J. F. Campbell Collection > Koran: or, Alcoran of Mohammed

ia a deceiver or unjust." Such conceal tliemselves from, men, but they con-
coal not themselves from God ; for he is with them when they imagine by
night a saying which pleased him not,* and God comprehendeth what they
do. Beliold, ye are they who have disputed for them in this present life;
but who shall dispute with God for them on the day of resurrection, or who
■will become their patron 1 yet he who doeth evil, or injure th his own son),
and afterwards asketh pardon of God, shall find God gracious a?i<^ merciful.
Whoso committeth wickedness, comiuitteth it against his own soul : God
is knowing and wise. And whoso committeth a sin or iniquity, and after-
wards layeth it on the innocent, he shall surely bear the guilt o/" calumny
and manifest injustice. If the indulgence and mercy of God had not been
upon thee, surely a part of them had studied to seduce thee;" but tliey shall
seduce themselves only,* and shall not hurt thee at all. GoD hath sent
down unto thee the book of the Koran and wisdom, and hath taught thee
that which thou knewest not;* for the favour of God hath been great
towards thee. There is no good inthemultitude of their private discourses,
uidess in the discourae of him v.'ho recommended alms, or that whicli is right,
or agreement amongst men : whoever doeth this out of a desire to please
God, we will surely give him a great reward. But whoso separateth him-
self from the apostle, after tr^le directioTi hath been manifested unto him,
and foUoweth any other way than that of the true believers, we will cause
him to obtain that to which he is inclined,^ and will cast him to be burned
in hell; and an unhappy journey shall it be thiUier. Verily God will not
jiardou the giving him a companion, but he will pardon any crime besides
that, unto whom he pleaseth : and he who giveth a companion unto GoD is
burely led aside into a wide mistake ; the infidels xaySk^ beside him only fe-
male deities;^* and only invoke rebellious Satan. God cursed him ; and he
said, Verily I will take of thy servants a part cut oS/rum the rest,'^ and 1
■will seduce them, and will insinuate vai7i desires into them, and I will com-
mand them and they shall cut off the ears of cattle;*^ and I will command
them and they shall change God's creature." But whoever taketh Satau
* Al Beidawi, as an instance of the divine justice, adds, that Tima, after the
fact above mentioned, fled to Mecca, and returned to idolatry; and there undermining
the wall of a house, in order to commit a robbery, the wall fell in upon him and
crushed him to death.
' That is, when they secretly contrive means, by false evidence or otherwise, to lay
their crimes on innocent persons.
" Meaning the sons of Dhafar.
* "A part of the unbelievers conspired thy ruin; but they brought ruin on them-
selves. The divine goodness watched over thy safety. They had not power to hurt
thee." — Savnry.
=' By instructing thee in the knowledge of right and wrong, and the rules of justice,
y Viz., error and false notions of religion.
* Namely, Allat. al Uzza, and Menat, the idols of the Meccans ; or the angels,
whom thej' called the dnnghters o/God.'
* " They have goddesses lor divinities; but Satan is the object of their worship."
^Savary,
* Or, as the original may be translated, a part destined or predetermined to be
seduced by me.
'' Which was done out of superstition by the old pagan Arabs. See more cf this
custom in the notes to the fifth chapter.
•Either by maiming it, or putting it to uses not designed by the Creator. AlBeidawi.
1 See the Prelim. Disc. sect. i.