120 The CORÂN

Compare with this passage Art. XLIX. (Sura XXI., v. 105), where a quotation is made from these same Psalms.

LIII.—SURA XVII., v. 102.[101]

سورة الإسراء

وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى تِسْعَ آيَاتٍ بَيِّنَاتٍ فَاسْأَلْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ ألخ

And verily We gave Moses nine evident signs; wherefore enquire from the children of Israel, &c.

"Wherefore do thou enquire; i.e. oh, Mahomet!"— فأسأل يا محمد —Jelalooddeen. Mahomet is in this passage desired by God to refer to the Children of Israel for attestation of the narrative of the nine miracles shown by Moses to Pharaoh. Such attestation would of course be derived from their Scriptures; —which are therefore in effect here referred to as evidence of the truth of this verse.

LIV.—SURA XVII., v. 108[107-109].

سورة الإسراء

قُلْ آمِنُواْ بِهِ أَوْ لاَ تُؤْمِنُواْ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ الْعِلْمَ مِن قَبْلِهِ إِذَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ يَخِرُّونَ لِلأَذْقَانِ سُجَّدًا
وَيَقُولُونَ سُبْحَانَ رَبِّنَا إِن كَانَ وَعْدُ رَبِّنَا لَمَفْعُولاً
وَيَخِرُّونَ لِلأَذْقَانِ يَبْكُونَ وَيَزِيدُهُمْ خُشُوعًا
TESTIMONY TO THE HOLY SCRIPTURES 121

Say,—Believe in it (the Corân,) or believe not;—verily they unto whom the knowledge (of Divine Revelation) hath been given anterior to it, when they hear it recited unto them, fall down upon their faces worshipping: 
and they say,—Praised be our Lord; verily the promise of our Lord is fulfilled. 
And they fall down on their faces weeping, and it increaseth their humility.

"Those unto whom the knowledge of Divine Revelation hath been given anterior to it; i.e. the learned who read the preceding Scriptures, and recognize the reality of (Mahomet's) inspiration, and the signs of prophecy,"— الذين أوتوا العلم من قبله وهو العلماء الذين قرأوا الكتاب السابقة وعرفوا حقيقة الوحي واماراة النبوة Baidhâwi. "And these were believers from amongst the people of the Book"; وهم مومنوا أهل الكتاب Jelalooddeen.

Mahomet is here directed by God to tell the unbelieving Meccans "that they might believe or not as they pleased;—those who were better able to judge, because they had the previous Divine Revelations in their hands,—they believed in the Corân, and rejoiced in its tidings as a confirmation of their own Scriptures."

This accords with the notices in previous passages (see Arts. VII., XIII., &c.) regarding the recognition of the Corân and the doctrines of Islâm, by certain of the people of the Book, from their correspondence with the contents of their Scriptures.