2 See note, p. 32.

3 See Sura xxi. 49, p. 154, n.

4 Lit. mother.

5 In the battle of Bedr, Muhammad, with 319 followers routed 1000 Meccans, A.H. 2.

6 That is, knowledge, or revelation, became the cause of disputings.

7 That is, will ye receive Islam?  The Ummiin, or common folk, the heathen Arabians destitute of Revelation.  In the earliest extant biography of Muhammad by Ibn Ishaq, we find these words addressed by Zaid, previous to the assumption of the prophetic office by Muhammad, to the Koreisch.  This is one of the facts which shew that the way was to a great extent prepared for Islam.  This whole address of Zaid’s-which contains not less than six passages afterwards repeated in the Koran-may be seen in Dr. Sprenger’s Life of M. p. 42.  The instances of others who had learned to disbelieve in idolatry, and had either become Jews or Christians, or held their minds in suspense, might easily be multiplied.  Comp.  Sharastani, p. 437.  Masudi, ch. 6.

8 The King of the Kingdom, or, Lord of Might.  This verse and the following are either fragments of some lost Sura, or belonging to one of the Meccan Suras.  At any rate, they are misplaced, interrupting as they do the connection of the preceding and subsequent verses.

9 The wife of Imran is Hannah or Anne.  Comp.  Protev.  Jac. iv. [greek text].- Evang. de Nat.  Mar. 1:  Voverunt tamen (Mari‘ parentes) si forte donaret eis Deus sobolem, eam se Dni servitio mancipaturos.-Although Muhammad had no direct access to the Apocryphal Gospels, yet these may have influenced, or at any rate, contained much in common with, the ordinary traditions of S. Syria.  And of this, the Immaculate Conception of the B. V. Mary, supposed by Gibbon (ch. 50) to have been “borrowed from the Koran,” probably formed a part.

10 That is, the female could not become a priest.

11 See note, p. 114.

12 According to a tradition of Muhammad every new-born child is touched by Satan, with the exception of Mary and her Son, between whom and Satan God interposed a veil. (Djelal.  Beidh.) Hence this passage may imply the Immaculate Conception of the B. V. Mary.  See v. 37 below.

13 Evang. de Nat.  Mar. 7:  Quotidie ab angelis frequentabatur, quotidie divinâ visione fruebatur, queam a malis omnibus custodiebat et bonis omnibus redundare faciebat.  Protev.  Jac. 8:  [greek text].  Hist.  Nativ.  Mar. 6:  Quotidie escâ, quam de manu angeli accipiebat, ipsâ tantum reficiebatur.

14 The word rendered descendants is a collective noun.  Gerock (p. 20) thinks that Zacharias’ prayer was not for a son of his own, but for an adopted son-as, for instance, the future husband of Mary who might become his heir, and hence accounts for his surprise and unbelief at the announcement of John.

15 Lit. chamber.  By this may be meant an [greek text] of the Temple Comp.  Luke i. 21.

16 Luke i. 28.