Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-12-14
self said that from the two cemeteries

self said that from the two cemeteries
of Mecca 10000 dead will enter into
Paradise without having to render an
account to God, and that each of these
may take with him into Heaven 100000
dead; "their faces shall shine like the
full moon" For months before the
period of the departure of the caravans,
public criers in many Moslem cities call
the people together by sound of drum
twice 81 week, to proclaim the oppor-i
tunity. ''Ihere is but one God and
| Mahomct is his prophet. Now the ear
avan will depart upon tho first day OF
the month of Djoumal-el-Weull. Let
each come with his camels and his mules
and his provisions, and take with him
as much money as possible; for there
viii be naked ones to clothc, and hun
gry ones to feed, and thirsty ones to
whom drink must be given. Take 70
also your weapons with you. Invoke tho
blessing of Allah upon those who are
good to you!-let the ~inhospitable re-
ceive your lead," etc.
All the way strange hymns are chant
ed by the marabouts, the crowd of pill
grims taking up the refrain; and es-
pecial prayers are sung whenever a hill
is reached. Each caravan should con-
tain 10000 pilgrims; but if that num-
Der can not be assembled. 1T is made up
by the angels. When a pilgrim has once
made the two genuf1exions ordained by
law, and proclaimed his intention twice
in a loud voice, he can not again turn
back; he must fulfill the pilgrimage or
die. All must cut their toe-naik
and finger-nails, and depilate
or shave all the body with these excep-
tions; the men may preserve their boards
and that single lock left upon the head
by which every good Mussulman is to
lifted by angels into paradise; and the
women need not cut off their hair. Men
need not sacrifice all their m%ustaches,
but must clip them from the middle of
the upper lip only. According to the
religious law the pilgrims must adopt
the Arabian costume worn in the days
of the Prophet-none may yea any
| sewn garments. and each must wear
| only a g1r6le about his middle on visit
ing the Kaaba. The women must APP
proach the holy place with faces un-
yelled. No pilgrim is allowed upon the
journey to kill any animal, reptile, bird
or insect-except four-mad dogs, rats,
| SCOl PULLS uAo WS-DCCdu Cl0
Prophet did not mention these four in
his conversations. In the same way,
only two kinds of plants may be cut
down on the journey, because these
were excepted by Mahomet on account
of their medicinal virtues. But these
regulations involve much filthiness.
The pilgrim is indeed allowed to take a
flea between his finger and thumb and
deposit it unhurt upon the sand, for
fcas can live in sand, but in regardt to 9TH
er vermin he must not drive them away,
lest they die in the desert. Even If he
wishes to chase away the parasites that
swarm over the hump of his dromedary,
rendering the rider miserable, he must
first make distribution Of aims. The
kissing of the black stone, which has
two eyes and a tongue, and will at the
last day cry out to God the names of all
who have not kissed it; the circuit Of the
Kaaba itself, built where angels pitched
the Tent of God before nan was created,
and whose gracious name signifies tho
rounded smoothness of amaiden's ankle;
the pilgrimage to the well ZEN Fem,
created by God to Stake the thirst Of
Ishmael after Hadjlra (Hagar) had run
| oSfOA lA11CS 1AoIA StlL w NlC1Ouitll, ILL
memory whereof pilgrims do still run
! seven times from one hill to the other;
the casting of twenty-one stones at the
hillock of Diemaralel Askaba (entirely
formed of stones thus thrown) in mem
DRY of the stones thrown by Isaac at the
devil; together with other curious men,
cries it would require a volume to treat
fully. All are performed with the Same
precision as inculcated by Mahomet
himself during his last visit to the holy
city. 1t will be seen that the Meccan
pilgrimage is regarded by all Moslems
as the most sacred of duties. and as
more meritorious in the sight Of God
than aught else-excepting death al
ways "death in the Holy War Eel Die
had) against infdels." Now tho inf
dels are seriously proposing to check
the religious zeal of Islam and establish
quarantine about the Sacred City,
Cor. N. O. Times Democrat.