OBJECTS OF RELIGIOUS CEREMONIAL 73 



AUTHORITATIVE SOURCES OF THE MOHAMMEDAN RELIGION 



The first and most important document of Islam is obviously the 

 Koran (more properly Qur'an, "reading"), which, containing God's 

 revelations to Mohammed, forms the foundation of his religion. 

 Orthodox Mohammedans believe that the transcript of the Koran was 

 uncreated and existed from eternity. A copy from it was sent down to 

 the lowest heaven, whence the angel Gabriel revealed it to Mohammed 

 in portions as occasions arose which Mohammed immediately recited. 

 It is written in the Arabic language in rhymed prose and its style is a 

 model. It is held in the highest veneration by all sects of the Moham- 

 medan community. When being read it must be kept on a stand ele- 

 vated above the floor. No one may read it or touch it without first 

 washing his hands. 



The Koran, being of about the size of the New Testament, is divided 

 into one hundred and fourteen chapters, called Suras ("series" or 

 "rows "), of very unequal length. These are not numbered in the orig- 

 inal, but each one has a separate name. Nor are they arranged in 

 historical and chronological order. The contents of the different parts 

 are quite varied. Many passages consist of theological or moral 

 reflections. A great number contain ceremonial or civil ordinances. 

 Then narratives of the ancient prophets and saints, chiefly about 

 Biblical characters, especially those of the Old Testament. The de- 

 viations from the Biblical narratives are very marked. Many of the 

 alterations are found in the legendary anecdotes of the Jewish Haga- 

 dah and the New Testament Apocrypha, but many more are due to the 

 misunderstanding and misconception of the listener, or to the ignor- 

 ance and the mistakes of his authorities. As a general rule, the 

 shorter Suras which were pronounced by Mohammed in the first 

 period of his activity (in Mecca) contain the theology of Islam — 

 the monotheistic idea, the divine judgment, Mohammed's prophetic 

 calling, while the larger ones which were revealed to him after the 

 Hegira during his sojourn in Medina relate chiefly to social and 

 ritual laws. 



At first the Koran was not written down but simply committed 

 to memory. But when a great many of the best Koran reciters had 

 been killed in battle, Omar suggested to Abu Bekr, the first caliph 

 or successor of Mohammed, that it be written down. Abu Bekr 

 accordingly commanded Zeid, an amanuensis of the Prophet, to com- 

 mit it to writing. This was the authorized text until 23 years after 

 the death of the prophet. A number of varient readings had, how- 

 61551—29 6 



