THE KORAN. 291 



substitute for the luxuries of the Tooba-tree, or the 

 black eyes of the aromatic virgins. 



Of predestination, as an article of Moslem belief, 

 it is unnecessary to repeat what has already been 

 stated. Its use, as a serviceable instrument in the 

 hands of the warlike Prophet, and the effects it pro- 

 duced on his followers, was probably the only reve- 

 lation that taught him the divine mystery. The 

 apparent inconsistency between necessity and re- 

 sponsibility did not escape the penetration of his 

 companions, who naturally reasoned, " Since God 

 hath appointed our places, may we confide in this, 

 and abandon our religious and moral duties V But 

 the son of Abdaliah was not to be entrapped in this 

 dilemma, and he repiied, that good works were th*e 

 spontaneous fmits ©f the happy, while bad were a 

 characteristic test of the miserable. Over all the 

 Mohammedan nations of the present day the tenet 

 still reigns in its pristine force ; and its effects are 

 visible in that torpid inactivity of mind which super- 

 sedes the exercise of reason and industry, and con- 

 siders every attempt to change the common order 

 of things as a crime not far removed from rebellion 

 against the established laws of the Deity. 



The preceding sketch will suffice to give an idea 

 of the first grand division of Islam, and the six car- 

 dinal points in its Confession of Faith. The second, 

 or practical branch, comprehends four fundamental 

 duties. 1. Prayer. 2. Alms. 3. Fastings. 4. The 

 Pilgrimage to Mecca. — Prayer is a most important 

 duty of the Mohammedans ; it is declared to be the 

 pillar of religion, and the key of paradise. The 

 Uteral command of the Koran appears to enjoin only 

 four times of daily prayer, called namazi ; but a 

 slight difference in the signification of the word has 

 led the expounders of the sacred law to decide that 

 five were meant : in the morning before sunrise, — 

 directly after mid-day, — in the afternoon, — in the 

 evening after sunset, while twilight remains. — and 



