146 The CORÂN
LXXIV.—SURA II., v. 87.

سورة البقرة

وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ وَقَفَّيْنَا مِن بَعْدِهِ بِالرُّسُلِ وَآتَيْنَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ الْبَيِّنَاتِ وَأَيَّدْنَاهُ بِرُوحِ الْقُدُسِ

And verily We gave Moses the Book, and caused prophets to arise after him, and We gave to Jesus, the Son of Mary, evident signs, and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit.

"The Book, i.e. the Tourât (Pentateuch)."—Jelalooddeen and Baidhâwi.

LXXV.—SURA II., v. 89.

سورة البقرة

وَلَمَّا جَاءهُمْ كِتَابٌ مِّنْ عِندِ اللّهِ مُصَدِّقٌ لِّمَا مَعَهُمْ وَكَانُواْ مِن قَبْلُ يَسْتَفْتِحُونَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ فَلَمَّا جَاءهُم مَّا عَرَفُواْ كَفَرُواْ بِهِ فَلَعْنَةُ اللَّه عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ

And when a Book (i.e. the Corân) came unto them from God, attesting the truth of that (Scripture) which is with them, (although they had from before been praying for victory over those who disbelieve;) yet when that came unto them which they recognized, they rejected the same.

Still addressed to the Jews of Medîna. The Corân is, as usual, spoken of as attesting that which the Jews had "with" or "by them"; i.e. their Scripture.—Jelalooddeen and Baidhâwi.

Mahomet is in this passage supposed to allude to the manner in which, before his advent, the Jews at Medîna used to address the idolaters of that city,

TESTIMONY TO THE HOLY SCRIPTURES 147

saying, that when their Messiah should appear, he would give them the victory; and they were wont to pray for the speedy coming of that time. Mahomet, assuming that he himself is the person whose advent they used to pray for, says that although they recognized the Corân as the very thing which they had been longing for, yet, now that it had come, they knowingly rejected it.

This belongs to the same class of passages as Arts. VII., XIII., XV., &c.

LXXVI.—SURA II., v. 91.

سورة البقرة

وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ آمِنُواْ بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللّهُ قَالُواْ نُؤْمِنُ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا وَيَكْفُرونَ بِمَا وَرَاءهُ وَهُوَ الْحَقُّ مُصَدِّقاً لِّمَا مَعَهُمْ

And when it is said unto them;—Believe in that which God hath revealed; they say;—We believe in that which hath been revealed unto us; and they reject that which (hath been revealed) after it, although it be the truth attesting that which is with them.

When called upon by Mahomet to believe in all the inspired Scriptures, the Jews replied that they believed in that Scripture alone which had been revealed to them; and disbelieved in all that followed it, i.e. the Gospel and the Corân. Yet, says Mahomet, that which they reject, i.e. the Corân is the truth, and attests the inspiration and authority of the Jewish Scripture.

The Jewish Scripture, as in the hands of the Jews