The Koran (Al-Qur'an). Anonymous

be read by every curious inquirer into them. As I have had no opportunity of consulting public libraries, the manuscripts of which I have made use throughout the whole work have been such as I had in my own study, except only the Commentary of al Beidâwi and the Gospel of St. Barnabas. The first belongs to the library of the Dutch church in Austin Friars, and for the use of it I have been chiefly indebted to the Reverend Dr. Bolten, one of the ministers of that church: the other was very obligingly lent me by the Reverend Dr. Holme, Rector of Hedley in Hampshire; and I take this opportunity of returning both those gentlemen my thanks for their favours. The merit of al Beidâwi's commentary will appear from the frequent quotations I have made thence; but of the Gospel of St. Barnabas (which I had not seen when the little I have said of it in the Preliminary Discourse,* and the extract I had borrowed from M. de la Monnoye and M. Toland,? were printed off), I must beg leave to give some further account. The book is a moderate quarto, in Spanish, written in a very legible hand, but a little damaged towards the latter end. It contains two hundred and twenty-two chapters of unequal length, and four hundred

      * Sect. IV. p. 58. ? In not. ad cap. 3, p. 38

      and twenty pages; and is said, in the front, to be translated from the Italian, by an Arragonian Moslem, named Mostafa de Aranda. There is a preface prefixed to it, wherein the discoverer of the original MS., who was a Christian monk, called Fra Marino, tells us that having accidentally met with a writing of Irenæus (among others), wherein he speaks against St. Paul, alleging, for his authority, the Gospel of St. Barnabas, he became exceeding desirous to find this gospel; and that GOD, of His mercy, having made him very intimate with Pope Sixtus V., one day, as they were together in that Pope's library, his Holiness fell asleep, and he, to employ himself, reaching down a book to read, the first he laid his hand on proved to be the very gospel he wanted: overjoyed at the discovery, he scrupled not to hide his prize in his sleeve, and on the Pope's awaking, took leave of him, carrying with him that celestial treasure, by reading of which he became a convert to Mohammedism. This Gospel of Barnabas contains a complete history of Jesus Christ from His birth to His ascension; and most of the circumstances in the four real Gospels are to be found therein, but many of them turned, and some artfully enough, to favour the Mohammedan system. From the design of the whole, and the frequent interpolations of stories and passages wherein Mohammed is spoken of and foretold by name, as the messenger of God, and the great prophet who was to perfect the dispensation of Jesus, it appears to be a most barefaced forgery. One particular I observe therein induces me to believe it to have been dressed up by a renegade Christian, slightly instructed in his new religion, and not educated a Mohammedan (unless the fault be imputed to the Spanish, or perhaps the Italian translator, and not to the original compiler); I mean the giving to Mohammed the title of Messiah, and that not once or twice only, but in several places; whereas the title of the Messiah, or, as the Arabs write it, al Masîh, i.e., Christ, is appropriated to Jesus in the Korân, and is constantly applied by the Mohammedans to Him, and never to their own prophet. The passages produced from the Italian MS. by M. de la Monnoye are to be seen in this Spanish version almost word for word. But to return to the following work. Though I have freely censured the former translations of the Korân, I would not therefore be suspected of a design to make my own pass as free from faults: I am very sensible it is not; and I make no doubt that the few who are able to discern them, and know the difficulty of the undertaking, will give me fair quarter. I likewise flatter myself that they, and all considerate persons, will excuse the delay which has happened in the publication of this work, when they are informed that it was carried on at leisure times only, and amidst the necessary avocations of a troublesome profession.

      A TABLE

      OF THE

      SECTIONS OF THE PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE

      _________

SECTION Page I.-Of the Arabs before Mohammed; or, as they express it, in the Time of Ignorance; their History, Religion, Learning, and Customs 1 II.-Of the State of Christianity, particularly of the Eastern Churches, and of Judaism, at time of Mohammed's appearance; and of the methods taken by him for the establishing his Religion, and the circumstances which concurred thereto 25 III.-Of the Korân itself, the Peculiarities of that Book; the manner of its being written and published, and the General Design of it 44 IV.-Of the Doctrines and positive Precepts of the Korân which relate to Faith and Religious Duties 54 V.-Of certain Negative Precepts in the Korân 95 VI.-Of the Institutions of the Korân in Civil Affairs 103 VII.-Of the Months commanded by the Korân to be kept Sacred; and of the setting apart of Friday for the especial service of God 114 VIII.-Of the principal Sects among the Mohammedans; and of those who have pre- tended to Prophecy among the Arabs, in or since the time of Mohammed 117

A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS

       Table of Contents

      OF

      THE KORAN.

      ______________

      CHAPTER Page 1. Entitled, The Preface, or Introduction; containing 7 verses 1 2. Entitled, The Cow; containing 286 verses 2 3. Entitled, The Family of Imrân; containing 200 verses 32 4. Entitled, Women; containing 175 verses 53 5. Entitled, The Table; containing 120 verses 73 6. Entitled, Cattle; containing 165 verses 89 7. Entitled, Al Araf; containing 206 verses 105 8. Entitled, The Spoils; containing 76 verses 125 9. Entitled, The Declaration of Immunity; containing 139 verses 134 10. Entitled, Jonas; containing 109 verses 150 11. Entitled, Hud; containing 123 verses 158 12. Entitled, Joseph; containing 111 verses 169 13. Entitled, Thunder; containing 43 verses 181 14. Entitled, Abraham; containing 52 verses 186 15. Entitled, Al Hejr; containing 99 verses 191 16. Entitled, The Bee; containing 128 verses 195 17. Entitled, The Night Journey; contianing 110 verses 206 18. Entitled, The Cave; containing 111 verses 216 19. Entitled, Mary; containing 80 verses 227 20. Entitled, T. H.; containing 134 verses 233 21. Entitled, The Prophets; containing 112 verses 242 22. Entitled, The Pilgrimage; containing 78 verses 250 23. Entitled, The True Believers; containing 118 verses 257 24. Entitled, Light; containing 74 verses 262 25. Entitled, Al Forkan; containing 77 verses 271 26. Entitled, The Poets; containing 227 verses 276 27. Entitled, The Ant; containing 93 verses 283 28. Entitled, The Story; containing 87 verses 289 29. Entitled, The Spider; containing 69 verses 297 30. Entitled, The Greeks; containing 60 verses 302 31. Entitled, Lokmân; containing 34 verses 306 32. Entitled, Adoration; containing 29 verses 309 33. Entitled, The Confederates; containing 73 verses 312 34. Entitled, Saba; containing 54 verses 321 35. Entitled, The Creator; containing 45 verses 326 36. Entitled, Y. S; containing 83 verses 330

      CHAPTER Page 37. Entitled, Those who rank themselves in Order; containing 182 verses 334 38. Entitled, S.; containing 86 verses 339 39. Entitled, The Troops; containing 75 verses 344 40. Entitled, The True Believer; containing 85 verses 350 41. Entitled, Are distinctly explained; containing 54 verses 355 42. Entitled, Consultation; containing 53 verses 359 43. Entitled, The Ornaments of Gold; containing 89 verses 362 44. Entitled, Smoke; containing 57 verses 367 45. Entitled, The Kneeling; containing 36 verses 369 46. Entitled, Al Ahkaf; containing 35 verses 371 47. Entitled, Mohammed; containing 38 verses 374 48. Entitled, The Victory; containing 29 verses 377 49. Entitled, The Inner Apartments; containing 18 verse 381 50. Entitled, K.; containing 45 verses 383 51. Entitled, The Dispersing; containing 60 verses 385 52. Entitled, The Mountain; containing 48 verses 387 53. Entitled, The Star; containing 61 verses 389 54. Entitled, The Moon; containing 55 verses 391 55. Entitled, The Merciful; containing 78 verses 394 56. Entitled, The Inevitable; containing 99 verses 396 57. Entitled, Iron; containing 29 verses 399 58. Entitled, She who disputed; containing 22 verses 402 59. Entitled, The Emigration; containing 24 verses 404 60. Entitled, She who is tried; containing 13 verses 407 61. Entitled, Battle Array; containing 14 verses 409 62. Entitled, The Assembly; containing 11 verses 410 63. Entitled, The Hypocrites; containing 11 verses 412 64. Entitled, Mutual Deceit; contianing 18 verses 413 65. Entitled, Divorce; containing 12 verses 414 66. Entitled, Prohibition; containing 12 verses 415 67. Entitled, The Kingdom; containing 30 verses 418 68. Entitled, The Pen; containing 52 verses 419 69. Entitled, The Infallible; containing 52 verses 421 70. Entitled, The Steps; containing 44 verses 423 71. Entitled, Noah;