questions that give a shadow of right to inimical critics of Islam)
once cut, Islam will appear to be what it really is: a religion
essentially in conformity with the most modern needs and ideas, so
much so that an Englishman, Oswald Wirth, was able to write: 'I
discovered, one fine day, that I was a Mussulman, without knowing it,
like Monsieur Jourdain with his prose.' In like fashion, Goethe, after
having studied the principles of the Qur'an, declared: 'If that is
Islam, do we not all live in Islam?'
Very soon, no one will venture to give credence to the childish
legends perpetuated since the Crusades, and Islam will at last claim
to take its place in the van of modern civilisation....
We were writing the concluding lines when suddenly the most formidable
conflict ever know in history broke out in Europe, and thousands of
Moslem soldiers, descendants of the warriors of Poitiers, immediately
invaded the whole of France.
This time, they came not as conquerors, but as friends; as
brothers-in-arms, summoned by the Allies to take part in this gigantic
struggle on which depends the fate of civilisation. Their traditional
heroism has been admired by all. The French soil is riddled by
thousands of their graves, thereby they have implanted Islam for ever
in the heart of Europe, in the most glorious way; and a strong
contingent of the Prophet's disciples is now in European territory.
After such services rendered, it will be churlish to refuse them the
freedom of the city, so to speak, that we have already claimed on
their behalf. We go further and ask if it is admissible to think that
their example, dealing the last blow at the imputations of the past,
may give some Europeans food for fresh reflexion?
Undeceived by the failure of integral rationalism, many anxious minds
seek new paths. "The modern system of intuition, towards which they
hurry, following Bergson, its celebrated defender, represents decided
reaction against rationalism, or to be more exact, against the
powerlessness of rationalism....
"In the hearts of men hungering after faith, this eminent thinker has
caused the aspirations they seem to have lost definitively to be born
anew. He allows them to hope for the survival of the soul; he tells
them that this world is not a great mass of machinery driven by blind
forces and that intelligence is not the only formula of our senses....
"In affirming all this, the illustrious philosopher is perhaps
confining himself to the task of reviving ancient illusions; but he
has awakened them so that we may hear; and at a moment when they may
serve to prepare the elements of a new religion, needed by many men."
(_La Vie des Vérités_, by Dr. Gustave Le Bon.)
Such a movement is irresistible, especially after the sanguinary
ordeals we have undergone. We are therefore about to witness the
efforts of new and old religions, trying to monopolize these
manifestations and turn them to account. Rationalism, however,
although defeated, has nevertheless been fruitful, and it will oppose
an insuperable barrier to the dogmas that run counter to reason much
too violently.
On the other hand, must not mystic, pathetic and poetical aspirations
be reckoned with? Are they not the essential final causes of all
religions? To sum up, are not the most needful conditions of a modern
religion those of advanced Protestantism: "Unitarism," clothed in a
glorious cloak of poetry?
Islam, freed from all the dross which it accumulated in its course,
has precisely these conditions, and already small communities of
European converts to Islam have been founded in England and America.
One of them, having Mr. Quilliam at his head, exists for several years
past at Liverpool, and is remarkable for the fact that the majority of
its proselytes belong to the weaker sex.
The conversion of Lord Headley, an English peer, followed by that of
other well-known leading Londoners, created a great sensation. The
Mussulman commonwealth, founded by this eminent man, publishes a
monthly magazine, "The Islamic Review," from which we take the
following significant passage:
"Why have Englishmen and other Europeans become Mussulmans? In the
first place, because they sought for some simple, logical, essentially
practical creed; (for we English flatter ourselves that we are the
most practical people under the sun) a creed fitting in with the
conditions, customs, and occupations of every people; a divine, true
creed, where the Creator and Man are face to face, without any
intermediary." (Sheldrake.)
That is what practical minds have found in Islam which, having no
sacrements or worship of saints, needs no priest and could, at a
pinch, do without a temple. As Allah's presence fills the universe, is
not the whole of the earth one immense Mosque?
Moreover, several modern desists, generally finding it difficult to
express the aspiration of their souls, will find in the pure deism of
true Islam, the most admirable ritual movements and words of prayer
that an artistic mind could dream of. In short, for more than one,
'Islam realises the maximum of altruism with a minimum of
metaphysics.' (Christian Cherfils.)
Other isolated conversions have taken place in France and in different
countries of Europe, Africa and Asia. Perhaps, in this way, we may
witness the realisation of this "Hadis" of the Prophet: 'Assuredly
Allah will make this religion (Islam) all-powerful by means of men who
were strangers thereto!' of the principal characteristic of Islam is
that it is wonderfully fitted to all races of creation. Among his
first disciples, Mohammad counted not only Arabs of the most different
tribes, but also Persians, such as Salman al-Farsi; Christians, such
as Waraqa; Abyssinians, such as Bilal; Jews, such as Mukhayriq,
Abdullah ibn Sallam, etc. As it is said in the Qur'an: "_We have not
sent thee otherwise than to mankind at large._" (XXXIV, 27.)
Even during Mohammad's life, and in the very beginning, his doctrine
asserted its stamp of universality. If suitable to all races, it is
equally suitable to all intellects and to all degrees of civilisation.
Of supreme simplicity, as in Mu'tazilitcism; desperately esoteric, as
in Sufiism, bringing guidance and consolation to the European
"savant"--leaving thought absolutely free and untrammelled--as well as
to the negro of the Soudan, thereby delivered from the superstition of
his fetishism. It exalts the soul of a practical English merchant, for
whom 'time is money,' quite as much as that of a mystical philosopher;
of a contemplative Oriental; or of a man of the West loving art and
poetry. It will even allure a modern medical man, by the logic of its
repeated ablutions and the rhythm of its bowing and prostration, just
as salutary for physical well-being as for the health of the soul
itself.
It is therefore not too foolhardy to think that when the fearful storm
has passed and the respect due to all nationalities, as well as to all
religions, shall have been enforced, Islam will be able to look upon a
future brimming with real hope.
Thanks to the great share it has taken in the events causing the
upheaval of European civilisation, it has entered therein and will
appear at last in its true light. The different nations will vie with
each other in seeking to be allied to it, for they will have put its
value to the test and have recognised the inexhaustible resources it
possesses.
The disciples of the Prophet, awakened from their momentary lethargy,
will take their brilliant place in the world.
--"Insha'llah!"--If Allah be willing!
[Illustration: (Calligraphy) _Allah will perhaps establish goodwill
between yourselves and those of them with whom ye are at enmity, and
Allah is Powerful: and Allah is Gracious, Merciful._]
_This book was finished at Bou-Sâada, on the Twenty-seventh day of the
month of Ramadhan; in the Year 1334 of the Hegira--the 28th of July,
A.D. 1916._
_O Allah! be indulgent towards its authors; excuse the extravagant
audacity that urged them on in their hope of doing good, to affront
such a vast subject, despite the scantiness of their knowledge._
_O Thou, the Omniscient! pardon them the errors which, through
ignorance, they may have committed in such a sublime history as that
of Thy Messenger, Our Lord Mohammad, the Seal of the Prophets._
_May Allah pour out for him His Blessings and His Favours!_
_Likewise on his Relatives,_
_And on his Companions!_
_Amin._
Étienne DINET.
Sliman ben IBRAHIM.
[Illustration: _A traditional old Scribe of the Desert._ Calligraphy:
_One's pen should be ennobled; that is, by treating of worthy
matters._]
THE
BOOK
WAS FINISHED
IN THE YEAR 1335
OF THE
HEGIRA
[Illustration: MAP OF THE HIJAZ AND THE ROAD TO SYRIA]
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Fearing to enlarge this work too much, we prefer to publish the notes,
which we deem necessary for its justification, under the title:
"L'Orient vu de l'Occident," (The East Seen from the West), forming a
pamphlet to be issued later on.
Nevertheless, we give as follows a list of those works which we have
specially consulted.
WORKS IN ARABIC
"Al-Qur'an wa huwa'l-Huda wa'l-Furqan."--"Tafsir Anwaru't Tanzil wa
Asraru't Tawil," by Al-Baydawi, (Commonly referred to as "The
Commentary of Al-Baydawi.")--"Tafsiru'l Qur'ani'l Karim," by the
Shaykh Mohammad Abduh. ("The Commentary of the Shaykh Mohammad
Abduh.")--"Siratu'n-Rasul," by Ibn Hisham. (Ibn Hisham's "Life of the
Prophet.")--"Kitabu't Tabaqat," by Ibn Sad. (The "Tabaqat" of Ibn
Sad.)--"Insanu'l-'Uyun fi sirati'l-Amiri'l-Mamun," by Ali ibn
Burhanu'd-Dini'l-Halabi.--"Nuru'l yaqin fi sirati Sayyidi'l-Marsulin,"
by Mohammad Al-Khudri.--"Kitabu's-Sahih," by Al-Bukhari. (The "Sahih"
of Al-Bukhari.)--"Rihlat," by Abi'l Husayn ibn Jubayr. (The "Travels
of Ibn Jubayr.")--"Ar-Rihlatu'l Hijaziyya," by Mohammad
Al-Batanuni.--"Al-Bourdate," by the Shaykh Al-Busiri. (The "Burda," or
"Mantle Poem of Al-Busiri.")--"Ummu'l Qura," by Al-Kawakibi.
ISLAMIC WORKS, IN ENGLISH
"The spirit of Islam", by Ameer Ali Syied.--"Islamic Review," edited
by Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din, B.A., L.L.B.
WORKS IN FRENCH, OR TRANSLATED INTO FRENCH
Le Coran, traduction de Savary.--Le Coran, traduction de
Kasimirski.--Le Coran, analysé par J. La Baume.--Le Coran, sa poésie,
ses lois, par Stanley Lane Pole.--L'Esprit libéral du Coran, par
Benâttar, El Hadi Sebâï et Abdelâziz Ettsalbi.--Encyclopédie de
l'Islam, dirigée par le Professeur Houtsma.--Les Traditions islamiques
d'El Bokhari, traduction de Houdas.--L'Islam, par le Comte Henry de
Castries.--L'Islamisme, par Houdas.--"Oumm el Quora", (la mère des
Cités) de El Kaouakibi, compte-rendu littéral, d'après la version
d'Omar Bouderba, par Christian Cherfils (en préparation).--L'Islamisme
au point de vue social, textes d'Auguste Comte, publiés par Christian
Cherfils.--Bonaparte et l'Islam, par Christian Cherfils.--Vie de
Mahomet, par J. Gagnier.--Essai sur l'histoire des Arabes, par
Caussin de Perceval.--Histoire des Arabes, de Sédillot.--Histoire
des Arabes, de Huart.--"La Civilisation des Arabes", par le Dr.
Gustave Le Bon.--Essai sur l'histoire de l'Islamisme, par
Dozy.--Histoire des Musulmans d'Espagne, par Dozy.--Le présent de
l'homme lettre, pour réfuter les partisans de la Croix, par Abd
Allah Le Drogman.--De l'état présent et de l'avenir de l'Islam,
par E. Montet.--Les Héros (Mahomet, le héros comme Prophète),
par Carlyle.--Averrhoës et l'Averrhoïsme, par E. Renan.--Les
Musulmans français de l'Afrique du Nord, par Ismaïl Hamet.--Les
vieux Arabes, par P. Radiot.--Voyage en Arabie, par Hubert.--Mon
voyage à la Mecque, par G. Courtellement.--"Mohammed et la fin du
Monde", par P. Casanova.--L'enseignement de l'Arabe au Collège de
France, par P. Casanova.--Revue du Monde Musulman, dirigée par A. Le
Chatelier.--"L'Orient vu de l'Occident", par E. Dinet et Sliman ben
Ibrahim.
TRANSLATION OF THE ARABIC CALLIGRAPHY
TITLE: _There is no God but Allah, and Mohammad is the Prophet of
Allah._
CHAPTER THE FIRST.
Opening: _In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful._
Closing: _Then when ye have ended the prayer, make mention of Allah,
standing, and sitting, and reclining._ (THE QUR'AN, IV, 104.)
CHAPTER THE SECOND.
Opening: _Have We not opened thy breast for thee? * And taken off from
thee thy burden?_ (THE QUR'AN, XCIV, 1-2.)
Closing: _And provide for your journey; but the best provision is the
fear of Allah._ (THE QUR'AN, II, 193.)
CHAPTER THE THIRD.
Opening: _Verily, we have caused It (the Qur'an) to descend on the
night of Power._ (THE QUR'AN, XCVII, 1.)
Closing: _O thou enwrapped in thy mantle! * Arise and warn! * And thy
Lord--magnify Him!_ (THE QUR'AN, LXXIV, 1-3.)
CHAPTER THE FOURTH.
Opening: _Ye shall assuredly be tried in your possessions and in
yourselves._ (THE QUR'AN, III, 183.)
Closing: _And before them have We set a barrier and behind them a
barrier, and We have shrouded them in a veil, so that they shall not
see._ (THE QUR'AN, XXXVI, 8.)
CHAPTER THE FIFTH.
Opening: _And fight for the cause of Allah against those who fight
against you._ (THE QUR'AN, II, 186.)
Closing: _Believers! when ye confront a troop, stand firm and make
frequent mention of the name of Allah; haply it shall fare well with
you._ (THE QUR'AN, VIII, 47.)
CHAPTER THE SIXTH.
Opening: _And be not faint-hearted, and be not sorrowful; For ye shall
gain the upper hand if ye be believers._ (THE QUR'AN, III, 133.)
Closing: _Nay rather Allah is your liege lord, and He is the best of
helpers._ (THE QUR'AN, III, 143.)
CHAPTER THE SEVENTH.
Opening: _Verily, We have won for thee an undoubted victory._ (THE
QUR'AN, XLVIII, 1.)
Closing: _Now hath Allah helped you in many battle-fields, and, on the
day of Hunain, when ye prided yourselves on your numbers; but it
availed you nothing._ (THE QUR'AN, IX, 25.)
CHAPTER THE EIGHTH.
Opening: _Accomplish the Pilgrimage and the Visitation of the Holy
Places in honour of Allah._ (THE QUR'AN, II, 192.)
Closing: _Say: Go through the earth, and see how He hath brought forth
created beings._ (THE QUR'AN, xxix, 19.)
CHAPTER THE NINTH.
Opening: _Thou truly art mortal, O Mohammad, and they truly are
mortals._ (THE QUR'AN, XXXIX, 31.)
Closing: _Mohammad is no more than an apostle; other apostles have
already passed away before him; if then he die, or be slain, will ye
turn upon your heels?_ (THE QUR'AN, III, 138.)
PORTRAIT OF THE PROPHET.
Opening: _O my supreme Master, lavish thy Blessings and thy Favours
for ever and ever on Thy Friend (Mohammad), the best of all created
beings._ (Al-Bourdate. Poem by the Shaykh Al-Busiri, in honour of the
Prophet.)
Closing: _There is no God but Allah, and Mohammad is the Prophet of
Allah._
CHAPTER THE TENTH.
Opening: _Say: O my people! Act as ye best can: I verily will act my
part, and hereafter shall ye know!_ (THE QUR'AN, VI, 135.)
Closing: _Allah will perhaps establish goodwill between yourselves and
those of them with whom ye are at enmity, and Allah is Powerful: and
Allah is Gracious, Merciful._ (THE QUR'AN, LX, 7.)
FINAL ENGRAVING: _One's pen should be ennobled; that is, by treating
of worthy matters._
COVER: _Upon him, Mohammad, Salvation._
SEAL: Mohammad's Seal. [Transcriber's note: seal not found.]
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
FRONTISPIECE.--Ornamental page
CHAPTER THE FIRST.--Ornamental page
Praying round the Sacred Temple of the Ka'bah of Makkah
CHAPTER THE SECOND.--Ornamental page
The Night of the "Maulid," the Prophet's Birthday. Moslems
leaving a village Mosque.
SCENES OF THE BADYA, OR NOMADIC LIFE.
--Watching over camels grazing
--The Flocks
CHAPTER THE THIRD.--Ornamental page
"At Takbir," or the Glorification
SCENES OF THE BADYA, OR NOMADIC LIFE.
--The Encampment
Moslem woman praying on the terrace-roof of her dwelling
CHAPTER THE FOURTH.--Ornamental page
"Ar Ruku," or the Inclination
The Friday Visit of Moslems to the Cemetery
SCENES OF THE BADYA, OR NOMADIC LIFE.
--The Departure
CHAPTER THE FIFTH.--Ornamental page
Interior of a Mosque. "Al Mihrab," the niche marking the
direction of Makkah
The Mu'azzin's Call
Believers perceiving the New Moon of the Month of Ramadhan
CHAPTER THE SIXTH.--Ornamental page
"As Sidjah," or Prostration
Setting out for the "Jihad," or Holy War
"Al Fitr," the Prayer on the breaking of the Ramadhan fast
CHAPTER THE SEVENTH.--Ornamental page
An Arab horseman of the Desert
"Among all trees, one is blessed like the Mussulman; 'tis
the Palm," said the Prophet
Bird's-eye view of Makkah, the Most Sacred City, as seen
from the Jabal Abi-Qubais
CHAPTER THE EIGHTH.--Ornamental page
"Ad Dawah," or the Invocation
The Pilgrims of Mount Arafa, on the Ninth day of the Month
of Zu'l Hijjah
CHAPTER THE NINTH.--Ornamental page
Al-Madinah, the city of the Prophet.
The Dome of Mohammad's Tomb
PORTRAIT OF THE PROPHET.--Imam leading the Prayer
CHAPTER THE TENTH.--Ornamental page
A writing lesson at a village school devoted to the teaching
of the Qur'an
Theological Students in the courtyard of Al-Azhar, the great
Cairo Moslem University
Tombs of the Kaliphs. Under their rule, Moslem civilisation
enlightened the world
A traditional old scribe of the Desert
Final ornamental page
INDEX
PREFACE
CHAPTER THE FIRST.--The Moslem Prayer.--Description of Makkah.
--The Temple of the Ka'bah and the Black Stone.--The Marriage
of Abdullah, Father of the Prophet.
CHAPTER THE SECOND.--The Birth of Mohammad.--Mohammad's
Childhood with the Banu Sad Tribe in their Badya-Land.--Mohammad
and the two Angels.--Aminah's Death.--Mohammad's first Journey
to Syria.--How Mohammad met the Monk Bahira.--The second Syrian
voyage.--The Marriage of Mohammad and Khadijah.--How the Temple
of the Ka'bah was rebuilt.
CHAPTER THE THIRD.--Desert Retirement.--The Revelation.--The
First Moslems.--The Announcement of the Hour.--The First
Hostilities.--The Incident of the Blind Man.--How Hamzah was
converted.--Utbah's proposals.--The Miracle of the Qur'an.--How
it was forbidden to listen to the Qur'an.
CHAPTER THE FOURTH.--Persecution.--The Emigration to
Abyssinia.--The Conversion of Umar, son of Al Khattab.--The
Exile of the Banu Hasham.--The Decree of Expulsion destroyed
by a Worm.--The Death of Abu Talib and Khadijah.--The Journey
to Taif.--The Nocturnal Journey and Ascension.--How six
Inhabitants of Yasrib were converted.--The two Oaths of the
Aqabah.--The Plot against the Prophet.
CHAPTER THE FIFTH.--The Hegira, or the Migration of the Prophet
to Al-Madinah.--Suraqa's Mishap.--The Prophet's Arrival at Quba.
--The Era of the Hegira.--Arrival of the Prophet at Yasrib.
--How the Mosque of Al-Madinah was built.--The Qiblah of Makkah.
--Institution of the Azan, or Call of the Mu'azzin.--The Fast of
Ramadhan.--Property bestowed in Alms, and the prohibition of
fermented liquors.--Ayishah in the House of the Prophet.
--Hostility of the Jews and the Munafiqun.--Al-Jihad (the Holy
War), and how it was instituted.--The Gazwah of Badr.--The
Sojourn at Badr and the Return to Al-Madinah.
CHAPTER THE SIXTH.--Ali's Marriage.--The Prophet's Marriage
with Hafsah and Ummu'l Masakin.--The Battle of Uhud.--The
Marriage of Mohammad and Zainab.--The Ghazwah, or Expedition
of Zat-ir-Riqua.--The Ghazwah, or Expedition of the Banu
Mustaliq.--The Tayammum, or the Ceremony of Ablution performed
with Sand.--The Battle of the Ditch.--The Treaty of Al-Hudaibiyah.
CHAPTER THE SEVENTH.--Expedition against the Qaynuqa Jews.
--Expedition against the Jews of the Banu Nadir.--Expedition
against the Jews of the Banu Quraizah.--Expedition against the
Jews of Khaibar.--Importance of Horse-breeding according to
the Prophet.--The Poisoned Lamb.--Amratu'l-Qada, or the Pious
Visitation.--The Prophet sends Ambassadors to the Principal
Monarchs of the World.--The Expedition of Mutah.--The Taking
of Makkah.--Entry of the Prophet into Makkah.--The Prophet at
Safa.--Ghazwah, or Expedition of Hunain.
CHAPTER THE EIGHTH.--Ayishah slandered.--The Birth and Death of
Ibrahim.--Ghazwah, or expedition of Tabuk.--The Thamud Country.
--Arrival and Sojourn of the Prophet at Tabuk. The Prophet goes
back to Al-Madinah.--The Valedictory Pilgrimage.
CHAPTER THE NINTH.--- Illness and Death of the Prophet.--Abu-Bakr
elected.--The Prophet's Burial.
THE PROPHETS PORTRAIT.
CHAPTER THE TENTH.--The March of Islam.--Influence of Moslem
Civilisation in Europe during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
--The Future of Islam.--Conclusion.
MAP OF THE HIJAZ AND THE ROAD TO SYRIA.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
INDEX OF THE ARABIC CALLIGRAPHY.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
THIS BOOK
WAS ISSUED
FROM THE PRESS
ON THE THIRTIETH
OF AUGUST 1918
FOR THE PARIS
BOOK CLUB
* * * * *
Transcriber's Notes:
The original text does not include in-line translations of
the calligraphy that opens and closes each chapter. Here,
translations have been added to calligraphy as captions and
also appear in the original Translation of Arabic Calligraphy
index. 'Opening:' and 'Closing:' tags have been added to that
list.
There appear to be some discrepancies in the Year of
the Hegira, particularly in the sidenotes. Year of the
Hegira=622, Year I=623, Year II=624, etc.
Inconsistencies in spelling of Arabic names: Variations in
use of vowels, word endings, transliteration and internal
punctuation have been left as printed. Examples: Husain v.
Husayn, Habiba v. Habibah, Al Bagi v. Al Baqi, Muazzin v.
Mu'azzin. Variations that could be validated as typographical
errors have been corrected. Examples: Zeinah to Zeinab,
Zamzan to Zamzam, Al-Rahmah to Al-Rahman.
Obvious typographical errors in English and French have been
repaired.