Page:Bush Life of Mohammed.djvu/15

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PREFACE.
7

tale; Rycaut's Present State of the Ottoman Empire; Ockley's History of the Saracens, 2 vols.; White's Bampton Lectures; Lee's Translation of the Rev. H. Martyn's Controversial Tracts; Whitaker's Origin of Arianism; Faber's Sacred Calendar of Prophecy, 3 vols.; Buckingham's, Keppel's, Burckhardt's, and Madden's Travels in the East.

On the subject of the Arabic proper names so frequently occurring in this work, it may be useful to the English reader to be informed, that Al is a particle equivalent to our definite article The. Thus, Alcoran is composed of two distinct words signifying The Koran, of which the last only ought to be retained in English. Again, Ebn is the Arabic word for son, as is Bint or Binta for daughter, and with the particle Al after it, according to the Arabic usage, Ebno'l is, the son. So Abu, father, with the article after it, Abu'l, the father. Thus, Said Ebn Obeidah Abu Omri, is, Said, the son of Obeidah father of Omri; it being usual with the Arabs to take their names of distinction from their sons as well as their fathers. In like manner, Ebno'l Athir, is, the son of Athir; Abu'l Abbas, the father of Abbas: and as Abd signifies servant, and Allah, God; Abdo'lah or Abdallah is, servant of God; Abdo'l Snems, servant of the sun, .

The deciding between the different modes in which the prophet's name is, or ought to be, writ