" (Sura xvii. 59.) We see here that the
Prophet drew no distinction between the worship of an idol and the
worship of such and such a saint; on the contrary, he treated them all
as infidels, and made war upon them in order to consolidate the
religion of God upon a firm basis.

Fourthly, those who worship God sincerely in the time of trouble, but
at other times call on other Gods are idolaters. Thus: "Lo! when they
embark on board a ship, they call upon God, vowing Him sincere worship,
but when He bringeth them safe to land, behold they join partners with
Him." (Sura xxix. 65.)

In the age in which we live, I could cite still worse heresies. The
idolaters, our contemporaries, pray to and invoke the lower divinities
when they are in distress. The idolaters of the Prophet's time were
less culpable than those of the present age are. They, at least, had
recourse to God in time of great evil; these in good and evil states,
seek the aid of their patrons, other than God, and pray to them.

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* * * * *

CHAPTER IV.

THE CREED OF ISLAM.[99]

Faith is defined by Muslim theologians as: "Confession with the tongue and
belief with the heart."[100] It is said to "stand midway between hope and
fear." It is sub-divided into Iman-i-mujmal and Iman-i-mufassal. The former
is an expression of the following faith: "I believe in God, His names and
attributes, and accept all His commands."[101] The latter is the acceptance
of the following dogmas: "I believe in God, Angels, Books, Prophets, the
Last Day, the Predestination by the Most High God of good and evil and the
Resurrection after death."[102] These form the articles of faith which
every Muslim must believe, to which belief, in order to render it perfect,
he must add the performance of the "acts of practice," _viz._: (1) "The
recital of the Kalima or creed:--'There is no deity but God, and Muhammad
is the Apostle of God.' (2) Sulat. The five daily prayers. (3) Roza. The
thirty days fast of Ramazan. (4) Zakat. The legal alms. (5) Hajj, or the
pilgrimage to Mecca." This chapter will contain an account of the Iman--the
dogmas of Islam. An account of the Din--the practical duties, will be given
in the next chapter. {117}

1. GOD.--This article of the faith includes a belief in the existence of
God, His unity and attributes, and has given rise to a large number of
sects. Some acquaintanc