THE CEYLON MUHAMMADANS 
and, reckoning the average death-rate at one in every 
forty people, 32,0^K),000 yearly, or rather more than 
x)ne human being dies every second, and more than 
one is born. 
As the Bible is to the Christian, so is the 
Koran to the Muhammadan, and if both of these 
would respectively walk up to, or more in accord- 
ance with, these books, they would, severally and 
generally, be better conducted than they are ; but 
it is often the case, not only with these but religionists 
in general, men profess what they fail to prac- 
tice. There can be no mistake at all about the Koran 
being a book not only written in the East but 
written for eastern people. The wdiole style of it 
is most thoroughly Asiatic. It consists of 114 chapters, 
many of them very short and pithy, to which is 
appended, as a sort of preface, what is called “ The 
Preliminary Discourse,” giving a description of the 
Arabs, before Muhammad, as it is termed “ during 
the time of ignorance, ” their history, religion, learn- 
ing, and customs. The first chapter of the Koran is 
very short, and we give it here in full : — ‘‘ Praise 
be to God, the Lord of all creatures, the most merci- 
ful, the king of the day of judgment; Thee do 
we worship, and of thee do we beg assistance. 
Direct us in the right way, in the wa 3 ^ of those to 
whom thou hast been gracious, not of those against 
whom thou art incensed, nor of those who go astray.” 
The last chapter, the 114th, is equally short, and 
is this : — “ Say, I fly for refuge unto the Lord of 
men, the king of men, the God of men, that he may 
deliver me from the mitohief of the 'whisperer who 
slyly withdraweth, who whij^ereth evil suggestions 
into the breasts of men, from genii and men.” 
Here also is an extract from chapter 22nd : — Thus 
do we sendt down the Koran, being evident signs, 
for God directeth whom he pleaseth. As to the true 
believers, and those who judaize, and the Sabians, 
and the Christians, and the Magians, and tha idolaters, 
verily God shall judge between them on the day of 
resurrection. For God is witness of all things. Dost 
thou not perceive that all creatures, both in heaven 
and on earth, adore God, and the sun, and the moon, 
and the stars, and the mountains, and the trees,^ 
and the beasts, and many men. But many are 
worthy of chastisement, and whosoever God shall ren- 
der despicable, there shall be none to honour, for 
God doth that which he pleaseth. These are two 
opposite parties, who dispute concerning their Lord, 
•and they who believe not shall have garments of fire 
fitted unto them, boiling water shall be poured on 
'their heads, their bowels shall be dissolved thereby^ 
