THE KORAN. 295 



Alms are of two sorts, legal and voluntary. The 

 former, by some called zakat, is of indispensable 

 obligation, and defined by the legislator with minute 

 precision, both as to kind and quantity . Originally, 

 the zakat amounted to two and a half per cent, on 

 the principal of the estate ; and was commanded to 

 be paid in cattle, including camels, cows, and sheep, 

 money, corn, fruits, and even merchandise. Strictly 

 to accomplish the law, every Mussulman was en- 

 joined to bestow a tenth of his revenue ; and if 

 his conscience should accuse him of fraud or extor- 

 tion, the tithe, by way of confiscatory atonement, 

 was enlarged to a fifth. Upon the wide diff"usion of 

 Islam, the zakat was found to be not only difficult 

 to collect, but unequal and invidious. The learned 

 doctors split into a multiplicity of opinions about the 

 proportion and mode in which it should be levied on 

 property of various kinds. It has in consequence 

 been generally abandoned, or restricted to goods 

 imported by way of trade. T]ie voluntary alms is 

 left to the conscience of the giver : but the obliga- 

 tion of charity is so vehemently recommended, both 

 by precept and tradition, that few orthodox behevers 

 evade the sacred duty. 



The creed of ]Mohammed is hostile to the ascetic 

 virtues. The voluntary penance of monks and her- 

 mits was odious to a propliet who censured in his 

 companions a rash vow of abstaining from flesh, 

 women, and sleep. The legitimate purpose of fast- 

 ing, it is obvious, is the prevention of offences, not 

 their punishment ; but instead of making it a fre- 

 quent or arbitrary observance, he has entirely frus- 

 trated its beneficial effects, by restricting it to a par- 

 ticular season of eacli year. Although voluntary 

 penance is recommended, the month of Ramadan 

 is specially set apart for religious abstinence. For 

 thirty days, between the first appearance of the two 

 new moons, the various members of the bod}- must 

 be kept under rigorous prohibition. To taste fopd 



