Alexander Ross, The Alcoran of Mahomet, translated out of Arabick into French, by the Sieur Du Ryer, Lord of Malezair, and resident for the French king, at Alexandria. And newly Englished, for the satisfaction of all that desire to look into the Turkish vanities. (1649)

brightness upon brightness; God guideth by his light whom it pleaseth him, he teacheth his people parables, and is omniscient, he permitteth you to prayse him in your houses, there to be mindfull of his name, and to exalt him evening and morning. Oh ye men! your affaires ought not to hinder your remembrance of his divine Majesty, to make your prayers at the time appointed, neither to pay Tithes. Fear the day when the hearts of men shall be perplexed, and their sight troubled, when God shall reward and chastise every one after his works, and shall augment his grace upon the good; he enricheth with his innumerable benefits whom to him seemeth good. The good works of the wicked are like to mists in a spacious plain, they seeme to be water when afar off, and being approached, nothing is to be there found; They shall finde before God the Book, wherein is written whatsoever they have done, he shall punish them according to their demerits, he is exact to keep accompt. Their actions are moreover like to the darkness that is in the bottom of the sea, that is covered with wave upon wave, obscurity and darkness upon one another; he that is in this darkness cannot see his hand; he that shall not be illuminated by God, shall not see a jot: Seest thou not, that whatsoever is in Heaven and Earth exalteth the glory of God? The Birds extend their wings before him to praise him, he heareth the prayers of all his creatures, and understandeth the prayses that they give him, he knoweth all that they do, he is King of Heaven and Earth, the refuge of all the world: Seest thou not how he assembleth the clouds? how he placeth them one upon another? Considerest thou not how the rain falleth through their pores? and that God causeth fresh water to descend from the mountains? He hath given it to whom seemeth good to him, he causeth the brightness of lightning to approach men, which blindeth their sight, and overwhelmeth the day with night? These things are signes of his omnipotency, to them that consider them: He created of a little water, all sorts of living Creatures; some creep upon the Earth, others walk upon two feet, and others upon four; he created what pleased him, he is omnipotent. Certainly, he hath sent a Law clear and intelligible,