RELIGION.
Five hundred and sixty-nine years after Christ, Mohammed the prophet
was born at Mecca, where his immediate ancestors had for many years
enjoyed a sort of regal and priestly authority over the Caaba or Temple
of the Arabians, which, for at least seven hundred years, had been the
shrine of adoration for the worshippers of the sun, moon, and stars.
His family was considered the most illustrious, among the tribes of
the Arabs, so that he was born to distinction.
The early loss of his parents left him an orphan, under the care of
his uncle Abu-Taleb, who paid little attention to his nephew.
At the early age of twelve years, he was initiated into the mysteries
of Eastern commerce, as he journeyed with his uncle through Syria,
to Bassora and Damascus. But the contemplative mind of this youth,
destined to become the Prophet of his country, gathered into its
fructifying soil the tenets of the religious faith of the Christians,
which were more congenial to his spirit than the idolatries of his
own people.
The Arabs too, were anticipating the birth of a Messiah of their own,
who was to descend from the sacred guardians of the Caaba; so that
circumstances seemed to point out to the precocious youth, this road
to greatness.
Well born, of insinuating manners and graceful address, noble and
majestic in appearance, Mohammed became the object of affection to
the wealthy widow Khatijeh, who married him, and thus riches were
added to his facilities.
The great crowd of pilgrims who assembled in Mecca, afforded the
Prophet constant occasions for the discussion of various systems of
religious faith, until Mohammed resolved to announce himself as the
completion of the revelation of God to the Jews and Christians--the
predicted by Moses and Christ, who coming after them, should be the
greatest of all the prophets.
To the idolatrous Arabs he proclaimed one God, omnipotent and
imperishable; to the Christians he revived the unity of their Maker,
and recalled to the Jews the Jehovah, whose worship they had so
corrupted.
The confusion of the Asiatic states, rent with wars, tumults and
heresies, wonderfully favored the spread of Mohammedanism, even beyond
the warmest anticipations of the Prophet.
Arming himself with the sword, and promising the joys of paradise to
every soldier of the Crescent who should die on the battle-field,
he led on this wonderful prodigy of a religious faith, conquering
and to conquer.
At this day there are no less than 200,550,000 Mahommedans! The Koran,
or the written, is the compendium of the faith, practice and civil laws
of Mussulmans, ingeniously compiled by their great Arabian Prophet, and
is styled by the Faithful, The Light of God, Sole Guide to Paradise,
Divine Director to Heavenly Glories, and in common parlance, The
Eternal Word--Kelamu-Kadim. They acknowledge the divine origin of
the Pentateuch, the Psalms of David, and the four Gospels, and upon
these books, with the Koran, their oaths are taken.
The Koran declares, "Verily the true religion in the sight of God
is Islam," which is the proper name of the Mohammedan faith, and it
signifies resignation or submission to the service and commands of
God. It consists of two principles, Iman, or Faith, and Din, Religion
or Practice.
IMAN OR FAITH.
The great article of Faith is called Salavat, and is expressed in
these words:
"La-Illah, Ill-Allah, Mohammed Ressoul-Ullah." There is no God,
but God, and Mohammed is the Apostle of God.
They deny the doctrine of the Trinity, although they acknowledge the
attributes of God, his greatness, goodness, justice, omnipresence,
omniscience, and incomprehensibility. Christ is acknowledged to have
been a prophet greater than Moses, but inferior to Mohammed. He is
styled the Word of God, Kelam-Ullah, in their writings, supposed
to have been miraculously conceived by the Virgin Mary, but not of
divine origin. The crucifixion they regard as inconsistent with the
justice of God; to yield up so mighty a prophet, endowed with power to
work miracles, and raise the dead, a victim to the unbelieving Jews,
they deem incompatible with divine supremacy, and even say, that when
Christ was led out to die, he was, invisibly to his persecutors,
transported into heaven, Judas the betrayer being substituted
in his stead. No terrors of eternal punishment in a future state
distract the unfaithful Moslems, all of whom will, in due time,
expiate their offences and be admitted to happiness. Two angels
are supposed to attend them through life and in death. One white,
glorious and commiserate; the other black, severe, and cruel.
There will also be a last judgment, when a tremendous trumpet will
shake the earth to atoms. God will judge all men. Moses, Christ,
and Mohammed, will appear at the head of their respective followers,
as intercessors. And Cain will lead the immense multitude of the
damned, who are doomed to suffer till their sins are cancelled,
when they will take their seats in Paradise; while Hell, the Devil,
and his wicked angels, will be suddenly annihilated.
A narrow bridge, fine as a hair, called Surat, lies over the region
of the damned. The righteous, upheld by their guardian angels, pass
over safely; while the guilty fall down into awful flames and torture,
doomed to quaff nothing but "boiling water, until their bowels burst."
Paradise is above the seventh heaven, near the throne of God. A vast
and beautiful region, with palaces of gold and gardens of perpetual
delight, in the midst of which is the tree of happiness, Tuba,
whose roots are in the palace of the Prophet, but whose branches,
loaded with luscious fruits and all kinds of meats prepared for food,
silken robes and caparisoned steeds, will extend to the dwelling of
every true believer. Softly murmuring fountains, cooling shades and
grottoes, mountains of sparkling diamonds, and golden trees, will
adorn the gardens of delight, while the ravishing houris of these
enchanting regions, will be blessed with perpetual youth and virginity.
The most insignificant of the Faithful will have a retinue of
80,000 servants and 72 wives, of the sweetly odoriferous damsels,
created of pure musk, in addition to the companions of his earthly
sojourn. Delicious streams of wine, milk, and honey, will flow on
perpetually; balmy zephyrs will pervade the atmosphere; the very
physical excretions of the true believers will be but odoriferous
exhalations.
While the senses are thus ravished with delights, the most excelling
of all their beatific visions will be the presence of Allah, which
is beyond the power of language to describe.
Fatalism is a characteristic item in the Mohammedan creed.
They believe that whatever happens is pre-ordained by the Omniscient,
which article of faith is designated Kader or predestination. But the
doctrine of "free-agency" the Iradeyi-Jüseeyé or the "lesser will,"
is also in their creed. Hence every one is bound to exert himself to
his utmost; and it is only when he fails, that he resigns himself
calmly and philosophically to his disappointment, saying kader,
or it is my fate.
The following legend may perhaps serve to illustrate the spirit of
Oriental Fatalism:
Half-way across the Bosphorus, and between Seraglio Point and Scutari,
in Asia, is the renowned Kiz-Koulessi, or the Maiden's Tower. It
was predicted that the beautiful daughter of a certain sultan would
meet with an early death, from the bite of a serpent. Contrary to
prediction, her father hoped to avert her fate, by placing her in a
situation inaccessible to those reptiles. As he revolved the subject
in his mind, from the windows of the Seraglio, his eye rested on
the rock in the stream, where he immediately ordered a tower to be
erected, and thither the unhappy princess was conveyed and immured
in her island home.
But who can resist the decrees of Fate?
Bin djahd etsen na-muradé
Olmaz moukadderden ziyadé.
You may do your utmost,
But you cannot conquer Fate.
Scutari, fruitful in vineyards, and far-famed for its delicious grapes,
was destined to furnish the venom, which poisoned the crimson tide in
the veins of the beautiful sultana; for a basket of Scutari grapes
concealed the viper, which was the instrument in the hand of Fate,
and the fulfillment of the prophecy.
It is, doubtless, in the recollection of many of the citizens of New
York, that a short time ago an individual passing by Wallack's Theatre
was suddenly killed by the falling of the flag-staff from the top of
the building. This sad occurrence was not the result of carelessness
or temerity, but purely accidental; and would also be termed in Turkey
kaza or accident. Yet why the accident should have happened to this
individual more than to any other of the hundreds of persons who
passed the same spot--Mohammedan doctrine would simply answer, "it
was his kader or predestination." To mourn, therefore, for the dead,
or complain against misfortune, would by them be esteemed a grievous
sin, as though censuring the Almighty, without whose knowledge "not
a sparrow falleth to the ground."
It is not Fatalism that makes the Mohammedan indifferent
to casualties, but his exaggerated and misconceived ideas of his
religious obligations; for human imperfectibility is as prominent an
article of their creed as Fatalism, and even induces a disposition to
avoid self-improvement either intellectually or externally. Perfection
being the attribute of the Deity, it is unbecoming in his creatures to
assert, in any form whatever, their capabilities of approximation to
such a condition. While, then, their minds repose in the simplicity of
innate ideas, they even seek imperfection in the investiture of their
bodies. They will rend their garments so as to mar their completeness,
assume an air of general slovenliness, or studiously clip the corner
of a sheet of paper to destroy its regular uniformity.
It is, then, most erroneous to suppose that the doctrine of Fatalism
is so antagonistic to civilization in the East, as it implies
resignation to the Divine will, and by no means impedes active
personal exertion. But in reality it is the seeming propriety of
human imperfection, in contradistinction to the Divine excellence,
which has hitherto maintained a spirit of indifference to progressive
improvement. While an entire submission to the course of events, as
preordained and predestined by the Omniscient, prevents all restless
anxiety, and calms the repinings of the heart-broken and weary,
this more truly fatal and false notion of inferiority, only leaves
the immortal mind in a sort of embryo state, lest, perchance, there
should be any assimilation to the great Supreme Essence, from which
it is but an emanation, or the spark should glow with the brightness
of the fire from which it has been wafted.