A CHINESE LIFE OF MOHAMMED 1 



ISAAC MASON 



Although our Society has been in existence over 60 years 

 and has published more than 50 volumes of the Journal, I 

 have been unable to discover that any paper has been given 

 dealing with the Moslems of China. It is, of course, well 

 known that Mohammedans have for a very long time formed 

 an appreciable part of China's population; while estimates 

 as to numbers vary considerably, and I need not stop now to 

 discuss the question, it may well be assumed that about 

 eight millions, or one-fiftieth of China's inhabitants, are fol- 

 lowers of the Prophet of Islam. 



It is claimed by Moslem historians that during the life- 

 time of Mohammed, messengers were sent to China to pro- 

 pagate the Faith, coming by sea as far as Canton and 

 building the first mosque there. Another account tells of 

 Moslem emissaries travelling overland and reaching Si An Fu 

 in the seventh century A.D. and planting the Faith which 

 grew all the faster because of the settling in China of several 

 thousands of Moslem soldiers who> married Chinese wives, 

 this source probably accounting for most of the Moslems 

 found in China to-day. The historic accuracy or otherwise 

 of these stories, as well as some other interesting points and 

 particulars of Chinese Mohammedanism, may be considered 

 in a future paper; but for the present I propose to> deal 

 mainly with the central figure of Islam — Mohammed — and 

 with the rise of the Faith, as these are known to Moslems in 

 China. 



The story of Mohammed must have made a deep impres- 

 sion on the minds of his followers in order, not only to keep 

 alive the Faith for over 1000 years at this great distance 

 from the cradle of Islam and amidst surroundings SO' alien 

 from those in which the Faith arose, but also to* actually 

 grow and increase to its present dimensions. Nestorianism 

 disappeared like water into the sand, leaving no known 

 adherents in the whole country; and the same is practically 

 true of the Jewish communities of the past. The obser- 

 vances of the Moslem religion are such as to be difficult to 

 practice fully in China. ; there is very little aggressive religious 



1 Bead before the Society, April 29, 1919. 



