The Koran Part 56

Then will we deliver those who had the fear of G.o.d, and the wicked will we leave in it on their knees.

And when our clear signs are rehea.r.s.ed to them, the infidels say to those who believe: "Which of the two parties26 is in the best plight? and which is the most goodly company?"

But how many generations have we brought to ruin before them, who surpa.s.sed them in riches and in splendour!

SAY: As to those who are in error, the G.o.d of Mercy will lengthen out to them a length of days

Until they see that with which they are threatened, whether it be some present chastis.e.m.e.nt, or whether it be "the Hour," and they shall then know which is in the worse state, and which the more weak in forces:

But G.o.d will increase the guidance of the already guided.

And good works which abide, are in thy Lord's sight better in respect of guerdon, and better in the issue than all worldly good.

Hast thou marked him who believeth not in our signs, and saith, "I shall surely have riches and children bestowed upon me?"

Hath he mounted up into the secrets of G.o.d? Hath he made a compact with the G.o.d of Mercy?

No! we will certainly write down what he saith, and will lengthen the length of his chastis.e.m.e.nt:

And we will inherit what he spake of, and he shall come before us all alone.

They have taken other G.o.ds beside G.o.d to be their help.27

But it shall not be. Those G.o.ds will disavow their wors.h.i.+p and will become their enemies.

Seest thou not that we send the Satans against the Infidels to urge them into sin?

Wherefore be not thou in haste with them;28 for a small number of days do we number to them.

One day we will gather the G.o.d-fearing before the G.o.d of Mercy with honours due:29

But the sinners will we drive unto h.e.l.l, like flocks driven to the watering.

None shall have power to intercede, save he who hath received permission at the hands of the G.o.d of Mercy.

They say: "The G.o.d of Mercy hath gotten offspring." Now have ye done a monstrous thing!

Almost might the very Heavens be rent thereat, and the Earth cleave asunder, and the mountains fall down in fragments,

That they ascribe a son to the G.o.d of Mercy, when it beseemeth not the G.o.d of Mercy to beget a son!

Verily there is none in the Heavens and in the Earth but shall approach the G.o.d of Mercy as a servant. He hath taken note of them, and numbered them with exact numbering:

And each of them shall come to Him, on the day of Resurrection, singly:

But love will the G.o.d of Mercy vouchsafe to those who believe and do the things that be right.

Verily we have made this Koran easy and in thine own tongue, that thou mayest announce glad tidings by it to the G.o.d-fearing, and that thou mayest warn the contentious by it.

How many generations have we destroyed before them! Canst thou search out one of them? or canst thou hear a whisper from them?

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1 Comp. the first 37 verses of this Sura with Sura iii. 35-57 with reference to the different style adopted by Muhammad in the later Suras, probably for the purpose of avoiding the imputation of his being merely a poet, a sorcerer, or person possessed. Sura lii. 29, 30; xxi. 5; lxviii. 2, 51. This Sura is one of the fullest and earliest Koranic Gospel Histories, and was recited to the Nagash or King of aethiopia, in the presence of the amba.s.sadors of the Koreisch. His. 220; Caussin, i. 392; Sprenger (Life of M.) p. 193.

2 See Sura lxviii. I, p. 32. Golius conjectured that these letters represent coh ya'as, thus he counselled, and that they were added by some Jewish scribe. Sprenger (Journ. of As. Soc. of Bengal, xx. 280) arranges them as Ain, Sad, Kaf, Ha, Ya, and supposes them to be taken from the Arabic words for Aisa (Jesus) of the Nazarenes, King of the Jews. But we can hardly imagine that Muhammad would ascribe such a t.i.tle to our Lord, and the word which Dr. Sprenger uses for Jews is not the form peculiar to the Koran.

3 Lest they should desert the wors.h.i.+p of the G.o.d of Israel.

4 Ar. Yahia. It may be true that the name in this form had never been given.

Otherwise, we have in this pa.s.sage a misunderstanding of Luke i. 61, as well as ignorance of the Jewish Scriptures. Comp. 2 Kings xxv. 23; 1 Chron. iii.

16; Ezra viii. 12; Jerem. xl. 8. Some commentators try to avoid the difficulty by rendering samiyan, deserving of the name.

5 Or, with firm resolve. See Sura [xcvii.] iii. 36. The speaker is G.o.d.

6 To an eastern chamber in the temple to pray. Or it may mean, to some place eastward from Jerusalem, or from the house of her parents.

7 Thus the Protev. Jac. c. 12 says that Mary, although at a later period, [greek text] But Wahl, she laid aside her veil.

8 Gabriel.

9 See Sura [lx.x.xix.] vi. 9.

10 It is quite clear from this pa.s.sage, and from verse 36, that Muhammad believed Jesus to have been conceived by an act of the divine will. Comp.

Sura [xcvii.] iii. 52; see also note at Sura [xci.] ii. 81.

11 Or, the throes urged her to the trunk of, etc.

12 This was either the Infant which spoke as soon as born, or Gabriel. Comp.

Thilo Cod. Apoc. 136-139 on this pa.s.sage. Beidhawi explains: from behind the palm tree.

13 See Thilo Cod. Apoc. N. T. p. 138, and the Hist. Nat. Mar. c. 20, which connects similar incidents with the flight into Egypt. Thus also Latona, [greek text], Call. H. in Apoll. and [greek text], H. in Delum.

14 Or, settle, calm thine eye, refresh thine eye. The birth of a son is still called korrat ol ain.

15 The anachronism is probably only apparent. See Sura iii. 1, n. Muhammad may have supposed that this Aaron (or Harun) was the son of Imran and Anna.

Or, if Aaron the brother of Moses be meant Mary may be called his sister, either because she was of the Levitical race, or by way of comparison.

16 See Sura [cxiv.] v. 109.

17 From the change in the rhyme, and from the more polemical tone of the following five verses, it may be inferred that they were added at a somewhat later period.

18 The t.i.tle Nabi, prophet, is used of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as depositaries of the wors.h.i.+p of the one true G.o.d, but with a mission restricted to their own families; whereas Houd, Saleh, Shoaib, etc., are designated as (Resoul) apostles and envoys, charged with a more extended mission to the tribes of Arabia. In Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad, etc., are united the office and gift both of prophet (nabi) and apostle (resoul).

19 Made them to be highly praised. Beidh.

20 Enoch. Beidhawi derives the name Edris from the Ar. darasa, to search out, with reference to his knowledge of divine mysteries. The Heb. Enoch, in like manner, means initiated.