no writer, let pledges be taken:  but if one of you trust the other, let him who is trusted return what he is trusted with, and fear God his Lord.  And conceal not the testimony, for he who concealeth it hath surely a wicked heart:  God knoweth that which ye do.  Whatever is in heaven and on earth is God’s; and whether ye manifest that which is in your minds, or conceal it, God will call you to account for it, and will forgive whom he pleaseth, and will punish whom he pleaseth; for God is almighty.  The apostle believeth in that which hath been sent down unto him from his Lord, and the faithful also.  Every one of them believeth in God, and his angels, and his scriptures, and his apostles:  we make no distinction at all between his apostles.[44] And they say, We have heard, and do obey:  we implore thy mercy, O Lord, for unto thee must we return.  God will not force any soul beyond its capacity:  it shall have the good which it gaineth, and it shall suffer the evil which it gaineth.  O Lord, punish us not, if we forget, or act sinfully:  O Lord, lay not on us a burden like that which thou hast laid on those who have been before us;[45] neither make us, O Lord, to bear what we have not strength to bear, but be favorable unto us, and spare us, and be merciful unto us.  Thou art our patron, help us therefore against the unbelieving nations.

[Footnote 22:  This title was occasioned by the story of the red heifer, mentioned p. 217.]

[Footnote 23:  Concerning the creation of Adam, here intimated, the Mohammedans have several peculiar traditions.  They say the angels, Gabriel, Michael, and Israfil, were sent by God, one after another, to fetch for that purpose seven handfuls of earth from different depths, and of different colors (whence some account for the various complexion of mankind); but the earth being apprehensive of the consequence, and desiring them to represent her fear to God that the creature he designed to form would rebel against him, and draw down his curse upon her, they returned without performing God’s command; whereupon he sent Azrail on the same errand, who executed his commission without remorse, for which reason God appointed that angel to separate the souls from the bodies, being therefore called the angel of death.  The earth he had taken was carried into Arabia, to a place between Mecca and Tayef, where, being first kneaded by the angels, it was afterwards fashioned by God himself into a human form, and left to dry for the space of forty days, or, as others say, as many years, the angels in the meantime often visiting it, and Eblis (then one of the angels who are nearest to God’s presence, afterwards the devil) among the rest; but he, not contented with looking on it, kicked it with his foot, and knowing God designed that creature to be his superior, took a secret resolution never to acknowledge him as such.  After this, God animated the figure of clay and endued it with an intelligent soul, and when he had placed him in paradise, formed Eve out of his left side.]