The Kor a n
ought to be
written with •
out marks or
p o in ts .
Infidels may
enter the fa-
cred mofque.
with the merchant, and then take from him whatever he may want;
as the money is in this cafe a tru/l, and not a loan, infomuch that the
merchant is not fubjedt to pay a compenfation in cafe of the lofs
of it.
SECT. VII.
M i s c e l l a n e o u s C a s e s .
I t is abominable to diftinguifh the fentences of the K oran with
marks, or to infert in it the points or Ihort vowels. Neverthelefs the
learned among!! the moderns have faid that thefe diftin&ions are proper
when made for the ufe of a foreigner.
T here is no impropriety in a Polytheijl* entering the facred
mofque f . Shafei held this to be abominable; and Malik has faid,
that it is improper for fuch to enter into any mofque.— T h e argument
of Shafei in fupport of his opinion is, that G od has faid in the
K or an , “ A ssociators are impure, and therefore must not
“ be pe rm it t ed to en te r the sacred mosque.” Another argument
is, that an infidel is never free from impurity, as he does
not perform ablution in fuch a manner as to work a purification; and
an impure man'is not allowed to enter into a mofque. The fame arguments
have been urged by Mdlik; but he extends them to any
mofque. The argument of our doctors on this point is drawn from a
tradition that the prophet lodged feveral of the tribe of Sakccf who
* Arab. M ojbirrak, i. e. an ajjociatory including all who deny the unity of the Godhead,
and therefore applying to [trinitarian] Chrijiians as well as to Idolaters,
t This is a mofque in Mecca, fo called becaufe the prophet moft frequently offered up
prayers in it.
were
were infidels, in his own mofque. Befides, as the impurity of an infidel
lies in his unbelief, he does not thereby defile a mofque. With
refpefl, moreover, to the text above quoted, it merely alludes to infidels
entering a mofque in a haughty and forcible manner, and to a
cuftom which was practiced in the days of ignorance o f walking about
the mofque naked.
I t is abominable for a Mujfulman to keep eunuchs in his fervice,
as the employment o f them is a motive with men for reducing
others to a like ftate, a practice which is proferibed in the facred
writings * .
I t is not abominable to caftrate cattle, or to make a horfe copulate
with an afs, as thefe tend to the benefit of mankind. Befides, it is
related, in the N a il Saheeh, that the prophet rode upon a mule,
which, i f fuch promifeuous procreation o f animals had been prohibited,
he would never have done, as thereby a door would have
been opened to fin.
T here is no impropriety in vifiting a Jew or Chrijlian during
their ficknefs, as this affords them a kind of confolation; and the
law does not prohibit us from thus confoling them. Nay, we are
told, in the N a il Saheeh, that the prophet vifited a Jew who lay fick
in his neighbourhood.
I t is abominable that a perfon, in offering up prayers to G od,
fhould fay, “ I befeech thee, by the glory o f thy heavens ƒ” or “ by
“ the fplendor o f thy throne'." for a flile of this nature would lead to
fufpeft that the Almighty derived glory from the heavens; whereas
* That is, in the Koran, which is termed, by way of pre-eminence, the Sbarra,
w LAW.
V ol. IV . R the
It is abomin-
able to keep
eunuchs.
It is allowed
to «aftrato
cattle.
A J t v j or
C h r ijlia n may
be vifited
during ficknefs
»
Vain invocations
inprayer
not allowed.