2 Said to mean A mara li Muhammad, i.e. at the command of Muhammad; but see Sura 1xviii. p. 32.

3 Death, Resurrection, Judgment, etc.

4 The Jews.

5 The Jews and Christians, hostile to the mission of Muhammad.

6 Lit. the similitude of them is as the similitude of, etc.

7 The people of Medina are generally addressed with “O ye who believe;” the Meccans, with “O men.”  Hence it has been inferred that from verse 19 (O men) to 37 inclusively, is of the Meccan period.  The subjects treated of also lead to this conclusion.

8 The statues of false gods.

9 It will be an agreeable surprise to the blessed to have fruits, which at first sight resemble those of earth, but are infinitely more delicious,.

10 Muhammad had been reproached for having drawn illustrations from the Ant, Bee, Spider, etc.

11 Concerning faith in Muhammad.  See verse 39 below, note.

12 The number of the Heavens is borrowed from the Talmud, or traditions based upon it; but the idea probably has its root in the Scriptural expression, “Heaven of Heavens.”

13 Lit. a caliph, vicegerent.  “When the Holy One, Blessed be He, would create man, He took counsel with the Angels and said to them, We will make man in our image.”  Midr.  Rabbah on Numb. iv. par. 19.  Comp.  Midr. on Gen. 1, par. 8, 17.  Sanhedr. 38.

14 “God said to the Angels, ‘His wisdom is greater than yours.’  Then brought he before them beasts, cattle, and birds, and asked for their names, but they knew them not.  But when he had created man,” etc.  Midr. as above.

15 Or, if ye are truthful, or can make good a better claim to the vicegerency.

16 In the name Eblis (diabolos) and in the honour claimed for Adam as a kind of Godman, there are traces of a Christian original, as well as in the identification of the serpent with Satan.  Comp.  Ps. civ. 4; Heb. i. 6.  The Talmudists also enlarge on the honour paid to Adam.  “Adam sat in the garden and the Angels brought him flesh and cooling wine.”  Sanhedr. 29.  “In the hour when the Holy One, Blessed be He, created man, the Angels went astray in regard to him, and essayed to say before him, ‘O Holy One!’ then God permitted sleep to fall on him, and all knew that he was of earth.”  Midr.  Rabbah on Gen. par. 8.  It is possible that the Arabic word balas, a profligate, wicked person, may have influenced Muhammad in the formation of the word Eblis.  See note, p. 185.  Eblis is used in the Arabic version of the New Testament, for the probable date of which, see Tischendorf, Prol. p. 78.

17 Observe the change from Eblis, the calumniator, to Satan, the hater.

18 Muhammad rarely accused the Jews and Christians of corrupting, but often of misinterpreting, their Sacred Books, in order to evade his claims.  His charges, however, are always very vaguely worded, and his utterances upon this subject are tantamount to a strong testimony in favour of the unimpeachable integrity of the sacred books, both of the Jews and Christians, so far as he knew them.  See Sura [lxxxvii.] vii. 168, and v. 73 below.