ALCORAN, or ALKORAN, the name of a book held equally sacred among the Mahometans as the bible is among Chris tians.
The word alcoran properly signifies reading; a title given it by way of emi nence, just as we call the Old and New Testament ,Scriptures.
That Mahomct was the author of the Alcoran is allowed both by Christians and the Mahometans themselves ; only the latter are fully persuaded, that it was re vealed to him by the ministry of the an gel Gabriel ; whereas the former, with more reason, think it alibis own invention, assisted by one Sergius, a Christian monk. The Alcoran is held not only of divine original, but eternal and untreated, re maining, as some express it, in the very essence of God. The first transcript has been from everlasting by God's throne, written on a table of vast bigness, in which are also recorded the divine decrees, past and future. A copy from this table, in one volume, on paper, was sent down to the lowest heaven, in the month of Ra madan, on the night of power. From whence it was delivered out to Mahomet by parcels, some at Mecca, and some at Medina. Though lie had the consolation of seeing the whole once a year, and in the last part of his life twice. Ten new chapters were delivered entire, the great er part only in separate periods, which were written down from time to time by the prophet's amanuensis, in this or that part of this or the other chapter, as he di rected. The first parcel that was revealed was the five first verses of the ninety-sixth chapter, which the prophet received in a cave of Mount Harah, near Mecca.
The general aim of the Alcoran was, to unite the professors of the three different religions then followed in Arabia, Idola ters, Jews, and Christians, in the know ledge and worship of one God, tinder the sanction of certain laws, and the outward signs of cereinonies, partly of ancient, and partly of novel institution, e nforeed by the consideration of re wards and punishments both temporal and eternal, and to bring all to the obedience of Mahomet, as the prophet and ambassador of God, who was to establish the true religion on earth, and be acknowledged chief pontiff in spiritual matters. The chief point there
fore inculcated in the Alcoran is the unity of God, to restore which, the prophet con fessed, was the chief end of his mission. The rest is taken up in prescribing neces sary laws and directions, frequent admoni tions to moral and diving virtues, the wor ship and reverence of the Supreme Be ing, and resignation to his will.
As to the book itself, as it now stands, it is divided into 114 Suras, or chapters, which are again divided into smaller por tions or verses. But, besides these divi sions, Mahometan writers farther divide it into 60 equal portions, called hiz, or ha ;Oa ; each of which they subdivide into four parts.
After the title at the head of each chap ter, except the ninth, is prefixed the for mula, " In the name of the most merciful God," called by the Mahometans Bismal lah, wherewith they constantly begin all their books and writings, as the distin guishing mark of their religion.
Twenty-nine of the chapters of the Al coran have this further peculiarity, that there are certain letters of the alphabet Prefted to then. In some a s'yigle letter.
in others two or more. These letters are supposed, by the true believers, to con ceal divers profound mysteries, the under standing whereof has been communica ted to no man, their prophet excepted. Yet some have pretended to find their meaning,by supposing the letters to stand for so many words, expressing, the names, attributes, and works of God; others ex plain these letters from the organ made use of in their pronunciation; others front their value in numbers.
There are seven principal editions of the Koran, two at Medina, one at Mecca, one at Cufa, one at Bassora, one in Syria, and the common or vulgate edition. The first contains 6000 verses ; the second and fifth, 6214; the third, the fourth, 6236 ; the sixth, 6226; and the last, 6225 ; but the number of words and letters is the same in all, viz. 77,639 words, and 323,015 letters.