2 1 8 Bedouin Tribes of the Euphrates, [ch. xxvi. 



Though in no sense religious, the Bedouins, like 

 all Arabs, make frequent use of the name of God, 

 generally as a mere form of speech, but occasionally 

 to emphasize a declaration. " HamduUah," " Insh- 

 allclh," and the like expressions are in their mouths 

 all the day long, but these certainly have less of 

 serious meaning in them than the corresponding 

 " thank God," and " please God," with us. " Mash- 

 allah," — " as it pleases God " — has, perhaps, a slight 

 tinge of superstition mixed with its meaning. It is 

 used to correct expressions of admiration, for fear of 

 ill luck. Thus it would be considered impolite and 

 a little dangerous to remark upon the beauty of a 

 mare w^ithout adding " mashallah," and we have 

 more than once been corrected for this by the owner 

 of the animal. 



The only solemn use made of the Divine name is 

 when an affirmation is to be strengthened by an 

 oath. Then the right hand is raised, and Allah is 

 invoked. A statement thus emphasized may in all 

 instances be relied on from a pure Bedouin ; but I 

 have not been able to discover that their fidelity is 

 enforced by any fear of consequences. Among the 

 low Felkihin tribes, who profess Mahometanism, false 

 oaths are of common occurrence. The Bedouin's oath 

 is in fact an appeal to honour, at least as much as to 

 religion ; and this may be further seen in the corre- 

 sponding form of affirming a promise, " aala rasi," 

 ("on my head be it,") where no name of God is used. 



There is, however, one solemn act, to which God 



