p. 11 | MOHAMMEDANISM by D. J. Burrell

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Sep 12, 1895

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 21, No. 36.

MOHAMMEDANISM

By D. J. Burrell

BY DR. D. J. BURRELL.

The name “Islam,” by which the religion of Mohammed is characterized, is from a root signifying “to be at rest.” The name means, therefore, submission to the divine will. The Mohammedans say there are four foundations of their faith:—

The Koran, or Scriptures of God.
Hadith, or Traditional Sayings of Mohammed.
The Ijma, or Consensus of the Fathers, held to be final authority in questions not definitely settled by the Koran and traditions.
The Quias, or Reasonings of the Learned, a text-book for Mohammedan schools.

The authority of the Koran is held to be final and absolute in questions pertaining not only to theology, but also to science, philosophy, and civil government. The book must not be touched with unwashed hands, and the eyes of an unbeliever must never gaze upon it. The Moslem living reveres it as a veritable fetish, and dying clasps it to his bosom as a passport to the regions of the blest.

The Moslem’s belief in fate grows out of his conception of God. All things are controlled by an infinite will. There is no changing the supreme purpose concerning us. What is to be must be. Prosperity and adversity alike are met with, “Kismet; it is the divine will.” All things that come to pass were written on stone tablets from the beginning. The day of a man’s death is inscribed on his forehead, and he can do nothing to avert or postpone it. Hence the desperate valor of Moslems on the battle field.

The creed of Islam teaches that Mohammed is God’s prophet, and that the teachings of the prophet are to be faithfully observed. The Moslem believes in sin, but the conviction of sin is due to a consciousness of having come short of his complement of meritorious observances. He has not cried, Allah il Allah, a hundred times since daybreak, as he should have done, or he has failed to make the requisite number of prostrations, or he has not cursed the infidel with sufficient force.

The future happiness of the Moslem depends wholly on the performance of certain duties. He may be a thief, a liar, a sensualist, and a murderer, and still be a very good Mohammedan. He is required to: (1) Repeat the creed or Kalema; (2) observe the five stated periods of prayer, namely, before sunrise, just after midday, before sunset, after sunset, and at nightfall (prayer consists chiefly in repeating the names of God and Mohammed and portions of the Koran); (3) keep the thirty days’ fast of Ramadan (during this holy month no Moslem is allowed to eat, drink, or smoke from dawn until sunset, but during the night he may do nearly as he pleases); (4) perform the legal alms; (5) make a pilgrimage to Mecca.

The first civil injunction of the Koran is aimed at the extermination of the infidel, for it says, “When ye encounter the unbelievers, strike off their heads.” Slavery is also made to rest on divine authority, and polygamy is upheld and advocated. Woman is regarded as a lower order of being, unreasoning and incapable of self-control, never the helpmate, but ever the slave of man. The fruit of the system is cruelty and sensuality.—Religions of the World.