THE CEYLON MUHAMMADANS. 
for God is high and great, and, if ye fear a breach 
between the husband and wife, send a judge out of 
her family | if they shall require a reconciliation God 
will cause them to agree, for God is knowing and 
wise. Serve God, and associate no creature with him, 
and show kindness unto parents, and relations, and 
orphans, and the poor, and your neighbour who is 
of kin to you, and also your neighbour who is a 
stranger, and to your familiar companion, and the 
traveller, and tbe captives whom your right hand 
shall possess. For God loveth not the proud, or 
vainglorious, who are covetous, and conceal that 
which God in his bounty has given them (we have 
prepared a shameful punishment for the unbelievers), 
and who bestow their wealth in charity, to be ob- 
served of men, and believe not in God, nor in the 
last day. And whoever hath Satan for a companion, 
an evil companion hath he ! Oh true believers, come 
not to prayers when ye are drunk, until ye understand 
what ye say. ’’ (It is related, that, before the prohi- 
bition of wine. Abd’ulrahman Ebn Awf made an en- 
tertainment, to which he invited several of the apo- 
stle’s companions, and after they had eaten and drunk, 
plentifully, the hour of evening prayer being come 
one of the company rose up to pray, but, being over- 
come with liquor, made a shameful blunder in reciting 
a passage of the Koran, whereupon, to prevent the 
danger of any such, indecency for the future, this 
passage was revealed.) “Verily those who disbelieve 
our signs, we will surely cast to he boiled in hell 
fire ; so often as their skins shall be well burned, we 
will give them other skins in exchange, that they 
may taste the sharper torment, for God is mighty 
and wise. But those who believe and do that which 
is right, we will bring into gardens watered by rivers, 
therein they shall remain for ever, and there shall 
they enjoy wives free from all impurity, and we 
will lead them into perpetual shades. ” 
But we need not go on with quotations from the Koran : 
enough has been given as specimens, and we would 
recommend all who have much dealing with the fol- 
lowers of the Prophet to purchase the book, and 
read it, and beforehand we will promise, that we do not in 
the least fear that it will convert you. Look round 
to your stable door, and watch that brilliant chanticleer, 
see how diligently he is scraping away at that heap, 
to the right and left, behind him, he throws out and 
•away the useless chaff and rubbish, but mark his 
eyes, hoiv it glitters, when he perceives a few grains, 
it may be only one, of rice : he actually chuckles, 
seizes hold of, and bolts it, then looks round with 
■a complacent cackle of satisfaction, diligently com- 
