ITS ORIGIN, ITS STRENGTH, AND ITS WEAKNESS. 171 
Tradition in which Muhammad promises as the highest of 
all rewards the *vision of Gop Himself. This idea, if it 
really occurred to Muhammad, was evidently derived from 
Christianity,f or from the Jews.{ But an attentive study of 
the passages in which the promise is given represents it In a 
more genuinely Muhammadan, if to us less attractive, light. 
One of them, however, will suffice for the present: ‘“The§ 
Apostle of Gop said, ‘ Verily the least of the inhabitants of 
Paradise in rank is he who shall indeed behold his gardens, 
his wives, and his pleasures, and his servants, and his couches, 
extending over the space of 1,000 years’ journey, and the 
most acceptable unto GoD among them shall look upon His 
face night and day.’ Then he recited (Strah LXXV, 22, 
23): ‘Faces in that day shall be bright, lookmg upon 
their Lord.’” Here we perceive that the very same passage 
which tells of the Vision of Gop, mentions also the carnal 
delights already referred to, and represents GOD as approving 
of His servants’ indulgence in them. Such an idea is not 
more dishonouring to Gop than it is certain to prevent the 
very possibility of true purity of heart, nay all desire to 
attain to it, among the orthodox followers of the “‘ Prophet.” 
Space will not permit us to dwell on the many other weak- 
nesses in the Religion of Islém, on its innate intolerance,| 
its unscientific] cosmogony, its assertion of the truth and 
* Mishkat, Aitdbu-l Fitan, Babu Rwyatillah, pp. 492, 493. 
fag, Matt V, 8; i. Cor. xi 123 1 John ii, 2, 3; Rev. xxii, 3, 
4, ete. 
{t £g., Isaiah xxx, 17. 
§ Mishkat, p. 493 :— 
Bias NN dey oa) Ope Li! Jal Vol ot - all Jey JE 
\ Pd A 3 pa a: | ‘ . 
“54 ee meessly hLAw Pa} swe SFr es) —— do-\y j\y 
SA Zs "GS 9.9 ~ em 
if 
er en le ; {3 é 
Beli dhey tgry "LF ob - 4 
Mae Sede Ms ul jax ure 
|| Sarah V, 37; Sdrah IX, 5, 29, ete. 
I Cf. Mishkat, Ardisu’t Tijin, Qisasu’l Anbiya, ete. In the latter book, 
e.g.. we are told on the authority of Muhammad that the earth was 
originally made out of the foam of a wave which Gop created from a 
gigantic pearl, and that He made that pearl out of primitive darkness. 
The colour of the sky is said to be due to the fact that over the earth 
towers a gigantic mountain named Qaf, which is made of emerald, and is 
