him the right way God guideth Men to the way of Salvation I will wholly resign my self to the pleasure of his Divine Majesty Make your prayers at the time appointed and pay Tythes you all shall appear before God at the Day of Judgment to give account of your actions He it is that created Heaven and Earth Remember thou the Day wherein he said Be thou and every thing was he shall reign and at that day command an Angel to sound the Trumpet to call to universal Judgment the living and the dead He knoweth the future present and past is most Wise and nothing is hidden from him Remember thou that Abraham said to his Father Azer wherefore do you worship Idols instead of God I perceive your Family to be in manifest errour God shewed to Abraham the Kingdom of Heaven and of Earth and he was in the number of the Blessed Abraham seeing by night a most clear Star asked in himself if it were his God no replyed he to himself my God doth not rise and set seeing the Moon to arise he demanded if that were his God no said he to himself certainly God will not guide me to be of them that are erroneous when he beheld the Sun rising he likewise asked if that were his God and when he saw it set he said to his people I am innocent of the sin which you commit in adoring many Gods I wholly commend my self to his Will who created Heaven and Earth and profess his Unity His people would dispute against him he said to them will you dispute against me concerning the Unity of God who hath instructed me in the right way I fear not your Idols my God doth what pleaseth him and knoweth all things will you not consider it How shall I fear your Idols since you are not afraid to affirm that God hath Companions equal to him which you have no reason to adore If you understand the truth who is more true you or I Such as believe in God and shall not cover the truth with a lie shall be delivered from the torments of Hell and conducted into the way of Salvation We instructed Abraham with reasons to dispute against his people I give knowledge to whom I see good and exalt whom I please Thy Lord O Abraham seeth and knoweth all things we gave to Abraham Isaac and Iacob his Sons we before instructed Noah and his Lineage in the right way we taught it David Solomon Iob Ioseph Moses Aaron Zachary St. Iohn Iesus the Son of Mary Eliah Ismael Ioshua Ionas and Lot we gratified them above the residue of the World we elected their Fathers Brothers and Progeny and guided them in the right way Thus God guideth whom he seeth good Men before adored Idols and believeth there were many Gods nevertheless he blotted out their past Errours when they were converted If they slander them that have knowledge of the Scriptures and of Prophecies will give power over their Persons to Men that shall mis-lead them with the Infidels Those whom God guideth believe in the Unity of his Divine Majesty Say unto them I require no reward for having preached to you the Alcoran he teacheth to all the World the Commandments of God. The Iews have not honoured him as was their Duty they understood not his Graces when they said he hath instructed the people in nothing that is profitable Say unto them who gave the Tables unto Moses who instructed him in the Scripture which they have written in Vellum to guide and illuminate the people They have published what pleased them and have concealed much they shall learn in the Alcoran what they know not and what their Fathers understood not Say to them God after that left them obstinate and amazed in their Errours We have sent from Heaven that Book full of Blessedness it confirmeth the Scriptures that were sent before it to the end thou mayst instruct the people of Mecca them that inhabit about that City and the rest of the World. Such as shall believe in the Day of Judgment believe in what is written in this Book and shall pray to God to deliver them from the torments of Hell Who is more unjust than he that blasphemeth against God that saith God hath inspired into him what he uttereth notwithstanding he hath received no inspiration from his Divine Majesty Who more unjust than he that saith he will cause to descend from Heaven things like to those which God inspired into his Prophets When thou shalt see the wicked at the point of death and the Angels stretching forth their hands to take their Souls say unto them This day the torments of Hell shall be the punishment of the blasphemies that ye have vomited against God and your disobedience to his Commandments God shall say to them you are come before us without Riches and Children naked as you were created and have cast behind your Backs the instructions which we gave you I see not with you the Idols you adored you are separated from each other and have forsaken them that you esteemed on Earth should have been your Protectors God separateth the good from the wicked as the Corn from the Ear and the stone from the Date He causeth the Living to spring from the dead and the dead from the living behold the works of God why will you depart from his Law He divideth the Morning from darkness hath established Night for the repose of Men and the Sun and Moon to compute Ages Years Months and Seasons such are the effects of Gods power he is Omnipotent and knoweth all things He it is that created the Stars to give you light and guide you in the obscurity of the Earth and Sea he gratifieth with his Grace such as learn his Commandments He it is that created you of one sole Person that gave you the Earth to inhabit and preserveth you in the World he hath conferred his Grace on such as have obeyed his Commandments hath made Rain to descend from Heaven and caused the Earth to produce divers sorts of Herbs Green things and Corn he hath caused the Date to spring forth and the Palm Tree with Gardens enriched with Grapes Olives Pomgranets and many Fruits alike and different Consider how Fruits encrease and multiply this serveth for instruction of Gods Unity to them that have his fear before their eyes the Infidels have adored the Devil with God who created them and said that God hath Sons and Daughters such is their ignorance praised be God he created Heaven and Earth how shall he have a Son who hath no Wives He createth and knoweth all things he is your God and your Lord there is none other God but he worship him he conserveth all things he is seen of no Man and beholdeth all things he is benign and nothing is concealed from him O people there is come to you a light from your Lord to conduct you he that seeth clearly shall receive advantage and he that
unto thee it is easie to thy Lord who created thee he said Lord give me some sign of the Conception of my Wife he said to him Thou shalt not speak for Three nights Then went he out of his Oratory and made signs to the People to make their prayers Evening and Morning Oh Iohn learn the Scripture with affection we from his Infancy gave him knowledg clemency charity piety affection towards his Father and Mother and not violence and disobedience We blessed the day of his Nativity the day that he shall die and the day that he shall rise again Remember thou what is written of Mary she retired towards the East into a place far remote from her Kindâ—…ed and took a Vail to cover her we sent her our Spirit in form of a man she was afraid and said God will preserve me from thee if thou have his fear before thine eyes he said Oh Mary I am the Messenger of God thy Lord who shall give thee a Son active and prudent She answered How shall I have a Son without the touch of man I desire not to be unchaste he said The thing shall be as I have told thee it is facile to thy Lord thy Son shall be a token of the Omnipotency of God and of his special grace towards such as shall believe in his Divine Majesty she became with Child and retired some time into a place remote from People where she sustained the dolours of Child-birth at the foot of a Date-tree and said Why am I not dead Wherefore am I not in the number of persons forgotten The Angel said to her Afflict not thy self God hath placed a brook under thee shake the foot of this Palm and the Dates shall fall gather them up eat and drink and wash thine eyes say unto them that thou shall meet that thou fastest and hast made a Vow not to speak to any one until the fast be accomplished Her Parents met her while she bare her Infant and said unto her Oh Mary behold a strange thing Oh Sister of Aaron thy Father did not command thee to do evil neither was thy Mother unchaste she made signs to her Infant to answer them they said How shall the Infant in the Cradle speak Then her infant spake and said I am the Servant of God he hath taught me the Scripture hath made me a Prophet blessed me in all places and commanded me to pray unto him he hath recommended to me purity through the whole course of my life and to honour my Father and Mother he hath not made me either violent or malicious praised shall be the day of my birth the day that I shall die and the day of my resurrection Thus spake Jesus the Son of Mary with truth of which ye doubt God approveth not the discourse of them that say he hath a Son praised be God when he willeth any thing he saith Be thou and it is he is mine and your Lord worship him this is the right way there be persons who in this regard have been of different opinion but misery is upon the incredulous They shall be miserable at the Day of Judgment The Infidels are manifestly erroneous from the right way if thou preach to them the â—…orments of Hell and their ignorance they will not hear thee We are Lords of whatsoever is on Earth and dispose of every thing at our pleasure they shall be one day assembled before us to be judged Remember thou what is written of Abraham he was a Righteous man and a Prophet he said to his Father Adore not what neither seeth nor understandeth any thing and that cannot be profitable I know what ye know not follow me and I will conduct you into the right way worship not the Devil he is disobedient unto God otherwise I fear that God may chastise you and you may be in the number of the damned He answered Oh Abraham dost thou abhor my Gods Unless thou change thy discourse I will stone thee depart from me for a long time he said May God inspire you I will pray for yoâ—… he is exceeding good and will hear my prayers Whom will ye adore when I shall be gone from you Worship God my Lord and your prayers shall be heard he departed from them and worshipped one God We gave him two Sons Isaac and Iacob both Prophets we conferred our grace upon him with an eloquent and true Tongue Remember thou what is written of Moses he was a Righteous man our Prophet and Messenger we called him on the right side of the Mount Sinai drew him near unto us and taught him our secrets we through special grace gave him a Brother named Aaron Remember thou what is written of Ismael he exactly observed what he promised was a Prophet and an Apostle of the Lord preached Purity and recommended to men to make their prayers often and was pleasing to his Lord. Remember thou what is written of Enoch he was a just man and a Prophet and we took him up to an exceeding high place God gave his grace to these men among the Prophets of the Lineage of Adam among them whom we caused to embark with Noah among those of the Lineage of Abraham and Israel and among those that we assembled and guided into the right way When the miracles of the merciful were related to them they fell prostrate and adored him with tears in their eyes their Posterity forsook their footsteps abandoned the Law and followed their own Appetites but they shall be precipitated into Hell except such as shall be converted and do good works they shall enter into Paradise and no injustice shall be done to them they shall enter into the Garden of Eden what the merciful God doth promise is infallible they shall hear nothing spoken in Paradise that shall displease them they shall hear the salutation of Angels and Morning and Evening shall have what they desire such is Paradise which God giveth to his Creatures that have his fear before their eyes I descend not from Heaven but by the permission of thy Lord he is master of our actions in Heaven and Earth and of whatsoever is between them he hath not forgot thee worship him and pâ—…rsevere in thy adoâ—…ation knowest thou any person that is named like him Man saith What shall I dye and rise again He considereth not that God hath created him of nothing I will one day assemble the Infidels and Devils I will cause them to appear at the Gate of Hell upon their Knees and will cast upon them all manner of misery because they have encreased their impiety towards their Lord. I know such as deserve to burn in Hell they shall be thrown thither headlong this is a most just Sentence pronounced by the Lord. I will save the Righteous and forbid Infidels to fall on their Knees before Idols when the unbelievers and many of the Faithful heard my Commandments preached they said among themselves that they were in
hand the tie of marriage doth not leave to them the whole of courtesie it is requisite to gratifie them and to forget nothing of the benefits between you God beholdeth all your actions stand upon your guard when you make your prayers especially that at noon and be obedient unto God. If you fear your enemies and cannot place your selves on your knees neither perform the Ceremonies that are appointed you omit not to say your prayers on foot or on horseback and being freed from fear remember God and how he hath taught you what you know not Such as die shall be good to their Wives by their Testament they shall bestow on them wherewith to live during the time they must tarry before they marry again drive them not from your houses If they willingly depart the sin of what they shall do in their own persons shall not be upon you God is Omnipotent and just you shall likewise do good to your Wives that you have divorced according to your power it is a thing reasonable among such as fear God Thus God teacheth you his Commandments perhaps you will learn them See you not them that departed their houses for the fear they had of death they are thousands in number God hath said to them die after this he raised them again God is the Benefactor of the People but the greatest part return him no thanks for his favours Fight for his Law and know that he understandeth and knoweth all things Who is he that will afford him a good turn He will augment him with multiplicity of increase he giveth good and taketh it away from whom it pleaseth him you shall all return before him to be judged Knowest thou not that a company of the Children of Israel after the death of Moses said to their Prophet send us a King we with him will fight for the Law of God He answereth them have you disobeyed the Commandments of God If they enjoyn you to fight you will not do it They said we have no greater desire than to fight for the glory of his Divine Majesty we for this Cause have abandoned our houses and those of our Parents nevertheless when they were commanded to fight they all except some few of them retired but God knoweth them that sin against him Their Prophet said to them God hath sent Saul to be your King they answered why shall he be our King we rather deserve the Royalty than he he is not rich enough he replied God hath chosen him to command you he hath encreased his knowledge and Stature he giveth Royalty to whom he listeth he is liberal and prudent in all his Actions Their Prophet said to them the sign of his Reign shall be that the Ark shall appear to you from God to confirm your hearts wherein shall be contained the remainder of what the people of Moses and Aaron left and it shall be born by Angels this shall be to you the sign of his Reign if you believe in God. When Saul went forth with his Troops to fight his Enemies he said God shall try you by a River he that shall drink of that River shall not be mine unless he drink with his hand they all except some few of them drank at their Pleasure and having past that River with the true Believers they said we have not this day strength sufficient to resist Goliah and his Troops but such as believed in God and feared his Divine Majesty said how often through the permission of God hath a small Troop defeated a great Army He is with them that are patient when they saw Goliah with his Troops appear they said Lord give us patience confirm our steps and give us Victory over the Infidels They through the permission of God vanquished their Enemies David slew Goliah and God gave him the Royalty and knowledge of future things Had not God raised the people one against the other the whole Earth had been full of disorders such are the Miracles of God as I declare to thee with truth thou art indeed one of the Prophets of his Divine Majesty We have conferred our graces on the Prophets on some more than on others many have spoken to their Lord and some have been more elevated than others We gave knowledge to Jesus the Son of Mary and fortified him through the Holy Spirit Had it pleased God the Prophets that came heretofore had not been slain after they had taught his Commandments Men were of different Opinions some believed in God others were impious had it pleased God they had not been slain but he doth what pleaseth him O ye that are true Believers dispense in Alms some part of your wealth that we have given you before the day arrive wherein you shall find no Ransom Alms Protection nor Prayers that can succour you Certainly Infidels are greatly to blame God! There is but one only God living and eternal think not that he slumbereth or sleepeth whatever is in Heaven or in Earth is his who shall intercede for thee with his Divine Majesty unless by his permission He knoweth all the Actions of men and whatever they have done they know nothing but what it hath pleased him â—…o teach them The largeness of his Throne containeth Heaven and Earth and the Conservation of both is not troublesome to him he is Omnipotent and glorious The Law ought not to be abjured it manifesteth the difference of Faith and Impiety He that believeth not in Tagot or the Devil and hath Faith in God layeth hold on the strongest knot that cannot be dissolved broken or cut asunder God understandeth and knoweth all things he aideth and assisteth them that believe in his Unity he will cause them to come out of darkness and will guide them into light the wicked shall have Tagot and the Devil for their Protector he shall cause them to forsake the light and shall lead them into darkness such men shall remain eternally in the fire of Hell. Consider you not his Action to whom God had given the Royalty When he disputed concerning God with Abraham Abraham said to him My Lord is he that giveth life and death He said I even I give life and death to my Subject when I see good Abraham answered God causeth the Sun to rise in the East make thou it to arise in the West then the Infidel was confuted God is not a guide to unjust Persons Hast thou considered the action of him that came into a Village desolate and ruined and said How is it that God can be able to give life unto this Village after it's death and re-establish it after so great a ruine Then God caused him to die after the space of an hundred years raised him again and said to him How long hast thou continued here he answered I have sojourned here a day and a half On the contrary thou hast been here an hundred years consider thy Meat and Drink that they are not altered through
people if you follow Chaib you are damned not long after an Earthquake and Thunder surprized them and in the Morning they were found dead in their Houses such as belyed Chaib found no safety in their Habitations they were wretched he abandoned them and said O ye people I have preached to you the Will of God with fidelity I will no longer afflict my self with the Malice of the wicked We inflicted Sickness and Poverty on them that disobeyed the Prophets whom we sent to the Inhabitants of Madian peradventure they will be converted We proved them through Diseases and Health and gratified them in many Occurrences yet they said our Fathers were afflicted with Sickness and Poverty we shall be as they but we chastised them for their sin when they least considered it Had the Inhabitants of Mecca had our fear before their eyes and obeyed our Commandments we had opened to them the blessing of Heaven and Earth we will punish them because they are impious Some there be that shall be afflicted in the Night when they sleep and others that shall be toâ—…mented by day when they sport and recreate themselves they believed God to be a dâ—…ceiver and are damned God guideth into the right way true Believers and makes them Heirs of the Earth after their Parents had he so pleased he might have destroyed all the World he might have hardned the hearts of the people and no man had hearkned to his word I recount what things befel that City many Prophets have been sent to its Inhabitants and wrought many Miracles yet would they not relinquish their former impiety thus have we hardned the hearts of Infidels they violated their Promises and we found most of them to be wicked and disobedient We sent Moses to Pharaoh and his people he to them shewed Miracles which through their Malice they contemned but consider the end of those wicked men Moses said unto Pharaoh I am a Messenger sent from God the God of the Universe when I speak of God I deliver the Truth I am come through his Command to tell thee thou must dismiss with me the Children of Israel and no longer detain them in thy Dominions Pharaoh said if thou comest from God and art true in thy sayings let us see some Miracles then he cast upon the ground his Staffe which was changed into a Serpent shewed his hand that appeared exceeding white to the eyes of the Spectators The Doctors of Pharaoh said this Man is a Magician he would have us to abandon our Countrey what is your opinion detain him Prisoner and his Brother and send into your Cities to assemble Magicians The Magicians of Pharaoh appearing before him they said what shall be our reward if we shall be Victorious He replyed to them you shall be well rewarded and shall be of them that approach my Person They said O Moses wilt thou first cast down thy Staffe on the ground or shall we ours Moses bad them cast down theirs which they did enchanting the eyes of the Spectators and terrifying them with an extraordinary enchantment God inspired Moses to cast down his Rod which devoured the Staves of the other and the Truth appeared above falshood and above the Vanity of their Actions they were vanquished to their confusion forsook their Magick and prostrating themselves on the Earth uttered these words We believe in the Lord of the Universe the Lord of Moses and of Aaron Pharaoh said to them Ye believe in the God of Moses without my permission this is a deceit invented by you to drive the people out of my Dominions but you shall soon know the punishment that I will lay upon you I will cut off your feet and hands and command you to be crucified They answered We recommend our selves wholly to the Will of God whatsoever is thy revenge on us thou shalt not hinder us to believe in the Miracles that we see neither to obey the Commandments of his Divine Majesty Lord give us patience and to die in the number of true Believers Then said Pharaoh's Doctors dismiss Moses and his people that they may go whither they see good to pollute the Earth that they may leave thee in quiet with thy Gods He said I will cause their Children to be slain their Wives to be abused and I will inflict upon them a thousand torments Moses said to his people Implore succours of God with patience and Prayers the whole Earth is Gods he giveth it to inherit to whom he seeth good the other World is for the rightâ—…ous They said O Moses We before thy coming desired the death of our Enemies he replyed God will not destroy your Enemies to leave you alone upon the Earth he shall behold your Actions We afflicted Pharaoh and his Subjects with Famine perhaps unbelievers will consider it When any happiness befel them they said they well deserved it and when they fell into Misery they affirmed Moses and his people to be the cause of it It is God that punished them but of this most of them were ignorant They said unto Moses cease to shew us thy Miracles to inchant us we will not obey thee We sent upon them a Deluge Grass-hoppers Lice Frogs and Blood one after another nevertheless they were proud and in the number of the wicked When our wrath fell upon them they said O Moses call upon thy Lord that he give us what to thee he promised remove his displeasure from us we will believe thee and will dismiss with thee the Children of Israel When we delivered them from affliction they sharpned their Tongues murmured and violated their Promises we avenged our selves upon them and drowned them in the Sea for that they contemned our Miracles and we gave the West and East to the Children of Israel who were humble before us we gave them our blessing our word was accomplished upon them because of their perseverance and we destroyed the Armies of Pharaoh The Children of Israel having past the Sea met with Men that adored Idols and said O Moses make unto us Gods like to the Gods of this people he answered ye are ignorant these Men are wretched what they do is but ignorance and Vanity shall I desire that you worship other Gods than God that preferred you to all the World We have delivered you from Pharaoh's people who caused you to endure great torments they murthered your Children abused your Wives and you suffer heavy afflictions for the punishment of your sins We detained Moses on the Mountain thirty Nights and ten other Nights which is in all forty Nights when he went up he said to his Brother Aaron be thou my Lieutenant command this people in mine absence and follow not the path of the wicked When Moses at the time appointed arrived at the top of the Mountain and that his Lord spake to him he said Lord permit me to see thee he said thou shalt not see me behold this Mountain if it continue firm
guideth men into the right way Pharoah said what law did your predecessors observe what is become of them Moses answered God knoweth in what condition they are nothing is concealed from God he extended the earth and established the ways he causeth rain to descend from heaven and maketh to spring forth the plants herbs and fruits which ye eat and that nourish your flocks These things are signs of his Omnipotency to them that understand them We created you of earth and to earth will we make you to return and will cause you to come out of it once again we shewed miracles to Pharoah but he was incredulous contemned them and said O Moses Art thou come to drive us out of our Dominions with thy Magick I will shew thee Magick like to thine let us meet at a place and day prefixed between thee and me to come together Moses said unto him Let us make choice of the day of your feast if it seem good to you the people may assemble at the Sun rising After this discourse Pharoab withdrew recollected all his subtilties and at the day and hour prefixed came with his people to the place appointed where Moses was who said unto them Misery is upon you blaspeme not against God he will punish you and destroy them that blaspheme against him The people of Pharoah differed in opinion what they should do kept their design secret and said to Pharoah These two men are Magicians they would chase you from your Country through their Magick and seduce your subjects from your Religion recollect your subtilties and power and chuse persons capable to dispute against them this day shall be happy to him that shall be victorious They said to Moses Wilt thou first cast thy staff on the ground or shall we ours Their cords and staves arose against Moses through their Magick and crawled Moses spake low between his teeth we said unto him Fear nothing thou shalt be victorious cast thy staff in thy right hand on the ground it shall devour what they have done it is but witchcraft and magick that produceth neither Profit nor Content Then fell the Magicians of Pharoah prostrate on the ground and said We believe in the God of Aaron and Moses Pharoah said unto them believe ye in him without my permission Moses is your master I will cut off your right feet and your left hands or your left feet and your right hands and cause you to be hanged on Palm-trees that ye may know who is the more severe in his chastisements I or the God of Moses they said the miracles that thou hast seen have they not touched thee He that created us doth things which are not in thy power to perform thy power extendeth only in this World we believe in God our Lord who will pardon our sins thou art the cause that he abhorreth us with our magick he is more powerful than thou and Eternal Hell is prepared for Infidels they shall find repose neither in their life nor death and the righteous that shall do good works shall eternally enjoy the pleasures of the gardens of Eden wherein flow many delicious Rivers such is the reward of them that are purged from their sins We said unto Moses Go out by Night with my People and make them a drie Path through the Sea fear not that thine Enemies may overtake thee neither be afraid of being drowned Pharoah shall follow them with his Troops I will overwhelm in the Sea and will mislead him with his People he shall not follow the right way O Children of Israel We delivered you from your Enemies and conducted you towards the mountains of Sinai We caused Manna and Quailes to descend upon you and said Eat ye of the good things that we have given you and be not ungrateful otherwise my wrath shall fall upon you he upon whom mine indignation shall fall shall be thrown headlong into the Fire of Hell I will be merciful to such as shall convert do good works and follow the right way O Moses who pressed thee to absent thy self from thy People He answered behold he that followeth my steps I am come up to receive thy Commandments We after thy departure estranged thy People from thee and Samery seduced them from the right way he returned upon his steps to his People in great displeasure and said O ye People did not God promise to you all manner of content He protracted the effect of his promises because of your sins will you that his wrath fall upon you Wherefore have ye trangressed what ye promised to me They said we have not transgressed our promises of our own accord we took the most weighty ornaments of the People and cast them into the Fire Samery himself did cast them in he made the body of a bellowing Calf and said with his followers Behold there your God the God of Moses whom he hath forgotten Saw they not that this Calf spake not to them and that it had not power to do good or evil Aaron had said unto them before the coming of Moses O ye People you have been seduced by this Calf the merciful is your God and your Lord Follow and obey me They said Shall we abide here until Moses return Moses at his return said unto Aaron What hindred thee to follow me when thou sawest them to turn aside from the Law of God Wherefore hast thou disobeyed me O Son of my Mother said Aaron drag me not by the Beard and Hair I feared to displease thee if I forsook the Children of Israel and disobey thy Commandments Moses said unto Samery what was thy design He answered I saw what this People seeth not I took an handful of the Earth of the footsteps of the Messenger of God and made the Figure of a Calf the fairest that I could Moses said unto him Go get thee from among us thou shalt fly the presence of men all the days of thy life thou shalt say unto them Come not nigh me touch me not the time of thy punishment is appointed thou shalt not escape it behold thy false god behold the Calf which thou hast adored I will cause it to burn and will cast the ashes thereof into the Sea your God is one God and there is none other God but the God that knoweth all things Thus do I relate to thee things past we have sent thee the Alcoran such as shall abjure it shall bear their burthen at the Day of Judgment and be eternally tormented I will one day require an account of their burden and will assemble them with all their subtilties when the Trumpet shall sound they shall demand of each other how long they have continued in the World They shall say That they have remained there but Ten days and Ten nights I know all that they will say the most prudent among them shall say that they have been but one day They shall enquire of thee concerning the Mountains Say unto them God
wicked God will not enlighten you neither hearken to your prayers because ye have traduced his Prophet the time of the punishment of your crimes shall suddenly arrive CHAP. XXVI The Chapter of Poets containing an hundred and twenty seven Verses written at Mecca IN the name of God gracious and merciful God is most pure he understandeth all things he is most wise These signs are the signs of the book that distinguisheth truth from falshood wilt thou destroy thy self because men are impious If I will I can cause my judgments to descend upon them that shall humble them they despise my Commandments they scoff but shall be rigorously punished See they not how many fruits we have made to spring out of the earth It is a token of our Omnipotency nevertheless the greatest part of them believe not that thy Lord is the omnipotent and the merciful Instruct them how thy Lord said unto Moses thou shalt be my messenger to the Infidels and the people of Pharoah that they may have my fear before their eyes Moses said Lord I fear they may traduce me and that my tongue cannot be loosed send with me my brother Aaron they know the fault I have committed and will put me to death The Lord said to him they shall not put thee to death go both whither I command you I will be with you and will hear what they say say to Pharoah that ye are the Messengers of the Lord of the World and let him dismiss with you the Children of Israel Pharoah said unto Moses have I not seen thee within this house a little Child Didst thou not dwell with us many years Dist thou not kill a man Thou art impious Moses said I did what I did I was in the number of the seduced I fled when I feared you since that time God hath given me knowledg and placed me in the number of his Prophets and Apostles he hath sent me his grace to set before thee the evil that thou dost commit in causing thy self to be adored of the Children of Israel Pharoah said unto him who is that God of the World He answered it is the Lord of Heaven and Earth and of whatsoever is between them Pharoah said to them that were about him Hear ye not what he saith Moses continued his speech and said my Lord is your God the God of your Fathers and of your Predecessors Pharoah said this Prophet that is sent to you is a fool Moses said I am indeed the Messenger of the Lord of the West and East if ye had understanding to know him Pharoah said if thou worship any other God but me I will cause thee to be put unto the bottom of a Pit Moses said to him Wilt thou do it seeing I am come to thee with reasons so strong and arguments so infallible Pharaoh said unto him Bring thy reasons if thou art true Then he cast his staff on the ground and it was changed into a Serpent he drew his Hand out of his bosom it appeared white and shining to the Eyes of the spectators Then said Pharoah to them that were about him Certainly behold here a skilful Magician he would drive you from your Country through his Magick what say ye They answered He with his Brother must be terrified and men must be sent into all thy Cities to assemble the most knowing Magicians of all thy Dominions when they came together at the day appointed it was demanded of them if they were called to follow the magick of Moses and of Aaron They said what shall be our reward if we be victorious Pharoah said unto them Yes ye shall be rewarded and be among them that approach my Person Moses said unto them will you cast your staves on the ground or shall I first cast mine They cast their cords and their staves first saying With the assistance of Pharoah we shall be victorious then Moses cast his Rod on the ground which devoured their cords and staves when they beheld this miracle they fell prostrate and said We believe in the Lord of the World God of Moses and Aaron Pbaroah said to them If ye believe in Moses without my permission ye shall see what shall 〈◊〉 you he is your Master he understandeth Magick better than you I will cause your right feet and left hands or your right hands and left feet to be cut off and cause you all to be hanged they said This shall do us none harm we shall return before God our Lord we hope that he will remit our sins because we shall be the first Converts We said unto Moses go with the Children of Israel my servants and fear not the People of Pharoah that shall follow thee Pharoah sent his Commissioners through his Dominions to assemble the People and said speaking of the Children of Israel those men are few in number they have displeased me but I will well awake them We moved Pharoah and his People to depart out of Egypt to pursue the Children of Israel we caused them to quit their Gardens Fountains and Houses of pleasure and made the Children of Israel heirs of their treasure they surpriz'd them at the rising of the Sun when the Children of Israel beheld them they said we are overtaken Moses answered No my Lord is with me he shall guide me then we inspired Moses to strike the Sea with his Rod incontinently it divided it self on both sides like two Mountains we saved him and all that were wiâ—…h him and drowned the men of Pharoah which shall serve for an example to the incredulous and obstinate thy Lord is Omnipotent and merciful Relate to unbelievers the History of Abraham when he said to his Father and his People whom do ye adore they answered We adore our Idols he said unto them Do they hear you when ye invoke them Do they good unto you when ye worship them or mischief when ye neglect them they answered We find that our Fathers worshipped them as we do Abraham said unto them you and your Fathers worship vain things ye adore only Idols mine Enemies I will not worship them I will worship the Lord of the World who created guideth and nourisheth me who giveth me health when I am sick who maketh me to live and will cause me to die and from whom I hope for pardon of my Sins at the Day of Judgment Lord give me the knowledg of thy will grant that my Tongue and Words may be credited as true by Posterity put me into the number of the Heirs of Paradise pardon my Father who hath been in the number of the erroneous and make me not ashamed at the Day of the Resurrection at the Day when riches and Children shall be unprofitable except to such as shall have an heart estranged from Impiety God shall make the righteous to approach to Paradise and the wicked to see Hell They shall say Can the Idols that ye adore save you Can they save themselves They shall be
an infinite pain by reason of their lying When it was said to them Pollute not the earth they said We are true observers of the Law of God notwithstanding they were they that polluted the earth but they knew it not When it was said to them Believe ye as the world believeth They said Shall we believe as fools believe they themselves are fools and know it not When they met with such as believed in God they said We believe as you do And when they returned towards the Devils their Companions they said We believe as you and mock at those men Certainly God mocketh them and continueth them in their Errours to their confusion They that have purchased Errour for the right way have gained nothing in their commerce and are not well directed they are like to such as kindled fire and when it hath enlightened what is about them God hath deprived them of light and left them in darkness deaf dumb blind and they shall never be converted or as a cloud of Heaven full of darkness thunder and lightning they stop their ears with their fingers by reason of the noise and for fear of death but God seeth the unbelievers he caused lightning to approach that ravished from them their sight they have followed what appeared to them and are detained in darkness But if God had pleased he had deprived them both of hearing and sight for he is Omnipotent O People worship your Lord who created you and all that were before you it may be that you will fear him that hath extended the Earth that raised the Heaven and caused Rain to descend that caused the production of Fruits to enrich you Say not That God hath a Companion equal to him because you know the contrary If you doubt that I have sent my servant come and bring some Chapters like to the Alcoran and call to witness the Idols that you adore if you are good men if you have not done it or cannot perform it Fear the fire of Hell prepared for Infidels and Idolaters and declare to true believers who do good works That they shall enjoy the immense pleasures of Paradise wherein flow many Rivers they shall there find all sorts of fair and savoury Fruits which God hath prepared for them they shall consider if they be like to such as they had before in the world They shall there have Wives fair and delicate and shall dwell in eternal felicity God is not ashamed to compare a little Puny to an extream Greatness Now so it is that true believers know that it proceedeth from their Lord. The wicked demand what God doth mean by that comparison He by this means mis-leadeth and directeth many men but mis-leadeth none but the disobedient Such as pervert his Testament and his Promises such as retrench his Commandments and defile the Earth are damned Why will you be impious seeing that God hath given you life after death He will cause you to die he will raise you again and you shall all return before him to be judged He it is that created whatever is upon Earth and ascending to Heaven hath ordained seven Heavens knowing all things Remember to instruct men that thy Lord said to his Angels I would create a Vicar upon Earth and when they answered Wilt thou there place him that shall defile it and shed Blood while we exalt thy Glory and sanctifie thee I know said he what you know not He taught Adam the Names of all things who discovered them to the Angels to whom God said Declare to me the Names of all things that I have created if you know them they replyed Praise is due to thy Divine Majesty we know nothing but what thou hast taught us thou alone art knowing and wise He said to Adam Declare to them the Names of all things that I have created After he had taught them God said Did I not tell you that I knew what is not neither in Earth nor Heaven and that I understand whatever you make manifest and whatever you keep most secret Remember thou that we said to the Angels Humble your selves before Adam they all humbled themselves except the Devil He was already proud and in the number of the wicked We said unto Adam Dwell thou and thy Wife in Paradise and eat there what thou likest but approach not that Tree lest thou be in the number of the unjust The Devil made them to sin and depart from the Grace in which they were then we said to them Descend you enemies one to another you shall have a dwelling upon Earth and goods wherewith to live for a time Adam begged pardon for his fault of his Lord he pardoned him because he is gracious and merciful and said Descend and go all of you out of Paradise there shall hereafter come to you a guide from me Such as shall follow him shall be delivered from fear and affliction at the day of Judgment such as shall be impious and conceal my Commandments shall burn eternally in the fire of Hell. O Children of Israel remember the Grace I have done you I will satisfie my Promises perform yours fear me and believe in what I have sent from Heaven confirming what was before taught you be not the first impious and forsake not my Law at any rate fear me and cover not the Truth with a lye neither willingly conceal it Make your Prayers at the time appointed pay Tithes and worship your Lord with them that adore him Will you command people that have no care of their Souls to do good Will you meditate upon Scripture with observing it Entreat for succour with Patience and with Prayers they abound not but in them that are obedient that believe they shall one day behold their Lord and shall return before him to be judged O Children of Israel call to mind my favours I have preferred you to all the world fear the day wherein one Soul shall not be chastised for another when Prayer shall not be heard neither ransom succours nor protection be found for the wicked Remember that we delivered you from the hands of Pharaoh who afflicted you through the violence of torments who murthered your Children abused your Wives and that your Lord encreased your Miseries because of the Enormity of your Crimes Remember that we divided the Seas to save you and that we drowned Pharaoh's men in your view nevertheless you worshipped the Calf when we detained Moses with us forty Nights in which you were extreamly to blame after this we pardoned you it may be that you will give me thanks We gave unto Moses the Book that distinguisheth good from evil perhaps you will be converted Remember that Moses said to his people You were to blame for having adored the Calf repent and be converted to your Creator Slay one another that will be a thing acceptable to God he will pardon your Crime he is gracious and merciful You said O Moses
other he that shall be trusted in shall satisfie his promise and fear God his Lord no Man shall conceal his testimony he that shall conceal shall sin in his heart God knoweth all your actions Whatsoever is in Heaven or in Earth belonging unto God whether you conceal or reveal what is in your minds he shall require an account of you he pardoneth and chastiseth whom it pleaseth him he is Omnipotent The Prophet believed in all that God sent to him as likewise all the true believers Such as believe in God the Angels and Scriptures and generally all the Prophets without exception say We have heard and obeyed Pardon us O Lord Thou art our refuge God requireth of no Man more than he is able to perform the good that a Man shall do shall be for himself and the evil that he doth shall be likewise against him Lord excuse us if we have forgotten thee or sinned Lord charge us not with any heavy burthen as thou didst charge them that were before us charge us not with that which we are not able to support blot out our sins and give us thy mercy Thou art our Lord give us victory against the Infidels CHAP. III. The Chapter of the Lineage of Joachim containing two hundred Verses written at Medina IN the name of God gracious and merciful I am the most wise God. God! There is but one only God living and eternal He hath sent to thee the Book that containeth truth and confirmeth the Scriptures that were sent before it He sent the Old Testament and the Gospel that were heretofore guides to the People He hath sent the Alcoran that distinguisheth good from evil they that believe not in the Law of God shall be severely chastised He is Omnipotent and revengeful Nothing is hid from him in Heaven or in Earth It is he that formed you in the Wombs of your Mothers as it pleased him there is no God but the Omnipotent and Wise God. He it is that sent to thee the Book whose precepts are necessary they are the original and foundation of the Law like in purity one to the other and without contradiction Such as in their heart incline to depart from the truth do often follow their inclination desirous of Sedition and to understand the explication of the Alcoran but none understand it's explication but God and such as are profound in learning they say we believe in God all things proceed from his Divine Wisdom nevertheless none remember but the wise Lord cause not our hearts to erre after thou hast guided us into the right way give us thy mercy thou art most bountiful towards thy Creatures Lord thou art he that shalt assemble the World at the Day of Judgment at which day nothing shall be found doubtful when thou wilt not go against thy Promises and when wealth and Children shall not serve to the wicked but to kindle the fire of Hell. The Infidel Lineage of Pharoah and those that preceded him blasphemed and abjured the Law of God but he surprized them in their sin he is grievous in his Chastisements Say to the Infidels they shall be vanquished and shall be gathered together into the fire of Hell that is prepared for them You have an example in the two Troops that fought for the glory of God they beheld with their eyes Infidels become true Believers like unto themselves God strengtheneth with his Aid whom it pleaseth him this shall be for example to such as shall clearly see The love and desire of Women of Children of Riches abundance of Gold and of Silver of Horses Cattel and of Tillage are pleasing to Men such are the Riches of the life of this World but the most assured refuge is in God. Say unto them I will declare unto you things much better for them that shall have the fear of God before their eyes they shall dwell eternally in Paradise where flow many Rivers with Women beautiful and Lean and all manner of Content God beholdeth them that adore him and that say Lord we believe in thy Law pardon our sins and deliver us from the torments of Fire The Patient the persevering true Believers the obedient the good Men such as beg Pardon of God in the Morning the Angels the Learned that love Justice testifie that there is but one only God. The Law of Salvation is a Law pleasing to his Divine Majesty no man contradicteth this Truth among such as know the written Law but through Envy He that shall not obey the Commandments of God shall find his Divine Majesty very exact to call him to an Account If the impious dispute with thee say to them I am wholly resigned to the Will of God with all such as have followed me Ask of such as know the written Law and them that know it not if they resign themselves to God if they do they will follow the right way if they go astray thou hast none other Obligation but to preach to them God beholdeth them that adore him Declare grievous torments to those that conceal his Commandments that kill the Prophets and injure them that instruct the people in Justice the good Works that they do shall be unprofitable to them on Earth and they shall be in the other World deprived of protection Seest thou not a party of them that know the written Law how they were called to a Lecture of the Book of God to the end they might judge with Equity the differences that are among them but many are returned to their sin they contemned the Scripture in that they said the fire shall not touch us but for a certain number of days They are deceived in their blasphemies what will become of them when we shall assemble them at the day of Judgment when nothing shall be doubtful and every one shall be recompensed as he shall have merited No injustice shall be done unto them Say Lord thou possessest the Kingdoms of the World thou givest Royalty to whom thou seest good from thy hand O Lord proceedeth all good thou art Omnipotent thou causest day to enter the night and night the day thou causest life to come out of death and death out of life thou enrichest without measure whom thou seest good The Believers shall not obey the unbelievers to the exclusion of true Believers he that doth this thing observeth not the law of God but if you fear your Enemies God willeth that you fear him also he is the assured refuge of the righteous say to them whether you conceal what is in your heart or whether you manifest iâ—… God knoweth all things he knoweth all that is either in Heaven or Earth he is Omnipotent think on the day wherein every one shall find the good and the evil that he hath done then shall you desire to be cleansed from your sins and that the number of your good works exceed that of your evil God willeth that you fear him he is
gracious to them that worship him Say to them If you love God follow me God shall give you life and pardon your sins he is gracious and merciful Say to them obey God and his Prophet If they return in their sin God will very severely punish them he loveth not Infidels God elected Adam and Noah the Lineage of Abraham and the Lineage of Ioachim the one proceedeth from the other God knoweth and understandeth all things Remember thou how the Wife of Ioachim said Lord I vow unto thee the Fruit that is in my Womb free and exempt from all Affairs to serve thee in thy Temple Accept him from me who offer him to thee with affection thou understandest and knowest all things When she was delivered she said Lord I am delivered of a Daughter thou knowest thou hast given her to me I have named her Mary I will preserve through thine assistance her and her Posterity from the malice of the Devil accept her Lord with a pleasing Acceptation and cause her to produce good Fruits Zachary had the care of the Education of this Daughter and whensoever he went into his Oratory he there found a thousand sorts of different Fruits of divers Seasons He said one day O Mary whence do these good things proceed she answered they proceed from God who enricheth without measure whom he pleaseth Then Zachary prayed to the Lord and said Lord give me a Progeny that may be pleasing to thee and that may observe thy Commandments Lord hear my Prayers The Angels called him and said to him I declare to thee from God that thou shalt have a Son called Iohn he shall affirm the Messias to be the word of God that he shall be a great Person Chaste a Prophet and one of the just Lord answered Zachary how shall I have a Son I am old and my Wife is barren The Angel said to him so God doth as pleaseth him Lord said Zachary give me some sign of the Conception of my Wife The sign that I will give thee answered the Angel shall be that thou shalt not speak in three days but by signs Remember thou thy Lord often praise him evening and morning Remember thou how the Angels said O Mary God hath chosen and purified thee above all Women of the World O Mary obey thy Lord praise him and worship him with them that worship him I relate to thee how the matter past thou wert not with the Ministers of the Temple when they cast in their pens to draw lots and to see which of them should have the care of the education of Mary neither when they entred upon this difficulty Remember thou how the Angels said O Mary God declareth unto thee a word from which shall proceed the Messias named Jesus the Son of Mary full of honour in this World and that shall be in the other of the number of Intercessors with his Divine Majesty he shall speak in the Cradle as a Man betwixt thirty and fifty years and shall be in the number of the just She said Lord how shall I have a Child without the touch of a Man he answered So God doth as pleaseth him when he createth any thing he saith Be thou and it is I will teach him the Scriptures the Mysteries of the Law the Old Testament and the Gospel and he shall be a Prophet sent to the Children of Israel Jesus said to the Children of Israel I come to you with evident signs of my mission from your Lord I will make unto you of the slime of the Earth the figure of a Bird I will blow upon it incontinently it shall be a Bird and by the permission of God shall flie I will heal them that are born blind and the leprous I will raise again the dead I will teach you what you shall eat and what you ought not to eat this shall serve you for instruction if you believe in God I am come to confirm the Old Testament and what hath been taught you heretofore Certainly it is lawful for you to eat things that have been heretofore forbidden I am come to you with signs of my mission that testifie that I am truly sent from your Lord fear God and obey me God is my Lord and your Lord worship him this is the right way When Jesus knew their impiety he said Who shall sustain the Law of God in my absence The Apostles answered him we will substain the Law of God we believe in his unity be thou a witness before God that we resign our selves wholly to the pleasure of his Divine Majesty Lord we believe in what thou hast commanded and we have followed the Prophet thy Apostle write us in the number of them that profess thy Law. The Iews conspired against Jesus and God caused their conspiracy to turn against them he knoweth the designs of Conspirators Remember thou how the Lord said O Jesus I will cause thee to die I will elevate thee to my self and remove thee far from Infidels and prefer those that have obeyed thee to Infidels at the day of Judgment That day shall assemble you all before me I will judge the differences between you and will punish the impious in this World and in the other none among them shall be of power to protect them I will reward them that shall have believed in my Law and have done good works God loveth not the unjust I relate to thee these mysteries and teach thee the Alcoran Jesus is with God as is Adam God created him of the Earth he said Be thou and he was this truth proceedeth from thy Lord be not thou of the number of them that doubt If any one dispute with thee concerning thy Doctrine say to them Come call together your Children and ours your Wives and ours let us assemble and address our prayers to God I will lay the curse of his Divine Majesty upon lyers This Discourse is most true there is no God but God alone the Omnipotent and Wise. If they depart from his Commandments he shall well observe the unbelievers say to them O ye that know Scripture come with words alike true between you and us Do I worship other than God I do not associate him with any one and acknowledge none other Lord but him but if they turn aside from the way of faith God knoweth them that shall pollute the Earth Say to them be ye witnesses that we believe in God. O ye that understand Scripture dispute not the Law of Abraham to wit if he observed the Old Testament or the Gospel they were taught after him perhaps you will acknowledge your error Oh ye that have disputed what you knew not Abraham was no Iew nor Christian he professed the unity of God he was a true believer and not of the number of Infidels The People and particularly those that followed him of his time as also the Prophet Mahomet and all true believers have known the truth of his Law.
shall be blind shall continue his Misery I am your Tutor neither observe I what you do Thus do I declare the Mysteries of my Law the wicked shall in the end confess that thou hast taught my Commandments to such as inclined to learn them Act what thy Lord hath inspired into thee there is no God but he separate thy self from the Society of unbelievers Had it pleased God they had not disobeyed his Commandments thou art not their Tutor injure not them that worship Idols they injure God through Malice and Ignorance every Man esteemeth what he hath done and pleaseth himself in his opinion Certainly they shall all be assembled at the Judgment and be chastised after their Demerits They have sworn by the name of God to fight for the Faith if some Miracle appear to instruct them Miracles proceed from God they know not the time wherein he will make them to appear although they should see Miracles they will not be converted I will overturn their hearts blind their sight and they shall never be converted I will leave them in their Errours and disobedience with contempt and confusion If we should send to them Angels should the dead come and speak to them and should we bring about them all the Witnesses of the World they shall not believe if it so please God most of them are ignorant we have allotted an Enemy to each Prophet as the Devil is an Enemy to Men he tempteth them with the Ornament of his Discourses to render them proud If it had pleased thy Lord they had wanted that power depart thou from unbelievers and their blasphemies and incline not to their will they shall find no advantage in their impiety Do you desire another Judge than God who hath sent to you the Book that distinguisheth good from evil Such as know the Scripture are not ignorant that this Book was sent from God and containeth the Truth Be not thou in the number of them that doubt the word of God exactly cometh to pass no Man can hinder its effects God understandeth and knoweth all things If thou incline to the will of most Men they will seduce thee they believe but their own opinions and are lyars Thy Lord knoweth them that err and such as follow the right way Eat what shall be slain in pronouncing the name of God they taught you what was forbidden eat not unless constrained through necessity Many err from the right way and pursue their own appetites and ignorance God beholdeth them that offend him flie publick and secret sin sinners shall be severely chastised eat not of what is not let Blood in pronouncing the name of God lest you disobey his Commandments The Devils will tempt them that serve them they will perswade unbelievers to dispute against you if you incline to them you shall be Infidels as they are I raised again many of them that were dead through their sins I converted them and gave them a light to illuminate them in the darkness wherein Infidels shall dwell for ever because they delight in their disobedience Thus will I place in every City leaders that shall seduce the wicked and themselves but shall not understand it When they beheld any sign of the truth of the Prophet appear they said they will not believe in him unless he were accompanied with the vertues and merits of other Prophets God maketh choice of them on whom he conferreth the grace of prophecy he shall chastise such as discourse in that manner with ignominie in this World and they shall feel in the other great torments by reason of their impiety God rejoyceth the hearts of them that he inclineth to lead into the way of Salvation and punisheth them that digress from the right path his wrath fell upon the Infidels so soon as he ascended into Heaven The way thou followest is the right way we have recompensed such as have understanding to profit they shall be happy God shall be their protector because of their good works Remember thou the day wherein we shall assemble the People and when it shall be said to the Devils O ye bands of Devils wherefore are you risen against Men The chief of those Men that shall have obeyed them shall answer Lord suffer us to be revenged on each other and let each command in his turn O Lord teach us the prefixed time that thou hast appointed to our miseries The Angels shall answer Hell shall be your habitation you shall there remain eternally and so long as it shall please God Your Lord is most wise and Omniscient the wicked shall obey the wicked because of their sins O ye Bands of Men and Devils have you not seen my Prophets and Apostles of your own Nation who have given you to see Miracles Who have preached my Commandments and the Day of Judgment They shall answer they have seen the Prophets and Apostles but that the life of the World rendered them proud and shall confess themselves to have been wicked God shall not destroy Mecca for the unjustice therein committed until he hath sent an Apostle to the Inhabitants to teach them his Commandments every one shall be punished according to his works thy Lord knoweth whatsoever is done in the World. He hath no need of his People he is altogether merciful he can destroy you if it please him and establish in your place another People as he hath established you in the place of your predecessors If you be not converted you shall not escape the torments of Hell Say unto them do as you understand him I will comport my self as I shall apprehend him you shall in the end understand who shall have the good part in the other World. None shall give succour to Idolaters they offer to their Idols of the fruits that God hath created and say following their thoughts behold our God! Such sacrifices ascend not to God their Idolatry hath induced many of them to sacrifice their own Children to their false Gods they have destroyed them and were ensnared in their Religion which they had not done had it so pleased God Separate thy self from them and their blasphemies they have said that the fruits of the Earth and the benefits of God were unclean and would not eat of them God giveth food but to those whom he is pleased to gratifie They have prohibited to ride on some beasts that God gave them and slew them for food without pronouncing the name of his Divine Majesty which is a great sin but they shall be punished according to their demerits They have said it is lawful for Men to eat what is in the Bellies of Beasts and that it is unlawful for their Wives and when they had slain them they did eat for company but God shall chastise them for their discourse he is most wise and Omniscient Such as slay their Children are wretched Men Fools and ignorant they have forbidden to eat the good things that God hath given them to blaspheme
and are gone astray from the right way It is God who created the Gardens full of Fruits and herbs of divers colours with Olives Pomegranets and other fruits alike and different Eat of the fruits of the Earth Pay the dues appointed when you reap and dispense not your substance lightly God abhorreth prodigals Of clean beasts some there be that have born the burthen and others that are young and have not born it Eat what God hath given you and follow not the footsteps of the Devil he is your open Enemy Say unto them behold eight pair of Beasts viz. two pair of Wethers two of Ewes two of Camels and two pair of Cowes of which is it permitted or forbidden you to eat Is it lawful for you to eat the Males or Females Which are those that God hath forbidden you Who is more wicked than he that blasphemeth to seduce from the right way the People that are ignorant God guideth not the unjust Say unto them In all that God hath inspired into me I find not that it is prohibited to eat of those beasts except they die of some Disease and if they be slain without pronouncing the name of God. The Flesh of Swine is forbidden you if you eat of it you incur the wrath of God If any one be in necessity and eateth without design to provoke God he shall find God gracious and merciful We forbad the Iews to eat of Beasts whose Feet were cloven and of the fat of Beasts except of such as is interlarded in the flesh the Entrails and the Bones We enjoyned this prohibition by reason of their sin and we are veritable in our words and exact in our promises If they slander thee say unto them The mercy of God is great and the wicked shall not avoid the punishment of their crimes The Infidels have said Had it pleased God we had not been unbelievers neither our Fathers also and nothing had been prohibited Their predecessors spake as they until they felt the punishment of their sin Say unto them Are you assured that God is content with your proceeding Tell us whence ariseth this assurance You in this follow but your opinion you are but lyers Gods providence is great he had guided all of you in the right way had it so pleased him Cause them come before us who said It is unlawful to eat of clean Beasts were they present when God made the Prohibition If they say they were present say not as they neither follow the appetites of blasphemous Infidels who believe not in the end of the word and worship many Gods. Say unto them Come I will instruct you what is by God forbidden to be eaten there is but one sole God say not he hath Companions equal to him do good to your Father and Mother and slay not your Children in fear of dying with Famine God shall bestow on you and them also what shall be necessary commit not whoredom either privately or publickly kill no Man if justice do not command it God requireth you to observe what is above ordained perhaps you will consider it Take not the goods of Orphans but to succour them until they be of age of discretion measure and weight with good weight and just measure I enjoyn no Man any thing but what is in his power to perform Judge with equity although it be against your Parents and Allies satisfie what is above ordained God commandeth it peradventure you will consider it it is the right way which you ought to pursue go not aside God commandeth it perhaps you will fear his Divine Majesty We taught Moses our Commandments it is a peculiar grace to instruct the righteous and guide the People in the right way it may be you will believe in the Resurrection O ye Inhabitants of Mecca We have sent to you the Alcoran full of benediction perform what is ordained flie impiety your sins shall be forgiven you say not That God hath sent his Law to the two Nations that preceded you and that it is hid from you Will you say That had God taught you the Scripture you had been more obedient than they Certainly he hath taught you his Commandments it is a special grace to guide you into the right way Who is more unjust than he that blasphemeth against his Divine Majesty and departeth from his Commandments Such Men shall be rigorously chastised in the fire of Hell. Will they expect that the Angels came to visit them That God should punish and declare to them his miracles Will they look for the Day of Judgment wherein repentance and conversion shall be unprofitable Such as believe in one part of the Law and reject the other have no foundation in their belief God shall make them to know their errors and shall punish them after the enormity of their crimes He that shall do a good work shall have a reward tenfold Whosoever acteth any wickedness shall be punished in like manner neither shall he receive injustice Say unto them God hath guided me in the way of his Law such as profess the Law of Abraham profess the unity of God Abraham was not in the number of unbelievers my prayers my vows my life my death shall be consecrated to God he hath no Companion I wholly commend my self to his Divine pleasure Say unto them Do I desire to worship other Gods than the Lord of the Universe The good that a Man doth is for himself and the evil that he committeth is against them you all shall one day appear in the presence of God he shall resolve your disputes He it is that prolongeth your Posterity and exalteth some above others to prove you your Lord is exact to chastise the wicked and gracious and merciful to the righteous CHAP. VII The Chapter of Prisons containing an hundred and six Verses written at Mecca Reader Mahomet entituled this Chapter the Chapter of Aaraf which is a place between Paradise and Hell where Men suffer no punishment See Mokari Bedaoi and Kitab el tenoir IN the name of God gracious and merciful I am God the most wise the most true This Book was sent to thee to preach to the True believers doubt not the Contents of it Say unto them Believe in what was sent to you from your Lord and worship none other God but him few there be among you that consider it How many Cities have we destroyed How often have we inflicted our punishment on their Inhabitants by day and by night when they reposed Nevertheless they said nothing but that they were greatly afflicted We will examine the People to whom we have sent our Prophets and require account of what they have learned and of what they have done We will examine our Prophets and demand an account of such as have followed and obeyed them I will cause them to remember what they have done worthy of reward We forsook not our Prophets when they preached to them the Truth their
them to shelter them and how they believed it would fall upon their heads we said to them Learn with affection what we teach you and remember perhaps you will fear disobedience Thy Lord caused to come out of Adams Reins all his Posterity and asked them saying Am not I your Lord they answered yes thou art our Lord we know it well They cannot therefore say at the Day of Judgment That they knew not his unity they shall say for excuse Our Fathers adored many gods before us we are their Posterity wilt thou destroy us because of their iniquity Thus do I discover my mysteries to Men it may be they will be converted Relate to them the History of him that saw our miracles he was dispoiled of his understanding the Devil followed it and he was in the number of the wretched Had we so pleased we had exalted him through the knowledge of our wonders among the Doctors but he crouched to the ground and followed his own appetite like to a chafed Dog if thou chase him with Choler he putteth forth his Tongue if thou leave him at rest he will still put forth his Tongue like to the Infidels that contemn our instructions if thou recount to them our miracles or do not recount perhaps they will be converted perhaps they will not be converted and shall be like such as have abjured our Commandments and injured their own Souls He whom God guideth is well guided and he whom God mis-leadeth is in the number of the miserable We have created Hell to punish Devils and Men they have hearts and comprehend not the truth they have eyes and see it not ears have they and hear it not they are like to Beasts and worse than Beasts they are altogether ignorant The most beautiful names of the World appertain to God Beseech him by the beauty of his name and depart from them that depart from the truth through the names that they impose on their Idols they shall be chastised after their demerits Some there be that follow the truth and judge with equity I will by degrees punish them that shall reject our Commandments when they shall think thereon I will defer their punishment some time because my wrath is violent Remember they not that they said Mahomet is possest of the Devil On the contrary he declareth the joys of Paradise and preacheth the torments of Hell. Consider they not the Kingdom of Heaven and of Earth which God hath created of nothing The fear of Death shall arrive before they have acknowledged their sins in what will they believe if they have no Faith in the Alcoran He whom God shall mis-lead shall find none to guide him he shall leave Infidels confounded in their disobedience They shall enquire of thee concerning the Hour and Day of Judgment Say unto them No Man knoweth it but God but the greatest part of the World believe it not I have not power to do either good or evil of my self if God do not permit it if I knew the future I should provide wealth to preserve me from poverty I am sent only to declare the joyes of Paradise and preach the torments of Hell to them that believe in God he it is that created you of one sole person and created his spouse of his Rib to dwell with her When she doubted of being with Child she ceased not to travel as she was wont but when her conception rendred her heavy they both besought God their Lord and said Lord give an happy progeny to the end we may be in the number of them that return thee thanks for thy favours When God gave them a Son a righteous Man they associated him in what he had given them and all of them exalted the glory of his Divine Majesty above the Idols of the Infidels that adored things which could create nothing that are things created and can do neither good nor harm If you call Idolaters to the right way they will not follow you if ye invoke Idols misery shall be upon you will you be mute to profess the unity of God Will you worship the Creatures instead of the Creator Go adore your Idols and may they hear your prayers if you believe them to be Gods Have they Feet to walk Hands to touch Eyes to see and Ears to hear Say unto them If ye invoke your Idols and conspire against me you shall find none to protect you God is my protector he hath caused the Alcoran to descend from Heaven he is the defendor of the righteous what ye adore can neither benefit nor hurt you If thou invokest Idols they shall not hear thee they shall look upon thee and shall not see thee do what is lawful to be done command things honest and depart from the ignorant if the Devil would seduce thee trust in God he heareth and knoweth all things such as fear him remember his mercies and chastisements when they are tempted of the Devil Although Infidels know the Truth the Devil ceaseth not to continue them in their sin they always follow their impiety If thou goest to them to instruct them they say thou singest an old Song say unto them I do what my Lord inspired into me what I teach you is the light of Faith the right way and the grace of God for them that believe in his Divine Majesty for such as hear the Alcoran and study it perhaps God will give you his mercy Remember thou God in thy Soul worship in publick and private pray unto him evening and morning and be not in the number of the ignorant The Angels that are near to thy Lord neglect not to worship him they praise and adore him with humility CHAP. VIII The Chapter of the Spoil containing seventy and five Verses written at Medina IN the name of God gracious and merciful They will demand of thee to whom appertaineth the spoyl Say unto them the spoyl appertaineth to God and his Prophet Fear God live with mutual amity and obey his Divine Majesty and his Prophet if you believe in his Law Such as fear when they hear mention of God who augment their faith when they have heard relation of his miracles who trust in him who persevere in their prayers and dispend in pious works some part of their wealth believe in the unity of his Divine Majesty they have the degree of their habitation in Paradise shall receive from their Lord pardon of their sins and exceeding great treasure When thy Lord caused thee to go out of thine House to go against the Infidels a party of the true believers had a great aversion to sighting they disputed with thee the necessity of Combates having seen and known that their Enemies led them to a certain Death Call to mind that God promised you that a party of the Army of the Enemies should obey you Desire you other thing thâ—… the glory and honour of Victory God confirmeth the Truth by his words and destroyeth the wicked
Resurrection such as place their content in the wealth of this World they that trust in their Riches and that are ignorant of the Commandments of God shall be precipitated into the fire of Hell because of their sins and the true Believers shall be conducted by his Divine Majesty into delicious Gardens wherein flow many Rivers they shall there find whatsoever they shall desire and shall say at the beginning of their Prayers praised be God afterwards they shall say Salvation be to God and at the end of their Prayers praise be to God Lord of the Universe Although God doth sometimes suddenly chastise Men he always attendeth the time of their Destiny I will leave them that shall not believe in the Resurrection in their Errours to their confusion When Man is afflicted he invoketh us standing sitting lying and in all postures and when we have delivered him from his affliction he persisteth in his wickedness It seemeth good to the wicked to do in this manner we destroyed their Predecessours when they believed not in the Prophets neither obeyed the Precepts that we sent them and have established you on the Earth in their place after them to see your Deportments When thou teachest our Commandments to them that believe not in the Resurrection they say that the Precepts of the Alcoran are altogether contrary to what thou preachest and that thou hast altered them Say unto them I have no Will to alter them of my self I do but what is inspired into me of God I fear to be punished at the Day of Judgment should I disobey his Divine Majesty Say unto them Had it pleased God I had neither read nor taught you his Commandments I sojourned a long time with you before I taught you will you not learn them Who is more unjust than he that blasphemeth God doth not aid the Infidels that worship what can neither benefit nor hurt them and say their Idols shall intercede for them will you instruct God in any thing that he knoweth not of what is in Heaven or in Earth Praised be God he hath no Companion Men were all of one Religion before Infidelity took place and if God had not said that he would defer the punishment of the wicked until the Day of Judgment he had already destroyed them in this World because of their impiety They say we will not believe in the Prophet if God make not some Miracles to appear in him Say unto them God knoweth what shall be expect I will expect with you When we gave them to taste of content after their affliction they had subtilty upon our Commandments Say unto them God is more subtile than you his Messengers shall write your subtilties he it is that made Men to travel upon the Earth and Sea It is he that sendeth them a favourable wind to rejoyce them in their Ships when Tempest surprizeth them they believe that the Waves will overwhelm them then they invoke God with desire to embrace his Law and say if God doth deliver us from this danger we will believe in his Unity and return him thanks for this mercy and being delivered from peril persist in their wickedness O People you draw mischief on your selves you require nothing but the wealth of this World you all shall appear before us to be judged according to your works the life of the World is like to the Rain which we cause to descend from Heaven it causeth with mixture all sorts of herbage to spring forth for the nourishment of Men and Beasts When the Earth is adorned with Flowers and enriched with its Fruits the Inhabitants oftentimes believe they have the power to cause their production then send we our chastiiements Day and Night upon the Earth and render it as mown and as if the Day before it had brought no Fruit. Thus do I discover Mysteries to such as have knowledge to comprehend them They beg their Salvation of God he saveth and putteth in the way of Salvation whom it pleaseth him He shall not cover the Visage of them that have done good works they shall appear without shame and dwell in Paradise where they shall remain eternally and such as shall have done evil shall be punished after their demerits they shall be covered with shame and none shall be able to protect them they shall be as if a great part of the obscurity of the Night had covered their countenance they shall be condemned to the fire of Hell where they shall dwell eternally Think on the Day wherein we will â—…ssemble all the World and will say to the Infidels Hâ—…ll shall be your habitation where be the â—…dols you adored we have separated you from each other Their Idols shall say to them You have not worshipped us God is witness was there any thing between us and you that rendred us ignorant of your adorations That Day shall every one see what he hath done and know that God is Truth it self their Idols shall be separated far from them and they shall understand their blasphemies Say unto them who enricheth you with the wealth of Heaven and Earth Who causeth life to come out of death and death out of life Who disposeth all things in the World They shall answer it is God Say unto them why have you not therefore his fear before your eyes God is indeed your Lord what is there after the Truth but falshood How will you depart from his Law his Word shall be accomplished against Infidels Say unto them Have your Idols the power to cause Men to die and to make them rise again God causeth them to die and to rise again how shall they be able to blaspheme after these reasons Say unto them Are your Idols able to conduct you into the right way God guideth the People into the way of Salvation who ought rather to be followed he that guideth the People into the right way or he that misleadeth them What reason have ye to follow the evil way The greatest part of them follow but their own opinion but their opinion is not conformable to the Truth God knoweth all their actions there is no falshood in the Alcoran it confirmeth the ancient Scriptures and perspicuously explaineth them there is no doubt but it proceedeth from the Lord of the Universe They say Mahomet hath invented this Book say unto them Come and bring any thing that resembleth it in Doctrine and Eloquence and call the Idols which ye adore we shall see if you are sincere on the contrary they have blasphemed and have talked of what they understood not when they heard the exposition of the Alcoran Thus did their Predecessors but consider what is the end of the unjust There be among them who will believe in this Book and others that will not believe Thy Lord knoweth them that defile the Earth if they slander thee say unto them I will answer with my actions and ye shall answer with yours ye are innocent of what I act and I
God defend me said he to betray my Master and be unchaste he was in the number of the righteous and fled to the Door his Mistress ran after him and to stay him tore his Shirt through the back She met her Husband behind the Door to whom she said what other thing doth he merit who would dishonour thine house than to be imprisoned and severely chastised Lord said Ioseph she sollicited me that Infant which is in the Cradle and of thy Parentage shall be witness Then the Infant in the Cradle said if Ioseph's Shirt be torn before she hath spoken truth and Ioseph is a Lyar if the Shirt be rent behind Ioseph hath delivered the truth and she a lyar then her Husband beheld Ioseph's Shirt torn behind and knew that it was extream malice and said to Ioseph take heed to thy self and beware this act be not divulged do thou speaking to his Wife implore pardon for thy fault thou art truly guilty The Women of the City said among themselves that the rich Man's wife was amorous of his Slave and that she had sollicited his love and had erred from the right way which she understanding made them an exceeding fair Feast and caused Ioseph to enter the Parlour where they sate while they carved their meat they were so surprized and entangled with Iosephs beauty that they instead of carving their meat cut their fingers O God! said they this is not a Man but an Angel then said she unto them behold him whom I loved with so much Passion she another time importuned him to satisfie her desire and perceiving that he would not condescend to her Will menaced him with the Prison and to make him miserable O God! said Ioseph I had rather be a Prisoner than do what she desireth deliver me from her Malice defend me from inclining to her lubricity and from being in the number of the wicked his Lord heard his Prayer he understandeth and knoweth all things This Woman seeing Ioseph's resolution judged it requisite to imprison him for some time he was put Prisoner with two Men one of which told him that he had dreamed that he prest Grapes to make Wine the other said that he dreamed that he carried Bread upon his head which the Birds did eat they demanded of him the interpretation of their Dreams because he seemed to them to be a good Man he said to them before ye Breakfast I will interpret your Dreams I will first tell you what God hath taught me and how I quit and abandon the Law of Infidels and embrace the Law of our Fathers Abraham Isaac and Iacob we ought not to worship many Gods such as believe in the Unity of God are endued with his Grace but few Men give him thanks O Prisoners who hath more power Idols or one sole God who is Omnipotent The Gods which ye adore are but Idols whom ye and your Fathers call by such a Name as seemeth good to you ye have no reason to worship them God doth not enjoyn you this he commandeth you to worship him alone this is the right way but the greatest part of the World of this are ignorant O Prisoners the one of you shall give Wine to drink to his Master the other shall be hanged the Birds shall feed on his head the interpretation that ye have required shall be accomplished He besought him that should be saved to remember him when he should be near to his Master but the Devil caused him to lose the remembrance of Ioseph who remained Prisoner the space of nine years At that time the King of Egypt saw in a Dream seven fat Kine which seven lean Kine devoured and seven green ears of Corn with seven dry ears of which he required the interpretation of his Doctors they answered that the Dream was very obscure and that they knew not the interpretation the Prisoner that had been set at liberty said that he would forthwith give the interpretation of the Dream remembred Ioseph and calling him unto him said O righteous Man explain unto us what is the signification of seven fat Kine devoured by seven lean and seven green ears of Corn and as many dry peradventure I shall return to the King and his people and they shall understand the interpretation of this Dream Ioseph said to him ye shall sow the Earth seven years following which shall abound in Fruits preserve your Harvest in the ears and take only what shall be necessary for life after this there shall come seven years barren and unfruitful in which the people shall suffer much The King of Egypt having learned the interpetation of this Dream commanded to call Ioseph the Messenger said unto him O Ioseph return to thy Master and require of him the meaning of the Women who did cut their fingers he hath knowledge of their Malice hath caused them to assemble and demanded of them what was their design when they sollicited thee with love they answered they knew no sin in thee and his Wife confessed the truth saying she had importuned thee but that thou art a very just Man. Ioseph answered by this it appears that I am no Traitor to my Master in his absence God guideth not Traitors I will not say I am a Man without sin the Spirit of Man inclineth to evil except such to whom God had given his particular Grace he is gracious and merciful to whom seemeth good to him The King having talked with Ioseph entred him into the number of his Domesticks and made him super-intendent of his revenues because he knew him to be a Man of Spirit faithful and thrifty We by our especial Grace established Ioseph in the Countrey of Egypt where he did what seemed good to him I deprive not the righteous of their reward on Earth the recompence of the other World is yet greater for them that believe in my Law and have my fear before their eyes The Brethren of Ioseph returned to buy Corn he said to them when ye shall come again bring with you your young Brother by the Father you shall find I will make you good measure and lodge well my Guests if you bring him not there shall be no Corn for you approach not this Kingdom without him They answered Lord his Father loveth him exceedingly nevertheless we shall endeavour to perform what thou enjoynest us he commanded his Servants to put their money for Corn in the bottoms of his Brethrens Sacks perhaps said he they will return or acknowledge this favour when they shall come into their Countrey When they arrived at their Father they said Father there is no more Corn for us if our young Brother go not with us if he go thither we shall have good measure and we will be careful of him You will be careful said he as you were heretofore of your Brother Ioseph God will defend him better than you he is the merciful of the merciful When they poured forth their Corn they found their
it confirmeth the ancient Scriptures and teacheth True believers the way of Salvation CHAP. XIII The Chapter of Thunder containing forty three Verses written at Mecca IN the Name of God gracious and merciful I am the most wise and merciful God. These Precepts are the Precepts of the Book sent to thee from thy Lord it is a thing most true but few Men incline to believe it It is sent from God who raised Heaven without a Prop and with a Column that appeareth and sitteth on his Throne disposing all things He causeth the Sun and Moon to move until the day appointed he disposeth all things at his will and manifesteth to Men the signs of his Omnipotency Peradventure you will believe in the Resurrection of the flesh He it is that hath extended the Earth raised the Mountains caused the Rivers to flow who created of all sorts of Fruits the Male and Female and covereth the Day with the obscurity of the Night These things are signs of his unity to such as consider them He hath created many Fields of divers sorts and Gardens filled with Grapes and many different Fruits he created Date Trees thick as Groves and Forests and others that are scattered through the Fields some are moistened with Waters and others have a more pleasing taste These things are signs of his unity to such as consider them Thou art amazed at the lies of Infidels be astonished at their discourses when they deny the Resurrection and say What shall God yet once again create us of the dust of the Earth When we shall be Earth shall we be a new people They are impious they shall have Oaks upon their Necks and shall remain eternally in the fire of Hell they precipitate themselves into eternal pains and contemn the mercy of God so did their predecessors but God is gracious to such as convert Chastise severely the obstinate Infidels They have said We will not believe in the Prophet unless we see some miracle to appear Say unto them I am not sent but to preach the word of God. He hath sent persons to every Nation to teach them the right way nothing is hid from him in the World he knoweth what Women bear in their Womb he knoweth the time and period of every thing the present past and future he is great and Omnipotent He understandeth what you keep secret and what ye make manifest he knoweth where they be who cover themselves with the obscurity of Night and them that travel in the clearness of Day every one hath his guardian by his commandment who observeth what he doth and depriveth none of grace that hath not offended his Divine Majesty and none can hinder him to punish whom it seemeth good to him He it is who giveth you to see the lightning which terrifieth Men and nourisheth his Creatures by the Rain which he causeth to fall he created the Clouds charged with moysture causeth Thunder to make a noise darteth the Thunderbolt and striketh whom it pleaseth him the Angels tremble in his Presence yet do the wicked dispute his Omnipotency He it is who ought to be implored the prayers of them who implore another God are ineffectual they are like to such as are very thirsty and stretch forth the hand towards a Fountain to which they cannot reach the prayers of the wicked are impiety Whatsoever is in Heaven and in the Earth the shadow of the Morning the obscurity of the Evening humble themselves before God through force or affection Say unto them Who is the Lord of Heaven and Earth but God Who except God shall protect you your Idols can neither benefit nor hurt you Is the blind like unto him that seeth clearly Is darkness like unto light Shall they adore the Creatures instead of the Creator God hath created all things and is Omnipotent he causeth Rain to descend from Heaven and Rivers covered with Foam to flow in the Valleys The Gold the Silver and Metals which ye melt to adorn and enrich your selves are like unto Froth Thus doth God teach what is profitable and what unprofitable Froth suddenly vanisheth and is of no utility to Men So falshood vanisheth before Truth Thus doth God speak through a Parable to them that obey him and giveth them Paradise All the riches of the Earth and as much again cannot ransom the Infidels they shall be eternally tormented in the fire of Hell. Who knoweth that the truth contained in this Book was not sent to thee from God He that doubteth is blind Men of Spirit do not doubt They who satisfie what they promise to God who transgress not his Commandments who have his fear before their eyes who apprehend the Day of Judgment who are patient in their afflictions for love of his Divine Majesty who make their prayers at the time appointed who give alms privately and publickly and blot out their offences with good works shall be blessed They shall enter into the Garden of Eden with their Father their Wives and Families the Angels shall visit them shall salute them and say Behold the recompence of your perseverance behold eternal grace Such as shall swerve from their promise and disobey the Commandments of God and pollute the Earth shall be accursed of God and severely chastised he giveth and depriveth of wealth as seemeth good to him The unbelievers rejoyce in the riches of the Earth but those riches are of little value if they consider them of the other World. They say If Mahomet doth not make some miracle to appear from God we will not believe him Say unto them God guideth and mis-leadeth whom it pleaseth him he confirmeth the hearts of them that have faith in his Law the remembrance of God confirmeth the hearts of True Believers Such as shall do good works shall be happy We have sent thee as we did send other Prophets to them that preceded thee Teach the people what we have inspired into thee When they shall disobey thee say unto them God is my Lord there is but one God alone I am wholly resigned to his Divine Will my refuge is in his goodness If the Alcoran should make Mountains to go should it cause the Earth to open and the Dead to arise all would proceed from God. True Believers ought not to despair of any thing God shall guide all the World into the right way when it shall please him and unbelievers shall not escape the punishment of their crimes Thou shalt dwell with them until the word of God be fulfilled He swerveth not from what he promiseth they derided the Prophets that came before thee I prolonged the time of their punishment and in the end rigorously chastised them and with what afflictions Doth not God behold the actions of every Man They have said God hath Companions to whom they have given names after their fancy will you instruct God in any thing The wicked take delight in their wickedness and are gone astray from the right way He whom
not that God hath children We made mention in the Alcoran of whatsoever is necessary to be preached to the people say unto them If there be a God with God as ye affirm invoke him that hath his Throne in Heaven praised be God he hath no Companion he is most high and great The seven Heavens praise him and all that is on Earth glorifie him but ye comprehend it not he is gracious and merciful We will separate thee from the wicked we will harden their hearts and stop their ears When thou shalt read the Alcoran and say There is but one God they will turn the back â—…d deride thee I know what they desire to hear they would have the people to hearken to the words of the unjust who say That thou art a Sorcerer and a Magician consider to whom they compare thee they certainly are in error and are not able to find the right way What! we are say they bones and flesh shall we rise again and become new Creatures who shall cause us to rise again Say unto them Although ye be stone iron bones and flesh he who first created you shall raise you again They shall shake the head at thee and ask of thee In what time they shall rise again say unto them Peradventure it shall be suddenly When ye shall be called out of the graves by the Commandment of God ye will believe that ye have remained but very little time in the world then shall the Infidels confess that the Devil hath deceived them and that he is their open enemy Your Lord knoweth you all he will pardon or chastise you as seemeth good to him We have not sent thee to be their guardian thy Lord knoweth whatsoever is in Heaven and in Earth Certainly we gave graces to some Prophets which we gave not to others and we gave the Psalter to David Say unto the Infidels invoke the Idols which ye adore and see if they are of power to deliver you from affliction They that implore God desire to be nigh unto him who are they that shall nearest approach his divine Majesty they who hope in his mercy or such as fear his punishment Certainly his punishment ought most to be feared We will destroy all the Cities of the world before the day of Judgment and chastise the wicked with rigorous torments this is written upon the Tables kept in heaven nothing hath hindred us to manifest the miracles which the inhabitants of Mecca desire to see but the contempt shewed by their predecessors Temod saw the miracles of the Camel and contemned it I will no more shew miracles but to make the people to apprehend the torments of hell Remember thou that we have said to thee that thy Lord knoweth all that the world doth that which we gave thee to see in the voyage by night is to prove the people as the cursed tree which is spoken of in the Alcoran there be persons that will believe it others that will not believe but I will try them to augment their confusion Remember thou that we commanded the Angels to humble themselves before Adam and that they did humble themselves except the devil who said Shall I adore him whom thou hast created of the earth who is he whom thou hast preferred to me Certainly if thou tarry until the day of Judgment I will destroy his race except that small number that shall be under thy protection Thy Lord said unto him Get thee hence hell shall be thy punishment and the punishment of them that shall follow thee deceive by thy speeches them whom thou shalt be able to deceive seduce whom thou canst seduce with the wealth of the earth cause them to exercise Usury and commit the sin of whoredom tell them there is neither Resurrection nor Judgment whatsoever thou shalt promise them shall be but vanity and falshood thou shalt have no power over them that shall worship me I will protect them against thee It is your Lord who causeth the ship to travel upon the waters for the advantage of traffique when the tempest chargeth you your Idols forsake you he alone is able to protect you nevertheless when he hath caused you to arrive at the Port you deny his Unity and follow your impiety believe ye that he will another time make the sea calm to you and he will send you a favourable wind if ye do not acknowledg him your protector Believe you to return again to the sea He shall send you an impetuous wind that shall overwhelm you with your impiety and ye shall find none to protect you against him We have conferred on men many favours we have conducted them on the earth and sea enriched with all sorts of riches and gratified them above all creatures of the earth preach to them the day wherein I will assemble before me all the Nations of the World with the Prophet that shall have preached to them He to whom shall be given the Book of the Accompt of his works in his right hand shall read his accompt entirely no injustice shall be done to him and he shall be happy He that shall be blind in this world shall be so in the other and shall not see the right way They would divert thee from performing what we have inspired into thee to induce thee to blaspheme against me If thou do it thou shalt be of their friends were it not for the strength that we have given thee they would make thee to incline to their impiety hadst thou done it we had given thee to taste of great afflictions in this world and in the other thou hadst found none to protect thee against us it wanted not much but they had affrighted thee at Medina to cause thee to go out of it had they driven thee thence they had not continued there long after thee We heretofore sent our Prophets to instruct the people in our Law thou shalt find therein nothing to change make thy prayers when the Sun shall set at the beginning and at the end of the night and at the dawning of day the Angels shall be witnesses of thine orisons spend one part of the night in prayer this shall be an augmentation of merit thy Lord shall establish thee in the place of his glory Say Lord into whatsoever place I go make me to enter and go forth with truth give me thy protection Say that truth is come aâ—…d that vanity is vanished this Book shall heal the people of their error it shall bring them into the way of mercy and encreaâ—…e the misery of unbelievers We have exhorted men to abandon their impiety they have not done it and despaired when they were touched with affliction Say unto them Each of us doth after his will and God knoweth him that followeth the right way they shall demand of thee concerning the Soul Say unto them the soul is an effect of God he hath given you very little knowledge assuredly had it so
to follow their Religion in which we shall be eternally miserable Thus did we stir up the people against them to the end they might know that thy Lord is true when he said He will cause the dead to arise again the Resurrection is indubitable nevertheless unbelievers dispute among them concerning the History of the Sleepers and say That they built a secret place to retire themselves God knoweth the Truth The True believers believe that they made no building the Infidels say they were five and that their dog was the sixth they speak by opinion but the True believers affirm them to be seven and their dog to be the eighth Say unto them My Lord knoweth how many they were few persons except God know their number Doubt no more the History of the Sleepers the matter is averred and known dispute no more with the Jews and say not I will do this to morrow without saying If it pleaâ—…e God. Call God to mind after thou hast forgot him and say The Lord shall guide me and teach me the History of the Sleepers who remained in Cave three hundred years there be who affirm they continued there nine hundred years Say unto them God knoweth the time of their abode there he knoweth whatsoever is in Heaven and Earth he understandeth and seeth all things he alone disposeth every thing and hath no companion Preach what thy Lord hath inspired into thee his word admitteth of no alteration there is no safer refuge than in him dwell with those that invoke him morning and evening and desire to see his face depart not from their company if thou desirest to have content of life in this world obey not those whose heart we have hardned and are unmindful of us follow not their impiety whatsoever they do is but offence and sin Say unto them the truth proceedeth from your Lord who shall desire it shall be True believers and who shall not desire it shall be an Infidel we have prepared Hell to chastise the impious and prisons wherein to detain them They shall implore succors against the melting pit into which they shall be plunged as into waters it shall rost their faces and shall be their drink I will not frustrate of reward them that shall have done well they shall enjoy the delights of the gardens of Eden wherein flow many rivers they shall have bracelets of fine Gold they shall be cloathed with green with Scarlet with shining colours and shall sit on thrones with an eternal felicity Declare to them this parable there were two men I gave to the one of them gardens wherein are store of fruits he in contempt told his companion that he was more wealthy and powerful than he and entred into his gardens being an Infidel and an Idolater and said I do not think these shall ever have an end they shall endure a long time without withering His companion said to him If thou dost not ackowledge this to proceed from God and if thou be ingrateful towards him that created thee of dust and made thee a man thou shalt soon find thy gardens ruined this cometh from God my Lord who hath no companion all strength and truth proceedeth from his divine Majesty If I have less of substance than thou God can give me fruits more fair than those of thy gardens or send thunder that shall destroy them he shall fill them with water of rain that shall encompass them and hinder thee to approach them In the morning this Infidel found his gardens destroyed to the very roots he was extreamly perplexed by reason of the expence he had made to plant them evenly and he said Would to God I had not adored Idols He shall find none that is able to protect him at the day of Judgment but God all protection and grace issueth from his divine bounty and the end of the righteous shall be happy Speak unto them this parable The life of the world is like unto rain fallen from Heaven that refreshed and revived the herbs of the Earth and in the morning were dry as chaff carried away by the wind God is omnipotent Riches and Children are the ornaments of this life but good works are eternal they are acceptable to God and give us hope of his grace Be thou mindful of the day when the mountains shall walk and thou shalt see the Earth to be plain that day we assemble the good and the wicked and will not fail of my word to any person that day shall the Infidels beseech the Lord to save them he shall say unto them You came unto us naked as when we at first created you and ye believed on Earth that there was no resurrection Then shall he give to every one the Book wherein shall be written the accompt of their sins Thou shalt see the wicked trembling with fear saying behold here our destruction What is there in this Book It containeth their venial and mortal sins and detecteth their offences they shall find the number of their crimes before their eyes Thy Lord is unjust to none Remember thou that we commanded the Angels to prostrate themselves before Adam and that they humbled themselves except the Devil who was in the number of Angels he disobeyed his Lord nevertheless Adam and his posterity have obeyed him although he is their open enemy and particularly of the Infidels Consider ye not that God created Heaven and Earth and he made you and hath no need to be aided of you Be thou mindful of the day when it shall be said to Idolaters Call upon your Idols that ye have worshipped for remission of your sins they shall implore them but none shall hear their prayers we have ruined them the wicked shall behold the fire into which they shall fall and find none to save them We taught men in the Alcoran many parables yet do the wicked abound in question and dispute too much What hindreth men to believe since there is come to them a guide to conduct them into the right way If they beg not pardon of God what hapned to their predecessors and at Beder shall befall them they shall be visibly punished I send Prophets only to anounce the joys of Paradise and to preach the torments of Hell the unbelievers dispute vainly to obscure the truth they deride my Commandments and the fire of Hell who is more unjust than he who knoweth the Commandments of his Lord and disobeyeth him and forgetteth his past sins We have hardned their hearts they shall not understand the Scripture we have stopped their ears they shall hear nothing if thou callest them to the right way they shall not follow thee thy Lord is gracious and merciful should he chastise them after their demerits he should forthwith destroy them he tarrieth until the time that he hath promised to punish them and they shall find none of power to protect them We have destroyed Cities when their inhabitants have offended and we prefixed the day
ye do your Law is one Law and I alone am your Lord take heed to your selves follow not the Law of the Infidels every one liketh what he doth depart from the wicked and leave them in their errors an account shall be required of them of the riches and of the Children that we have given them but they know it not Such as fear the punishment of their Lord that obey his Commandments profess his Unity give Alms of the substance that he hath given them and fear in their Heart that they are not acceptable to them shall appear in his presence such as shall obey him shall enjoy his grace he requireth not of any man what he is unable to perform We have a Book that declareth the truth no injustice shall be done to him that shall do what he is able certainly the Infidels are in ignorance of the Alcoran they act what is quite contrary to that which is commanded True believers but we have punished the chief among them in their prosperity Be not this Day resolute ye shall not be protected of us Our Commandments are taught you nevertheless ye are returned upon your steps and are risen against the Faith and in discoursing by Night withdrew your selves from the Righteous Consider they not the words of the Alcoran Doth it contain any thing that hath not been ordained to their Predecessors Know they not the Prophet that God hath sent to them Wherefore will they not acknowledg him Will they say that he is possessed of the Devil On the contrary he teacheth them the truth nevertheless the greatest part of them detest him if their will had place Heaven and Earth and whatsoever is betwixt them should be confounded we have instructed them in the Law which they ought to observe but they have renounced it Dost thou require of them any recompence for thy instructions Thy Lord shall reward thee there is none that is of power to recompence thee better than He. Call them to the right way such as shall not believe the Resurrection shall err If we pardon and deliver them from affliction they will still continue in their errors to their confusion we heretofore chastised them nevertheless they humble not themselves neither implored their Lord and when we opened upon them the gate of our Judgments they became desperate God hath given you sight hearing and sense but few among you return him thanks he it is that hath created you of earth ye shall one day be assembled before him to be judged he it is that giveth life and death and maketh the difference of day and night will you not honor him neither consider On the contrary they have said as did their predecessors wherefore shall we die our bones shall be dust and shall we rise again This was heretofore promised to our fathers and to us certainly it is but an old song Say unto them to whom appertaineth the earth and whatsoever is in the earth if ye know its Creator and King They will say it is God's Say unto them know ye not then that he that created you can raise you again Who is Lord of the seven heavens who possesseth the throne of heaven They will say it is God say unto them will ye not fear then to worship any other God but him Say unto them who is King of all things who sustaineth them and is sustained of none They will say that it is God Say unto them why then do ye deceive your selves we have taught them the truth but they have rejected it and said that God had a son were there another God with God the one would undo what the other hath done and they would rise the one against the other Praised be God what they affirm is not true God knoweth that is past the present and the future he hath no companion Say Lord give me to see the effect of all that thou hast promised to them and put me not among the unjust deliver us from evil and do good to us I know their impiety Lord deliver me from the temptations of the devil deliver me from their malice when any one among them dieth he saith Lord permit me to return into the world I will do better than I have done there is no return it is to speak in vain there is an obstacle behind them that detaineth them until the day of Judgment when the Trumpet shall sound nothing shall retard them they shall not glory nor discourse with each other the ballance of the blessed shall be heavy with good works and the ballance of the cursed shall be light of good works Have not my Commandments been preached unto you wherefore did ye contemn them They shall say Lord our misery prevailed over us we are mislead Lord deliver us from this misery the contrary was promised to us truly we are exceedingly too blame It shall be said unto them depart into the fire and never speak to come out Many of them that worship me say Lord we believe in thee pardon our sins thou art merciful Ye have derided them O ye wicked and have despised my Commandments but I will reward them for their perseverance and they shall be blessed It shall be said to those that rise again how many years have ye remained in the earth they shall answer we have been there a day or some days ask of the Angels appointed to keep the account ye have been there but a litte time did ye know it do ye believe that I have created and assembled you before me in vain Praise and exalt God King of Truth there is no God but he he is King of heaven he is void of reason that invoketh another god with Him he shall give account of his actions and the Infidels shall be miserable Say Lord pardon the sins of the righteous thou art the great merciful CHAP. XXIV The Chapter of Light containing Seventy and four Verses written at MEDINA IN the name of God gracious and merciful We have sent this Chapter containing our Commandments clear and intelligible peradventure ye will learn them The Catamite and the Concubine shall be whipt with an hundred stripes take heed left clemency cause you to forget the precepts of the Law of God believe in his divine Majesty and the day of Judgment Some of the True believers shall be witnesses of their punishment The Catamite lying with a Concubine or an Infidel the Concubine lying with a Catamite or Infidel these things are forbidden the True believers He that shall accuse an honest woman of adultery shall be whipt with twenty four stripes unless he prove his accusation by four witnesses and shall never be credited in testimony They that do such things are without the obedience of God except those that repent and satisfie what they owe God shall be to them gracious and merciful They that shall accuse their wives of adultery and have no witnesses shall swear four times that they speak the truth and
it they are remote from the Angels and cannot hear their speech say not there is another God with God if thou say it thou shalt be chastised preach the torments of Hell to them that shall follow thee be humble and civil to True believers if they disobey thee say unto them I am innocent of what ye do and am resigned to the Will of God 〈◊〉 potent and merciful He beholdeth thee when thou dost pray and worship him he heareth and knoweth all things Shall I tell ye to whom the Devils address themselves They apply themselves to Lyars they tell to them what they have heard spoken but they all lye The erronous imitate the Poets they are confuted in their Discourse and say they have done what they have not except those that believe in God that do good works who often think of his Divine Majesty and that have been protected against the injustice of Infidels the unjust shall know that they shall one day rise again CHAP. XXVII The Chapter of the Pismire containing Fourscore and thirteen Verses written at Mecca IN the Name of God Gracious and Merciful God is most pure he understandeth all These mysteries are the mysteries of the Alcoran which distinguisheth the Truth from a Lye it conducteth men into the right way and proclaimeth the Joys of Paradise to such as believe in the Law of God who make their prayers at the time appointed pay Tithes and have knowledg of their end They that believe not in the Day of Judgment like well of what they do and are in confusion they shall in the end be in the number of the damned The Alcoran was conveyed to thee from the most prudent that knoweth all things Remember thou that Moses said to his Family I see a Fire I go to it I will bring you tidings I will bring you a spark peradventure you shall be warmed when he drew near to the Fire he heard a voice that said to him oh Moses that which is in this Fire and whatsoever is about it is blessed praise is due to God Lord of the Universe I am God Omnipotent and Eternal Cast thy staff on the ground When Moses beheld his staff to move as it had been alive he went back very sorrowful and returned no more Fear not that staff my Messenger and my Prophets have no fear in my presence he that shall be converted shall find me gracious and merciful Put thine Hand into thy Pocket it shall come forth white without harm it shall be one of the Nine marks of my Omnipotency Pharoah and his Ministers were altogether erroneous when they saw my Miracles they said that they were but Sorcery they despised them and encreased their impiety Consider what is the end of the wicked and how they have been destroyed We gave knowledg to David and to Solomon they said God hath gratified us above many of his Servants that have believed in his Omnipotency Solomon was David's Hâ—…ir and and said to the People we understand the Language of Birds we know whatsoever can be known it is an exceeding great Grace Solomon's Army being one day assembled before him composed of Men Devils and Birds â—…e lead them to the Valleâ—… of Pismires a 〈◊〉 their Queen cryed out Oh Pismires â—… enter into your Houses leâ—…t Solomon and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 trample you under foot withâ—… knowledg 〈◊〉 it Solomon hearing these words 〈◊〉 some time without speaking and 〈◊〉 end began to laugh saying Lord assist me that I may give thee thanks for the benefits and graces which thou didst confer upon my Father if I do well thou wilt accept it place me through thy Mercy in number of them that exalt thy glory he called for the Whoop and said Wherefore see I not the Whoop Is she in the number of the absent I will punish and put her to death if she have not a lawful excuse not long after she humbled her self before Solomon who asked her whence she came She answered I come from seeing what thou seest not I come from the Kingdom of Saba whence I bring certain tidings I have found a woman their Queen who hath whatsoever is necessary for a King she hath a great and magnificent Throne I have found that she with her Subjects adore the Sun the Devil caused them to delight in this their action he hath seduced them from the right way and they shall be in error until they worship one God who sendeth Rain from Heaven and maketh the Earth to produce Plants and Fruits who knoweth whatsoever is in the hearts of men and what they utter God! There is but one God Lord of the Universe Solomon said I shall soon see if thou speak truth or whether thou be in the number of the Lyars Go bear to her this Letter and observe what she and her People shall answer at her arrival the Queen said to her Ministers Oh ye that are raised to dignity in my dominions a Letter is given me from Solomon of this tenour In the Name of God gracious and merciful rise not up against me and obey me Give me counsel what I ought to do I will do nothing without your advice and what you see not with your eyes They answered Our welfare and misery depend on thee command whatsoever shall seem good to thee and we will obey thee She said When Kings enter a City they introduce many disorders they abase and humble the chief of the Inhabitants and the most eminent if Solomon and his People come hither they will use us in the like manner I think it requisite to send to him an Ambassador with some presents perhaps he will take a resolution to return When the Ambassador arrived in Solomon's presence he said unto him Do ye bring me presents God hath bestowed on me more riches then on you presents rejoyce you because ye love them Return to them that sent you I will go visit them with Forces so great that they shall not be able to resist I will drive them out of their Dominions and they shall be miserable if they obey me not Then he said to his People Sirs who will bring to me the Royal Seat of that Woman before she and her subjects obey me One of the Devils said unto him I I will bring it before thou arise from thy place I am strong enough to bear it I will carry it carefully One of them that attended Solomon who knew the Scriptures said I will bring it to thee in the twinkling of an eye When Solomon beheld this Throne before him he said Behold here a favour of God to try if I would acknowledg his benefits He that returneth thanks to God for his graces performeth his duty he rejecteth him that is ungrateful I will try if she followeth the right way or whether she be in the number of the seduced They changed something in her Royal seat to try if she would know it when she arrived in Solomon's presence
up the Mountains upon the Earth to fasten and hinder it to move he hath thereon dispersed many Beasts and sent Rain from Heaven which causeth Plants to spring forth and Herbs of divers sorts Behold here what God hath created shew me what your Idols have created assuredly Idolaters are manifestly seduced from the right way We inspired knowledg into Locman and spake unto him to give God thanks he that returneth thanks to God for his Graces doth good for his Soul. God rejecteth the ingrateful and praise is due to him in all places Remember thou that Locman said unto his Son O my Son believe not thou that God hath a companion it is an exceeding great Sin We have commanded man to honour his Father and Mother his Mother beareth him with grief upon grief and weaneth him at the age of Two years be thou not ingrateful for God's benefits honour Father and Mother thou shalt be one day before God to be judged If thy Parents press thee to believe that God hath companions obey them not follow the way of them that obey him all men shall be one day assembled before him to be rewarded according to their works O my Son if thou dost evil of the weight of a Grâ—…n of Mustardseed or of the weight of a Rock or of the greatness of Heaven and Earth God will know it and put it in account he is exact and Omniscient O my Son make thy prayers at the time appointed do what is honest and civil fly what is not approved and be patient in thy adversities regard not the World disordered through pride converse not with the proud God detesteth the haughty observe thy steps walk with modesty speak gently they be persons that bray like Asses when they speak seest thou not that God hath created for men all that is in Heaven and Earth and conferreth on them his Graces in general and particular There be ignorant persons that dispute of the Deity without reason when it is said unto them Do what God hath appointed they answer We will do what we saw done by our Fathers They consider not that the Devil calleth them and their Fathers to the pains of Hell. He that obeyeth God and doth good works fastneth him to the strongest Knot and will have a care of him at the Hour of his end The impiety of the wicked ought not to afflict thee they shall be one day assembled in our presence to be chastised I will shew them all that they have done I know what is in the hearts of men I will prolong awhile their punishment upon Earth and precipitate them in the other World into the Fire of Hell. Hast thou not demanded of them who created Heaven and Earth They said It is God say unto them therefore praised be God nevertheless the greatest part of them are ignorant Whatsoever is in Heaven and Earth is Gods he hath no want of the World praise is due unto him in all that he doth if all the Trees of the World were Pens and the Sea Ink they could not comprehend the effect of his Omnipotency he is Omnipotent and knoweth all things He created and shall make you to rise again with one word he understandeth and seeth all things Consider they not that God causeth the Night to enter into the Day and the Day into the Night that he created the Sun and the Moon that move in the Heaven until the day appointed he knoweth whatsoever ye do because he is truly God they that invoke other than him invoke things vain and unprofitable God alone is most high and most mighty Seest thou not how the Ship runneth upon the Water for a token of his Omnipotency to such as acknowledg his Graces When the Wars arose against the Infidels many called upon God with resolution to follow his Law when he saved them on the Land some persevered to do well and others returned to their impiety none but deceivers and ingrateful persons despise his Commandments O People fear God and the day when the Father shall not be able to succour his Child neither the Child serve his Father God's promises are infallible be not proud of your Riches neither that God tolerateth and suffereth you he knoweth the time when ye shall be chastised the hour that the Rain shall fall upon the Earth he knoweth what is in the wombs of women whether it be Male or Female none but God knoweth what thou wilt do to morrow none but he knoweth the place where thou shalt die he knoweth all he knoweth all CHAP. XXXII The Chapter of Worship containing an Hundred and Thirty Verses written at Mecca IN the name of God gracious and merciful I am the most Wise God. Doubtless this Book was sent by the Lord of the Universe will the wicked say that thou hast invented it On the contrary it is the truth it self which proceedeth from thy Lord to preach to them that heretofore had none to instruct them peradventure they will follow the right way God created Heaven and Earth and all that is between them in Six days and sitteth on his Throne Who shall protect you Who shall hear your prayers but he Will you never consider it He disposeth all things in Heaven and Earth all men shall one day be assembled before him to be judged a Thousand years are but one day before his Divine Majesty he knoweth what is past present and future he is Omnipotent and Merciful he hath created every thing for his People he formed man of the Dirt and Dust of the Earth he inspired the Soul into his Body he giveth you hearing sight and sense but few men return him thanks for his Graces They say What shall we die and return to be a new People Certainly they believe not in the Resurrection Say unto them The Angel of Death shall cause you to die and ye shall return before God to be judged Thou shalt then see how the Infidel will hang down the Head before their Lord and say Lord we now see the certainty of the Resurrection we this day know the truth of thy words permit us to return into the World we will be Righteous we now understand what is profitable and necessary for us we could have given a guide to every Person my word is most true I will fill Hell with the wicked and Paradise with the Righteous thus shall men be rewarded and chastised according to their works Taste O ye wicked the pains that ye have deserved in refusing to believe in this day which ye have found we leave you in the miseries due to your incredulity taste the eternal torments that ye have merited through your impiety Such as believe in the mysteries of my Law are humble they worship me alone and praise me when they hear mention of me they are not proud rebel not against my Commandments They arise from their Bed to make their prayers with fear and hope and imploy in pious works some part of
the Wealth that we have given them No man hath either seen or knoweth what God reserveth to recompence the Righteous for their perseverance The believers and unbelievers shall not be alike entreated the believers that have done good works shall enjoy Paradise as the reward of their labours and the unbelievers shall be precipitated into the Fire of Hell the more they shall labour to get out the further shall they enter into it it shall be said to them Taste the pains of eternal flames which ye would not believe I will make the wicked to taste of the torments of the World and the pains of Hell if they be not converted Who is more unjust than he that knoweth the Commandments of his Lord and disobeyeth them We will be avenged on his impiety We gave a most true Book to Moses to instruct the Children of Israel we put into the right way those among them that persevered in their Faith and obeyed our Commandments Thy Lord shall judge the difficulties of the Infidels at the Day of Judgment see they not how much People we destroyed in times past that reposed confidence in their Houses It is a token of our Omnipotency will they never understand it See they not how I thrust forth Water in desart and barren Lands That I cause Herbs to spring forth for the nourishment of men and beasts Will they never consider it They demand when will the Day of Judgment come Say unto them that Day shall not bring contentment to Infidels and they shall be without protection Depart thou far from them persevere and attend they wait an occasion to mischief thee but thou shalt see them chastised CHAP. XXXIII The Chapter of Bands and Troops of Souldiers containing fourscore and seven Verses writttn at Medina IN the name of God gracious and merciful Oh Prophet fear God and obey not unbelievers God knoweth all things and is most prudent in what he ordaineth observe what thy Lord hath taught thee he knoweth the actions of men recommend thy self to God it ought to suffice thee that he protecteth thee He hath not given two hearts unto men he hath not enjoyned us to call your wives your mothers those which you call your children are not all your Children ye speak it only with the mouth but God always speaketh the truth and guideth men into the way of salvation Call your neighbour by the name of his father this action shall be acceptable to God provided that ye have no evil design in the heart if ye know not his name call him your brother in God or Sir God is gracious and merciful The Prophet is obeyed of them that believe in God and honour his wives as their mothers Kinsmen are heirs of each other it is so appointed by his divine Majesty to the Believers that went out of Mecca to follow the Prophet It is ordained in Scripture to do good to your parents Remember thou that we received the promise of the Prophets of thee of Noah of Abraham of Moses and of Jesus the Son of Mary to worship but one God we received a strong promise An accompt shall be required of their actions and the wicked shall feel the rigour of infinite pains Oh ye that believe in God! remember his favour towards you when ye were charged by troups of enemies he sent against them an impetuous wind and troups invisible to your eyes to fight them he seeth all that ye do those invisible troups came from the East and from the West from above and below when your sight was troubled and your hearts failed you because of the great number of your â—…nemies ye had already conceived a very bad opinion of the Law of God then were the True believers tryed they trembled with â—…ear The wicked and such as were weak in their faith said that whatsoever God and his Prophet had promised them was but abuse and vaâ—…ity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how a party of them said to the 〈◊〉 of the Territory of Medina there is no 〈◊〉 for you with Mahomet reâ—… 〈◊〉 your houses Remember thou how many among them required dismission and said that theâ—… houses were forsaken Their houses were not forsaken but they had a design to â—…ly had they 〈◊〉 to their houses they had on all â—…des perswaâ—…d them to follow imâ—… they shoâ—… not there have made long abode because they before had promised God not to fly he would have required an accompt of their promises Say unto them flight shall be to you unprofitable if ye flie death for that ye ought no longer to contiâ—…e in the world Say unto them who is able to protect you against God when 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to destroy you take none other 〈◊〉 but him he knoweth them that were diâ—…waded to go to the battel to spare their wealth and persons They cast an eye upon thee when they are surprised with fear they turn their eyes into the head as a man that dyeth and when they are delivered from fear they traduce thee because of their extreme avarice Such men believe not in God he rendreth all their works unfruitful it is a thing easie to his divine Majstey The Troups of the Infidels believed they were invincible and when they saw the troups of the True believers they desired to flye The Infidels desired to draw the Arabians to their party and have intelligence to know in what condition you are had they been of your party few of them had been slain the adhering to the Prophet of God serveth to you as a Cittadel it serveth as a Bulwark to them that apprehend the day of Judgment and think often on his divine Majesty When the believers said behold what God and his Prophet promised us they are sincere in their promises the sight of their enemies encreased their faith and zeal towards God and his Prophet There be persons among the True believers who have performed what they promised to God many of them are dead in obedience to the Commandments of his divine Majesty others attend the same thing and swerve not from what they have promised God shall recompence them for their zeal and chastise the Infidels or pardon them if it so please him he is gracious and merciful God shall destroy the unbelievers with their wrath against the believers he protecteth True believers in combats he is strong and omnipotent The Jews descended from their Fortress to give aid to the Infidels but God cast fear into their hearts a party of them were slain and the rest taken slaves they by their death made you heirs of their lands their houses their riches and fortresses which you were not able to conquer God is omnipotent Oh Prophet if thy wives be too ambitious of the wealth of the earth and of garments too sumptuous Call them Say unto them that thou wilt deal well with them and wilt repudiate them with mildness and civility If they love God and his Prophet if they are virtuous his divine Majesty will
〈◊〉 his 〈◊〉 they shall say Lord we 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Superiors they seduced us 〈◊〉 the right way Lord chastise them douâ—… and give them thy curse O ye that believe be not like them that displeased Moses he was innnocent of the crimes that they laid upon him he was inspired of God fear God and speak with civility your works shall be acceptable to him and he shall pardon your sins he that shall obey God and his Apostle shall be happy fidelity and obedience are pleasing to him in Heaven and in Earth and upon the Mountains Such as depart far from him as did Adam do injury to themselves and are ignorant he shall chastise those men and women that shall be disobedient and impious he will give his grace to those men and women that shall believe in his Law he is gracious and merciful to them that obey him CHAP. XXXIV The Chapter of †Saba containing Fifty four Verses written at Mecca IN the Name of God gracious and merciful Praised be God whatsoever is in Heaven and in the Earth appertaineth to him praise is due unto him he is most Wise and Omniscient he knoweth whatsoever entreth into the Earth and cometh out of it whatsoever ascendeth to Heaven and descendeth he is gracious and merciful to his creatures The wicked demand if they shall see the Day of Judgment say unto them yes and that thy Lord knoweth the time he knoweth what is past present and future and all that is in Heaven and in the Earth even to the weight of an Atome what is yet less and what is yet greater than an Atome is written in a Book that discovereth every thing he shall reward the True believers that have done good works he shall give them his Mercy and enrich them with precious treasures Such as have endeavoured to suppress his Law shall feel the effects of his indignation They that understand the Scripture know that God hath taught thee the very truth to guide the People into the right way into the path of honour and vertue but the wicked said among them will ye believe a man who affirmeth that after your death ye shall rise again and be new creatures He lyeth impudently he is possessed of the Devil Certainly they that believe not in the Resurrection are in an exceeding great error and shall suffer most grievous pains see they not what is above and what is below them Consider they not the Heaven and the Earth If I will I can render it barren and cause a piece of the Heaven to fall upon them for a sign of my Omnipotency We gave our grace to David and spake to the Mountains Birds and Metals with him to praise me we commanded him to make Cuirasses and Iron was soft in his hand as Wax O Lineage of David be not ingrateful I see whatsoever ye do We made the Winds subject to Solomon he commanded them Evening and Morning from the East to the West we gave him a Fountain and a Brook of dissolved Brass the Devils through our permission wrought it to his mind and we punished in the Fire of Hell such as refused to obey him They built for him lofty Palaces and spacious houses they formed Basons for Water Channels and Pools We said unto him O Lineage of David be not ingrateful for my graces for that few persons do acknowledge them When he dyed through our Commandment nothing discovered his death to the Devils but the worms that had eaten the end of his staff whereon he leaned when the Devils saw him fall they perceived that had they known the future and what was hid from them they should not have laboured so long a time in his Service The Inhabitants of Saba have a mark of my Omnipotency in their Countrey viz. two Gardens the one on the North side and the other towards the South it was said unto them eat of the good things that your Lord hath given you and return him thanks their Country is delicious God hath been merciful towards them nevertheless they are ingrateful and impious we sent the River of Arem that overflowed their Gardens we changed them into two Gardens of Thorns of Cyprus and a little Tamarinde thus did we punish them because of their impiety We established a way with many Cities for facility of commerce among them and the City which we blessed and spake unto the People to follow that way Night and Day with safety and withou fear They said God destroyeth us through the length of this way they returned to their impiety and we dispersed them upon the Earth to serve for example to Posterity and instruction to such as persevere in my Law and acknowledg my graces The Devil caused them to believe his Opinion they followed him except some of the True believers that were among them he had no power over them but to know them that believed in the Resurrection and such as doubt Thy Lord observeth and regardeth all Say unto them invoke your Idols they have not power of the bigness of an Atome neither in Heaven nor Earth God hath no Companion they shall find none to protect them at the Day of Judgment none shall intercede for them without the permission of his Divine Majesty if they receive any relaxation in their â—…ear they enquire of each other what God spaâ—…e and anâ—…wer that he spake 〈◊〉 truth that he is most 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 most mighty say unto them who enricheth you with the good things of Heaven and Earth They will say that it is God. Say unto them Who of you or of us followeth the right way Or who of you or of us is seduced Enquire not after our sins we are not curious to know what ye do God shall assemble us at the Day of Judgment and shall judg our differences with equity he is an exceeding great Judg say unto them Let us see the Idols that ye have worshipped certainly there is but One God Omnipotent and Wise. We have not sent thee but to declare to men the joys of Paradise and to preach to them the pains of Hell but the greatest part knoweth it not they ask in what time they shall see the punishment that is preached to them and if thou speakest the truth say unto them when the time thereof is come ye shall not be able to retard or advance an hour They have said That they will not believe in the Alcoran but thou shalt see them one day assembled in the presence of thy Lord thou shalt see that they shall accuse one another the Poor shall say unto the Rich you have hindred us to obey the Commandments of God they shall answer have we seduced you from the way that was taught you On the contrary you were wicked and malicious They shall say on the contrary you employed Night and Day your Artifices to render us ingrateful for the graces of God and to induce us to believe that he hath
Companions equal to him they shall repent of their sins when they shall see their punishment we will lay Chains upon their Necks and they shall be chastised after their demerits The chief Inhahitants of the Cities said to the Prophets that we sent to them to preach the torments of Hell that they believe not their words We have said they more riches and more Children than those that believe in their discourse we shall not be damned as they affirm say unto them my Lord giveth and taketh away Riches as seemeth good to him but the greatest part of the People know it not your wealth and your children shall not give you access to God such as shall perform good works shall be rewarded and shall live eternally in the delights of Paradise they that shall endeavour to suppress our Law shall be cast headlong into the Fire of Hell Say unto them My Lord giveth and taketh away Wealth as to him seemeth good he maketh vain the alms which ye shall give if ye observe not his Law he is the Rich of the Rich Be thou mindful of the day when I shall assemble the Idolaters and shall say to the Angels Behold them who have adored you they shall say praised be God thou alone art our master and protector they adored not us they worshipped the Devil the greatest part of them believed in his word this day they are not able to benefit or hurt one another they will say to the unjust taste the torments of Hell Fire which ye would not believe They said when thou didst preach unto them our Commandments this man would hinder us to worship the gods of our fathers he is a Blasphemer They have said That the Alcoran is but Sorcery and Magick and read not the books that we have sent unto them Their predecessors did like them they traduced our Apostles and hindred them to preach the tenth part of what we had inspired into them they traduced them but how were they chastised Say unto them I preach to you to pray to God two by two or alone or in company ye shall know one day that your friend Mahomet is not possessed of the Devil and that he preacheth to you the pains of Hell I require no reward of you for mine exhortations God shall reward me he seeth all Say unto them God teacheth his Prophet the Truth and what is to come the truth appeared and falshood was discovered and the lyars were deprived of his mercy if I wilfully go astray or if I act what God hath enjoyned me this shall be for my Soul God heareth and is present at all things Thou shalt see the Infidels filled with fear and affrighted when they shall come out of their sepulchres they shall not escape the punishment of their incredulity they shall then say That they believe in the Alcoran but I will shew to them from far the Law which they have despised in the World they shall be precipitated with their ignorance into a place remote from mercy and pardon They shall be separated from the True believers because they have doubted the Commandments of the Law of God. CHAP. XXXV The Chapter of the Creator containing Forty and five Verses written at Mecca This Chapter is intituled the Chapter of Angels in the Book Tefsir anf Joahir which treateth of the Exposition of the Alcoran in Turkish IN the Name of God gracious and merciful Praise be to God Creator of Heaven and Earth who created the Angels the Messengers of his Commandments they have wings two three and four he maketh of his Creature what seemeth good to him he is Omnipotent none can comprehend the Grace that he hath given to his People it is incomprehensible he is Omnipotent and most Wise. Oh People remember the grace of God Is there a Creator beside him He enricheth you with the riches of Heaven and Earth there is no God beside him How can the wicked Blaspheme against his Divine Majesty If they traduce thee certainly they traduced the Prophets that were sent before thee they shall be one day assembled before God to be judged Oh ye People what God hath promised is infallible glory not in the wealth of the Earth beware lest the Devil seduce you and render you proud because that God doth a while defer the punishment of your crimes The Devil is your Enemy be ye his Enemies he leadeth them that follow him into the Fire of Hell where they shall suffer the rigors of infinite pains their sins shall be remitted that believe in God and do good works Oftentimes he that delighteth â—…o what he doth doth believeth he doth well God misleadeth and guideth whom it pleaseth him be not unwilling to depart from the wicked God knoweth all their actions He sendeth the Winds that drive the Clâ—…uds unto barren and drie places to refreâ—…h thâ—… 〈◊〉 and cause it to revive after its death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 manner will he raise again the Dead He thaâ—… 〈◊〉 greatness shall find in God all manner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good speeches ascend even to his 〈◊〉 Majesty and our good works are â—…ptable to him Such as conspire against the 〈◊〉 shall endure great torments and their 〈◊〉 become vain and unprofitable God hath created you of dust and mire he created 〈◊〉 men and women the Woman neither conceiveth nor bringeth forth but through his permission no man can either prolong or shorten his life but following what is written in the Book kept in Heaven these things are easie to God. Those two Seas are not like to Euphrates whose water is sweet and pleasant to drink the Water of the Sea is cold and salt nevertheless ye eat of the Fish of the one and the other Ye Fish out of the Sea Gems to adom you you see the Ship to run upon the Waters and cleave the waves for the advantage of your commerce peradventure you will return thanks to God for his graces He causeth the Night to enter into the Day and the Day into the Night he created the Sun and the Moon that run in the Heaven till the Day appointed That God who created these things is your Lord the Empire of the World is his the Idols that ye worship have no more power than the skin of an Almand if ye invoke them they shall not hear you they shall deny you at the Day of Judgment and are not of power to let you know either the joys of Paradise or the torments of Hell. Oh ye People ye are poor and necessitous ye have need of Gods assistance and God hath no want of you praise is due to him in every place he will destroy you if it seem good to him and create another new People in your place none shall bear the burden of another be it never so light or heavy no not when they are near of kin Preach thou the torments of Hell to such as fear their Lord without seeing him and make their prayers at the time appoâ—…d He that
traduced him and were condemned to the fire of hell except such among them as obeyed my Commandments We left his memory happy to posterity thus I reward the righteous he was in the number of them that obeyed my Commandments Lot was in the number of my Prophets and Apostles Remember thou how we delivered him and his family from evident peril except his wife who remained among them that were chastised having saved him we destroyed the wicked they saw in the morning the footsteps of the ruin that befell them the night before will ye not understand this miracle Ionas was in the number of the Prophets Remember thou that he fled in a Ship and was the cause of evil to the Sailors he was swallowed of a Whale had he not repented of his fault he should have continued in the belly of that Fish until the day of Judgment we cast him on the shore extremely feeble we covered him with leaves of Filbert and sent him to preach to more than an hundred thousand persons that we reconverted whose decease we deferred until the time appointed The Infidels have demanded if thy Lord hath daughters as they have sons did we create the Angels male and female in their presence They lye when they say that God hath a son hath he desired to have daughters rather than sons how can you thus blaspheme Consider ye not that he is God alone without children have ye any reason or authority to speak in this manner bring your arguments produce your reason if ye are true The Infidels have said that the Angels were of the lineage of God but the Angels well know that the Infidels shall be damned because of their blasphemies Praised be God he hath neither son nor daughter other than the righteous that worship him and obey his Commandments You with your Idols cannot escape the punishment of your sins ye shall be condemned to the fire of hell There is none among the Angels that knoweth not his place and his order in Paradise to praise and worship his Divine Majesty If the Infidels say we observe the Religion of our Predecessors we are in the right way Say unto them that if they believe not in the Alcoran they shall in fine know their incredulity We have promised protection to believers and Prophets they shall be protected and victorious depart for a time from the wicked consider how God punisheth them they shall feel the punishment of their impiety will they cast themselves headlong into the torments of hell assuredly they will be astonished when they shall feel them depart from their company and consider that they shall not be able to escape the punishment of their crimes Praise thy Lord the Lord of power and greatness above the wicked salvation be to the Prophets and eternal praise to the God of the Universe CHAP. XXXVIII The Chapter of Truth containing fourscore and eight Verses written at Mecca Reader Mahomet intituled this Chapter with the Letter named in the Arabique Alphabet Ssad which signifieth in this place Ssidk that is to say Truth See the Gloss of Gelaldin Kitab el tenoir They have intituled it the Chapter of Truth IN the name of God gracious and merciful I swear by the Alcoran that this Book teacheth the way of Salvation nevertheless the Infidels resist the Faith and are among themselves of a different opinion How many have we destroyed in times past that were like unto them They cried and required succors but they were no longer to be succored The Infidels wonder that a man like themselves should be sent to instruct them they say That he is a Magician and a lyar to preach one sole God. It is a strange thing Their Doctors forsook their Assemblies they went to preach through the City and said Persist to adore your Gods we abjure the belief of the unity of God the last Sect did not preach it it is an evident lye Was Mahomet chosen among us to receive alone the Alcoran descended from Heaven Certainly they doubt the Alcoran they shall know the truth when they shall be in the fire of Hell. Have they in their power the Treasures of the mercy of thy Lord omnipotent and bountiful Possess they the Kingdom of the Heavens and Earth and whatsoever is betwixt them If it be so let them ascend into Heaven with their forces assuredly they shall be shamefully beaten in all places The wicked heretofore defamed Noah Aad Pharoah the maker of Charmes and Temod the Inhabitants of the City of Lot those that dwelt in the Forest and their companions traduced the Prophets and were punished after their demerits nevertheless the Infidels consider not that they shall be chastised when the trumpet shall sound at the day of Judgment and that they shall no more return on earth to be converted They say in scorn Lord give us to see the Book of the Accompt of our sins before the day of Judgment Persevere and be patient be not troubled at their discourse and call to mind our servant David stout and zealous in my Law the Mountains and the Birds praised me with him they assembled in his presence and obeyed him we gave force to his reign and endued him with knowledg and eloquence Hast thou learnt Davids quarrel when they hindred him to enter into the Temple and how he feared his enemies When they entred towards him they said unto him Be not afraid we have a dispute among us judg our difference with equity and teach us the right way This man is my brother he hath fourscore and nineteen sheep I had but one which he hath ravished from me because he was stronger than I. David said He hath done thee wrong art thou troubled for one Ew The greatest part of men arose against their neighbour except such as believe in the Law of God and observe his Commandments which are few in number Then David knew that we had tried him he implored pardon of his sin he humbled himself worshipped us and was converted We gave him pardon of his fault we drew him near unto us and lodged him in a place of content I said unto him O David we have established thee on Earth to determine the differences that shall arise among the people follow not thine own appetite it will seduce thee from the way of Salvation such as shall err from my Law shall suffer grievous pains at the day of Judgment We have not in vain created the Heaven and the Earth as the wicked affirm misery shall befal them they shall be cast headlong and burnt in the fire of Hell. Shall I alike entreat the believers and unbelievers the righteous and the wicked This Book we have sent it to thee and blessed it to the end the people may meditate the mysteries thereof and the wise reap advantage for their salvation We gave Solomon to our servant David he was extreamly zealous in our service Remember that horses ready and vigorous were presented to him about
evening that he forgot to make his prayer at the hour of Vespers and said What Have I preferred the love of the wealth of the Earth to the remembrance of God even until the Sunset He caused them to be led back again and sacrificed some of them for expiation of his fault He caused their legs and necks to be cut off We tried Solomon we caused a supposititious person to sit on his Throne and afterwards restored him to his dominions He said Lord give me thy mercy give me so happy a reign that the like hath not been seen thou art liberal towards thy creatures We made subject to him the winds which blowed at his command where it pleased him We made the Devils subject to him some built his Palaces others dived into the Seas to bring him Pearls and others were bound and chained to attend his commands he retained and dismissed whom he listed with rendring an accompt We drew him near unto us and lodged him in a place of content Remember our servant Iob that he prayed to his Lord and said That the Devil had heaped misery and affliction upon him It was said unto him Strike the Earth with thy foot thou shalt see water spring forth to wash thee and to drink We restored to him his children and his riches through our special grace to be an example to posterity It was said unto him when his wife would have made him to murmur Take rods in thine hand strike thy wife and swerve not from what thou hast promised We found him patient and zealous in obedience to our Commandments Remember our servant Abraham Isaac Iacob affectionate and zealous in our Law we saved and chose them among the righteous Such as have my fear before their eyes shall enjoy the delights of the Garden of Eden where they shall repose upon most glorious beds they shall there have all sorts of fruits and delicious drink and their wives shall not look on any but on them Behold what is promised to them at the day of Judgment and these pleasures shall never end The wicked and Infidels shall be precipitated into the fire of Hell they shall drink boiling water in abundance and water extreamly cold full of all manner of noysom smells they shall be precipitated into the flames and shall say to them that have obeyed them upon Earth May ye be perpetually tormented you have seduced and mis-led us On the contrary may yout selves be tormented you have been the cause of our misery and shall be damned with us Then shall they say Lord encrease the punishment of him that is the cause of our misery Shall we not be able to see them whom we believed on Earth to be Infidels and whom we derided cannot our eyes see Thus shall the damned quarrel Say to the people I am sent only to preach unto you the Unity of God the Omnipotent Creator of Heaven and Earth and of all that is between them Behold the best Sermon that I can make unto you nevertheless you despise it I know not what happened in Heaven when the Angels quarrelled God hath inspired it into me and I am sent but to instruct you and to preach publikely the pains of Hell. Remember thou that God said to his Angels I will create man of the mire of the Earth when I have formed him I will breathe against him and inspire my Spirit into his body prostrate your selves before him with humility The Angels there prostrated themselves except the Devil he was proud and already in the number of the wicked Thy Lord said unto him Wherefore dost thou not humble thy self before the work of my hands Thou art in the number of the proud he replied I am better than man thou hast made me of fire and hast created him of the dust of the Earth Then thy Lord said unto him Get thee hence thou shalt be chastised on all sides and my curse be upon thee until the day of Judgment He answered Lord defer my punishment until the day of the Resurrection he said I will defer it until the day appointed He replied through thy permission I will tempt all the world except such as shall be zealous in thy Law and shall obey thy Commandments He said I telâ—… thee true I tell thee true I will fill Hell with thee and those that shall follow thee Say unto the people I require of you no recompence for my instructions I am not importunate Certainly this Book iâ—… sent only to instruct men you shall one day know the truth of what it containeth CHAP. XXXIX The Chapter of Troops containing seventy five Verses written at Mecca IN the name of God gracious and merciful This book was sent by God the Omnipotent and wise We sent it to thee the contents thereof are most true worship one God alone and obey hiâ—… Commandments faith proceedeth from him alone Such as worship any other but him worship Idols They have said we would not invoke our Idols had they not power to draw uâ—… near to God Certainly God shall judg one day thâ—… difference that is between the believers and unbelievers he guideth not him that is a lyar anâ—… impious If he would have a son he would make choice of one of his creatures that should be pleasing to him praised be God there is buâ—… one God always victorious he created the heavens and the earth with proportion he maketâ—… the night to enter into the day and the day intâ—… the night he created the Sun and the Moon which perform their course in heaven until the daâ—… appointed he is omnipotent and merciful He hatâ—… created all of you of one sole man of whom he created his wife he hath given you clean beasts male and female he formed you in the wombs of your mothers form upon form he brought you out of three obscurities he alone is your God and your Lord the kingdom of the world appertaineth to him there is no God but he How can the Infidel depart from his service If ye will not worship him he hath nothing to do with you he desireth not that his creatures should be impious his Will is that they praise him this is his pleasure and none shall bear the burthen of his neighbour â—…e all shall be assembled before him he will shew ye what you have done he knoweth what is in the hearts of men When man is touched with any affliction he invoketh God and turneth and when he is in prosperity he forgetteth his vows he hath said that God hath a companion equal to him and erreth from the way of his Law. Say unto him thou shalt be awhile tolerated in the end thou shalt be cast headlong into the fire of hell and he that shall pray to God day and night erect prostrate or on the knee with fear of the torments of hell shall enjoy the mercy of his divine Majesty Are such as labour to be compared to them that are
their sins there was none of power to save them for that they despised the Prophets of his Divine Majesty they contemned his Law and were impious but he severely chastised them he is Omnipotent and most severe We sent Moses with Miracles with Reasons clear and intelligible to Pharaoh to Haman and Caron they said that Moses was a Sorcerer and a lyar and when he preached to them the truth on our behalf they said kill him with all those that believe him and make their wives infamous but their conspiracy was but impiety Pharaoh said hinder me not to kill Moses let him invoke his God to save him I fear that he may alter your Law and introduce some disorder in the Land Moses said God mine and your Lord shall defend me from the malice of the proud that believe not the Day of Judgment Then a man of the domestiques of Pharaoh that secretly professed the true Law said will ye slay a man that declareth that God is his Lord And that hath made you to see Miracles If he be a Lyar his lye shall be against him but if he speak the truth something of what he hath preached shall befal you God guideth neither the wicked nor lyars Oh People you this day command on Earth with splendor who shall defend us from the wrath of God if it fall upon us Pharaoh said I speak nothing to you but what I have told you heretofore and I will guide you all into the right way he of his Domestiques that secretly professed the true Law said Oh people I fear lest ye be chastised as have been your predecessors as were the people of Noah Aad Temod and those that were after them God will not do injustice to men I fear for you the Day of Judgment a day when ye shall rise again with terror to render account of your actions he whom God shall seduce shall find none to guide him Certainly Ioseph came heretofore with instructions clear and intelligible Nevertheless ye doubted even until his death and said that after him God shall not send a Prophet like unto him thus doth God seduce the wicked that doubt of his Law he hateth such as dispute without reason they are abhorred of them that believe in his Divine Majesty thus God hardneth the heart of the proud and Tyrants Pharaoh said to * Haman build me an high Palace peradventure I shall arrive at the Heavens and as high as the God of Moses I believe him to be a Lyar. Thus Pharaoh delighted in his wicked actions he erred from the right way and his conspiracy was but his destruction He of his Family that was a True believer said Oh people follow me I will guide you into the right way the riches of the Earth pass away lightly and the riches of Heaven are Eternal he that doth evil shall find evil who doth good man or woman believing in God shall enter into Paradise where he shall be enriched innumerably with all manner of riches Wherefore invite you me to precipitate my self into the Fire of Hell since I exhort you to your Salvation Ye invite me to be wicked and to believe that God hath companions and I know it is not so I call you to the Omnipotent and merciful God doubtless I will not worship your Idols they cannot hear you either in this World or in the other we all shall be one day assembled before God who will condemn Infidels to the Fire of Hell consider hereafter what to you I have preached I am resigned to the will of God he beholdeth all the actions of his creatures he shall chastise them for the evil that they shall commit and for their wicked designs He sent his punishment upon the Lineage of Pharaoh they deserved to be precipitated into the Fire of Hell they shall burn Evening and Morning It shall be said to them at the Day of Judgment oh People of Pharaoh go enter into the Fire of Hell. The Infidels shall quarrel in Hell the poor shall say unto the rich We followed you are ye able this day to deliver us from Eternal flames They shall answer we all are damned with you God is a most just Judg. The damned shall say to the Ministers of Hell Pray to your Lord that he may asswage these torments for one day they shall answer had ye not on Earth the Prophets and Apostles of God to instruct you They shall say Yes pray therefore to God your selves the wicked love nothing but impiety I will protect on Earth my Prophets and them that observe my Law and particularly at the Day of Judgment that day the wicked shall have no excuse that shall advantage them my curse shall fall upon them and they all shall be damned We taught Moses the way of Salvation and made the Children of Israel heirs of his instructions to instruct them that shall understand them Persevere and be patient the promise of God is infallible implore pardon of thy sins and exalt the praise of thy Lord Evening and Morning They that dispute against the Commandments of God are without reason and have nought in their Souls but pride and ignorance Implore succor of God he understandeth and seeth all things the Creation of the Heavens and of the Earth is greater than the Creation of men but the greatest part of men know it not the Blind is not like to him that seeth clearly he that doth good is not like to him that doth evil neither is obscurity such as the light but few men consider it Doubtless the Day of Judgment shall come nevertheless the greatest part of men will not believe it Your Lord hath said Call upon me I will hear you such as shall resist my Law shall go into Hell and be Eternally seduced God hath created the Night for repose and the day for travel he is bountiful towards his creatures but the greatest part of the people are ingrateful God is your Lord Creator of all things there is no God but he How can the wicked Blaspheme So do they blaspheme that are ingrateful for the graces of God he hath established you on Earth he hath covered you with the Heavens he hath formed you enriched you he is your God your Lord blessed be God Lord of the Universe he it is that giveth and depriveth you of life there is no God but he be obedient to him and observe his Law praised be God Lord of the Universe who hath created you of mire Say unto the Infidels I am forbidden to worship the Idols that ye adore God hath taught me his unity I have received command to worship none but the Lord of the Universe he created you of dust and mire and congealed Blood he causeth you to be born little Infants he maketh you to arrive to the age of discretion to virility and old age many die before that age and all attain to the time of their destiny peradventure ye shall understand his Unity he it
is that maketh you to live and to die and when he willeth any thing he saith Be thou and it is See ye not that they that dispute against his Commandments depart from his Law Such as reject our Commandments and what we enjoyned our Prophets to preach to men shall find their errors when they shall see Chains on their Necks and Fetters on their feet they shall be dragged and burned in Hell then shall it be said unto them where are those Idols that ye adored upon Earth They shall answer they are departed from us certainly they are without power thus God seduceth Infidels to their confusion It shall be said unto them These pains befal you for that ye were proud and insolent without reason enter within the gates of Hell which is the habitation of the proud ye shall dwell there Eternally Be patient and and persevere the word of God is infallible I will make thee to see a part of what I have promised to men I will cause thee to die and thou shalt behold them all assembled to be judged Certainly we sent Prophets before thee we have spoken to thee of one part of our Apostles and the rest are concealed from thee neither Prophet nor Apostles can preach any thing without God's permission he chastiseth the wicked when he pleaseth he shall judg the differences that are between them and the Prophets and shall destroy the unbelievers God hath created the beasts for your use some ye eat and others serve you to ride on from them ye reap profit they bear the burden as likewise do the Ships for the advantage of your commerce God manifesteth to you his graces And what graces Will ye despise them Do not unbelivers consider the end of them that were before them who were more powerful and rich than they Their Treasures did not save them they derided the Prophets and Apostles that preached to them and in the end felt the pains that they had despised When they shall fear the torments of Hell they shall say We believe in One God alone and renounce Idols This profession of Faith shall be unprofitable to them in Hell they shall incur the rigor of the Law of God that was observed against their predecessors and all unbelievers shall be damned CHAP. XLI The Chapter of Exposition containing Fifty and Four Verses written at Mecca Reader Gelaldin entituled this Chapter Of Adoration IN the Name of God gracious and merciful The Alcoran was sent by the gracious and merciful God It explaineth Divine Mysteries in the Arabique Tongue to them that have knowledg to understand them it proclaimeth to the good the delights of Paradise and preacheth to the wicked the torments of Hell nevertheless the greatest part of the world depart from the Faith and hear not thy words They say We have obdurate hearts we cannot comprehend what thou preachest our ears are stopped we are too remote to hear what thou sayest Observe thy Law we will live after our own Say unto them I am a man like you your God is one sole God be obedient to him and beg pardon of him for your sins Misery is upon unbelievers that pay not Tythes and believe not in the day of Judgment The believers that shall do good works shall enjoy an infinite reward Say unto them How will ye be wicked towards him that created the Earth in two days how can you say that he hath a Companion equal to him He is sole Lord of the Universe he raised the Mountains blessed the Earth and gave to every Region the particulars thereof in four days for them that shall have need After this he ascended into Heaven that was like unto smoke and said unto Heaven and Earth Ye shall obey me either through force or affection They answered Lord we will be obedient to thy Commandments He created seven Heavens in two days and disposed every Heaven after his own will he adorned them with Stars and preserveth them from the malice of the Devil This is an effect of his Omnipotency he is omnipotent and knoweth all things If the unbelievers depart from the Faith say unto them I have threatened you as heretofore thunder did the people of Aad and Temod when the Prophets taught them the Law of the ancient True-believers to wit To worship but one God They said Were it Gods pleasure to alter our Law he would have sent us Angels to reach unto us we will not beiieve in thy Mission The people of Aad waxed proud on the Earth without reason and said Who is more powerful than we will they not consider that he that created them is more powerful and wealthy than they Nevertheless they despised our Commandments We sent against them a cold and impetuous wind in an unhappy time that made them to suffer on Earth shame and ignominy because of their crimes He shall cause them to feel the pains of Hell that are much greater than those of the Earth and they shall be eternally deprived of protection We instructed the men of Temod in the right way they preferred blindness to light and impiety to Salvation they were surprized by thunder and suffered great afflictions because of their sins We saved none of them but the believers who had our fear before their eyes Be thou mindful of the day that the enemies of God shall be assembled in Hell they shall defend their cause before the Judg until testimony be brought against them their ears their eyes and their skin shall be witnesses of their iniquities They shall say Wherefore do ye witness against us They shall answer He that made us to speak giveth speech to every thing he it is that created you and ye are this day assembled before him to be judged Ye did not well conceal your selves when ye offended him your ears your eyes your skin are witnesses against you ye believed that God should not see your sins this was your opinion Certainly he shall chastise you and you all shall be in the number of the damned Persevere and be thou patient the fire of Hell shall be their habitation they shall not be able to please God in the flames We have given them the Devils for their Companions who caused them to delight in sin The word of God shall be accomplished against them as it was accompllshed against their Predecessors as well men as Devils that are condemned The unbelievers have said Hear not that Alcoran it is full of error peradventure ye shall be seduced I will cause them to suffer grievous pains and will chastise them after their demerits such is the reward of Gods enemies They shall remain eternally in the fire of Hell because they despise his Commandments The wicked shall say at the day of Judgment Lord let us see the Devils and the men that seduced us we will trample them under our feet and precipitate them to the bottom of Hell. Such as shall have professed the Law of God as shall have
obeyed his Commandments shall be visited by the Angels and shall that day be free from fear and affliction They shall say unto them Rejoice ye in Paradise that is prepared for you ye shall there find all the contentments that ye shall desire they have been prepared for you by the gracious and merciful There is nothing better than to pray to God than to do good works and to profess his unity Good and evil are not alike Expel evil with thy good works There is an exceeding great antipathy between Faith and Impiety Faith is given to such as persevere to do well and to them that are endued with the grace of God. The Devil will tempt thee but implore assistance from God he heareth and knoweth all things The night and the day the Sun and the Moon are Signs of his Omnipotency Adore neither the Sun nor the Moon worship God that created them If the Infidels resist the Faith the Angels that are in Paradise desist not notwithstanding to exalt the glory of his Divine Majesty day and night without intermission It is a sign of his Omnipotency to see the barren and dry Earth to change the face and become green when it is watered with rain He that maketh the plants to revive is he that maketh every thing to live and die he is Omnipotent Such as depart from our Commandments cannot hide themselves from us shall he that shall be precipitated into Hell be better lodged than he that shall be saved at the day of Judgment Do what shall please you your Lord beholdeth all your actions I will chastise them that traduce the Alcoran it is a precious Book it is approved by the ancient and modern Scriptures it is sent from the glorious and merciful None other thing shall be spoken to thee than what hath been spoken to the Prophets that preceded thee thy Lord is merciful and just Had we sent the Alcoran in the Persian tongue to a Prophet an Arabian by Nation the wicked would have said That the Divine Mysteries are not well explained Say unto them It is the guide of Believers and a remedy to their ignorance Infidels have deaf ears they are blind and hear not as those that are called too far off Certainly we gave the Book and the Law to Moses Unbelievers doubt but if thy Lord had not said That he would defer their punishment until the day of Judgment he had already chastised them in this world because they doubt of the truth Whosoever shall do good shall find good and the evil that a man committeth shall be against him Thy Lord doth no injustice to his Creatures None but he knoweth the day of Judgment no fruit nor flower springeth out of the Earth and woman neither conceiveth nor bringeth forth but by his permission Be thou mindful of the day that thy Lord shall call Idolaters and demand of them where be their Idols They shall say Lord we acknowledg thy Unity none of us will hereafter adore those false gods They that worshipped one God departed from Idolaters they know that the punishment of their sins is infallible Man never ceaseth to require riches and is troubled when evil befalleth him if we give him good after his affliction he saith that he foresaw it and hath no thought of the coming of the day of Judgment if he be converted thy Lord openeth to him the Gate of Paradise I will make the wicked to know their wickedness and will most severely punish them when we bestow wealth on man he followeth his Idolatry and his sin and when he is touched in affliction he aboundeth in prayer Say unto them know ye not that the Alcoran proceedeth from God nevertheless ye have renounced it who is more impious than he that impugneth the known truth I will cause them to see my Miracles even to the utmost parts of Heaven and Earth and in their own persons to the end they may know the truth of the Alcoran Sufficeth it not them that thy Lord seeth all things nevertheless they are in doubt of the Resurrection and of being assembled before him to be judged certainly God is omniscient CHAP. XLII The Chapter of Counsel containing Fifty and three Verses written at Mecca IN the Name of God gracious and merciful God is Prudent Wise Majestick he understandeth all things and is omnipotent God hath sent thee the same inspirations that he sent to them that did precede thee he is omnipotent and wise whatsoever is in Heaven and in Earth appertaineth to him he is omnipotent and knoweth all things the Heavens open at his command the Angels exalt his glory and implore his pardon for them that are on earth he is merciful he beholdeth them that invoke Idols and knoweth them all but thou art not their Tutor We have inspired into thee the Alcoran in the Arabick Tongue to preach to the Inhabitants of Mecca and such as dwell about that City we have sent thee to preach unto them the day of Judgment there is no doubt that one part of men shall be saved and the other shall be damned had it pleased God he had created them of one and the same Religion he giveth his grace to whom he listeth and Infidels shall be deprived of succour because they have required the protection of Idols but God is the true protector of the world he reviveth the dead and is omnipotent he shall one day judg all the difficulties and resolve all your doubts in your Religion he is my Lord I recommend my self to his divine will he created your wife of your selves he created all beasts male and female and caused you to multiply there is not any thing like unto him he keepeth the keys of the Treasures of Heaven and Earth and taketh away and giveth wealth as pleaseth him The Law that I gave to Noah Abraham Moses and Iesus is that which I commanded thee to observe viz. to believe in one God. The Infidels are angry when thou preachest to them the unity of God he teacheth it whom he pleaseth and guideth into the right way them that obey him the wicked approve some points of his Law and reject the rest although they have knowledg of his Unity and that through the envy that is risen among them if thy Lord had not heretofore said that he would defer their punishment until the day of Judgment he had already destroyed them many of those who after them shall have knowledg of the Scriptures shall doubt of his Law but follow thou the way that is appointed thee and follow not their appetites Say unto them I believe in the Book that God hath sent I have received commandment to preach unto you that God is your and our Lord ye shall answer for your actions and we shall answer for ours it is not necessary to dispute against us God will one day assemble us in his presence to judg our differences he is our refuge such as dispute against the faith after
knowledg of the truth are without reason their arguments shall be vain with God they shall be the object of his wrath and shall suffer exceeding great pains God hath sent the Alcoran with truth and ballance he will not instruct thee when the day of Judgment shall be Such as have no faith in him ask when it shall come and they that believe him fear the coming thereof and know it to be infallible such as doubt are erroneous from the right way God is merciful to his people and enricheth whom he pleaseth he is strong and omnipotent he increaseth the graces of him that desireth the riches of Heaven he giveth the wealth of the Earth to them that affect it and depriveth them of the riches of Heaven Are there wicked ones among men that teach them a false Religion prohibited of God God hath not revealed it to them had he not deferred their punishment until the day of Judgment he had already destroyed them they shall in the end feel grievous torments ye shall see them fear their own deportments ye shall see them chastised after their demerits and the believers that do good works shall enjoy the delights of Paradise where they shall find whatsoever they shall desire this is the great grace of God this is that which he hath proclaimed to the faithful that believed and have done good works Say unto them I require none other recompence for the pains that I take in preaching to you than to love my kindred he that shall do any good work shall be rewarded God is merciful and good works are pleasing to him Will they say that thou hast blasphemed against God If it please God he shall hinder thee to hear this discourse or will imprint patience in thine heart he abolisheth lyes and confirmeth the truth through his words he knoweth whatsoever is in the hearts of men he accepteth the conversion of his Creatures he pardoneth their sins and knoweth all their actions he heareth the prayers of the faithful that do good works and augmenteth his grace upon them but Infidels shall undergo the rigors of eternal pains Had God equally enriched all his Creatures they had been in confusion upon earth he enricheth whom he pleaseth he seeth and knoweth all he sendeth rain when men despair of his grace he is the Protector of believers and praise is due to him eternally the Creation of the Heavens and of the Earth and of all that moveth between them is a sign of thine Omnipotency If evil befal you believe that ye have deserved it nevertheless he pardoneth you many things ye cannot escape his punishment on earth and none is able to protect you against him the vessel that runneth upon the water big as a mountain is a token of his Omnipotency to them that persevere in his Law and acknowledg his graces He shall reprove the wicked for their sins and shall pardon many They that dispute against his Commandments cannot escape their punishment the riches that we possess are the riches of the earth the riches that God bestoweth on them that trust in him are eternal They that depart from mortal sins that repent to have committed them that beg of God to be heard and persevere in their supplications they that take counsel and consult among them what they ought to do that employ in good works part of the wealth that God hath given them that implore his help in their afflictions such as do good and such as commit evil shall be recompensed and punished according to their works God abhorreth Infidels ye have no power over them that implore his assistance in their affliction and repent your power extendeth over them that do injustice to the people and disobey on earth the Commandments of his divine Majesty they shall suffer great torments Such as persevere in well-doing and pardon their neighbour do what God hath Commanded He whom God shall mislead shall find none to guide him Thou shalt see that the Infidels shall ask if they may return into the world when they shall behold the fire of hell thou shalt see them flie with extream fear of external ignominy they shall look awry upon hell and the believers shall see that the wicked that have lost their souls that have mislead their family and all the impious shall be eternally damned none shall be able to save them and he that God shall mislead shall not find the right way Say unto them beg pardon of God before the day come that ye shall find no way to return into the world nor excuse for your sins If they disobey thee we have not sent thee to be their Tutor thou art sent only to preach unto them When we give to man any prosperity he rejoyceth and when affliction befalleth him he is ingrateful for the graâ—…e of his Lord King of the heavens and 〈◊〉 God giveth children sons and daughrers to whom he pleaseth he knoweth all things and is omnipotent he speaketh not to man but by inspiration and parable without being seen he sendeth his Prophets and Apostles into whom he inspireth what pleaseth him he knoweth all things and is omnipotent Thus have we sent thee our spirit to teach thee our Commandments thou knowest not before what was written in the Alcoran neither thy mysteries of faith we have sent it to thee to be a light to the world I will guide into the way of Salvation whom I please I will guide him into the way of the Lord to whom belongeth all that is in Heaven and Earth and who disposeth of all things CHAP. XLIII The Chapter of Ornament containng Eighty and nine Verses written at Mecca Exteri intituled this Chapter The Chapter of Gold. IN the name of God gracious and merciful God is prudent and wise I swear by the Book that teacheth to do well that we have sent it in the Arabique tongue peradventure ye shall understand the Alcoran it is written in our original Book majestique and mysterious Shall I conceal from you the Book of Salvation if ye be wicked How many Prophets and Apostles have we sent in past Ages whom unbelievers have despised We destroyed the most powerful among them and all have incurred the pain of their predecessors If thou ask of them who created Heaven and Earth they will say that it is the Omnipotent who knoweth all things Who hath extended the Earth under you Who established the wayes to guide you It is God he causeth the rain to descend from Heaven in your necessity he maketh the dead dry and barren fields to revive in like manner shall the dead come out of their Sepulchers He it is that created whatsoever is in the world of divers kinds and species and created the Ships and beast to carry you Remember the grace of your Lord say praised be he that created for us these things we had not the power to create them They also shall return before the Lord to be judged The Infidels have divided God
in the Law of Salvation that they pardon those that have not the fear of God before their eyes God shall chastise them after their demerits Whosoever shall do good shall find good and ye shall be assembled before his dâ—…vine Majesty to be judged Certainly we instructed the children of Israel in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our Commandments we taught 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…nd gave them the grace of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 them with all sorts of riches anâ—… 〈◊〉 them to all the world We taught 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 none disputed against our Commandments but sucâ—… as had knowledg and that through the envy thaâ—… arose among them but thy Lord shall judge 〈◊〉 differences at the day of Judgment We havâ—… sent thee our Law observe it and follow not thâ—… appetites of the ignorant they shall not be able 〈◊〉 deliver thee from eternal pains The Infidels 〈◊〉 each other and the true believers obey Goâ—… This book is the light of the world it guideth iâ—… to the way of salvation and the mercy of Goâ—… them that believe in his divine Majesty Do 〈◊〉 wicked imagine they shall be entreated like the 〈◊〉 ly in their life and death and that they shall not 〈◊〉 judged God hath created heaven and earth 〈◊〉 a mark of his power he shall judge every oâ—… according to their works and shall do injustice 〈◊〉 none Consider how they worship what comeâ—… into their fancy God hath seduced them from hâ—… certain knowledg he hath rendred them 〈◊〉 hath hardned their heart and blinded them whâ—… shall guide if God seduce them Do they 〈◊〉 consider it They say our Resurrection shall 〈◊〉 like the life of this world some die others 〈◊〉 born length of years cause us to die they knoâ—… not what they say and speak but by opinioâ—… When they are preached unto they have no 〈◊〉 discourse to utter But make our fathers to revive what ye say be true Say unto them God causeâ—… you to live and die and shall assemble you at thâ—… day of Judgment there is no doubt in this bâ—… the greatest part of the people know it not Goâ—… is the King 〈◊〉 the heavens and earth and of thâ—… day of 〈◊〉 that day shall he assemble 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 see all Sects and all Religioâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 upon their knees eveâ—… Sect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their sins written in a particular booâ—… and 〈◊〉 all â—…hastifed after their demeriâ—… â—…t shall be said unto them Behold the Book that speaketh against you we have exactly written what you have done God shall give his mercy to the Righteous that is Supream felicity It shall be said to the wicked have not the Commandments of God been preached to you Ye became proud and were incredulous when it was â—…old you that the promises of God and the Day of Judgment were indubitable ye said that it was but an opinion and that ye believe it not in the end ye shall acknowledg your offence and shall suffer the pains that ye despised God shall say unto them at the Day of Judgment I have this day forgotten you as ye forgot the coming of this day the â—…ire of Hell shall be your Habitation none shall deâ—…iver you because ye derided my Law and waxed â—…roud with the Riches of the Earth They shall neâ—…er get out of this Fire neither be able to repent â—…raise be to God Lord of the Heavens and Earth â—…lory is due to him in all places he is Omnipoâ—…ent and wise CHAP. XLVI The Chapter of Hecaf containing Thirty five Verses written at Mecca Hecaf is a Valley in the Countrey of Licmen â—…pon the frontiers of Arabia See Gelaldin and â—…he Book entituled Kitab el Tenoir IN the Name of God gracious and merciful God is most Prudent and Wise. This Book was sent by the Omnipotent and Wise. We created the Heavens and the Earth and all that is between them for a sign of our Omnipotency and Unity and appointed to every thing a prefixed and limited time If the Infidels depart from that which hath been preached to them say unto them Have ye considered the Idols that ye adore Shew me what they have created on earth are they God's companions in â—…he Creation of the Heavens Bring me a Book sent from Heaven before the Alcoran that containeth like it what remained of the Doctrine of our Predecessors we shall see if ye be true Who is more seduced than he that worshippeth things that can neither hear his prayers nor protect him at the Day of Judgment That day shall the Infidels be enemies to each other and the Idols shall not acknowledg them that have worshipped them When they heard the Alcoran read they affirmed it to contain the truth and when they were commanded to observe it they said That it is but Magick Will they say That thou hast invented it Say unto them If I have invented it ye cannot deliver me from the punishment of God he knoweth all that is in this Book it is sufficient that he is witness between you and me he is gracious and merciful Say unto them I am not the first Prophet nor the first Apostle that God hath sent I know not what God shall determine of you and me I do but what he hath inspired into me and am sent to preach the torments of Hell have ye considered in what condition ye shall be if the Alcoran be sent from God Ye have renounced it but one of the Children of Israel is witness that it is sent from God and hath believed in his Divine Majesty 〈◊〉 ye are become proud God guideth nor 〈◊〉 â—…roud The Infidels say to the Belieâ—…ers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were any good thing you should not exceed us in observing it it guideth not into the way of Salvation it is but an old Fable the Book of Moses that came before it teacheth the right way and the Will of God Say unto them the Alcoran confirmeth the Scriptures sent heretofore to them that preceded us it is in the Arabique Tongue he preacheth the pains of Hell to unbelievers and declareth the joys of Paradise to the Righteous Such as shall believe that God is their Lord and shall obey him ought to fear nothing they shall suffer none affliction at the Day of Judgment they shall enjoy Paradise for the reward of their good works We have recommended to man to honour Father and Mother and to do good to them his Mother beareth him with pain she bringeth forth with dolour she giveth him suck and weaneth him at the end of Thirty months she hath care of him until he be in a condition to govern himself and hath attained to Age of discretion Then he saith Lord inspire me to be grateful for the grace that thou hast given to my Father and Mother if I do well thou wilt accept it take care of my Posterity I trust in thee and desire to obey thy Commandments Their prayer shall be heard their sins shall be pardoned and they shall enjoy the
joys of Paradise prepared for the Righteous He that shall speak to his Father and Mother in civility and shall say unto them in derision will ye bring me yet once more into the World after my death will ye revive me from my grave Many are dead heretofore that are not return'd He shall be punish'd of God his Father and Mother shall require help of his Divine Majesty and shall say unto him My Son misery is with thee believe in God and in the Resurrection the Word of God is infallible if he reply that it is an old Fable he shall feel the punishment of God the Word of his Divine Majesty shall be accomplished against him as it hath been accomplished against them that did precede him in impiety as well Devils as men they shall be damned they shall be in sundry degrees of pains he shall chastise them after their demerits and no injustice shall be done to them It shall be said to the wicked that would depart out of Hell fire Ye expelled your felicity when ye lived in the World your punishment was deferred until this present ye shall this day be punished in this Fire because of your pride and crimes Remember thou the Brother of Aad who preached the torments of Hell in the Valley of Hecaf his words was heard in his time and are come to Posterity viz. worship but one God alone if you do otherwise I apprehend for you the Day of Judgment They answered him Art thou come to hinder us to adore our gods Let us see the torments that thou preachest to us if thou art true He said God knoweth in what time he will chastise you I preach to you what hath been appointed me to preach but I see that ye are obstinate When they beheld a black cloud appear which approached the place of their habitation they said Behold a Cloud that shall give us Rain on the contrary it is the punishment that ye have demanded it is full of an impetuous wind that shall destroy you through the Commandment of God in the Morning their houses were found empty of inhabitants Thus God chastiseth the wicked ye dwell in the places which they inhabited they had hearts eyes and ears but their hearts eyes and ears were to them unprofitable the evil which they despised befel them when they neglected to observe the Commandments of God. We have destroyed whatsoever is round about Mecca and have made the effects of our Omnipotency to appear peradventure the inhabitants thereof will be converted The Idols that they worshipped and those to whom they sacrificed did not save them on the contrary they forsook them because of their blasphemies Remember thou that we sent to thee Devils that desired to hear a Lecture of the Alcoran when they heard thee they said Hark he begins and when thou madest an end they returned with exceeding great fear and said to their companions We have heard a Lecture of a Book sent from Heaven after the Book of Moses it confirmeth the ancient Scriptures teacheth the truth and guideth the people into the way of salvation O people hear him that calleth you to the Law of God and to the observance of his Commandments believe him God shall pardon your sins and deliver you from the pains of Hell such as shall not hearken to him shall not escape the punishment of their crimes and shall be deprived of protection at the day of Judgment such men are seduced from the way of salvation Consider they not that God who created Heaven and Earth did not labour in creating them that he is able to give life and death and is omnipotent Be thou mindful of the day that the Infidels shall desire to get out of the fire of Hell it shall be said unto them Are not the pains that were preached to you true they shall say yes Lord it shall be said to them Taste then the torments which ye have merited through your impiety Persevere thou as the Prophets thy Predecessors persevered Be not impatient till thou see the punishment of Infidels they shall see it when they shall rise again and shall believe that they have been but an hour in their Sepulchres This is that which God hath commanded to preach he shall destroy those only that disobey his Commandments CHAP. XLVII The Chapter of the Combat containing fourscore and eight Verses written at Mecca IN the name of God gracious and merciful Good works are vain and unprofitable to the wicked and to them that hinder their neighbour to follow the Law of God he pardoneth their sins who believe in what Mahomet hath preached it is the very truth that proceedeth from his Divine Majesty but the Infidels have followed vanity and the believers have embraced the truth sent from their Lord Thus God speaketh to the people in Parables When ye shall meet the Infidels in time of war cut their necks pursue them until ye take them prisoners then bind them after this ye shall either give them liberty or put them to ransome until their party shall lay down arms If God pleased he could give you victory without fighting but his will is to prove you he guideth into Paradise them that are slain for the defence of his Law and giveth them his grace Oh ye that believe in God! If ye protect the Law of God God will protect you he will confirm your steps and destroy the Infidels because they have contemned his Commandments and their good works shall be to them unprofitable consider they not what hath been the end of the impious that were before them and that God hath destroyed them He shall destroy them in like manner because he protecteth the Believers and Infidels are deprived of his protection he maketh the righteous to enter into Paradise into Gardens wherein flow many Rivers The punishment of the wicked is sometimes deferred in this world they live like beasts but the fire of Hell is prepared for their punishment How many Cities stronger and more opulent than that which they caused thee to abandon have we destroyed They found no protection Are such as embrace the Law of God like to them that follow their own appetites God hath promised Paradise to them that have his fear before their eyes there be in Paradise rivers of water that receiveth no alteration there be rivers of milk that never corrupteth rivers of wine savoury and delicious to the taste rivers of honey pure and clean fruits of all sorts and the grace of God for them that shall obey his Commandments the wicked shall remain eternally in the fire of Hell where they shall drink a boiling liquor that shall burn their entrails There be persons among the Insidels that hear what thou dost preach when they are gone from thee their Doctors demand of them what thou hast said concerning the day of Judgment God hath hardned the hearts of such men and they shall never follow but their own passions God encreaseth the
impetuous Wind against those wicked people that destroyed them Temod is an example of our Omnipotency with his Nation they waxed proud and resisted the Commandments of their Lord when it was said to them that the punishment of the wicked was deferred to another time but Thunder surprised them they saw it they had not the power to stand on their feet and were deprived of protection The People of Noah's time are an example of our Omnipotency we destroyed them because they were impious We built Heaven with strength and virtue I am he that giveth power and strength we extended the Earth and created of every thing Male and Female perhaps ye will consider it Say unto them Turn ye to God I am sent from him to preach to you the pains of Hell Believe not that God hath another God with him the wicked said heretofore that the Prophets and Apostles whom he sent were Magicians and possessed of the Devil Have they recommended to their Posterity to do the like Certainly they are in a great error Separate thy self far from their company and be not troubled at what they say preach the Alcoran it is profitable to the Righteous I did not create the Devils and men but to worship me Say unto them I require nothing of unbelievers for instructing them I require not that they nourish me God enricheth whom he pleaseth he is omnipotent the wicked shall be chastised as heretofore have been their predecessors in their malice their time shall come and misery shall befal them at the day of Judgment CHAP. LII The Chapter of the Mountain containing thirty nine Verses written at Mecca IN the name of God gracious and merciful I swear by the Mountain upon which God spake to Moses by what is contained in the book written in parchment by the first Temple of Mecca by the arches of the heavens and by the sea full of water that God is one sole God and the punishment promised to unbelievers is infallible they shall not be able to escape it in the day when the heaven shall tremble and the mountains shall walk that day shall be unhappy to the incredulous they shall be precipitated in the fire of hell it shall be said to them behold the flames that ye despised is this Magick See ye it not enter have patience or ye will despair ye shall be chastised after your demerits They that shall have the fear of God before their eyes shall be in delicious gardens which God hath prepared for them and shall be delivered from the pains of hell It shall be said unto them Drink and eat at your pleasure for recompence of your good works they shall repose upon beds well ordered we will marry them to wives that shall have fair eyes they shall be attended of their family and be largely rewarded for their good works every good action shall be to them a degree of happiness We will give them such fruits and Vines as they shall desire they shall present to each other the cup to drink they shall not speak an evil word and shall not sin they shall have Pages about them for their service beautiful as polished pearls they shall discourse among them concerning what they did before on Earth and say We were in the world we and our families with a great apprehension of the pains of hell but God hath gratified us he hath delivered us from eternal flames They shall say moreover we worshipped in the world but one God most just and most merciful Remember thou to preach the Alcoran thou art not ingrateful for the grace of God thou art not possessed of the Devil will they say that thou art a Poet a Rimer that nothing must be expected from thee but fables of past Ages Say unto them ye expect the time of my destruction but I with you expect the time of your ruine Do their Superiors command them to speak in this manner Will they be obstinate in their errors Will they say that Mahomet hath invented the Alcoran Certainly they are incredulous let them bring any discourse like to this book in Doctrine and Eloquence if what they affirm be true Were they created of any thing have they created any thing have they created themselves have they created the Heavens and the Earth Certainly they are incredulous Have they in their power the treasures of thy Lord are they Giants Have they a ladder that may raise them to hear what is spoken in Heaven let them produce some reason of their opinion Believe ye that God hath daughters and that ye have sons Will ye require of him a Salary for obeying his Law Is he your debtor The wicked are lyars do they know what shall be do they write it Desire they to conspire against thee The wicked often conspire against the righteous that worship but one God Praised be God he hath no companion If the Infidels should see a piece of the heaven to fall they would say It is a cloud driven by the winds leave them in their obstinacy until they come to the day of their death that day shall their conspiracy be vain and they deprived of protection They likewise shall be punished before their death but the greatest part know it not Have patience and expect the Judgment of God thou shalt soon see it I will protect thee and thou shalt not want help Praise thy Lord exalt his glory when thou shalt rise praise him in the night and before the Stars disappear CHAP. LIII The Chapter of the Star containing sixty Verses written at Mecca IN the name of God gracious and merciful I sweat by the Star that disappeareth that your friend Mahomet erreth not he speaketh nothing of his own he speaketh but what hath been inspired into him by the omnipotent and most bountiful God. The Angel approached him in the highest place of Heaven within the length of two bowes and somewhat nearer God hath inspired into him what he hath inspired into his servant who altered nothing of what hath been inspired into him He hath spoken what he hath seen and in what form the Angel was Dispute not against him concerning what he saw he another time saw the Angel in heaven near to the Tree that is at the right side of Gods throne and although that tree was covered with that which covered him his sight was not dazled and he is not in error Certainly he hath seen the great wonders of his Lord Have ye considered Alat Az and Menat those three Idols Will ye swear that God hath daughters and that ye have sons Ye will make a false oath and shall be in a manifest error Those Idols have nothing but the names which your fathers and you have given them God hath not commanded you to worship them Ye follow only your passions remote from the truth God teacheth you the way of Salvation by the mouth of his Prophet doth man obtain from Idols what he required of them God is
punishment but he surprized them and did cast terror into their hearts and they destroyed their dwelling places with their own hands to assist the True believers O ye that are wise consider their end If God had not appointed them to quit their Countrey he had chastised them in some other manner they in the end shall suffer the pains of Hell fire because they have disobeyed his Commandments and his Prophet he that shall disobey him shall be severely chastised ye cut not Palm-trees and leave none standing but through Gods permission he covereth with shame and infamy them that disobey him He commandeth you to give to the Prophet a part of the spoil that ye shall gain from your enemies as well of Horses and Camels as of other spoils he endueth him with power and authority over whom he pleaseth he is Omnipotent He enjoineth you to give to the Prophet a part of what ye shall conquer over them of the City of Mecca he commandeth what pleaseth him Give a share to God to the Prophet his Parents Orphaus the poor and Pilgrims that no disorder may arise among you that are rich perform what the Prophet shall command you abstain from what he shall prohibit you and fear God he is severe in his chastisements Do good to the poor that have forsaken their faculties and houses and separated themselves from the wicked for the Service of God and to defend his Law and Prophet They that before them forsook their houses for the Service of God affect those that have followed them they bear them no malice for the wealth they possess although themselves are necessitous They that are not avaricious shall be happy such as shall succeed them shall pray for them and say Lord pardon our sins and our brethren that were our Predecessors in the observance of thy Commandments infuse no malice into our hearts against them that follow thy Law thou art gracious and merciful Seest thou not that the wicked say to their brethren wicked as themselves Had ye not so soon left Medina we had gone out with you and had never obeyed him whom ye have obeyed had ye fought we had defended you God seeth that they are impious had they delayed to go forth they should not have gone forth with them had they fought they would not have succoured them they had turned the back and had found no protection they fear men more than God because they are ignorant The Iews shall not fight against you together unless in their Fortresâ—…es and behind Walls the War among them is cruel but think not that they may assemble and unite themselves their hearts are divided because they are ignorant they are like their Predecessors who were chastised and slain and shall suffer great torments at the Day of Judgment they are like to him whom the Devil hath seduced and said to him I am innocent of thine impiety I fear God Lord of the Universe the end of both is to be cast headlong into the fire of Hell where they shall abide Eternally such is the reward of the wicked O ye that believe fear God and consider what ye shall do at the Day of Judgment fear God he knoweth whatsoever ye do be not like to those that forget his Commandments he forgetteth them and they continue in the number of the damned they shall be most miserable and such as shall go into Paradise shall be blessed If we should make the Alcoran to descend upon a Mountain it will open it self with the fear it will have of the Word of God. Thus do I speak in Parables to the People peradventure they will be converted There is but One only God who knoweth what is present future and past he is gracious and merciful there is but one God King of all things He is holy the delieverer true the punisher strong powerful glorious Praised be God he bath no companion he is God the Creator who hath formed whatsoever is in the World all glorious Attributes are due to him whatsoever is in Heaven and Earth exalt his glory he is Omnipotent and Wise. CHAP. LX. The Chapter of Tryal containing Eighteen Verses written at Mecca Some Mahometan Doctors have intituled this the Chapter of Vocation because it entreateth of Women that forsook thrir Husbands to follow the Law of Mahomet who appointed to try their hearts intention and to know their Vocation IN the Name of God gracious and merciful O ye that believe obey not mine nor your enemies ye shew kindness to them when ye meet them nevertheless they reject the truth that hath been sent unto them and chase away the Prophet and you also and that because ye believe in God your Lord seek not their friendship when ye fight against them for my Law I know what ye ought to fear and ye know it not he that shall do what is here above prohibited followeth an evil way if they have advantage over you they will be your enemies they will stretch forth their hands and Tongues against you they will revile you and desire that you may renounce your faith if ye do it ye shall have no content in your Wives or Children at the Day of Judgment ye shall be separated from them and God shall behold all your actions Ye have a fair example in Abraham and them that were with him when they said to the People we are innocent of the sin that ye commit in worshipping any other God but God Abraham said to his Father I will not implore pardon of God for thee I am not able to deliver thee from his punishment if thou art an Idolater Lord all our confidence is in thee our refuge is in thy mercy protect not unbelievers against us pardon our sins thou art merciful and wise ye have in them a fair example for them that fear God and apprehend the day of Judgment God hath not to do with them that obey Infidels neither hath he need of any person and praise is due to him in all places peradventure he will establish for the future great amity between you and them that ye hate he is omnipotent gracious and merciful he doth prohibit you the conversation of them that fight not against you for his faith and that expel you not from your houses he doth not forbid you to do them justice he loveth the just He forbiddeth you to converse with them that fight against your faith that drive you from your houses and aid to expel you he prohibiteth you to obey them and to contract amity with them such as obey them shall be exceedingly too blame O ye that believe in God! when the wives of your enemies shall throw themselves into your party try their conscience if ye know them to be faithful and to believe in the Law of God restore them not to the incredulous Infidels it is not lawful for them to know them neither for the women to teach them give them subsistence ye shall not
will put upon their noses a mark of shame and igâ—…ominy we have tried them as Gardeners when â—…hey have resolved in the evening to cut off the morâ—…ing followng some fruits of their garden for â—…heir refection and have not said if it please God By night while they slept God sent fire â—…nto their gardens that consumed them in the morning they called each other and said Come â—…o put order to your garden if ye desire to gaâ—…her the fruits they believed the poor would enâ—…er they ran to drive them away and found their â—…ruits black and their gardens blasted Then they â—…aid We are seduced we are sinners one of them â—…aid that it was requisite to praise God then they â—…aid Praised be God we are great sinners they â—…pproached each other and complained among â—…hemselves they said misery is upon us we were â—…n a great error peradventure God will give us â—…ereafter more than the value of what we have lost we must beg his grace thus God chastiseth on earth whom he pleaseth but the torments of the other world are much more grievous They that have â—…his fear before their eyes shall dwell in gardens full of delights Shall I entreat the good like the wicked How can ye judg it have ye a book wherein you read what pleaseth you have we promised to you any content at the day of Judgment Shall you have that day what ye have promised to your selves Ask of them who will be surety for their belief will their Idols and companions be their surety Let them cause them to come if they be true Be thou mindful of the day when sins shall be detected and the wicked shall be commanded to worship God but they shall not be able to behold him their eyes shall be troubled with fear and their sight covered with shame They are enjoyned in the world to worship his divine Majesty but they refuse to perform it I will punish them by little and little when they shall least think of it I will defer the punishments of their crimes because my wrath is strong Dosâ—… thou demand of men any reeompence for thy preaching are they charged with any expence Have they in their power the book wherein is the future to write therein what they affirm Attend the Judgment of thy Lord and be not like him that was swallowed of the Whale He invoked his Lord in his affliction if his Lord had not sent him his grace he should never have come upon earth when he repented of his sin his Lord pardoned and placed him in the number of the righteous The unbelievers labour to shake thee througâ—… their looks and that through envy they affirm that thou art possessed of the Devil when the hear thee read the Alcoran It was not sent but tâ—… instruct the world CHAP. LXIX The Chapter of Verification containing Fifty two Verses written at Mecca Exteri intituleth this The Chapter of Iudgment because that day all shall be verified IN the Name of God gracious and merciful Verification approacheth Verification approacheth God hath not told thee in what time shall be the day of Verification Temod and Aad would not believe him that preached to them the day of affliction and sorrow but Temod was destroyed by an extraordinary noise and Aad by an impetuous wind that God sent against them Seven nights and eight days together they were overthrown stretched out like Palms faln upon the Earth Did any one among them save himself Pharaoh and his predecessors with the Inhabitants of the Cities that were overthrown because of their sins disobeyed the Prophets and Apostles of God and were rudely chastised We preserved you in Noah's Ark when the waters swelled to serve for example of our Omnipotency to them that saw it and to such as shall hear it mentioned Be thou mindful of the day when the Angel shall sound the Trumpet when the Earth shall lift it self up and the Mountains tremble then what must come to pass shall come to pass Heaven with Weakness shall open and the Angel that shall bear the Throne of God shall be upon the border of the Heaven Then shall Eight Angels present the books wherein shall be written the sins of Men and nothing shall be concealed Such as shall take in the right hand the Book of the account of their actions shall say We find what we believed to be true we know with certain knowledg the coming of this day and the felicity of Life is in Paradise It shall be said to them Eat and drink of the good things of Paradise at your pleasure They that shall take the Book of account of their actions in their left Hand shall say Would to God that this Book had been lost I know not what is this account would to God that I had been eternally buried in the Earth the Riches Authority and Treasures of the World are to me unprofitable It shall be said to the Devils Take them bind them and throw them headlong in to Hell put Chains seventy Cubits long upon their arms and cast them into fire they would not believe in the Unity of God the Omnipotent they have eaten the Bread of the Poor they are this day without protection and want Bread and shall find nothing but the pains of Hell prepared for the wicked I swear Although ye see and although ye do not see the Alcoran it is the word of the Prophet the Apostle of God it is not the word of a Poet but few persons will believe it It is not the word of one that is wicked but few men remember it it is sent from God Lord of the Universe The Infidels say Oh Prophet if thou speak we will not hear thee thy speech shall not enter into our hearts Say unto them There is none among you able to deliver you from the punishment of your crimes the Alcoran instructeth in the way of Salvation them that believe in his Divine Majesty I know that there are Lyars among you whom God shall put into the number of Infidels The Alcoran is truth it self Praised be the Name of God Omnipotent and Majestick CHAP. LXX The Chapter of the Ascent containing Forty four Verses written at Mecca IN the Name of God gracious and merciful Some persons have demanded when shall be the Day of Judgment and in what time the wicked shall be chastised None but God is able to deliver men from the torments of Hell he is Lord of the way that ascendeth to Heaven the Angels and Spirits shall ascend towards him at the Day of Judgment that day shall seem to the wicked to endure Fifty thousand years expect with patience the wicked imagine they are far from that day but thou shalt see it speedily that day shall the Heaven resemble dissolved Metal the Mountains shall be like to carded Wool which bendeth downwards none shall ask his Neighbour who he is and they shall look one upon another the unbelievers shall desire to redeem
am innocent of what ye do There be persons among them that have inclination to hear thee but art thou able to cause the deaf to hear Should they not be deaf they would learn nothing Others there be who look toward thee but art thou able to guide the blind should they see clearly they would not follow the right way God doth no injustice to Men they do injury to themselves through the enormity of their offences I will cause them to rise again at the Day of Judgment as if they had remained but one hour of a day in the Grave they shall know each other and the wicked who have not believed in the Resurrection shall be damned I will shew thee many of them whom I will chastise I will cause thee to die before they be chastised and they all shall appear before me to be judged God is witness of their actions he shall punish them according to their demerits every Nation of the World hath had a Prophet sent from God who hath judged with reason and without injustice the differences that were among them touching Religion They have said at what time shall the wrath of God appear Say unto them I of my self can neither procure good nor evil if God doth not permit it every one hath his destiny when the time of their destiny arriveth they can neither retard or advance it one hour Have ye considered the punishment which God heretofore sent by day and by night against the wicked When ye felt it ye believed it and fell into it headlong It shall be said to the wicked at the Day of Judgment taste eternal torments shall you not be punished according to your demerits They will ask of thee if the pains denounced against the wicked and if the Resurrection be matters of Truth Say unto them yes my Lord is most exact in his words and all the Treasures of the World shall not be able to redeem one Soul. They shall repent of their sins when they shall feel the punishment of their offences but shall be condemned without injustice whatsoever is in Heaven and in Earth appertaineth to God he is exact in his Promise yet the greatest part of the World do not know him He it is who causeth to die and giveth life and shall assemble Men at the Day of Judgment O People God hath sent you instructions and remedies for your infirmities he hath sent a guide to conduct true believers into the way of his mercy it shall be to them of more advantage than the treasures that they accumulate Have ye considered the good things which he hath created for you Ye have appointed one part to be eaten and have prohibited to eat of another Hath God permitted you to blaspheme against him The opinion of such as blaspheme against God shall be but misery at the Day of Judgment God is full of goodness for the people but most of them are ingrateful In whatsoever place thou art whether thou teach what is contained in the Alcoran or whether thou labour I am always present nothing is concealed from thy Lord of whatsoever is in Heaven and Earth be it great or little all is written in the intelligible Book that explaineth all things There needeth no fear for such as recommend themselves to God they shall be exempt from the pains of Hell. The true believers who have his fear before their eyes shall suffer no torments in the other World it is declared to them on Earth that they shall have all content the word of God admits of no alteration they shall enjoy perfection of felicity in Paradise Afflict not thy self for the words of the impious vertue proceedeth from God he understandeth and knoweth all things whatsoever is in Heaven and in Earth appertaineth to him They who worship Idols follow but their opinion and are lyars God hath created the night for repose and the day for labour such as hear his Word find therein marks of his Omnipotency They have said Do ye believe that God hath a Son Praised be God he is most rich and hath no need of any person he possesseth whatsoeever is in Heaven and Earth you have no reason in what ye alledge will you speak of God what ye know not God doth not aid in this World them that blaspheme against him he shall cause them to feel after their death great torments because of their impiety Instruct them in the History of Noah how he spâ—…ke to his People and said O People if my abode with you and the preaching of the Commandments of God be irksom to you know that all my support is in God assemble your Doctors with your Idols and conceal not what ye do go whither you will ye shall find none to protect you if ye contemn my instructions I require not of you a reward for my pains I desire to receive of none other than God the Omnipotent and recommend my self to the will of his Divine Majesty They slandered Noah then did we save him in the Ark and them that were with him we prolonged their posterity on Earth and drowned the wicked consider the end of such as heard the Word of God and contemned it We sent to them other Prophets after Noah they made them to see Miracles and gave them most salutary instructions but they did not believe in what they had no will before to believe Thus I harden the heart of the wicked We after them sent Moses to Pharaoh and his Subjects with our miracles they arose against our Commandments when the truth was preached to them and said it was but Magick and Enchantment Moses said to them Will you say that the Truth is Sorcery God doth not assist Magicians and Sorcerers they said Art thou with thy Brother come to divert us from the Religion of our Fathers and to be esteemed on Earth We will believe in thy words Then Pharaoh commanded to summon the most skilful of his Magicians they being assembled Moses said to them cast down what ye have a will to cast down on the ground having cast down their Cords and Staves Moses said to them know ye none other thing but Magick God shall render it vain and unprofitable he abhoreth such as defile the Earth he confirmeth the Truth through his Word although it be against the will of the wicked Few Men believed in Moses because of their fear to displease Pharaoh and his Ministers Pharaoh was powerful on Earth and in the number of the wicked Moses said O People if ye believe in God resign your selves to his will they answered All our confidence is in God Lord do not thou abandon us to the malice of the unjust deliver us through thy mercy from the hands of Infidels We inspired Moses and his Brother to dwell some time in Egypt with their people and to make Oratories in their Houses therein to make their prayers and preach to true believers Lord said Moses thou hast enriched Pharaoh and
his people in this World they go astray from the way of thy Law confound their riches and harden your hearts they will not believe until they see thy judgments and feel the effect of thy wrath he said I have heard the prayers of you both be faithful in your Embassie and follow not the way of the ignorant We gave passage through the Sea to the Children of Israel Pharaoh pursued them with hatred and envy until his people were drowned Then said Pharaoh believe there is none other God but the God of the Children of Israel and I wholly recommend my self to his Will. Thou dost now believe in God O Pharaoh and wert before disobedient to his Commandments filling the Earth with they enormities I have delivered thee from this peril that thou maist be an example to posterity for many among the people are ignorant of my Omnipotency We gave the Children of Israel to dwell in places full of delights and enriched them with the good things of the Earth they knew the differences that arose among them touching Religion thy Lord shall judge them at the Day of Judgment If thou doubtest what we have taught thee repair to them that have read the Scripture before thee what thy Lord hath taught thee is most true be not thou of them that doubt neither of such as derogate from the Commandments of God thou shalt be in the number of the wretched Those whom God will chastise shall not believe in his Divine Majesty should they behold all the miracles of the World until they see the torments of Hell. The faith is exceeding profitable to the Cities that have received it when the Inhabitants of the City of Ionas embraced it we delivered them from our punishment we delivered them from ignominy and enriched them until the time appointed if it pleased thy Lord all the World should believe in him wilt thou abhor the People until they believe in God No Man can embrace the faith without his permission he sendeth his indignation against them that disobey his Commandments Say unto them Consider all that is in Heaven and Earth miracles and preaching are of no use to such as will not believe shall they expect what their Predecessors expected Say unto them expect I will expect with you I will deliver my Prophets and the true believers from the torments of Hell it is reasonable that I deliver them that obey my Commandments O People who causeth you to doubt of the Law which I teach you I will not worship the Idols that you adore I worship one God alone who shall cause you all to dye I will embrace his Law it commandeth to profess his Unity I am not of them that say he hath a Companion equal to him Adore not what can neither benefit nor hurt thee if thou do it thou shalt be in the number of the unjust If God will afflict thee none can deliver thee from affliction if God will do good to thee none can deprive thee of his grace he hath given it to whom seemeth good to himself he is gracious and merciful O people God teacheth you the truth whosoever shall follow the right way shall save his Soul and whosoever shall go astray shall destroy it I am not your Tutor I do but what is inspired into me I have patience in my perseverance I will expect the judgment of God there is no better Judge than he CHAP. XI The Chapter of Hod containing an hundred twenty and three Verses written at Mecca IN the name of God gracious and merciful I am the merciful God. The signs contained in this Book are most true they proceed from the most wise who knoweth all things Worship ye but one God alone I preach to you from him the torments of Hell and declare the Joys of Paradise that ye may implore pardon of his Divine Majesty and be converted he shall give you an happy Life in the World until the time appointed and shall reward every one according to his works I fear lest you should be chastised at the Day of Judgment if you forsake the right way you all shall be assembled before God to be judged The heart of the impious inclined to hatred of the Prophet and they would have concealed themselves for some time from God they are covered with their garments that they may not be known but God knoweth what is in their Souls he understandeth whatsoever they conceal and whatsoever they make manifest All the Creatures of the World live of his grace he knoweth the place of their repair and the place where they must die all is written in an intelligible Book that explaineth all things He it is that created Heaven and Earth in six days his Throne was before upon the Waters the Alcoran exhorteth you to well-doing If thou saist to the wicked that they shall rise again after their Death they will say it is but Witchcraft and Sorcery if we retard some time to chastise them they say there is no punishment for their crimes but they shall not avoid it in the day when it shall appear and they shall feel the rigour of the pains which they contemn If we confer riches and health on the impious and deprive them of them they despair in their impiety if we give them good after their evil they say misery hath forsaken them they rejoyce and become arrogant Such as are humble and patient in their afflictions and do good works shall obtain pardon of their sins and a very great reward Perhaps thou wilt forget to teach something of what I have inspired into thee and be afflicted because they say that what thou speakest shall bring thee no profit Certainly thou art sent only to reprove them of their sin thy Lord is Omnipotent and shall chastise them after their demerits Assuredly they will say thou hast forged the Alcoran and that it is of thy invention Say unto them Come and bring with you ten Chapters of your invention like to the Alcoran in instruction and eloquence and call to your aid the Idols that ye adore if you be righteous if they hear not your prayers neither afford you succours know then that the Alcoran descended from Heaven through Gods permission and that there is but one sole God will ye not trust in him I will bestow the riches and honours of the Earth on many persons that affect them and in the end they shall be confined in the fire of Hell and the good works that they shall do in this World shall be unprofitable in the other They who observe what God hath ordained study the Alcoran and believe that it proceedeth from his Divine Majesty to teach the right way and to obtain his mercy as before it was the Book of Moses Such as shall believe in the Alcoran shall be happy doubtless the fire of Hell is prepared for the Infidels who will not believe therein but the greatest part of the World is incredulous
into many parts Certainly he that saith that there are many Gods is impious hath he appointed you to say that the Angels which he hath created are his daughters seeing that he giveth you Sons When it is declared to some Infidels that a daughter is born to him he is not satisfied he desireth to have a son will they say that God adorneth himself and taketh Ornaments to beautifie him like their Idols It is a manifest error they say that the Angels that worship God are the daughters of his divine Majesty I will write what they say and will require of them an account of their discourse at the day of Judgement They have said had it pleased God we had not adored the Angels They know not what they say and ignorantly blaspheme do they observe any Scripture that hath been taught them heretofore On the contrary they say that their fathers lived in like manner and that they follow their steps they have said as much to all the Prophets that were sent unto them When thou spakest to them to observe what is contained in the Alcoran and to abandon the Idols which their fathers worshipped they answered that they believed neither in thee nor in thy mission but we avenged our selves upon them Consider what is the end of blasphemers Remember thou that Abraham said to his father and his people I am innocent of the sin that you commit in adoring Idols I worship him alone that created me he shall guide me into the way of Salvation and hath left his words to posterity perhaps the Infidels shall be converted I deferred heretofore the punishment of Idolaters untill they had learned the truth and that a Prophet came to instruct them When he preached unto them the truth they said that it is but witchcraft and that they would give no faith to it Had the Alcoran been sent to a man Master and Lord of two Cities or Villages they had esteemed and approved it Would they dispose of the graces of God He hath divided the riches of the world among men Some there be that are more eminent and scorn each other but the mercy of God is more advantageous than the riches of the Earth which they accumulate Although all the people be not of the same Religion we cease not to bestow on the wicked houses adorned with seelings enchased with silver stairs doors and beds of silver and gold These things are the riches of the Earth and Paradise is for them that are righteous I will cause to fall headlong with the Devils such as shall reject the Law of the merciful the Devils shall be their companions they shall seduce them from the way of Salvation and they shall not know it When we shall come to judg the Universe they shall say Would to God we had been as remote from you as the West is from the East Oh what company for you This day your repentance and your hopes shall be vain ye were Infidels for company ye shall be companions in the Fire of Hell. Wilt thou make the blind to see and the deaf to hear Wilt thou guide them that wilfully err If they dye before being punished on Earth I will be avenged on them in the other World. Shall I shew thee during thy life the punishment that we have prepared for them We can do it but do thou only what hath been commanded thee thou art in the way of Salvation instruct men therein an account of thy mission shall be required of thee I will require an account of their mission that we sent heretofore to instruct the People we will demand of them if we appointed them to worship any other God but us We sent Moses to Pharaoh and his Ministers he caused them to see our Miracles and preached to them our Commandments he told them that he was the Messenger of the God of the Universe nevertheless they scoffed I shewed them no greater Miracle than that of Moses his sister and we chastised them because of their incredulity They said unto Moses Oh Magician pray unto thy Lord that he deliver us from these evils and we will be converted when they were delivered they violated their promises and Pharaoh said to his people Am not I King of Aegypt doth not the River Nilus flow under my obedience Know ye not that I am more powerful than that poor wretch Moses that knows not what he says Give him Bracelets of Gold we will see if the Angels and those that follow his Doctrine will testifie the truth of his words He terrified his Subjects they obeyed him for they were Infidels but we were avenged on them when they provoked us we drowned them and made them serve for example to Posterity like those that preceded them in impiety The people would not hearken to the Son of Mary when he spake by Parable they said Our Gods are more profitable to us than his lyes and questions On the contrary they were refractory he is our Servant we conferred on him our grace and made him like to the other Prophets of the Children of Israel Had it pleased me I had created Angels on Earth in your place the coming of Jesus the Son of Mary shall be a sign of the certainty of the day of Judgment doubt not concerning that day He said unto men Follow me it is the right way beware lest the Devil seduce you he is your open Enemy I come to teach you the Commandments of God to resolve the doubts and judge the differences that are among you fear God and obey him he is your Lord and mine worship him it is the right way the people doubted his Doctrine but misery shall be upon the wicked they shall suffer great torments at the Day of Judgment will they expect that day for their conversion It shall surprize them and they know it not that day shall they be enemies one of another God shall say to the righteous fear not ye shall not this Day resent any affliction the believers that have obeyed my Commandments shall enter into Paradise you and your wives shall there rejoyce ye shall drink in cups of fine Gold ye shall there find whatsoever ye shall desire and all that can content the mind and delight the eyes and ye shall dwell eternally in supreme felicity behold the Paradise that ye have gained by your good life it is enriched with abundance of fruits which ye shall eat with contentment and the wicked shall remain eternally in the Fire of Hell they shall not be eased in their miseries and shall be dumb with dispair we do no injustice to them they draw mischief on themselves through their disobedience they shall demand of the Keeper of the Fire will thy Lord never deliver us from these pains He shall answer them Ye shall abide there eternally We have taught men the truth but the greatest part of them would not believe it The wicked have conspired against thee and we