Page:Ossendowski - The Fire of Desert Folk.djvu/140

124 skilled ethnologist, psychologist and adept in the fikh, which is the law of the Koran regulating the outward acts of the Faithful, as well as in the akaid, which governs the inner belief and its expression in religious practices. These two great divisions combine to form the law of the Koran, or the shariat, such as is taught in the medersas. Many meskins, with their clever learning, could well fill the posts of professors in these institutions, while some of them, plying their profession near the great mosques among the learned and rich, can even speak colloquially al-lugha, or the sacred language of the Koran, just as some of our ancestors used Latin. Others in the cult know by rote the litanies sacred to the holy walis, revered ulema, sages and prophets, and can distinguish also the different tribes that most highly respect each one of them. Such a trained meskin with one look identifies the clan of a passer-by and begins at once to beg in the name of its patron saints.

"In the name of Ali ben Mohammed! In the name of Sidi el-hadj Abu Hafs, to you, good sire, noble mumen, Ibrahim ben Nail, a poor man dying of hunger and thirst, offers his plea. The saints of your tribe, who have given to it riches and glory, will reward you liberally, if you carry out the will of Allah and grant alms to the beggar."

"In the name of Sidi Kasem," begins the chant of another, who stops suddenly and, turning his "blind" eyes on his neighbor, observes with a low laugh: "By Allah! I never recognized that merchant, who yesterday gave me alms in the name of Omar ben Sliman and of Drilali, for he is a heretic; and today I have gone and spoiled the game! It is a pity, as he is rich and generous." The