ENTITLED, AL HEJR;g REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
A. L. R.h These are the signs of the book, and of the perspicuous Koran.
The time may come when the unbelievers shall wish that they had been
Moslems.i
Suffer them to eat, and to enjoy themselves in this world; and let hope
entertain them, but they shall hereafter know their folly.
We have not destroyed any city, but a fixed term of repentance was
appointed them.
No nation shall be punished before their time shall be come; neither
shall they be respited after.
The Meccans say, O thou to whom the admonitionj hath been sent down, thou
art certainly possessed with a devil:
wouldest thou not have come unto us with an attendance of angels, if thou
hadst spoken truth?
Answer, We send not down the angels, unless on a just occasion;k nor
should they be then respited any longer.
We have surely sent down the Koran; and we will certainly preserve the
same from corruption.l
10 We have heretofore sent apostles before thee among the ancient sects:
and there came no apostle unto them, but they laughed him to scorn.
In the same manner will we put it into the hearts of the wicked Meccans
to scoff at their prophet:
they shall not believe on him; and the sentence of the nations of old
hath been executed heretofore.
If we should open a gate in the heaven above them, and they should ascend
theretom all the day long,
they should rather say, Our eyes are only dazzled; or rather we are a
people deluded by enchantments.
We have placed the twelve signs in the heaven, and have set them out in
various figures, for the observation of spectators:
and we guard them from every deviln driven away with stones;o
g Al Hejr is a territory in the province of Hejaz, between Medina and
Syria, where the tribe of Thamûd dwelt;1 and is mentioned towards the end of
the chapter.
h See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46, &c.
i viz., When they shall see the success and prosperity of the true
believers; or when they shall come to die; or at the resurrection.
j i.e., The revelations which compose the Korân.
k When the divine wisdom shall judge it proper to use their ministry,
as in bearing his revelations to the prophets, and the executing his sentence
on wicked people; but not to humour you with their appearance in visible
shapes, which, should your demand be complied with, would only increase your
confusion, and bring GOD'S vengeance on you the sooner.
l See the Prelim. Disc. IV. p. 57.
m i.e., The incredulous Meccans themselves; or, as others rather think,
the angels in visible forms.
n For the Mohammedans imagine that the devils endeavour to ascend to
the constellations, to pry into the actions and overhear the discourse of the
inhabitants of heaven, and to tempt them. They also pretend that these evil
spirits had the liberty of entering any of the heavens till the birth of
JESUS, when they were excluded three of them; but that on the birth of
Mohammed they were forbidden the other four.2
o See chapter 3, p. 35, note b.
1 See the Prelim. Disc. p. 4. 2 Al Beidâwi.
except him who listeneth by stealth, at whom a visible flame is darted.p
We have also spread forth the earth, and thrown thereon stable mountains,
and we have caused every kind of vegetable to spring forth in the same,
according to a determinate weight:
20 and we have provided therein necessaries of life for you, and for him
whom ye do not sustain.q
There is no one thing but the storehouses thereof are in our hands; and
we distribute not the same otherwise than in a determinate measure.
We also send the winds driving the pregnant clouds, and we send down from
heaven water, whereof we give you to drink, and which ye keep not in store.
Verily we give life, and we put to death: and we are the heirs of all
things.r
We know those among you who go before; and we know those who stay
behind.s
And thy LORD shall gather them together at the last day: for he is
knowing and wise.
We created man of dried clay, of black mud, formed into shape:t
and we had before created the devil of subtle fire.
And remember when thy LORD said unto the angels, Verily I am about to
create man of dried clay, of black mud, wrought into shape;
when, therefore, I shall have completely formed him, and shall have
breathed of my spirit into him; do ye fall down and worship him.
30 And all the angels worshipped Adam together,
except Eblis, who refused to be with those who worshipped him.
And God said unto him, O Eblis, what hindered thee from being with those
who worshipped Adam?
He answered, It is not fit that I should worship man, whom thou hast
created of dried clay, of black mud, wrought into shape.
God said, Get thee therefore hence: for thou shalt be driven away with
stones:
and a curse shall be on thee, until the day of judgment.
The devil said, O LORD, Give me respite until the day of resurrection.
God answered, Verily thou shalt be one of those who are respited
until the day of the appointed time.u
The devil replied, O LORD, because thou hast seduced me, I will surely
tempt them to disobedience in the earth;
40 and I will seduce such of them as shall be thy chosen servants.
God said, This is the right way with me.x
Verily as to my servants, thou shalt have no power over them; but over
those only who shall be seduced, and who shall follow thee.
And hell is surely denounced unto them all:
p For when a star seems to fall or shoot, the Mohammedans suppose the
angels, who keep guard in the constellations, dart them at the devils who
approach too near.
q viz., Your family, servants, and slaves, whom ye wrongly imagine that
ye feed yourselves; though it is GOD who provides for them as well as you:1
or, as some rather think, the animals, of whom men take no care.2
r i.e., Alone surviving, when all creatures shall be dead and
annihilated.
s What these words particularly drive at is uncertain. Some think them
spoken of the different times of men's several entrance into this world, and
their departure out of it; others of the respective forwardness and
backwardness of Mohammed's men in battle; and a third says, the passage was
occasioned by the different behaviour of Mohammed's followers, on seeing a
very beautiful woman at prayers behind the prophet; some of them going out of
the Mosque before her, to avoid looking on her more nearly, and others staying
behind, on purpose to view her.3
t See chapter 2, p. 4, &c.
u See ibid. and chapter 7, p. 106.
x viz., The saving of the elect, and the utter reprobation of the
wicked, according to my eternal decree.
1 Idem. 2 Jallalo'ddin. 3 Al Beidâwi.
it hath seven gates; unto every gate a distinct company of them shall be
assigned.y
But those who fear God shall dwell in gardens, amidst fountains.
The angels shall say unto them, Enter ye therein in peace and security,
and we will remove all grudges from their breasts;z they shall be as
brethren, sitting over against one anothera on couches;
weariness shall not affect them therein, neither shall they be cast out
thence forever.
Declare unto my servants that I am the gracious, the merciful God;
50 and that my punishment is a grievous punishment.
And relate unto them the history of Abraham's guests.b
When they went in unto him, and said, Peace be unto thee,
he answered, Verily we are afraid of you:c
and they replied, Fear not; we bring thee the promise of a wise son.
He said, Do ye bring me the promise of a son now old age hath overtaken
me? what is it therefore that ye tell me?
They said, We have told thee the truth; be not therefore one of those who
despair.
He answered, And who despaireth of the mercy of GOD, except those who
err?
And he said, What is your errand, therefore, O messengers of God?
They answered, Verily we are sent to destroy a wicked people;
60 but as for the family of Lot, we will save them all,
except his wife; we have decreed that she shall be one of those who
remain behind to be destroyed with the infidels.
And when the messengers came to the family of Lot,
he said unto them, Verily ye are a people who are unknown to me.
They answered, But we are come unto thee to execute that sentence,
concerning which your fellow-citizens doubted:
we tell thee a certain truth; and we are messengers of veracity.
Therefore lead forth thy family, in some time of the night; and do thou
follow behind them, and let none of you turn back; but go whither ye are
commanded.d
And we gave him this command; because the utmost remnant of those people
was to be cut off in the morning.
And the inhabitants of the city came unto Lot, rejoicing at the news of
the arrival of some strangers.
And he said unto them, Verily these are my guests: wherefore do not
disgrace me by abusing them;
70 but fear GOD, and put me not to shame.
They answered, Have we not forbidden thee from entertaining or protecting
any man?
Lot replied, These are my daughters: therefore rather make use of them,
if ye be resolved to do what ye purpose.
As thou livest they wander in their folly.e
Wherefore a terrible storm from heaven assailed them at sunrise,
and we turned the city upside down: and we rained on them stones of baked
clay.
Verily herein are signs unto men of sagacity:
and those cities were punished, to point out a right way for men to walk
in.
Verily herein is a sign unto the true believers.
y See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 71
z That is, all hatred and ill-will which they bore each other in their
lifetime; or, as some choose to expound it, all envy or heart-burning on
account of the different degrees of honour and happiness to which the blessed
will be promoted according to their respective merits.
a Never turning their backs to one another;2 which might be construed a
sign of contempt.
b See chapter 11, p. 165, &c.
c What occasioned Abraham's apprehension was, either their sudden
entering without leave or their coming at an unseasonable time; or else their
not eating with him.
d Which was into Syria; or into Egypt.
e Some will have these words spoken by the angels to Lot; others, by
GOD to Mohammed.
1 See chapter 7, p. 108, note, 7. 2 Jallalo'ddin. 3 Al
Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin.
The inhabitants of the wood near Midianf were also ungodly.
80 Wherefore we took vengeance on them.g And both of them were destroyed,
to serve as a manifest rule for men to direct their actions by.
And the inhabitants of Al Hejrh likewise heretofore accused the
messengers of God of imposture:
and we produced our signs unto them, but they retired afar off from the
same.
And they hewed houses out of the mountains, to secure themselves.
But a terrible noise from heaven assailed them in the morning;
neither was what they had wrought of any advantage unto them.
We have not created the heavens and the earth, and whatever is contained
between them, otherwise than in justice: and the hour of judgment shall surely
come. Wherefore O Mohammed, forgive thy people with a gracious forgiveness.i
Verily thy LORD is the creator of thee and of them, and knoweth what is
most expedient.
We have already brought unto thee seven verses which are frequently to be
repeated,j and the glorious Koran.
Cast not thine eyes on the good things which we have bestowed on several
of the unbelievers, so as to covet the same:k neither be thou grieved on their
account. Behave thyself with meekness towards the true believers;
90 and say, I am a public preacher.
If they believe not, we will inflict a like punishment on them, as we
have inflicted on the dividers,l
who distinguished the Koran into different parts,
for by thy LORD, we will demand an account from them all of that which
they have wrought.
Wherefore publish that which thou hast been commanded, and withdraw from
the idolaters.
f To whom Shoaib was also sent, as well as to the inhabitants of
Midian. Abulfeda says these people dwelt near Tabûc, and that they were not
of the same tribe with Shoaib. See also Geog. Nub. 110.
g Destroying them, for their incredulity and disobedience, by a hot
suffocating wind.1
h Who were the tribe of Thamûd.2
i This verse, it is said, was abrogated by that of the sword.
j That is, the first chapter of the Korân, which consists of so many
verses: though some suppose the seven long chapters3 are here intended.
k That is, Do not envy or covet their worldly prosperity, since thou
hast received, in the Korân, a blessing, in comparison whereof all that we
have bestowed on them ought to be contemned as of no value. Al Beidâwi
mentions a tradition, that Mohammed meeting at Adhriât (a town of Syria) seven
caravans, very richly laden, belonging to some Jews of the tribes of Koreidha
and al Nadîr, his men had a great mind to plunder them, saying, That those
riches would be of great service for the propagation of GOD'S true religion.
But the prophet represented to them, by this passage, that they had no reason
to repine, GOD having given them the seven verses, which were infinitely more
valuable than those seven caravans.4
l Some interpret the original word, the obstructers, who hindered men
from entering Mecca, to visit the temple, lest they should be persuaded to
embrace Islâm: and this, it is said, was done by ten men, who were all slain
at Bedr. Others translate the word, who bound themselves by oath; and suppose
certain Thamûdites, who swore to kill Saleh by night, are here meant. But the
sentence more probably relates to the Jews and Christians, who (say the
Mohammedans) receive some part of the scriptures, and reject others; and also
approved of some passages of the Korân, and disapproved of others, according
to their prejudices; or else to the unbelieving Meccans, some of whom called
the Korân a piece of witchcraft; others, flights of divination; others, old
stories; and others, a poetical composition.5
1 Iidem. 2 See chapter 7, p. 113, &c., and Prel. Disc. p. 5.
3 See chapter 9, p. 134, note e.
4 Al Beidâwi. 5 Idem, Jallalo'ddin.
We will surely take thy part against the scoffers,m
who associate with GOD another god; they shall surely know their folly.
And now we well know that thou art deeply concerned on account of that
which they say;
but do thou celebrate the praise of thy LORD; and be one of those who
worship;
and serve thy LORD until deathn shall overtake thee.
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