Pilgrimage, Book 3 · Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
Other Mahumeticall speculations, and explanations of their Law, collected out of their owne Commentaries, of that Argument.
OF such writings as hauehave come to our hands touching Mahomets doctrine and Religion, that seemeth most fully to lay them open, which is called by aF Sansou. & Bell. lib.3.some, Scala; a booke containing the exposition of the Alcoran, in forme of a Dialogue, translated into Latine by Hermannus Dalmata, and made the twelfth Chapter of the first booke of the Alcoran in Italian. I hauehave therefore presumed on the Readers patience, to those former collections out of the Alcoran it selfe to adde these ensuing, as a further explanation of their opinions. The Messenger of GOD (so beginneth that booke) was sitting amongst his fellowes (the prayer and saluation of GOD be vponupon him) in his City Iesrab; and the Angell Gabriel descending on him, said, GOD saluteth thee, O Mahomet, &c. There come foure wise-men, Masters in Israel, to proue thee; the chiefe of whom is Abdia-ben-Salon. Mahomet therefore sent his cousin Hali to salute them; and they being come to Mahomet, after mutuall salutations, Abdia telleth him, that he and his fellowes were sent by the people of the Iewes to learne the vnderstanding of some obscurer places of their law. Mahomet asketh, if he come to enquire, or to tempt. Abdia saith, to enquire. Then Mahomet giuing him full leaue, he beginneth; hauing before gathered out of the whole bodie of their Law an hundred most exquisite questions. The principall dregges you shall heere hauehave.
Abdia. Tell vsus (O Mahomet) whether thou be a Prophet or a Messenger? Mahomet. GOD hath appointed me both a Prophet and a Messenger. Ab. Doest thou preaoh the Law of GOD, or thine owne Law? Mah. The Law of GOD: this Law is faith, and this faith is, that there are not Gods, but one God, without partaker. Ab. How many lawes of God are there? Mah. One, the law, and faith of the Prophets, which went before vsus, was one; the rites were different. Ab. Shall we enter Paradise for faith or workes? Mah. Both are necessarie; but if a Gentile, Iew, or Christian, become a Saracen, and preuent his good workes, Faith onelyonly shall suffice: But if Gentile, Iew, or Christian, doe good workes, not in the louelove of God, the fire shall consume both him and his worke. Ab. How doth the merciemercy of God preuent his anger? Mah. When before other creatures Adam rose vp, he sneesed and said, God be thanked: and the Angels hearing it, said The Pitie of God be vponupon thee, Adam, who answered Amen: Then said the Lord, I hauehave receiued your prayer. Ab. What be the foure things which God wrought with his owne hands? Mah. He made Paradise, planted the tree of the trumpet, formed Adam, and did write the Tables of Moses. Ab. Who told thee this? Mah. Gabriel from the Lord of the world. Ab. In what forme? Mah. Of a man standing vpright, neuer sleeping, nor eating, nor drinking, but the praise of God. Ab. Tell me in order what is one, what is two, what three, foure, fiue, sixe, &c. to a hundreth. Mah. One is God without Sonne, partaker or fellow, almightie Lord of life and death. Two, Adam and Eue. Three, Michael, Gabriel, Saraphiel, Archangels Secretaries of God. Foure, The Law of Moses, the Psalmes of Dauid, the Gospell, and Alfurcan (so called of the distinction of the sentences). Fiue: The prayers which God gaue me and my people, and to none of the other Prophets. Sixe, The dayes of Creation. Seuen, Heauens. Eight, Angels which sustaine the throne of GOD. Nine, Are the miracles of Moses. Ten, Are the fasting-dayes of the Pilgrimes: three, when they goe, seuen, in their returne. Eleuen are the Starres whereof Ioseph dreamed. Twelue inoneths in the yeare; thirteene is the Sunne and Moone, with the eleuen Starres. Fourteene candles hang about the throne of GOD, of the length of fiue hundred yeares. Fifteene, the fifteenth day of Ramadam, in which the Alcoran came sliding from heauen. Sixteene, are the legions of the Cherubims. Seuenteene, are the names of GOD betweene the bottome of the earth and hell, which stay those flames, which els would consume the world. Eighteene, Interpositions there be betweene the throne of GOD, and the aire; for else the brightnes of GOD would blinde the world. Nineteene, Be the armes or branches of Zachia, a riuer in hell, which shall make a great noise in the day of Iudgement. Twenty, The day of the month Ramadam, when the Psalmes descended on Dauid The one and twentieth of Ramadam, Salomon was borne. The two and twentieth, Dauid was pardoned the sin against Vriah. The three and twentieth of Ramadam, CHRIST the Son of Mary was borne; the prayers of GOD be vponupon him. The foure and twentieth, GOD spake to Moses. The fiue and twentieth, the sea was diuided. The six & twentieth, He receiued the Tables. The seuen and twentieth, Iouas was swallowed of the Whale. The eight and twentieth, Iacob recouered his sight, when Iudas brought Iosephs coat. The nine and twentieth, Was Enoch translated. The thirtieth, Moses went into mount Sinai. A. Make short worke, for thou dost all things exactly. M. Forty are the daies of Moses his fasting. Fifty thousand yeares shall the day of Iudgement continue. Sixty are the veines, which eueryevery of the heauens hauehave in the earth, without which varietie there would be no knowledge amongst men. Seuenty men Moses tooke to himselfe. Eighty stripes are due to a drunken man. Ninety, The Angell said to Dauid, This my fellow hath ninety sheepe, and I but one, which he hath stollen from me. An hundred stripes are due to the adulterer.
A. Well, shew vsus how the earth was made, and when. M. God made man of mire: the mire, of froth: this was made of the tempests; these, of the sea: The sea, of darknes; the darknes, of light; this, of the word; the word, of the thought; the thought, of Iacinth; the Iacinth, of the commandement: Let it be, and it was. A. How many Angels are set ouer men? M. Two, one on the right hand, which writeth his good deeds; another on the left, which registreth his bad. These sit on mens shoulders. Their pen is their tongue, their inke is their spittle, their heart is the booke. A. What did God make after? M. The bookes wherein are written all things, past, present, and to come, in heauen and earth; and the pen made of the brightest light, fiue hundred yeares long, and eightie broad, hauing eightie teeth, wherein are written all things in the world, till the day of Iudgement. The booke is made of the greatest Emerald; the words, of pearles; the couer, of pitie. God ouer-looketh the same an hundred and sixtie times in a day and night. The heauen is made of smoake, of the vapour of the sea: the greenenesse of the sea proceedeth from the mount Kaf, which is made of the Emeralds of Paradise, and compasseth the world, bearing vp the heauens. The gates of heauen are of gold, the lockes of light, the keyes of pietie. Aboue the heauens are the sea of life, aboue that the cloudie sea; then the ayrie sea, the stonie sea, the darke sea, the sea of solace, the Moone, the Sunne, the name of God, Supplication, Gabriel, the parchment rased, the parchment full written, all these in order one ouer another. Then, aboue all these, the threescore and ten spaces of light: then threescore and ten thousand hilles, with threescore and ten thousand spaces betweene, and threescore and ten thousand troups of Angels on them, in eueryevery troupe fiue thousand Angels alway praising the Lord of the world: aboue these the limits or bounds of Angelicall dignitie: and aboue the same the banner of glorie, and then spaces of pearles, and in their orders one aboue another, the spaces of Grace, of Power, of Diuinitie, of dispensation, the foot-stoole, the throne, the house of the vniuerse.
A. Are the Sunne and Moone faithfull or not? M. They are faithfull, and obey eueryevery command of GOD. A. Why then are they not of equall light? M. GOD created them equall, but by this it came to passe, that the vicissitude or intercourse of day and night was vnceriaine, till Gabriel flying by the Moone, darkened her with the touch of his wing. A. How many orders are there of the Starres? M. Three, the first of those which hang by chaines from the throne of GOD, giuing light to the seuenth throne: the second chase away the diuels, when they would enter into heauen: the third in the sight of the Angels. There are seuen seas betweene vsus and heauen. There are three windes: the first barren; the second tempestuous, which shall blow the fire in the day of Iudgement: the third ministreth to the earth and sea. A. Where is the Sun? M. In a hot fountaine: this, in a Serpent, which is a great space in the mount Kaf, and this Kaf is in the hand of the Angell, which holdeth the world till the day of Iudgement. Abd. What is the manner of them, which beare vp the seat of GOD? Mah. Their heads are vnderunder the seat of GOD, their feet vnderunder the seuen thrones, their neckes are so large, that a bird in a thousand yeares continuall flight could not reach from the one eare to the other. They hauehave hornes, and their meate and drinke is the prayse and glorie of GOD. Abd. How farre is it to heauen? Mahom. Fiue hundred yeares iourney to the lowest, and so from each to other. Abd. What birdes are betweene vsus and heauen? Mahom. Some which touch neither heauen nor earth, hauing manes like horses, haire like women, wings like birds, and lay their egges and hatch them on their tailes till the day of Iudgement.
Abd. What was the forbidden tree? Mahom. Of wheate, which had seuen eares, whereof Adam plucked one wherein were fiue graines; of which, two he eate, two he gaue to Eue, and one he carried away. This graine was bigger then an egge, and being bruised, brought forth all kindes of seede. Abd. Where was Adam receiued after his expulsion from Paradise? Mahom. Adam in India, Eue in Nubia. Adam was couered with three leaues of Paradise; Eue, with her haire: They met together in Arafe. Further, as concerning Eue, shee was made of a ribbe of the left side, for otherwise shee had beene as strong as the man.
Abd. Who dwelt in the earth before? Mahom. First the Diuels, seuen thousand yeares after them the Angels: lastly Adam, a thousand yeares after the Angels. Ab. Who beganne the Pilgrimage. Mahom. Adam. Gabriel shaued his head, and hee circumcised himselfe; and after him Abraham. Abd. To what Land spake GOD at any time? Mahom. To mount Sinai, that it should lift vp Moses to heauen: Abitabil and Moses are the two men, whose sepulchres are not knowne. Moses by chance found a sepulchre, which while hee measured with his bodie, the Angell of Death drew from him his soule out of his nostrills, by the smell of an apple of Paradise.
Ab. Where is the middle of the earth? Mahom. In Ierusalem. A. Who made the first shippe? Mahom. Noe: he receiued the keyes thereof of Gabriel, and going forth of Arabia, compassed Mecca seuen times, and likewise Ierusalem. In the meane while Mecca was receiued vp into heauen, and the mount Abikobez preserued Ierusalem in her belly. A. What shall become of the children of the Infidels. M. They shall come in at the day of Iudgement, and God shall say vntounto them, would ye do that thing which shall be commanded you? And hee shall command to flow forth one of the riuers of hell, and bid them leape into the same. They which obey, shal goe into Paradise. This shall be the triall of the children of the faithfull also, which are borne deafe, blinde, &c. Abd. What resteth vnderunder these seuen earths? Mahom. An Oxe, whose feete are on a white stone, his head in the East, his taile in the West; hee hath fortie hornes, and as many teeth; it is a thousand yeares iourney from one horne to another. VnderUnder that stone is Zohet, a mountaine of hell, of a thousand yeares iourney. All the Insidels shall ascend vponupon the same, and from the toppe shall fall into hell. VnderUnder that Mount is the land Werelea; vnderunder that, the sea Alkasem: the land Aliolen, the Sea Zere: the Land Neama, the Sea Zegir: the Land Theris, the Land Agiba white as Milke, sweete as Muske, soft as Saffron, bright as the Moone: the Sea Alknitar; the Fish Albehbut, with his head in the East, his taile in the West: all these in order one after another. And beneath all these in like infernall order the Winde, the Mountaine, the Thunder, the Lightening, the bloudie Sea, Hell closed, the fierie Sea, the darke Sea, the Sea Po, the cloudie Sea, Prayses, Glorifications, the Throne, the Booke, the Penne, the greater name of GOD.
Abd. What hath come out of Paradise into the World? Mahom. Mecca, Iesrab, Ierusalem: as on the contrarie, out of Hell; Vastat in Egypt, Antiochia in Syria, Ebheran in Armenia, and Elmeden of Chaldaea. Abd. What say you of Paradise? Mahom. The ground of Paradise is of gold, enameled with Emeralds, and Hiacinths, planted with eueryevery fruitfull tree, watered with streames of milke, hony, and wine: the day is of a thousand yeares continuance, and the yeare of fortie thousand yeares. The people shall hauehave whatsoeuer can be desired, they shall be clothed in all colours, except bThe Turkes reckon Greene the Prophets colour.blacke, which is the proper colour of Mahomet: they all shall be of the stature of Adam, in resemblance like CHRIST, neuer increasing or diminishing. As soone as they are entered, shall be set before them the liuer of the Fish Albehbut, and whatsoeuer dainties they can desire. They shall not need going to stoole any more then the childe in the wombe, but they shall sweate out all superfluities, of sent like muske. They shall eate but for delight, not for hunger. Vnlawfull meats, as Swines flesh, they shall refraine. And if you list to know why this beast is vncleane, vnderstand that IESVS on a time called forth Iaphet to tell his Disciples the historie of the Arke; Who told them, that by the weight of the ordure, the Arke leaned on the one side, whereupon Noe, consulting with GOD, was bidden bring the Elephant thither, out of whose dung, mixed with mans, came forth a Hogge, which wrooted in that mire with his snout, and by the stincke thereof was produced out of his nose a mouse, which gnawed the boords of the Arke: Noe fearing this danger, was bidden to strike the Lion on the forehead: and by the Lions breath was a Cat engendred, mortall enemie to the Mouse. But to returne from this stinking tale, to refresh our selues with the like sweetes of this Paradise. Hee addeth, that there they hauehave the wiues that heere they had, and other concubines, whom, how, when, wheresoeuer they will.
Abd. But why is wine lawfull there, and heere vnlawfull? Mahom. The Angels Aròt, and Marot, were sometime sent to instruct and gouerne the world, forbidding men wine, iniustice, and murther. But a woman hauing whereof to accuse her husband inuited them to dinner, and made them drunke. They, inflamed with a double heate of wine and lust, could not obtaine that their desire of their faire Hostesse, except one would teach her the word of ascending to heauen, and the other of descending. Thus shee mounted vp to heauen. And vponupon enquirie of the matter, shee was made the Morning-starre, and they put to their choice whether they would be punished in this world or in the world to come: they accepting their punishment in this, are hanged by chaines, with their heads in a pit of Babel, till the day of Iudgement.
Hell, saith Mahomet there, hath the floore of Brimstone, smokie, Pitchie, with stinking flames, with deepe pits of scalding pitch, and sulphurous flames, wherein the damned are punished daily: the trees beare most loathsome fruits, which they eate.
The day of Iudgement shall be in this sort. In that day GOD will command the Angell of Death to kill euerie Creature; which being done, hee shall aske him if nothing bee aliue: Adreiel the Angell of Death shall answere, Nothing but myselfe. Then goe thy wayes betwixt Paradise and Hell, and last of all kill thy selfe. Thus he, foulded in his wings, prostrate on the earth, shall strangle himselfe with such a bellowing noise, as would terrifie the very Angels, if they were aliue.
Thus the World shall be emptie fortie yeares. Then shall GOD hold the Heauen and Earth in his fist, and say, where are now the mightie men, the Kings and Princes of the World? Tell me (if ye be true) whose is the Kingdome, and Empire, and Power? Repeating these words three times, he shall rayse vp Seraphiel, and say, Take this Trumpet, and goe to Ierusalem, and found. This Trumpet is of fiue hundred yeares iourney. At that sound all Soules shall come forth, and disperse themselues vntounto their owne bodies, and their bones shall be gathered together. Fortie yeares after hee shall sound againe, and then the bones shall resume flesh and sinewes. After fortie yeares the third sound shall warne the Soules to re-possesse their bodies: and a fire from the West shall driue eueryevery creature to Ierusalem. When they hauehave here swumme fortie yeares in their owne sweat, they shall, with much vexation, come to Adam, and say, Father Adam, Father Adam, Why hast thou begotten vsus to these miseries and torments? Why sufferest thou vsus to hang betweene hope and feare? Pray to God, that he will finish his determination of vsus betweene Paradise and Hell: Adam shall excuse his vnworthinesse for his disobedience, and send them to Noe, Noe will post them to Abraham, Abraham to Moyses: He shall send them to IESVS CHRIST: To him they shall come and say, The Spirit, Word, and Power of God, let thy pitie moue thee to make intercession for vsus. Hee shall answere them, That which you aske, you hauehave lost. I was indeed sent vntounto you in the power of God, and word of Truth, but yee hauehave erred, and hauehave made me God; more then euer I preached to you: and hauehave therefore lost my benefit. But goe to the last of the Prophets, meaning him with whome thou now talkest, Abdia. Then shall they turne to him, and say; O faithfull Messenger, and friend of God, wee hauehave sinned, heare vsus holy Prophet, our onelyonly hope, &c. Then shall Gabriel present himselfe to helpe his friend, and they shall goe to the Throne of God. And God shall say, I know why you are come, Farre be it that I should not heare the prayer of my faithfull one. Then shall a Bridge be made ouer Hell, and on the top of the Bridge shall be set a ballance, wherein eueryevery mans workes shall be weighed, and those which are saued, shall passe ouer the Bridge, the other shall fall into Hell. A. How many bands of men shall there be in that day. M. An hundred and twentie; of which three onelyonly shall be found faithfull: and eueryevery Band or Troupe of men shall be in length the iourney of a thousand yeares, in breadth fiue hundred. A. What shall become of Death? M. Hee shall be transformed into a Ramme, and they shall bring him betweene Paradise and Hell. Then shall arise much dissention betweene these two peoples, through feare of the one, and hope of the other. But the people of Paradise shall preuaile, and shall slay Death betweene Paradise and Hell. Abdia. Thou, O Mahomet, hast ouercome, and I beleeue, that there is but one God Almightie, and thou art his Messenger and Prophet.
In this long and tedious Summarie of that longer and more tedious Dialogue, compared with the former Iewish opinions, touching their Behemoth, Leuiathan, Ziz, Ierusalem, Swines flesh, the Angell of Death, and other their superstitious opinions, it may appeare, that the Iewes were forward Mint-masters in this new-coyned Religion of Mahomet.
In the beginning of this Dialogue are mentioned their fiue Prayers and their Ramadam, or Ramazan: Of which, that Arabian Nobleman, in confutation of the Alcoran, writeth thus: cArab. Nob. in Confut. Alcor.He which hath fulfilled these fiue Prayers, shall be praysed in this world, and the next. They are as follow: two kneelings in the morning, after noone foure; at Vespers, or a little before Sunne-set, foure; after Sunne-set, foure; at their beginning of supper, two; and after supper, when it is darke, two; in all eighteene kneelings in a day.
Their Lent dOf Mahomets Lent., or Fast of the MonethMonth Ramazan, is thus: In the day time they must fast from Meate, Drinke, and Venerie, till the Sunne be downe: then is Riot permitted them, till a white thread may be discerned from a blacke. But if any bee sicke, or in iourneying, hee may pay at another time the same number of dayes.
Frier Richard *Richardus confut. Alcor.reciteth among Mahomets opinions, That of threescore and thirteene parts of the Saracens, one onelyonly shall be saued; and, that the Deuils shall once be saued by the Alcoran; and that they call themselues Saracens; fit companions with them in their holy things.
Some ePietro Messia tradoito per F. Sanso vino, l.4. c.1.make it a Canon of Mahomets, That they should looke toward the South when they pray, that when they pray they should say, GOD is one GOD, without equall, and Mahomet his Prophet: which, Lod.Barthema saith, are the Characters of the profession of a Mahumetan, and that, by the pronouncing of those words, he was tryed whether he was an Infidell, or no. These words, saith the abouesaid Arabian (as they affirme) before the beginning of the world were written in the Throne of GOD.
One saith fConstantin. Porphyrogenit. de admin. Imp. cap.15., That the Saracens adore the starre of Uenus, and in their praying cry, Alla oua cubar *Euthymius calleth it …: Cedrenus more fully, Alla, alla, on a Curbar, alla., that is, GOD, and Venus. Ioannes Meursius noteth thereon, That they worshipped the Image of Venus, set on a great stone, on which they beleeue, that Abraham lay with Hagar, or else that he tied his Camell thereunto while he was sacrificing Isaac. Anonymus in Saracen.
Bellonius gBell. obseru. lib.3.cap.9.in his obseruations telleth out of their Bookes, That there is a Tree in Paradise which shadoweth it all ouer, and spreades her boughes ouer the walls, whose leaues are of pure gold and siluer, each of them, after the Name of GOD, hauing therein written the name of Mahomet. And that if a Christian, at vnawares, should pronounce the said prayer, Laillah &c. GOD is one GOD, and Mahomet his Prophet, he must either die or turne Turke. Such reputation hauehave they of this forme, which they call a Prayer, with as good reason as the Aue Marie among the Romists, wherein yet they pray not for any thing. Bellonius also saith, That they hold the Heauen to be made of Smoake, and the Firmament stablished on the horne of a Buffall, by whose stirring Earthquakes are caused: That there are seuen Paradises, with Houses, Gardens, Fountaines, and whatsoeuer sense accounteth delectable; where they shall enioy all delights without any sorrow, hauing Carpets, Beds, Boyes, Horses, Saddles, Garments, for cost and workmanship most curious, & readie for attendance. Those boyes richly adorned, when they hauehave satisfied their hunger and thirst, shall present eueryevery Saracen a huge Pome-citron in a golden Charger, and as soone as they shall smell thereof, there shall thence proceed a comely virgin in gallant attire, which shall embrace him, and he her; and so shall they continue fiftie yeares. After which space ended, God shall shew them his face, where at they shall fall downe, not able to endure the brightnesse: but he shall say, Arise my seruants, and enioy my glorie; for hereafter yee shall neuer die, nor be grieued. Then shall they see God, and each lead his virgin into his chamber, where all pleasures shall attend them. If one of those virgins should come forth at midnight, she would lighten the world no lesse then the Sunne; and if she should spit into the Sea, all the water thereof would become sweet. Gabriel keepes the keyes of Paradise, which are in number threescore and tenne thousand, each seuen thousand miles long. But he was not able to open Paradise without inuocation of the Name of God, and Mahomet his friend. There is a Table of Adamant seuen hundred thousand daies iourney long and broad, with Seats of Gold and Siluer about it, where they shall be feasted.