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. XXXVI. The Chapter intituled, O Man, containing foure score and eight verses, written at Mecca.

Reader, the Mahometans have entituled this Chapter with two letters of the Arabique Alpha∣bet, i, s. The Bedaoi saith, that i signifieth ia, that is to say ô particul•• vocativa, and s, is an abrevi∣ation, that signifieth insan. [i e] Man, and that the Angel, speaking to Mahomet, began this Chapter in this manner, O man! I swear by the Alcoran, &c. See Tefsir, Kitab el tenoir.

IN the name of God, gracious and mercifull. Oh man! I swear by the Alcoran, ful of Doctrine, that thou art a pro∣phet, sent to teach the People the right way. This book was sent by the Omnipotent and mercifull; that thou mayst in∣struct men in that which was not taught their predecessors; Certainly, what was said is true, viz. That the greatest part of them is incredulous; we will put a chain upon their neck, and bind their hands to the very chin; they shall lift up the head to complain, but we will place before & behind them great obstacle, we will cover their sight with darknes, & they shall not see a jot. Misery is upon them; whether thou dost reprove, or not reprove them, they shall not be converted. If thou preachest to them that belive in the Alcoran, and to such as beleive in what they have seen, proclaim to them a generall pardon of their sinnes, and a very great reward. I make the dead to arise again, and write exactly in a book the good & the evil that men commi••. Relate to them th•• Parable of those of the City, whither thy Lord sen••

his Prophets; we sent into them two Prophets, they slan∣dered both of them; we succored them by a third; they all three said to the Inhabitants of this City, we are sent from God to preach to you his Commandments. They answered, ye are but men like us, God hath not sent us a sign to make you known, ye are lyars. They said, cer∣tainly God knoweth that he sent us to you; we are obliged only to preach to you his Commandments; They answe∣red, would ye make us Infidels like your selves? If ye end not this discourse, we will stone you, and make you to suf∣fer heavy torments. They said, be your evill with you, who hath heretofore so ill instructed you? Certainly you are wick••d; Then a man came running from the utmost part of the City, who said unto them, oh people! obey the Apostles of God, obey them that require no reward from you for the pains which they take in teaching you, and who are in the right way. Wherefore shall not I worship him that created me, and before whom ye all shall be as∣sembled to be judged? Will ye worship another beside him? If it be his will to chastise me, your Idols cannot save me, I should be extremely erroneous, should I believe in your God; hear and understnnd what I say unto you. [Neverthelesse they sl••w h••m] and said unto him, go, enter into Paradice; He said, in dying, would to God this people knew the graces that his divine Majesty hath conferred on me, he placed me in the number of the blessed; After his death we did not send Angels from Heaven to chastise the wicked; I will send them but once to destroy them; they shall one day be dumb, for shame that they have not followed the True believers, and of, being mocked by them that I sent to preach unto them my Command∣ments; Will they not consider how much people we have destroyed in times past, who are not returned, and that shall be one day assembled before me to be judged? The Earth, drie, dead, and barren, as a sign of my omnipotency for the wicked; we made it revive, and became green again, and to bring forth fruits, with wh••ch they were satiate; we there created Gardens, Date-trees, and Vines, we cau••ed Fountains to flow; they eat of the fruits

which are not the works of their hands; will they not acknowledg the works of their Lord? Praise is due to h••m that created the male and the female of all plants that the Earth produceth, who created man and woman, and many other things, of which they have no knowledg. It is a sign of my omnipotency, to seperate the day from the night, & to make the Sunne to run to his appointed place. We have appointed to the Moon her signes, she goeth and commeth alwayes through her old way; the Sun neither hasteneth, nor retardeth his course at any time, neither doth joyn himself by night to the Moon; the night com∣eth not untill the end of the day. And all, to wit, the Moon, the Sun, and the Stars exalt my glory in the Heaven: it is a mark of mine omnipotency, to have born their Fathers upon the waters in the Ark, and to have given them vessels like the Ark to bear them; had it plea∣sed me, I had caused them to be drowned, without succor and salvation; I saved them through my special grace, until the time appointed. The wicked despise the signs of Gods omnipotency, and scoffed, when they were requi∣red to fear the wrath of his divine Majesty, present, and to come, and that their iniquities shall be forgiven them. When it was said unto them, give almes of the wealth that God hath given you, they answered, shall I give him to eat to whom God shall give bread when it shall please him? They are in a very great error. They will enquire of you when the day of Judgement shall be; and if ye be∣leive it, tel them that they must expect but one sole voice, that shall surprise them, they shall quarrell, they shall not be able to make their Testament, neither return to see their parents; in the end they shall go out of their Sepul∣che••••, and present themselves before God, when the Trum∣pet shall sound; Then shal they say, we are most miserable, to have departed from our graves, behold what God hath promised us! The Prophets spake to us the Truth, viz. That the world ought to expect but one voice; This day shall all men be assembled before their Lord, no in∣justice shall be done to any person, and every one shall be rewarded, & chastised after his works: Such as shall go

into Paradise, shall be in exceeding great repose, with al•• manner of contentment, they and their wives shall be safe from all evills, lying on delicious beds, they shall have all sorts of fruits, and whatsoever they shall desire, they shall be saluted on the behalf of the Lord, gracious and merci∣full. God shall say to the wicked at the day of Judgment, Depart yee this day from the company of the good; did I not forbid you to worship the Devill, your open enemy, but to worship me alone, and that it was the right way? Did I not tell you that the Devill seduced a multitude of the people? Ye would not beleive it, behold Hell, that is pre∣pared for you, through your incredulity. I will shut their mouth, their hand shall speak, and their feet shall be wit∣nesses of their crimes; If we wil, we can make the Infidels blind, they shall find no way, they shall not be able to go or come, and shall be succored of none; had it been our pleasure we could have transformed them in their houses, and they had not been able to go forth; I will cast their head against the ground, and will render them infamous, whose life I shall prolong, and they shall not know their er∣rors. We have not made them to understand the mysteries of the Alcoran, but that was not necessary; it is but to preach to the living, who comprehend what is spoken to them; it is most true, that the wicked shall be punished: See they not that we alone have created all the beasts of the earth, over which they command? We have made them subject to them; Some serve them to ride on, and others for their nourishment; will they be ingratfull? Neverthelesse they have worshipped Idols, they adored what could not de∣liver them from the pains of Hell. Afflict not thy selfe at their discourse. I know whatsoever they say, and all that they keep secret in their souls; Doth not man consider that we created him of dust? And that he is to arogant? God hath taught us how he formed his Creatures, never∣thelesse the wicked have said, who is he that can give life to bones that are rotten? Say unto them, he it is that created you at first, and that knoweth what he created; he maketh fire to come out of the Greene Woods

which ye burn, and created the Heaven and the Earth; can∣not he create other creatures like unto you? yes, without doubt, he createth what pleaseth him, he knoweth all things; when he willeth any thing, he saith, be thou, and it is; prai∣sed be he, to whome all things appertain, and before whom you all shall returne [to be judged.]