The Overwhelming
[The Gloomy Veil] . 26
The Daybreak 30
The Territory [The
City] 20
The Suu 15
The Night 21
The Brightness [The
Sun in Meridian] . . 11 Have we not opened?
[The Exposition]... 8
TheJ?ig-[ti-ee] 8
The Congealed Blood
[The Union of the
Se.res] 19
Al-Kadir [The Cele- brated Night] 5
The Evidence S
The Earthquake 8
The War Hor.'^es 11
The Striking [Day of
Calamities] 10
The Enmlous Desire
ofMultiplyiug[Lore
of Gain] S
The Afternoon 3
The Slanderer 9
The Elephant 5
Koreish 4
Necessaries [The Siic-
coring Hand] 7
Al-Kaliiar 3
The Unbelievers 0
Assistance 3
Abu Laheb 5
The Declaratio.i of
God's Unit V 4
The Daybreak [God
of Morning] 5
Man 6
KORAN
152
KORAN
public worship, and its private perusal was urged as a duty and considered a iirivilege. No order was, how- ever, observed in their perusal, in public the imam or preacher selecting according to his own pleasure.
Colkded hi/ Zeid. — ]\Iany of the best memorizers of the Koran were slain in battle at Yemana, whereupon Omar advised caliph Abu-Bckr, "as tlie battle might again wax hot among the repeaters of the Koran," that he shoidd appoint Zeid to_ collect from all sources the matter of the Koran. This Zeid did from date-leaves, tablets of white stones, breasts of men, fragments of parchment and paper, and pieces of leather, and the shoulder and rib bones of camels and goats. Sale sup- poses that Zeid did not compile, but merely reduced to order the various suras. This, however, was but im- perfectly done. Zeid's copy was committed to the care of Ilafza, the daughter of Omar.
Recension in Othmwis Time. — A variety of expres- sion either originally prevailed, or soon crept into cop- ies made from Zeid's edition. The Koran was " one," but if there were several varying texts where would be its unity ? There were marked differences between the Syrian and Iranian readings. The caliph Othman or- dered Zeid and three of the Koreish (q. v.) to reproduce an authorized version from the copy of Hafza, and this was subsequentl}' sent into all the principal cities, all pre- vious copies being directed to be burned. This recen- sion being objected to in modern times on the ground that the Koran is incorruptible and eternal, and pre- sers'ed from all error and variety of readings by the mi- raculous interposition of God, the Mohammedans now say that it was originally revealed in seven different dialects of the Arabic tongue, and that the men in ques- tion only selected from these. The variations in the copies of Othman's edition are marvellously few. There is probably no other work which has remained twelve ccuturies with so pure a text.
A uthenticity. — It would appear difficult, notwithstand- ing the care taken since Othman's day, to prove that the Koran has been entirely uncorrnpted. The Shiite Mussidmans say that Othman struck out ten sections, or one fourth part of the whole; and the Dahistdn, translated by Shea and Iroyer (ii, 3G8), contains one of the sections said to have been struck out. Again, whlje the Koran was in the care of Hafza, one of Mohammed's wives, we cannot say that it was not in any way tam- pered with. The balance of evidence, however, is prob- ably against the views of the Shiite sect. At the time of the recension there were multitudes who had tran- scripts, and who remembered accurately what thcj' had heard. There was bitter political enmity to Othman, headed by Ali, who would gladly have seized on any such Haw or failure. Abu-Bekr was a sincere follower of Mohammed, and all the people seem to have been ear- nest in their endeavor to reproduce the divine message. The compilation was made within two years of the prophet's death, while yet there were official reciters and tutors of the Koran in every quarter. The very fragmentary and patchwork character of the arrange- ment of the book bears marks of honesty; yet passages revealed at various periods may, after all, not be all in- cluded. The very call fur the recension of Othman's is, on the other hand, urged as evidence of acknowledged corruiition.
Tlip Koran as a Rerxdation. — The Jlohammedan the- ory is tliat the Koran is eternal and uncreated, and was first ^NTJtten in heaven on a table of vast size, called " the Treserved Table ;" that a copy of this volume was made on paper, and brought by (Jaliriel down to the lowest heaven in the month of Ilamadan, from which copy the work was at various times communicated to the prophet. The whole «-as shown to Jlohammed once a year, and the last 3-ear of his life he sa^y it twice.
The evidence relied on to prove its inspiration, so far as fonu<l within the Koran itself, is as follows:
1. I'liat Mohammed was furcrold l)y .Tesus in these words : '■ Oh children of Israel. 1 bring glad tidings of
an apostle who shall come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad" (sura 0). Ahmad is from the same root, and has almost the samjc meaning as Mohammed. A passage of the New Test. (John xvi, 7), in which Christ promises to send the Comforter, is wrested for the same service, as also are Psa. i, 2, and Deut. xxxiii, 2.