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

112 AL KORAN. CHAP. vi.
you of the meeting of this your clay 1 They shall answer, We bear witness
against ourselves : the present life deceived them : and they shall bear wit-
ness against themselves that they were unbelievers. This hath been the
method of God's dealing with his creatures, because thy Loud would not
destroy the cities in their iniquity, while their inhabitants were careless.'
Every one shall have degrees of recompense of that which they shall do ; for
thy Lord is not regardless of that which they do, and thy Lord is self-
sufficient and endued with mercy. If he pleaseth he can destroy you,
and cause such as he pleaseth to succeed you, in like manner as he pro-
duced you from the posterity of other people. Verily that which is threat-
ened you, shall surely come to pass ; neither shall ye cause it to fail. Say
unto those of Mecca, my people, act according to your power ; verily I
will act according to my duty:^ and hereafter shall ye know whose will
be the reward of paradise. The uii.?:'>dly shall not prosjjer. Tliose of Mecca
set apart unto God a portion of that which he hath produced of the fruits
of the earth, and of cattle ; and say, This bdongetk unto God (according to
their imagination), and this unto our companions." And that which is
destined for their companions cometh not unto God ; yet that which is set
apart unto God cometh unto their companions." How ill do they judge ! In
like manner have their companions induced many of the idolaters to slay
their childreu,P that they might bring tliem to perdition, and that they
might render their religion obscure and confused unto them.' But if God
had pleased, they had not done this : therefore leave them, and that which
they falsely imagine. They also say. These cattle and fruits of the earth
are sacred ; none shall eat thereof but who we please ' (according to their
imagination) ; and there are cattle whose backs are forbidden to be rode on,
cular, who pretended to have a commission to preach to both kinds); according
to this passage, it seems tliere must have been prophets of the race of genii also,
though their mission be a secret to us.
' Or considered not their danger; but God first sent some prophet to them to
warn them of it, and to invite them to repentance.
* " Say unto man, Labour according unto thy strength ; I will proportion my
benefits unto my power." — Savory.
™ That is, Ye may proceed in your rebellion against God and your malice towards
me, and be confirmed in your infidelity ; but I will persevere to bear your insults
with patience, and to publish those revelations which God has commanded me.®
" i. e. Our idols. In which sense this word is to be taken through the whole
passage.
As to this custom of the pagan Arabs, see the Prelim. Dise. sect. i. To what
is there said we may add, that the share set apart for God was employed chiefly in
relieving the poor, and strangers ; and the share of the idols, for paying their priests,
and providing sacrifices for them.'"
p Either by that inhuman custom, which prevailed among those of Kendah and
some other tribes, of burying their daughters alive, so soon as they were born, if
they apprehended they could not maintain them ; ^ or else by off'ering them to their
idols, at the instigation of those who had the custody of their temples.'
1 By corrupting with horrid superstitions that religion which Ismael had left to
his posterity.^
^ That is," Those who serve our idols, and are of the male sex ; for the women
were not allowed to eat of them.*
9 Al Beidawi. ^<* Idem, Jallalo'ddin. ^ See chap. Ixsxi. ' Al Beidaw:
' Idem. * idem