THE FUTURE OF ISLAM. 



87 



had any tendency towards Christianity. Probably nothing that has 

 occurred during the last fifty years has so much tended to hinder 

 the acceptance of Christianity by Moslems as the revolt of Arabi 

 and its suppression by Christian agency. 



And here we are face to face with what is perhaps the chief of 

 all the influences which prevent the Moslem from embracing any 

 other religion than his own. He believes it to be the destiny of Islam 

 to dominate the world, not necessarily to convert it, and in his 

 heart of hearts regards the world as in a state of war (Islam against 

 the world), the progress of the Moslem arms being arrested for a 

 time owing to the sins and unfaithfulness of the believers."'^ 



The simplicity and brevity of the Mohammedan confession of 

 faith, and the absolute and indefeasible title to a place in paradise 

 which it assures to those who adopt it, is another cause of the 

 Moslem's strong attachment to his religion, especially when he 

 contrasts it with the elaborate and disputed creeds of the Christian 

 Churches. Probably no religion ever invented makes the way to 

 heaven so easy as the religion of Mohammed. 



Another strong point is that there is no order of clergy in the 

 Mohammedan system. From a religious point of view one Moslem 

 is as good as another, unless by his character, conduct, or learning 

 one obtains a reputation for superior sanctity. The Imams, or 

 leaders of public worship in the mosques, are often small shop- 

 keepers, and in Egypt, in Lane's time, received from threepence to 

 fifteenpence a month for their services. They have no spiritual 

 authority, and may at any time be dismissed and replaced by others : 

 yet, if I am not mistaken, there are instances in which the office of 

 Imam has continued for several generations in the same family. It is 

 the proud boast of the Moslem that no man can come between his 

 soul and his Lord ; that the meanest slave who has accepted the 

 faith of Islam is spiritually on an equality with the highest and 

 noblest. 



Doubtless also the indulgent character of the Koran with regard 

 to marriage, divorce, and concubinage are themselves indirectly a 



* The famous Hatti-Scherif of Mustapha II, Sultan of Turkey, began 

 with these words : " God, the supreme distributor of all good, has granted 

 unto us, miserable sinner, the Caliphate of the ivhole worldP This was 

 preliminary to making war upon Austria. 



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