and he asserts, that whoever rejects, o r calls in question the divine inspiration o f any o f the foregoing books, is an infidel. He says also, that he who can lay his hand on his heart and say-, “ I fear not the resurrection, nor am I in any concern about “ hell, and care not for heaven,” is an incorrigible infidel. Religion and the State are considered as twins, inseparable; i f one die, the other cannot survive. T h e most refined and intelligent Mohammedans are not o f opinion, that God is the author o f all good and e v il; but maintain that eve ry man who follows the direct or good w a y , has the protecting eye o f God upon him, and that God is with h im ; but that, i f he withdraw his influence from any one, then e v il o r misfortune ensues; not a ctively from God, but passively from the withdrawing o f that protecting influence; that this is an act o f the A lm igh ty , which cannot be easily comprehended b y our weak reason: and that it is not willed b y him with approbation, but necessarily. T h e Mohammedan thinks himself unworthy to prostrate himself before God, until he be clean and undefiled: this opinion makes ablutions so necessary ; o f which there are three k in d s : the first is El gasul (the g pronounced .guttural), which is an immersion o f the whole body, and is performed b y the affluent, or those in easy circumstances ; the second is El woden, which is a washing o f the hands, fingers, and arms, up to the elbows, the feet, face, and head, the sexual parts, the mouth and nostrils, the toes, separately and singly ; and this should be repeated three times: the third mode o f purification is practised only in the D esert, where the difference is the substitution o f sand for water, as the latter can seldom be procured there. Charity is considered a cardinal virtue, and an indispensible d u t y : those, however, who possess not five camels, o r thirty sheep, and 200 pieces o f silver, are not considered as obligated to give alms; for it is held, that the alms-giver should not injure himself. It is expected that a person o f good property ought to g iv e a muzuna* in a mitkal, which is equivalent to 6d. in the pound, to the poor, out o f his annual profits, w hich being calculated at the end o f the sacred month o f Ramadan, the people have ten days to prepare their donations, when the feast o f L ’ashora commences, and the poor go about to the inhabitants to collect their respective donations, which th e y ca ll (mtaa A lla h ) God's property.-f During the fast o f the moon, or month o f Ramadan (which, from their years being lunar, happens at various periods o f the year), the y are v e r y rigorous ; it is necessary that the fast should be begun with an intention in the heart to please God : during this month they do not eat, nor even smell food, drink, smoke, nor communicate with women, from the rising to the setting sun ; but at night they eat p lentifu lly. E ven those who indulge in wine at other times, refrain from it in the sacred month o f Ramadan. Mohammed declared that the Jews, Christians, and Pagans, cannot be saved, so long as they remain in infidelity and id o la t r y : o f w h ic h last, the Mohammedans accuse the Roman # Forty muzuna make one mitkal. f In the evening of the feast of L’ashora, they have a masquerade, daring which the masquers proceed through the different streets, and go to the houses, to collect charily: their masks are made in a rude way, but the characters are well represented throughout. Amongst them we generally find an English sailor, a French soldier, a cooper, a lawyer, an apothecary, and a sheik or alkaid, who determines all disputes, and whose decree is absolute.
27f 39
To see the actual publication please follow the link above