Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1His own clansmen, for the reason that they were his clansmen and for no other, resented the affronts against him. In Medinah he appears as a military leader and a prince, though as yet possessing far from absolute authority. Around him in the city were, first, the true believers who had fled with him, El Muhagerin; next, the in- 1 See Part II, p. 13, note 1. Ee INTRODUCTION. Ixiii habitants of YaTHrib, who had joined him and who were called El Ansar, ‘the helpers;’ and lastly, a large class who are spoken of by the uncomplimentary name of MunAfiqdn or ‘hypocrites, consisting of those who went over to his side from fear or compulsion, and lastly those ‘in whose heart is sickness,’ who, though believing on him, were prevented by tribal or family ties from going over to him openly. Abdallah ibn Ubai was a chief whose influence operated strongly against Mohammed, and the latter was obliged to treat him for a long time almost as an equal, even after he had lost his political power. The other party at Medinah was composed of the Jewish tribes settled in and around the city of YaTHrib. The Jews were at first looked to as the most natural and likely supporters of the new religion, which was to confirm their own. These various parties together with the pagan Arabs of Mecca and the Christians are the persons with whom the Medinah Sarahs chiefly deal. The style of the Medinah Sirahs resembles that of the third period of the Meccan revelations, the more matterof-fact nature of the incidents related or the precepts given accounting in a great measure for the more prosaic language in which they are expressed. As in the Meccan Sfrahs it is possible to arrive at a tolerably accurate notion of their chronological order by noting the events to which they refer, and comparing them with the history itself; although the doubtful authority of many of the traditions and the frequent vagueness of the allusions in the Qur’4n itself leave much uncertain. In the Medinah Sdrahs the prophet is no longer merely trying to convert his hearers by examples, promises, and warnings ; he addresses them as their prince and general, praising or blaming them for their conduct, and giving them laws and precepts as occasion required. Néldeke has given a masterly analysis of the various | historical and other allusions, and has reduced as far as Ixiv THE QuR’AN. possible the heterogeneous mass of materials to such order that we may accept his arrangement as at least the most accurate hitherto proposed. Since, however, many passages are no doubt misplaced and inserted in Strahs to which they did not originally belong, nothing but a comprehensive view of the contents of the whole Qur’4n, studied side by side with the history of Mohammed and his contemporaries, will enable us to arrive at an actual decision on the exact chronological sequence of the revelation.
2To assist in the investigation of this most important subject I have subjoined a précis of the contents of each chapter. The following is Néldeke’s chronological order of the Sfrahs :— Meccan S(trahs. First Period (from the first to the fifth year of Mohammed’s mission): XCVI, LXXIV, CXI, CVI, CVIII, CIV, CVI, CII, Cv, XCII, XC, XCIV, XCIII, XCVII, LXXXVI, XCI, LXXX, LXVIII, LXXXVII, XCV, CIII, LXXXV, LXXIII, CI, XCIX, LXXXII, LXXXI, LIT, LX XXIV, C, LXXIX, LXXVII, LXXVIII, LXXXVIII, LXXXIX, LXXV, LXXXIII, LXIX, LI, LII, LVI, LXX, LV, CXII, CIX, CXIII, CXIV, I. Second Period (the fifth and sixth year of his mission): LIV, XXXVI, ‘LXXI, LXXVI, XLIV, L, XX, XXVI, XV, XIX, XXXVIII, XXXVI, XLIII, LXXII, LXVII, XXIII, XXI, XXV, XVII, XXVII, XVIII. Third Period (from the seventh year to the flight): XXXII, XLI, XLV, XVI, XXX, XI, XIV, XII, XL, XXVIII, XXXIX, XXIX, XXXI, XLII, X, XXXIV, XXXV, VII, XLVI, VI, XIII. Medinah Sdrahs. Il, XCVIII, LXIV, LXII, VIII, XLVII, III, LXI, LVII, Iv, LXV, LIX, XXXII, LXIII, XXIV, LVIII, XXII, XLVIII, LXVI, LX, CX, XLIX, IX, V. The mysterious letters which are placed at the beginning of certain chapters of the Qur’dn are explained in INTRODUCTION. xv various ways by the Muslim commentators. Some suppose them to be part of the revelation itself, and to conceal sublime and inscrutable mysteries ; others think that they stand for the names of Allah, Gabriel, Mohammed, and so on. Néldeke has the ingenious theory that they were monograms of the names of the persons from whom Zaid and his companions obtained the portions to which they are prefixed; thus, ALR would stand for Ez-zubdir, ALM R for Al-MugAdirah, 7H for Tal‘Hah, and so on. A comparison of the Arabic letters themselves with the names suggested makes the hypothesis a very probable one. They may have been mere numerical or alphabetical labels for the boxes of scraps on which the original was written; the authors of the Commentary known as E] J elal ain, however, give the prevailing opinion amongst Muslim scholars when they say, ‘God alone knows what He means by these letters.’ The Sarahs are subdivided into ’Ay4t, ‘verses’ (literally ‘signs’), which, although they for the most part mark a distinct pause either in the rhyme or sense, are sometimes mere arbitrary divisions irrespective of either. Besides these, the Qur’4n is divided into sixty equal portions, called a‘hz4b (sing. ‘hizb), each subdivided into four equal parts ; another division is that into thirty ’agza’ (sing. guz’) or ‘sections, so that the whole may be read through during the month of Ramadan: these are again subdivided into rukd’h (sing. rak’hah), ‘acts of bowing.’ By these, rather than by chapter and verse (Sdrah and *Ayah), the Muslims themselves quote the Book.
3guz’) or ‘sections, so that the whole may be read through during the month of Ramadan: these are again subdivided into rukd’h (sing. rak’hah), ‘acts of bowing.’ By these, rather than by chapter and verse (Sdrah and *Ayah), the Muslims themselves quote the Book. Besides the name Qur’an it is known as El] Furq4n, ‘the Discrimination,’ El Mus‘haf, ‘the Volume,’ E! Kit4b, ‘the Book,’ and EDH-DHikr, ‘the Reminder.’ The title attached to each Sirah is taken from some striking word which occurs in it. The creed of Mohammed and the Qur’dn is termed Isl4m, ‘ Resignation,’ scil. to the will of God. The religion, as understood and practised, is based upon four rules or fundamental principles : [6] e Ixvi THE QUR'AN. 1, The Qur’dn itself. 2. ‘HadiTH (pl. ’a‘hadiTH), the ‘traditional’ sayings of the prophet which supplement the Qur'an, and provide for cases of law or ceremonial observance on. which it is silent. They also deal with the life of Mohammed. and’ the circumstances attending the revelations, and are therefore of great use in the exegesis of the Book itself. Although the Muslim authorities have been very strict in the canons laid down for the reception or rejection of these traditions, tracing them from hand to hand up to their original sources, a great deal of uncertainty exists as to the authenticity of many of them. The laws embodied in the traditions are called the Sunnah. 3. Igma’h or the ‘consensus’ of opinion of the highest authorities in the Muslim church upon points concerning which neither the Qur’4n nor the ‘HadiTH are explicit. 4. Qiyds or ‘ Analogy, that is, the reasoning of the theological authorities by analogy from the Qur’4n, ‘HadiTuH, and Igma’h, where anything in any one or-more is still left undecided. The first principle of the Muslim faith is a belief in Alléh, who, as we have seen, was known to the Arabs before Mohammed’s time, and under the title Allah ta’hala, ‘Allah the most high,’ was regarded as the chief god of their pantheon. The epithet ta’h4l4 is, properly speaking, a verb meaning ‘be He exalted,’ but. is used, as verbs sometimes are in Arabic, as an epithet. The name Allah, ‘God,’ is composed of the article al, ‘the,’ and ilah, ‘a god, and is a very old Semitic word, being connected with the el and elohim of the Hebrew, and. entering into the composition of a: large proportion of proper names in Hebrew, Nabathean, and Arabic. According to Muslim theology, Allah is eternal and everlasting, one and indivisible, not endued with form, nor circumscribed by limit or measure; comprehending all things, but comprehended of nothing. 1 See my Arabic Grammar, p. 256. INTRODUCTION. Ixvii His attributes are expressed by ninety-nine epithets used in the Qur’dn, which in the Arabic are single words, generally participial forms, but in the translation are sometimes rendered by verbs, as, ‘He hears’ for ‘He is the hearer.’ These attributes constitute the Asma’ el ‘HusnéA, ‘the
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1His own clansmen, for the reason that they were his clansmen and for no other, resented the affronts against him. In Medinah he appears as a military leader and a prince, though as yet possessing far from absolute authority. Around him in the city were, first, the true believers who had fled with him, El Muhagerin; next, the in- 1 See Part II, p. 13, note 1. Ee INTRODUCTION. Ixiii habitants of YaTHrib, who had joined him and who were called El Ansar, ‘the helpers;’ and lastly, a large class who are spoken of by the uncomplimentary name of MunAfiqdn or ‘hypocrites, consisting of those who went over to his side from fear or compulsion, and lastly those ‘in whose heart is sickness,’ who, though believing on him, were prevented by tribal or family ties from going over to him openly. Abdallah ibn Ubai was a chief whose influence operated strongly against Mohammed, and the latter was obliged to treat him for a long time almost as an equal, even after he had lost his political power. The other party at Medinah was composed of the Jewish tribes settled in and around the city of YaTHrib. The Jews were at first looked to as the most natural and likely supporters of the new religion, which was to confirm their own. These various parties together with the pagan Arabs of Mecca and the Christians are the persons with whom the Medinah Sarahs chiefly deal. The style of the Medinah Sirahs resembles that of the third period of the Meccan revelations, the more matterof-fact nature of the incidents related or the precepts given accounting in a great measure for the more prosaic language in which they are expressed. As in the Meccan Sfrahs it is possible to arrive at a tolerably accurate notion of their chronological order by noting the events to which they refer, and comparing them with the history itself; although the doubtful authority of many of the traditions and the frequent vagueness of the allusions in the Qur’4n itself leave much uncertain. In the Medinah Sdrahs the prophet is no longer merely trying to convert his hearers by examples, promises, and warnings ; he addresses them as their prince and general, praising or blaming them for their conduct, and giving them laws and precepts as occasion required. Néldeke has given a masterly analysis of the various | historical and other allusions, and has reduced as far as Ixiv THE QuR’AN. possible the heterogeneous mass of materials to such order that we may accept his arrangement as at least the most accurate hitherto proposed. Since, however, many passages are no doubt misplaced and inserted in Strahs to which they did not originally belong, nothing but a comprehensive view of the contents of the whole Qur’4n, studied side by side with the history of Mohammed and his contemporaries, will enable us to arrive at an actual decision on the exact chronological sequence of the revelation.
2To assist in the investigation of this most important subject I have subjoined a précis of the contents of each chapter. The following is Néldeke’s chronological order of the Sfrahs :— Meccan S(trahs. First Period (from the first to the fifth year of Mohammed’s mission): XCVI, LXXIV, CXI, CVI, CVIII, CIV, CVI, CII, Cv, XCII, XC, XCIV, XCIII, XCVII, LXXXVI, XCI, LXXX, LXVIII, LXXXVII, XCV, CIII, LXXXV, LXXIII, CI, XCIX, LXXXII, LXXXI, LIT, LX XXIV, C, LXXIX, LXXVII, LXXVIII, LXXXVIII, LXXXIX, LXXV, LXXXIII, LXIX, LI, LII, LVI, LXX, LV, CXII, CIX, CXIII, CXIV, I. Second Period (the fifth and sixth year of his mission): LIV, XXXVI, ‘LXXI, LXXVI, XLIV, L, XX, XXVI, XV, XIX, XXXVIII, XXXVI, XLIII, LXXII, LXVII, XXIII, XXI, XXV, XVII, XXVII, XVIII. Third Period (from the seventh year to the flight): XXXII, XLI, XLV, XVI, XXX, XI, XIV, XII, XL, XXVIII, XXXIX, XXIX, XXXI, XLII, X, XXXIV, XXXV, VII, XLVI, VI, XIII. Medinah Sdrahs. Il, XCVIII, LXIV, LXII, VIII, XLVII, III, LXI, LVII, Iv, LXV, LIX, XXXII, LXIII, XXIV, LVIII, XXII, XLVIII, LXVI, LX, CX, XLIX, IX, V. The mysterious letters which are placed at the beginning of certain chapters of the Qur’dn are explained in INTRODUCTION. xv various ways by the Muslim commentators. Some suppose them to be part of the revelation itself, and to conceal sublime and inscrutable mysteries ; others think that they stand for the names of Allah, Gabriel, Mohammed, and so on. Néldeke has the ingenious theory that they were monograms of the names of the persons from whom Zaid and his companions obtained the portions to which they are prefixed; thus, ALR would stand for Ez-zubdir, ALM R for Al-MugAdirah, 7H for Tal‘Hah, and so on. A comparison of the Arabic letters themselves with the names suggested makes the hypothesis a very probable one. They may have been mere numerical or alphabetical labels for the boxes of scraps on which the original was written; the authors of the Commentary known as E] J elal ain, however, give the prevailing opinion amongst Muslim scholars when they say, ‘God alone knows what He means by these letters.’ The Sarahs are subdivided into ’Ay4t, ‘verses’ (literally ‘signs’), which, although they for the most part mark a distinct pause either in the rhyme or sense, are sometimes mere arbitrary divisions irrespective of either. Besides these, the Qur’4n is divided into sixty equal portions, called a‘hz4b (sing. ‘hizb), each subdivided into four equal parts ; another division is that into thirty ’agza’ (sing. guz’) or ‘sections, so that the whole may be read through during the month of Ramadan: these are again subdivided into rukd’h (sing. rak’hah), ‘acts of bowing.’ By these, rather than by chapter and verse (Sdrah and *Ayah), the Muslims themselves quote the Book.
3guz’) or ‘sections, so that the whole may be read through during the month of Ramadan: these are again subdivided into rukd’h (sing. rak’hah), ‘acts of bowing.’ By these, rather than by chapter and verse (Sdrah and *Ayah), the Muslims themselves quote the Book. Besides the name Qur’an it is known as El] Furq4n, ‘the Discrimination,’ El Mus‘haf, ‘the Volume,’ E! Kit4b, ‘the Book,’ and EDH-DHikr, ‘the Reminder.’ The title attached to each Sirah is taken from some striking word which occurs in it. The creed of Mohammed and the Qur’dn is termed Isl4m, ‘ Resignation,’ scil. to the will of God. The religion, as understood and practised, is based upon four rules or fundamental principles : [6] e Ixvi THE QUR'AN. 1, The Qur’dn itself. 2. ‘HadiTH (pl. ’a‘hadiTH), the ‘traditional’ sayings of the prophet which supplement the Qur'an, and provide for cases of law or ceremonial observance on. which it is silent. They also deal with the life of Mohammed. and’ the circumstances attending the revelations, and are therefore of great use in the exegesis of the Book itself. Although the Muslim authorities have been very strict in the canons laid down for the reception or rejection of these traditions, tracing them from hand to hand up to their original sources, a great deal of uncertainty exists as to the authenticity of many of them. The laws embodied in the traditions are called the Sunnah. 3. Igma’h or the ‘consensus’ of opinion of the highest authorities in the Muslim church upon points concerning which neither the Qur’4n nor the ‘HadiTH are explicit. 4. Qiyds or ‘ Analogy, that is, the reasoning of the theological authorities by analogy from the Qur’4n, ‘HadiTuH, and Igma’h, where anything in any one or-more is still left undecided. The first principle of the Muslim faith is a belief in Alléh, who, as we have seen, was known to the Arabs before Mohammed’s time, and under the title Allah ta’hala, ‘Allah the most high,’ was regarded as the chief god of their pantheon. The epithet ta’h4l4 is, properly speaking, a verb meaning ‘be He exalted,’ but. is used, as verbs sometimes are in Arabic, as an epithet. The name Allah, ‘God,’ is composed of the article al, ‘the,’ and ilah, ‘a god, and is a very old Semitic word, being connected with the el and elohim of the Hebrew, and. entering into the composition of a: large proportion of proper names in Hebrew, Nabathean, and Arabic. According to Muslim theology, Allah is eternal and everlasting, one and indivisible, not endued with form, nor circumscribed by limit or measure; comprehending all things, but comprehended of nothing. 1 See my Arabic Grammar, p. 256. INTRODUCTION. Ixvii His attributes are expressed by ninety-nine epithets used in the Qur’dn, which in the Arabic are single words, generally participial forms, but in the translation are sometimes rendered by verbs, as, ‘He hears’ for ‘He is the hearer.’ These attributes constitute the Asma’ el ‘HusnéA, ‘the
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
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