Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-09-09

s>mp~Asn - propagste the doetrines
q isiaul- Several desout Nohamrne-
ians ffem The ea.t viii AID Las with
M work during tke winter. Haies
Abdailah Arab, one Of the weslthy
merchants Of whom l have ALREADY
spoken, ~ll be among these. 1his re-
uArkAhle m4n has = history which has
= peculiarly eastern favor about IL
He Was = wealthy mans sou. While
yet . young RAN he gave al Of bis
money % charity aud for several years
lived "a hermit IA the woods. exist
ing upon the most frugal diet possible
and desoting himself 20 the study OF
bis religion At the request u his
friends be returned "a the world again
and inside II : year had smasssd . sec
ond fortune lie owns several lron
steamers. has houses ia Bombay. Jedda
and Medina and transports many OF
the pilgrims % aud from Mecca during
the annual Hui"
expect the arrival Of Moolla Mira
Kahn next week he comes 10 remain
permanently in America 20 assist In
the good work. he brings with him
cook. an English clerk. a Moniyi and
Iiafix. The latter two names need an
explanation. A Noulyi il person
versed in the Arabic tongue and Hafix
l. one who u able 10 repeat the Koran
from beginning 20 end from memory, u
truly wonderful accomplishment. even
the critical Christian must confess Ny
other visitors this winter viii be la lee
Rhamtnllah. Hsiee Dawood and Moul-
vi Hasson Ali IL IL possible also that
Hajee Mohammed Abdus Salam Sahib.
OF Madras. q wealthy merchant and
brother of the Turkish consul there;
Jan Mohammed Ganjee, a well-to-do
merchant of Calcutta, and Hajee'
Haroun Joffer Yussuf. q very wealthy
merchant of Poona. may also be here
during the fall or winter.
Many persons have asked me why
the name "Mohammed" Is placed be-
fore my name. IL Is the custom among
Mussulmans 20 name their children
after the prophet OF one of the
saints or khalifs of the early days OF
Islam. When q Christian is converted
he retains his own name but adds
Mohammedan name To Ii. When was
In Ran9oon. Burmah. the MuSsulmans
assembled in the grand mosque on
Megul street aud selected for me the
name "Abdulla." which means servant
Of God. But when I reached Bombay
Mussulmans there thought that /
should have a more honorable title, 20
IL was arranged 10 bestow upon me the
name of "Mohammed," which is the
A.n....1 II al LII Ia
names. Ii is difficult 20 convey in Eng
lish n correct idea of its meaning. bat
Il may be said 70 mean in limited
sense the material expression of the
light of divinity. the comforter which
Jesus said would come to Ills follow
ers after His death.
Like all Mohammedans, i believe
that Jesus was true prophet as well
as Mohammed. and one need not re-
linquish his faith In Christ In order 10
become a Mohammedan. The Naza-
rene Himself prophesied the coming
of the Arabian.
I feel certain that the converts I
have made will be lasting ones. They
will not "backslide" after the fashion
of three-fourths of the Mohammedan
converts to Christianity. The ones
who come into the fold of Allah are
thinking Christians, while only the
meanest and most ignorant Moharn-
medans constitute those saved"
through the Christian missionaries in
the orient.
c<GfckE~.x= - inf