THE KORAN AND THE BIBLE; OR, ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY, BY JOHN MUEHLEISEN-ARNOLD, B.D., CONSULAR CHAPLAIN AT BATAVIA, LATE HON. SEC. OF THE MOSLEM MISSION SOCIETY. SECOND EDITION. LONDON: LONGMANS, GREEN, READER, AND DYER. 1866. 101. f. 48. PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. RECENT events in the East must have convinced us that we have not discharged our whole duty towards the Mohammedan world, by praying once a year that God may have "mercy upon all Turks, and take from them all ignorance, hardness of heart, and contempt of His word." Nor can it any longer suffice, to multiply learned treatises on Islam, without laying before the Church some really feasible proposition, how to reach the 200 millions of Moslems, so large a proportion of whom are under British rule, and who to this day constitute fully one-third of the entire Mission field of the world. This book avows a purely practical purpose. The foot-notes are intended for the few who might feel disposed to question certain statements, or to The text is enpursue the subject still further. tirely independent of the notes; and those who wish to ignore them will not, it is hoped, object to being furnished with the authority for every important statement, and the original of every important quotation. It is not only since the Mahommedans have come so prominently before Europe, but many years ago, that the author first commenced gathering information upon the subject of this volume,-and that, during a sojourn in Egypt, Arabia, Palestine, East Africa, Abyssinia, and more especially in India. The work is now published with a view to cherish, if possible, the missionary spirit which has been called forth by recent events; and to place some of the leading truths of Christianity antithetically to the falsities and perversions of the Koran, so as to render the comparison available for actual missionary operations. "stir up," by May God, in His infinite mercy, this, or any other means, "the spirit of the remnant of His people," that they may no longer neglect to do this "work in the house of the Lord of Hosts." Zell, February 10th, 1859. PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. THIS book first appeared in 1859, under the title of "Ishmael: or, a Natural History of Islamism, and its Relation to Christianity," since which time 800 copies have been circulated. It is now issued with some corrections and alterations, in a cheaper form, and under a less ambiguous title. The entire proceeds of the volume were devoted, as intimated on the original title-page, towards founding a special Society for Evangelising the Mohammedans. It is now purposed to give all further profits to the Moslem Mission Society, which has since come into operation. The main body of the Work was left intact, excepting only the correction of a few mistakes. The last Chapter of the book, in its original state, chiefly advocated the need of a special Society; the corresponding Chapter now limits itself to a general review of the present condition of the Mohammedan world, and a brief notice of Christian Missions to Moslems, in ancient and modern days. East Ham, E., Aug. 6th, 1865. |