The

MOHAMMEDANISM.

THE CATTLE.1

Chapter of the Cattle: " Heaven is whose, And whose is earth? Say Allah's, That did choose On His own might to lay the law of mercy. He, at the Resurrection, will not lose

One of His own. What falleth, night or day,
Falleth by His Almighty word alway.

Wilt thou have any other Lord than Allah,
Who is not fed, but feedeth all flesh?

Say!

For if He visit thee with woe, none makes
The woe to cease save He; and if He takes

Pleasure to send thee pleasure, He is Master
Over all gifts; nor doth His thought forsake

The creatures of the field, nor fowls that fly;
They are "a people" also: "These, too, I

Have set," the Lord saith, "in My book of record; These shall be gathered to Me by and by."

With Him of all things secret are the keys;

None other hath them, but He hath; and sees
Whatever is in land, or air, or water,

Each bloom that blows, each foam-bell on the seas.
E. ARNOLD: Pearls of the Faith.

I cannot believe that any creature was created for uncompensated misery; it would be contrary to God's mercy and justice.

MARY SOMERVILLE.

1 Koran, chap. vi.

The spider and the dove! if He protect,
Fear thou not foeman's wrong.

From Mecca to Medina fled our Lord,

The horsemen followed fast;

Into a cave to shun their murderous rage,
Mohammed, weary, passed.

Quoth Aba Bekr, "If they see me die!
Quoth Eba Foheir, "Away!"

The guide Abdallah said, "The sand is deep,
Those footmarks will betray."

Then spake our Lord "We are not four but Five; He who protects is here.

'Come! Al-Muhaimin' now will blind their eyes; Enter, and have no fear."

The band drew nigh; one of the Koreish cried, "Search ye out yonder cleft,

I see the print of sandalled feet which turn
Thither, upon the left!"

But when they drew unto the cavern's mouth,
Lo, at its entering in,

A ring-necked desert-dove sat on her eggs;
The mate cooed soft within.

And right athwart the shadow of the cave
A spider's web was spread;

The creature hung upon her web at watch;
Unbroken was each thread;

"By Thammuz' blood," the unbelievers cried,

"Our toil and time are lost;

Where doves hatch, and the spider spins her snare, No foot of man hath crossed!"

Thus did a desert bird and spider guard

The blessed Prophet then;

For all things serve their maker and their God

Better than thankless men.

Pearls of the Faith.

THE YOUNG DOVES.

There came before our Lord a certain one
Who said, "O Prophet! as I passed the wood
I heard the voice of youngling doves which cried,
While near the nest their pearl-necked mother cooed.

"Then in my cloth I tied those fledglings twain, But all the way the mother fluttered nigh; See she hath followed hither." Spake our Lord: "Open thy knotted cloth, and stand thou by."

But when she spied her nestlings, from the palm
Down flew the dove, of peril unafeared,
So she might succor these. "Seest thou not,"
Our Lord said, "how the heart of this poor bird

"Grows by her love, greater than his who rides
Full-face against the spear-blades? Thinkest thou
Such fire divine was kindled to be quenched?
I tell ye nay! Put back upon the bough

“The nest she claimeth thus: I tell ye nay !
From Allah's self cometh this wondrous love:
Yea! And I swear by Him who sent me here,
He is more tender than a nursing dove,

“More pitiful to men than she to these.
Therefore fear God in whatsoe’er ye deal
With the dumb peoples of the wing and hoof.”

Pearls of the Faith.

FORGIVEN.

Verily there are rewards for our doing good to dumb animals, and giving them water to drink. A wicked woman was forgiven who, seeing a dog at a well holding out his tongue from thirst, which was near killing him, took off her boot, and tied it to the end of her garment, and drew water in it for the dog, and gave him to drink ; and she was forgiven her sin for that act.

Table Talk of Mohammed.

PRAYERS.

It is recorded of the Prophet, that when, being on a journey, he alighted at any place, he did not say his prayers until he had unsaddled his camel.

POOLE'S Mohammed.

DUMB MOUTHS.

By these dumb mouths be ye forgiven,
ye are heard pleading with heaven.

Ere

Pearls of the Faith.

THE PARSEES.

FROM THE ZEND AVESTA.

Of all and every kind of sin which I have committed against the creatures of Ormazd, as stars, moon, sun, and the red-burning fire, the Dog, the Birds, the other good creatures which are the property of Ormazd, if I have become a sinner against any of these, I repent.

"If a man gives bad food to a shepherd Dog, of what sin is he guilty?"

Ahura Mazda 1 answered:

"It is the same guilt as though he should serve bad food to a master of a house of the first rank.”

"The dog, I, Ahura Mazda, have made self-clothed and self-shod, watchful, wakeful, and sharp-toothed, born to take his food from man and to watch over man's goods.

I, Ahura Mazda, have made the dog strong of body against the evil-doer and watchful over your goods, when he is of sound mind.

HINDOO.

He who, seeking his own happiness, does not punish or kill beings who also long for happiness, will find happiness after death.

Whoever in this world harms living whom there is no compassion for living know him as an outcast.

Dhammapada.

beings, and in

beings, let one

Sutta Nipata.

1 Ahura Mazda or Ormazd is the King of Light; the Good. The Zend Avesta is of great but uncertain antiquity; believed to be three thousand years old.