IV.—THE QURA′N.[1]
The word Qurán is derived from the Arabic Qara, which occurs at the commencement of Súra xcv., which is said to have been the first chapter revealed to Muhammad; and has the same meaning as the Hebrew kara, "to read," or "to recite," which is frequently used in Jeremiah xxxvi., as well as in other places in the Old Testament. It is, therefore, equivalent to the Hebrew mikra, rendered in Nehemiah vii. 18. "the reading." It is the title given to the Muhammadan Scriptures which are usually appealed to and quoted from as the "Qurán Majíd," or the "Glorious Qurán"; the "Qurán Sharíf," or the "Noble Qurán"; and is also called the "Fúrqán," or "Distinguisher," “Kalám Ulláh," or the "Word of God," and "Al kitáb," or "the Book."[2]
Muhammadans believe the Qurán to be the inspired Word of God sent down to the lowest heaven complete,[3] and then revealed from time to time to the Prophet by the Angel Gabriel.
There is, however, only one[4] distinct assertion in the Qurán of Gabriel having been the medium of inspiration, namely, Súra-i-Baqr (ii.), 91; and this occurs in a Medina Súra, revealed about seven years after the Prophet's rule had been established. In the Súra-i-Shura (xxvi.), 192, the Qurán is said to have been given by the "Ráh ul A′mín," or Faithful Spirit; and in the Súra-i-Najm (liii.), 5, Muhammad claims to have been taught by the "Shadíd-ul-Quá," or One terrible in power; and in the Traditions the agent of inspiration is generally spoken of as "an angel" (malak).[5] It is, therefore, not quite certain through what agency Muhammad believed himself to be inspired of God.
According to Ayeshah, one of the Prophet's wives, the revelation was first communicated in dreams. Ayeshah relates[6]:—"The first revelations which the Prophet received were in true dreams; and he never dreamt but it came to pass as regularly as the dawn of day. After this the Prophet was fond of retirement, and used to seclude himself in a cave in mount Híráa and worship there day and night. He would, whenever he wished, return to his family at Mecca, and then go back again, taking with him the necessaries of life. Thus he continued to return to Khadíjah from time to time, until one day the revelation came down to him, and the angel (malak)[7] came to him and said, 'Read' (iqaráa); but the Prophet said, 'I am not a reader.' And the Prophet related, that he (i. e. the angel) took hold of me and squeezed me as much as I could bear, and he then let me go and said again, 'Read!' And I said, 'I am not a reader.' Then he took hold of me a second time, and squeezed me as much as I could bear, and then let me go, and said 'Read!' And I said, 'I am not a reader.' Then he took hold of me a third time and squeezed me as much as I could bear, and said:—
"'Read! in the name of thy Lord who created;
Created man from a clot of blood in the womb.
"'Read! for thy Lord is the most beneficent,
He hath taught men the use of the pen;
He hath taught man that which he knoweth not.'[8]
"Then the Prophet repeated the words himself, and with his heart trembling he returned (i.e. from Hiráa to Mecca) to Khadíjah, and said, 'Wrap me up, wrap me up.' And they wrapped him up in a garment, till his fear was dispelled, and he told Khadíjah what had passed, and he said: 'Verily, I was afraid I should have died.' Then Khadíjah said, 'No, it will not be so. I swear by God, He will never make you melancholy or sad. For verily you are kind to your relatives, you speak the truth, you are faithful in trust, you bear the afflictions of the people, you spend in good works what you gain in trade, you are hospitable, and you assist your fellow men.' After this, Khadíjah took the Prophet to Waraga, who was the son of her uncle, and she said to him, 'O son of my uncle! hear what your brother's son says.' Then Waraqa said to the Prophet, 'O son of my brother! what do you see?' Then the Prophet told Waraga what he saw, and Waraga said, 'That is the Námús[9] which God sent to Moses.' Ayeshah also relates that Haris-ibn-Hishám asked the Prophet, 'How did the revelation come to you?' and the Prophet said, 'Sometimes like the noise of a bell, and sometimes the angel would come and converse with me in the shape of a man.'"
According to A′yeshah's statement, the Súra-i-Alaq (xcvi.) was the first portion of the Qurán revealed; but it is more probable that the poetical Súras, in which there is no express declaration of the prophetic office, or of a divine commission, were composed at an earlier period. Internal evidence would assign the earliest date to the Súras Zilzál (xcix.), Asar (ciii.), A′diyát (c.), and Fátiha (i.), which are rather the utterances of a searcher after truth than of an Apostle of God.
The whole book was not arranged until after Muhammad's death, but it is believed that the Prophet himself divided the Súras and gave most of them their present titles, which are chosen from some word which occurs in the chapter.[10] The following is the account of the collection and arrangement of the Qurán, as it stands at present, as given in traditions recorded by Bokhárí:—
"Zaid-ibn-Sábit, relates[11]:—'Abú-Bakr sent a person to me, and called me to him, at the time of the battle with the people of Zemámah; and I went to him, and Omar was with him; and Abú-Bakr said to me, "Omar came to me and said, 'Verily, a great many of the readers of the Qurán were slain on the day of the battle with the people of Zemámah; and really I am afraid that if the slaughter should be great, much will be lost from the Qurán, because every person remembers something of it; and, verily, I see it advisable for you to order the Qurán to be collected into one book.' I said to Omar, 'How can I do a thing which the Prophet has not done.' He said, 'I swear by God, this collecting of the Qurán is a good thing.' And Omar used to be constantly returning to me and saying: 'You must collect the Qurán,' till at length God opened my breast so to do, and I saw what Omar had been advising.' And Zaid-ibn-Sábit says that, 'Abú-Bakr said to me, "You are a young and sensible man, and I do not suspect you of forgetfulness, negligence, or perfidy; and, verily, you used to write for the Prophet his instructions from above; then look for the Qurán in every place and collect it." I said, "I swear by God, that if people had ordered me to carry a mountain about from one place to another, it would not be heavier upon me than the order which Abú-Bakr has given for collecting the Qurán." I said to Abú-Bakr, "How do you do a thing which the Prophet of God did not?" He said, "By God, this collecting of the Quran is a good act." And he used perpetually to return to me, until God put it into my heart to do the thing which the heart of Omar had been set upon. Then I sought for the Qurán, and collected it from the leaves of the date, and white stones, and the breasts of people that remembered it, till I found the last part of the chapter entitled Tauba (Repentance), with Abú-Khuzaimah Ansárí, and with no other person. These leaves were in the possession of Abú-Bakr, until God caused him to die; after which Omar had them in his life-time; after that, they remained with his daughter, Hafsah; after that, Osmán compiled them into one book.'
"Anas-ibn-Málik relates:—'Huzaifah came to Osmán, and he had fought with the people of Syria in the conquest of Armenia; and had fought in Azurbaiján, with the people of Irák, and he was shocked at the different ways of people reading the Qurán. And Huzaifah said to Osmán, “O Osmán, assist this people, before they differ in the Book of God, just as the Jews and Christians differ in their books." Then Osmán sent a person to Hafsah, ordering her to send those portions which she had, and saying, "I shall have a number of copies of them taken, and will then return them to you." And Hafsah sent the portions to Osmán, and Osmán ordered Zaid-ibn-Sábit, Ansárí, and Abdullah-bin-Zubair, and Said-ibn-Alnas, and Abdulláh-ibn-ul-Háris-bin-Hishám; and these were all of the Quraish tribe, except Zaid-ibn-Sábit and Osmán. And he said to the three Quraishites, "When you and Zaid-ibn-Sábit differ about any part of the dialect of the Qurán, then do ye write it in the Quraish dialect, because it came not down in the language of any tribe but theirs." Then they did as Osmán had ordered; and when a number of copies had been taken, Osmán returned the leaves to Hafsah. And Osmán sent a copy to every quarter of the countries of Islám, and ordered all other leaves to be burnt, and Ibn-Shaháb said, "Kharíjah, son of Zaid-ibn-Sábit, informed me, saying, 'I could not find one verse when I was writing the Qurán, which, verily, I heard from the Prophet; then I looked for it, and found it with Khuzaimah Ansárí, and entered it into the Súra-i-Ahzáb.'"
This recension of the Qurán produced by Khalífa Osmán has been handed down to us unaltered; and, as Sir William Muir remarks, "there is probably no other book in the world which has remained twelve centuries with so pure a text."[12]
That various readings (such as Christians understand by the term) did exist when Osmán produced the first uniform edition is more than probable, and the Shiʾahs have always charged the Ansárs[13] with "having mutilated and changed and made the Qurán what they pleased;" a charge, however, which they do not attempt to prove, beyond the mere assertion that certain passages were omitted which favoured the claims of Alí to be the first Khalif.
The various readings (Qiraʾat) in the Qurán are not such as are usually understood by the term in English authors, but different dialects of the Arabic language. Ibn Abbas says the Prophet said, "Gabriel taught me to read the Qurán in one dialect, and when I recited it he taught me to recite it in another dialect, and so on until the number of dialects increased to seven."[14]
Muhammad seems to have adopted this expedient to satisfy the desire of the leading tribes to have a Quran in their own dialect; for Abdul Haqq[15] says, "The Qurán was first revealed in the dialect of the Quraish, which was the Prophet's native tongue; but when the Prophet saw that the people of other tribes recited it with difficulty then he obtained permission from God to extend its currency by allowing it to be recited in all the chief dialects of Arabia, which were seven:—Quraish, Taí, Hawázin, Ahl-i-Yaman, Saqíf, Huzail, and Baní-Tamín. Every one of these tribes accordingly read the Qurán in its own dialect, till the time of Osmán, when these differences of reading were prohibited."
These seven dialects are called Sabaʾta-Ahrúf, and the science of reading the Qurán in the correct dialect is called ʾIlm-i-Tajwíd.
The chronological arrangement of the chapters of the Qurán is most important. In the present Urdú edition, as well as in all Arabic editions, the Súrás are placed as they must have been arranged by Zaid-ibn-i-Sábit, who put them together regardless of all chronological sequence. If, therefore, we arrange them according to the order which is given in Syuty's Itqán,[16] we shall not fail to mark the gradual development of Muhammad's mind from that of a mere moral teacher and reformer, to that of a prophet and warrior chief. The contrast between the earlier, middle, and later Súrás is very striking. He who at Mecca is the admonisher and persuader, at Medína is the legislator and the warrior, who dictates obedience, and uses other weapons than the pen of the poet and the scribe. When business pressed, as at Medína, poetry makes way for prose; and although touches of the poetical element occasionally break forth, and he has to defend himself up to a very late period against the charge of being merely a poet, yet this is rarely the case in the Medína Súrás, in which we go frequently meet with injunctions to obey God and the Prophet.[17]
To fully realize the gradual growth of Muhammad's religious system in his own mind, it is absolutely necessary to read the Qurán through, not in the order in which it now stands, but that in which Muslim divines admit that it was revealed. At the same time it must be remembered that all Muhammadan doctors allow that in most of the Súrás there are verses which belong to a different date from that of other portions of the chapter; for example, in the Súra-i-ʾAlaq the first five verses belong to a much earlier date than the others; and in Súra-i-Baqr, verse 234 is acknowledged by all commentators to have been revealed after verse 240, which it abrogates.
The sources whence Muhammad derived the materials for his Qurán, are, over and above the more poetical parts, which are his own creation, the legends of his time and country, Jewish traditions based upon the Talmud, perverted to suit his own purposes, and the floating Christian traditions of Arabia and South Syria. Muhammadanism, however, owes more to Judaism[18] than it does to either Christianity or Sabeanism, for it is simply Talmudic Judaism adapted to Arabia, plus the Apostleship of Jesus and Muhammad. Wherever Muhammad departs from the monotheistic principles of Judaism, as in the idolatrous practices of the Pilgrimage to the Kʾaba, it is evident that it is done as a necessary concession to the national feelings and sympathies of the people of Arabia, and it is absolutely impossible for Muhammadan divines to reconcile the idolatrous rites of the Kʾaba with that simple monotheism which it was evidently Muhammad's intention to establish in Arabia.
The Qurán is divided into:—
1. Harf (pl. Hurúf), Letters; of which there are said to be 323,671.
2. Kalimah (pl. Kalimát), Words; of which there are 77,934.
3. A′yat (pl. A′yát), Verses. A′yát is a word which signifies "signs," and it was used by Muhammad for short sections or verses of his supposed revelation. There are said to be 6,616 verses in the whole book; but the division of verses differs in different editions of the Arabic Qurán. The number of verses in the Arabic Quráns are recorded after the title of the Súra, and the verses distinguished in the text by a small cypher or circle.[19]
4. Súra (pl. Suwar), Chapters. A word which signifies a row or series, but which is now used exclusively for the chapters of the Qurán, which are one hundred and fourteen in number. These chapters are called after some word which occurs in the text, and if the Traditions are to be trusted, they were so named by Muhammad himself, although the verses of their respective Súrás were undoubtedly arranged after his death, and sometimes with little regard to their sequence. Musalmán doctors admit that the Khalif Osmán arranged the chapters in the order in which they now stand in the Qurán.
5. Rukúʾ (pl. Rukúát), Prostrations. These are of two kinds, the Rukúʾ of a Súra and the Rukúʾ of a Sípára, and are distinguished in the Arabic Qurán by the letter ʾain on the margin. Muhammadans generally quote by the Rukú and not by the verse.
6. Rubaʾ, The quarter of a Sípára.
7. Nisf, The half of a Sípára.
8. Suls, Three-quarters of a Sípára.
9. Sipárá,[20] the Persian for the Arabic Juz. The Sípáras or Juz, are thirty in number, and it is said that the Qurán is so divided to enable the pious Muslim to recite the whole of the Qurán in the thirty days of Ramazán. Muhammadans generally quote their Qurán by the Sípára and Rukuʾ, and not by the Súra and A′yat.
10. Manzil (pl. manázil), Stages. These are seven in number, and are marked by the letters F, M, Y, B, Sh, W, and Q, which words are said to spell Famíbeshauq, i. e. "My mouth with desire." They have been arranged to enable the devout Muslim to recite the whole in the course of a week.
ʾIlm-i-Usúl,[21] or the Exegesis of the Qurán, is a science, some knowledge of which is absolutely necessary to enable the Christian controversialist to meet a Muhammadan opponent. It is used by the Muslim divine to explain away many apparent or real contradictions which exist in the Qurán, and it is also available for a similar purpose when rightly used by the Christian in explanation of the exegesis of his own sacred books.
The words (alfáz) of the Qurán are of four classes:—Kháss, ʾAmm, Mushtarak, and Muawwal.
(1) Kháss, Words used in a special sense. These are of three kinds:—Khusús-ul-jins, Special genus; Khusús-un-nauʾ, Special species; Khusús-ul-ʾain, Special individuality.
(2) ʾAmm, Collective or common, which embrace many individuals or things.
(3) Mushtarak, Complex words which have several significations; e.g. ʾain, a word which signifies an Eye, a Fountain, the Knee, or the Sun.
(4) Muawwal, Words which require to be explained: e.g. Sulát may mean either the Liturgical daily prayer (Namáz), or simple prayer (Duáʾ).
II. The Sentences (ʾIbárat) of the Qurán are either Záhir or Khafí, i. e. either Obvious or Hidden.
Obvious sentences are of four classes:—Záhir, Nass, Mufassar, Muhkam.
(1) Záhir.—Those sentences, the meaning of which is Obvious or clear, without any assistance from the context (karína).
(2) Nass.—Those sentences the meaning of which is Manifest from the text: e. g. "Take in marriage of such other women as please you, two, three, or four." Here it is manifest that the expression "such other women as please you" is restricted.
(3) Mufassar.—Sentences which are explained by some expression in the verse: e. g. "And the angels prostrated themselves all of them with one accord save Iblís." Here it is explained that Iblis did not prostrate himself.
(4) Muhkam.—Perspicuous sentences, the meaning of which is incontrovertible: e. g. Súra-i-Máida (v.), 98, "He (God) knoweth all things."
Hidden sentences are either Khafí, Mushkil, Mujmal, or Mutashábih.
(1) Khafí.—Sentences in which other persons or things are hidden beneath the plain meaning of a word or expression contained therein: e. g. Súra-i-Máida (v.), 42, "As for a thief whether male or female cut ye off their hands in recompense for their doings." In this sentence the word Sáriq, "thief," is understood to have hidden beneath its literal meaning, both pickpockets and highway robbers.
(2) Mushkil.—Sentences which are ambiguous: e.g. Súra-i-Dahr (lxxvi.), 15, "Vessels of silver and decanters which are of glass, decanters of glass with silver whose measure they shall mete."
(3) Mujmal.—Sentences which are compendious, and have many interpretations: e. g. Súra-i-Máʾrij (lxx.), 19, "Man truly is by creation hasty."
(4) Mutashábih.—Intricate sentences, or expressions, the exact meaning of which it 1s impossible for man to ascertain until the day of resurrection, but which was known to the Prophet: e. g. the letters Alif, Lám, Mím (A. L. M.); Alif, Lám, Rá (A. L. R.); Alif, Lám, Mím, Rá (A. L. M. R.), etc., at the commencement of different Súras or chapters. Also Súra-i-Mulk (lxvii.) 1, "In whose hand is the Kingdom," i. e. God's hand (Arabic, yad); and Súra-i-Twá H (xx.), "He is most merciful and sitteth on His throne," i. e. God sitteth (Arabic, istawá); and Súra-i-Baqr (ii.),115, "The face of God" (Arabic, waj-ullah).
III. The use (istiʾmál) of words in the Qurán is divided into four classes. They are either Haqíqat, Majáz, Saríh, or Kináyah.
(1) Haqíqat.—Words which are used in their literal meaning: e. g. rukú, a prostration; ziná, adultery.
(2) Majáz.—Words which are figurative.
(3) Saríh.—Words the meaning of which is clear and palpable: e. g. "Thou art free," "Thou art divorced."
(4) Kináyah.—Words which are metaphorical in their meaning: e. g. "Thou art separated; by which may be meant "thou art divorced."
IV. The deduction of arguments, or istidlál, as expressed in the Qurán, is divided into four sections: ʾIbárat, Ishárat, Dalálat, and Iqtizá.
(1) ʾIbárat.—The plain sentence.
(2) Ishárat.—A sign or hint: e. g. "Born of him;" meaning, of course, the father.
(3) Dalálat.—The argument arising from a word or expression: e. g. Súra-i-Baní Isráíl (xvii.), 23, "Say not unto your parents fie" (Arabic, uff); from which it is argued that children are not either to abuse or beat their parents.
(4) Iqtizá.—Demanding certain conditions: e. g. Súra-i-Nisá (iv.), 91, "Whoso killeth a Mumin (believer) by mischance shall be bound to free a slave.: Here the condition demanded is that the slave shall be the property of the person who frees him.
An acquaintance with the use of these expressions used in the exegetical commentaries of the Qurán is of great assistance to the Bazaar-preacher, for it often happens that Maulavís interrupt the preacher by putting some difficult question, which the most able missionary will find it difficult to answer to the satisfaction of a mixed assemblage. For instance, an interesting discourse or discussion is often interrupted by a Maulaví putting the following question: "What did Jesus mean when He said, "All that ever came before me were thieves or robbers?'" The sole object of the Maulaví being to interrupt a profitable conversation or sermon, the best reply to such an one would be, "Maulaví Sahib, you know sentences are Záhir or Khafí, hidden or evident. That is Khafí. Hidden sentences you know are of four kinds, Khafí, Mushkil, Mujmal, or Mutashábih. I consider the text you have quoted to be Mujmal, and you must admit that it would take up too much time to explain a Mujmal sentence in the midst of my present discourse." Most probably the Maulaví will be satisfied, for the preacher has applied a little flattering unction, in supposing that the Maulaví is learned in the principles of exegesis. We have frequently silenced a troublesome objector, who has introduced the subject of the Trinity for no other purpose than to disturb the preaching, by telling him that it was mutashábih, i.e. intricate, and at the same time asking him if he knew the meaning of Alif Lám Mím at the commencement of the second chapter of the Qurán. This appears to have been our blessed Lord's method with troublesome objectors: "The baptism of John: whence was it?"
It is often painful to observe how some of our native preachers will attempt to explain the sacred mysteries of our faith in the midst of an ignorant mob. Whereas learned Muslim doctors, if placed in the same position, would decline to discuss mysterious questions under such conditions. They would say, as the Christian Divine might also say, "Many things in God's word are hidden (khafí), and cannot be explained to such a mixed audience as this, and besides this, in speaking of the nature (zát) of God, there is always some fear of blasphemy (kufr); I prefer speaking to you on that subject alone, after the preaching is over."
Some passages of the Qurán are contradictory, and are often made the subject of attack; but it is part of the theological belief of the Muslim doctor that certain passages of the Qurán are mansúkh, or abrogated by verses afterwards revealed. This was the doctrine taught by the Arabian prophet in the Súra-i-Baqr (ii.), 105, "Whatever verses we (i. e. God) cancel or cause thee to forget, we bring a better or its like." This convenient doctrine fell in with that law of expediency which appears to be the salient feature in Muhammad's prophetical career.
In the Tafsír-i-ʾAzízí it 1s written, that abrogated (mansúkh) verses of the Qurán are of three kinds: (1) Where the verse has been removed from the Qurán and another given in its place; (2) Where the injunction is abrogated and the letters of the verse remain; (3) Where both the verse and its injunction are removed from the text. This is also the view of Jalál-ud-Dín, who says, that the number of abrogated verses has been variously estimated from five to five hundred, and he gives the following table of twenty verses which most commentators acknowledge to be abrogated, or Mansúkh, with those verses which cancel them, or are Násikh.[22]
| No. | Mansúkh. | Násikh. | Subject. |
| 1 | Súra-i-Baqr (ii.), 115, | Súra-i-Baqr (ii.), 145, | The Qibla. |
| 2 | Súra-i-Baqr (ii.), 178 | Súra-i-Máida (iv.), 49, | Qisás, or Retaliation. |
| Suŕa-i-Baní Isráíl (xvii.), 35, | |||
| 3 | Súra-i-Baqr (ii.), 183 | Súra-i-Baqr (ii.), 187, | The Fast of Ramazán. |
| 4 | Súra-i-Baqr (ii.), 184 | Súra-i-Baqr (ii.) 185 | Fidya, or Expiation. |
| 5 | Súra-i-A′l-i-ʾImrán (iii.), 102. | Súra-i-Taghábun (lxiv.), 16, | The fear of God. |
| 6 | Súra-i-Nisá (iv.), 88, | Súra-i-Nisá (iv.), 89, | Jihád, or war with infidels. |
| Súra-i-Tauba (ix.), 5, | |||
| 7 | Súra-i-Baqr (ii.), 216. | Súra-i-Tauba (ix.), 36, | Jihád in the Sacred months. |
| 8 | Súra-i-Baqr (ii.), 240, | Súra-i-Baqr (ii.), 234, | Provision for widows. |
| 9 | Súra-i-Baqr (ii.), 191. | Súra-i-Tauba (ix.), 5, | Slaying enemies in the Sacred Mosque. |
| 10 | Súra-i-Nisá (iv.), 14. | Súra-i-Núr (xxiv.) 2, | Imprisonment of the adulteress. |
| 11 | Súra-i-Máida (v.), 105, | Súra-i-Taláq (lxv.) 2, | Witnesses. |
| 12 | Súra-i-Anfál (vii.), 66, | Súra-i-Anfál (vii.), 67, | Jihád, or war with infidels. |
| 13 | Súra-i-Núr (xxiv.), 3, | Súra-i-Núr (xxiv.), 32, | The marriage of adulterers. |
| 14 | Súra-i-Ahzáb (xxxiii.), 52, | Súra-i-Ahzáb (xxxiii.), 49, | The Prophet's wives. |
| 15 | Súra-i-Mujádila (lviii.), 13, first part of verse. | Súra-i-Mujádila (lviii.), 13, latter part of verse. | Giving alms before assembling a council. |
| 16 | Súra-i-Mumtahina (lx.), 11, | Súra-i-Tauba (ix.), 1, | Giving money to infidels for women taken in marriage. |
| 17 | Súra-i-Tauba (ix.), 39, | Súra-i-Tauba (ix.), 92, | Jihád, or war with infidels. |
| 18 | Súra-i-Muzammil (lxxiii.), 2. | Súra-i-Muzammil (lxxiii.), 20, | The night prayer. |
| 19 | Súra-i-Núr (xxiv.), 57, | Súra-i-Núr (xxiv.), 58, | Permission to young children to enter a house. |
| 20 | Súra-i-Nisá (iv.), 7, | Súra-Nisá (iv.), 11, | Division of property. |
And yet such is the anti-Christian character of Islám that it demands nothing short of the entire destruction of God's revealed will to mankind contained in the New Testament.
In dealing with serious minded Muhammadans, we should, as far as possible, abstain from attacking any real or apparent contradictions which may exist in the Qurán, and insist more upon a general comparison between the two systems:—the teaching of Jesus and the teaching of Muhammad, the position of man under the Gospel and the position of man under the Qurán, the sonship of the Christian and the servitude of the Muslim, the covenant of Grace and the covenant of Works; and endeavour to show the true seeker after Truth and Salvation, that it is impossible for the mission of Muhammad to abrogate and supersede that of Jesus.
It must be admitted that the Qurán deserves the highest praise for its conception of the Divine nature, that it embodies much deep and noble earnestness; but still, it is not what it professes to be—it pulls down what it professes to build up, it destroys what it professes to confirm. It is not Truth, and as the counterfeit of Truth we reject it. In the Qurán we read,[24] "We believe in God, and that which was sent down unto us and that which was sent down to Ibráhím and Ismáíl and Isháq and Yaqúb and the Tribes, and that which was delivered to Moses and the Prophets from the Lord, and we make no distinction between any of them." And yet this very book which "makes no distinction between any of them" and which is said to be "confirmatory" of the Scriptures, ignores the Atonement, the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, and denies the Crucifixion of the Saviour, the Sonship of Christ and the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.
THE TITLES
OF THE:
CHAPTERS OF THE QURAN.
| No. | Title of Súra. | Meaning in English. | The Chronological Order. | |||
| According to Julál-ud-dín. | According to Rev. J. M. Rodwell. | According to Sir W. Muir. | ||||
| 1 | Fátiha | Preface | uncertain | 8 | 6 | |
| 2 | Baqr | Cow | 86 | 91 | uncertain | |
| 3 | A′l-i-ʾImrán | Family of Imrán. | 88 | 97 | A.H. 2 to 10. | |
| 4 | Nisá | Women | 91 | 100 | uncertain | |
| 5 | Máida | Table | 112 | 114 | A.H. 6 to 10. | |
| 6 | Anám | Catle | 54 | 89 | 81 | |
| 7 | ʾAráf | Aráf | 38 | 87 | 91 | |
| 8 | ʾAnfál | Spoils | 87 | 95 | A.H. 2 | |
| 9 | Tauba | Repentance | 113 | 113 | The last | |
| 10 | Yúnus | Jonah | 50 | 84 | 79 | |
| 11 | Húd | Hud | 51 | 75 | 78 | |
| 12 | Yúsuf | Joseph | 52 | 77 | 77 | |
| 13 | Rʾad | Thunder | 95 | 90 | 89 | |
| 14 | Ibráhím | Abraham | 71 | 76 | 80 | |
| 15 | Hajr | Hajr | 53 | 57 | 62 | |
| 16 | Nahl | Bee | 69 | 73 | 88 | |
| 17 | Baní Isráíl | Children of Israel. | 49 | 67 | 87 | |
| 18 | Kahaf | Cave | 68 | 69 | 69 | |
| 19 | Maryam | Mary | 43 | 58 | 68 | |
| 20 | Twá Há | Twá Há | 44 | 55 | 75 | |
| 21 | Ambiyá | Prophets | 72 | 65 | 86 | |
| 22 | Hajj | Pilgrimage | 103 | 107 | 85 | |
| 23 | Múminún | Believers | 73 | 64 | 84 | |
| 24 | Núr | Light | 102 | 105 | A.H. 5 | |
| 25 | Furqán | Qurán | 41 | 66 | 74 | |
| 26 | Shʾurá | Poets | 46 | 56 | 61 | |
| 27 | Namal | Ant | 47 | 68 | 70 | |
| 28 | Qasas | Story | 48 | 79 | 83 | |
| 29 | ʾAnkabút | Spider | 84 | 81 | 90 | |
| 30 | Rúm | Greeks | 83 | 74 | 60 | |
| 31 | Luqmán | Luqmán | 56 | 82 | 50 | |
| 32 | Sijda | Prostration | 74 | 70 | 44 | |
| 33 | Ahzáb | Confederates | 89 | 103 | uncertain | |
| 34 | Sabá | Saba | 57 | 85 | 49 | |
| 35 | Maláika | Angels | 42 | 86 | 66 | |
| 36 | Yá Sín | Yá Sín | 40 | 60 | 67 | |
| 37 | Sáffáy | Ranks | 55 | 50 | 59 | |
| 38 | Swád | Swád | 37 | 59 | 73 | |
| 39 | Zamár | Troops | 58 | 80 | 45 | |
| 40 | Múmin | Believer | 59 | 78 | 72 | |
| 41 | Fussilat | Explanation | 60 | 71 | 53 | |
| 42 | Shorí | Council | 61 | 83 | 71 | |
| 43 | Zukhráf | Jewels | 62 | 61 | 76 | |
| 44 | Dukhán | Smoke | 63 | 53 | 58 | |
| 45 | Jásiya | Kneeling | 64 | 72 | 57 | |
| 46 | Ahqáf | Ahqáf | 65 | 88 | 64 | |
| 47 | Muhammad | Muhammad | 94 | 96 | uncertain | |
| 48 | Fatah | Victory | 111 | 108 | A.H. 6 | |
| 49 | Hujrát | Chambers | 106 | 112 | uncertain | |
| 50 | Qáf | Qáf | 33 | 54 | 56 | |
| 51 | Záriát | Breath of Winds. | 66 | 43 | 63 | |
| 52 | Túr | Mountain | 75 | 44 | 55 | |
| 53 | Najam | Star | 22 | 46 | 43 | |
| 54 | Qamar | Moon | 36 | 49 | 43 | |
| 55 | Rahmnán | Merciful | 96 | 48 | 40 | |
| 56 | Wáqiaʾ | Inevitable | 45 | 45 | 41 | |
| 57 | Hadíd | Iron | 93 | 99 | uncertain | |
| 58 | Mujádila | Disputer | 105 | 106 | uncertain | |
| 59 | Hashar | Assembly | 101 | 102 | A.H. 4 | |
| 60 | Mumtahiná | Proof | 90 | 110 | A.H. 7 | |
| 61 | Saf | Array | 110 | 98 | uncertain | |
| 62 | Jumʾa | Assembly | 108 | 94 | uncertain | |
| 63 | Munáfiqún | Hypocrites | 104 | 104 | A.H. 65 | |
| 64 | Taghábun | Deceity | 109 | 93 | 82 | |
| 65 | Taláq | Divorce | 108 | 101 | uncertain | |
| 66 | Tahrím | Prohibition | 107 | 109 | A.H. 7 to 8 | |
| 67 | Mulk | Kingdom | 76 | 63 | 42 | |
| 68 | Qalam | Pen | 2 | 17 | 52 | |
| 69 | Háqa | Inevitable-Day | 77 | 42 | 51 | |
| 70 | Maʾárij | Steps | 78 | 47 | 37 | |
| 71 | Núh | Noah | 70 | 51 | 54 | |
| 72 | Jinn | Genii | 39 | 62 | 65 | |
| 73 | Muzzammil | Wrapped up | 3 | 3 | 46 | |
| 74 | Muddassir | Mantle | 4 | 2 | 21 | |
| 75 | Qiyámat | Resurrection | 30 | 40 | 36 | |
| 76 | Dahr | Man | 97 | 52 | 35 | |
| 77 | Mursalát | Messengers | 32 | 36 | 34 | |
| 78 | Nabá | News | 79 | 37 | 33 | |
| 79 | Náziʾát | Ministers of Vengeance. | 80 | 35 | 47 | |
| 80 | ʾAbas | He frowned | 23 | 24 | 26 | |
| 81 | Takwír | Folding up | 6 | 32 | 27 | |
| 82 | Infitár | Cleaving asunder. | 81 | 31 | 11 | |
| 83 | Tatfíf | Short Measure | 85 | 41 | 32 | |
| 84 | Inshiqáq | Rending in sunder | 82 | 33 | 28 | |
| 85 | Burúj | Celestial Signs | 26 | 28 | 31 | |
| 86 | Táriq | Night Star | 35 | 22 | 29 | |
| 87 | ʾA′la | Most High | 7 | 25 | 23 | |
| 88 | Gháshiya | Overwhelming | 67 | 38 | 25 | |
| 89 | Fajr | Day-break | 9 | 39 | 14 | |
| 90 | Balad | City | 34 | 18 | 15 | |
| 91 | Shams | Sun | 25 | 23 | 4 | |
| 92 | Lail | Night | 8 | 16 | 12 | |
| 93 | Zuhá | Sun in his meridian. | 10 | 4 | 16 | |
| 94 | Inshiráh | Expanding | 11 | 5 | 17 | |
| 95 | Tín | Fig | 27 | 26 | 8 | |
| 96 | ʾAlaq | Congealed blood. | 1 | 1 | 19 | |
| 97 | Qadar | Night of power. | 24 | 92 | 24 | |
| 98 | Baiyana | Evidence | 99 | 21 | uncertain | |
| 99 | Zilzál | Earthquake | 92 | 30 | 3 | |
| 100 | ʾAdiyát | Swift horses | 13 | 34 | 2 | |
| 101 | Qáriʾa | Striking | 29 | 29 | 7 | |
| 102 | Takásur | Multiplying | 15 | 15 | 9 | |
| 103 | ʾAsar | Afternoon | 12 | 27 | 1 | |
| 104 | Hamza | Slanderer | 31 | 13 | 10 | |
| 105 | Fíl | Elephant | 18 | 19 | 13 | |
| 106 | Qoreish | Qoreish | 28 | 20 | 5 | |
| 107 | Máún | Necessaries | 16 | 14 | 89 | |
| 108 | Kausar | Kausar | 14 | 9 | 18 | |
| 109 | Kafirún | Infidels | 17 | 12 | 38 | |
| 110 | Nasr | Assistance | 101 | 111 | 30 | |
| 111 | Lahab | Lahab | 6 | 11 | 22 | |
| 112 | Ikhlás | Unity | 21 | 10 | 20 | |
| 113 | Falaq | Day-break | 19 | 6 | uncertain | |
| 114 | Nás | Men | 20 | 7 | uncertain | |
- ↑ The contents of this article appear as an Introduction to the Roman-Urdú edition of the Qurán, published at Ludianah, North India, 1877.
- ↑ According to Jalál-ud-dín Syuty there are fifty-five titles of the Qurán. (See the Itqán, p. 117.)
- ↑ See Jalál-ud-dín's Itqán, p. 91. The "Recording Angels" mentioned in the Súra-i-Abas (lxxx.), 15, are said to have written the Qurán before it was sent down from heaven.
- ↑ Gabriel (Jibráíl) is only mentioned twice by name in the Qurán: once in the verse noted above, and again in the Súra-i-Tahrím (lxvi.), 4. He is supposed to be alluded to under the title of Rúh-ul-Qudus, or the Holy Spirit, in Súras Baqr (ii.), 82, 254; Máida (v.), 109; Nahl (xvi.), 104.
- ↑ Malak. Hebrew, Malakh, an angel; prophet; a name of office, not of nature. See Wilson's Hebrew Lexicon, p. 13.
- ↑ Mishkát, bk. xxiv. chap. v. pt. 1.
- ↑ Capt. Matthews, in his edition of the Mishkát, has followed the Persian Commentator, and translated the word Malak, Gabriel, instead of Angel, and most of our English authors have quoted the tradition from his book.
- ↑ Súra-i-Alaq (xcvi.), the first five verses. The other verses of the chapter are of a later date.
- ↑ Námús. Understood by all Commentators to be the angel Gabriel. It has, however, many significations, e.g. Law, Voice, Sound, &c. (see Johnson's Arabic Dictionary) Probably a corruption of the Greek νόηος, which is always used in the New Testament for the Law of Moses.
- ↑ The ancient Jews divided the whole Law of Moses into fifty-four Sections, which were called Sidrah, or an order or division. These sections had each a technical name, e.g. the first was called "Bereshith," and the second "Noah." (See Dr. Adam Clark on Genesis.)
- ↑ Mishkát, bk. viii. chap. iii. pt. 3.
- ↑ Muir's "Life of Mohamet," vol. i. Introduction.
- ↑ See the Hyát-ul-Kalúb, a Shiʾah book of Traditions, leaf 420. "The Ansárs were ordained to oppose the claims of the family of Muhammad, and this was the reason why the other wretches took the office of Khalif by force. After thus treating one Khalif of God, they then mutilated and changed the other Khalif, which is the book of God."
- ↑ Mishkát, bk. ii. chap. ii. pt. 1.
- ↑ Abdul Haqq, the Persian Commentator of the Mishkát.
- ↑ The chronological list as given in Jalál-ud-din Syuty's Itqán will be found in the Index of the Súrás.
- ↑ See Rodwell's Introduction to the English Qurán, in which the Súras are chronologically arranged.
- ↑ See a book by M. Geiger entitled, "Was hat Muhammed aus dem Judenthume aufgenommen," in which that learned Jew has traced all the leading features of Islám to Talmudie sources. Also "Literary Remains of Emanuel Deutsch." Essay on Islám.
- ↑ Unfortunately the verses in Rodwell's English Qurán do not correspond with the Arabic Quráns in use amongst the Muhammadans of India.
- ↑ The Persian word Sípára is derived from sí, thirty, and pára, a portion.
- ↑ ʾIlm-i-Usúl embraces both the exegesis of the Qurán and Hadís. The most authoritative works on the ʾIlm-i-Usúl of the Qurán are Syuty's Itqán (Sprenger's edition), and the Manár-ul-Usúl, and its commentary the Núr-ul-Anwár.
- ↑ It is to be regretted that the Greek verb καταλύω, in St. Matthew v. 17, has been translated in some of the versions of the New Testament by mansúkh; for it gives rise to needless controversy, and conveys a wrong impression to the Muhammadan mind as to the Christian view regarding this question. According to most Greek lexicons, the Greek word means to throw down, or to destroy (as of a building), which is the meaning given to the word in our authorized English translation. Christ did not come to destroy, or to pull down, the Law and the Prophets; but we all admit that certain precepts of the Old Testament were abrogated by those of the New Testament. Indeed we further admit that the old covenant was abrogated by the new covenant of grace. "He taketh away the first that he may establish the second," Heb. x. 9.
In the Arabic translation of the New Testament, printed at Beyrut A.D. 1869, καταλύω is translated by naqz, "to demolish"; and in Mr. Loewenthal's Pashto translation, A.D. 1863, by bátilawal, "to destroy," or "render void"; and in Henry Martyn's Persian Testament, A.D. 1837, it is also translated by the Arabic ibtál, i. e. "making void." In both the Arabic-Urdú and Roman-Urdú it is unfortunately rendered mansúkh, a word which has a technical meaning in Muhammadan theology contrary to that implied in the word used by our Lord in Matthew v. 17.
- ↑ Súra-i-Máida (v.), 52.
- ↑ Súra-i-Baqr (ii.), 136; also Súra-i-A′l-i-ʾImrán (iii.), 83.