Uzziel renders Gen. xi. 28 thus: 'And it came to pass, when Nimrod cast Abram into the furnace
of fire because he did not worship his idols, that the fire was not permitted to injure him,' etc.
And the same author renders Gen. xv. 7 thus: 'And He said to him, I am Jehovah, who took thee out
of the of fire of the Chaldaeans'
(מֵאתּוּן נוּרא דְכשְראֵי אנא יְי
דְאֵפּיתּך)
The story thus rose from rendering Ur Kasdim 'fire of
the Chaldaeans' instead of taking it as a proper name; uru in Assyrian meaning 'city' (cf.
Heb. עיו ), not 'fire' or 'light' (Heb. אוו ).
2. Muhammadan writers inform us that the earth is surrounded by a great chain of mountains named
Qaf. They hold that this is referred to in the Qur'an where Surah l. begins with the letter
(ق , [Qaf])
standing alone. In the 'Araisu't Tijan (p. 8) we read, 'GOD Most High created a great
mountain from a single green emerald. The greenness (sic) of the sky is derived from it. It
is called Mount Qaf. Then He surrounded the whole earth with it; and it is by this that GOD sware,
saying (Surah 1., 1), "Qaf, by the glorious Qur'an!"' Even Muhiyu'ddin, the mystical
commentator on the Qur'an in his note on this passage, speaks of Mt. Qaf as really existing. In the Qisasu'l
Anbiya we read that 'Abdu'llah bin Sallam one day asked Muhammad, 'What is above (or behind)
the earth? 'He said, 'Mt. Qaf.' The other inquired of what Mt. Qaf was made. Muhammad said, 'Of
green emerald; and the greenness of the sky is owing to it.' 'Thou hast spoken truly, O Apostle of
GOD! What is the height of Mt. Qaf
