These are the commanded hours for prayer. Mahumud himself observed an
additional service very strictly, at the third watch of the night, which
was called by him, 'Tahujjoot,'[2] and the most devout men, in all ages of
their faith, have imitated this example scrupulously.
'The Soobhoo Namaaz' is deemed a necessary duty, and commences with the
earliest dawn of day. The several prayers and prostrations occupy the
greatest part of an hour, with those who are devout in their religious
exercises; many extend the service by readings from an excellent
collection, very similar to our Psalms, called 'The Vazefah'.[3]
'The Zohur Namaaz', an equally essential duty, commences at mid-day, and
occupies about the same time as 'The Soobhoo'.
'The Ausur Namaaz' commences at the third day watch. The religious men are
not tempted to excuse themselves from the due observance of this hour; but
the mere people of the world, or those whose business requires their time,
attach this service to the next, and satisfy their conscience with
thinking that the prayer-hours combined, answers the same purpose as when
separately performed.
'The Muggrib Namaaz'. This is rigidly observed at sunset; even those who
cannot make it convenient at other hours, will leave their most urgent
employment to perform this duty at sunset. Who that has lived any time in
India, cannot call to mind the interesting sight of the labouring classes,
returning to their home after the business of the day is over? The sun
sinking below the Western horizon, the poor man unbinds his waist, and
spreads his cummerbund on the side of the road; he performs his ablutions
from his brass lota of water, and facing Mecca, bows himself down under
the canopy of heaven, to fulfil what he believes to be his duty at that
hour to his merciful God.
'The Eshaa Namaaz' commences at the fourth ghurrie of the night. The form
of prayer for this Namaaz is much longer than the rest. The devout men
extend their prayers at this still hour of the night; they tell me that
they feel more disposed at this time to pour out their hearts to God in
praise and thanksgiving, than at any other period of the day or night; and
I have known many of them to be at silent prayer for hours together.
Many persons in their early life may have neglected that due obedience
expected in the commanded daily prayers; in after life, they endeavour to
make up the deficiency, by imposing on themselves extra services, to
fulfil the number omitted. By the same rule, when a member of the family
dies, and it is suspected the due performance of Namaaz had been neglected
by him, the survivor, who loved him or her in life, is anxious for the
soul's rest, and thus proves it by performing additional prayers for the
benefit of the soul of that beloved individual.
If a Mussulmaun falls from affluence to penury, twelve devout men of his
faith engage to fast and pray, on a day fixed by themselves, to make
intercession for their friend:--they believe in the efficacy of good men's
prayers; and Meer Hadjee Shaah has often declared to me, that he has
witnessed the benefit of this exercise by the happiest results, in many
such cases.
The Khoraun, it is commanded, shall be read. A person perhaps dies before
he has been awakened to a love of sacred things; his friends therefore
engage readers to attend his grave, and there to read the Khoraun for the
benefit of the departed soul.[4]
They have a firm belief in the efficacy of prayer by proxy; and the view
they have of departed spirits is still more singular. They believe the
soul hovers over the body in the grave for some time, and that the body is
so far animated, as to be sensible of what is passing; as when the Maulvee
is repeating the service, the angels visit in the grave, or when the
Khoraun is read; hence the belief in the efficacy of prayer and reading as
substitutes for neglected or omitted duties whilst on earth. There are in
all the mosques men retained to do the requisite service there,[5] that is,
to keep it clean, and to prevent any thing that could pollute the
sanctuary from entering; to call at the stated hours for Namaaz, with a
loud voice, so that all the neighbourhood may hear and go to prayers; he
mounts the minaret as the hour is striking, and pronounces, 'Allah wo
uckbaar!' 'Mahumudoon Russool Allah!'[6]--God alone is true! Mahumud is
God's Prophet!--with a voice, the extent of which can only be imagined by
those who have heard it; this summons is repeated many times over.
The mosque is open day and night for all who choose to enter for the
purpose of prayer. The Mussulmauns, however, in their prayer-services are
not restricted to the mosques; all places are deemed holy where no unclean
animal has been to defile the spot, as dogs or swine, nor any idol been
set up for worship. The person coming to Namaaz must not have contaminated
himself by touching the dead, or any other thing accounted unclean, until
he has bathed his whole body and changed his clothes. This resembles the
Mosaic law.
Ablutions are regarded as essentially necessary: if any one is ill, and to
use water would be dangerous, or if there be no water to be found where
the Mussulmaun is about to pray, there is an allowed substitute, merely to
rub the hands, feet, knees, and head with the dry dust of clay, and this
is counted to them for ablutions. Thus prepared, the devotee spreads his
prayer-carpet[7] (generally of fine matting) in the most convenient place
to himself, if not in the mosque;--perhaps under a tree, in the verandah,
or in a room, no matter where, taking care, under all circumstances, that
the carpet is spread to face the Kaabah (Holy House at Mecca).
At the commencement of his prayers, he stands erect, his hands lifted up,
the palms held out towards heaven, where the eyes are also turned whilst
expressing adoration and praise to God. This ended, he prostrates himself
before the Almighty, his forehead touching the ground; the form of words
here used expresses the unworthiness of the creature permitted to approach
and worship the Creator; again he stands to repeat the glorious
perfections of God; he then kneels in worship and prayer, after which
prostrations are resumed, &c. In the performance of some of the services
they prostrate five times, standing up and kneeling an equal number of
times; the shortest services have three, and all the prayers and praises
are arranged in Arabic,--that most expressive language,--which to
translate, they say, is to corrupt the meaning of the prayers. For this
reason the Khoraun is not allowed in any other than the original language;
and for the benefit of the unlearned in Arabic, it is commented upon,
passage by passage, in the Persian language.
The mosques are all erected on one plan; the entrance to the outer court
is secured by a gate or door always on the latch, without locks, bars, or
bolts; in the paved yard a tank or reservoir for bathing or ablutions is
usually provided. The mosque itself is square, with a dome and two
minarets; the side next the court-yard is the entrance, and generally this
front is entirely open; the back of the mosque faces Mecca, in which
direction the prayer must be offered to be effectual. These houses of
prayer are generally kept clean and neat, but not the slightest ornament
allowed within the walls; the floor is matted, and a plain wooden mhembur
(pulpit) is provided. Shoes never enter within the precincts of the mosque;
'Put off thy shoes' is strictly observed by Mussulmauns in all sacred
places--a man praying with shoes on his feet would be accounted mad or a
heathen.[8]
The Sabbath of the Mussulmauns is kept on Friday, commencing on the
preceding night, after the manner of the Jews, only with the difference of
the day.[9]
As a religious rest, the Sabbath is but partially observed with
Mussulmauns. The Soonies, I have remarked, pay much more attention to its
institutions than the Sheahs; but with either sect, the day is less
strictly kept, than might have been expected from people who really seem
to make religion their study, and the great business of their lives. Both
sects have extra prayers for the day besides the usual Namaaz, which, the
religious people perform with, great punctuality, whether they carry their
devotions to the mosque, or offer their prayers in due form in their own
abode. On the Sabbath they make it a point to bathe and change their
apparel; the public offices are closed, and the shops partially shut until
mid-day; the rulers,--as Kings or Nuwaubs,--distinguish the day by not
receiving their courtiers and the public visitors, as on other days.
Charitable donations are likewise more bountifully dispensed from the rich
to the poor on Friday.
These observances serve to convince us that they believe in the
constituted Sabbath; still there is not that strict respect for the holy
day which could satisfy the scrupulous feelings of a Christian; the
servants are quite as much employed on Friday as on any other day;--the
dhurzie[10] (tailor), dhobhie[11] (washerman), and indeed the whole
establishment of servants and slaves, male and female, find their work
undiminished on the Sabbath. The ladies amuse themselves with cards or
dice, the singing women even are quite as much in request as on other days;
and all the amusements of life are indulged in without once seeming to
suspect that they are disobeying the law of God, or infringing on their
actual duties. Indeed, I believe they would keep the day strictly, if they
thought doing so was a necessary duty: but I have often observed, that as
Friday is one of their 'fortunate days', works of any importance are
commenced on this day;--whether it be building a house,--planting a garden
or field,--writing a book,--negotiating a marriage,--going a
journey,--making a garment, or any other business of this life which they
wish should prosper. With them, therefore, the day of rest is made one of
the busiest in the calendar; but I must do them the justice to say, that
they believe their hearts are more pure after the ablutions and prayers
have been performed. And that as nothing, however trifling or important,
according to their praiseworthy ideas, should ever be commenced without
being first dedicated to God,--from whose mercy they implore aid and
blessings on the labour of their hands,--they set apart Friday for
commencing whatever business they are anxious should prosper. This was the
excuse made by the pious Meer Hadjee Shaah.
Mahumud's biographers notice in many instances the strict observance of
the Sabbath, at the period in which he flourished; they also say he
selected Friday to be observed as the Mussulmaun Sabbath in distinction
from the Jews, who it would seem were jealous of Mahumud's teaching, and
annoyed both him and his followers in every way they could possibly devise.
And the Khoraun commentators, on the subject of Mahumud's mission, declare,
when speaking of the place to which the Mussulmaun bow in prayer, 'That
when Mahumud first commenced his task of teaching the ignorant Arabians to
forsake their idol worship, and to turn to the only true God, he was often
reviled and insulted by the Jews; who even ridiculed the presumption of
the Mussulmauns in daring to bow down, in their worship, towards Jerusalem,
in the same direction with them. Mahumud was sadly perplexed whether to
abstain or continue the practice, as he was unwilling to offend the Jews:
in this trial he was visited by the angel Gabriel, who brought the
following command to him from God:--
'Turn from Jerusalem; and when thou bowest down to Me, face that Holy
House of Abraham, the place of sacrifice: that shall be thy Kiblaah, O
Mahumud.'
Kiblaah is the point to which men bow in worship.[12] Kaabah is the 'Holy
House' where Abraham's sacrifice was offered. Mecca is the city or tract
of country surrounding the house.
Thus they will say: 'I am making my pilgrimage to Mecca, to visit the
Kaabah, which in my Namaaz, has been my Kiblaah when worshipping my God.'
A Commentator on the Khoraun writes, in allusion to the prevailing
worldly-minded men of his day, the following expressive definition of the
objects most worshipped by them, and concludes with the one only Kiblaah
deserving men's attention.
'The Sovereign's Kiblaah is His well-ornamented crown.'
'The Sensualist's Kiblaah, The gratification of his appetites.'
'The Lover's Kiblaah, The mistress of his heart.'
'The Miser's Kiblaah, His hoards of gold and silver.'
'The Ambitious Man's Kiblaah, This world's honours and possessions.'
'The mere Professor's Kiblaah, The arch of the Holy House.'