Show I 1SLAH An cconnt of Us Founder Hoc r lae and Sects fA 1 p writen for the tEUJB EWS S bf J 1L 8J 1IIOGRCS3 OF ISLAM It has already boen incidentally mentioned that Isiahi iprcad rapid ly The whole of Arabia was converted con-verted In ten yea After the death of Mohammed the prophetical office went over to Abu Bekr who again agn was followed by Omar Della of these carried out the Work of developing rC opinE end Eecurlng the euccvfcs of the new religion and they did it with all the zest that reliRldin enthusiasm en-thusiasm cotiM Inspire Othman Ute third caliph cucctssor a considered weak leader and at his death the dignity of successor to the Prophet went over to Moawijah who had lib residence Damascus Abu Bekr was victorious In Syria Orcar conquered Damascus and Jeru lem One of his generals Ami subdued Egjpt and northern Africa another general Chaliduas successful in Persia and the countries coun-tries of ancient Assyria Sanguinary Sangui-nary quarrels about tbD right order of succession did not br the outward out-ward progress Skills was conquered con-quered bpalu followed and an attempt at-tempt was made to nibdue Gala This was frustrated by the victories of Charles Martell by Tours and roitlers li Jut on trio Ebon thu Ganges and Indus Mohammedan Mohamme-dan kingdoms werefoiindbd iHu when internal quarrels seemed to threaten to break down the whole structure I was seen that it was held together a with invisible hands There were at one period three caliphs atone at-one time pro Bagdad one iu Cairo and one lu Cordova Hut the power cf Islam was not broken by this fracture New Mod and life I were poured into the body by the Turks Joining These continued the rork of propapntiou Cnslan tnople 3 ropvlon add the victorIous hords carried the Cr cent a far a the walls of Vienna The dignity of successor now went to the Turkish over Sultan 1517 IS1 Selim I aildeu also to his titles of caliph and Chief Imam that of cerant of the two holy cities I la I true that the Saracens and the Turks found on IraCIS way most old dead forms of for governments which were an easy prey to the hordes burning with religious zealand and fanaticism nut this does not aalmUcti shown wholly account for their marvelous success I can be accounted for on no other ground than to suppose unseen forces work ing through the instrumentality of men For a prophetical description of ix these conquests see Revelations ixIt xI is noticeable that Islam has not yet lost very much territory Although Al-though Spain and Sicily and a large part of European Turkey are now Jot yet in the heart of Asia and Africa it i still progressing even more so it Is said than CnrMInn iti I may b that Islam will jet prove 1 stepping stone for tome of those nations to some higher state of religious knowledge to truth J KORAN Al Koran are the holy scriptures of tin Moslems The word itself means Recitation or Lecture The book I a collection of doctrines sermons and precepts given bj Mohammed Mo-hammed a divine revelations and constitutes the Ianbook of Islam The present arrangement of the different chapters Inot the work of Mohammed He seems to have I avoided any such collection of the whole into one volume perhaps prha with thu view of 1 final revision But his successor Abu Bckr collected col-lected tho existing fragments anu completed the volume with such traditions that were nflrI fresh in the memory This work was never uulveroall acknowledged because its dIscrepancies with other partial collections her and there existing were to apparent The third successor suc-cessor Othman undertook an extensive ex-tensive revision and had u great number of copies written which were distributed among the various local authorities in the Mohammedan Moham-medan world lie also commanded all other copies of the Koran to b dettrojed But even in the puri Sal form the volume Is not free from contradictions which however how-ever are no doubt satisfactorily explained plained by the theologians I d judge from analog 9a Christ ian theologians who general explain everything ThedUUIon In 114 auras or chatters of unequal length is accidental and seems to have been done without reference t the connection of mater or chro notary As a consequence of this tIs the Koran Is to occidental readers a very tiresome volume but the Oriental who In all their view and inclinations seem to be contrary to us cleave to the book with a love I and reverence hard to account for Koran i the basis of the theology 3 well a of the theorelic and proc tical jurisprudence of Islam 1 Ie I considered the standard of style and language of the Arabic tongue and tnge the Moslems ar nllnarKi to rsI It In Arabic I is also the only text book of the elementary school and It is considered a meritorious work to learn passages of It by her Many Moslems are able to recite the whole book and they are honored with the title otJIafu word which means kecperpre rvert watcher and Is In that sense applied to lnd himself npile hlmeJfDr The doctrines ot Islam have A II HMr lom 1 i noS i triillons n > had beentran plantedfromAhraham to the descendants of Ishmael Many of its doctrines aiJ precepts prpt are therefore in full harmony with the books of the Old and New Testa menus and it bear n striking resemblance semblance to Judaism and Chris tianity Tn other points again it runs in quite an opposite direction The chief doctrines are three Thu doctrine of the nutty of the God hind and of the divine mission of Mohammed are comprlsul in the ojm called Kchmd ittehadcl or JCeluncttanJid which reads There Ther is no God orOivinlt except God I and Mohammed is ills prophet To these two dogmas comes Um third about retribution in the net world Paradise and hell are two lems distinct religious ideas of the Io The chIef and most Important dogma however I that of the unit of God The Koran says He is the Gone God the Eternal He dues not beget and I not begotten brten and no one is like Him With this declaration Islam form Wih I were a square and faces its opponents oppon-ents all round I puts itself in op position to the heathen with thel innumerable god and goddesse also to g whicharcordinge to Talmud does not decline to honor some of their leaden Ezra for instance in-stance a o Sons of G I or their rabbis a Lords I opens its fire upon the Christian churches with their Athanasian mathematically impossible ideas Itbem3tc1 Impible Ide of Triumty and what is worse ako 1 u the revelations of God concerning con-cerning himself by which we are taught Father to look to God a to our ourOriglnator Hence FatheronrOrgnatr ro conciliation between Ibm and the other creeds teems impossible The divergence on the tnt and fundamental funda-mental doctrine Is too great Among the qualities of God omnipotence om-nipotence and omniscience seem to L foremost Justice and holiness have only a secondaryplace One characteristic feature which may L mentioned in this conmrUnn Ia that according to lelim God has preordained everything What happens mutbe It could not have been otherwise Every event was mapped out before its mapp betor it occur fence This socalled fatalism Arabic Tad or Ktmet J ftaUm to have been carried to its I Im bn crr8 very far tbe extremes by the Moslems ole This doctrine helps them to bear b pain consoles them in misery and elbe tem to yield KracefuHy to the inevitable on the other hand It tends to foster Indifference i weSSenfllha mind when its full ac iivltyjnteht perhaps 115CC atlrtrt 1vlbhht threatening danseri Whence this dogma of fatalism comes i not very difficult to imagine The first patriarchs pa-triarchs had nodoubt clear Ideas of a preexlsteube a again r veajed Plltl the last days r fully and The accounts tulr clearly Te aCnt clJ and of ihd Ctreatloir sin Genesis other passages show this I i no a difficult matter to perceive how this doctrlBe transmitted from mouth to mouth thrcucli venerations with out Iha gulding arid pryedo A I r ci of inspiration should finally fin-ally becVmw fatalism Jt Is distorted and misunderstood truth I 1 W twin brother of tho Augustlnlan CnlvIuI Uco prvdntlnatlon Divine revelations come according Ac-cording to Islam through the medluni cf iireli br lusplfed men Oabtitl 18 the chief ot the angels Mohammed is the chief among the prdf hets and a such i Lord of referred to The as Ir ren rn > iiui t I gr lITho Proihtt of Prophvl udngan Oriental con of etcurtion analogous to 0tS srcton Jr In lhsrnrc The other us JI111nl are AdOW oh lJrphet prUci3l at Abraham Mbscs and Jetus The diduItIA of tideAnd other prophets are thus explained Adam the pure lu l God Seth Ihe messenger of God i bh or KuhJ the saved elliS of Oo1 Abraham 51ol the friend of Gall Ismali lbaacrillco of Gal Imal lbe lcrlc Joseph Jtouj tile faithful lu God1Aliio i jJirb the p tlerit ers in Gild jub MUS tent thl worst oC W I Vovid J Vaud tbe follower bf G SloJol Suleiman tIe confidant of God auJ usrs il the pIt of God who TT the gnat prophet after Io hmm taclf of ttio six gnU prophet Adam ISoah Abraham Moses JeiaiTeDd Mohammed represented rep-resented th1 will of God ofn certain cer-tain dispensation each in turn being dlp The I tuperstucd by his successOr Til Jew they acknowledge were true I believers from the time of Mosts to Jesus But they dIscard the Scriptures Scrip-tures handed down to us a the work of mine of these holy men on tho grotlnU that they have not been handed iISwii ashey wire originally written The lh and Christian scriptures arc therefore no author crIJtUrl ity w ha te er Only the Koran is an iuthorltstltewraposltloni autlort r tJmJllton Thodoctrineof lie Immortality of tics l is clearly taught aJ is also that of a future retribution and in the rexurrection both Den and women arc to le rewarded according to the doedi dune il thu body Hell the receptacle of all unbe lee tlraV is all who have not accepted Isam Paradise 1 the place of enjoyment to all those who hau sacrificed something for the Faith 0111 ho have drawn their awonlslndifcusuof it This tern dlM is a place where the happy will enjoy various kinds ol earthly pleasures undisturbed by earthly disadvantages The exitence in piraJUe is no l perpetual sIng lug and playing oral meditation medita-tion 1 J Is a real life made more pleasant still by the pres enc and company of beautiful youths and cmpny larmlug young ladles Mauyxnllghtened Moslems assert I hoiMr thai the descriptions of Paradise arc t be understood a figurative arid poetical Although the admIssion is secured by good work it is asserted to b the result jet Gods absolute decree founded originally ii I H la great mercy mer-cy A mediation or atonement a the lasts it morallt fuch 1 ChrIs tiinlty understands i i foreign to Islam Th6 itlca i ° creation Is essentIally the jarne is in Genesis There is also place for S 1 of ruin Lut the Ueauftln la different from that of tire Bible In the Bible 3 in the revelations of these last day sin is condemned tot only in its outward aclvbuV l traced to its sure In the wheart and there condemned ThcTVry uiteor condition which unconverted bien are Is pronounced t L sinful Man is I dead in InJ r under sin but In Islam sin is only wrong act J committed against tits will of God and the precepts of theprophtt From UrIs conception of nlrnltngouly in wrongdoing the redemption is naturally identical identi-cal with conversion and what we callTaUli hasoniy tecondary place In the svMcm Qui bond opera ayti rfrtt tsr sire firmina et credit inhabit jaradimrn Whoever i qrf < UI or performs good works anl believes whether juan or woman enters paradise < hKnran ArTlmpDrtant place in Islam lias tho doctrine of angels and the demons de-mons 4dJ1drO who arc either good or bad file angels are the lilznest ofalldrcated t Intelligent btlnr They are formed from fire and ether but appear to the elect lu human for The > live In the vicinity of God and a His messengers and servants They carry the revelations from God to man give assistance t those who fight for the faith deliver the 1rr the body all the moment mo-ment of death and have important services ti perform at the day of judgment Inasmuch a I I only through their aid that the righteous cross the bridge which saves them from falling lutohelL Satan 7u or S las1s au angel fallen from grace through disobedience He has been thrown out of Pandlso and now goes ruuud tempting men to commit U The demons or spirits rfjmn ort livings between angels and men They a objects of various vari-ous taper tltions o1 continued |