Islam and its Need 9781463229269

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Islam and its Need

Analecta Gorgiana

704 Series Editor George Anton Kiraz

Analecta Gorgiana is a collection of long essays and short monographs which are consistently cited by modern scholars but previously difficult to find because of their original appearance in obscure publications. Carefully selected by a team of scholars based on their relevance to modern scholarship, these essays can now be fully utilized by scholars and proudly owned by libraries.

Islam and its Need

By

W. Norman Leak Preface by

Samuel Marinus Zwemer

1 gorgias press 2010

Gorgias Press LLC, 954 River Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA www.gorgiaspress.com Copyright © 2010 by Gorgias Press LLC Originally published in 1925 All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise without the prior written permission of Gorgias Press LLC. 2010

1

ISBN 978-1-61719-823-6

ISSN 1935-6854

Reprinted from the 1925 London and Edinburgh edition.

Printed in the United States of America

FOREWORD.

O

F making many books on Islam and on missions to Moslems there seems to be no end, especially at this time when the Missionary Education Movements on both sides of the Atlantic propose to make this the subject of study next year among the various groups and societies. If familiarity with the deep spiritual needs and the moral darkness of the world of Islam leads the Church of Christ to selfsacrificial obedience in carrying the Gospel to every Moslem land, this increase of special literature is all to the good.

Facts are the fuel of the missionary fire. Men need to know before they will glow or go. We welcome therefore this booklet, skillfully compiled and compacted by one who loves Mohammedans, and who has seen them at close quarters in Palestine and Arabia, while engaged in medical work. The layman, impatient with longer books and eager to get the gist of a baffling problem at one sitting, has it here. He will find all that every Christian should know about Mohammedanism in tabloid form. The ingredients are all here, and although the dose is small the effect may prove as great as the need of the patient. A careful perusal of these pages should in any case lead to more intelligent prayer and a consciousness that the task is supremely difficult, but not impossible. S. M. ZWEMER. 2, Eaton Gate. London. 3

PREFACE.

T

H E following notes have been written to m e e t the need for a short description of the essentials of Mohammedanism, and for an introduction to the problem it presents to the thinking Christian man. T h e writer is more indebted than he can say to many friends for valuable criticism and encouragement, while he also owes a deep debt of gratitude to the many authors whose books have helped to throw light on the whole problem of Islam. A f w of these books are mentioned in an appendix as a guide to any who wish to gain a deeper knowledge of the subject. It is obvious that, when dealing with such a vast subject in a condensed form, many statements made could well be qualified and expanded by pages of commentary, but m all cases the effort has been made to present the matter as correctly as possible in the space allowed. S o m e points which could not be dealt with fairly and yet briefly have been left out altogether, such are the sects of Islam and the most modern developments of the Caliphate question. T h o u g h full of significance, these points are hardly of fundamental importance. T h e aim throughout has been to touch on those things which will enable a Christian to appreciate, accurately and sympathetically, the spirit and working of the religious system of M o h a m m e d , a system which to-day claims nearly 2 4 0 million adherents. T h o u g h the outlook is definitely Christian, there is no desire to paint Islam blacker than it really is, or to magnify its defects. T h e Christian outlook is not that of criticism, but of a sympathy which takes the trouble to understand, and, when it has understood, will offer its all to help. It is with the prayer that such help may be forthcoming that this little booklet is now sent forth. W.N.L. WINSFORD,

CHESHIRE.

Easter, 1925. 4

C H A P T E R I.

HISTORY. Mohammedanism, or as it is more correctly termed Islam* ; is the religion of those who follow the religious teaching of Mohammed the " Prophet of Arabia." It dates from about 610 A.D., when Mahommed began to preach in Mecca, the chief town of Arabia, that Allah was the one true God and that he was the last and greatest of the prophets (Adam, Abraham, Moses and Christ being the more important of these). T h e words Mohammed used in his preaching were remembered or written down by his followers, and were eventually collected and recorded in one volume, now known as the Koran or recitation. This book now forms the basis of the Moslem (Mohammedan) religion, and the words in it are considered to be a revelation of the actual words of the Deity Himself, and absolutely unchangeable and true. In 622 A.D., Mohammed fled to the neighbourng town of Medina, but returned to conquer Mecca in 629, and died in 632. By this time the whole of Arabia had been brought to submit to him by force, bribery or cajolery. This included the Christian kingdom of Yemen, Christian Nejran and the Bishopric of Bahrein (from Bahrein to Busrah). After Mohammed's death the Moslem armies rapidly conquered Palestine, Syria and Persia and beyond, towards Turkestan and India. Christian Egypt fell in 640, b ' 712 Spain was being invaded, and the tide was only turned about 100 miles from Paris by Charles Martel, at Tours, in 732. T h e Moslems were finally driven from Spain in 1492, by Ferdinand. Islam is the verbal noun of a root originally meaning " to deliver o v e r " witb the idea of surrender, but it is used in the Koran more in the sense of to submit one'self (to Allah), and this is the sense in which it is now practically universally used. " Moslem ' ' is the active participle formed from the same root.

From 1099 to 1291 Palestine was partially held by the Crusaders, but after this the Moslem advance was rapid in Asia Minor, and Constantinople fell in 1453. From this foothold in Europe, Islam steadily advanced, and Europe was only saved from the Moslem menace by John Sobiesky's victory outside Vienna, in 1683 (only 250 years ago). Since then Moslem power has slowly waned in Europe, though the Near Eastern question has steadily assumed greater importance. All North India was under Moslem rule by 1203, their military power there being broken by Clive, at Plassey, in 1757, and by subsequent campaigns. China was reached about 750, but numbers were small till about the 14th century. Since then they have increased considerably and they have headed several revolts, but have never obtained independence. T h e East Indies were reached in the 15th century, and in the 16th, Islam became the chief political power, the spread here, as in China, being more or less peaceful. In Africa, Islam spread southwards, through the Sahara, from 1100 onwards, and reached Timbuctoo, about 1320. Later the tide came in mainly from the Eastern Sudan, Dongola becoming Moslem in 1352, and the Christian kingdom of Nubia falling in 1530. Darfur became Moslem about 1600, and thence Islam spread towards Lake Chad and to Nigeria (Hausaland). In more recent times, Islam has spread rapidly in Africa, through the slave trading, following the great inland trade routes of the continent. It is making steady progress in Christian Abyssinia, being at the root of many of the recent troubles in that country. In South Africa, Islam has penetrated peacefully; but the recent Armenian atrocities, the Greek defeat and the Moplah rebellion in India, show that it is only too willing to propagate itself, as of old, with the sword. T h e Moslem policy of many western governments has greatly aided the peaceful expansion of Islam. The reactionary and fanatical Wahhabi and Ikhwan revivals in Arabia, e

arid the allied Sennusi movement in the Sahara, have also had an important influence, though hardly a peaceful one. On the other hand an extensive and intensive pro-Moslem campaign is now being conducted among the western nations. Its main agency is the Press, and it is chiefly inspired from India and Egypt, where a new version of Islam is being propagated. It is intensely anti-Christian, tries to explain away the grossness and fatal blunders of historical Islam, and professes to find in it a higher morality than is to be found in the Bible. As to this it is only true to say that no Moslem could ever have any idea as to what morality is without the Christian standards to guide him. This movement is really mainly political, but it throws dust m the eyes of westerners, preventing them seeing Islam as it really and essentially is.

C H A P T E R II.

DISTRIBUTION. T h e geographical extent of Islam has been suggested in the historical sketch. Its distribution is significant, for it forms an immense barrier of varying width between the Christian nations and the rest of the world. T h e expansion of Christendom coincided with the discovery of the means of circumventing this barrier (the discovery of America and the all-sea route to India) and not with any attempts to penetrate it.

Africa. Looking at the map, we see the whole of North Africa solidly Moslem, with the exception of about a million Coptic Christians in Egypt. Most of the Sahara and the Sudan is Moslem, though there still remain many pagan tribes, especially in the latter. West Africa is largely Moslem, though the coastal portions are still mainly pagan. On the East coast, Islam is predominant till we come to Zanzibar, below the Equator, the Christian kingdom of Abyssinia 7

arid the allied Sennusi movement in the Sahara, have also had an important influence, though hardly a peaceful one. On the other hand an extensive and intensive pro-Moslem campaign is now being conducted among the western nations. Its main agency is the Press, and it is chiefly inspired from India and Egypt, where a new version of Islam is being propagated. It is intensely anti-Christian, tries to explain away the grossness and fatal blunders of historical Islam, and professes to find in it a higher morality than is to be found in the Bible. As to this it is only true to say that no Moslem could ever have any idea as to what morality is without the Christian standards to guide him. This movement is really mainly political, but it throws dust m the eyes of westerners, preventing them seeing Islam as it really and essentially is.

C H A P T E R II.

DISTRIBUTION. T h e geographical extent of Islam has been suggested in the historical sketch. Its distribution is significant, for it forms an immense barrier of varying width between the Christian nations and the rest of the world. T h e expansion of Christendom coincided with the discovery of the means of circumventing this barrier (the discovery of America and the all-sea route to India) and not with any attempts to penetrate it.

Africa. Looking at the map, we see the whole of North Africa solidly Moslem, with the exception of about a million Coptic Christians in Egypt. Most of the Sahara and the Sudan is Moslem, though there still remain many pagan tribes, especially in the latter. West Africa is largely Moslem, though the coastal portions are still mainly pagan. On the East coast, Islam is predominant till we come to Zanzibar, below the Equator, the Christian kingdom of Abyssinia 7

being the main exception. Immediately behind the coast line, however, paganism is the rule. Altogether it is estimated that the Moslems in Africa number about 60,000,000, or just one third of the total population.

Asia. In Asia, owing to the policy of the Angora Government, Asia Minor is now practically purely Moslem. T h e same is true of Mesopotamia and Persia, except in a few large towns like Baghdad and Ispahan, where some Armenians and Jews are to be found. Syria and Palestine are Moslem, except for about half a million nominal Christians, and perhaps a third as many Jews. Afghanistan is fanatically Moslem, and so also is Arabia. An equal fanaticism is common in most of Turkestan. In China, however, a milder spirit prevails among its ten million Moslems, who are mainly to be found in the west of that vast empire. In India exists the largest community of Moslems to be found in any one country, for they number 70 millions, or nearly one quarter of the population. They are gathered mostly in the Ganges valley and the North-West provinces. T h e densest Moslem population in the world is in Java which, in its 48,000 square miles, contains 35 million Moslems, or half the number contained in the whole African continent. In the rest of the East Indies are some ten million Moslems, mainly in the Island of Sumatra.

Other Areas. There are some small Moslem areas in E u r o p e ; the old Turkey in Europe, Albania, the Crimea and the Volga valley, all being largely Moslem. Outside these areas Moslems are found practically only as immigrants, about 11,000 being in the U.S.A., and 190,000 in South and Central America. There has been much propaganda during recent years in England, France, and America, and a mosque has been built at Woking, which is very poorly patronised. Another has just been founded in London, and a few years ago a mosque was opened in Pans, with the Govern8

merit's expressed approval. One was erected at Detroit, but was so little used that it has been pulled down.

Summary. Thus the total number of Moslems in the world at present is approximately 235,000,000. made up as follows .—North and South America, 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 ; Europe and Russia in Asia, 17,800,000 ; Australasia, 4 0 , 0 0 0 ; Africa, 60,000,000; and Asia, 157,000,000.

Political. An important point is the political distribution of these vast millions. No less than 103 millions, or 44 per cent., belong to the British Empire, 38 millions own the sway of the Queen of Holland, France rules over 28 millions, and there are about 17 millions in the old Russian Empire. Only 26 millions, or 11 per cent, are under independent Moslem rulers, though, if we add the nominally independent kingdoms of Egypt and Mesopotamia, it would bring the total up to about 40 millions. T h e remaining 21 millions are under various non-Moslem powers, such as Abyssinia, Portugal, Italy, etc.

CHAPTER

III.

THE BELIEF OF ISLAM. The Creed. While there is no doubt that a man may be better than his creed, yet his creed, as a rule, very largely determines the man. This is very markedly so in Islam, and a knowledge of the Moslem's belief is essential to an understanding of his mind and life. His creed is " There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is the prophet of Allah." T h e creed is short, to some it seems simple, but its implications are vast.

Agnosticism. T h e negative form of the first half of the creed 9

merit's expressed approval. One was erected at Detroit, but was so little used that it has been pulled down.

Summary. Thus the total number of Moslems in the world at present is approximately 235,000,000. made up as follows .—North and South America, 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 ; Europe and Russia in Asia, 17,800,000 ; Australasia, 4 0 , 0 0 0 ; Africa, 60,000,000; and Asia, 157,000,000.

Political. An important point is the political distribution of these vast millions. No less than 103 millions, or 44 per cent., belong to the British Empire, 38 millions own the sway of the Queen of Holland, France rules over 28 millions, and there are about 17 millions in the old Russian Empire. Only 26 millions, or 11 per cent, are under independent Moslem rulers, though, if we add the nominally independent kingdoms of Egypt and Mesopotamia, it would bring the total up to about 40 millions. T h e remaining 21 millions are under various non-Moslem powers, such as Abyssinia, Portugal, Italy, etc.

CHAPTER

III.

THE BELIEF OF ISLAM. The Creed. While there is no doubt that a man may be better than his creed, yet his creed, as a rule, very largely determines the man. This is very markedly so in Islam, and a knowledge of the Moslem's belief is essential to an understanding of his mind and life. His creed is " There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is the prophet of Allah." T h e creed is short, to some it seems simple, but its implications are vast.

Agnosticism. T h e negative form of the first half of the creed 9

is suggestive of the whole of Moslem theology. There is tremendous emphasis on the unity of God, so much so that this becomes rather the uniqueness of God. It leads to the belief that He is utterly unlike anything that we can conceive, otherwise we might be said to be in some way like Him, and this would be blasphemy, for the Moslem absolutely denies that " God created man in His own image." This leads straight to agnosticism, for if God be unlike us in every way, we obviously cannot know anything definite about Him. This is the state of the average Moslem, while he continually glories in his worship of God, he has little real knowledge of His moral character, and we find that his desire to magnify God has practically sublimated Him out of his life. At the same time the conception of God's absolute omnipotence leads directly to the idea of man's utter impotence, and so in practice to his lack of responsibility. Therefore man's freewill is denied by the orthodox Moslem, and with his denial of this has gone most of his power of initiative and advance.

Pantheism. While in one direction the doctrine of the unity of God has led to practically eliminating Him from man's sphere, another line of thought leads directly to Pantheism, in which God is so great that He is the only thing, and therefore everything is God. This conception was originally a Persian development, but has had much influence even on orthodox thought, while it is of great importance in understanding the beliefs of many of the Dervish orders.

Love. Yet another deduction from this sterile doctrine of the unity of God is the denial of His love. He may be merciful and compassionate, as the Moslem so constantly proclaims, but He cannot love. For He is self-existing and has no need of anything outside Himself. If He had He would not be Almighty This at once rules out any possibility of love in God, for love must ever feel a sense of lack while the loved 10

one is away. Therefore the suggestion that God loves him meets with nothing but loathing in the Moslem heart, it awakes no heart-hunger, but rather contempt and hatred at such a blasphemous assertion. The mystery of the Holy Trinity, which is the only solution to this problem of divine Love, has never dawned on him, for he knows nothing of the Son, Who " loveth the Father," nor of the " Comforter which is the Holy Ghost."

The Holy Spirit. Yet both Christ and the Holy Spirit are mentioned in the Moslem sacred book, the Koran. But in it the Holy Spirit is somehow confused with the angel Gabriel, and no Moslem can give any clear idea as to Who He is, or anything about Him.

Christ. As for the Lord Jesus Christ, although He is given high honour in the Koran and placed practically next in importance to Mohammed himself, His deity is categorically denied, though His virgin birth is affirmed. He is said to have worked miracles, but they are such childish signs as speaking as soon as He was born, making clay models of birds live when He was a boy, etc. To Mohammed, as to all Moslems since, success is a sign of God's favour; so it was inconceivable to him that the mission of any prophet should end in seeming failure. Therefore it is vehemently stated of Christ in the Koran that the Jews " slew Him not, neither crucified Him; but He was represented by one in His likeness. . . . They did not really kill Him, but God took Him up to Himself." For Mohammed to have admitted anything else would have been to admit the possibility of meeting a like end himself, and this he was by no means willing to do. The Moslems believe that Christ will again appear to usher in the end of the age, and Mohammed's final triumph. Their idea seems to be that Christ will be asked to intercede for His people on the Judgment day, but that He will refuse, and give way to the claims of Mohammed to be the Intercessor. 11

Judgment Day. Although God is held to be the doer of everything, it is quite clear in the Koran that there is to be a fearful judgment day, about which little is really known. It is the constant dread of every Moslem, though all—except perhaps the most learned and devout—hopefully believe that they will finally be saved through the intercession of Mohammed mentioned above. However, as God is omnipotent, and therefore they think under no moral obligations as to justice, mercy, etc., the basis of His judgment is naturally uncertain, and they may well have doubts as to the result. Similar lack of moral restraint shows itself in the individual Moslem to whom such matters as real liberty, self-control, etc., are utterly foreign, if not incomprehensible.

The Trinity. Apparently through ignorance, Mohammed thought that the Virgin Mary was the third person of the Holy Trinity, and he assumed that the Christians worshipped three Gods, the Father, the Virgin Mary, and their son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Naturally he pronounced this polytheism and blasphemy, and to this day most Moslems believe Christianity to be at heart blasphemous and immoral.

Heaven. As to the Moslem ideas of heaven, the less said the better. In spite of all that has recently been done by a few to spiritualise the grossness and sensuality of the language used in the Koran in describing it, it is abundantly plain that no such thought ever entered Mohammed's head, and the mass of Moslems still delight in looking forward to the full enjoyment of the pleasures which he so vividly depicted.

Animism. Though this is the background of Moslem religious thought, we find that the masses of Islam actually live most of their lives in fear of evil spirits. T h e Koran frequently mentions these spirits, and there can be little doubt that at least two of its chap12

ters were intended to be used as spells or charms against them. T h e y certainly are so used to-day, and popular Islam is full of superstitions about charms, evil eye, etc. All this is pure animism, in which, while there is a shadowy realisation of a supreme Being, the supernatural spirits assumed to abide in nearly everything are felt to be of more immediate concern. It is somewhat of a halfway house between the extremes of agnosticism and pantheism referred to previously, and from it the bare monotheistic creed of Mohammed has nowhere found the power to deliver.

Developments. T h i s main theological outline has been elaborated by innumerable Moslem divines since Mohammed's death, and Moslem theological literature vies in extent with that of Christianity itself. Their simple and sensual faith was enough for the Moslems in the heat of victory but when they began to settle in the conquered Christian countries, they found there Christian divines much keener and abler than themselves, both in argument and logic. To admit such superiority in their humbled foe was impossible, so, in self-defence, the Moslem doctors were obliged to rear on the basis of the Koran (or nominally so) a theology which would withstand the Christian attacks. This they did by distorting many of the Christian statements so that they could be disproved to their own satisfaction, e.g., the matter of the Trinity or the Divine Sonship, on which they could have had ample light if they w o u l d ; or by denying the truth of those things which they could not evade by any other means, such as the fact of the crucifixion. T h i s led to the denial of the authenticity of the present scriptures, although the Koran bears witness to their genuineness in spite of the fact that it contradicts or jumbles up many of their contents !* T h u s , side by side with Christian theo""Mohammed appears to have had only the vaguest idea of the contents of the Christian Scriptures, but in order to win over the J e w s and Christians to his side he was willing to accept all their prophets (provided that he was acknowledged the last and the greatest of them) a n d also their scriptures provided his " revelation " was also accepted as genuine.

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logy (mainly of a Greek Orthodox type), has grown up a Moslem theology parallelling it in nearly every point, but expressly designed to combat it. The result of this sad struggle is, that there is now an almost impassable thought or word barrier between the Moslem and the Christian, for the Moslem now either misunderstands or denies almost any position the Christian may take up. We have already seen how this applies to the fundamental doctrines of the Holy Trinity, the love of God, the Person and Work of Christ, His death and atonement, the Personality of the Holy Spirit, and the authenticity of the Bible, so that no reliance can be placed on any of its teachings. It is this which makes direct evangelistic mission work so extraordinarily difficult among Moslems, especially in those lands where there exists much of a Moslem literature.

CHAPTER IV. THE PRACTICE OF RELIGION. While the theology of Islam has undergone considerable development from the original bare conception of Mahommed, the practice of religion has hardly altered since his day. It consists of five duties, which are Witnessing, Prayer, Almsgiving, the Fast, and the Pilgrimage. Witnessing. Witnessing, or the recital of the creed, is the fundamental duty in Islam. By it one is admitted into the Moslem fellowship from which one is never allowed to depart scatheless. There is much dispute as to whether the words must be really believed in the heart to be valid, or whether their mere utterance is enough. They are cried aloud from the minaret of every mosque, they form the battle-cry of every Mcslem host, and are constantly on the lips of every " true believer." Their repetition is considered most praiseworthy, and they are used on any and every 14

logy (mainly of a Greek Orthodox type), has grown up a Moslem theology parallelling it in nearly every point, but expressly designed to combat it. The result of this sad struggle is, that there is now an almost impassable thought or word barrier between the Moslem and the Christian, for the Moslem now either misunderstands or denies almost any position the Christian may take up. We have already seen how this applies to the fundamental doctrines of the Holy Trinity, the love of God, the Person and Work of Christ, His death and atonement, the Personality of the Holy Spirit, and the authenticity of the Bible, so that no reliance can be placed on any of its teachings. It is this which makes direct evangelistic mission work so extraordinarily difficult among Moslems, especially in those lands where there exists much of a Moslem literature.

CHAPTER IV. THE PRACTICE OF RELIGION. While the theology of Islam has undergone considerable development from the original bare conception of Mahommed, the practice of religion has hardly altered since his day. It consists of five duties, which are Witnessing, Prayer, Almsgiving, the Fast, and the Pilgrimage. Witnessing. Witnessing, or the recital of the creed, is the fundamental duty in Islam. By it one is admitted into the Moslem fellowship from which one is never allowed to depart scatheless. There is much dispute as to whether the words must be really believed in the heart to be valid, or whether their mere utterance is enough. They are cried aloud from the minaret of every mosque, they form the battle-cry of every Mcslem host, and are constantly on the lips of every " true believer." Their repetition is considered most praiseworthy, and they are used on any and every 14

occasion, or merely as an interjection nothing in particular.

apropos

of

Prayer. T h e prayers are fairly strictly observed, especially in those parts most removed from western influence, Five times a day is the required number, and though a certain amount of choice is allowed as regards the length of the prayer, its form is quite stereotyped, and hedged round by all sorts of rules regarding posture, location and legal purity, and it must be in Arabic. It has to the Moslem nothing of the same sense of warmhearted fellowship and communion with God which is of the essence of Christian prayer. The Moslem prays his endless repetitions because he believes that God has told him to do so. He does not know why, and in the majority of cases there is little if any real thought of drawing near to God. Some approach to Christian prayer may be found among Moslems, but it is not in the " prayers " which so excite the admiration of the traveller in the East.

Almsgiving. We need say little about the almsgiving. It is really a legal rate for various charitable or religious purposes. It is defined with as much care as a modern income tax, but the regulations are now only indifferently kept.

Pilgrimage. When a Moslem prays, it is essential that he should face towards Mecca, and Mohammed directed that every Moslem who is physically and otherwise able should make the pilgrimage thither at least once in his lifetime, and preferably at the specified season. Think for a moment what this entails on a Moslem who has to toil across the Sahara, or to those in China who used to have to cross the " Roof of the World,' with deserts and mountains beyond, and then return as they had come. Actually about 60,000 Moslems assemble every year at Mecca, to kiss the black stone, stone the devils and perform other senseless rites incorporated from the pagan 15

Arabs by the Prophet of Arabia in his pure worship of the one true G o d ! Yet foolish though the rites may be, the pilgrimage has done more than anything else to hold the world of Islam together. Try to imagine the thrill it must give to the ahung from China to meet there the Malay, the Indian, the Afghan, the Persian, the Arab and the Turk, the Moor, the Hausa and the Negro and a vast number of others equally foreign and strange, but all engaged in that one act of worship. The act in itself may be meaningless, but this assemblage of peoples certainly is not. That wonderful congregation on the day of Pentecost was as nothing to this ! It has been repeated nearly every year for thirteen centuries. N o wonder the Moslem glories in his religion !

The Fast. The fast is during the Arabic month of Ramadhan each day from dawn to sunset. T o the real Arab this is little hardship, but it is often very severe to other Moslems, especially if Ramadhan should fall in the summer. As a result the fast is very imperfectly kept, though the pretence of keeping it is usually preserved as strictly as ever. Feasting is always the order of the night, and two or three times as much food is eaten during Ramadhan as in other months. The religious significance of the fast is practically nil, but it is a grand time for beggars and other dependents. Most Moslems believe that on one of the nights of Ramadhan all the acts they will perform during the coming year are written down together with the names of those who during the year will be called to stand before the Great Assize. It is not known exactly which this dread night is, but on the most approved nights long prayers are made, and the Moslem community is unusually serious.

Holy War. There is one other duty about which it is difficult to speak accurately and yet briefly. It is not considered as having the same binding force as the 16

five, being counted obligatory on the community, not on the individual. But it is a duty which they are anxious to escape unless the chances of success appear exceptionally good. T h e whole matter has been so discussed by the Moslem divines that they are now able to quote legal opinions to show why in any given circumstances it should not be undertaken, while a direct incitement to such war stands in the Koran to be invoked at any convenient moment. So while there is always the possibility of a general Moslem conflagration, as a rule there is not much probability of it taking place. We have seen so far some of the implications of the first half of the Moslem creed, " there is no God but Allah." W e have seen how it has led to the practical elimination of God out of the Moslem's life as a personal driving force, while at the same time he obeys certain injunctions because he believes that Allah has ordered them ; but in all this we can find little or nothing by which the Moslem is to direct his daily life. He needs an ideal, and unfortunately, he finds it in the second half of the creed of Islam, " and Mohammed is the prophet of Allah." This fixes for ever the Moslem standard of what a man should be. CHAPTER V.

THE IDEALS OF ISLAM. T h e veneration with which Mohammed was regarded during his lifetime, once he had attained success, is phenomenal; but it is as nothing comared with that devotion and almost worship which as been accorded to him by all Moslems since his death. As the " last and greatest and seal of the prophets," his every word and action is, in the eyes of the Moslem, practically invested with the authority of Deity itself. Thus shortly after his death many of the devout began to collect every story they could of what Mohammed had said or done, or had not said or done, of what he had permitted and what

f

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five, being counted obligatory on the community, not on the individual. But it is a duty which they are anxious to escape unless the chances of success appear exceptionally good. T h e whole matter has been so discussed by the Moslem divines that they are now able to quote legal opinions to show why in any given circumstances it should not be undertaken, while a direct incitement to such war stands in the Koran to be invoked at any convenient moment. So while there is always the possibility of a general Moslem conflagration, as a rule there is not much probability of it taking place. We have seen so far some of the implications of the first half of the Moslem creed, " there is no God but Allah." W e have seen how it has led to the practical elimination of God out of the Moslem's life as a personal driving force, while at the same time he obeys certain injunctions because he believes that Allah has ordered them ; but in all this we can find little or nothing by which the Moslem is to direct his daily life. He needs an ideal, and unfortunately, he finds it in the second half of the creed of Islam, " and Mohammed is the prophet of Allah." This fixes for ever the Moslem standard of what a man should be. CHAPTER V.

THE IDEALS OF ISLAM. T h e veneration with which Mohammed was regarded during his lifetime, once he had attained success, is phenomenal; but it is as nothing comared with that devotion and almost worship which as been accorded to him by all Moslems since his death. As the " last and greatest and seal of the prophets," his every word and action is, in the eyes of the Moslem, practically invested with the authority of Deity itself. Thus shortly after his death many of the devout began to collect every story they could of what Mohammed had said or done, or had not said or done, of what he had permitted and what

f

17

he had forbidden. Slowly these collections were sifted, popularised and stereotyped, and out of the seven or eight hundred thousand which are known to have been current some 10,000 are now accepted as genuine. Many of these are mere variants one of the other, and many are certainly spurious; for it is admitted by the learned Moslems themselves that an enormous number were fabricated for personal or party aims. Nevertheless, these traditions still form, to the average Moslem, his ideal of what a man should be. They are therefore of enormous importance to any who would understand the Moslem outlook, and explain what to the Christian mind are extraordinary perversions of moral values. If Mohammed did a certain thing, it is a laudable thing to do, no other criterion could possibly be required. It is impossible to give here even an outline or appreciation of the life and character of Mohammed, but anyone at all interested in Moslems, either from the religious, social, political, or commercial point of view, should certainly make a point of reading one or several of the many lives of the " Arabian prophet." A knowledge of his life is of much greater practical importance than a knowledge of the Koran. This latter none can hope to truly appreciate without a knowledge of the original Arabic, and of oriental conditions.

Political and Social. Having thus obtained his divine revelation (the Koran) and his divine exemplar on earth (Mohammed), the one a nominal basis for his philosophy and the other for his practice, it only remained for the Moslem to work out his social and political relationships. As Islam claims to be entirely a divine organisation, these relationships must clearly be worked out from the basis of the Koran and the prophet. Nominally, this has been done. T h e Koran itself is an extraordinary conglomeration of Jewish fable and Arabian legend, Christian heresy, and poet's fancy, all embedded m a medium of Mohammed's own manufacture and taking its colour 18

from his decidedly abnormal personality. Mohammed's actions were at times actuated by a real passion for what he believed to be truth at all costs, and at other times by hatred, revenge, vanity, or expediency, and even by selfish lust. Therefore, the bases on which the Moslem builds his life naturally possess elasticity and even contradictions. T h e result is that the present Moslem society has in it elements derived from old Arab tribal customs, such as polygamy, slavery, etc. (both expressly legalised in the Koran); from Jewish sources, e.g., circumcision ; from the old Greek philosophers and doctors, with, in legal matters, a large admixture of Roman law modified by ideas of blood-feud, etc. Thus Moslem unity is a decidedly heterogeneous affair, but we can notice certain principles before which all the foregoing elements have had to bow. Socially the main point is the practically complete subjugation of women to the will and lusts of men, and as regards others there is the utter disregard for the rights of any outside the pale of Islam, with a meagre toleration in the case of Jews, Christians, and Magians. Politically, Islam is dominated by the indissoluble bond between the state and the church, between the temporal and religious laws, with the leadership over all of the Caliph, or Successor to Mohammed, who acts as the embodiment of the political, legal, religious, and in fact every aspect of Islam.* This conception of church and state as one explains the theoretical state of war assumed to exist between Moslem and non-Moslem countries, while it also means that an apostate from Islam is regarded as a traitor to his country. We are, therefore, not surprised to learn that the penalty prescribed for a Moslem changing his religion is death, and this is the religious law of every Moslem land to-day. It is not difficult to *lt

is this centrality of the C liphate in the political theory of Islam which so greatly perturbed the Indian Moslems in connection with the recent developments in Angora.. T h e abolition of the office need make little practical difference, but this would clearly show that Islamic theory had been utterly wrong throughout the centuries, and would throw the whole constitutional structure of Islam into the melting pot. T h i s explains the strenuous attempts made to save the Caliphate, even if only in name. There is no mention of the Caliph in the Koran. 19

see how the type of mind which Islam produces makes real religious liberty practically impossible in a Moslem state. Of course, this theoretical organisation has had to stand many rude blows both from within and without, and has recently had to bend very largely before the ideas of the western nations; but the important thing is that it still remains the ideal to which the Moslem holds in his heart, and it is still taught in its entirety as being God's will for men wherever the Moslem school is found. It is an ever-standing menace to the world outside, for in spite of all the fair words of its nominal leaders today, Islam still stands definitely anti-Christian, challenging it at every point, and scorning it at all.

CHAPTER VI.

PERSONAL

CHARACTERISTICS.

Individually the Moslem has many good points. The ideal of a pilgrimage to Mecca naturally makes him into a traveller and a man of the world. His world is not his own little village but the whole world of Islam, from the Atlantic to China. He knows how to buy in the cheap market and is a born trader. Islam being essentially materialistic, he has few susceptibilities, and pursues his own aims regardless of others. Riches and power are to him the tokens of God's favour, however they are obtained. The result is that he often makes a very good servant when properly looked after. His intense pride in himself and his religion makes him quarrelsome, but it also gives him an air of dignity and savoir faire, which is often pleasant to behold. His domestic relationships are not pleasant; sexual matters intrude themselves at every turn, and the plight of womanhood in Islam is the most miserable imaginable. Home life, as we know it, is utterly unknown. With divorce both easy and frequent, a to

see how the type of mind which Islam produces makes real religious liberty practically impossible in a Moslem state. Of course, this theoretical organisation has had to stand many rude blows both from within and without, and has recently had to bend very largely before the ideas of the western nations; but the important thing is that it still remains the ideal to which the Moslem holds in his heart, and it is still taught in its entirety as being God's will for men wherever the Moslem school is found. It is an ever-standing menace to the world outside, for in spite of all the fair words of its nominal leaders today, Islam still stands definitely anti-Christian, challenging it at every point, and scorning it at all.

CHAPTER VI.

PERSONAL

CHARACTERISTICS.

Individually the Moslem has many good points. The ideal of a pilgrimage to Mecca naturally makes him into a traveller and a man of the world. His world is not his own little village but the whole world of Islam, from the Atlantic to China. He knows how to buy in the cheap market and is a born trader. Islam being essentially materialistic, he has few susceptibilities, and pursues his own aims regardless of others. Riches and power are to him the tokens of God's favour, however they are obtained. The result is that he often makes a very good servant when properly looked after. His intense pride in himself and his religion makes him quarrelsome, but it also gives him an air of dignity and savoir faire, which is often pleasant to behold. His domestic relationships are not pleasant; sexual matters intrude themselves at every turn, and the plight of womanhood in Islam is the most miserable imaginable. Home life, as we know it, is utterly unknown. With divorce both easy and frequent, a to

woman has little inducement to make permanent plans for a home of her own, even if she knows how. If she has children and is divorced they go to the husband as soon as they are no longer dependent on their mother for sustenance, etc. T h e result is that the mother tries to win the child to her in every way so as to enjoy its love while she has it. Boys especially are hopelessly petted and spoilt. T h e father, by his treatment of the mother, brings up the child to despise her. If the man takes a second wife, affairs are still worse, and the more intimately the home life of Islam is known, the more sickeningly awful does it appear to anyone who has known what a home might be. Because Mohammed got engaged to a child of six, and married her at the age of nine, child marriage is everywhere tolerated, and where possible is often practised as a most laudable imitation of the " prophet of Allah." Prostitution exists, though one might almost think that under the marriage laws of Islam it would be superfluous, for any man may look on any woman as becoming his lawful wife if only he can get her husband to divorce her. Unfaithfulness on the part of the woman is punished with appalling severity. Other sexual vices are common, and hardly looked on as vices at all by many, and are counted rather among the petty offences even by the most orthodox. His confirmed fatalism makes a Moslem extremely patient in trial and suffering, but it does not help him to be patient to those around him, and affliction normally tends to harden his character and not to ripen it. This same fatalism makes him extremely negligent of any responsibility, whether as a ruler to his subject, a man to his children, or an individual to his fellow men or his God. Preventable disease, deformity and death meet one on every hand in a Moslem country. Child and sweated labour abound with all the evils that they bring. Heartless cruelty is seen everywhere, from the child that tortures its captive bird, to the man who is quite indifferent to the sufferings of his wife. T h e man's word as his bond has lost any value it may have had, 21

except under certain circumstances. Ordinarily, it counts for nothing, even though backed by most solemn oaths. Usually, however, each man has one or two oaths which he would not like to break, but learned Islam is full of sophistries as to those things which make an oath binding or not. T h e Moslem swears falsely by the name of Allah many times a day without any sense of shame, and indeed the name of God is for ever on his lips. Its constant repetition is considered praiseworthy, even in the most trivial or actually immoral connections. Yet there is a certain friendliness in Islam, and a very definite brotherhood. T o belong to the family of Islam outweighs any other advantages. T h e profession of the " Kalima " or creed at once admits one to the full benefits which membership brings with it. Immediately one is lifted up from being a mere unit into fellowship with an immense body, which, according to its lights, looks after its members very well. But its lights are very chequered. A man may seek a long while for any to help him to a hospital when sick, and longer still for any to tend him there ; but there will be no lack of those who will carry him to his grave, for there is a tradition that such an acticn brings great merit to its performer. This idea of accumulating merit lies at the back of most of a Moslem's actions. A thing is done, not because it is in itself right or humane or kindly, but because it is hoped that its performance will bring merit and help to increase the weight of the right side of the balance, when his actions are being weighed on that last and solemn day, the existence and fear of which are never very far frcm a Moslem's mind. And so, side by side with much that is true and lofty, we find the most debased superstition existing, tolerated and even taught by this most composite and contradictory of religions. From this its half truths have not saved it. Its simple " rational" faith has ended in the destruction of all rational belief, and its untutored ' p r o p h e t ' has left it in a morass of ignorance and sensuality. Islam has no redemption and no saviour. In spite of its fair pro21

fession it has no real knowledge of sin, and still less knowledge of holiness. Alone of the great religions of the world it denies the truth, and defames the Light of Christianity. Alone it has beaten the Christian nations times without number, and enslaved, outraged, or slain its adherents. These facts challenge Christians to enquire what has been done in the past to take Islam the light, how the case stands at present, and, above all, they constitute a call to greater consecration and more earnest prayer for the future.

CHAPTER VII.

THE CONTACT OF CHRISTIANITY WITH ISLAM. The history of the contact of Christianity and Islam up to the beginning of last century is all too briefly told, for it is almost all a story of warfare, the Crusades being the best known episodes. Islam had conquered Christianity at the point of the sword, and Christianity was eager to win its way back in like manner. But there were a few who tried to show the " more excellent way." In the eighth century John of Damascus contended for the faith both by pen and by voice, and a century later, A1 Kindy, a Christian Arab, wrote his famous " Apology " which is still one of the most widely read and forceful expositions of the claims of Christ on the Moslem. We hear of little else till suddenly, in the very midst of the Crusades, Francis of Assisi left the Christian host and " for days together announced the Word of God to the Saracens, with but little success,' even meeting and testifying to the Sultan himself'

Lull. Another century passed, and then arose the brightest missionary star of the middle ages, Raymond Lull. He was of Spanish origin, wonderfully popular, brilliant, versatile, splendidly successful, ii

fession it has no real knowledge of sin, and still less knowledge of holiness. Alone of the great religions of the world it denies the truth, and defames the Light of Christianity. Alone it has beaten the Christian nations times without number, and enslaved, outraged, or slain its adherents. These facts challenge Christians to enquire what has been done in the past to take Islam the light, how the case stands at present, and, above all, they constitute a call to greater consecration and more earnest prayer for the future.

CHAPTER VII.

THE CONTACT OF CHRISTIANITY WITH ISLAM. The history of the contact of Christianity and Islam up to the beginning of last century is all too briefly told, for it is almost all a story of warfare, the Crusades being the best known episodes. Islam had conquered Christianity at the point of the sword, and Christianity was eager to win its way back in like manner. But there were a few who tried to show the " more excellent way." In the eighth century John of Damascus contended for the faith both by pen and by voice, and a century later, A1 Kindy, a Christian Arab, wrote his famous " Apology " which is still one of the most widely read and forceful expositions of the claims of Christ on the Moslem. We hear of little else till suddenly, in the very midst of the Crusades, Francis of Assisi left the Christian host and " for days together announced the Word of God to the Saracens, with but little success,' even meeting and testifying to the Sultan himself'

Lull. Another century passed, and then arose the brightest missionary star of the middle ages, Raymond Lull. He was of Spanish origin, wonderfully popular, brilliant, versatile, splendidly successful, ii

knight, poet, musician, scholar, philosopher, nobleman, courtier, gallant," and suddenly there broke on him a vision of Christ crucified, five times repeated. His life was entirely changed and he resolved to give himself to the evangelisation of Islam. It is an amazing record, this mighty man, whose songs are still sung and philosophy still venerated, bending every effort to rouse the Church to her duty to win the Moslems, not by force of arms, but, as he said, " by love and prayers and the pouring out of tears and blood." Failing to rouse the interest he hoped in Europe, when 56 years old he ventured time and again to sail alone to Africa, boldly preaching Christ and suffering ignominy and imprisonment with undimmed ardour and love. Finally, after winning some converts, a lone magnificent hero at the age of 80, he was stoned to death outside the walls of Bugia, in Algeria, on June 29th, 1315. He was a noble example indeed, but, if we exclude the visit to India of Xavier and a few of his devoted followers, none was found to follow him for close on 500 years. Martyn. The one who at last took up the torch that Lull had so bravely carried, was of the self-same spiritBrilliantly clever, and Senior Wrangler at Cambridge, in 1806 Henry Martyn left England and all that life held dearest to work in India for the Lord Whom he held dearer than life. He was only just 25 when he landed, but after five years intense literary and evangelistic labour he was obliged to come home because of his health. He determined to make his journey an opportunity for more widely proclaiming the Gospel, so he sailed to Arabia and preached Christ at Muscat, and then hastened on to Shiraz, in Persia. There he proclaimed the Gospel to the Moslems in public and in private for over a year, all the while working haid to perfect his Persian translation of the New Testament. Finally, he took the road home through Persia and Asia Minor. The story of his journey makes sad reading, his holy, gentle spirit shining more and more clearly against a dark background of trea24

chery, callousness and greed. He did not live to see again his country or the Lydia whom he loved, for he died untended and alone at Tokat in Asia Minor, where the plague was ragmg. So ended those six splendid years of devoted service " blazed out for God," and men might call it a tragedy, a life thrown away. And so it was, but it was a tragedy like to Calvary, and the seed that then fell down and died has yielded, and does still yield a thin but noble harvest of those who have followed him in seeking to preach Christ where He was not named," or only named to be misunderstood.

Pfander and others. It is impossible to mention more than a few of those who have since followed in Martyn's steps. Of these almost the first was Pfander, a German-Swiss, who for forty years laboured in Persia, India and Constantinople. He did a vast amount of spade work in the way of appreciating the special difficulties and problems of the Moslem, and with keenest insight he showed how Christianity could meet them. Some of his writings are still standard works, while in his special sphere of winning controversy he has never been surpassed. Associated with him for a while at Agra, in India, was Valpy French, Bishop of Lahore, another brilliant genius, who devoted every power he had to solving the Moslem problem. He took the whole Moslem world on his heart and, at the age of sixty-five, answered the call to go and do pioneer missionary work at Muscat, one of the hottest places in Arabia. He died only three months after he had landed, his eyes on the interior of that vast stronghold of Islam. Just four years before this, Ion Keith Falconer, son of the Earl of Kintore, had died at Aden. Great athelete and orientalist, professor of Arabic at Cambridge, he had been impressed with the challenge of Islam to Christianity, and with a heart burning with love to Christ he also had gone to commence the winning of Arabia for Christ. But within six months he was stricken with fever and died. T h e work he founded and endowed still goes 28

on under the able leadership of Dr. Young, while his life and devotion are still an inspiration and a call to like willing service. Dr. Zwemer, a Dutch American, followed hard after French, and, during the last thirty years, he has done perhaps more than anyone else to stir up the Christian Church to its responsibility to give the Moslems the Word of Life, in such a way, and with such a spirit, that they will receive Him. And so this work of witness and of love has slowly spread. By many nationalities, but by the one Spirit it has been carried forward until now nearly every Moslem land has some witness for Christ. But the numbers are pitiably small and the need for reinforcements is urgent. We have now seen something of the darkness of Islam, and have been able to appreciate some of those points in its teaching which make it so peculiarly difficult for Moslems to apprehend Christian truth, and even more difficult to present that truth in such a way that it can be clearly grasped. We have seen the causes of those misconceptions and misunderstandings which are continually baffling those who present Christ to them, and have also caught a glimpse of the spirit of the pioneers in this most difficult of all fields of Christian service. This will enable us to appreciate rightly the various agencies used by missionaries in this work.

CHAPTER VIII.

METHODS OF CHRISTIAN APPROACH. Evangelistic Work. From what has been written about the theology of Islam, it is not difficult to see that it puts enormous obstacles in the way of direct preaching or evangelistic work, as ordinarily understood. Every theological word used has a definite Moslem flavour which it is very difficult for the missionary to appre26

on under the able leadership of Dr. Young, while his life and devotion are still an inspiration and a call to like willing service. Dr. Zwemer, a Dutch American, followed hard after French, and, during the last thirty years, he has done perhaps more than anyone else to stir up the Christian Church to its responsibility to give the Moslems the Word of Life, in such a way, and with such a spirit, that they will receive Him. And so this work of witness and of love has slowly spread. By many nationalities, but by the one Spirit it has been carried forward until now nearly every Moslem land has some witness for Christ. But the numbers are pitiably small and the need for reinforcements is urgent. We have now seen something of the darkness of Islam, and have been able to appreciate some of those points in its teaching which make it so peculiarly difficult for Moslems to apprehend Christian truth, and even more difficult to present that truth in such a way that it can be clearly grasped. We have seen the causes of those misconceptions and misunderstandings which are continually baffling those who present Christ to them, and have also caught a glimpse of the spirit of the pioneers in this most difficult of all fields of Christian service. This will enable us to appreciate rightly the various agencies used by missionaries in this work.

CHAPTER VIII.

METHODS OF CHRISTIAN APPROACH. Evangelistic Work. From what has been written about the theology of Islam, it is not difficult to see that it puts enormous obstacles in the way of direct preaching or evangelistic work, as ordinarily understood. Every theological word used has a definite Moslem flavour which it is very difficult for the missionary to appre26

eiate, and which often makes his statements seem meaningless or foolish to his listeners. For example, to talk of heaven rouses no holy thoughts in the Moslem's mind, but rather such sensual ideas as are certainly best left unstirred. T h e word Faith generally conveys to the Moslem the idea of the externals of faith such as Prayer, Alms-giving, etc., so that the statement " saved by faith, not by works," is incomprehensible when first heard. An even greater difficulty is that it is impossible to speak of the Deity without speaking of the G o d of Mohammed, who is certainly not the same as " the G o d of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory." T h u s , although there has been, and stili is, some direct evangelistic work among Moslems, it is very uphill work and requires exceptional grace and understanding, so that it is not surprising that other modes of approach have been tried. Before passing on to these, however, mention must be made of the experiment which is at present being conducted among the ignorant villagers of Upper Egypt. T h e aim is to reach practically every person in each village at least once, with some direct message. T h e preaching is as simple as possible, practically ignores Moslem difficulties and presents the Gospel largely by means of the imagery of the " Wordless b o o k , " black for sin, gold for glory, etc. Reports of the work are most encouraging, but what the final result will be and how deeply the real truth has been grasped it is at present too early to say. T h e r e is need for much prayer for blessing on this, as on all other methods being employed to reach Islam.

Medical Work. Medical work was early seen to be a very hopeful mode of approach. Curable disease abounds, and causes as much suffering to a Moslem as to anyone else. In most parts the Christian doctor now finds a ready entrance, but it has not been won without much painstaking and self-denying work by those who have gone before. This type of work has prob27

ably proved the most effective agency of any, but it labours under its peculiar disadvantages, which may well be remembered in prayer. It is a fairly easy thing for a surgeon to make a great personal reputation, but it is by no means easy to make that reputation tell for Christ. Often we get so engrossed in working for the Lord that we forget to work to Him and in His way. T h e need for cleanliness and order in a hospital may make the patient think that Christians are a very particular people, and that while their religion may be all right where they can order everything as they wish, yet in his surroundings it is not a religion which will work. Then, too, being in a ward may ensure that the patient gets healed, but it also means that he learns Christianity (if he learns it at all) in a very special atmosphere, and when he returns home he does not quite see how to work it out. These difficulties specially apply in pioneer work, but it is in such work that medical missions are most valuable, for after a mission hospital has been established some time, it is usually possible to start other methods of work which previously would not have been tolerated for a moment. T h u s medical work is very dependent on a proper follow-up work outside the hospital if it is to be as fruitful as it might be, and this is not at all so easy to arrange in practice, as it should be in theory. Out-patient and itinerating medical work offer peculiar advantages as they are largely free from some of these drawbacks, but until the hospitals can be more fully manned it is improbable that this side of the work will be developed as it certainly might. So until the Christian people at home wake up and pray and consecrate themselves to the work, even medical missions are relatively crippled.

Woman's Work. Efforts to reach the women must always form a special branch of Moslem mission work. Their problems are so different from the men's, their handicaps so much heavier, their need immeasurable. Being forbidden intercourse with any men save their 28

nearest relations, the task of reaching the Moslem women is one which Christian women alone can undertake. In all the world there can hardly be a more pathetic spectacle than that of the womanhood of Islam. Bound down by custom, tradition and superstition, how can they stretch out their hands towards the light ? Even should they try to do so, they are so completely in the hands of their husbands that no mind can picture the misery of many a woman who has been so bold as to " feel after HIM if haply she might find H I M . " The sorrows of a Moslem home are indescribable, the innumerable tragedies cannot be told. But the greatest tragedy is that the more strictly Mohammedan the community the worse the conditions become. Indeed the women are the most bigoted and conservative adherents of the old system from which they suffer so much, and many a Moslem struggling to live a higher life is bound down by his womenfolk. So the women need to be reached for themselves and for the sake of the men too. We hear much to-day of the new woman of Islam, and undoubtedly there is a longing in many parts for something better. The demand for education of girls is the most hopeful part of the new movement, and the one most likely to last. For the rest, if Moslem history repeats itself in the way it has so consistently done, the new movement towards liberty may well land the women in an even worse bondage than before. As yet only a small fringe of Moslem women are affected by it, and the strength of the movement lies in those places where Islam has been most touched by western civilisation, Turkey and the great cities of India and Egypt. Bolshevist propaganda is also helping to break down old ideas of sex as of other things. Should the movement persist—as we all hope it will—the soul will still be left in darkness, but meanwhile it has brought a tolerance which has opened the door to Moslem women wider than it has ever been before. However it is a door which may easily shut unless it is entered at once. It constitutes an urgent call to Christian women to-day 29

for greater service and sacrifice. But who will go to these darkened and narrow souls, who live m houses where the windows all look inwards and not outwards, and who dare not appear in public unveiled ? Who are willing to brave the gloom and heat, the pandemonium, vermin and dirt, in which most of their lives are passed? Still more, who can face that awful moral miasma which seems to pervade a Moslem home, and still keep bright and sweet and clean? For the Moslem men may be reached nearly anywhere, but if the women are to be touched effectively it must be in their homes. So all honour to the brave, unselfish women who are doing this most difficult work in the world. Let us pray for them and support them by gifts and service, too. T h e special societies doing this work are crippled for lack of funds, and the need for more workers is tremendous. If any woman should read these lines who is longing to do some real hard work for the L O R D J E S U S she can find it here. Her Moslem sisters are calling her. They may not welcome her at first. Ere long she may be " despised and rejected of men, a w o m a n of sorrows and acquainted with grief " even as her L O R D was ; but we may be sure that H E Who so valued the alabaster box of precious ointment, will equally value the love and service of one whose life will very truly be ' as ointment poured forth."

Educational Work. Seeing that Islam is palpably a system founded cn error, one would think that education would be a powerful weapon in overthrowing it, and this is true. Islam cannot stand before a proper western education, but that is a very different thing from winning the pupil to Christ, and this must ever be the aim of real mission work. While educational missions escape some of the disadvantages of other types of work, they also have special problems of their own. T h e very clearness of the issue presented to the student may at times be a hindrance. Islam is not merely a religion, but it is a society, a nationality and a civilisation all 30

in one. When a student finds that his system will not stand the clear light of truth, he may at once cease his studies, as many do ; he may shut his ears to the truth and harden his heart, as most of them d o ; or he may seek to find error in the truth which has been brought to him, or alternatively seek to find in his system some elements of truth which had not been recognised before. It is very few who are at once willing to forsake all and follow a new truth, for " no man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new : for he saith, the old is better." T h e old infidel books find a ready sale in India and other parts, where Christian education of Moslems has been at all extensive, and the lurid details of the British divorce courts and murder trials provide spicy reading in the vernacular press. Such things are eagerly sought after by those who seek to prove that the Light of Christianity is no light at all; while books on comparative religion, and also the writings of those who have sought to see the best they can in Islam, have provided them with arguments to bolster up their cause. In this they have also been greatly aided by the example of the Higher Critics," and the way that some Moslems now treat the foundations of their own faith must compel the admiration of the most advanced school of rationalists. But there are other reasons for the comparative failure of educational missions. A native who has been trained up to high school standard, finds it almost impossible to sink back to the same kind of life as he led before he went to school. He feels lost. Even a thorough acceptance of Christianity wou d bring him little fellowship, except with the missionary body. European " Christians " will have nothing to do with him, and he cannot feel at home with his own people. T h e result is discontent, and it is largely of such people that the nationalists of India, Egypt, etc., are composed. Once to be ir any way western was to acquire prestige, but in many countries the pendulum is swinging violently in the opposite direction. Perhaps a deeper reason still lies in the schoo si

organisation itself. A master is not always in the best position to lead a boy to Christ, certainly where fear of, and toadying to a master are the things the boy best understands. T h e need for discipline tends to prevent that atmosphere of comradeship in which a boy is usually most helpfully approached. Of course it need not, but it requires a rare combination of spirit and character to make a really effective educational missionary. Although superficially, perhaps, the easiest form of mission work, if it is to be really worth while educational work is probably the most exacting of a n y ; for when all the difficulties mentioned above have been overcome, there remains the greatest of them all, and that is that the teachei should fulfil the laws of spiritual fruitfulness. " Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone," and to keep self in the background is harder for a teacher than for anyone else. Constantly he needs to assert his own authority, his personality, and possibly to maintain his own dignity, and all this for the good of the pupil. In such circumstances, it is very hard to die to self and " set the Lord ever before M E . " And the other law is perhaps harder still. It runs, " H e that abideth in M e , and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. Without M e ye can do nothing." T h e teaching work, the constant supervision necessary, the correction of papers, the need to prepare for the lessons ahead, school organisation and a hundred and one other things, including often difficul;ies with the masters and possibly with government instructions ; all these combine to more than occupy the time of a missionary who would run a school. Is it any wonder that sometimes the daily meditation on God's word, the times of waiting alone on the Lord, and the constant abiding in H i m , get neglected or crowded out ? and the result is inevitable," it becometh unfruitful." Educational missions may plead for more men, more money, and many other things, but the most crying need is for more prayer at home, and yet more prayer abroad. Let us not idly criticise, but with understanding sympathy let us help. 32

Literary Work. We are in these days seeing an extraordinary development of what certainly is a most promising branch of mission work, the use of literature. From the very earliest times this has been used, and we have already mentioned the apology of A1 Kindy, written eleven hundred years ago; but the amazing growth of literacy among Moslems, who always used to be the least literate part of any population, has made possible the use of this means in a way quite impossible twenty years ago. The educational missions are certainly mainly responsible for this. Where applicable, the printed page is almost an ideal way of reaching a Moslem. Once a suitable tract has been printed it can be broadcast with ease. If suitably printed, with careful attention to phraseology, etc., there need be aroused no sentiment of national or religious pride. The words may be chosen with such care and used in such a way that they will avoid creating wrong impressions. The message arrives without any heat of words or long discussions, and may sink in as " showers that water the earth." If desired, the pamphlet may easily be concealed, directions as to where further information can be obtained may be given, and all the while none need know that the word is having any effect. If the book should cause anger or opposition, the worst that can happen is that it should be burned. It leads to no personal animosities, it does not denationalise, it does not dogmatise, and in its form it may be thoroughly familiar. So we need to praise God for the way this work is being developed by the Nile Mission Press, and by other agencies in other parts. We should pray for the writers and translators, that they may have divine grace and wisdom, and that while immersed in literary work they may not get " bookish," but that from their pens may flow a wholesome, winning and powerful witness for the cause of Christ. We need to pray too, for those who distribute and for those who read, and above all for the multifarious work of the Bible societies which seek to give every Moslem the 33

Book of books in his own tongue, the great work to which Henry Martyn devoted his life.

Children's Work. Yet, as of old, it was not until " the Word became flesh and dwelt among us," that " we beheld His glory," so it is to-day. Literary work does not take away from the need for missionaries. By increasing the possibilities, it accentuates the need for those who shall, in their own lives live out that Life of life, so that others may see and " become followers of us and of the Lord." (These need not by any means always he definite "missionaries," but every Christian abroad should let his light shine, and the home Church should remember this, and constantly pray for its members overseas that their witness may be clear and true.) So in view of this need for more workers, we will close our study of the needs of Islam by referring to the least developed of all branches of mission work, that among Moslem children. This is probably the most needy sphere of any. Few Moslem children reach the age of ten without being imbued with much of their father's bigotry, and in a few years longer they will be familiar with most of the Moslem misconceptions and parodies of Christianity. Before this age they offer an almost virgin field, full of bitter herbs, no doubt, but cultivable ground for all that. Difficulties of course abound. The home gives no assistance, and is indeed a hindrance. There is need to appreciate a whole world of new ideas, to find the way the child thinks and talks, to " stretch himself upon the child." No easy work this. As Spurgeon so well says, " Should it not be, ' he contracted himself ' . . . No, he stretched himself, and mark you no stretching is harder than for a man to stretch himself to a child. He is no fool who can talk to children ; a simpleton is much mistaken if he thinks that his folly can interest boys and girls. It needs our best wits, our most industrious studies, our most earnest thoughts, our ripest powers, to teach our little ones." All this must be done in a foreign ton3*

gue, to a strange people, and there are not far off a hundred million of these children to be reached Schools and orphanages hardly touch the fringe of the matter. The Ragged Sunday Schools, recently started in several places, are on the right lines and very promising, but they require to be multiplied many thousandfold. We need to till this vast field for the Lord, to bring to the children the children*» Saviour ; and while we are thinking about it, or more probably neglecting it, our beloved Lord pines for them, " them also I must bring," and He also long» that we should enter into deeper fellowship with Him in this matter, whether it be " Go ye therefore," or " Pray ye therefore."

Results. This rapid survey would be indeed incomplete without one word as to results. We have not sought to point out the peculiar difficulties of this work with any desire to depress or in any way as an apology. Understanding our difficulties we may grapple with them in the strength of Him Who " always causeth us to triumph in Christ," and the knowledge of hindrances should spur us on to greater effort. Yet we can already praise God for some of the spoils of victory in the shape of Moslems who now own Christ a* Lord. In the face of death, disinheritance, outlawry, hatred, and contempt, it is not surprising that so far their numbers are few ; but surely the ignorance and neglect of the Church at home is rather to blame for this ? Yearly there meet near Cairo an ever increasing number of the most joyous Christians one could desire to meet, and all these once professed Islam. Even in Arabia, the Cradle of Islam, there have been found those who dared to confess Christ, and more wonderful still, in Afghanistan, under the absolute Amir, Christians have been put to death. In India, some mighty triumphs of grace have been won, and China and many parts of Africa have swelled the total. Up to the present Java and Sumatra have provided the greatest numbers, many thousands hav38

ing been won as a result of Dutch mission work, and only recently news has come of several thousand Moslems returning to the Christian fold in Abyssinia, while numbers have recently been won in Persia also. True, we may say with Andrew, " But what are they among so many ? " and the answer is " Ask of Me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." If Christians will but believe, and pray, give and go, humbly, but courageously, this little vanguard will soon be lost in the vast host which will surely follow.

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EPILOGUE.

THE AFTERMATH OF THE WAR. T h e writer has so frequently been asked to say something about the effect on Islam of the Great War and subsequent events, that the following remarks have been added. T h e war is still so recent that it is impossible for anyone to speak authoritatively on the matter, and what follows must be taken simply as the expression of personal experience and opinion.

General. Taken on the whole the war has diminished the religious fervour of Islam, largely by turning that fervour into already existing channels. It has accelerated processes which had already begun, and caused developments which ten years ago would have been almost incredible. By bringing numbers of Moslems to fight on opposite sides with and against Christian " nations, it has had a profound effect on the unity of Islam, and this fighting, and the inceased knowledge of Western nations gained under war conditions, have greatly undermined the moral prestige of the Christian powers.

Near East. Islam has always been a political creed, but during and since the war it has become markedly more so. Politics rather than a zeal for Allah now mainly absorb the attention of the learned Moslem, and very largely that of his less educated brother also. This is especially so in the Near and Middle East, and in India. In the Near East the sudden growth of the nationalist spirit for a while almost swept away the age-long barriers between Moslem and native Christian, and though they are rapidly discovering that these 37

barriers cannot be cleared away so easily as they thought, on the whole the result has been a definite increase of approachability from the Christian standpoint.

Middle East. In the Middle East, where the Christians form an almost negligible minority, the nationalist spirit Has not had the same effect. T h e more extreme anti-British and anti-Christian propaganda from India and Egypt found here a fertile soil, and the result has been an increase of bitterness. This has, however, been offset by the undreamed-of wealth which the war brought to so many. It has resulted in such a mad rush for the riches of this world that thoughts of the world to come have rather faded away, and zeal for religion is rapidly giving way to materialistic indifference.

India. India has presented somewhat the same situation as Eigypt, but here the rapprochement has been between Moslem and Hindu instead of Moslem and Christian. T h u s the effect has not been quite the same, and while there has been quite a little breaking down of prejudices as a result, it is neither so marked nor so hopeful as in Egypt. It has, however, offered a great opportunity for Christianity to come in as offering its best to Moslem and Hindu alike. Perhaps the greatest factor in India has been the agitation over the Caliphate, which was suppressed by the Angora authorities after they had been so enthusiastically supported by the Indian Moslems. T h i s agitation was really a purely political move to take advantage of fanaticism in India and ignorance in England, these two factors being adroitly manoeuvered to cause race hatred in India, and to bring pressure on the Home Government to grant hasty, if not unwise, concessions. This stirring of national and religious prejudices has naturally not made the work of preaching Christ any easier. Its reaction has been two fold. Many have believed that it forces mission policy to become more sx

purely and obviously spiritual, so that it cannot possibly be confounded with national propaganda. Others hold that if Christianity is to make the best of the situation it must show that it comes with definite and practical advantages to all, and they urge a great increase in institutional and social work.

Turkey. T h e position of the Turk to-day reminds us how rapidly a house built on sand may crumble when once that sand has begun to shift. T h e war of course affected Turkey more intimately than any other Moslem power. Pan-Islam* had failed before the war began, and the struggle brought to an end the PanTuraniant" ideal which had been gaining ground since the Young Turks struck their first blow in 1908. Failure forced them to their last hope which was to found a purely Turkish state. This ideal their leaders have relentlessly pursued, sweeping everything aside when they thought that it impeded progress, or had served its time, whether it were the Christian minorities or the Caliph himself. T h e divorce between Church and State is well-nigh complete, to the great disadvantage of the former. T h e leaders seem bent on adopting all the externals of western civilisation in the hope that they will thereby make Turkey a modern progressive state. While their doings are strongly condemned by orthodox Moslems everywhere, theii political achievements are having a tremendous moral effect on the outlook of those who disapprove of them. At present direct missionary work is practically prohibited in Turkey.

Turkestan. Though rather out of the war area, Turkestan has been profoundly affected by the fall of Russia and the * T h e aim of Pan-Islamism was into one vas Apolitical unit.

roughly the union of all the Islamic peoples

T h e aim oi Pan-Turanianism was the union in one independent state of all peoples kindred to the Osmanli Turks, the word Turanian having a much wider signification than the word Turk. In this way the movement was reckoned to include some 50,000,000 people, of whom perhap» half spoke some Turkish dialect

3»

rise of the Soviets, with the consequent promulgation of Bolshevism. Though this is in many ways diametrically opposed to the principles of Islam,§ yet by some sort of mental gymnastics a synthesis is actually taking place. This is said to be perhaps the most interesting and fateful movement in the world to-day, for if it could really be accomplished, the union of Bolshevism and Islam would be a peril to civilisation indeed. What the final result will be it is impossible to say, but it seems at least certain that it does not trend towards the ready acceptation of the Gospel.

Arabia and Afghanistan. T h e long-closed lands of Arabia and Afghanistan have both been greatly influenced by the presence in thern of political officers of the western powers, and at times o western troops as well. Isolation has broken down, and though these lands cannot yet be called open, their doors are wider ajar than they have been for many centuries, and they offer great fields for heroic prayer and service.

North Africa. Norlh Africa has been indirectly affected by the war in a very marked way, and we find here that the attitude of the French government is the dominant factor. There are many others of lesser importance. For example, the Algerian troops sent further East must certainly have returned with the report that there was no love lost between them and their co-religionists in Egypt and elsewhere. However, North Africa has always presented rather an isolated type of Islam, so that a little more disunion will not have much effect. T h e war made a vast difference to France by depleting it of so many of its men. In order to counteract this France has taken the step of counting its North African colonies as integral parts of France. This avoids some difficulties in the military situation from the French point of view, but it also creates T h e y agree in having a materialistic outlook, in their practical belief in nrijlit as right, and especially in their antipathy t o Christianity.

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many on the civil side. Amongst other things it materially alters the status of the North African Moslem, and also the status of Islam in the French Empire. The French have recognised this, and seem to be seeking to discharge their new responsibilities by commercial development, and especially by a great increase in educational facilities. The education given is western and largely through the medium of the French language. This naturally tends to diminish fanaticism and replace religion by that apathy, atheism or agnosticism which is sadly common in France itself. Thus the North African townsman is rapidly being weaned from his old position, though in the country pa'ts there is little change as yet. Western learning and language make him easier to reach and to understand, but what his real religious position will be it is difficult to say.

Other Areas. As regards the outlying parts of the " House of Islam " the war seems to have caused a general shaking of the foundations, and clearer signs of disintegration. Slumbering peoples have wakened into life, or rather animation. The old unquestioning assumption of the superiority of Islam has begun to go, while the acquiescence in the rule of the white man has gone toe. In consequence, mission work is rather easier in these lands on the whole, especially as governments have come to look more favourably towards the missionaries as a force making for peace and order and progress.

Conclusion. These remarks can only give a general survey, and in many parts only a small fraction of the population is affected in the way shown, the rest of the people continuing to think and act pretty much as they did before the war. Taken as a whole, however, it is fairly true to say that the war has dulled the religious consciousness of Islam. This tends to make the position of the convert much easier, and also aids the missionary approach. On the other hand, in41

stead of Having one general type of belief over the whole area, we have it in places so overlaid or intermingled with politics, materialism, agnosticism, etc., that it is often difficult to realise the existence of the substratum at all. This makes the work in many ways harder, and emphasises the need of the missionary to be " a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of T r u t h . " T o that talisman all doors open, and it is being proved under the new conditions, as under the old, that the Gospel is still " the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth." T o those who have long looked and prayed for the time when Islam shall yield to Christ, these changed conditions are full of hope. In the missionary body is an attitude of hope and expectancy to a greater degree than there has ever been before. " And Joshua said unto the people, S h o u t : for the Lord hath given you the city." T h e walls of this Jericho of Islam are visibly tottering, and now is the time for every Christian to do his utmost to help forward this great work. We need those at home so to " shout " that those on the field may go up " every man straight before his face," not with sword of steel, but with the Sword of the Spirit; not in hate, but in love; not to destroy, but to save. " A n d I heard the voice of the LORD, saying, ' Whom shall I send, and who will go for u s i Then said I, ' Here am I ; SEND

ME.'"

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