, no soul shall speak to excuse itself, or to
intercede for another, but by the permission of God. Of them, one shall be
miserable, and another shall be happy.
And they who shall be miserable, shall be thrown into hell fire; there
shall they wail and bemoan themselves:x
they shall remain therein so long as the heavens and the earth shall
endure;y except what thy LORD shall please to remit of their sentence;z for
thy LORD effecteth that which he pleaseth.
110 But they who shall be happy, shall be admitted into paradise; they shall
remain therein so long as the heavens and the earth endure: besides what thy
LORD shall please to add unto their bliss; a bounty which shall not be
interrupted.
Be not therefore in doubt concerning that which these men worship: they
worship no other than what their fathers worshipped before them; and we will
surely give them their full portion, not in the least diminished.
We formerly gave unto Moses the book of the law; and disputes arose among
his people concerning it: and unless a previous decree had proceeded from thy
LORD, to bear with them during this life, the matter had been surely decided
between them. And thy people are also jealous and in doubt concerning the
Koran.
But unto every one of them will thy LORD render the reward of their
works; for he well knoweth that which they do.
Be thou steadfast, therefore, as thou hast been commanded; and let him
also be steadfast who shall be converted with thee; and transgress not; for he
seeth that which ye do.
And incline not unto those who act unjustly, lest the fire of hell touch
you: for ye have no protectors, except GOD; neither shall ye be assisted
against him.
Pray regularly morning and evening;a and in the former part of the
night,b for good works drive away evils. This is an admonition unto those who
consider:
wherefore persevere with patience; for GOD suffereth not the reward of
the righteous to perish.

x The two words in the original signify properly the vehement drawing
in and expiration of one's breath, which is usual to persons in great pain and
anguish; and particularly the reciprocation of the voice of an ass when he
brays.
y This is not to be strictly understood as if either the punishment of
the damned should have an end, or the heavens and the earth should endure for
ever; the expression being only used by way of image or comparison, which need
not agree in every point with the thing signified. Some, however, think the
future heavens and earth, into which the present shall be changed, are here
meant.1
z See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 72, 73.
a Literally, in the two extremities of the day.
b That is, after sunset and before supper, when the Mohammedans say
their fourth prayer, called by them Salât al moghreb, or the evening prayer.2

1 Al Beidâwi. 2 Idem.

Were such of the generations before you, endued with understanding and
virtue, who forbade the acting corruptly in the earth, any more than a few
only of those whom we delivered; but they who were unjust followed the
delights which they enjoyed in this world,c and were wicked doers:d
and thy LORD was not of such a disposition as to destroy the cities
unjustly,e while their inhabitants behaved themselves uprightly.
120 And if thy LORD pleased, he would have made all men of one religion: but
they shall not cease to differ among themselves, unless those on whom thy LORD
shall have mercy: and unto this hath he created them; for the word of thy LORD
shall be fulfilled, when he said, Verily I will fill hell altogether with
genii and men.
The whole which we have related of the histories of our apostles do we
relate unto thee, that we may confirm thy heart thereby; and herein is the
truth come unto thee, and an admonition, and a warning unto the true
believers.
Say unto those who believe not, Act ye according to your condition; we
surely will act according to our duty:f and wait the issue; for we certainly
wait it also.
Unto GOD is known that which is secret in heaven and earth; and unto him
shall the whole matter be referred. Therefore worship him, and put thy trust
in him; for thy LORD is not regardless of that which ye do.

______

CHAPTER XII.

ENTITLED, JOSEPH;g REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

AL. R.h These are the signs of the perspicuous book;
which we have sent down in the Arabic tongue, that, peradventure, ye
might understand.
We relate unto thee a most excellent history, by revealing unto thee this
Korân,i whereas thou wast before one of thek negligent.

c Making it their sole business to please their luxurious desires and
appetites, and placing their whole felicity therein.
d Al Beidâwi says that this passage gives the reason why the nations
were destroyed of old; viz., for their violence and injustice, their following
their own lusts, and for their idolatry and unbelief.
e Or, as the commentator just named explains it, for their idolatry
only, when they observed justice in other respects.
f See chapter 6, p. 110, note o.
g The Koreish, thinking to puzzle Mohammed, at the instigation and by
the direction of certain Jewish Rabbins, demanded of him how Jacob's family
happened to go down into Egypt, and that he would relate to them the history
of Joseph, with all its circumstances: whereupon he pretended to have received
this chapter from heaven, containing the story of that patriarch.1 It is
said, however, to have been rejected by two Mohammedan sects, branches of the
Khârejites, called the Ajâredites and the Maimûnians, as apocryphal and
spurious.
h See the Prelim. Disc. p. 46, &c.
i Or this particular chapter. For the word Korân, as has been
elsewhere observed,2 properly signifying no more than a reading or lecture, is
often used to denote, not only the whole volume, but any distinct chapter or
section of it.
k i.e., So far from being acquainted with the story, that it never so
much as entered into thy thoughts; a certain argument, says al Beidâwi, that
it must have been revealed to him from heaven.

1 Al Beidâwi. 2 Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 44.

When Joseph said unto his father,l O my father, verily I saw in my dream
eleven stars,m and the sun and the moon; I saw them make obeisance unto me:
Jacob said, O my child, tell not thy vision to thy brethren, lest they
devise some plot against thee;n for the devil is a professed enemy unto man;
and thus, according to thy dream, shall thy LORD choose thee, and teach
thee the interpretation of dark sayings,o and he shall accomplish his favor
upon thee and upon the family of Jacob, as he hath formerly accomplished it
upon thy fathers Abraham and Isaac; for thy LORD is knowing and wise.
Surely in the history of Joseph and his brethren there are signs of God's
providence to the inquisitive;
when they said to one another, Joseph and his brotherp are dearer to our
father than we, who are the greater number: our father certainly maketh a
wrong judgment.
Wherefore slay Joseph, or drive him into some distant or desert part of
the earth, and the face of your father shall be cleared towards you;q and ye
shall afterwards be people of integrity.
10 One of themr spoke and said; Slay not Joseph, but throw him to the
bottom of the well; and some travellers will take him up, if ye do this.
They said unto Jacob, O father, why dost thou not intrust Joseph with us,
since we are sincere well-wishers unto him?
Send him with us to-morrow, into the field, that he may divert himself,
and sport,s and we will be his guardians.
Jacob answered, It grieveth me that ye take him away; and I fear lest the
wolf devour him,t while ye are negligent of him.
They said, Surely if the wolf devour him, when there are so many of us,
we shall be weak indeed.u

l Who was Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham.3
m The commentators give us the names of these stars (which I think it
needless to trouble the reader with), as Mohammed repeated them, at the
request of a Jew, who thought to entrap him by the question.2
n For they say, Jacob, judging that Joseph's dream portended his
advancement above the rest of the family, justly apprehended his brethren's
envy might tempt them to do him some mischief.
o That is, of dreams; or, as others suppose, of the profound passages
of scripture, and all difficulties respecting either religion or justice.
p viz., Benjamin, his brother by the same mother.
q Or, he will settle his love wholly upon you, and ye will have no
rival in his favour.
r This person, as some say, was Judah, the most prudent and noble-
minded of them all; or, according to others, Reuben, whom the Mohammedan
writers call Rubîl.3 And both these opinions are supported by the account of
Moses, who tells us that Reuben advised them not to kill Joseph, but to throw
him into a pit privately, intending to release him;4 and that afterwards
Judah, in Reuben's absence, persuaded them not to let him die in the pit, but
to sell him to the Ishmaelites.5
s Some copies read, in the first person plural, that we may divert
ourselves, &c.
t The reason why Jacob feared this beast in particular, as the
commentators say, was, either because the land was full of wolves, or else
because Jacob had dreamed he saw Joseph devoured by one of those creatures.6
u i.e., It will be an instance of extreme weakness and folly in us, and
we shall be justly blamed for his loss.