is this
chronological order that is adopted. In the Arabic editions followed by
the well-known and valuable translations of Sale, E.H. Palmer (Clarendon
Press, "Sacred Books of the East," vols. 6 and 9), and others, the
principle adopted is to put the longest suras first and the shortest
last.

The Mekkan suras are much more original than the Medinah ones,
especially those of the first period--_i.e._, those belonging to the
first four years of Muhammad's prophetic mission, _e.g._, suras 96, 74,
etc. In these suras the style is grander, more passionate, and fuller of
poetry. The prophet appears in a state of great mental exaltation, full
of a zeal which no words can adequately express, and of a sincerity
which few scholars have questioned.

The suras of the second period, the following two years of the prophet's
mission (_e.g._, suras 54, 37, etc.), have the same general character,
but are less vehement. Still less vehement and more restrained are the
suras of the third Mekkan period--_i.e._, from the seventh year of the
prophet's mission to his flight in A.D. 622 (_e.g._, suras 32, 41,
etc.). The style of the Medinah suras resembles that of the Mekkan
revelations of the third period, only they are still more matter of fact
and restrained, and are largely made up of appeals to Jews, Christians,
and others to abandon their "unbelief," and to accept the prophet who
had come to them with the true religion, a religion as old as Abraham,
though forgotten for many ages.

The Koran differs from the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments,
including the Apocrypha, in that these latter are much-more varied, as
emanating from many minds, and belonging to very different occasions.
The Koran is, from beginning to end, the effusions (often very wild) of
one man.

The present editor has kept before him the Arabic text of Maracci,
Fluegel, and Redslob, and also several Oriental editions (Cairo,
Constantinople, Calcutta, etc.). But, of course, the best known
translations, and also the native commentaries (Baidhawi, etc.), have
been consulted.

In the summaries which follow, numerals following the paragraphs
indicate the number of the sura or suras in the Arabic text as well as
in Sale's translation.

MEKKAN SURAS

I.--FIRST PERIOD (A.D. 613-617)

_MUHAMMAD'S FIRST CALL TO READ THE KORAN_

In the name of the gracious and compassionate God.[15]

Recite in the name of thy Lord, who created man and taught men to write,