294 THE KORAN; 



river, sea, well, snow, or ice water ; but it must be 

 free of all impurities in taste, colour, or smell. When 

 water is scarce or unattainable, there is permission 

 to supply its place with sand, dust, gravel, ashes, 

 &c. This mode of performing the wodhu is called 

 A! taiamourn. It has not, however, the merit of 

 originality, for the Arabs and Jews made a similar 

 use of earth, leaves, or buds of plants ; and we read 

 in a Greek author (Cedrenue) that the Christian 

 rite of baptism was administered with sand to an 

 expiring traveller in the wilderness of Africa. 



Connected with this department of the Moham 

 medan liturgy is the ceremony of circumcision, both 

 to males and females, — a rite in use among the idola- 

 trous Arabs ; as also in Egypt, Abyssinia, Ethio- 

 pia, and other countries to which the laws of the 

 Jews did not extend. No certain age is prescribed, 

 nor is the practice absolutely necessary ; but the 

 seventh year is esteemed the most convenient ; and 

 it is a reproach to all good Mussulmans to want this 

 national symbol of their faith. It is always in the 

 house of their relatioiis that this religious ceremony 

 is performed ; the operetors are the public barbers, 

 and the patients are subjected to a confinement of 

 fifteen days. The imam of the mosque assists in 

 his priestly capacity ; and, in families of distinction, 

 the occasion is celebrated with alms, sacrifices, 

 feasting, and other sumptuous entertainments. It is 

 not to be confounded with the rite of baptism, which 

 usually takes place on the day of the birth ; the 

 imam simply pronounces the name, and whispers 

 into the child's ear an exhortation to be faithful to 

 his creed, and attentive to prayers. 



Charity is imposed as a reUgious duty on every 

 Mussulman. The Koran frequently and strongly 

 recommends it ; and, in addition to what is exacted 

 by law, every believer must make donations to the 

 indigent, otherwise he is not considered to have per- 

 formed the duty of almsgiving in all its extent 



