George Sale, The Koran, commonly called the Alcoran of Mohammed, translated into English immediately from the original Arabic; with Explanatory Notes, taken from the most approved Commentators. To which is prefixed A Preliminary Discource (1734)
exceeding whatever mortals have heard; to which will be joined the sound of the bells hanging on the trees, which will be put in motion by the wind proceeding from the throne of God, so often as the blessed with for music: nay, the very clashing of the golden-bodied trees, whose fruits are pearls and emeralds, will surpass humane imagination; so that the pleasures of this sense will not be the least of the enjoyments of paradise.
The delights we have hitherto taken a view of, it is said, will be common to all the inhabitants of paradise, even those of the lowest order. What then, think we, must they enjoy who shall obtain a superior degree of honour and felicity? To these, they say, there are prepared, besides all this, such things as eye hath not seen, nor hath ear heard, nor hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive; an expression most certainly borrowed from scripture 1. That we may know wherein the felicity of those who shall attain the highest degree will consist, Mohammed is reported to have said, that the meanest of the inhabitants of paradise will see his gardens, wives, servants, furniture, and other possessions take up the space of a thousand years journey (for so far and farther will the blessed see in the next life); but that he will be in the highest honour with God, who shall behold his face morning and evening: and this favour al Ghazâli supposes to be that additional or superabundant recompense, promised in the Korân 2, which will give such exquisite delight, that in respect thereof all the other pleasures of paradise will be forgotten and lightly esteemed; and not without reason, since, as the same author says, every other enjoyment is equally tasted by the very brute beast who is turned loose into luxuriant pasture 3. The reader will observe, by the way, that this is a full: confutation of those who pretend the Mohammedans admit of no spiritual pleasure in the next life, but make the happiness of the blessed to consist wholly in corporeal enjoyments 4.
Whence Mohammed took the greatest part of his paradise, it is easy to shew. The Jews constantly describe the future mansion of the just as a delicious garden, and make it also reach to the seventh heaven 5; They also say it has three gates 6, or, as others will have it, two 7, and four rivers, (which last circumstance they copied, to be sure, from those of the garden of Eden 8) flowing with milk, wine, balsam,
1 Isaiah, lxiv. 4. 1 Corinth. ii. 9.
2 Chap. 10, &c.
3 V. Poc. in not. ad Port. Mosis, p. 305.
4 V. Reland. de Rel. Moh. l. 2. §. 17.
5 V. Gemar. Tanith, f. 25. Beracoth, f. 34. & Midrash rabboth, f. 37.
6 Megillah, Amkoth, p. 78.
7 Midrash, Yalkut Shemuri.
8 Genes. ii. 10, &c.
