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

CHAP. VII. AL KORAN. • 133
that which the foolish men among us hare committed? This is only thy
trial; thou wilt thereby lead into error whom thou pleasest, and thou wilt
direct whom thou yjleasest. Thou art our protector, therefore forgive us,
and be merciful unto us ; for thou art the best of those who forgive. And
write down for us good in this world, and in the life to come ; for unto
thee are we directed. God answered, I will inflict my punishment on
whom I please ; and my mercy extendeth over all things : and I will
write down good unto those who shall fear me, and give alms, and who
shall believe in our signs ; who shall follow the apostle, the illiterate
prophet," whom they shall find written down ^ with them in the law and
the gospel : he will command them that which is just, and will forbid them
tliat which is evil ; and will allow them as lawful the good things wldch
were before forbidden/ and will prohibit those which are bad ;* and he will
ease them of their heavy burden, and of the yokes which were upon them.*
And those who believe in him, and honour him, and assist him, and follow
the light which hath been sent down with him, shcdl be happy. Say,
O men, Verily, 1 am the messenger of God unto you all : ^ unto him
belongeth the kingdom of heaven and earth ; there is no God but he : he
giveth life, and he causeth to die. Believe therefore in God and his
apostle, the illiterate prophet, who believeth in God and his word ; and
follow him, that ye may be righdy directed. Of the people of Moses there
is a party" who direct others with truth, and act justly according to the
same. And we divided them into twelve tribes, as into so many nations.
And we spake by i-evelation unto Moses, when his people asked drink of
him, and we said. Strike the rock with thy rod ; and there gushed thereout
twelve fountains,*^ and men knew their respective drinking-place. And we
caused clouds to overshadow them, and manna and quails" to descend upon
them, saying, Eat of the good things which we have given you for food :
and they injured not us,* but they injured their own souls. And call to
" That is Mohammed. See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iL
^ i. e. Both foretold by name aad certain description.
^ See chap. 3, p. 42.
»■ As the eating of blood and swine's flesh, and the taking of usury &c
" See chap. 2, p. 35. & j. •
b That is, to all mankind in general, and not to one particular nation, as the former
prophets were sent.
Viz., those Jews who seemed better dispo.sed than the rest of their brethren to
receive Mohammed's law; or perhaps such of them as had actually received it.
Some imagme they were a Jewish nation dwelling somewhere bevond China, which
Mohammed saw the night ho made his journey to heaven, and who believed on
him.'
d See chap. 2. p. 8.
To what is said in the notes there we may add, that, according to a certain tradi-
tion, the stone, on which this miracle was wrought, was thrown down from paradise
by Adam, and came into the pos.session of Shoaib, who gave it with the rod to
Moses; and that, according to another, the water issued thence by three orifices on
each of the four sides of the stone, making twelve in all, and that it ran in so
many rivnlets, to the quarter of each tribe in the camp.<
* See chap. 2, p. 7.
* "Their murmurs did injury only to themselves." — Savary.
3 Al Beidiwi. ♦ Idem.