SURA IX.1-IMMUNITY [CXIII.]
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Rodwell, J. M. (John Medows)
Believers!47 fear God, and be with the sincere.
No cause had the people of Medina and the Arabs of the desert around them, to abandon God's Apostle, or to prefer their own lives to his; because neither thirst, nor the labour nor hunger, could come upon them when on path of God;48 neither do they step a step which may anger the unbelievers, neither do they receive from the enemy any damage, but it is written down to them as a good work. Verily, God suffereth not the reward of the righteous to perish.
Nor give they alms either small or great, nor traverse they a torrent, but it is thus reckoned to them; that God may reward them with better than they have wrought.
The faithful must not march forth all together to the wars: and if a party of every band of them march not out, it is that they may instruct themselves in their religion, and may warn their people when they come back to them, that they take heed to themselves.
Believers! wage war against such of the infidels as are your neighbours, and let them find you rigorous: and know that God is with those who fear him.
Whenever a Sura is sent down, there are some of them who say, "Whose faith hath it increased?" It will increase the faith of those who believe, and they shall rejoice.
But as to those in whose hearts is a disease, it will add doubt to their doubt, and they shall die infidels.
Do they not see that they are proved every year once or twice? Yet they turn not, neither are they warned.
And whenever a Sura is sent down, they look at one another. . . . "Doth any one see you?" then turn they aside. God shall turn their hearts aside, because they are a people devoid of understanding.
Now hath an Apostle come unto you from among yourselves: your iniquities press heavily upon him. He is careful over you, and towards the faithful, compassionate, merciful.
If they turn away, SAY: God sufficeth me: there is no God but He. In Him put I my trust. He is the possessor of the Glorious Throne!
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1 The "Immunity" is said by some commentators to have formed originally one Sura with the eighth, p.375, and that on this account the usual formula of invocation is not prefixed. The Caliph Othman accounted for this omission of the Bismillah from the fact of this Sura having been revealed, with the exception of a few verses, shortly before the prophet's death, who left no instructions on the subject. (Mishcat 1, p. 526.) The former verses from 1- 12, or, according to other traditions, from 1-40, were recited to the pilgrims at Mecca by Ali, Ann. Hej. 9.
2 Lit. that ye cannot weaken God.
3 Shawâl, Dhu'lkaada, Dhu'lhajja, Muharram. These months were observed by the Arabians previous to the time of Muhammad.
4 Al Abbas, Muhammad's uncle, when taken prisoner, had defended his unbelief, and declared that he had performed these two important duties. Beidh.
5 Or, shall issue his behest.
6 At the battle of Honein, a valley three miles from Mecca (A.H. 8), the Muhammadans, presuming upon the great superiority of their numbers, 12,000 men, over the enemy who were only 4000 strong, were seized with a panic throughout their ranks. Order was restored and victory obtained through the bravery and presence of mind of Muhammad and his kindred.
7 The enemy attacked and routed you on all sides.
8 See ii. 249, p. 365.
9 Through the breaking off commercial relations.
10 Or, by right of subjection, Sale; in cash, Wahl.; all without exception, K. i.e. as if by counting hands.
11 Thus Hilchoth Melachim, vi. 4. The Jews are commanded, in case of war with the Gentiles, to offer peace on two conditions:-that they become tributaries, and renounce idolatry. Thus also chap. viii. 4.
12 The Muhammadan tradition is that Ezra was raised to life after he had been 100 years dead, and dictated from memory the whole Jewish law, which had been lost during the captivity, to the scribes. That the Jews regarded Ezra as a son of God is due to Muhammad's own invention. See Sonna, 462 v. H. v. Purgstall's Fundgruben des Orients, i. 288. The Talmudists, however, use very exaggerated language concerning him. Thus, Sanhedrin, 21, 22. "Ezra would have been fully worthy to have been the lawgiver, if Moses had not preceded him." Josephus, Ant. xi. 5, 5, speaks of his high repute ([greek text]) with the people, and of his honourable burial. Muhammad probably represents the Jews as having deified Ezra with the view of showing that they, as well as the Christians, had tampered with the doctrine of the Divine unity.
13 An allusion to the word Rabbi, used by Jews and Christians, of their priests, etc., but in Arabic of God only. Comp. Matt. xxiii. 7, 8.
14 See Sur. [cxiv.] v. 85.
15 The intercalation of a month every third year, in order to reduce the lunar to the solar years, is justified by the Muhammadans from this passage.
16 See Sur. xiii. 26, p. 336 (n.).
17 With Abubekr. lit. second of two.
18 Wahk. reich oder arm. Savary, young or old. Ibn Hisam (924) pronounces this to be the oldest verse of the Sura.
19 This refers to the expedition of Tabouk, a town half-way between Medina and Damascus, against the Greeks, A.H. 9. Muhammad was now at the head of an army of 30,000 men. Verses 42-48 are said to have been revealed during the march.
20 Lit. prepared a preparation.
21 Lit. written.
22 That is, victory or martyrdom.
23 Compare Sura iii. 172. Geiger, p. 76, shews that this is precisely the teaching of the Talmudists with regard to the wicked.
24 The poor, i.e. absolute paupers; the needy i.e. those in some temporary distress.
25 The petty Arab chiefs with whom Muhammad made terms after the battle of Honein, in order to secure their followers.
26 There seems to be a play, in the original, upon the similarity of the words for injure and ear.
27 Lit. (are) the one from the other.
28 From giving alms.