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1 Idem. 2 Idem. 3 Idem, Jallalo'ddin, &c.
4 Bartol. Bibl. Rabb. part 2, p. 845. 5 Iidem, Abulfeda.

60 but a succeeding generation have come after them, who neglect prayer,
and follow their lusts; and they shall surely fall into evil:
except him who repenteth, and believeth, and doth that which is right;
these shall enter paradise, and they shall not in the least be wronged:
gardens of perpetual abode shall be their reward, which the Merciful hath
promised unto his servants, as an object of faith; for his promise will surely
come to be fulfilled.
Therein shall they hear no vain discourse, but peace;m and their
provision shall be prepared for them therein morning and evening.
This is paradise, which we will give for an inheritance unto such of our
servants as shall be pious.
We descend not from heaven, unless by the command of thy LORD: unto him
belongeth whatsoever is before us, and whatsoever is behind us, and whatsoever
is in the intermediate space; neither is thy LORD forgetful of thee.n
He is the LORD of heaven and earth, and of whatsoever is between them:
wherefore worship him, and be constant in his worship. Dost thou know any
named like him?o
Man saith,p After I shall have been dead, shall I really be brought forth
alive from the grave?
Doth not man remember that we created him heretofore, when he was
nothing?
But by thy LORD we will surely assemble them and the devils to judgment;q
then will we set them round about hell on their knees:
70 afterwards we will draw forth from every sect such of them as shall have
been a more obstinate rebel against the Merciful;r
and we best know which of them are more worthy to be burned therein.s
There shall be none of you but shall approach near the same:t this is an
established decree with thy LORD.
Afterwards we will deliver those who shall have been pious, but we will
leave the ungodly therein on their knees.

m i.e., Words of peace and comfort; or the salutations of the angels,1
&c.
n These are generally supposed to have been the words of the angel
Gabriel, in answer to Mohammed's complaint for his long delay of fifteen, or,
according to another tradition, of forty days, before he brought him
instructions what solution he should give to the questions which had been
asked him concerning the sleepers, Dhu'lkarnein, and the spirit.2
Others, however, are of opinion that they are the words which the godly
will use at their entrance into paradise; and that their meaning is, We take
up our abode here at the command and through the mercy of God alone, who
ruleth all things, past, future, and present; and who is not forgetful of the
works of his servants.3
o That is, Deserving, or having a right to the name and attributes of
GOD.
p Some suppose a particular person is here meant, namely, Obba Ebn
Khalf.4
q It is said that every infidel will appear, at the day judgment,
chained to the devil who seduced him.5
r Hence, says al Beidâwi, it appears that GOD will pardon some of the
rebellious people. But perhaps the distinguishing the unbelievers into
different classes, in order to consign them to different places and degrees of
torment, is here meant.
s viz., The more obstinate and perverse, and especially the heads of
sects, who will suffer double punishment for their own errors and their
seducing of others.
t For the true believers must also pass by or through hell, but the
fire will be damped and the flames abated, so as not to hurt them, though it
will lay hold on the others. Some, however, suppose that the words intend no
more than the passage over the narrow bridge, which is laid over hell.6

1 See chapter 10, p. 151. 2 See before, p. 118, 119.
3 Al Beidâwi. 4 See chapter 16, p. 195. 5 Al
Beidâwi. 6 Idem. See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 71.

When our manifest signs are read unto them, the infidels say unto the
true believers, Which of the two parties is in the more eligible condition,
and formeth the more excellent assembly?u
But how many generations have we destroyed before them, which excelled
them in wealth, and in outward appearance?
Say, Whosoever is in error, the Merciful will grant him a long and
prosperous life,
until they see that with which they are threatened, whether it be the
punishment of this life, or that of the last hour; and hereafter they shall
know who is in the worse condition, and the weaker in forces.
GOD shall more fully direct those who receive direction;
and the good works which remain forever are better in the sight of thy
LORD than worldly possessions, in respect to the reward, and more eligible in
respect to the future recompense.
80 Hast thou seen him who believeth not in our signs, and saith, I shall
surely have riches and children bestowed on me?x
Is he acquainted with the secrets of futurity; or hath he received a
covenant from the Merciful that it shall be so?
By no means. We will surely write down that which he saith; and
increasing we will increase his punishment;
and we will be his heir as to that which he speaketh of,y and on the last
day he shall appear before us alone and naked.
They have taken other gods, besides GOD, that they may be a glory unto
them.
By no means. Hereafter shall they deny their worship;z and they shall
become adversariesa unto them.
Dost thou not see that we send the devils against the infidels, to incite
them to sin by their instigations?
Wherefore be not in haste to call down destruction upon them; for we
number unto them a determined number of days of respite.
On a certain day we will assemble the pious before the Merciful in an
honourable manner, as ambassadors come into the presence of a prince:
but we will drive the wicked into hell, as cattle are driven to water:
90 they shall obtain no intercession, except he only who hath received a
covenant from the Merciful.b
They say, The Merciful hath begotten issue. Now have ye uttered an
impious thing:
it wanteth little but that on occasion thereof the heavens be rent, and
the earth cleave in sunder, and the mountains be overthrown and fall,
for that they attribute children unto the Merciful; whereas it becometh
not GOD to beget children.

u viz., Of us, or of you. When the Koreish were unable to produce a
composition to equal the Korân, they began to glory in their wealth and
nobility, valuing themselves highly on that account, and despising the
followers of Mohammed.
x This passage was revealed on account of al As Ebn Wayel, who being
indebted to Khabbâb, when he demanded the money, refused to pay it, unless he
would deny Mohammed; to which proposal Khabbâb answered, that he would never
deny that prophet, neither alive, nor dead, nor when he should be raised to
life at the last day; therefore replied al As, when thou art raised again,
come to me, for I shall then have abundance of riches, and children, and I
will pay you.1
y i.e., He shall be obliged to leave all his wealth and his children
behind him at his death.
z viz., At the resurrection; when the idolaters shall disclaim their
idols, and the idols their worshippers, and shall mutually accuse one
another.2
a Or, the contrary; that is to say, a disgrace instead of an honour.
b That is, except he who shall be a subject properly disposed to
receive that favour, by having possessed Islâm. Or, the words may also be
translated, according to another exposition, They shall not obtain the
intercession of any, except the intercession of him, &c. Or else, None shall
be able to make intercession for others, except he who shall have received a
covenant (or permission) from God; i.e., who shall be qualified for that
office by faith, and good works, according to GOD's promise, or shall have
special leave given him by GOD for that purpose.3

1 Idem, Jallalo'ddin. 2 See chapter 6, p. 90; chapter 10, p.
152, 153, &c. 3 Al Beidâwi. See chapter 2, p. 28, &c.

Verily there is none in heaven or on earth but shall approach the
Merciful as his servant. He encompasseth them by his knowledge and power, and
numbereth them with an exact computation:
and they shall all come unto him on the day of resurrection, destitute
both of helpers and followers.
But as for those who believe and do good works, the Merciful will bestow
on them love.c
Verily we have rendered the Koran easy for thy tongue, that thou mayest
thereby declare our promises unto the pious, and mayest thereby denounce
threats unto contentious people.
And how many generations have we destroyed before them? Dost thou find
one of them remaining? Or dost thou hear so much as a whisper concerning
them?

________

CHAPTER XX.

ENTITLED, T. H.;d REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

T. H. WE have not sent down the Koran unto thee, that thou shouldest be
unhappy;e
but for an admonition unto him who feareth God:
being sent down from him who created the earth, and the lofty heavens.
The Merciful sitteth on his throne:
unto him belongeth whatsoever is in heaven and on earth, and whatsoever
is between them, and whatsoever is under the earth.
If thou pronounce thy prayers with a loud voice, know that it is not
necessary in respect to God; for he knoweth that which is secret, and what is
yet more hidden.
GOD! there is no GOD but he, he hath most excellent names.f
Hast thou been informed of the history of Moses?g

c viz., The love of GOD and all the inhabitants of heaven. Some
suppose this verse was revealed to comfort the Moslems who were hated and
despised at Mecca, on account of their faith, by the promise of their gaining
the love and esteem of mankind in a short time.
d The signification of these letters, which being prefixed to the
chapter are therefore taken for the title, is uncertain.1 Some, however,
imagine they stand for Ya rajol, i.e. O man! which interpretation, seeming not
easily to be accounted for from the Arabic, is by a certain tradition deduced
from the Ethiopic:2 or for Ta, i.e. tread; telling us that Mohammed, being
employed in watching and prayer the night this passage was revealed, stood on
one foot only, but was hereby commanded to ease himself by setting both feet
to the ground. Others fancy the first letter stands for Tûba, beatitude; and
the latter for Hawiyat, the name of the lower apartment of hell. Tah is also
an interjection commanding silence, and may properly enough be used in this
place.
e Either by reason of thy zealous solicitude for the conversion of the
infidels, or thy fatiguing thyself by watching and other religious exercises;
for, it seems, the Koreish urged the extraordinary fatigues he underwent in
those respects, as the consequence of his having left their religion.3
f See chapter 7, p. 123, and chapter 17, p. 216.
g The relation of the story of Moses, which takes up the greatest part
of this chapter, was designed to encourage Mohammed, by his example, to
discharge the prophetic office with firmness of mind, as being assured of
receiving the like assistance from GOD: for it is said this chapter was one of
the first that were revealed.4

1 See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c. 2 Moham. Ebn Abd
al Baki, ex trad. Acremæ Ebn Abi Sofian. 3 Al Beidâwi. 4
Idem.

When he saw fire, and said unto his family, Tarry ye here; for I perceive
fire:
10 peradventure I may bring you a brand thereout, or may find a direction
in our way by the fire.h
And when he was come near unto it, a voice called unto him, saying, O
Moses,
verily I am thy LORD: wherefore put off thy shoes;i for thou art in the
sacred valley Towa.
And I have chosen thee; therefore hearken with attention unto that which
is revealed unto thee.
Verily I am GOD; there is no god besides me; wherefore worship me, and
perform thy prayer in remembrance of me.
Verily the hour cometh: I will surely manifest the same,
that every soul may receive its reward for that which it hath
deliberately done.
Let not him who believeth not therein, and who followeth his lust,
prevent thee from believing in the same, lest thou perish.
Now what is that in thy right hand, O Moses?
He answered, It is my rod whereon I lean, and with which I beat down
leaves for my flock; and I have other uses for it.j
20 God said unto him, Cast it down, O Moses.
And he cast it down, and behold, it became a serpent,k which ran about.
God said, Take hold on it, and fear not:l we will reduce it to its former
condition.
And put thy right hand under thy left arm: it shall come forth white,m
without any hurt. This shall be another sign:
that we may show thee some of our greatest signs.
Go unto Pharaoh: for he is exceedingly impious.
Moses answered, LORD, enlarge my breast,
and make what thou hast commanded me easy unto me:
and loose the knot of my tongue,
that they may understand my speech.n
30 And give me a counselloro of my family,
namely, Aaron my brother.
Gird up my loins by him,
and make him my colleague in the business:
that we may praise thee greatly, and may remember thee often;
for thou regardest us.
God replied, Now hast thou obtained thy request, O Moses:
and we have heretofore been gracious unto thee, another time;

h The commentators say, that Moses having obtained leave of Shoaib, or
Jethro, his father-in-law, to visit his mother, departed with his family from
Midian towards Egypt; but coming to the valley of Towa, wherein Mount Sinai
stands, his wife fell in labour, and was delivered of a son, in a very dark
and snowy night; he had also lost his way, and his cattle were scattered from
him; when on a sudden he saw a fire by the side of a mountain, which on his
nearer approaching he found burning in a green bush.1
i This was a mark of humility and respect: though some fancy there was
some uncleanness in the shoes themselves, because they were made of the skin
of an ass not dressed.2
j As to drive away wild beasts from my flock, to carry my bottle of
water on, to stick up and hang my upper garment on to shade me from the sun;
and several other uses enumerated by the commentators.
k Which was at first no bigger than the rod, but afterwards swelled to
a prodigious size.3
l When Moses saw the serpent move about with great nimbleness, and
swallow stones and trees, he was greatly terrified, and fled from it; but
recovering his courage at these words of GOD, he had the boldness to take the
serpent by the jaws.4
m See chapter 7, p. 116.
n For Moses had an impediment in his speech, which was occasioned by
the following accident. Pharaoh one day carrying him in his arms, when a
child, he suddenly laid hold of his bear, and plucked it in a very rough
manner, which put Pharaoh into such a passion, that he ordered him to be put
to death: but Asia, his wife, representing to him that he was but a child, who
could not distinguish between a burning coal and a ruby, he ordered the
experiment to be made; and a live coal and a ruby being set before Moses, he
took the coal and put it into his mouth, and burnt his tongue; and thereupon
he was pardoned. This is a Jewish story a little altered.5
o The Arabic word is Wazîr, which signifies one who has the chief
administration of affairs under a prince.

1 Idem. 2 Idem. 3 Idem. 4 Idem.
5 Vide Shalsh. Hakkab, p. 11.

when we revealed unto thy mother that which was revealed unto her,p
saying, Put him into the ark, and cast him into the river and the river
shall throw him on the shore; and my enemy and his enemy shall take him and
bring him up;q and I bestowed on thee love from me,r
40 that thou mightest be bred up under my eye.
When thy sister went and said, Shall I bring you unto one who will nurse
the child?s So we returned thee unto thy mother, that her mind might be set
at ease, and that she might not be afflicted. And thou slewest a soul, and we
delivered thee from trouble;t and we proved thee by several trials:u
and afterwards thou didst dwell some yearsx among the inhabitants of
Madian. Then thou camest hither according to our decree, O Moses;
and I have chosen thee for myself;
wherefore go thou and thy brothery with my signs; and be not negligent in
remembering me.
Go ye unto Pharaoh, for he is excessively impious:
and speak mildly unto him; peradventure he will consider, or will fear
our threats.
They answered, O LORD, verily we fear lest he be precipitately violent
against us, or lest he transgress more exorbitantly.
God replied, Fear not; for I am with you: I will hear and will see.
Go ye therefore unto him, and say, Verily we are the messengers of thy
LORD: wherefore send the children of Israel with us, and do not afflict them.
Now are we come unto thee with a sign from thy LORD: and peace be upon him who
shall follow the true direction.
50 Verily it hath been revealed unto us, that a punishment shall be
inflicted on him who shall charge us with imposture, and shall turn back.
And when they had delivered their message, Pharaoh said, Who is your
LORD, O Moses?
He answered, Our LORD is he who giveth all things: he hath created them,
and directeth them by his providence.

p The commentators are not agreed by what means this revelation was
made; whether by private inspiration, by a dream, by a prophet, or by an
angel.
q The commentators say, that his mother accordingly made an ark of the
papyrus, and pitched it, and put in some cotton; and having laid the child
therein, committed it to the river, a branch of which went into Pharaoh's
garden: that the stream carried the ark thither into a fishpond, at the head
of which Pharaoh was then sitting, with his wife Asia, the daughter of
Mozahem; and that the king, having commanded it to be taken up and opened, and
finding in it a beautiful child, took a fancy to it, and ordered it to be
brought up.1
Some writers mention a miraculous preservation of Moses before he was
put into the ark; and tell us, that his mother having hid him from Pharaoh's
officers in an oven, his sister, in her mother's absence, kindled a large fire
in the oven to heat it, not knowing the child was there, but that he was
afterwards taken out unhurt.2
r That is, I inspired the love of thee into the hearts of those who saw
thee, and particularly into the heart of Pharaoh.
s The Mohammedans pretend that several nurses were brought, but the
child refused to take the breast of any, till his sister Miriam, who went to
learn news of him, told them she would find a nurse, and brought his mother.3
t Moses killed an Egyptian, in defence of an Israelite, and escaped the
danger of being punished for it, by flying to Midian, which was eight days'
journey distant from Mesr.4
The Jews pretend he was actually imprisoned for the fact, and condemned
to be beheaded, but that, when he should have suffered, his neck became as
hard as ivory, and the sword rebounded on the executioner.5
u For he was obliged to abandon his country and his friends, and to
travel several days, in great terror and want of necessary provisions, to seek
a refuge among strangers; and was afterwards forced to serve for hire, to gain
a livelihood.
x i.e., Ten.6
y Aaron being by this time come out to meet his brother, either by
divine inspiration, or having notice of his design to return to Egypt.7

1 Al Beidâwi. 2 Abulfeda, &c. 3 Al Beidâwi.
4 Idem.
5 Shalsh Hakkab. p. 11. 6 Al Beidâwi. 7 Idem.

Pharaoh said, What therefore is the condition of the former generations?z
Moses answered, The knowledge thereof is with my LORD, in the book of his
decrees: my LORD erreth not, neither doth he forget.
It is he who hath spread the earth as a bed for you, and hath made you
paths therein; and who sendeth down rain from heaven, whereby we cause various
kinds of vegetables to spring forth:
saying, Eat of part, and feed your cattle with other part thereof.
Verily herein are signs unto those who are endued with understanding.
Out of the ground have we created you; and to the same will we cause you
to return, and we will bring you forth from thence another time.
And we showed Pharaoh all our signs which we had empowered Moses to
perform: but he accused him of imposture, and refused to believe;
and he said, Art thou come unto us that thou mayest dispossess us of our
land by the enchantments, O Moses?
60 Verily we will meet thee with the like enchantments; wherefore fix an
appointment between us and thee; we will not fail it, neither shalt thou, in
an equal place.
Moses answered, Let your appointment be on the day of your solemn feast;a
and let the people be assembled in open day.
And Pharaoh turned away from Moses, and gathered together the most expert
magicians to execute his stratagem; and then came to the appointment.
Moses said unto them, Woe be unto you! do not devise a lie against GOD,b
lest he utterly destroy you by some judgment: for he shall not prosper
who deviseth lies.
And the magicians disputed concerning their affair among themselves, and
discoursed in private:
and they said, These two are certainly magicians: they seek to dispossess
you of your land by their sorcery; and to lead away with them your chiefest
and most considerable men.
Wherefore collect all your cunning, and then come in order: for he shall
prosper this day, who shall be superior.
They said, O Moses, whether wilt thou cast down thy rod first, or shall
we be the first who cast down our rods?
He answered, Do ye cast down your rods first. And behold, their cords
and their rods appeared unto him, by their enchantment, to run about like
serpents;c
70 wherefore Moses conceived fear in his heart.
But we said unto him, Fear not; for thou shalt be superior:
therefore cast down the rod which is in thy right hand; and it shall
swallow up the seeming serpents which they have made: for what they have made
is only the deceit of an enchanter; and an enchanter shall not prosper,
withersoever he cometh.
And the magicians, when they saw the miracle which Moses performed, fell
down and worshipped, saying, We believe in the LORD of Aaron and of Moses.
Pharaoh said unto them, Do ye believe in him before I give you
permission? Verily this is your master, who hath taught you magic. But I
will surely cut off your hands and your feet on the opposite sides; and I will
crucify you on trunks of palm-trees:d and ye shall know which of us is more
severe in punishing, and can longer protract your pains.

z viz., As to happiness or misery after death.
a Which was probably the first day of their new year.
b By saying the miracles performed in his name are the effects of
magic.
c They rubbed them over with quicksilver, which being wrought upon by
the heat of the sun, caused them to move.1 See chapter 7, p. 116.
d See Ibid.

1 Idem.

They answered, We will by no means have greater regard unto thee than
unto those evident miracles which have been shown us, or than unto him who
hath created us. Pronounce therefore that sentence against us which thou art
about to pronounce: for thou canst only give sentence as to this present life.
Verily we believe in our LORD, that he may forgive us our sins, and the
sorcery which thou hast forced us to exercise: for GOD is better to reward,
and more able to prolong punishment than thou.
Verily whosoever shall appear before his LORD on the day of judgment,
polluted with crimes, shall have hell for his reward; he shall not die
therein, neither shall he live.
But whoever shall appear before him, having been a true believer, and
shall have worked righteousness, for these are prepared the highest degrees of
happiness;
namely, gardens of perpetual abode,e which shall be watered by rivers;
they shall remain therein forever: and this shall be the reward of him who
shall be pure.
And we spake by revelation unto Moses, saying, Go forth with my servants
out of Egypt by night; and smite the waters with thy rod, and make them a dry
path through the sea:f
80 be not apprehensive of Pharaoh's overtaking thee; neither be thou
afraid.
And when Moses had done so, Pharaoh followed them with his forces; and
the waters of the sea overwhelmed them. And Pharaoh caused his people to err,
neither did he direct them aright.
Thus, O children of Israel, we delivered you from your enemy; and we
appointed you the right side of Mount Sinai to discourse with Moses and to
give him the law; and we caused manna and quails to descend upon you,g
saying, Eat of the good things which we have given you for food; and
transgress not therein,h lest my indignation fall on you; and on whomsoever my
indignation shall fall, he shall go down headlong into perdition.
But I will be gracious unto him who shall repent and believe, and shall
do that which is right; and who shall be rightly directed.
What hath caused thee to hasten from thy people, O Moses, to receive the
law?i
He answered, These follow close on my footsteps; but I have hastened unto
thee, O LORD, that thou mightest be well pleased with me.
God said, We have already made a trial of thy people, since thy
departure;j and al Sâmerik hath seduced them to idolatry.