The Alcoran of Mahomet, translated out of Arabick into French, by the Sieur Du Ryer, Lord of Malezair, and resident for the French king, at Alexandria. And newly Englished, for the satisfaction of all that desire to look into the Turkish vanities. To which is prefixed, the life of Mahomet, the prophet of the Turks, and author of the Alcoran. With A needful caveat, or admonition, for them who desire to know what use may be made of, or if there be danger in reading the Alcoran.

CHAP. XXI. The Chapter of the Prophets, containing an Hun∣dred and Twelve Verses, written at Mecca.

IN the Name of God, Gracious and merciful. The Day approacheth wherein the People shall render an account of their actions, but they consider it not, and depart from the Commandments of God; if they hear them, they laugh, they understand them not, and keep secret their evil intentions. Is not Mahomet a man like to you? Will ye say that he is a Ma∣gician? You see the contrary; God heareth whatsoever is spoken, both in Heaven and Earth, and knoweth all things. They say, certainly Mahomet hath dreamed what he speaketh, he hath invented it, and is a Poet, we will not believe him, unless he shew some Miracle, as did the Prophets that were before him. We have layed waste many Cities, because their inhabitants were incredulous; we sent before thee but men who were inspired of us; Enquire of them, to whom heretofore was given the knowledge of the written Law, if ye know it not; they were men that did eat and drink, and were mor∣tal; we effected what we promised to them, we preserved them with such as believed, and de∣stroyed the incredulous; we have sent you a Book to instruct you, will ye understand it? How many Infidel Cities have we made desolate? How many new People have we established in their place? When they felt our punishment, they fled; fly not, and return to what hath de∣lighted you, return into your houses, per∣adventure ye will yet covet the Riches of the Earth; they said, Misery is upon us, we are

too blame; thus did they talk, until they were destroyed. We have not created Heaven and Earth, and whatsoever is between them, to sport with; had it been our will that they should have scoffed on Earth, they should scoff likewise in Heaven. On the contrary, I oppose the truth to falsehood, to confound it, and in effect it doth confound it. Misery shall be upon you, because of your blasphemies; whatsoever is in Heaven and Earth, is Gods; the Angels are not ashamed to worship him, they praise him Day and Night, and exalt his glory without blasphemy. The Infidels worship Gods made of Earth; have they power to create any thing? Were there in Heaven, and on Earth another God, they would not accord; praised be God, Lord of the Uni∣verse, what the Infidels relate, is untrue. He asketh no counsel when he will do any thing, as do men; will they worship any other God but him? Say unto them, produce your arguments, behold what we have to speak unto you, behold our reasons, and those of our predecessors; Cer∣tainly, the greatest part of them are ignorant of the Truth, and go astray. We inspired into all the Prophets which we sent, that there was but one God that ought to be worshipped. They said, believe ye that the Angels are the Sons of God? Praised be God; on the contrary, they are his Creatures, he loveth them, they speak not but after him, and obey what he commandeth them, he knoweth all their actions past, and future; they pray for no man but through his permis∣sion, and fear to displease him. Who among them will say I am God, instead of God? He shall be cast headlong into the Fire of Hell; thus do I intreat unbelievers. Know they not that the Heavens and the Earth was shut up?

VVe opened them, and gave life to every thing, through the Rain which we made to descend; will they not believe in my unity? VVe crea∣ted the Mountains to hinder the Earth to move, we made therein ways large and spacious for our Creatures, we covered it with the Hea∣ven, and have exempted it from falling, ne∣vertheless they depise our Commandments. It is the Lord who created Day and Night, the Moon and the Sun, all things praise and exalt him in Heaven; we created no Person to dwell for ever on Earth; all men shall taste of Death, I will prove you with good and evil, and ye shall appear before me to give account of your actions: The Infidels scoff at you, when they see you, and say, behold them that deride our gods! They obey not the Commandments of God; he created man of dust, and shall shew you the effects of his Omnipotency; be not im∣patient to see the punishment of the wicked, who say, when shall be the Day of Judgment? Did they know it, they would remove the Fire from their backs and visages; that Day shall surprize them, it shall astonish them when they think least of it; they cannot retard it, and shall be deprived of protection. Certainly, they scorned the Prophets that were sent before thee, but they were punished after their deme∣rits. Say unto them, who but the merciful [God] preserveth you Day and Night? Never∣theless ye reject his Commandments; Have they any other God but me, that is able to save them? Their gods cannot defend themselves: I will not protect them, yet will I enrich them, as I enriched their fathers, and will prolong their life, to punish them on Earth; Know they not that their estates diminish on all

sides through thy Conquests? Is it so, that they are victorious? Say unto them, I preach to you what God hath inspired into me, but the deaf hear not when they are exhorted; VVhen they are a little touched with the chastisements of God, they say, oh misery! We are too blame, and are unjust; I will weigh their works at the Day of Judgment, that I may do injustice to no person, of the weight of a grain of Mustard∣seed, and will most exactly account. We gave to Moses and Aaron the Book that distinguisheth good from evil, and commanded them to preach our Commandments to them that had our fear before their eyes. That Book is blessed, and was sent from us; nevertheless, unbelievers reject and condemn it. We heretofore instructed A∣braham in the right way, and knew that he was a Righteous man. Remember thou that he said to his Father, and his People, What Idols do ye adore? They said, We find that our Fathers adored them; he said unto them, your Fathers and you were exceedingly erroneous: They said, Dost thou speak the truth, or dost thou jest? He said, Certainly your Lord is the Lord of Heaven and Earth, I swear to you that he created them; Having convinced those Idolaters, he said, By God, I will make war upon your Idols, he broke them with an Hatchet in their absence▪ except the greatest Idol, on which he hung his Hatchet, and said, Peraventure they will accuse him to have broken the other: Seeing at their return their Idols broken, they said, who hath in this manner handled our gods? He is impious; we heard it is a young man, named Abraham, who derideth them, bring him before the eyes of the People, perhaps they shall find witnesses of his action. They said unto him, Oh Abraham! It is

thou that hast so abused our gods; he said on the contrary, it is that great Idol; they enquired of each other if those Idols spake, and if they had motion; afterwards they returned to themselves, and said to the People, Ye are too blame to adore those Idols; he threw them headlong against the ground, and they said, Oh Abraham! Thou well knewest that they spake not at all; he answer∣ed, Why therefore do ye worship what can nei∣ther benefit nor hurt you? You defile your selves in adoring them instead of God, Do ye not know him? Then they said, Burn Abraham, and let us defend our Gods, if ye are Righteous men; but we commanded the Fire to lose its heat, to preserve Abraham; they would have tormented him, and we destroyed them; we saved him, as we preserved Lot; we conducted him into the Land of Blessing, gave him Isaac, and Ia∣cob, and the Children of their Children, Righte∣ous men, and True believers, to instruct the People in the way of Salvation; we inspired them to do good works, to pray at the time ap∣pointed, to pay Tithes, and to worship us; we gave to Lot prudence and knowledge, and de∣livered him from the Inhabitants of the City, who were the most vicious upon Earth; we were gracious to him, because he was Righteous. Remember Noah, and that he heretofore invoked us; we heard his Prayer, and delivered him from great danger, and all that were with him in the Ark; we delivered him from the hand of the wicked, whom we drowned. Remember Da∣vid, and Solomon, who rendred Justice in the Field, whereinto the Flocks of the Village en∣tred by Night without Shepherds; we are witness of their Judgments, we instructed Solomon in Justice, we gave him Prudence and

Knowledg; the Mountains adored us with David, and with him the Birds praised us; we were with them when they praised us. We taught you the manner of sowing [Seed] to preserve you from necessity; peradventure ye will be thankful to me. We commanded the Winds to obey Solomon, and know all that he did. The Devils obeyd him, they dived into the Sea, to fish for Gems for him, and travelled also in other matters; and we hindred them to act mischief against men. Remember Iob, who prayed to his Lord, and said, I am in exceeding great afflicti∣on; thou art the merciful of the merciful: We heard him, and delivered him from his affliction; gave to him our grace, and to his family, and to them that were with him, who had patience, and trusted in me. Remember Ismael, Enoch, Del∣cafel, and Zachary, they persevered in well do∣ing; we gave them our grace, because they were Righteous. Remember Ionas, who forsook his People in displeasure; he believed I could do nothing against him; but he cryed in the dark, and said, There is no God besides thee, praised be thy Name; I am to blame for having offended thee. We heard him, and delivered him from his disaster. Thus do I protect True believers, when they invoke me. Remember Zachary, who made his Prayer, and said, Lord, I know there is no better Heir in the World than thy self; yet let me not dye without issue: We heard his request, gave him a Son, named Iohn, and rendred his Wife fruitful. All these Prophets went on with ala∣crity to do well, and invoked us with humility, with desire to obtain our grace, and with fear of the torments of Hell. Remember Mary, whose womb I blessed; we inspired into her our Spirit, and gave her a Son, a Miracle in the VVorld.

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Your Law is one onely Law, and I am one onely God, worship me, and be not impious; ye all shall appear before me to be judged. I will protect the True believers that shall have done good works, and will write what they shall do for their re∣ward. Misery is upon the Cities that we have ruined; their inhabitants shall not return into the World, until the passage be opened to Iagog and Magog, and they come running from the eminent places of the Earth; then shall the Day of Judg∣ment approach; the promised Truth shall not be far off, it shall trouble the sight of the wicked, who shall say, O misery! We are miserable, we did not foresee this disaster, we have been exceeding too blame for having offended God. It shall be said unto them, Ye worshipped instead of God, the firebrands of Hell, into which ye shall be cast head∣long: Had your Idols been Gods, as ye believed, they should not have entred Hell; they, and those that have adored them, shall be eternally damned; they shall groan, complain, and shall not be heard: Such as shall be in Paradise, shall be far remote from them; they shall not hear their howlings, and shall enjoy eternally what they shall desire; the crys of the Damned shall not afflict them; the Angels shall meet them when they come out of their graves; and shall say, Behold now the day that was foretold you in the World; a Day wherein we will open the Hea∣vens, and the Book of the account of all men, as we promised to your predecessors. We ex∣actly perform what we promise; we have writ∣ten in the Old Testament, and afterwards in the Alcoran, That the Righteous shall inherit the Earth: This Book shall teach the way of Paradise to them that shall worship me: We had not sent thee, but in favour of men; say unto

them, God hath always inspired into me, that your God is one God, will ye not obey him? If they go astray, I have taught you how they must be intreated. Say unto them, I know not whe∣ther the punishment denounced to you shall be speedy, or tardy. God knoweth what is known, and unknown in the World; I know not whe∣ther he will try you, or defer his punishment until the time appointed: He is a most just Judg, and most merciful; he is not such as ye speak him.

Notes

• Delcafel is Ely. See the Book composed by Abdel∣baky.