Page:Outlines of European History.djvu/427

 The Mohaminedaiis 363 The Koran announces a day of judgment when the heavens Moham- shall be opened and the mountains be powdered and become "^^ like flying dust. Then all men shall receive their reward. Those who have refused to accept Islam shall be banished to hell to be burned and tormented forever. " They shall not taste therein coolness or drink, save scalding water and running sores," and the scalding water they shall drink like thirsty camels. Those, on the other hand, who have obeyed the Koran, Heaven especially those who die .fighting for Islam, shall find themselves in a garden of delight. They shall recline in rich brocades upon soft cushions and rugs and be served by surpassingly . beautiful maidens, with eyes like hidden pearls. Wine may be drunk there, but "their heads shall not ache with it, neither shall they be confused." They shall be content with their past life and shall hear no foolish words ; and there shall be no sin but only the greeting, " Peace, peace." The religion of Mohammed was much simpler than that of the The mosque medieval Christian Church ; it did not provide for a priesthood or for any great number of ceremonies. The Mohammedan mosque, or temple, is a house of prayer and a place for reading the Koran ; no altars or images or pictures of any kind are permitted in it. The mosques are often very beautiful buildings, especially in great Mohammedan cities, such as Jerusalem, Damascus, Cairo, and Constantinople. They have great courts surrounded by covered colonnades and are adorned with beautiful marbles and mosaics and delightful windows with bright stained glass. The walls are adorned with passages from the Koran, and the floors covered with rich rugs. They have one or more minarets from which the call to prayer is heard five times a day. The Mohammedans, like other Eastern peoples, are very Women and particular to keep the women by themselves in a separate part of the house, called the harem, or women's quarters. 7'hey may not go out without the master's permission and even then not without wearing a veil ; no man must ever see a respectable woman's face, except her father, brother, or husband. The Koran