The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-02-13
MOHAMMED's WRITING.
One OF the Most venerated RELICS
Z of Islam a Forgery
Hntense Excitcmens Pervading the En-
tire Mohammedan World Over
tho Discovery OF tho
sSs q Fraud.

The entire Mohammedan world, not
alone In Turkey, but also in India,
Jayn, central Asia and China, is ut
present IN state of ferment and ex-
citemept, caused by the discovery that
one of the most venerated relics pre-
Eerved here at Stamboul is q forgery,
says Constantinople letter to the New
York Times. The relic in question is Il
letter which has hitherto been regarded
AS being in tho handwriting of the
prophet Mohammed himself. 1t was
discovered by the French oricntalist,
Stephen Barthelemy, some fifty years
ago, In Coptic monastery in Egypt.
1T is . parchment covered with Cutie
writing, and which, after having been
deciphered with great difficulty, was
found to consist of a demand addressed
10y the prophet Mohammed to the gov
ernor or caliph of Egypt, to the effect
that the latter, as well as the Copts,
should become converted to Islamism.
1T had been well known up to the time
OF the discovery of the document that 4
letter of this kind had been addressed
by the prophet to the governor of
Egypt No one, however, dreamed
that the original was stifl in existence,
and all imagined that nothing had re-
manned save copies. The text of the
latter was found by the scientists and
Mohammedan theologians to be identi-
cal with that of the document found by
nj. Barthclcmy, and accordingly the
sultan, yielding to the urgent entreaties
of the Mohammcdans throughout the
world, purchased the parchment for
about 100000 and placed it IN the
holy shrine at the imperial treas
ury of zulchane, along with tho
standard and the coat of the prophet.
Its lack of authenticity has now been
definitely proved to the satisfaction of
the sultan, of the sheil1 ul Islam, and
of the leading NIohammendan divines
and clergy, by the celebrated Austrian
orientalist DIR. Karabacek, who has
been able to show by incontrovertiblc
evidence i'll connection with the seal
and the characters of tho letters that it
was merely one of the copies made
three hundred or four hundred years
ago by one of the ordinary koran copy
lists who abound at Mecca Medina, and
Cairo The result is that the document
has been removed from the golden
shrine containing the other relics of
Mohammed and rclegated to obscurity
and oblivion as spurious The question
(. now arises as to whether the fact that
1t has been allowed to lie on the
prophets coat for nearly half century
has not contaminated and desecrated
the holy garment. The latter was
brought to this city by Sultan Selim l.
in 1919 along with the keys of the cities
of Mecca and Medina from Cairo, where
they had been preserved until that time
In the keeping of the caliphs. 1t is IL
kind of 'chllra," or robe. with flowing
sleeves like those worn in the Lcvant
by those whom we arc accustomed to
designate as Turks of the old school"
It is needless to add that It's color is
green, the hue of all others sacred
TO the prophet and the extent to which
it is venerated by all true believers may
be estimated by tho fact that the prin-
cipal and most highly cherished title of
sultan is that of "Hadum ul haremcen, :"
or guardian Of the holy relic" may
add in conclusion that, according to the
Mohammedan tradition, the coat in
question was presented by the prophet
to a Yemen dervish of the name of WAS
el-Karani as token of gratitude for
his services in first discovering the use
and preparation of coffee.