o repeat his calls from the four sides of the
minaret, to north, east, south, and west. His words were interpreted for
us: "God is great," repeated four times on each side of the minaret.

Faithful Moslems on hearing the call repeated his words.

"There is no God but God," he called again, reciting it twice.

His hearers repeated this declaration.

"Mohammed is the prophet of God."

The people responded in the same words.

"Come to prayer."

"I have no power or strength but from God most high and great," all true
believers replied.

"Come to do good," again the Muezzin called.

"What God wills will be; what he wills not will not be," answered the
people, all responses being muttered in low tones.

"The ringing of bells to call the people to service is forbidden," said
the guide. "It is written that when the Mohammedan meetings were first
held in Arabia, there was difficulty in gathering the people together
and propositions were made to 'Ring a bell as the Christians do,' and to
'Blow the trumpets as do the Jews;' but Omar cried, 'What! is there not
a man among you who can call to prayer?' The prophet then said, 'O
Billal! stand and make the call to prayer.' Since then the melodious
voices of the trained Muezzins five times each day summon the Moslems
to prayer, and the tall graceful minarets which rise above the
surrounding buildings were erected so that the voices could ring out
over the city."

We followed the faithful into the mosque, after paying our fees and
donning the slippers, and stood quietly in the rear of the great
auditorium. The interior was brightened by beautiful blue and white
tiling which lined the arches overhead and covered the immense piers
that supported the roof. Inside the mosque, near the entrance, water was
running from spigots into stone basins. The Moslems stopped at the
basins and washed their hands and feet. Some of the better dressed
worshipers appeared to have slippers inside their shoes and went through
the motion of washing the feet, but the poorer classes used the water to
cleanse their feet, and then walked forward barefooted on the rugs. Each
man,--for there were no women at the service,--carried his shoes with
him and placed them upon a board on the floor provided for that purpose.

The Koran, the sacred book, which, as the Moslems claim, was revealed to
Mahomet by the angel Gabriel and was written by Mahomet under
inspiration, commands:

"The clothes and person of t