o consider him to
be a religious person and a fit guide for men, are also infidels. To
send children to be taught by him, to purchase newspapers which
advocate his views, and to continue to read his translation is
unlawful. In the Fatawa-i-'Alamgiri in the chapter entitled Murtad it
is written: "Whosoever has doubts of the present infidelity and of the
future punishment of such an one is an infidel." God says in the Quran:
"Be helpful to one another according to goodness and piety, but be not
helpful for evil and malice; and fear ye God." (Sura v. 3). In another
place God says: "Whosoever acts not according to God's order is an
infidel." Now, what greater disobedience can there be than this, that a
person should say that the recital of the Arabic Quran in the Namaz is
not lawful, and that the recital of his own Hindustani translation of
it is incumbent (farz).

"Our duty is to give information to Musalmans, and God is the best
Knower."

This was written by a learned Moulvie, and signed by twenty-four other
leading Moulvies of the city of Madras.

This Fatva, an authentic copy of which is in my possession, is of very
considerable importance as showing how unyielding the law of Islam is
to the varied circumstances of the countries in which it exists. The
law enjoining the Arabic language as a medium of worship was suited for
the Arab people, and the principle involved would seem to be that the
vernacular language of a country should be used by the Muslims of that
country for the purposes of devotion; but, as I have repeatedly shown,
precepts, not principles are the ruling power in Islam. It further
demonstrates that all such matters must be regulated, not by the needs
of the age or country, but by an antiquated law which, to say the
least, is an anachronism in the world's history. The authority paid to
the statements made by the four chief Imams, and the fact that the
Fatva is based on their decisions, and on previous Fatvas in which
their authority has been adduced, show how even to the present day they
are regarded as the Mujtahidin of Islam. The Fatva is thus manifestly
orthodox, and corroborates most fully all I have said in the first
chapter on the "Foundations of Islam."

{237}

* * * * *

CHAPTER VI.

THE FEASTS AND FASTS OF ISLAM.

1. MUH