J. F. Campbell Collection > Koran: or, Alcoran of Mohammed

cuAP. III. AL KORAN. 37
who are devout are jjrepared with their Lord gardens through which
rivers flow; therein shall they continue for ever: and they shall enjoy wives
free from impurity, and the favour of God ; for God regardeth his servants ;
who say, O Lord, we do sincerely believe; forgive us therefore our sins,
and deliver us from the ])ain of hell fire: the patient, and the lovers of
tnith, and the devout, and the almsgivers, and those who ask pardon
ea/rly in the morning. God hath borne witness that there is no God but
he; and the angels, and those who are endowed with wisdom, profess the
same; who executeth righteousness; there is no God but he; the mighty,
the "wise. Verily the trite religion in the sight of God is Islam ;° and
they who had received the scriptures dissented not therefrom, until after
the knowledge of God's unity had come unto them, out of envy among
themselves; but w*hosoever believeth not in the signs of God, verily God
will be swift in bringing him to account. If they dispute with thee, say,
I have resigned myself unto GoD, and he who folio weth me doth the same:
and say unto them who have received the scriptures, and to the ignorant,"
Do ye profess the religion 0/ Islam? now if they embrace Islam, they are
surely directed; but if they turn their -backs, verily unto thee hdongeth
preaching only ; for God regardeth his servants. And unto those who
believe not in the signs of God, and slay the prophets without a cause, and
put those men to death who teach justice; denounce unto them a painful
punishment. These are they whose works perish in this world, and in
that which is to come ; and they shall have none to help them. Hast thou
not observed those unto whom part of the scripture was given ? P They
were called unto the book of God, that it might judge between them ; '^
then some of them turned their backs, and retired afar off. This they did
° The proper name of the Mohammedan religion, wliioh signifies the resigyiirig or
devotinri one's self entirely to God, and his service. This they say is the religion
which all the prophets were sent to teach, being founded on the unity of God.'
i. e. The pagan Arabs, who had no knowledge of the scriptures.*
P That is, the Jews.
1 This passage was revealed on occasion of a dispute Mohammed had with some
Jews, which is differently related by the commentators.
Al Beidawi says, that Mohammed going one day into a Jewish synagogue, Nairn
Ebn Amru and al Hareth Ebn Zeid asked him what religion he was of? To which
he answering, Of the religion of Abraham ; they replied, Abraham was a Jew;
but on Mohammed's proposing that the Pentateuch might decide the question, they
would by no means agree to it.
But Jallalo'ddin tells us. That two persons of the Jewish religion having com-
mitted adultery, their punishment was referred to Mohammed, who gave sentence
that they should be stoned, according to the law of Moses. This the Jews refused
to submit to, alleging there was no such command in the Pentateuch : but on Mo-
hammed's appealing to the book, the said law was found therein. Whereupon
the criminals were stoned, to the great mortification of the Jews.
It is very remarkable that this law of Moses concerning the stoning of .ndulterers
is mentioned in the New Testament * (though I know some dispute the authenticity
of that whole passage), but it is not now to be found, either in the Hebrew or
8amaritan Pentateuch, or in the Septuagint; it being only said that such shall
be put to death.^ This omission is insisted on by tiie Mohammedans as one instance
of the corruption of the law of Moses by the Jews.
It is also observable that there was a verse once extant in the Koran, commanding
* Jallalo'ddin; Al Beidawi. * lidem. * John viii. 5. « Lev. xx. 10. See
"\\ histon's Kssay towards restoring the true Text of the Old Test. p. 99, 100.