Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 5.djvu/241

 manifold?" She answered, "Gabriel the Faithful (on whom be peace!) descended with it from the Lord of the Worlds upon His Prophet Mohammed, Prince of the Apostles and Seal of the Prophets, by detached versets: bidding and forbidding, covenanting and comminating, and containing advices and instances in the course of twenty years as occasion called for it." Q "Which chapter was first revealed?" "According to Ibn Abbas, that entituled 'Congealed Blood': [FN#372] and, according to Jábir bin Abdillah, [FN#373] that called 'The Covered' which preceded all others. [FN#374]" Q "Which verset was the last revealed?" "That of 'Usury', [FN#375] and it is also said, the verse, 'When there cometh Allah's succour and victory.'" [FN#376]--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Four Hundred and Forty-eighth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the damsel told the Koranist which was the last verse he said, "Thou hast replied aright; now tell me the names of the Companions who collected the Koran, in the lifetime of the Apostle of Allah." And she answered "They were four, Ubay ibn Ka'ab, Zayd ibn Sábit, Abú Obaydah 'Aamir bin Jarráh, and Othmán bin Affán [FN#377] (Allah accept of them one and all!)" Q "Who are the readers, from whom the accepted reading of the Koran is taken?" "They number four, Abdallah bin Mas'úd, Ubay bin Ka'ab, Ma'az bin Jabal and Sálim bin Abdillah." Q "What sayest thou of the words of the Most High, 'That which is sacrificed to stones'"? [FN#378] "The stones are idols, which are set up and worshipped,