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

96 AL KOKAN. CHAP. V.
be two witnesses, just men, from among you ;» or two oi.hers of a different
tribe or faith from yourselves/ if ye be journeying in the earth, and the
accident of death befall you. Ye shall shut them both up, after the after-
noon prayer,' and they shall swear by God, if ye doubt tJiem, and they shall
say. We will not sell our evidence for a bribe, although the person concerned
be one who is related to us, neither will we conceal the testimony of GoD,
for then should we certainly be of the 7iumber of the wicked. But if it
appear that both have been guilty of iniquity, two others shall stand up in
their place, of those who have convicted tliem of falsehood, the two nearest
171 blood, and they shall swear by God, saying, Verily our testimony is more
true than the testimony of these two, neither have we prevaricated ; for
then should we become of the number of the unjust. This will be easier,
that men may give testimony according to the plain intention thereof, or
fear lest a different oath be given, after their oath. Therefore fear God, and
hearken; for God directeth not the unjust people.* On & certain dny ^
.shall God assemble the apostles, and shall say unto them. What answer
was returned you, when ye pi-eached unto tlve people to whom ye were sent 1
They shall answer, We have no knowledge, but thou art the knower of
secrets." When God shall say, Jesus, son of Mary, remember my favour
towards thee, and towards thy mother ; wlien I strengthened thee with the
* That is, of your kindred, or religion.
7 They who interpret these words of persons of another religion say they are abro-
gated, and that the testimony of such ought not to be received against a Moslem. i^
» In case there was any doubt, the witnesses were to be kept ajiart from company,
lest they should be corrupted, till they gave their evidence, which they generally
did when the afternoon prayer was over ; because that was the time of people's as-
sembling in public, or, say some, because the guardian angels then relieve each other,
BO that there would be four angels to witness against them if they gave false evidence.
But others suppose they might be examined after the hour of any other prayer, when
there was a sufficient assembly.'
* The occasion of the preceding passage is said to have been this: Tamin al Dari
and Addi Ebn Yazid, both Christians, took a journey into Syria to trade, in com-
pany with Bodeil, the freedman of Amru Ebn al As, who was a Moslem. ^Vllen
they came to Damascus, Bodeil fell sick, and died ; having first wrote down a list
of his effects on a piece of paper, which he hid in his baggage, without acquainting
his companions with it, and desired them only to deliver what he had to his friends
of the tribe of Sahm. The survivors however searching among his goods, found a
vessel of silver of considerable weight, and inlaid with gold, which they concealed,
and on their return delivered the rest to the deceased's relations; who finding the
list of Bodeil's writing, demanded the vessel of silver of them, but they denied it;
and the affair being brought before Mohammed, these words, viz., true believers, I
take witnesses, §-c. were revealed, and he ordered them to be sworn at the pulpit in
the mosque, just as afternoon prayer was over, and on their making oath that they
knew nothing of the plate demanded, dismissed them. But afterwards the vessel
being found in their hands, the Sahmites, suspecting it was Bodeil's, charged them
with it, and they confessed it was his. but insisted that they had bought it of him,
and that they had not produced it, because they had no proof of the bargain. Upon this
they went again before Mohammed, to whom these words. And if it appear, Sfc.
were revealed ; and thereupon Amru Ebn al As and al Motalleb Ebn Abi Refaa,
both of the tribe of Sahm, stood up, and were sworn against them; and judgment
was given accordingly.'
•> That is, on the day of judgment.
* That is, We are ignorant whether our proselytes were bincere, or whether they
apostatized after our deaths ; but thou well knowest not only what answer they gave
us, but the secrets of their hearts, and whether they have since continued firm in
their religion or not.
^ Al Beidawi, * Idem. » Mem,