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

CHAP. vn. AL KORAN. 135
aught but the truth ?" Yet they diligently read that which is therein. But
the enjoyment of the next Life will be better for those who fear God than
the wicked gaiw< of these people ; (Do ye not therefore understand'?) and for
those who hold fast the book of the law, and are constant at prayer : for we
will by no means suffer the reward of the righteous to perish. And when
we shook the mountain of Sinai over them" as tho;;gh it liad been a
covering, and they imagined that it was falling upon them ; and we said,
Receive the law which we have brought you with reverence ; and remember
that which is contained therein, that ye may take heed. And when thy
Lord drew forth their posterity from the loins of the sons of Adam,^ and
took them to witness against themselves, saying, Am not I your Lord ]
They answered, Yea : we do bear witness. This was done lest ye should
say, at the day of the resun-ection, Verily we were negligent as to this mat-
ter, because we were not apj)rised thereof: or lest ye should say, Verily our
fathers were formerly guilty of idolatry, and we are their posterity who
have succeeded them ; wilt thou therefore destroy us for tliat which vain
men have committed ? Thus do we explain our sigus, that they may return
from their vanities. And relate unto the Jews the history of him unto whom
we brought our signs, "^ and they departed from them; wherefore Satan
followed him, and he became one of those who were seduced. And if we
had pleased, we had surely raised him thereby unto wisdom; but he
inclined unto the earth, and followed his own desire. '' Wherefore his
likeness as the likeness of a dog, which, if thou drive him away, putteth
forth his tongue, or, if thou let him alone, putteth forth his ton<nie also.
This is the likeness of the people, who accuse our signs of falsehood.
Rehearse therefore this history unto them, that they may consider. Evil is
« Particularly by giving out that God will forgive their corruption without sincere
repentance and amendment.
° See chap. 2, p. 9, note ^
P This was done in the plain of Dahia, in India, or, as others imagine, in a valley
near Mecca. The commentators tell us tliat God stroked Adam's back, and ex-
tracted from his loins his whole posterity, which should come into the world until the
resurrection, one generation after another; that these men were actually assembled
all together in the shape of small ants, which were endued with understanding; and
that after they had, in the presence of angels, confessed their dependence on God,
they were again caused to return into the loins of their great antestor.^ From tliis
fiction it appears that the doctrine of pre-existence is not unknown to the Moham-
medans ; and there is some little conformity between it and the modern theory of
generation ex animalculis in semine maritorum.
1 Some suppose the person here intended to be a Jewish rahhi, or one Ommeya Ebn
Abi'lsalt, who read the scriptures and found thereby that God would send a propliet
about that time, and was in hopes that he might be the man; but when Mohammed
declared his mission, believed not on him through envy. But according to the more
general opinion, it was Balaam the son of Beor, of the Canaanitish race, well ac-
quainted with part, at least, of the scripture, having even been favoured with some
revelations from God ; who being requested by his nation to curse Moses and the chil-
dren of Israel, refused it at first, saying, How can I curse those who are protected by the
angels? But afterwards he was prevailed on by gifts ; and he had no sooner done it
than he began to put his tongue out like a dog, and it hung down upon his breast.**
' Loving the wages of unrighteousness, and running greedily after error for
reward.*
7 Al Beidawi, Jallalo'ddin, Yahya. Vide D'Herbelot, Bibl. Orient, p. 54. » ^1
Beidiiwi, Jallalo'ddin, al Zamakhshari. Vide D'Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. Art, Balaam
•2Pet. ii.3. Jude 11.