Historical Statements of the Koran [pp. 195-230]

Historical Statements of the Koran.
turned those cities upside down, and we rained upon them
stones of baked clay, one following another."*
The facts in relation to the sacrifice of Isaac, are stated in
the thirty-seventh chapter of the Koran, without any material
departure from the truth, but also without the touching simplicity and circumstantiality of the original. The last passage which we shall advert to, in the history of Abraham as
scattered through the Koran, is purely Koranic, and was obviQusly designed to trace the imposture of the camel-driver
up to the father of the faithful. We give it in the words of
Sale, inserting brackets to denote interpolations. "God said,
verily I will constitute thee a model of religiont unto mankind: he answered, and also of my posterity? God said,
my covenant doth not comprehend the ungodly. And we
appointed the [holy] house [of Mekka] to be a place of
resort for mankind, and a place of security; and said, take
the station of Abraham for a place of prayer; and we covenanted with Ismael and Abraham, that they should cleanse
my house for those who should compass it and those who
should be devoutly assiduous there, and those who should
bow down and worship. And Abraham and Ismael raised the
foundations of the house, saying, Lord, accept it from us, for
thou art he who heareth and who knoweth. Lord, make us all
RESIGNED unto thee, and of our posterity a people resigned unto thee, and show us our holy ceremonies, and be turned unto us, for thou art easy to be reconciled and merciful.
Lord, send them likewise an Apostle from among them, who
may declare thy signs unto them, and teach them the book,
[of the Koran,] and wisdom, and purify them; for thou art
mighty and wise. Who will be averse to the religion of
Abraham, but he whose mind is infatuated?t" This last triumphant interrogatory harmonizes well with the assertion
elsewhere made that "Abraham was neither a Jew nor a
Christian, but a Hanif, or orthodox believer.~
In the passage just quoted, we find the religion of Mohammed identified with the rmillah Ibrahim or religion of Abraham. We also find the origin of the distinctive name of the
imposture. The Arabic word which Sale translates resigned,
is Moslimin, a participle. The verb Aslama means to yield
one's self up unreservedly. It is used to denote entire resignation to God's will, and devotion to his service. The par
* xi. 82. t (Arab.) an Imam.: ii. 124-130. ~ iii. 67.
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