od
disburseth his wealth to his kindred; and to the orphans, and the
needy, and the wayfarer, and those who ask, and for ransoming; who
observeth the prayer, and payeth alms, and who is of those who are
faithful to their engagements when they have engaged in them, and
patient under ills and hardships, and in time of trouble, these are
they who are just, and these are they who fear the Lord."--_Ibid_,
172.

[Sidenote: Amount of alms.]

In the place of a fixed amount of alms the Koran only says to give what
ye can spare.

"They will ask thee also what shall they bestow in alms:

"Say: What ye can spare."--_Ibid_, 216, 217.

[Sidenote: Fasts.]

Instead of imposing a very strict fast, which in the middle of summer is
extremely mortifying, the Koran makes its observance optional.

"And as for those who are able to keep it and yet observe it not,
the expiation of this shall be the maintenance of a poor man. And
he who of his own accord performeth a good work, shall derive good
from it: and good shall it be for you to fast, if ye knew
it."--_Ibid_, 180.

[Sidenote: No prescribed forms of prayer.]

The Koran does not teach any prescribed forms of worship and other
ritualistic prayers. No attitude is fixed, and no outward observance of
posture is required. There is no scrupulosity and punctiliousness,
neither the change of posture in prayer nor the displacement of a
single genuflexion calls any censure on the devotee in the Koran. Simply
reading the Koran (Suras LXXIII, 20; XXIX, 44), and bearing God in mind,
standing and sitting; reclining (III, 188; IV, 104) or bowing down or
prostrating (XXII, 76) is the only form and ritual, if it may be called
so, of prayer and worship taught in the Koran.

"Recite then as much of the Koran as may be easy to you."--Sura
LXXIII, 20.

"Recite the portions of the Book which have been revealed to thee
and discharge the duty of prayer; verily prayer restraineth from
the filthy and the blameworthy. And assuredly the gravest duty is
the remembrance of God; and God knoweth what ye do."--Sura XXIX,
44.

"And when the Koran is rehearsed, then listen ye to it and keep
silence: haply ye may obtain mercy."

"And think within thine ownself on God, with lowliness and with
fear and without loud-spoken words, at even and at morn; and be not
of the heedless."--Su