Thanksgiving
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q i.e., They are taught by the secret inspiration of the devils, and receive their idle and inconsistent suggestions for truth. It being uncertain whether the slanderers or the devils be the nominative case to the verb, the words may also be rendered, They impart what they hear; that is, The devils acquaint their correspondents on earth with such incoherent scraps of the angelsÕ discourse as they can hear by stealth.7 r Their compositions being as wild as the actions of a distracted man: for most of the ancient poetry was full of vain imaginations; as fabulous stories and descriptions, love verses, flattery, excessive commendations of their patrons, and as excessive reproaches of their enemies, incitements to vicious actions, vainglorious vauntings, and the like.8 s That is, such poets as had embraced Mohammedism; whose works, free from the profaneness of the former, run chiefly on the praises of GOD, and the establishing his unity, and contain exhortations to obedience and other religious and moral virtues, without any satirical invectives, unless against such as have given just provocations, by having first attacked them, or some others of the true believers, with the same weapons. In this last case Mohammed saw it was necessary for him to borrow assistance from the poets of his party, to defend himself and religion from the insults and ridicule of the others, for which purpose he employed the pens of Labid Ebn Rab”a,1 AbdaÕllah Ebn Raw‰ha, Hass‰n Ebn Thabet, and the two Caabs. It is related that Mohammed once said to Caab Ebn Malec, Ply them with satires; for, by him in whose hand my soul is, they wound more deeply than arrows.2 5 Idem. 6 Idem, JallaloÕddin. 7 Idem. 8 Idem. 1 See the Prelim. Disc. p. 47. 2 Al Beid‰wi. t In this chapter is related, among other strange things, an odd story of the ant, which has therefore been pitched on for the title. u By rendering them pleasing and agreeable to their corrupt natures and inclinations. x See chapter 20, p. 234. y Some suppose GOD to be intended by the former words, and by the latter, the angels who were present;1 others think Moses and the angels are here meant, or all persons in general in this holy plain, and the country round it.2 z This exception was designed to qualify the preceding assertion, which seemed too general; for several of the prophets have been subject to sins, though not great ones, before their mission, for which they had reason to apprehend GODÕS anger, though they are here assured that their subsequent merits entitle them to his pardon. It is supposed that MosesÕs killing the Egyptian undesignedly is hinted at.3 a See chapter 17, p. 215. b Inheriting not only his kingdom, but also the prophetical office, preferably to his other sons, who were no less than nineteen.4 1 Yahya. 2 JallaloÕddin, al Beid‰wi. 3 Idem. 4 Idem. c That is, the meaning of their several voices, though not articulate; of SolomonÕs interpretation whereof the commentators give several instances.5 d For this fancy, as well as the former, Mohammed was obliged to the Talmudists,6 who, according to their manner, have interpreted the Hebrew words of Solomon,7 which the English version renders, I gat men-singers and women-singers, as if that prince had forced demons or spirits to serve him at his table, and in other capacities; and particularly in his vast and magnificent buildings, which they could not conceive he could otherwise have performed. e The valley seems to be so called from the great numbers of ants which are found there. Some place it in Syria, and others in T‰yef.8 f The Arab historians tell us that Solomon, having finished the temple of Jerusalem, went in pilgrimage to Mecca, where, having stayed as long as he pleased, he proceeded toward Yaman; and leaving Mecca in the morning, he arrived by noon at Sanaa, and being extremely delighted with the country, rested there; but wanting water to make the ablution, he looked among the birds for the lapwing, called by the Arabs al Hudbud, whose business it was to find it; for it is pretended she was sagacious or sharp-sighted enough to discover water underground, which the devils used to draw, after she had marked the place by digging with her bill: they add, that this bird was then taking a tour in the air, whence, seeing one of her companions alighting, she descended also, and having had a description given her by the other of the city of Saba, whence she was just arrived, they both went together to take a view of the place, and returned soon after Solomon had made the inquiry which occasioned what follows.1 It may be proper to mention her what the eastern writers fable of the manner of SolomonÕs travelling. They say that he had a carpet of green silk, on which his throne was placed, being of a prodigious length and breadth, and sufficient for all his forces to stand on, the men placing themselves on his right hand, and the spirits on his left; and that when all were in order, the wind, at his command, took up the carpet, and transported it, with all that were upon it, wherever he pleased;2 the army of birds at the same time flying over their heads, and forming a kind of canopy, to shade them from the sun. g By plucking off her feathers, and setting her in the sun, to be tormented by the insects; or by shutting her up in a cage.3 h This queen the Arabs name Balk”s: some make her the daughter of al Hodh‰d Ebn Sharhabil,4 and others of Sharah”l Ebn Malec;5 but they all agree she was a descendant of Y‡rab Ebn Kaht‰n. She is placed the twenty-second in Dr. PocockÕs list of the kings of Yaman.6 i Which the commentators say was made of gold and silver, and crowned with precious stones. But they differ as to the size of it; one making it fourscore cubits long, forty broad, and thirty high; while some say it was fourscore, and others thirty cubits every way. 5 See Maracc. not. in loc. p. 511. 6 Vide Midrash, Yalkut Shemuni, p. 11, f. 29, et Millium, de Mohammedismo ante Mohammed. p. 232. 7 Eccles. ii. 8 8 Al Beid‰wi. JallaloÕddin. 1 Idem. 2 See cap. 21, p. 247. 3 Al Beid‰wi, JallaloÕddin. 4 Vide Pocock. Spec. p. 59. 5 Al Beid‰wi, &c. Vide DÕHerbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 182. 6 Ubi sup. k JallaloÕddin says that the queen was surrounded by her army when the lapwing threw the letter into her bosom; but al Beid‰wi supposes she was in an apartment of her palace, the doors of which were shut, and that the bird flew in at the window. The former commentator gives a copy of the epistle somewhat more full than that in the text; viz., From the servant of GOD, Solomon, the son of David, unto Balk”s queen of Saba. In the name of the most merciful GOD. Peace be on him who followeth the true direction. Rise not up against me, but come and surrender yourselves unto me. He adds that Solomon perfumed this letter with musk, and sealed it with his signet. l Or, Come unto me and resign yourselves unto the divine direction, and profess the true religion which I preach. m i.e., Whether thou wilt obey the summons of Solomon, or give us orders to make head against him. n Bearing the presents, which they say were five hundred young slaves of each sex, all habited in the same manner, five hundred bricks of gold, a crown enriched with precious stones, besides a large quantity of musk, amber, and other things of value.1 Some add that Balk”s, to try whether Solomon was a prophet or no, dressed the boys like girls, and the girls like boys, and sent him in a casket, a pearl not drilled, and an onyx drilled with a crooked hole; and that Solomon distinguished the boys from the girls by the different manner of their taking water, and ordered one worm to bore the pearl, and another to pass a thread through the onyx.2 They also tell us that Solomon, having notice of this embassy, by means of the lapwing, even before they set out, ordered a large square to be enclosed with a wall built of gold and silver bricks, wherein he ranged his forces and attendants to receive them.3 o This was an Ifr”t, or one of the wicked and rebellious genii; and his name, says al Beid‰wi, was Dhacw‰n or Sakhr. p i.e., From thy seat of justice. For Solomon used to sit in judgment every day till noon.4 1 JallaloÕddin 2 Al Beid‰wi. 3 JallaloÕddin. 4 Idem interp. q This person, as is generally supposed, was Asaf the son of Barachia, SolomonÕs Wazir (or Visir), who knew the great or ineffable name of GOD, by pronouncing of which he performed this wonderful exploit.5 Others, however, suppose it was al Khedr, or else Gabriel, or some other angel; and some imagine it to have been Solomon himself.6 r The original is, Before thou canst look at any object, and take thy eye off it. It is said that Solomon, at AsafÕs desire, looked up to heaven, and before he cast his eye downwards, the throne made its way underground, and appeared before him. s For, on the return of her ambassador, she determined to go and submit herself to that prince; but before her departure, she secured her throne, as she thought, by locking it up in a strong castle, and setting a guard to defend it; after which she set out, attended by a vast army.7 t It is uncertain whether these be the words of Balk”s, acknowledging her conviction by the wonders she had already seen; or of Solomon and his people, acknowledging the favour of GOD, in calling them to the true faith before her. u Or, as some understand the word, the court before the palace, which Solomon had commanded to be built against the arrival of Balk”s; the floor or pavement being of transparent glass, laid over running water, in which fish were swimming. Fronting this pavement was placed the royal throne, on which Solomon sat to receive the queen.8 x Some Arab writers tell us Solomon had been informed that Balk”sÕs legs and feet were covered with hair, like those of an ass, of the truth of which he had hereby an opportunity of being satisfied by ocular demonstration. y The queen of Saba having by these words professed Isl‰m, and renounced idolatry, Solomon had thoughts of making her his wife; but could not resolve to do it; till the devils had by a depilatory taken off the hair from her legs.9 Some,10 however, will have it that she did not marry Solomon, but a prince of the tribe of Hamd‰n. z Concerning the doctrine preached by Saleh; one party believing on him, and the other treating him as an impostor. a i.e., Why do ye urge and defy the divine vengeance with which ye are threatened, instead of averting it by repentance? 5 JallaloÕddin. 6 Al Beid‰wi. 7 JallaloÕddin. 8 Idem, al Beid‰wi 9 JallaloÕddin. 10 Apud al Beid‰wi b See chapter 7, p. 117, where the Egyptians in the same manner accuse Moses as the cause of their calamities. c It is related that Saleh, and those who believed on him, usually meeting to pray in a certain narrow place between the mountains, the infidels said, He thinks to make an end of us after three days,1 but we will be beforehand with him; and that a party of them went directly to the straits above mentioned, thinking to execute their design, but were terribly disappointed; for, instead of catching the prophet, they were caught themselves, their retreat being cut off by a large piece of rock, which fell down at the mouth of the straits, so that they perished there in a miserable manner. d See chapter 7, p. 113, and chapter 11, p. 166. e See chapter 25, p. 274. The word barzakh is not used here, but another of equivalent import. f Literally, Him who is driven by distress to implore GODÕS assistance. 1 See cap. 7, p. 113, note m. 28
h Or the words may be translated thus: Yea, their knowledge faileth as to the life to come: yea, &c. i Such as the comparing of GOD to sensible things, or to created beings: the removing all imperfections from the description of the Divine Being; the state of paradise and hell; the stories of Ezra and Jesus Christ, &c.1 k The Mohammedans call this beast, whose appearance will be one sign of the approach of the day of judgment, al Jass‰sa, or the Spy. I have given the description of her elsewhere;2 to which should be added that she is to have two wings. l Or, according to a different reading, viz., taclimohom instead of tocallimohom, who shall wound them.3 1 Al Beid‰wi. 2 Prelim. Disc. Sec. IV. p. 62, &c. 3 Vide ibid. m See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. p. 65, &c. Some say the persons exempted from this general consternation will be the angels Gabriel, Michael, Israfil, and Izra‘l;1 others suppose them to be the virgins of paradise, and the angels who guard that place, and carry GODÕS throne;2 and others will have them to be the martyrs.3 n That is, from the fear of damnation, and the other terrors which will disturb the wicked; not from the general terror or consternation before mentioned. o viz., The successes of the true believers against the infidels, and particularly the victory of Bedr p The title is taken from the 26th verse, where Moses is said to have related the story of his adventures to Shoaib. q Some except a verse towards the latter end, beginning with these words: He who hath given thee the Kor‰n for a rule of faith and practice, &c. r See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. III. p. 46. 1 JallaloÕddin, al Beid‰wi. 2 Idem. 3 Ebn Abbas. s i.e., Either into companies, that they might the better attend his order and perform the services he exacted of them; or into opposite factions, to prevent their attempting anything against them, to deliver themselves from his tyranny.1 t viz., The Israelites. u See chapter 26, p. 278. x This name is given to PharaohÕs chief minister; from whence it is generally inferred that Mohammed has here made Haman, the favourite of Ahasuerus king of Persia, and who indisputably lived many ages after Moses, to be that prophetÕs contemporary. But how probable soever this mistake may seem to us, it will be very hard, if not impossible, to convince a Mohammedan of it; for, as has been observed in a parallel case,2 two very different persons may bear the same name.3 y For Pharaoh had either dreamed, or been told by some diviners, that one of the Hebrew nation should be the ruin of his kingdom; which prophecy is supposed to have been the occasion of his cruelty to them.4 This circumstance is owing to the invention of the Jews.5 z It is related that the midwife appointed to attend the Hebrew women, terrified by a light which appeared between the eyes of Moses at his birth, and touched with an extraordinary affection for the child, did not discover him to the officers, so that his mother kept him in her house, and nursed him three months; after which it was impossible for her to conceal him any longer, the king then giving orders to make the searches more strictly.6 a This sudden affection or admiration was raised in them either by his uncommon beauty, or by the light which shone on his forehead, or because, when they opened the ark, they found him sucking his thumb, which supplied him with milk.7 b See chapter 20, p. 235. 1 Al Beid‰wi. 2 See p. 34, note x. 3 Vide Reland. de Rel Moham. p. 217. 4 See cap. 7, p. 117. 5 Vide Shalshel. hakkab, p. 11. et R. Eliez. pirke, c. 48 6 Al Beid‰wi. See the notes to cap. 20, p. 235. 7 Idem, JallaloÕddin. c viz., At noon; at which time it is usual in those countries for people to retire to sleep; or, as others rather suppose, a little within night. d i.e., The one being an Israelite of his own religion and nation, and the other an idolatrous Egyptian. e Mohammed allows that Moses killed the Egyptian wrongfully; but, to excuse it, supposes that he struck him without designing to kill him. f Some suppose these words to have been spoken by the Israelite, who, because Moses had reprimanded him, imagined he was going to strike him; and others, by the Egyptian, who either knew or suspected that Moses had killed his countryman the day before. g This person, says the tradition, was an Egyptian, and PharaohÕs uncleÕs son, but a true believer; who, finding that the king had been informed of what Moses had done, and designed to put him to death, gave him immediate notice to provide for his safety by flight. h For Moses knew not the way, and coming to a place where three roads met, committed himself to the guidance of GOD, and took the middle road, which was the right; providence likewise so ordering it, that his pursuers took the other two roads, and missed him.1 Some say he was led by an angel in the appearance of a traveller.2 i By rolling away a stone of a prodigious weight, which had been laid over the mouth of the 1 Al Beid‰wi. 2 JallaloÕddin. well by the shepherds, and required no less than seven men (though some name a much larger number) to remove it.1 k This was Sefžra (or Zipporah) the elder, or, as others suppose, the younger daughter of Shoaib, whom Moses afterwards married. l The girl, being asked by her father how she knew Moses deserved this character, told him that he had removed the vast stone above mentioned without any assistance, and that he looked not in her face, but held down his head till he heard her message, and desired her to walk behind him, because the wind ruffled her garments a little, and discovered some part of her legs.2 m viz., The longest terms of ten years. The Mohammedans say, after the Jews,3 that Moses received from Shoaib the rod of the prophets (which was a branch of a myrtle of paradise, and had descended to him from Adam) to keep off the wild beasts from his sheep; and that this was the rod with which he performed all those wonders in Egypt. n See chapter 20, p. 234. o LIterally, thy wing: the expression alludes to the action of birds, which stretch forth their wings to fly away when they are frighted, and fold them together again when they think themselves secure.4 1 Idem, interp. Yahya. 2 Idem. 3 Vide Shals. hakkab. p. 12. R. Eliez. pirke, c. 40, &c. 4 Al Beid‰wi. p See chapter 26, p. 277. q It is said that Haman, having prepared bricks and other materials, employed no less than fifty thousand men, besides labourers, in the building; which they carried to so immense a height that the workmen could no longer stand on it: that Pharaoh, ascending this tower, threw a javelin towards heaven, which fell back again stained with blood, whereupon he impiously boasted that he had killed the GOD of Moses; but at sunset GOD sent the angel Gabriel, who, with one stroke of his wing, demolished the tower, a part whereof, falling on the kingÕs army, destroyed a million of men.5 r That is, to the Arabians; to whom no prophet had been sent, at least since Ismael. s viz., The Pentateuch and the Kor‰n. Some copies read, Two impostors, meaning Moses and Mohammed. 5 Al Zamakhshari. t Holding the same faith in fundamentals, before the revelation of the Kor‰n, which we receive because it is consonant to the scriptures, and attested to by them. The passage intends those Jews and Christians who had embraced Mohammedism. u Because they have believed both in their own scriptures and in the Kor‰n. x See chap. 25, p. 275, note d. y This objection was made by Al Hareth Ebn Othm‰n Ebn Nawfal Ebn Abd Men‰f, who came to Mohammed and told him that the Koreish believed he preached the truth, but were apprehensive that if they made the Arabs their enemies by quitting their religion, they would be obliged likewise to quit Mecca, being but a handful of men, in comparison to the whole nation.1 z By giving them for their habitation the sacred territory of Mecca, a place protected by GOD, and reverenced by man. a That is, for a day, or a few hours only, while travellers stay there to rest and refresh themselves; or, as the original may also signify, unless by a few inhabitants: some of those ancient cities and dwellings being utterly desolate, and others thinly inhabited. b There being none left to enjoy it after them. 1 Al Beid‰wi. c See chap. 10, p. 153. d Literally, The account thereof shall be dark unto them; for the consternation they shall then be under, will render them stupid, and unable to return an answer. e viz., The prophet who shall have been sent to each nation. f The commentators say, Karžn was the son of Yeshar (or Izhar), the uncle of Moses, and, consequently, make him the same with the Korah of the scriptures. This person is represented by them as the most beautiful of the Israelites, and so far surpassing them all in opulency that the riches of Karžn have become a proverb. The Mohammedans are indebted to the Jews for this last circumstance, to which they have added several other fables; for they tell us that he built a large palace overlaid with gold, the doors whereof were of massy gold; that he became so insolent because of his immense riches, as to raise a sedition against Moses, though some pretend the occasion of his rebellion to have been his unwillingness to give alms, as Moses had commanded; that one day, when that prophet was preaching to the people, and, among other laws which he published, declared that adulterers should be stoned, Karžn asked him what if he should be found guilty of the same crime? To which Moses answered, that in such case he would suffer the same punishment; and thereupon Karžn produced a harlot, whom he had hired to swear that Moses had lain with her, and charged him publicly with it; but on Moses adjuring the woman to speak the truth, her resolution failed her, and she confessed that she was suborned by Karžn to accuse him wrongfully; that then God directed Moses, who had complained to him of this usage, to command the earth what he pleased, and it should obey him; whereupon he said, O earth swallow them up! and that immediately the earth opened under Karžn and his confederates, and swallowed them up, with his palace and all his riches.1 There goes a tradition, that as Karžn sank gradually into the ground, first to his knees, then Yüklə 2,27 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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