94 THE CORÂN.
XXV.—SURA XL., vv. 72.[70-72]

سورة غافر

الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِالْكِتَابِ وَبِمَا أَرْسَلْنَا بِهِ رُسُلَنَا فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ
إِذِ الأغْلالُ فِي أَعْنَاقِهِمْ وَالسَّلاسِلُ يُسْحَبُونَ
فِي الْحَمِيمِ ثُمَّ فِي النَّارِ يُسْجَرُونَ

They who reject the book, and that which We have sent our messengers with,—they shall know;
when the collars shall be on their necks, and the chains by which they shall be dragged into hell;
 then they shall be burned in the fire

These awful punishments are threatened not only against the rejecters of the Corân, but against the rejecters of that which God sent His previous Messengers with, i.e. the Jewish and Christian Scriptures. Both revelations are placed on the same footing; the danger of their rejection is the same.

When Mussulmans of the present day are tempted to speak despitefully of the Jewish and Christian Scriptures, and of their divine contents, let them weigh well such passages of the Corân as the above, lest they incur the peril of the punishment here indicated.

 XXVII.—SURA XXV., v. 36[35].

سورة الفرقان

وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ وَجَعَلْنَا مَعَهُ أَخَاهُ هَارُونَ وَزِيرًا

TESTIMONY TO THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 95

And verily We gave Moses the book, and We appointed his brother Aaron his helper.

A reference to the divine origin of the Book of Moses, "the Tourât."-(Jelalooddeen.)

 XXVIII.—SURA XX., v. 132[133].

سورة طه

وَقَالُوا لَوْلَا يَأْتِينَا بِآيَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّهِ أَوَلَمْ تَأْتِهِم بَيِّنَةُ مَا فِي الصُّحُفِ الْأُولَى

And they (the Coreish) say,—"If he doth not bring us a sign from his Lord (we will not believe)." What! hath not an evident demonstration come unto them in the former pages?

The " former pages" mean the Scriptures in use amongst the Jews and Christians.

Baidhâwi explains it thus:—

من التوراة والإنجيل وساير الكتب السماوية
—"the Tourât and the Gospel, and all the divine books." But the only divine book, or books, that even claimed to be divine, known to the citizens of Mecca (who are here addressed), were the Scriptures of the Jews and Christians dwelling in Arabia and the adjoining lands. And it is evident that to them reference is here made.

When the citizens of Mecca called for a sign or miracle, Mahomet referred them to the evident demonstration already contained in those books. He would not have made this appeal, unless the