O f ufury.
Superfti-
tious cuf-
toms relating
to
cattle a-
bolifhed.
xifed to eat both: of their eating of the latter fome inftances will
he given hereafter; and as to the former, it is faid they ufed to pour
blood, which they fometimes drew from a live camel, into a gut,
and then broiled it in the fire, or boiled it, and eat it 1: this food they
called Mofwadd, from AJivad, which fignifies black-, the.fame nearly
refembling our black-puddings in name as well as compofition z: The
eating of. meat offered to idols I take to be commonly praftiled by
all idolaters, being looked on as a fort of communion in their wor-
fhip, and for that reafon efteemed by Chrijlians, if not abfolutely
unlawful, yet as what may be the occafion of great fcandal 3: but
the Arabs were particularly fuperftitious in this matter, killing what
they eat on Hones eredted on purpofe round the Caaba, or near
their own houfes, and calling, at the fame time, on the name of
fome idol Swine’s-flefh, indeed, the old Arabs feem not to have
eaten; and their prophet, in prohibiting the fame, appears to have
only confirmed the common averfion of the nation. Foreign
writers tell us that the Arabs wholly abftained from fwine’s-flefh s,
thinking it unlawful to feed thereon 6, and that very few, i f any, of
thofe animals are found in their country, becaufe it produces not
proper food for them 7; which has made one writer imagine that if
a hog were carried thither, it would immediately die *.
In the prohibition o f ufury 9 I prefume Mohammed alfo followed
the Jews, who are ftridbly forbidden by their law to exereife it among
one another, though they are fo infamoully guilty o f it in their
dealing with thofe of a different religion: but I do not find the prophet
of the Arabs has made any diftinction in this matter.
Several fuperftitious cuftoms relating to cattle, which feem to
have been peculiar to the pagan Arabs, were alfo abolifhed by Mohammed.
The Koran IO mentions four names by them given to certain
camels or fheep, which for fome particular reafons were left at free
liberty, and were not made ufe o f as other cattle of the fame kind.
Thefe names are Bahira, Sdiba, Wajila, and Kami: of each whereof
in their order.
As to the firft it is faid that when a fhe-camel, or a fheep, had
borne young ten times, they ufed to flit her ear, and turn her loofe
to feed at full liberty j , and when fhe died, her flefh was eaten by
1 Nothr al dorr, al Firauz. al Zamakh. & al Beid. 2 Poc. Spec. p. 320. 3 Compare
ASli xv. 29, with 1 Cor. viii. 4, 4 See the fifth chap, of the Kor. p, 82. and the notes
rhere., 5 Solin. de Arab. cap. 33. 6 Hieronym. in Jovin. 1. 2. c. 6. 7 Idem, ib. s goin
n s , ubi fupra. 9 Kor. chap. 2. p. 33. 10 Chap. 5. p. 96;
the
the men only, the women being forbidden to eat thereof: and fuch
a camel or fheep, from the Jlitting of her ear, they called Bahira^
Or the Bahira was a fhe-camel, which was turned loofe to feed,
and whofe fifth young one, i f it proved a male, was killed and eaten
by men and women promifeuoufly; but if it proved a female, had
its ear flit, and was difmifled to free pafture, none being permitted
to make ufe of its flefh or milk, or to ride on it ; though the women
were allowed to eat the flefh o f it, when it died: or it was the female
young of the Sdiba, which was ufed in the fame manner as
its dam; or elfe an ewe, which had yeaned five times '. Thefe,
however, are not all the opinions concerning the Bahira: for fome
fuppofe that name was given to a fhe-camel, which after having
brought forth young five times, (if the laft was a male,) had her
ear flit, as a mark thereof, and was let go loofe to feed, none driving
her from pafture or water, nor ufing her for carriage 1 ; and
others tell us, that when a camel had newly brought forth, they
ufed to flit the ear of her young one, faying, O G od, i f it live,
it Jhall be for our ufe, but i f it die, it f a l l be deemed rightly Jlain
and when it died, they eat it 3.
Sdiba fignifies a fhe-camel turned loofe to go where fhe will. And
this was done on various accounts: as when fhe had brought forth
females ten times together; or in fatisfadtion of a vow; or when
a man had recovered from ficknefs, or returned fafe from a journey,
or his camel had efcaped fome fignal danger either in battle or
otherwife. A camel fo turned loofe was declared to be Sdiba, and,
as a mark of it, one of the vertebra or bones was taken out of her
back, after which none might drive her from pafture or water, or
ride on her +. Some fay that the Sdiba, when fhe had ten times together
brought forth females, was fuffered to go at liberty, none being
allowed to ride on her, and that her milk was not to be drank by
any but her young one, or a gueft, till fhe died; and then her flefh
was eaten by men as well as women, and her laft female young
one had her ear flit, and was called Bahira, and turned loofe as her
dam had been s.
This appellation, however, was not fo ftridtly proper to female
camels, but that it was given to the male when his young one had
begotten another young one 6 : nay a fervant fet at liberty and dif-
mifled by his mafter, was alfo called Sdiba 7; and fome are o f opi-
1 Al Firauzabadi. * Al Zamakh. al Beidawi, al Moftatraf. 3 Ebn al Athir. 4 Al
Firauzab. al Zamakh. * Al Jawhari. Ebn al Athir. 6 Al Firauz. 7 Idem, al Jawh'ari, Sec.
s nion