The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-05-20

l.. - that is, with their dressing
| LN NEy beginning with their toilet
| and bathing and the comb.
| ing of their hair and the cutting of
| their nails.
A pious Moslem, before wearing any
new article of clothing, performs his
ablutons and prostrates himself twice
in prayer. \ man of less dcvout. but n
/ more superstitious, trend OF mind con-
tents himself with consulting the tagh-
vim or the estekhareh, muttering to
himself ere he dons the garment, "In
the name of God the mcrciful and
element" His friends on seeing the
new apparel cry out, May it be aus
picious" The rewards of man who
says his prayers before putting on a
new suit of clothes Will be in proportion
to the number of threads in the cloth.
Hence it has come to be n practice TO
preserve the material from the blight
of the evil eye by besprinkling it with
pure water over which prescribed
passage of the Koran has been read.
The laity must be seated when dress
ing, whereas the priests must stand up
and put on their turbans.
1t is unlucly for a Moslem to sit
down before taking Off his shoes. When
drawing them on it is equally unlucky
for him to stand up. The custom. in
the first instance. is to rise. doffing first
the left shoe and then the right one.
The procedure must be reversed in
every particular when putting them on.
The application of the juice of the
marshmallow as an emolent for the
hair Is strongly recommended by the
saints. Their object in bequeathing
this advice to the consideration of their
flock was not to inculcate vanity. They
had higher aim than that. Their de-
sire was to stave off starvation from
the fold, for that, in their opinion.
would be the result of using the lotion
on an ordinary day of the week: while
rubbing the head vigorously with the
precious juice onsthe Moslem Sabbath
would be certain to preserve the skin
from leprOsy and the mind from mad
ness. To the use of a decoction of the
leaves of the lote tree a divine relief is
attributed. The smell of ii on the hair
of the most unregenerate has on Satan
an effect so disheartening that he will
cease from leading them into tempta-
tion for no less than seventy days.
a respite of forty days from the
snares of the devil is granted to the
pious Moslem who can find leisure TO
comb his beard four score times and
ten between sunrise and sunset. The
pressure of the grave will also be miti-
gated by a skillful and untir!ng appli-
cation of the comb in this life. The
first blessing of the comb was revealed
TO Imam Jafar, the second to Mo-
hammed the Prophet. Women are not
excluded from the benefits above men,
toned. But, remember, the combing
Of the hair must not be done in
frivolous, much less n perfunctory
fashion. Far from it. A prayer must
be said ere the comb can be touched,
after which the hair may be reduced
to order, though care must be taken
to comb the middle first, and then to
the right side and last of all the left.
On no account whatever must the hair
be neglected, for the simple reason that
Satan is attracted by disheveled locks.
a mullah's beard is an object of ven
Grafton to his flock. He may trim it
lest 1t should grow as wild as a Jews.
but he is forbidden by tradition to
shave it. Even the scissors must be
piled sparingly and to the accompani-
ment of prayer. Perhaps the orthodox
length of this almost divine appendage
of the true MOslem Is the length of the
wearer's hand from the point of the
chin downward This Is known as
ghabzeh or handful.
The soul of the believer Is in danger
every time he forgets to cut his sharib,
That is, the lower part of his mustache,
which should be reduced to bristles
once week. Satan will be distracted
II he fulfill the tradition on the day
Of the congregation. If the finger nails
be cut, beginning with the thumb and
then the fingers Of the left hand. on
the same holy day, the fingers will suf-
FER no pain forever more.
If Moslem gaze into n looklnC-glass
before saying his prayers, he will be
guilty of worshiplnc his own likeness.
however unsightly it may appear In
his eyes. The hand must be drawn
across the forehead, ere the hair or
The beard be adjusted, or the mirror
will reflect a mind given over to van
lty, which is grievous. If universal
sin. The new moon must be seen ION
the face" of friend, on the copy of
the Koran, or on turquoise stone.
Unless one of these conditions be OBJ
served there is no telling what evil
might happen.
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