The Koran Part 131

22 By storing them up in violation of G.o.d's command.

23 Jericho according to some commentators, Jerusalem according to others, but see verse 58.

24 See Sura [lx.x.xvii.] vii. 162.

25 Lit. all men. This incident is perhaps inadvertently borrowed from Ex. xv.

27.

26 This pa.s.sage (comp. xxvi. 59) is one of the numerous anachronisms which abound in the Koran and prove the gross ignorance of the Arabian Prophet.

27 The Sabeites are identical with the Mendaites, or so-called Christians of S. John, residing in the marshy district at the mouth of the Euphrates, but are not the same with the star-worshipping Sabians of Harran in Mesopotamia.

See D'Herbelot, Bibl. Or. under the word Sabi; a.s.semani, Bibl. Or. iii. 2, 609. For curious details as to the elements of the Sabeite religion, see Chwolson's SSabier and SSabaismus I.

28 See Sura [lx.x.xvii.] vii. 170.

29 See Sura [lx.x.xvii.] vii. 164.

30 Compare Numb. xix.; Deut. xxii. 1-9. The cow was to be sacrificed in order that a murderer might be discovered through the miracle to be wrought on the corpse by a piece of her flesh.

31 To please you, O Muslims.

32 This is one of the pa.s.sages which shews great familiarity with the habits of the Jews, on the part of Muhammad. See Maracci's Prodr. i. 44. Wahl's Einleitung, x.x.x. x.x.xv.

33 The Pentateuch. This pa.s.sage shews that the art of writing was known in Medina shortly after the Hejira.

34 Forty days; the period during which they worshipped the calf.

35 The blood of those who are as your own flesh.

36 Two Jewish tribes (Koreidha and Nadhir) in alliance with certain Arab tribes who were at war, destroyed one another's abodes, but redeemed the Jewish captives, professing that they were commanded to do this by the Law.

So the commentators.

37 Gabriel. Muhammad either knowingly rejected the divinity of the Holy Ghost, or confounded Gabriel announcing the conception, with the Holy Spirit that overshadowed Mary. It is probable that Muhammad's ideas of the Spirit were at first indefinite, but that the two expressions, Gabriel and the Holy Spirit, became ultimately synonymous. See note on Sura [lxvii.] xvii. 87.

Geiger (p. 82) quotes an instance in which the Jewish expositors understand the distinctly-speaking Spirit (Sanhedr. 44) of Gabriel.

38 The gift of the prophetic office, etc., to a pagan Arab and not to a Jew.

39 Matt. xxiii. 37.

40 See Sura vii. 170, p. 309.

41 Comp. 1 Tim. v. 24.

42 In Solomon's Books of Magic. This story has been supposed to be of Persian origin. See Hyde de Rel. Vet. Pers. ch. xii. But from a pa.s.sage in the Midr.

Abhkhir quoted in the Midr. Jalkut, ch. 44, and from a quotation in Maracci's Prodr. iv. 82, Geiger infers that Muhammad has transferred to the time of Solomon, the Rabbinic traditions concerning the influence of angels upon men at the time of the Deluge. p. 106. "Babel is regarded by the Muslims as the fountain head of the science of magic. They suppose Haroot and Maroot to be two angels who, in consequence of their want of compa.s.sion for the frailties of mankind, were sent down to earth to be tempted. They both sinned; and being permitted to choose whether they would be punished now or hereafter, chose the former, and are still suspended by the feet at Babel in a rocky pit, and are the great teachers of magic." (Lane on ch. iii. note 14 of the 1001 Nights.)

43 Raina, as p.r.o.nounced in Hebrew, "our bad one;" but in Arabic, "look upon us," a kind of salutation of the same signification as ondhorna, which, however, does not admit of any secondary bad sense like raina.

44 Comp. Sura xvi. 103; iv. 84. The Muslims admit that there are 225 verses cancelled by later ones. The doctrine of "abrogation" is taught in the Talmud. Thus Hilchoth Mamrim, ii. 1, 2, etc.

45 That is, does not weigh the evidence for Muhammad's mission already given, but demands, as the Jews did, to see G.o.d himself.

46 In all Muhammadan countries the first time of prayer is the moghreb or sunset, or rather, four minutes later; the second the eshe, when it has become quite dark; the third the soobh or fegr, the daybreak; the fourth, doohr, or a little after noon, when the sun has begun to decline; the fifth, the asr, midway between noon and nightfall. The obligatory legal alms or impost are called, as here, zekah (lit. purity), the voluntary, sudackah. It is, however, left to the conscience of individuals to give and to apply them as they think fit.

47 The idolatrous Arabs.

48 If this verse is aimed at the Meccans who, in the 6th year of the Hejira, forbad Muhammad and his followers to enter the temple of Mecca in the expedition of Hodeibiya, it is misplaced here.

49 Abrogated by verse 139 below.

50 The Caaba.

51 Freytag (Einl. p. 339) says that there is no good reason for doubting that the Caaba was founded as stated in this pa.s.sage. See note on Sura [xcvii.]

iii. 90.

52 Deut. xviii. 15.

53 "At the time when our father Jacob quitted this world, be summoned his twelve sons and said to them, Hearken to your father Israel (Gen. xlix. 2).

Have ye any doubts in your hearts concerning the Holy One, Blessed be He!

They said, Hear, O Israel, our Father. As there is no doubt in thy heart, so neither is there in ours. For the Lord is our G.o.d, and He is one." Midr.

Rabbah on Gen. par. 98, and on Deut. par. 2. Comp. also Targ. Jer. on Deut.

vi. 4. Tract. Pesachim, 56.

54 See Sura [lxxiii.] xvi. 121, n., p. 209.

55 Ibn Batutah a.s.sures us (vol. ii. 10) that when in the 14th century he visited Basra, he saw in the mosque the copy of the Koran which the Caliph Othman had in his hands when murdered, and that the marks of his blood were still visible at the words of this verse. Othman's originals are also said to be preserved in Egypt, Morocco, Damascus, Mecca, and Medina. See M.

Quatremere in Journ. Asiatique, Juillet, 1838.

56 The original simply has Baptism of G.o.d. This may be understood either of Islam generally, or, with Ullmann, in the more restricted sense of circ.u.mcision. Perhaps Muhammad used the word advisedly as a hint to the Christians of his land, that in the reception of his religion consisted the true new birth.

57 Or, intermediate, i.e., according to the commentators, not addicted to excess, just. Ullm. ein vermittelndes Volk, zwischen Juden und Christen die Mitte haltend.

58 In having prayed towards Jerusalem.

59 Of Mecca. This change of the Kebla from Jerusalem to Mecca shows that this part of the Sura was revealed at a time when the breach between Muhammad and the Jews was past healing; i.c. in the first half of the second year of the Hejira. See Thilo's. Cod. Apoc. p. 21, n.

60 That is, the Jews are really convinced of the truth of Muhammad's mission.

61 That is, warring with the infidels. The precise date of verses 148-152 depends upon whether this pa.s.sage refers to the battle of Bedr or Ohod.

62 These words are constantly used by the pious Muslims when in any trouble.

63 Hills in the sacred territory of Mecca, which had long been objects of superst.i.tious reverence to the idolatrous Arabs, on which account the Muslims were at first unwilling to include them among the sacred places.

64 The Pentateuch. See verse 141.

65 This and the three following verses are probably Meccan, as also verses 167-171.

66 The ringleaders of infidelity and idolatrous faiths.