Page:Islam, Turkey, and Armenia, and How They Happened.djvu/51

45 illumination of that grave, the owner of which is already enrolled among the saints and authorized to mediate for the mortal creatures here below.

Two angels are said to accompany every Moslem, one on his right hand to record his good works and the other on his left hand to record his evil deeds. God is so tolerant for his chosen people that he permits one good action to be written ten times, while each bad action is not recorded for seven hours, which is an opportunity for repentance. By this holy decree a Moslem may steal ten dollars and give one dollar as alms and have his account all right in the book of the heavenly clerks, even without repentance.

5. The Words of Testimony or the Creed of Islam. This is very brief and decisive. "La ilahe illallah, Muhammed er Resulullah." There is no deity but Allah. Mohamet is the apostle of Allah. So much power is attributed to this creed that one single utterance of it in a whole lifetime will be sufficient to secure Paradise. If a Moslem can not perform five daily prayers he is allowed to perform the Friday noon prayers. If he can not do it fifty times a year he may perform the two yearly prayers of the great festivals. In case he omits the same during his life he can utter the above-mentioned creed; if he can not do even that he may raise the forefinger of his right hand as a sign of this creed, and he is sure to be saved.

Mohametans assert that many Giaours, however obstinate in their lifetime, are compelled to submit at last to the true religion and make this significant