| Show ISLAM HIstory of its Founder Doctrines and Sect Written lor the helena Xcws ir J MSJ EtC OF JSLAJI I h already been stated that there i a great diOerenco between the mode of teaching moral in sacred books of the Bible and the Koran In the Bible the laws of our moral nature although evidently evi-dently known to the authors are never formally announced They arts always involved by Implication Im-plication in the truths or precepts given The Bible Is therefore not a catalogue of virtues to b practiced prac-ticed and of vices to be shunned I illustrates by a narration of historical torical events parables types the principles of virtue nnJ of vIc leaving it to the Intelligence of 1 lievcn guided by the Spirit of God to determine for themselves them-selves In each individual case what i right or wrong as tested I test-ed by those principles The Book of Mormon It will b observed perfectly I fectly resembles the Bible In this respect intimating the same Divine authorship For instance when we want to know in any particular case what i right or wrong concerning our dealings with one another we may not discover in the inspired books any rule bearing directly on that individual case but we find abroad a-broad general prineipel bearing on all possible cases Love thy neighbor neigh-bor as thyself and the inspired books thus become guides fitted for all times all conditions all nations They n clear enough to have no doubt upon questions of lfe and that without giving any systematic form in the truths revealed by which earnest searching for truth would be excluded In 1 important import-ant respect the holy book of Islam I quite different Here we find I series of virtues systematically enumerated enu-merated Chart friendliness Jas Lice honesty reverence and gratitude grati-tude toward l parents kindness toward to-ward orphans and relatives rympa thy toward the sick the poor mp travelers kindness toward slaves patience misfortune and perfect resignation in the will ol God These are the chief virtues of Islam The vices condemned a Inju tce vindIctiveness Jrde mendacity blasphemy stinginess and tsd oppo lie as well as gambling and drinking drink-ing The exercise of charity and kindness i repeatedly enjoined although al-though It is binding as far only as fellowshlpin faith isexistingTo in unbelIever or an enemy with kindness not expcctcdand according accord-ing to ail signs It will take many more years of Intercourse with strangers before the Moslems are prepared t add even true tolerance I to their lit of vIrtue Then lie In dividual conception of the diner ent virtues and vices 1 also us by the Christians dlflerent according accord-ing to tho latitude of the individual conscience Tolie for Instance i is a vice but to lie to an unbeliever is always excusable Even a pcrj Jury may b blotted out by some prescribed religious exercises A murder can b paid oT by haudlng a sum of money to the relatives of the murdered victim I they are willing to receive The sundry exhortations to purity and chastity often refer only to Uie dress cf tin women or to other external points With respect to polygamy it is so arranged that a man can have as many four lawful wives If he Is sure of being able to treat them right Childlessness i considered a lawful illo taking a plural = wife Concubinate with the female slaves i aloe allowed and divorce i a somewhat easily accomplished formality perhaps happily and wisely s under the existing circumstances cir-cumstances In this connection I conneIon may men ton that I have it from a reliable Informant that the Moslem ladles are generally opposed to the system of polygamy a practiced here They are sometimes all but crazy from jealousy and the husbands are many a time afraid r eating food prepared by the wives for fear of is prp lined Thus the peace of families often vanishes with he introduction of a new wlTe But the reasons fur tills are also obvious Tho husbands net without consulting their wives and transact the business on the sly as much possible Mohammedan al = i polygamy is therefore essentially legalized prostitution and that causes here a in all the world jealousy I i the secrecy the hid tug and the He which are connected with I that Duke I a cr conne doubly S3 because It Is bu i i an afiair of ne higher Importance import-ance than I the gratification of the flesh There Is no heaven In It all is earth How can I then b otherwise than it Is i otherwLo I I The trouble Is Ltbat the Moslem with the very venerable example of their great patriarch before them copy only cue half of it cne ha They want to do as a did Abraham who took Abr tk Hagor for < his second but they do not allow the example of their wives t copy emple Sarah who gave llagar to Abra ham That 1J the trouble and one It TTouM stem easy to emedy sceD Co One lamentable result of this matrimonIal anomaly I have been told I that many Moslems wIves seek other companY hail that of then husbands This I mentioned as a public secret and the fact lus I trates how the transgression of Gods trkhow laws always result In inleery and degradation while strict adherence to those laws ennobles mankind ami fosters virtue bringing with I peace aid happiness HOLY WAR To the system of moral precepts hrc f tlh we must count tho one which enjoins en-joins It upon the faithful t propa Kato their faith with tIes sword Those who have partaken iu such n war have jMrtlcuiar claims on happiness hap-piness in 1aradisc Tie Holy War as it Is called can bo made upon nonMoslems and upon litrrtlcal Moslems alike The proclamation to commence a holy war Is generally issued by the highest ecclesiastical officer Uie socalled Shetk IMam but in extreme e any Scribe or even a lay member can proclaim it When the war has been proclaimed pro-claimed it is the duty of the SulUn to go to tho battle and every male over thirteen years of age must follow fol-low These who arc left behind old men women and sick persons must supply the soldiers with all their necessities Everything that a Moslem osscsses even the mosques can b taken and used for us the furtherance of tbo war Even the precepts of Koran can If necessary neces-sary bo ruler temporarily void and the war I not considered ended until the fo is entirely conquered The soldiers receive W their material mate-rial reward all the goods of the enemy ene-my and eventually his wives too CKKOIONIAL LAW OF ISLAM The most important part of the I d 1I h ceremonial code Is the precept concerning con-cerning dally prayers Five times a day a watchman from the tower proclaims hourof prayer and as many times a day the Moslem is expected pected to give himself up to a devotional de-votional exercise The hours of prajcr are At the dawn of day noon two hours before sunset Immediately Im-mediately after sunset and at night when dark At all of these hours the watchman calls out God i great three time i 1 testify that there is = divinity except God twice I testify that Mohammed 1 tie messenger of God twice come to prayer twice come to salvation sal-vation twice and God is i great God twice thcro is 110 divinity except GodWhen When a Moslem prays he takes his shoes off his feet spreads a rpt r-pt or his coat on the ground mid turns his face towards Mecca The prayer consists of a certain set of passages from the Koran the creed and salutations to Inbomnled and the angels aU repeated in certain positions A pray ins Moslem some times stands on his feet sometimes kneels sometimes toadies the ground W Ia his forehead IUWI ho goes to pray he must b clean Thero Is therefore in every mOue cen water for washing lurposcs The Idea of InrJ i lt the Moslems Mos-lems shall Join In prayer whenever possible In the mosques the prayers pray-ers are conducted by the Iman who lands before the altar and Uie ranks of Moslems are arranged In the strictest order something like soldiers Everybody follows the movements of the Iman and the wholepcrformance makes theimprev slon of the exercises of well drilled soldiers Amen Is I by all pronounced loud as the closing word aim in private houses and public offices the Moslems have Joint worship under Uie guidance of improvised < Imans Ills prohibited while praying to bend rI anus or to my eyes or hands towards heaven to uncover the head to Hit one fcot before another an-other and co on A praying Moslem Mos-lem is therefore in his I personal appearance ap-pearance a pattern of personified pnnlled tagnltol and I 1 only his fr quent change from standing to kneeling list brings relief in the monotony FRIDAY IHAVKB Friday i the Sabbath of the Moslem His supposed that Mohammed Mo-hammed chose this day as the Sabbath Sab-bath simply iu opposition to the I Jews and Ohio Christians and Ot that may be His mission a to oppose them as a scourge On this day the Moslems are expected to cpece attend an extra service in the mosques To attend this strvlculs strangely enough particularly incumbent in-cumbent upou the Sultan who is the suirdfan ol the faith And I i s important that tho Sultans even vHicu sick try to appear in them the-m u at the Friday service Mahommed Idled on the way from the mosque to the palare after having attended the service He left lilt palacealck drove to the mosque and returned home curs cls KATINO AXD DIUNKIXC To cat pork and to drink wIne is I prohibited very strongly Against the last t mentioned prohibition very many slti however particularly prlculnrly since European immigration brought with I some of thu concomitant con-comitant of European civilization ciztlon fri Moslem has to undertake a journey he can receive from one cf the ecclesiastical I authorities a license that entitles him to partake of unclean food without sinning Sometimes n Ito logic helps conscientious Mos lem out of a dilemma aa was the case wIth n Turkish officer fcr who in company with tome English officers saw them havIng a nice lunch on eggs and ham The Turk wanted very much to have some but could not D it a pork to which objection his English friends niadu the rematk that it was not pork it was ham and Use Turk being convinced by this undbput able argument that the food was clean as there was prohibition In the Koran to eat ham he partook of It t satIsfaction of himself and the merriment of his friends Once a year the Moslems must fast aud tie fat rcarlir owto I rnouJi This i the ninth month of the year and is called Jtamathan In this month no Moslem is permitted to t food or drink not even water from sunrise to sunset This is a very hard way of serving the Lord I is true during the night any amount can be eaten and drunk but this tumitig day to nigh night to day is after all a violation of nature and the consequences al wjys follow in the form of various sicknesses The holy night is the C7lh of RamaUian On this night innumerable innu-merable miracles are performed and to pray during this night is par ticularly merItorious For on this night the Koran was mint from heaven to the prophet Mohammed That is to say in this nIght its contents stein to Impressed < upon his heart and laid there that he could feel It like a book lying on his I heart When the Kamatlian is over a general rejoicing follow and the Stat three days of the followlnz month are devoted to festivities This i the socalled Little Festival Fctal of the Moslems oe To t continued |
