CHAP. XXXIX.
Intitled, The Troops
[a]
; revealed at Mecca
[b]
.
In the name of the most merciful God.
[a] This title is taken from the latter end of the chapter, where it is said the wicked shall be sent to hell, and the righteous admitted into paradise by troops.
[b] Except the verse beginning, Say, O my servants, who have transgressed against your own souls, &c [1] .
[1] Jallalo’ddin, Al Beidawi.
[c] If he had been minded to have had a son, he had surely chosen what he pleased out of that which he hath created.] Because, says Al Beidâwi, there is no being besides himself but what hath been created by him, since there cannot be two necessarily-existent beings: and hence appears the absurdity of the imagination here condemned, because no creature can resemble the Creator, or be worthy to bear the relation of a son to him.
[d] He hath bestowed;] Literally, He hath sent down; from which expression some have imagined that these four kinds of beasts were created in paradise, and thence sent down to earth [2] .
[2] Al Zamakh.
[e] See chap. 6. p. 114.
[f] See chap. 22. p. 274.
[g] Within three veils of darkness;] i.e. The belly, the womb, and the membranes which enclose the embryo.
[a] He forgetteth that Being which he invoked before;] Or, He forgetteth the evil which he before prayed against.
[b] They who do good in this world shall obtain good in the next;] Or, They who do good, shall obtain good even in this world.
[c] God’s earth is spacious;] Wherefore let him who cannot safely exercise his religion where he was born or resides, fly to a place of liberty and security [1] .
[1] Al Beidawi.
[d] The first Moslem;] i.e. The first of the Koreish who professeth the true religion, or the leader in chief of the Moslems.
[a] Who shall be obliged to screen himself with his face, &c.] For his hands shall be chained to his neck, and he shall not be able to oppose anything but his face to the fire [1] .
[1] Idem.
[b] Wherein there is no crookedness;] i.e. No contradiction, defect, or doubt.
[c] God propoundeth as a parable, &c.] This passage represents the uncertainty of the idolater, who is distracted in the service of different masters; and the satisfaction of mind which attends the worshipper of the only true God [2] .
[2] Idem.
[d] Ye shall debate the matter, &c.] For the prophet will represent his endeavours to reclaim them from idolatry, and their obstinacy; and they will make frivolous excuses, as that they obeyed their chiefs, and kept to the religion of their fathers, &c [3] .
[3] Idem.
[e] He who bringeth the truth, and giveth credit thereto;] i.e. Mohammed and his followers: some suppose that by the latter words Abu Becr is particularly intended, because he asserted the prophet’s veracity in respect to his journey to heaven.
[a] They will attempt to make thee afraid of the false deities;] The Koreish used to tell Mohammed that they feared their gods would do him some mischief, and deprive him of the use of his limbs, or of his reason, because he spoke disgracefully of them. It is thought by some that this passage was verified in Khâled Ebn al Walîd; who, being sent by Mohammed to demolish the idol al Uzza, was advised by the keeper of her temple to take heed what he did, because the goddess was able to avenge herself severely; but he was so little moved at the man’s warning, that he immediately stepped up to the idol, and broke her nose. To support the latter explication, they say that what happened to Khâled is attributed to Mohammed, because the former was then executing the prophet’s orders [1] . A circumstance not much different from the above mentioned is told of the demolition of Allat [2] .
[1] Idem.
[2] V. Gagnier. Not. in Abulf. Vit. Moh. p. 127.
[b] And the souls which die not, he taketh in their sleep;] That is, seemingly and to outward appearance, sleep being the image of death.
[c] He withholdeth those on which he hath passed the decree of death;] Not permitting them to return again into their bodies.
[d] But sendeth back the others;] viz. Into their bodies, when they awake [3] .
[3] Al Beidawi.
[e] Intercession is altogether in the disposal of God:] For none can or dare presume to intercede with him, unless by his permission.
[a] Because of God’s knowledge of my deserts;] Or by means of my own wisdom.
[b] Those who were before them, said the same;] As did Karûn in particular [1] .
[1] See chap. 28. p. 323.
[c] On them shall fall the evils they shall have deserved;] As it happened accordingly: for they were punished with a sore famine for seven years and had the bravest of their warriors cut off at the battle of Bedr [2] .
[2] Al Beidawi.
[d] God forgiveth all sins;] To those who sincerely repent and profess his unity: for the sins of idolaters will not be forgiven [3] .
[3] See p. 11. not. c.
[a] See chap. 6. p. 108. not. b.
[b] The trumpet shall be sounded;] The first time, says Al Beidâwi; who consequently supposes there will be no more than two blasts (and two only are distinctly mentioned in the Korân,) tho’ others suppose there will be three [1] .
[1] See the Prel. Disc. §. IV. p. 83.
[c]
Except those whom God shall please to exempt;]
These, some say, will be the angels Gabriel, Michael, and Israfil,
and the angel of death, who yet will afterwards all die, at the command of
God
[2]
; it being the constant opinion of the Mohammedan doctors, that every
soul, both of men and of animals, which live either on land or in the sea, and
of the angels also, must necessarily taste of death
[3]
:
others suppose those who
will be exempted are the angels who bear the throne of God
[4]
, or the black-eyed
damsels, and other inhabitants of paradise
[5]
.
The space between these two blasts of the trumpet will be forty days,
according to Yahya and others; there are some, however, who suppose it will be
as many years
[6]
.
[2] Al Beidawi, Yahya.
[3] V. Pocock. not. in Port. Mosis. p. 266.
[4] Al Beidawi.
[5] Jallalo’ddin.
[6] See the Prel. Disc. ubi sup.
[d] See the Prelim. Disc. §. IV. p. 87.
[e] See c. 74, and the Prelim. Disc. §. IV. p. 92.
[f] The sentence of eternal punishment hath been justly pronounced on the unbelievers;] See chap. 7. p. 118, chap. 11. p. 187, &c. It seems as if the damned, by these words, attributed their ruin to God’s decree of predestination.
[g] And hath made us to inherit the earth;] This is a metaphorical expression, representing the perfect security and abundance which the blessed will enjoy in paradise.