Religion of the Crescent

58	THE RELIGION OF THE CRESCENT.

existences. Muhammad's descriptions¹ of GOD'S Majesty and All-sufficiency are extremely striking.

"Far more feeble is what he is able to say and regarding GOD'S moral attributes. However

Allah defective
in Holiness
and Love.

much he discourses about His Righteousness, His Wrath against sin, His Grace and Mercy, yet" (according to Muhammad) "Allah is not holy Love, not the negation of all Self-seeking and Sensuality. Neither in Holiness nor in Love is He just. Towards the ungodly Love does not attain to its right; Allah is quick and ready enough to punish them, to lead them astray and to harden their hearts; His Wrath is not free from passion. Towards Believers, that Holiness which can love nothing impure is defective. Allah can permit His Prophet to do things that would otherwise be objectionable: to the rest of the Believers also He can allow what is not of itself good . . . . The commandments which GOD gives are not the expression of His Nature; they are arbitrary, and can therefore be retracted and replaced by others.

"Thus the GOD of Muhammad leaves upon us the impression of an arbitrary Oriental despot, who

GOD a Despot.

makes His enemies experience His wrath in a terrible manner and loads His faithful servants with benefits, besides winking at their misdeeds." Some writers have accused Muhammad of taking very

¹ Yet even Pindar could say,—

Εν ανδρων, εν θεων γενος. εκ μιας δε πνεομεν Ματρος αμφοτεροι. διειργει δε πασα κεκριμενα Δυναμις, ως το μεν ουδεν, ο δε χαλκεος ασφαλες αιεν εδος Μενει ουρανος.

(Pind. "Nem." vi. 1-4.)

THE WEAKNESS OF ISLAM.

anthropomorphic¹ views of GOD, and there are passages both in the Qur'an²

Islam not
Anthropomorphic
in Doctrine.

itself and in the Traditions³ which give occasion for such remarks. We know also from history that among Muslims⁴ themselves there have been disputes upon this question.

But taking orthodox Islam as it now exists, it is not too much to say that all such unworthy conceptions are entirely rejected by all true Muhammadans. The one attribute of GOD which, in the mind of the Muslim of to-day, just as in that of His "Prophet" thirteen hundred years ago, towers above and seems almost to overshadow all others, is His Almighty Power. Islam may with

Deification
of Power.

reason be called the Deification of Power, just as Hinduism is the creed which deifies the productive⁵ and generative principles of Nature. "GOD is⁶ mighty and wise," "GOD is able to do everything," are expressions which meet us at the conclusion of almost every verse in some portions of the Qur'an.

¹ The Muhammadan sect called Karamians, or Mujassamians, held that this is the teaching of the Qur'an.—Ash Shahristani apud Pocock, Spec. Hist. Ar., pp. 225-228. ² As e.g. those in which His Throne, Face, Hands, &c &c., are mentioned. ³ Mishkat, "Kitabu'l Fitan, Babu'l Mi'raj," &c.: "Babu'r Ru'yah,": also "Babu'l Masajid wa Mawadhi'is Salat," pp. 91, 92. See also Hauri, "Der Islam," p. 46. ⁴ Vide Sale, "Prelim. Disc.," sect. viii.; Osborn, "Islam under the Khalifs," pp. 132, sqq. ⁵ Barth, "The Religions of India." ⁶ E.g., Surah ii. 19, 27, 30, &c, &c.

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