1844.] Notice of the Ajaib-al-Mukhlvkat. 641 



The Week. 



The month is divided into four portions, consisting each of seven days. 



Sunday, (Yum-al-ahadi, ^^-JU^j) is the first day of the week. 

 It is kept holy by the Nazarenes. Jesus, blessings upon Him, first 

 commanded his followers to keep holy the Friday ; but the latter being 

 unwilling that their holyday should precede that of the Jews ; viz 

 Saturday, Sunday was fixed on. 



The second day is Monday, Yum-al-ithnin, ^Jjjl-jj the day of 

 the flight to Medina. 



The third, Tuesday, Yum-ath-thaltha, l5JJb!-&3 is the day on which 

 Cain murdered Abel. 



The fourth, Wednesday, Yum-al-arba, xj*SL^j 



The fifth, Thursday, Yum-al-khamis, <j*A*firL^j 



Friday, the Mahomedan sabbath, the day of assembly, x^a}]*^ 

 Yum-al-juma, the author has placed first in his list, though it is evident 

 Sunday was originally, among the Arabs, the first day in the week, and 

 Saturday, (As-sabt, c^.a*JJ tne seventh, or sabbath of the Jews), the 

 last.* 



Dion Cassius states, that the Egyptians consecrated the seven days 

 of the week to the seven planets, Eic, rovg aarepag rovg ztttcl rovg 

 ir\avr}Tag uvofiaGfxzvovg Tag r}/ji£pag avaKtaOai /carters vtto 

 aiyv7TTU(A)V, and it is certain, that a hebdomadary division of the month 

 prevailed at a period of the most remote antiquity among the nations 

 of the earth, the days of which he distinguished by the names of the 

 sun, moon, and planets. Among the Chaldeans, the Egyptians, the 

 Arabians, prior to Mahomed, the Hindoos, the Greeks, and the ancient 

 nations of Northern Europe. These hebdomadary period all com- 



* It may be remarked, that the author assigns no reason for the division of the month 

 into weeks. A division of time, not dependent on any movement or epoch of the 

 heavenly bodies, but evidently of divine origin, the earliest and most authentic ac- 

 count of which is found in the books of Genesis and Exodus, wherein Moses declares 

 that tbe creation of the world was accomplished in 6 days, and that the Almighty 

 rested on the 7th day, and blessed it, and commanded that it should be kept holy as a 

 day of rest by mankind; a circumstance to which the Mahomedan author briefly 

 adverts, without explaining why Mussulman do not adhere to this precept of the 

 Pentateuch. 



