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140
THE QUR'ÂN.
XXXIII, 10-14.
[10] When they came upon you from above you and from belowl you, and when your eyesights were distracted and your hearts came up into your throats, and ye suspected God with certain suspicions.
There were the believers tried and were made to quake with a severe quaking.
And when the hypocrites and those in whose hearts was sickness said, 'God and His Apostle have only promised us deceitfully. And when a party of them said, 'O people of Yathreb?; there is no place for you (here) 3, return then (to the city).' And a part of them asked leave of the prophet (to return), saying, 'Verily, our houses are defenceless;' but they were not defenceless, they only wished for flight.
But had they been entered upon from its environs and then been asked to show treason they would have done so; but they would only have tarried there a little while 4.
1 On the approach of the confederate army, to the number of 12,000, Mohammed, by the advice of Selmân the Persian, ordered a deep trench to be dug round Medinah, and himself went out to defend it with 3,000 men. The two forces remained for nearly a month in their respective camps without coming to an actual conflict: until one night a piercing east wind blew so violently, and made such disorder in the camp of the besiegers, that a panic seized upon them, and they retired precipitately. Some of them had been encamped on the heights to the east of the town, the others in the lower part of the valley.
2 The ancient name of the city; it was only called 'El Medinah, the city,' after it had become famous by giving shelter to Mohammed.
s In the trenches.
4 I. e. if the confederates had effected an entry, these half-hearted persons would have listened to their proposals, and have deserted the prophet.
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