l^g Contempt fo r Bells. and even the more ignorant and bigotted Mohammedans maintain, that e v e ry man should be allowed to worship God according to his own conscience, or agreeably to the religion o f his ancestors. T h e y have a rooted contempt for a ll who change their religion, even i f it be to Islaemism ; such people are distinguished b y the appellation o f (el Aluge ) Renegades, who, after having embraced the Mohammedan faith, are obliged to practise a system o f dissimulation, and to affect more than ordinary contempt for Christians, in order to appear islaemized, and to prevent their being harassed and upbraided for their want o f faith in Mohammed. Th is people have a particular aversion to the sound o f bells, originating perhaps from their being peculiar to the (Ajemi) Barbarians,* as the y denominate Christians; or because Mohammed reprobated the ancient trumpet o f the Jews, as well as the rat tel o f the oriental Christians, and substituted the human vo ic e to call people to prayer : accordingly a man (denominated E l Muden) goes to the top o f the tower o f each (Jatnâa) mosque, and exclaims w ith a loud voice, first to the east, or towards Mecca, and then to the south, west, and north, the following words (A llah kabeer Î A ’shed-en, la ilia ila A llah , Mohammed arrasule A l la h ; haiala essla, A lla h kabeer. A lla h ! ) God is great ; witness that there is 110 God but one G od, and Mohammed is his prophet : come to prayers : God is great. God !+ Th is religious ceremony is performed several times a day, * Ajem in Arabic signifies Barbarian. Ajemi in the s a m e language signifies the Europeans ; Wosh kat douee bel Ajemi? Do you speak the Barbarian or Euro- Pet n MohammLans utter the word Allah with great respect, sounding it long, and making a full stop after uttering it; they never use the pronoun to s.gmfy the Supreme BeiDg, but always repeat the noun, and generally begin and end all religious sentences with the word Allah. Staled Times o f Prayer. 149 and the different prayers are called (Sala’ at el fejir) prayers at the dawn o f d a y ; (Sala’at e l dohor) prayers at half-past one o’clock, P. M -; (Sala’at el assar) prayers at four o’clock, P. M- 5 (Sala’at el mogorb) prayers at sun-setting; and (Sala at el ashaw) prayers an hour and an h a lf after sun-setting. T h e principal o f these prayers is the Sala’at el dohor, when a ll such as are desirous o f being thought true Mohammedans go to the (Jamaa) mosque, on entering which, e v e ry one must take off his slippers. E v e ry (Jma)* Friday, the Mufti preaches a discourse on religion, similar to the sermons o f Christian priests. T h e mosques have square towers adjoining the body o f the b u ild in g ; the principal side faces Mecca, on which is erected a flag-staff: and a white flag called (el Alem) the Signal, is hoisted e ve ry d a y at twe lve o'clock, to warn the people out o f hearing, or at a great distance, to prepare,by the necessary preliminary ablu- tio n s f, to prostrate themselves before God at the Dohor servtce o f prayer. A t the dawn o f day on e v e ry (Jma) F rid a y , the (Muden) man who announces the prayers from the summit o f the principal mosque, chants a hymn out o f the Koran, w hich being scientifically sung, in the stillness o f the morning, makes a most pleasing impression on the mind. T h is hym n is concluded with the annunciation o f the un ity o f God, and the • Jm a signifies the conclusion of any thing; as the conclusion of the week and is the Arabic n a m e appropriated to Friday, or the Mohammedan day of vest- from the radical word Jamaa, to collect or gather together The Mohammedans name the days of the week, first day, second day, and so on, calling Sunday Elhed, i. e. the first day; El thenine the second day, or Monday, &c. They do not entirely shut their shops on Friday, but work less than on any other day • they refuse, however, altogether to work for Christians, unless particularly nr clandestinely feed, when they will condescend to do almost any thing. + O believers 1 before ye pray, wash your faces, your hands, and your arms to the elbows, and wipe yourselves from head to feet. Vide Koran.
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