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o Having killed the Egyptian undesignedly.
p Pharaoh, it seems, thought Moses had given but wild answers to his
question; for he wanted to know the person and true nature of the GOD whose
messenger Moses pretended to be; whereas he spoke of his works only. And
because this answer gave so little satisfaction to the king, he is therefore
supposed by some to have been a Dahrite, or one who believed the eternity of
the world.3
q From this and a parallel expression in the twenty-eighth chapter, it
is inferred that Pharaoh claimed the worship of his subjects, as due to his
supreme power.
r These words, says al Beidâwi, were a more terrible menace than if he
had said I will imprison thee; and gave Moses to understand that he must
expect to keep company with those wretches whom the tyrant had thrown, as was
his custom, into a deep dungeon, where they remained till they died.
s But has reserved the most efficacious secrets to himself.4

3 Idem. 4 Idem.

I will cut off your hands and your feet, on the opposite sides, and I
will crucify you all.
50 They answered, It will be no harm unto us; for we shall return unto our
LORD.
We hope that our LORD will forgive us our sins, since we are the first
who have believed.t
And we spake by revelation unto Moses, saying, March forth with my
servants by night; for ye will be pursued.
And Pharaoh sent officers through the cities to assemble forces, saying,
Verily these are a small company;
and they are enraged against us:
but we are a multitude well provided.
So we caused them to quit their gardens, and fountains,
and treasures, and fair dwellings:
thus did we do; and we made the children of Israel to inherit the same.u
60 And they pursued them at sunrise.
And when the two armies were come in sight of each other, the companions
of Moses said, We shall surely be overtaken.
Moses answered, By no means; for my LORD is with me, who will surely
direct me.
And we commanded Moses by revelation, saying, Smite the sea with thy rod.
And when he had smitten it, it became divided into twelve parts, between which
were as many paths, and every part was like a vast mountain.
And we drew thither the others;
and we delivered Moses and all those who were with him:
then we drowned the others.
Verily herein was a sign; but the greater part of them did not believe.
Verily thy LORD is the mighty and the merciful.
And rehearse unto them the story of Abraham:
70 when he said unto his father, and his people, What do ye worship?
They answered, We worship idols; and we constantly serve them all the day
long.
Abraham said, Do they hear you, when ye invoke them?
Or do they either profit you, or hurt you?
They answered, But we found our fathers do the same.
He said, What think ye? The gods which ye worship,
and your forefathers worshipped,
are my enemy: except only the LORD of all creatures,
who hath created me, and directeth me;
and who giveth me to eat, and to drink,
80 and when I am sick, healeth me;
and who will cause me to die, and will afterwards restore me to life;
and who, I hope, will forgive my sins on the day of judgment.
O LORD, grant me wisdom; and join me with the righteous:
and grant that I may be spoken of with honourx among the latest
posterity;
and make me an heir of the garden of delight:
and forgive my father, for that he hath been one of those who go astray.y
And cover me not with shame on the day of resurrection;
on the day in which neither riches nor children shall avail,
unless unto him who shall come unto GOD with a sincere heart:
90 when paradise shall be brought near to the view of the pious,
and hell shall appear plainly to those who shall have erred:

t See chapter 7, p. 116, &c.
u Hence some suppose the Israelites, after the destruction of Pharaoh
and his host, returned to Egypt, and possessed themselves of the riches of
that country.5 But others are of opinion that the meaning is no more than
that GOD gave them the like possessions and dwellings in another country.6
x Literally, Grant me a tongue of truth, that is, a high encomium. The
same expression is used in c. 19, p. 252.
y By disposing him to repentance, and the receiving of the true faith.
Some suppose Abraham pronounced this prayer after his father's death, thinking
that possibly he might have been inwardly a true believer, but have concealed
his conversion for fear of Nimrod, and before he was forbidden to pray for
him.7

5 Jallalo'ddin, Yahya. 6 Al Zamakh. See cap. 7, p. 118.
7 See cap. 9, p. 148, and c. 14, p. 209.

and it shall be said unto them, Where are your deities which ye served
besides GOD? will they deliver you from punishment, or will they deliver
themselves?
And they shall be cast into the same, both they,z and those who have been
seduced to their worship;
and all the host of Eblis.
The seduced shall dispute therein with their false gods,
saying, By GOD, we were in a manifest error,
when we equalled you with the LORD of all creatures:
and none seduced us but the wicked.
100 We have now no intercessors,
nor any friend who careth for us.
If we were allowed to return once more into the world, we would certainly
become true believers.
Verily herein was a sign; but the greater part of them believed not.
The LORD is the mighty, the merciful.
The people of Noah accused God's messengers of imposture:
when their brother Noah said unto them, Will ye not fear God?
Verily I am a faithful messenger unto you;
110 wherefore fear GOD, and obey me.
I ask no reward of you for my preaching unto you; I expect my reward from
no other than the LORD of all creatures:
wherefore fear GOD, and obey me.
They answered, Shall we believe on thee, when only the most abject
persons have followed thee?
Noah said, I have no knowledge of that which they did;a
it appertaineth unto my LORD alone to bring them to account, if ye
understand;
wherefore I will not drive away the believers:b
I am no more than a public preacher.
They replied, Assuredly, unless thou desist, O Noah, thou shalt be
stoned.
He said, O LORD, verily my people take me for a liar;
wherefore judge publicly between me and them; and deliver me and the true
believers who are with me.
Wherefore we delivered him, and those who were with him, in the ark
filled with men and animals;
120 and afterwards we drowned the rest.
Verily herein was a sign; but the greater part of them believed not.
Thy LORD is the mighty, the merciful.
The tribe of Ad charged God's messengers with falsehood:
when their brother Hud said unto them, Will ye not fear God?
Verily I am a faithful messenger unto you;
wherefore fear GOD, and obey me.
I demand not of you any reward for my preaching unto you: I expect my
reward from no other than the LORD of all creatures.
Do ye build a landmark on every high place, to divert yourselves?c
And do ye erect magnificent works, hoping that ye may continue in their
possession forever?
130 And when ye exercise your power, do ye exercise it with cruelty and
rigour?d
Fear GOD, by leaving these things; and obey me.
And fear him who hath bestowed on you that which ye know:
he hath bestowed on you cattle, and children,
and gardens, and springs of water.
Verily I fear for you the punishment of a grievous day.
They answered, It is equal unto us whether thou admonish us, or dost not
admonish us:
this which thou preachest is only a device of the ancients;

z See chapter 21, p. 273.
a i.e., Whether they have embraced the faith which I have preached, out
of the sincerity of their hearts, or in prospect of some worldly advantage.
b See chapter 11, p. 161.
c Or to mock the passengers; who direct themselves in their journeys by
the stars, and have no need of such buildings?1
d Putting to death, and inflicting other corporal punishments without
mercy, and rather for the satisfaction of your passion than the amendment of
the sufferer.2

1 Al Beidâwi. 2 Idem.

neither shall we be punished for what we have done.
And they accused him of imposture: wherefore we destroyed them. Verily
herein was a sign: but the greater part of them believed not.
140 Thy LORD is the mighty, the merciful.
The tribe of Thamud also charged the messengers of God with falsehood.
When their brother Saleh said unto them, Will ye not fear God?
Verily I am a faithful messenger unto you:
wherefore fear GOD, and obey me.
I demand no reward of you for my preaching unto you: I expect my reward
from no other than the LORD of all creatures.
Shall ye be left forever secure in the possession of the things which are
here;
among gardens, and fountains,
and corn, and palm-trees, whose branches sheathe their flowers.
And will ye continue to cut habitations for yourselves out of the
mountains, behaving with insolence?e
150 Fear GOD, and obey me;
and obey not the command of the transgressors,
who act corruptly in the earth, and reform not the same.
They answered, Verily thou art distracted:
thou art no other than a man like unto us: produce now some sign, if thou
speakest truth.
Saleh said, This she-camel shall be a sign unto you: she shall have her
portion of water, and ye shall have your portion of water alternately, on a
several day appointed for you;f
and do her no hurt, lest the punishment of a terrible day be inflicted on
you.
But they slew her; and were made to repent of their impiety:
for the punishment which had been threatened overtook them. Verily
herein was a sign; but the greater part of them did not believe.
Thy LORD is the mighty, the merciful.
160 The people of Lot likewise accused God's messengers of imposture.
When their brother Lot said unto them, Will ye not fear God?
Verily I am a faithful messenger unto you:
wherefore fear GOD, and obey me.
I demand no reward of you for my preaching: I expect my reward from no
other than the LORD of all creatures.
Do ye approach unto the males among mankind,
and leave your wives which your LORD hath created for you. Surely ye are
people who transgress.
They answered, Unless thou desist, O Lot, thou shalt certainly be
expelled our city.
He said, Verily I am one of those who abhor your doings:
O LORD, deliver me, and my family, from that which they act.
170 Wherefore we delivered him, and all his family,
except an old woman, his wife, who perished among those who remained
behind;
then we destroyed the rest;
and we rained on them a shower of stones; and terrible was the shower
which fell on those who had been warned in vain.
Verily herein was a sign; but the greater part of them did not believe.
Thy LORD is the mighty, the merciful.
The inhabitants of the woodg also accused GOD'S messengers of imposture.
When Shoaib said unto him, Will ye not fear God?
Verily I am a faithful messenger unto you:

e Or, as the original word may also be rendered, showing art and
ingenuity in your work.
f That is, they were to have the use of the water by turns, the camel
drinking one day, and the Thamudites drawing the other day; for when this
camel drank, she emptied the wells or brooks for that day. See chapter 7, p.
112.
g See chapter 15, p. 213. Shoaib being not called the brother of these
people, which would have preserved the conformity between this passage and the
preceding, it has been thought they were not Midianites, but of another race;
however, we find the prophet taxes them with the same crimes as he did those
of Midian.1

1 See cap. 7, p. 113.

wherefore fear GOD, and obey me.
180 I ask no reward of you for my preaching: I expect my reward from no
other than the LORD of all creatures.
Give just measure, and be not defrauders;
and weigh with an equal balance;
and diminish not unto men aught of their matters; neither commit violence
in the earth, acting corruptly.
And fear him who hath created you, and also the former generations.
They answered, Certainly thou art distracted;
thou art no more than a man, like unto us; and we do surely esteem thee
to be a liar.
Cause now a part of the heaven to fall upon us, if thou speakest truth.
Shoaib said, My LORD best knoweth that which ye do.
And they charged him with falsehood: wherefore the punishment of the day
of the shadowing cloudh overtook them; and this was the punishment of a
grievous day.
190 Verily herein was a sign; but the greater part of them did not believe.
Thy LORD is the mighty, the merciful.
This book is certainly a revelation from the LORD of all creatures,
which the faithful spiriti hath caused to descend
upon thy heart, that thou mightest be a preacher to thy people,
in the perspicuous Arabic tongue;
and it is borne witness to in the scriptures of former ages.
Was it not a sign unto them, that the wise men among the children of
Israel knew it?
Had we revealed it unto any of the foreigners,
and he had read the same unto them, yet they would not have believed
therein.
200 Thus have we caused obstinate infidelity to enter the hearts of the
wicked:
they shall not believe therein, until they see a painful punishment.
It shall come suddenly upon them, and they shall not foresee it:
and they shall say, Shall we be respited?
Do they therefore desire our punishment to be hastened?k
What thinkest thou? If we suffer them to enjoy the advantage of this
life for several years,
and afterwards that with which they are threatened come upon them;
what will that which they have enjoyed profit them?
We have destroyed no city, but preachers were first sent unto it,
to admonish the inhabitants thereof; neither did we treat them unjustly.
210 The devils did not descend with the Koran, as the infidels give out:
it is not for their purpose, neither are they able to produce such a
book;
for they are far removed from hearing the discourse of the angels in
heaven.l
Invoke no other god with the true GOD, lest thou become one of those who
are doomed to punishment.
And admonish thy more near relations.m
And behave thyself with meeknessn towards the true believers who follow
thee:

h GOD first plagued them with such intolerable heat for seven days that
all their waters were dried up, and then brought a cloud over them, under
whose shade they ran, and were all destroyed by a hot wind and fire which
proceeded from it.2
i i.e., Gabriel, who is entrusted with the divine secrets and
revelations.
k The infidels were continually defying Mohammed to bring some signal
and miraculous destruction on them, as a shower of stones, &c.
l See chapter 15, p. 211.
m The commentators suppose the same command to have been virtually
contained in the 74th chapter, which is prior to this in point of time.3 It
is said that Mohammed, on receiving the passage before us, went up immediately
to Mount Safâ, and having called the several families to him, one by one, when
they were all assembled, asked them whether, if he should tell them that
mountain would bring forth a smaller mountain, they would believe him; to
which they answering in the affirmative, Verily, says he, I am a warner sent
unto you, before a severe chastisement.4
n Literally, lower thy wing.

2 Al Beidâwi. 3 See the notes thereon, and the Prelim. Disc.
Sect. II. p. 34. 4 Al Beidâwi.

and if they be disobedient unto thee, say, Verily, I am clear of that
which ye do.
And trust in the most mighty, the merciful God;
who seeth thee when thou risest up,
and thy behavior among those who worship;o
220 for he both heareth and knoweth.
Shall I declare unto you upon whom the devils descend?
They descend upon every lying and wicked person:p
they learn what is heard;q but the greater part of them are liars.
And those who err follow the steps of the poets:
dost thou not see that they rove as bereft of their senses through every
valley;
and that they say that which they do not?r
except those who believe, and do good works, and remember GOD frequently;
and who defend themselves, after they have been unjustly treated.s And
they who act unjustly shall know hereafter with what treatment they shall be
treated.

o i.e., Who seeth thee when thou risest up to watch and spend the night
in religious exercises, and observeth thy anxious care for the Moslems' exact
performance of their duty. It is said that the night on which the precept of
watching was abrogated. Mohammed went privately from one house to another, to
see how his companions spent the time; and that he found them so intent in
reading the Korân, and repeating their prayers, that their houses, by reason
of the humming noise they made, seemed to be so many nests of hornets.5 Some
commentators, however, suppose that by the prophet's behaviour, in this place,
are meant the various postures he used in praying at the head of his
companions; as standing, bowing, prostration, and sitting.6
p The prophet, having vindicated himself from the charge of having
communication with the devils, by the opposition between his doctrine and
their designs, and their inability to compose so consistent a book as the
Korân, proceeds to show that the persons most likely to a correspondence with
those evil spirits were liars and slanderers, that is, his enemies and
opposers.
q i.e., They are taught by the secret inspiration of the devils, and
receive their idle and inconsistent suggestions for truth. It being uncertain
whether the slanderers or the devils be the nominative case to the verb, the
words may also be rendered, They impart what they hear; that is, The devils
acquaint their correspondents on earth with such incoherent scraps of the
angels' discourse as they can hear by stealth.7
r Their compositions being as wild as the actions of a distracted man:
for most of the ancient poetry was full of vain imaginations; as fabulous
stories and descriptions, love verses, flattery, excessive commendations of
their patrons, and as excessive reproaches of their enemies, incitements to
vicious actions, vainglorious vauntings, and the like.8
s That is, such poets as had embraced Mohammedism; whose works, free
from the profaneness of the former, run chiefly on the praises of GOD, and the
establishing his unity, and contain exhortations to obedience and other
religious and moral virtues, without any satirical invectives, unless against
such as have given just provocations, by having first attacked them, or some
others of the true believers, with the same weapons. In this last case
Mohammed saw it was necessary for him to borrow assistance from the poets of
his party, to defend himself and religion from the insults and ridicule of the
others, for which purpose he employed the pens of Labid Ebn Rabîa,1 Abda'llah
Ebn Rawâha, Hassân Ebn Thabet, and the two Caabs. It is related that Mohammed
once said to Caab Ebn Malec, Ply them with satires; for, by him in whose hand
my soul is, they wound more deeply than arrows.2

5 Idem. 6 Idem, Jallalo'ddin. 7 Idem. 8
Idem. 1 See the Prelim. Disc. p. 47.
2 Al Beidâwi.

CHAPTER XXVII.

ENTITLED, THE ANT;t REVEALED AT MECCA.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.

T. S. THESE are the signs of the Koran, and of the perspicuous book:
a direction, and good tidings unto the true believers? who regularly
perform their prayer, and give alms, and firmly believe in the life to come.
As to those who believe not in the life to come, we have prepared their
works for them;u and they shall be struck with astonishment at their
disappointment, when they shall be raised again:
these are they whom an evil punishment awaiteth in this life; and in that
which is to come they shall be the greatest losers.
Thou hast certainly received the Koran from the presence of a wise, a
knowing God.
Remember when Moses said unto his family, Verily I perceive fire;
I will bring you tidings thereof, or I will bring you a lighted brand,
that ye may be warmed.x
And when he was come near unto it, a voice cried unto him, saying,
Blessed be he who is in the fire, and whoever is about it;y and praise be unto
GOD, the LORD of all creatures!
O Moses, verily I am GOD, the mighty, the wise:
10 cast down now thy rod. And when he saw it, that it moved, as though it
had been a serpent, he retreated, and fled, and returned not. And God said, O
Moses, fear not; for my messengers are not disturbed with fear in my sight:
except he who shall have done amiss, and shall have afterwards
substituted good in lieu of evil; for I am gracious and merciful.z
Moreover put thy hand into thy bosom; it shall come forth white, without
hurt: this shall be one among the nine signsa unto Pharaoh and his people: for
they are a wicked people.
And when our visible signs had come unto them, they said, This is a
manifest sorcery.
And they denied them, although their souls certainly knew them to be from
God, out of iniquity and pride: but behold what was the end of the corrupt
doers.
We heretofore bestowed knowledge on David and Solomon; and they said,
Praise be unto GOD, who hath made us more excellent than many of his faithful
servants!
And Solomon was David's heir;b and he said, O men, we have been taught
the speech of birds,c and have had all things bestowed on us; this is manifest
excellence.

t In this chapter is related, among other strange things, an odd story
of the ant, which has therefore been pitched on for the title.
u By rendering them pleasing and agreeable to their corrupt natures and
inclinations.
x See chapter 20, p. 234.
y Some suppose GOD to be intended by the former words, and by the
latter, the angels who were present;1 others think Moses and the angels are
here meant, or all persons in general in this holy plain, and the country
round it.2
z This exception was designed to qualify the preceding assertion, which
seemed too general; for several of the prophets have been subject to sins,
though not great ones, before their mission, for which they had reason to
apprehend GOD'S anger, though they are here assured that their subsequent
merits entitle them to his pardon. It is supposed that Moses's killing the
Egyptian undesignedly is hinted at.3
a See chapter 17, p. 215.
b Inheriting not only his kingdom, but also the prophetical office,
preferably to his other sons, who were no less than nineteen.4

1 Yahya. 2 Jallalo'ddin, al Beidâwi. 3 Idem.
4 Idem.

And his armies were gathered together unto Solomon, consisting of genii,d
and men, and birds; and they were led in distinct bands,
until they came unto the valley of ants.e And an ant, seeing the hosts
approaching, said, O ants, enter ye into your habitations, lest Solomon and
his army tread you under foot, and perceive it not.
And Solomon smiled, laughing at her words, and said, O LORD, excite me
that I may be thankful for thy favor, wherewith thou hast favored me, and my
parents; and that I may do that which is right, and well-pleasing unto thee:
and introduce me, through thy mercy, into paradise, among thy servants the
righteous.
20 And he viewed the birds, and said, What is the reason that I see not the
lapwing?f Is she absent?
Verily I will chastise her with a severe chastisement,g or I will put her
to death; unless she bring me a just excuse.
And she tarried not long before she presented herself unto Solomon, and
said, I have viewed a country which thou hast not viewed; and I come unto thee
from Saba, with a certain piece of news.
I found a womanh to reign over them, who is provided with everything
requisite for a prince, and hath a magnificent throne.i

c That is, the meaning of their several voices, though not articulate;
of Solomon's interpretation whereof the commentators give several instances.5
d For this fancy, as well as the former, Mohammed was obliged to the
Talmudists,6 who, according to their manner, have interpreted the Hebrew words
of Solomon,7 which the English version renders, I gat men-singers and women-
singers, as if that prince had forced demons or spirits to serve him at his
table, and in other capacities; and particularly in his vast and magnificent
buildings, which they could not conceive he could otherwise have performed.
e The valley seems to be so called from the great numbers of ants which
are found there. Some place it in Syria, and others in Tâyef.8
f The Arab historians tell us that Solomon, having finished the temple
of Jerusalem, went in pilgrimage to Mecca, where, having stayed as long as he
pleased, he proceeded toward Yaman; and leaving Mecca in the morning, he
arrived by noon at Sanaa, and being extremely delighted with the country,
rested there; but wanting water to make the ablution, he looked among the
birds for the lapwing, called by the Arabs al Hudbud, whose business it was to
find it; for it is pretended she was sagacious or sharp-sighted enough to
discover water underground, which the devils used to draw, after she had
marked the place by digging with her bill: they add, that this bird was then
taking a tour in the air, whence, seeing one of her companions alighting, she
descended also, and having had a description given her by the other of the
city of Saba, whence she was just arrived, they both went together to take a
view of the place, and returned soon after Solomon had made the inquiry which
occasioned what follows.1
It may be proper to mention her what the eastern writers fable of the
manner of Solomon's travelling. They say that he had a carpet of green silk,
on which his throne was placed, being of a prodigious length and breadth, and
sufficient for all his forces to stand on, the men placing themselves on his
right hand, and the spirits on his left; and that when all were in order, the
wind, at his command, took up the carpet, and transported it, with all that
were upon it, wherever he pleased;2 the army of birds at the same time flying
over their heads, and forming a kind of canopy, to shade them from the sun.
g By plucking off her feathers, and setting her in the sun, to be
tormented by the insects; or by shutting her up in a cage.3
h This queen the Arabs name Balkîs: some make her the daughter of al
Hodhâd Ebn Sharhabil,4 and others of Sharahîl Ebn Malec;5 but they all agree
she was a descendant of Yárab Ebn Kahtân. She is placed the twenty-second in
Dr. Pocock's list of the kings of Yaman.6
i Which the commentators say was made of gold and silver, and crowned
with precious stones. But they differ as to the size of it; one making it
fourscore cubits long, forty broad, and thirty high; while some say it was
fourscore, and others thirty cubits every way.