45 THE MOUNT CĀF

From all that has now been said, it must be clear to the Reader that the Jewish writings, and specially the fanciful tales of the Talmud, formed one of the chief Sources of Islam. And now we must turn our attention to the similar influence on Islam exercised by the Christian religion, and especially by those foolish stories which in the Prophet's day the heretical sects, with their forged and got-up tales, spread abroad.

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Chapter IV.

ON THE BELIEF THAT MUCH OF THE QUR'AN IS DERIVED FROM THE TALES OF HERETICAL CHRISTIAN SECTS.

In the Prophet's day, numbers of Christians in Arabia were not only an ignorant people, but belonged to heretical Sects, which, on account of their dangerous influence, had been expelled from the Roman Empire, and thus had taken refuge beyond the border land. They had hardly any acquaintance with the Gospel or Apostolic writings, but were conversant with heretical books and the extravagant tales they contained. Now our argument is that Muhammad having but an imperfect knowledge of the Gospel, learned from these people, who were all around him, what he believed to be the purport of the New Testament. It was his object to establish a faith which should embrace and unite all races of the Peninsula, and the Christians among the rest. He therefore entered in the Qur'an very much of the teaching and vain imaginations of these ignorant sects. It is our object carefully to test whether this proposition is true, — that is, whether it be the case that such stories form one of the Sources of the Qur'an or not; and that we propose to make the subject of the present chapter.

I. The Seven Sleepers, or Companions of the Cave.