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. XXXI. The Chapter of Locman, containing thirty four Verses written at Mecca.

IN the name of God, gracious & merciful: I am the most wise God.* 1.1 These precepts are the precepts of the book fil∣led with doctrine, it guideth into the way of salvation; the righteous who make their prayers at the time appointed, that pay tithes, and beleive in the day of Judgment, they are gui∣ded by their Lord, and shall be blessed. There be who de∣ride this book, they ignorantly depa••t from the law of God, and have despised it, but shall one day be severely punished: when they are taught the comandments of God, they turn the back with disdain, they will not hear, & have ears stop∣ped; Say unto them, you shall in the end suffer infinit pains: Such as beleive in the Law of God, and do good works, shal eternally enjoy the delights of Paradise; what God pro∣miseth, is infallible, he is Omnipotent, and altogether wise, he created the heaven, and sustaineth it without a pillar, ap∣pearing to your eyes; he lifted up the mountains upon the ear••h, to fasten and hinder it to move; he hath thereon di∣spersed many beasts, and sent rain from Heaven, which cau∣seth plants to spring forth, and herbs of divers sorts. Be∣hold [here] what God hath created shew me what your I∣dols have created; assuredly idolaters are manifestly sedu∣ced from the right way. We inspired knowledg into Locman

and spake unto him to give God thanks; he that returneth thanks to God for his graces, doth good for his soul; God rejecteth the ingrateful, and praise is due to him in al pla∣ces. Remember thou that Locman said unto his son, O my son! beleive not thou that God hath a companion, it is an exceeding great sin: we have commanded man to honour his father and mother; his mother beareth him with greif upon grief & weaneth him at the age of two years; be thou not ingrateful for Gods benefits, honor father & mother, thou shalt be one day before God to be Judged. If thy parents press thee to beleive that God hath companions, obey them not, follow the way of them that obey him, all men shall be one day assembled before him, to be rewarded according to their works. O my son! if thou dost evil, of the weight of a grain of Mustardseed, or of the weight of a rock, or of the greatnesse of heaven and earth; God wil know it, and put it in accompt, he is exact and omniscient. O my son! make thy prayers at the time appointed, do what is honest and civill, fly what is not approved, and be patient in thy ad∣versities; regard not the world, disordred through pride; converse not with the proud, God detesteth the haughty; observe thy steps, walk with modesty, speak gently, they be persons that bray like Asses when they speak: seest thou not that God hath created for men all that is in heaven and earth, and conferreth on them his graces in generall, and particular. There be ignorant [persons] that dispute of the Diety without reason; when it is said unto them, do what God hath appointed, they answer, we will do what we saw don by our fathers. They consider not that the devill calleth them & their fathers to the pains of Hel▪ he that obeyeth God, & doth good works, fastneth him to the strongest knot, & will have a care of him at the hour of his end. The impiety of the wicked ought not to afflict thee, they shal be one day assembled in our presence, to be chastised; I will shew them all that they have don, I know what is in the hearts of men, I will prolong a while their punishment upon earth, and precipitate them in the other world, into the fire of hell. Hast thou not damanded of them who cre∣ated heaven and earth? they said, it is God; say unto them,

therefore 〈…〉〈…〉 be God; nevertheless the greatest part of them are ignorant. Whatsoever is in heaven & Earth is Gods, he hath no want of the world, praise is due unto him in all that he doth; if all the Trees of the world were Pens, and the Sea Ink, they could not comprehend the ef∣fect of his Omnipotency, he is Omnipotent, and knoweth all things. He created, and shall make you to rise again with one word, he understandeth and seeth all things. Consider they not that God causeth the night to enter in∣to the day, and the day into the night: that he created the Sun and the Moon, that move in the heaven, until the day appointed, he knoweth whatsoever ye do, because he is truly God; they that invoke other then him, invoke things vain and unprofitable: God alone is most high, and most mighty: Seest thou not how the ship runneth upon the water, for a token of his Omnipotency, to such as acknowledg his graces? When the Wars arose against the Infidels, many called upon God, with resolution to follow his Law: when he saved them on the Land, some persevered to do well, and others returned to their im∣piety: none but deceivers and ingratfull [persons] des∣pise his Commandments. O people! fear God, and the day when the father shall not be able to succour his child, neither the child serve his father, Gods promises are in∣fallible; be not proud of your riches, neither that God tolerateth and suffereth you, he knoweth the time when ye shall be chastised, the hour that the rain shall fall upon the earth: he knoweth what is in the wombs of women, whether it be male or female: none but God knoweth what thou wilt ••o to morrow: none but he knoweth the place where thou shalt die; he knoweth all, he knoweth all

Notes

• * 1.1

  The Turks say, that Locman was a great Doctor in Davids time.