The star of Pascagoula. [volume] (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1873-1878, 1877-06-22
MAH0MET'S FAITH.


Origin, Growth aud Spread of Nobnnme
danism.
The probability that Mohammedar
nations will come to the support of Tur
key in case the sultan makes the appeal
by unIurling the flag of the prophet
makes the relations that these nations
sustain to Christian nations, and the
Characteristic or special features of the
M~ohammedan religion, questions of pres,
ent and vital interest. The people at
large have always held vague notions as
to the real character of Mohammed, the
founder of lslamism, and have hesitated
to admit that the religion was anything
more than idolatry, or hat the Moslems
were ever more than an ignorant and
superstitious people. In both cases the
opposite is true. Mohammedanism has
always been the inveterate foe of idola-
try, and Moslem learning and art had at
one time great influence in Europe.
Mohammed, Mahomet, the founder of
the Mussulman religion, was born in
Mecca, Arabia, November 10, $40, and
died at Medina, June s, G32. His family
belonged 10 the distinguished tribe of
KOreish, who claimed to be directly de-
scended from Abraham by his son lsh.
mael. Before he was twelve years old
the boy Mohammed made journeys
through Syria and other countries and
became acquainted with Christian monks.
He also travelled extensively in Arabia.
At the age of twenty-five he married,
and for ten years he lived a quiet, com-
%monplace life.
When thirty-fve or forty years of age,
Mouammed gave himself up to religious
contemplation. He was in the habit of
retiring to a cave OF Mt Hare, and there
amid spaslnOdic commissions he had, ac-
cOrding to the Mohammedan story, his
first vision. The angel Gabriel appeared
and commanded him to reCite what he
(the angeD said. He was much troubled
about this, and On consultation with an
old Arab, who knew the scriptures of the
Jews and Christians, be was informed
that Good had chosen him 10 be the
prophet of his people" The revelations
from that time to the end of
lis life, were committed to memory by
lis adherents, and after his death col
ected and written down.
His first convert was bis wife. At the
nd OF three years his adherents num-
'ered only forty. When he declared his
mission as the prophet of God his own
ribe outlawed him, and for some years
e was prosecuted. He fled from Mecca
n six hundred and sixty.two (the date
f the Hegira, the beginning of the
Ioslem era to Medina, and established
is religion.
In the succeeding years he returned to
lecca, overcame the Koreishites, and
acknowledged as sovereign and
and in a lew years subjected
.rabia to his rule. In the ninth year of
he Hegira he proclaimed his first holy
ar against the Byzantine or Greek en- :
ire, This was a complete failure. The :
ext year he made his celebrated pill :
to Mecca, at the head of forty I
lousand pilgrims. Three months after
IS return to Medina he was taken seri- :
lsly i'll. He announced his own death 4,
the mosque, and prayed that God !
light support him in the agony of death,
left only one child, Fatima, who be- !
me the wife of Ali. ',
lNUultnln VI hIDSltnl llUtIdlufG CDUtGtb -
at Mohammed was a man of great ,
'wCr. He was acquainted with the =
ctrines of both Jews and Christians, ~
It in his lectures to his followers misre. y
escnted both. His visions were re. Z
wed in a state similar to that made so q
niliar by clairvoyants and spiritualists. :,
Ie spasmOdic commissions which at a.
lded every manifestation of revelation, ~
described in the records were very I'd
lilar to the phenomena connected with
irvoyant speaking, etc. He an
Inced himself as the restorer of the
religion revealed by God to Abra- al
n. He required Pagans to leave their m
Is and worship the one true God; an
uired Jews to exchange the law of 3
SEES for what he claimed was the new pc
final revelation given to him, and so
uired Christians to cease worshipping pc
as God, claiming that this was on
Onsistent with the doctrine taught BY ca
rist himself. Many trace the religion 7
Mohammed to the forms of Judaism lul
Christianity existing in Arabia at yo
time, which he intermingled with the agj
iitions and allegories of his race. Luz
he fundamental doctrine of the ex,
ran, or of Mohammedanism, is this we
here is but one God, and Mohammed yol
IS Prophet" This idea of God does oul
differ in matter of points from that 00C
l by Christians, except that they pos
ct entirely the doctrine ofthe Trinity. to-
Mohammedans believe that Adam, of ,
III, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mo. Eat
lmed were divinely commissioned to tub
new laws and dispensations viii
TO the prophets were revealed certain tile
inspired by God, that all those gat,
2 persisted except the Pentateuch, bod
Psalms, the Gospel and the Koran; dra.
the first three have been fa~lsifed
mutilated, and that the Koran l.
'rsedes them all. They regard Christ see
to Mehammed, but deny that he shol
the son of God, and that he was and
flied, believing hat some other per- why
suffered in his place, while he was did
D up to Ged. They believe in the fear
coming of Christ, as heralding the deri