194 THE REY. W. ST. CLAIR TISDALL, M.A., ON ISLAM. 
NOTE BY THE AUTHOR, IN REPLY. 
Tt would take too long to answer Major Conder’s remarks at all 
fully, He must pardon me if I hesitate to contradict Arabic 
historians when they hand down genuine traditions of pre-Islamic 
worship and religion. Our knowledge of the inscriptions of Arabia 
is hardly sufficient to warrant us in doing so. Nor are many 
inscriptions found in that part ot Arabia in which Muhammadanism 
had its origin. Yaman and Hadramaut are of course entirely out 
of court in this matter. I am, however, thankfal for the informa- 
tion contained in Major Conder’s note. 
The differences between the views expressed by Major Conder 
and my own are rather in details than in actual facts. I have 
in my paper stated that Polytheism existed in Arabia before 
Muhammad’s time, and that it was introduced (according to 
Arabic writers) from Syria. The inscriptions quoted by Major 
Conder prove this as far as the Najd, etc., are concerned. The 
forms he quotes, e.g., WWNY and Mw, are distinctly Aramaic, 
and not Arabic. Sin pw is Acéadian. This shows that Polytheism, 
as far as the inscriptions he refers to are taken as authorities in 
the matter, was not of native origin, but was introduced from other 
countries. I do not agree with Major Conder’s derivation of 
GIF 
aan OF “(, from jon = bya = yan. His quotation of 
hans and ons from the monuments, though the forms are not 
Arabic, tends to prove the accuracy of my suggestion that Oporad 
and ’AXcXar were for Lak a} and ceNiht respectively. Ido not 
feel certain about the “Opo part of the former word, but it must, I 
POE Ss 
fancy, represent either q\J\ or Jy! : 
Bo 
I am glad to find my views of the indebtedness of Islam to 
Zoroastrianism supported by Major Conder, though he is correct 
in his supposition that Iam not acquainted with those of his works 
that he mentions. Had I known them I should have quoted them 
in my notes. I cannot, however, agree with him in his doubts 
about the authenticity and genuineness of the Qur'an. I have 
already in my answer to Dr. Keelle replied to Major Conder’s 
suggested derivation of daena. Although the Pahlavi language, 
as he rightly says, contains very many Semitic words, yet the 
Avestic tongue contains hardly one, if even a single one, that can 
with any probability be derived from any Semitic stock. 
