MOHAMMEDANISM 



249 



the Wuiiu, a partial aMution, to be performed 

 immediately before the prayer. Tliis is of primary 

 importance, and consists of tlie washing of hands, 

 face, ears, and feet up to the ankles a proceeding 

 generally accompanied at each stage by correspond- 

 ing pious sentences, and concluded by the recital 

 of the 97th chapter of the Koran. If water be 

 beyond reach, dry dust or sand may supply its 

 place. ' The practice of religion being founded on 

 cleanliness,' the ground or tTie carpet upon which 

 the believer prays must be as clean as possible, and 

 the use of a special prayer-carpet is therefore recom- 

 mended. Every Mohammedan is obliged to pray 

 five times in the space of every twenty-four hours. 

 The prayer (Sahit i itself consists partly of extracts 

 from the Koran ( Fard ), partly of pieces ordained 

 by the Prophet without allegation of a divine order 

 (SiniiKihi. The first time of prayer commences 

 about sunset ; the second at nightfall ; the third 

 at daybreak ; the fourth al>out noon ; the fifth in 

 the afternoon. The believers are not to commence 

 their prayers exactly at sunrise, or noon, or sunset, 

 lest they might be confounded with the infidel Sun- 

 worshippers. These several times of prayer are 

 announced by the Muezzins (q.v.) from the minarets 

 of the mosques. Their chant, sung to a very simple 

 but solemn melody, sounds harmoniously and sonor- 

 ously down the height of the mosque, through the 

 mid-day din and roar of the cities, but its impres- 

 siveness is most strikingly poetical in the stillness 

 of night. The day-call (the Adftn) consists chiefly 

 of the confession of faith ('God is most great,' 

 'Mohammed is God's apostle;' 'Come to prayer, 

 come to security ' ) repeated several times ; the night- 

 calls ( L'la, the first; Ebed, the second), destined 

 for persons who desire to perform supererogatory 

 acts of devotion, are much longer. The believer 

 often changes his jxtstiire during his prayers ; and 

 one series of such inclinations of head and knees, 

 prostrations, &c. is called a Reka. It is also 

 necessary that the face of the worshipper should 

 be turned towards the Kibleh, in the direction of 

 Mecca, the exterior wall of the mosque marking 

 that direction lieing distinguished oy a niche 

 (MilirAb). All sumptuous and pomi>ous apparel 

 is laid aside before the believer approaches the 

 sacred place ; ami the extreme solemnity and de- 

 corum, the humility, the devotion which pervades 

 it have been unanimously held up as an example 

 to other creeds. The mosques are always open. 

 Women, although not strictly forbidden to enter 

 the mosque, yet are practically not allowed to pray 

 there, lest their presence might lie hurtful to true 

 devotion. Besides these prayers, there are others 

 ordained for special occasions, as on a pilgrimage, 

 before a battle, at funerals, during an eclipse, \c. 

 Moslems pray to God only, but implore the inter- 

 cession of Mnhaimnod, saints, ami angels (see 

 MOSQUE). Mohammedanism has no clergy in our 

 sense of the word, the civil and religious law being 

 bound up in one (see MoLLAH, MlTFTI). 



Next in importance stands the duty of giving 

 alms. These are twofold legal and voluntary, but 

 the former, once collected by the sovereign, and 

 applied to pious uses, has now l>een practically 

 abrogated. The latter is, according to the law, to 

 be given once every year, of cattle, money, corn, 

 fruits, and wares sold, at about the rate of from 

 two and a half up to twenty per cent. Besides 

 it is usual to l>estow a measure of pro- 

 visions upon the poor at the end of the sacred 

 month of Kamadan. 



The duty of fasting follows (see FAST). During 

 the whole month of 'Ramadan the Moslem is com- 

 manded to refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, 

 smelling perfumes, bathing, and every unnecessary 

 indulgence in worldly pleasure, from daybreak 

 until sunset. From that period till the morning 



he is allowed to eat, drink, and enjoy himself. The 

 Arabian year consisting of twelve lunar months, it 

 often happens that the Kamadan falls in mid- 

 summer, when the fasting, more especially the 

 abstaining from drinking, is excessively mortify- 

 ing. None are exempt from this duty save the 

 sick, travellers, and soldiers in time of war ; but 

 they are bound to fast an equal number of days 

 during some other months. Nurses and pregnant 

 women are entirely free from fasting. It is Moham- 

 med's special and express desire that no one should 

 fast who is not quite equal to it, lest he might 

 injure his health and disqualify himself for neces- 

 sary lalxrar. Of the other commendable fast-days 

 the Ashftra, on the 10th of Moharram, deserves 

 special mention. There are very few Moslems that 

 do not keep the Kamadan, even if they neglect 

 their other religious duties ; at all events, they all 

 pretend to keep it most strictly, fasting being con- 

 sidered 'one-fourth part of tlie faith,' nay, 'the 

 gate of religion.' For the fourth paramount duty 

 of the Mohammedan, the pilgrimage to Mecca, see 

 MECCA. 



With the ' positive ' ordinances of Islam may also 

 be reckoned the minor and greater festivals. The 

 first (Al-Fetr, or 'breaking the fast'), following 

 immediately u|>on the Kamadan, begins on the first 

 day of the month of Slmwiil, and lasts three days. 

 The second (Eed Al-Korban, or 'sacrifice') begins 

 on the 10th of Dlm'l Hijjeh, when the pilgrims 

 perform their sacrifice, and lasts three or four days. 

 The weekly day of rest is the .Friday, because, from 

 times long before Mohammed, the people used to 

 hold public assemblies for civil as well as religious 

 purposes on that day. When the special Friday 

 service with its Chotbeh or Homily is over, the 

 people are allowed .to return to their worldly 

 affairs, if they cannot afford to give themselves up 

 entirely to pleasure or devotion for the rest of the 

 sacred period. 



The ancient rite of circumcision is used in Moham- 

 medanism as the badge of the faith. It is commonly 

 performed between the sixth and eighth year. Of 

 the fundamental prohibitory laws of the Koran, 

 one forbids the drinking of wine, which includes 

 all strong and inebriating liquors, as giving rise 

 to ' more evil than good ; ' and although of late, 

 chiefly through Euroj>ean influence, very many 

 Moslems have lost their religious scruples on that 

 score, and not only secretly but openly indulge in 

 spirits, yet the great bulk of the faithful refuse 

 even to make use of the proceeds of the sale of 

 wine or grapes. Some over-scrupulous believers 

 even include opium, coffee, and tobacco in the pro- 

 hibition ; but general practice has decided differ- 

 ently. The prohibitory laws respecting food re- 

 semble closely those of Judaism ; blood, the flesh 

 of swine, animals that have died from disease or 

 age, or on which the name of some idol has been 

 invoked, or that have been sacrificed to an 

 idol, or have been strangled, or killed by a 

 blow, a fall, or by some other beast, are strictly 

 forbidden. 'Pure' animals must be slaughtered 

 according to certain fixed rules, and the name of 

 God is to be invoked lx;forc the operation, with- 

 out, however, the usual addition of the benevolent 

 epithets. Fish, birds, and game are mostly allowed 

 for food. 



All games subject to chance, such as dice, cards, 

 tables, l)ets, are considered so wicked that a 

 gambler's testimony is invalid in a court of law. 

 Chess and other games depending on skill, pro- 

 vided that they do not interfere with the regular 

 performance of religious duties, and that they are 

 played without any stakes whatsoever, are allowed 

 by the majority of Moslem theologians. Usury is 

 strictly prohibited. Taking interest upon any 

 loan, however large or small, or profiting in trade 



