Texts of Islam

TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.

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This is a preface or translator's introduction to an English edition of Islamic legends about biblical prophets and patriarchs, compiled by a German scholar named Dr. Weil from Arabic sources. The work presents Islamic legendary narratives that parallel and elaborate on biblical stories, arguing that these legends appear to predate the Quran yet form a conceptual foundation for it — a claim the translator finds corroborated by Mohammed's references to them as already known to his audience. The translator frames the collection as a useful digest of Islamic theology and morals, praising the legends' blend of scriptural familiarity, "Oriental" invention, and what they call sublime storytelling as making them well-suited for popular religious instruction. The text is explicitly written from a 19th-century Protestant missionary perspective: the translator argues that understanding Islam — then estimated at 120 million adherents — is a Christian duty, both to stir charitable concern for Muslims and to arm readers with counterarguments against Islamic doctrine. The translator also signals an intention for a follow-up volume comparing the "legendary principle" across Judaism, Islam, and Roman Catholicism, framing all three as systems whose use of legend distinguishes them from what is implicitly presented as purer Protestant Christianity.

TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.

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