The Alcoran of Mahomet, translated out of Arabique into French; by the sieur Du Ryer, Lord of Malezair, and resident for the King of France, at Alexandria. And newly Englished, for the satisfaction of all that desire to look into the Turkish vanities

CHAP. XV. The Chapter of Hegir, containing seventy and seven Verses written at Mecca.

* 1.1IN the name of God, gracious and mercifull. I am the mercifull God. The signes are the signes of the Alcoran, which distinguisheth good from evill. How may the In∣fidels hope what the True-believers hope for? depart from them,* 1.2 let them eat the substance of the poore, let them become rich, and content themselves in their hopes, they shall see one day what their end shall be; We have destroyed no City untill the time destined to its ruine was expired, there is no Nation that can advance or retard its destiny. The wicked have said, oh man! who believest that the Alcoran was sent to thee, we will affirme that thou art a Sorcerer, untill the Angels do assure us that thou are true: The Angels shall not descend to the earth, unlesse to chastise them, and they shall not be able to re∣tard the time of their punishment; we certainly have sent the Alco••an upon earth, and will preserve it without alte∣ration; we heretofore sent prophets one after another, the wicked scorned and contemned them; thus I imprint impiety in the hearts of the wicked, they shall not be∣lieve in the Prophet, and shall incur the punishment of their predecessors: should we open the entrance of hea∣ven, and should they behold the Angels go in, and goe out at the shadow of the gate, they would yet say, their eyes were inchanted, and that they were bewitched: we created signes in heaven, and adorned them with Starres, to cont••nt the mindes of them that consider them; wee sheltered them from the assaults of the devill, but the Butterflie followeth every thing that shineth, and belie∣veth

it to be a Starre; we extended the earth, and rai∣sed the mountains with proportion; we have made it to produce all sorts of fruits to sustain and enrich you; we have reserved in our pow••r the keyes of the treasures thereof, to distribute to them by measure what shall be necessary, we caused a fresh winde to arise, and sent rain to water them; it is not you that caused the fruits there∣of to spring forth; it is we who give life and death, and d••spose of all things in the world. Wee know who they were that did procede you, and who they shall be that shall succeed you; I will assemble all at the end of the world to be judged; we created man of the slime of the earth, and before him the devill, of fire, without smoak. Remember thou, that God said to his Angels, I will create man of the slime of the earth, I will breathe upon him, to give him life, prostrate your selves before him; the Angels adored him, except the devill; God said unto him, wherefore dost thou not adore man? He re∣plied, I will not adore him, thou hast created me of fire, and him of the mire of the earth: He said, get thee out of Paradise, thou shalt be banished, and accursed un∣till the day of Judgement. Lord, said the devill, lay not thy curse upon me untill the day of Judgement; he said, thou shalt be accursed untill the day nominated; Lord, said the devill, I will tempt all the creatures, because thou hast tempted me; I will cause them to disobey thy Com∣mandements, except such as shall trust in thee, and recom∣mend themselves to thy divine Will. God said, this is the right way, thou hast no power over the righteous who fol∣low my Law, but only over the Infidels, for whom hell is prepared. Hell hath seven gates, and every gate hath its particular work; the righteous shall dwell in gardens, a∣dorned with fair fountains, we will free them from all ran∣cour; they shall repose upon beds like brethren, with re∣spect, and affection, and shall be in eternall felicity: De∣clare to them that worsh••p me, that I am gracious and ••••••∣ciful, and my chast••sements are s••v••re and rigorous Preach unto them the H••story of the guest of Abraham, they sa••••∣ted him when they e••••red his house; Abra••••m was ••••••••i∣fied

at their comming: they said to him, fear not us, we are the Messengers of God; we declare to thee that thou shalt have a son, who shall be a great personage: Do you tell me (said he) that I shall have a son in mine old age? why speak ye in that manner? We tell thee the truth, de∣spair•• not of the grace of God. none but the wicked de∣spaire: O Messengers of God! (said Abraham) what doe ye require? We are sent to destroy the Infidels, and to preserve the whole family of Lot, except his wife, she shall remain w••th them that shall be punished. When these Mes∣sengers came to Lots house, he told them, he knew them not; they said to him, we are come to thee, to cleare this people of their doubt of Gods Omnipotencie; what we speak unto thee is most true; cause thy family this night to go out of the City, and follow their steps, that none a∣mong you look behind him, and go whither you shall be commanded; the wicked shall in the morning be destroy∣ed. The Inhabitants of the City came to Lots house to see those strangers; Lot said unto them, I beseech you defile not your selves with my Guest, fear God, and dishonour not your selves, behold my daughters, take them; They said, we do not hinder thee to lodge thy guests, and re∣mained confounded in their drunkenness. In the morning thunder surprised them, we overthrew the City upside down, and caused it to rain stones with fire, that utterly de∣stroyed it. This shal serve for example to passengers that shal see those ruines, and for a mark of the Omnipotency of God, to them that shall believe in his divine Majesty. They that inhabited the wood neer to Medina were impi∣ous, but we avenged us on them, they served for example to posterity, as did the people of the City of Lot. They that dwell in the Valley of He••ir, have defamed the Prophets; we gave them to see our Miracles, and taught them our Commandements, they contemned them, but they reposed in the morning in their houses built upon the mountains, and in their fortesses; when thunder suprised them, their treasures did not save them, and they were all de∣stroy••d. We created the heavens and the earth to be signes of the Truth, and of our Unity: The hour of Judgment

approacheth; absent thy self from thy self from thy people with mild∣nesse,* 1.3 thy Lord who created all things, knoweth all. We taught thee seven signs, and the most precious Alco••an. Tarry not to consider the divers sorts of riches which the wicked possess••; affl••ct not thy self, if they persist in their impiety; Say unto them, I preach none other thing but the word of God, and the pains of hell. We will chastise the wick••d, as we chastised them that divided the Alcoran, who approved one part, and rejected the other. I am thy Lord, I will require of them an account of their actions, preach what hath been commanded thee, and depart from Infidels, we will preserve thee from them that shall scorn thee, as likewise from such as adore Idols; I know that thou wilt be grieved at their discourse, but praise and a∣dore the Lord untill death.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Hegir is a Valley neer Mecca.
• * 1.2

  See Kitab el tenoir.
• * 1.3

  That is, the Preface of the Alco∣ran, con∣taining seven ver∣s••s.