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

94 AL KORAN. CHAT, t
God, and from prayer : will ye not therefore abstain/rom them I Obey God,
and obey tbe apostle, and take heed to yourselves: but if ye turn back, kuow
that the duty of our apostle is only to preach publicly.'' In those who believe
and do good works, it is no siii that they have tasted wine or gaming befote
tliey were forbidden; if they fear God, and believe, and do good works,
and shall for ilie future fear God, and believe, and shall persevere to fear him
and to do good;^ for God loveth those who do good. O true believere,
God will surely prove you in offering you plenty of game, which ye may
take with your hands or your lances,*^ that GoD may know who feareth him
in secret ; but whoever transgresseth after this shall suffer a grievous
punishment. true believers, kill no game while ye are on pilgrimage;'
whosoever among you shall kill any designedly shall restore the like of
w^hat he shall have killed,* in domestic animals,^ according to the deter-
mination of two just persons ami^jg you, to be brought as an offering to
the Caaba; or in atonement thereof shall feed the poor; or instead thereof
shall fast, that he may taste the heinousness of his deed, God hath for-
given what is ]mst, but whoever returneth to transgress, GoD will take
vengeance on him; for God is mighty and able to avenge. It is lawful
for you til fish in the sea,' and to eat what ye shall catch, as a provision for
you and for those who travel; but it is unlawful for you to hunt by land,
while ye are performing the rites of pilgrimage ; "^ therefore fear GoD,
before whom ye shall be assembled at the last day. God hath appointed the
Caaba, the holy house, an establishment'' for mankind; and hath ordained the
f See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iL
e The commentators endeavour to excuse the tautology of this passage, by sup-
posing the threefold repetition of fearing and believing refers either to the three parts
of time, past, present, and future, or to the threctnid duty of man, towards God, him-
self, and his neighbour, c&c.i
•■ This temptation or trial was at al Hodeibiya, where Mohammed's men, who
had attended him thither with an intent to perform a pilgrimage to the Caaba, and
had initiated themselves with the usual rites, were surrounded by so great a number
of birds and beasts, that they impeded their march ; from which unusual accident,
some of them concluded that God had allowed them to be taken; but this passage
was to convince them of the contrary.'
« Literally while ye are Mohrims, or have actually initiated yourselves as pilgrims,
by putting on the garment worn at that solemnity. Hunting and fowling are hereby
absolutely forbidden to persons in this state; though they are allowed to kill certain
kinds of noxious animals.'
• " He who violateth this prohibition shall be punished as though he had killed
a domestic animal."— Sat'ary. , . ,
I' That is, he shall bring an offering to the temple of Mecca, to be slam there
and distributed among the poor, of some domestic or tame animal, equal in value
to what he shall have killed ; as a sheep, for example, in lieu of an antelope ; a
picceon for a partridge, &c. And of this value two prudent persons were to be
judges. If the offender was not able to do this, he was to give a certain quantity
of food to one or more poor men ; or if he could not afford that, to fast a propor-
tionable number of days.* „ „ , , ,. . , . ,
» This, says Jallalo'ddin, is to be understood offish that live altogether in the sea,
and not of those that Uve in the sea and on land both, as crabs, &c. The Turks,
who are Ilanitites. never eat this sort of fish; but the sect of Malec Ebn Ans, and
perhaps seme others, make no scruple of it.
m See above, note i. _ „,.,.. • • ^- a
n That is, the place where the practice of their religious ceremonies is chiefly
1 Al Beidawi. ' Idem, Jallalo'ddin. » See the Prelim. Disc. sect. v. * Jalla-
lo'ddin, Al Beidawi.