Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1896-01-02
One of the Teachers in the University
of Cairo Pictured.

My shiekh is u devotee of learning
This is no more than was TO be eX-
! pected in one who has given his life
to this great object, and haas made
many sacrifices to attain it. Unfortu-
nately, his idea of what constitutes
learning is very One7sided. lie has
pursued the course at the AZhar, and
has mastered it. This is to him the
sum total of what is really worth
knowing. 1t is rational science, or
we might perhaps better say spiritual
science. All beSileS is in his eyes
"empirical," OF sensual and un-
worthy his attention. The curriculum
to which he THUS deyotes himself is
extraordinarily limited. 1t consists of
~ Arabic grammar (2) logic CO Sys-
temat'r theology, az the Interpretation
of the Koran, 90 Mohammedan law
(Which is indeed only the application
Of the Koran and its principleS) 90
the fife Of the prophet, a. Arabic vers-
liication and rhetoric
or natural science he has no rudi-
ment. In mathematics he has not
gone beyond the simplest opera tionS of
mental arithmetic His geography is
of the most indefinite kind. History is
of use to him and interests him so
far us it tells of Mohamrued and the
first four CaliphS. Beyond that he
knows little of it and cares nothing
for it. He knows no language but
Arabic, but with that he is content.
For it is the language of philosophy
and theology, and above all, of the
exalted Koran.
My sheikh is Il religious man. In.
deed religion is the great interest of
his life. AS have said, he regulates
the cut of his beard by the example
of the prophet. His smallest actions
are cOnformed to the divine law as he
conceives it. If he has Il precept Of
the Koran he goes by that. Failing
that, he does what Mohammed was
accustomed to do, or is said to have
done, in Il similar case. Where he has
not this light he argues from the am
alogy of tire Koran or Of the tradi
tons. For example, he will not drink
wine because ut is forbidden. But
neither will he smoke or drink coffee
because both will result in q mild in
toXication which CLASSES them with the
forbidden drink. Concerning tea he
haS no such scrupleS because it is
cl;lSsed with the refreshing drinks,
Hike lnI1nnlIn ar hn NvnrinIIS
encd waters used i'll the east. The
only questions he has asked me about
the Christian religion have been about
what is allowed and what is prOhib
tied. This is, in fact, his conception
of religion, a divinely given set of
religion he is thoroughly consistent
When he began to read with me the
traditions of MOhnmmed, ne begged
me not to diShonor the book contain i
ing the name of God and of the
prophet, by placing other books or
other things upon it. He would not .
read the Koran with an unbeicver
lest it he dehled. Yet he seems to .
have Il respect for me, having been
told perhaps) that | ann Il student of .
the other scriptures which lie honors
with the Koran as containing divine
revelation. The word most nearly de
scriptive of him is pharisee For there
were sincere and earnest phariSecs,
one even (as suppose whom Jesus
loved. He is free from every faint of
t.,t,. I iil,i,
his conception of religion is the phar
asaic conception. To him also his
people which knowCth not the law is
lccunSed."