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fading after the old cudom, forbearance tBwarJs idolaters, 

 nvoidiiig the ignorant, and the hkc. 



M. D'Herbclot thinks it proliable, that when the hercfies 

 of the Neftorian?, Eutychians, &c. had been condemned by 

 recunienical councils, many bilbops, priells, monks, &c. 

 being driven into the deferts of Arabia and Egypt, fur- 

 nifhed the impoflor with pafTagcs, and crnde ill-conceived 

 dotlrines, out of the fcripturcs ; and tliat it was hence that 

 the Koran became fo full of the wild and erroneous opinions 

 of thofc heretics. 



The Jews alfo, who were very numerous in Arabia, fur- 

 uidied materials for the Koran ; nor is it without fonie reafon 

 that they boall twelve of their chief dodtors to have been 

 the authors of this work. 



The Koran, it is to be obferved, while Mahomet lived, was 

 only kept in loofe flieets ; his fucccflor, Abubeker, firll col- 

 lefted the contents into a volume, not only from the palm 

 leaves and (Ivins on which they had been written, but alfo 

 froiTi the mouths of thofe who had committed them to memo- 

 ry'; and when the tranfcript wascompleted, cntrufted thekeep- 

 ingof it to Haphfa, the daughtcrof Omar, one of the widows 

 of Mahomet, in order to be confulted as an original ; and 

 there being a good deal of diveriity between the feveral 

 copies already difperfed throughout the provinces, Ottoman, 

 or Othman, fucceflbr of Abubeker, in the 30th year of 

 the Hegira, procured a great number of copies to be taken 

 from that of Haphfa ; at the fame time fuppreffing all the 

 others not conformable to the original. 



The chief differences, in the prefent copies of this book, 

 confift in the points, which were not in ufe in the time of 

 Mahomet and his immediate fuccefibrs, btit were added 

 fmce, to afcertain the reading ; after the example of the 

 Mafforetes, who added the like points to the Hebrew texts 

 of fcripture. 



The Koran is divided into 1 14 fiiras, or chapters, of very 

 uneqvial length ; which, in the m.anufcript copies, are not 

 dillinguilhed by their numerical order, though they are 

 aftually numbered in Sale's edition, but by particular titles, 

 wdiich, except the initial chapter, are taken fometmies 

 from a paiticular matter treated of, or perfon mentioned 

 therein, b\it ufually from the firft word of note. Some 

 chapters have two or more titles, occafioned by the dif- 

 ference of the copies. Some of the chapters having been 

 revealed atMecca and others at Medina, this difference is noted 

 in the title. Several of them are laid to have been revealed 

 partly at Mecca and partly at Medina ; and as to others, 

 it is not agreed among commentators to which of thefe 

 two places they belong. The fiiras are divided into little 

 verfes, in Arabic, called ayat. Jigns or luonders, which are 

 all compofed in a broken interrupted ftyle, refembling profe 

 rather than verfe. Many of thefe have their particular 

 titles formed in the fame manner as thofe of the chapters. 



Befide thefe unequal divifions of chapter and verfe, the 

 Koran is divided into 60 equal portions, called ahzab, each 

 of which is again fubdivided into four equal parts. — But 

 It is more ufually divided into 30 feftions, named ajza, 

 each of twice the length of the former, and fubdivided 

 in like manner into four parts. Thefe divifions are for the 

 ufe of the readers of the Koran in the royal temples, or 

 in the adjoining chapels where the emperors and great men 

 are interred. Of thefe readers, there are 5° belonging 

 to every chapel, and each reads his feftion every day, 

 fo that the whole Koran is read over once a day. Under 

 the title, at the head of cveiy chapter, except the ninth, 

 is prefixed the following folemn fonn, called by the Ma- 

 hometans the I'J'mUlah, in the name of the mojl merciful Cod ; 



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vvluch form, as well as the titles, arc confidcrtd by lome 

 commentators of divine .original ; though others believe 

 them to be human additions. 



This fonn they conllaully place at the beffinning of all 

 their books and writings in general, as a peculiar anil clia- 

 raftcridic mark of their religion ; and it is deemed a fort 

 of impiety to omit it. There arc 29 chapters of th<-. 

 Koi-aii, v.'hich have this peculiarity, that they begin with 

 certain letters of the alphabet ; fome with a lingle one, 

 and other;; with more. Thefe letters arc confidered as ))c- 

 culiar marks of the Koran ; and as concealing profound 

 myderies, the certain underdanding of wiiich, the more 

 intelligent confefi, has not been comnmuicaled to any 

 mortal, liieir prophet alone excepted. 



There art feven principal editions of the Koran ; tw» 

 at Medina, one at Mecca, one at Ciifa, one at Dafiora, 

 one in Syria, and the common, or viilgate edition. The 

 In-ft contains 6000 verfes ; the fecond and fifth 6214; the 

 third 6219; the fourth 6236; the fixtli 6226; and the 

 lad (^225 : but the number of words and ktterE is the fame 

 in all, W2. 77639 words, and 323015 letters. 



The Koran is held not only of divine original, but eter- 

 nal and uncreated , remaining, as fome cxprefs it, in the 

 vei-y effence of Ood. The fird tranfcript has been from 

 cverlading by God's throne, written on a table of vaft 

 bignefs, in which are alio recorded the divine decrees, 

 pail and future. A copy from this table, in one volume, 

 on paper, was fent down to the lowed heaven, by the mi- 

 nidry of the angel Gabriel, in the month of R.imadan, on 

 the night of power: from whence it was delivered out by 

 Gabriel to Mahomet, in parcels, fome at Mecca, and fome 

 at Medina ; though he kad the confolalion of feeing the 

 whole once a year, and in the lad year of his life twice. 

 Some few chapters were delivered entire, the greater part only 

 in feparate periods, which were written down from time to 

 time by the prophet's amanucnlis, in fuch a part of any 

 particular chapter, as he direclcd. The fird parcel tiiat 

 was revealed, was the fird five vcrfcs of the 96th chapter, 

 which the prophet received in a cave of mount Harali, 

 near Mecca. 



Although the Sonnites or Orthodox believe, that the Ko« 

 ran is uncreated and eternal, and Maliomet lijrnfelf is faid 

 to have pronounced him an infidel who alTerted the con- 

 traiy, yet feveral have been of a different opinion ; parti- 

 cularly the feft of the Motazalitcs, and the followers of 

 Ifa Ebn Sobeh Abu Mufa, furnamcd Al-Mozdar, who 

 accufed thofe who held the Koran to be uncreated, of 

 infidelity, as affcrtors of two eternal beings. The difpute, 

 which occafioned much warm contention, was at length 

 conipromifed by Al Ghazali, who maintained that the 

 original idea of the Koran only is really in God, and con- 

 fequently co-ctfential and co-eternal witli him, but that 

 the copies are created and the work of man. 



The Koran is univerfally allowed to be written with the 

 titmod elegance and purity of language, in the dialefl of 

 the tribe of Koreifh, the mod noble and polite of all the 

 Arabians, but with fome mixture, though very rarely, of 

 other dialefts. It is confefTtdly the dandard of the Arabic 

 tongue ; and as the more orthodox believe, and arc taught 

 by the book itl'clf, inimitable by any human pen ; and 

 therefore infided on as a permanent miracle, greater than 

 that of raifing the dead, and of itfelf fuffieicnt to convince 

 the world of its divine original. Accordingly, Mahomet 

 himfelf appealed to this miracle as the chief confirmation 

 of his milTion ; publickly challenging the moil eloquent 

 man in Arabia, then abounding with perfons whofe folc 

 4 D 2 ftudy 



