The Online Library of Liberty

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• Preface.
• Sale’s Preface to the Preliminary Discourse and Translation.
• Sale’s Preliminary Discourse.
• Section 1.: Of the Arabs Before Muhammad; Or, As They Express It, In the Time of Ignorance; Their History, * Religion, Learning, and Customs.
• Section II.: Of the State of Christianity, Particularly of the Eastern Churches, and of Judaism, At the Time of Muhammad’s Appearance; and of the Methods Taken By Him For the Establishing His Religion, and the Circumstances Which Concurred Thereto.
• Section III.: Of the QurÁn Itself, the Peculiarities of That Book; the Manner of Its Being Written and Published, and the General Design of It.
• Section IV.: Of the Doctrines and Positive Precepts of the QurÁn, Which Relate to Faith and Religious Duties.
• Section V.: Of Nertain Negative Precepts In the QurÁn.
• Section VI.: Of the Institutions of the QurÁn In Civil Affairs
• Section VII.: Of the Months Commanded By the QurÁn to Be Kept Sacred, and of the Setting Apart of Friday For the Especial Service of God.
• Section VIII.: Of the Prinzipad Sects Among the Muhammadans, and of Those Who Have Pretended to Prophecy Among the Arabs In Or Since the Time of Muhammad
• The QurÁn.
• Chapter I.: Entitled Surat Ul FÁtihat (the Preface). Revealed At Makkah.
• Introduction.
• In the Name of the Most Merciful God.
• Chapter II.: Entitled Surat Ul Baqr (the Cow). Revealed Partly At Makkah and Partly At Madína.
• Introduction.
• In the Name of the Most Merciful God.

INTRODUCTION.

The chapters of the Qurán are entitled Suras. Muir, in his Life of Mahomet, Introduction, p. 7, says, “Weil has a learned note (Mohammed, p. 361) on the meaning of the word Sura as used by Mahomet. It was probably at first employed to designate any portion of his revelation, or a string of verses; but it soon afterwards, even during Mahomet’s lifetime, acquired its present technical meaning.”

This chapter is held in the highest esteem among all Muslims, “who,” says Sale, “give it several other honourable titles; as the chapter of prayer, of praise, of thanksgiving, of treasure, &c. They esteem it as the quintessence of the whole Qurán, and often repeat it in their devotions, both public and private, as the Christians do the Lord’s Prayer”

The author of the Tafsír-i-Raufi declares that “he who has read the Fátihat has, as it were, read the whole Qurán.” According to this author, its separate clauses contain the sum of the divine attributes, ascriptions of praise, promises to believers, and threatenings of judgment against infidels, &c., as contained in the Qurán. Muslims always say Amen after this prayer.

The following transliteration will give the English reader an idea of the rhyming prose in which the Qurán is written:—

• “Bismîllá-bi rahmáni rrahím
• Al-hamdúlilláhi Rabbi’lálumm
• Arrahmani’rrahim;
• Méliki yomi-d-din.
• Iyáka Nábúdú waiyáka nastám.
• Ihdina’ssirat al mústakím;
• Sirát alazína au niámta alaihim,
• Ghairi-’l-mághdhúbi alaihim waladhálina.”

Muir regards this as the daily prayer of Muhammad during his search for light, previous to his assumption of the prophetic office. “It was afterwards recast to suit the requirements of public worship.” - Life of Mahomet, vol. i. p. 59.

Muslims are here met with a difficulty as to the divine authorship of their Scriptures, arising out of the form of address in this chapter. The orthodox belief in regard to the origin of the Qurán is that it was copied literally from the divine original, which is engraved on the Luh-í-Mohfúz, or Preserved Table close by the throne of God. The speaker throughout is God. It is God’s Word. But this chapter contains a prayer apparently suitable for sinful men groping after divine light and heavenly guidance. As the text stands, the chapter clearly claims a human origin, and would express very well the desire of the Makkan reformer. Muslim commentators, however, avoid this difficulty by explaining this chapter as an inspired model of prayer, revealed to instruct the faithful how to pray, and they understand it as introduced by the word “say.” Abdul Qádir says, “God has enunciated this chapter in the language of his servants, in order that they might thus address him.”

To us it seems that in the mind of a Muhammadan, boasting of the absolute perfection and purity of the text of the Qurán, and stickling for the very jots and tittles of the text, the omission of this word—a word without which the status of this whole chapter is changed—should arouse serious objection to such a mode of avoiding a difficulty.

As to the prayer itself, the Christian reader cannot but admire its spirit. It is throughout earnest and devout. Interpreting its language in a Christian manner, any one might respond to it “Amen”

Supposing this prayer to express the feelings and aspirations of the Makkan reformer at the time it was written, we could hardly regard him as a deliberate impostor. Had he continued his search after truth in the spirit of this prayer, how different would have been his religion from that which he proclaimed in later years!

Concerning the formula, “In the name of the most merciful God,” Savary says, “It is prefixed to all the chapters (with the exception of one). It is expressly recommended in the Qurán. The Muhammadans pronounce it whenever they slaughter an animal, and at the commencement of their reading, and of all important actions. Giaab, one of their celebrated authors, says that when these words were sent down from heaven, the clouds fled on the side of the east, the winds were lulled, the sea was moved, the animals erected their ears to listen, and the devils were precipitated from the celestial spheres.”

It is almost certain that Muhammad horrowed the idea of the Bismilluh from the Jews and Sabains. The latter intróduced their writings with the words, “Banám i yazdàn bakhshaishgar dádár,” i.e., In the name of God the merciful and the just.

Rodwell says, “This formula is of Jewish origin. It was in the first instance taught to the Koreisch by Omayah of Taief, the poet, who was a contemporary with, but somewhat older than, Muhammad, and who, during his mercantile journeys into Arabia Petræa and Syria, had made himself acquainted with the sacred books and doctrines of Jews and Christians. Mahammad adopted and constantly used it.”

The two terms, “Rahman,” the merciful, and “Rahím,” the blessed, have nearly the same meaning. The Tafsír-i-Raufi explains the former as only applicable to God, while the latter may be applied to the creature as well as to God. Others explain the former epithet as applicable to God as exercising mercy towards his creatures, the latter as applicable to the mercy inherent in God.