The Koran dwells much on the resurrection and the last judgment, setting these forth some what after the manner of the Apostle Paul; °When the trumpet sounds the second time, they shall rise quickly from the graves to ap pear before God." "A sound of the trumpet of judgment will assemble all men before my throne, and every one shall there receive the re ward of his deeds." In its presentation of the last judgment the Koran resembles the teach ings of the Jews and the Magians; in the pas sage of the narrow bridge to paradise —Al Sirat, over the abyss of hell, finer than a hair, sharper than a razor; in the book wherein all the actions of men are set down, and the scale in which they are weighed. Quite Jewish and Magian also are the Mohammedan views of paradise. The doctrine of predestination as contained in the Koran was successfully em ployed by Mohammed to encourage his follow ers in the face of every trial and danger. Herein lie probably availed himself of beliefs already widely held, especially among the Sa bians, with their worship of intelligences sup posed to reside in the heavenly bodies, control ling the lives of men and the course of events, and by the Magians, who held a system of dual ism, the influence of these beliefs.having ex erted itself upon the Arabians.
In the matter of religious exercises Moham med largely adopted such as he found, to those which were narrow or vague giving more of universality and precision. The pre scribes prayer, fasting, alms and the pilgrimage to Mecca; prayer embraces ablutions, purifica lions and all other exercises needful to prepara tion for it; to those who sought to be relieved from these observances Mohammed replied, °Religion without prayer is nothing)); prayer he calls "the key to paradise.° Surpassing the severity of the rabbis, he prescribed prayer five times a day, with the face of the suppliant turned toward Mecca. To give alms was al ways an Arabianpractice, but the Koran makes it obligatory. Concerning polygamy, divorce, inheritance, etc., it follows the law of Moses and the decisions of the rabbis, adapting them to the prejudices and customs of the prophet's people; it forbids few, of the oldpractices save idolatry; "God," it says, "intended that his reli gion should be easy, else, as he well knew, you would only become hypocrites." Although the Koran is written in prose, the different parts of a sentence end in rhymes, and there is marked diversity of style, yet withal an impressive unity, characterized by a free and forcible eloquence unequaled in any other Arabic writings. The earlier utterances of the prophet seem often to be outbursts of unbridled imagination, though still the solemn words of prophetic earnestness proclaiming God with power to reach and sway the hearts of men. In later portions of the book the tone takes more of calmness; imagination is subdued; the au thor dictates extended passages to be taken down by his hearers. The highest elevations are where he speaks of the greatness of God and describes the last judgment, the pleasures of paradise and the pains of hell.
The moral precepts of the Koran exhibit a lofty feeling of humanity and a profound sense of ethical law reduced to most practical forms.
They inculcate all the noblest virtues and pie ties — obedience to divine commandments, char ity, humility, mildness, temperance, toleration, and the strong virtues of courage, faith and justice. To death in the cause of religion it ascribes a peculiar merit. The influence of this book through many centuries and among many peoples has been vast, and it still controls the lives of a great portion of the human race. "From the Atlantic to the Ganges," says Gib bon, "the Koran is acknowledged as the funda mental code, not only of theology, but of civil and criminal jurisprudence; and the laws which regulate the actions and the property of man kind are guarded by the infallible and immuta ble sanction of the will of God." The divinity and authority of the Koran have at times been assailed among Mohammedans themselves. The first serious heresy, about 740, was suppressed by the execution of its chief author, but ap peared again in the next century, and was not finally crushed out until 842, when Harun II prohibited all discussion regarding the charac ter of the Koran, which has since been every where held by Mohammedans in admiration as the great Arabian classic, and in reverence as the book of religious authority. Once each day it is read through in the mosques of the Sultan and in the adjoining chapels. By the faithful it is never carried below the girdle; not without their own purification may they even touch it; and on walls, doors, banners, etc., its texts are frequently written.
Commentaries on the Koran are almost in numerable. The library of Tripoli, in Syria, is said to have contained no less than 20,000 of them. Many editions have been published in different countries. For English readers that of Sale (1734), with its comprehensive intro duction, covering all the important aspects of Mohammedanism, is still of prime value. The translation of E. H. Palmer (1880) is authori tative, as is also that of Rodwell (2d ed., 1876). Several versions in German have appeared in which it was attempted to reproduce the rhym ing style of the original: J. von Hammer's (1811), A. Sprenger's (1861-65), Fr. Rfickert's (1888), and M. Klaproth's (1890). Other edi tions which have their special values are Hin kelmann's (1694), Maraca's (1698), and Fingers (1883). Consult Sprenger, 'Leben and Lehre des Mohammed' (1865) ; Deutsch, Dozy, 'L'Histoire d'Islamisme' ; Muir, 'Life of Mahomet and History of Islam); Lane, 'Selec tions from the Koran' • Johnson, 'Oriental Religions: Persia,' sec. "Islam"; Conway, 'The Sacred Antholo) (for many good extracts from the ; Hirschfield, good zur Erklärung des Korans' (Leipzig 1886) ; 'New Researches into the Composition and Exegesis of the Koran' (Eng. trans., London 1902); Murdock, 'Selections from the Qorun with Introductions and Explanatory Notes' (London 1902) ; Noldeke, des Korans' (Gottingen 1860; 2d ed., b F. Schwally, Vol. I, Weber den Ursprung desorans,) Leip zig 1909) ; Grimme, ; 'Einleitung in den • 'System der koranischen Theol ogie) (1895) ; Tisdale, 'Sources of the Qur'an' (London 1905). See also MOHAMMED; MO HAbiMEDANISM, and consult the lives of Mo hammed and other works referred to under these articles.