268 THE WHAABBEES. 



of the Turks at the present day, that the Fe- 

 ringees will ultimately take Constantinople, and 

 put down their religion. Both these popular ideas 

 originate from the same source, as that which 

 directs the learned Islam Mollum to expect the 

 coming of Jesus ; a tradition respecting Mahomed, 

 who is stated to have confessed, that inasmuch as 

 that Christ was not dead but living, and would 

 come again, he was superior to himself, who was 

 mortal and should die, like other men. 



The numerous and fast extending sect, the Whaab- 

 bees, act up to this admission, and not only are they 

 careful, to avoid all allusions to Mahomed in their 

 prayers, but affect to make intercession in his 

 behalf, by praying that God will forgive him his 

 great sins; for not only they, but all other 

 Mahomedans admit that their Prophet was so far 

 from being immaculate, that he frequently violated 

 the laws which he himself had promulgated as 

 coming direct from Allah. The Whaabbees, who 

 are Mahomedan Unitarians, a few years back, 

 overran all Arabia, destroyed the tomb of 

 Mahomed in Medina, and were about to act in 

 a similar manner towards the temple in Mecca. 

 The first man, however, who had mounted the 

 roof for this purpose, by some accident, was 

 precipitated to the ground and killed. This looked 

 so like a judgment, that the zeal of these reformers 

 abated considerably, and being soon after driven 

 out of the Hedjas, and in some measure suppressed, 



