ITS ORIGIN, ITS STRENGTH, AND ITS WEAKNESS. 147 
the Messengers of GoD, summing up in his own person, in a 
far superior degree, all the peculiar virtues of every one of 
the Prophets who preceded him. In everything except the 
exercise of the peculiar* privileges accorded to him in virtue 
of his prophetic office—about which the less said the better— 
Muhammad is the Divinely appointed modei for the imitation of 
all men. Prayers must be offered just in the very postures he 
adopted on such occasions. His habits in respect to personal 
cleanliness, and the most private matters of domestic life, 
have been carefully observed and writtent down for the 
reverential observance of all true Muslims. In India; at least, 
it is the custom of the most devout to carry this system so 
far that they even dye their beards the same colour as their 
“Prophet's.” It has been truly said that Christianity is not a 
religious system, but a life; that it is Christ. With almost 
equal truth it may be affirmed that Islim is Muhammad. 
Certainly his spirit is infused into the religion which he 
founded, and still animates to an almost incredible extent 
the hearts of its professors in every Muhammadan land. 
With reference to the various doctrines in the Religion of 
Islim as taught by Muhammiad, we may fairly conclude a 
priort that he did not invent them for himself, but borrowed 
his materials to a great extent from pre-existingt systems 
of religion, though he built these various materials into a more 
or less harmonious whole according to his own plan and the 
exigencies of his position. A candid examiation of Islam, 
as it is taught in the Qur’én and in the authoritative Tradi- 
7 CSCO 9 a 27u 9 s 
Prophet ;” slaul \ lk, “the Seal of the Prophets ;” and \etlanaal, 
the Chosen.” 
* Vide Qur'an, Sirah XXXITI, 49-51. (Fliigel’s edition of the 
Arabic text.) 
+ In all the great collections of Traditions, a vast number are of this 
description ; cf. Mishkatwl Masibih, passim. Every rule of conduct, of 
ritual, of daily life, is deduced from those observed by Muhammad. As 
examples of his claims may be quoted the words ascribed to him by 
Tradition :— 
= phtey eile ST UI Kata! Bi UL -- Qalall il OT 
¥. ~ ~~ 
Be “ ae w ’ ° t . 
BI LL ag, oT aly hee UI al We wn SIT, Qubgll a1 Ut 
Mishkat, pp. 505, sqgg. (Bombay edition.) ; 
t Vide Renan, “ Etudes d’Histoire Religieuse ;” Sayyid Ahmad, “On 
the Religion of the Pre-Islamic Arabs ;” Sayyid Ameer Ali, “ The Spirit 
of Islam.” 
