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

CHAP. XVI. AL KORAN. 215
they are likewise a credit unto you," when ye drive them home in t/14
evening, and when ye lead them forth to feed in the morning: and they
carry your burdens to a distant country, at which ye could not oOierivise
arrive, unless with great difficulty to yourselves; for your Lord is com-
passionate and merciful. And he hath also created horses, and mules, and
asses, that ye may ride thereon, and for an ornament unto you; and
he likewise createth other things which ye know not. It appertaineth unto
God to instruct men in the right way ; and tliere is who turneth aside from
ihe same : but if he had pleased, he would certainly have directed you all.
It is he who sendeth down from heaven rain water, whereof ye have
to drink, and from which plants, whereon ye feed your cattle, receive their
nourishment. And by means thereof he causeth corn, and olives, and palm-
trees, and grapes, and all kinds of fruits, to spring forth for you. Surely
herein is a sign of tlie divine power and wisdom unto people who considei*.
And he hath subjected the night and the day to your service ; and the sun,
and the moon, and the stars, which are compelled to serve by his command.
Verily herein are signs unto i)eople of understanding. And he hath also
given you dominion over whatever he hath created for you in the earth, dis-
tinguished by its different colour.'^ Surely herein is a sign unto people who
reflect. It is he who hath subjected the sea unto you, that ye might eat fish "
thereout, and take from thence ornaments'' for you to wear ; and thou seest
the ships ploughing the waves thereof, that ye may seek to enrich yourselves
of his abundance, by commerce ; and that ye might give thanks. And he
hath thrown upon the earth inountains firmly rooted, lest it should move
with you,^ and also rivers, and paths, that ye might be directed : and he hath
likewise ordained marks v)herehy men may know tJieir way ; and they are
directed by the stars.'^ Shall God therefore, who createth, he as he who
createth not 1 Do ye not therefore consider ? If ye attempt to reckon up
the favours of God, ye shall not be able to compute their number ; God is
surely gracious and merciful ; and God knoweth that which ye conceal,
and that which ye publish. But the idols which ye invoke, besides God,
create nothing, but are themselves created. They are dead, and not living ;
neither do they understand when they shall be raised.** Your God is one
* Being a grace to your court-yards, and a credit to you in the eyes of your
neighbours.*
^ That is, of every kind; the various colour of things being one of their chief
distinctions.'^
* lAt^raWj, fresh flesh ; by which fish is meant, as being naturally more fresh, and
sooner liable to corruption, than the flesh of birds and beasts. The expression is
thought to have been made use of here the rather, because the production of such
fresh food from salt water is an instance of God's power,*'
' As pearls and coral.
^ The Mohammedans suppose that the earth, when first created, was smooth and
equal, and thereby liable to a circular motion as well as the celestial orbs ; and that
the angels asking who could be able to stand on so tottering a frame, God fixed it
the next morning by throwing the mountains on it
'' Which are their guides, not only at sea, but also on land, when they travel by
night through the deserts. The stars which they observe for this purpose are either
Xh^pleiades, or some of those near the pole.
* t. e. At what time they or their worshippers shall be raised to receive judgment.
* " They know not the time when they were made." — Savary,
8 Al Beidawi. 7 Idem. ^ Idem.