Independence, not opposition, is the watchword of the party; and no rent was given or contemplated in the orthodox cloak of Islam. To our Western eyes, Mohammedanism seems almost limited by the borders of the Ottoman Empire. The Hanafi school of theology can be described as a school of the upper classes.
This is mainly due to the barriers placed by the French government, whose policy is to isolate their province from the rest of the Muslim world. The Sunites who have recognized the Ottoman claim are therefore in conflict with the Moors. They probably adopt a position towards the Muslim world that is analogous in its isolation to that of the Abyssinian Church in Christianity.
This aroused the outrage of all Islam and turned the tide of Wahhabi fortunes. It is likely that he would not withhold his allegiance to a caliph from the legitimate house of Koreysh.
FOOTNOTES
THE MODERN QUESTION OF THE CALIPHATE
With the ulema, however, it was necessary to be more precise; and we know that the question of the Ottoman right to the spiritual inheritance of the Prophet was a long and heated debate in the schools. The reverence of the Arabs for blood and for selected types of blood prevents them, except in
In Ali's time, however, a new principle began to emerge which heralded a change in the nature of the caliphate. The choice of Abu Bekr was, as I have said, determined by the dominant religious sentiment of the time. It was ended by force by the pagan Holagu, who, at the head of the Mongols, sacked Baghdad in 1258.
The right of the sword, that is, the de facto possession of the sovereign title. Yet it is strongly insisted upon by the Hanefite divines that it gives a more permanent dynastic title than any of the previous pleas. The guardianship of the two sanctuaries, that is, of Mecca and Jerusalem, but especially of Mecca.
It has been argued by some of the Ulema, and it is certainly a common opinion today, that the sovereignty of the Hejaz is in itself sufficient title to the Caliphate. For it cannot be insisted too strongly that the assumption of the caliphate for the house of Othman was only a means to an end, viz. We have now brought the history of the Caliphate down to the period described in the last chapter as a period of intellectual torment for Islam.
13] In the recent trial of the murderers of Abd el Aziz, Abd el Hamid deviated from his usual adherence to the Sheriat.
THE TRUE METROPOLIS—MECCA
It is unlikely that a new advance of the Christian Powers from the Balkans would again meet with more than formal opposition; and Constantinople itself,. Such, they say, is his thought; and so undoubtedly would be the empire of the future which Mussulmans would choose. Even without supposing such a convulsion to the empire as a loss of the Bosphorus, his reign will hardly be long.
The political constitution of the Islamic Holy Land is one of the most anomalous in the world. The rest of the Koreysh, who are not descended from Fatmeh, do not receive the title. But the political weakness of the Meccan government in the sixteenth century must be taken into account as the sufficient reason.
The Egyptian and Turkish governments thus exercised some of the functions of sovereignty in Hejaz during the present century. On the other hand, the Hejazi Bedouins recognize no sovereignty except that of the Sherif, nor do they. It is doubtless that with the prospect of success against a Christian Power, and backed by the large populations of Soudan and the fierce military zeal of the.
The current leaders of the Arabs are only local heroes, and so far they have achieved nothing that can command respect. To tell it properly I must go back to the era of the Wahhabi invasion of Hejaz in 1808. Those closest to him had meanwhile seized and cuddled the old man, and part of the escort had taken him to the guardhouse.
14] According to canon law, the Caliph cannot surrender any part of the lands of Islam, except by physical coercion.
A MOHAMMEDAN REFORMATION
There was then no such thing as a liberal religious party anywhere, and those who broke the law in the name of political reform were lawbreakers and nothing more. The two main agents of religious reform in Europe were the misery of the poor and the general spread of knowledge. It is difficult to comprehend at this distance of time how dire the general condition of the European peasantry was in the days of Louis XI.
On the other hand, as we all know, the invention of printing had made men read and the invention of the New World had made travel. In any case, it is notorious that the belief in Mecca is still the living faith of a large number of the human race, the rule of their lives, and the explanation to them of their whole existence. In support of this coming of Móhdy, there exist many traditions which are considered authentic by the Ulema.
Secondly, he must be an Arab, endowed with the pure language of the Qur'an, for the Arab Ulema would not listen to a barbarian; and he must have impressive eloquence. Only they insist that these must be carried out legally and not forced upon them by breaking the law. Only when the sacred office disappeared from the sacred and legitimate House did this sense of reverence cease and the living voice of the Caliph was ignored in Islam.
The dead hand of the law will no longer be dead, but will be inspired by a living voice and will. It is supposed to be the text of the Prophet's first treaty with the Christians in Arabia, though I do not vouch for its authenticity, and reads as follows:—. But no Muslim may ask them to prepare special food for him, and he will eat common food with his host.
34; Any Christian who rejects these demands of mine will not receive the benefit of this covenant which I have made with the bishops, monks and others, the followers of Christ.
ENGLAND'S INTEREST IN ISLAM
There, in the conversion of the negro race of the Tropics, which is already proceeding so rapidly, she has good prospect of compensation for all losses on the Mediterranean coast; and,. That a dissolution of the Empire can and will be easily accomplished, I have little doubt. Nor do I think that the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the annexation of its Turkish provinces would be a mere political loss of so much territory to Islam.
I therefore believe that Islam must be prepared for a loss not only of political power in Europe and in West Asia, but also of the Mohammedan population in the Ottoman lands absorbed by Russia. So far there has been no Christian colonization towards the Khanates, nor is there any indigenous form of Christianity. However, it is time to reflect on the special role that England will play in the drama of the Muslim future.
Secondly, that its geographical distribution coincides quite closely with the political life and energy of the country. I myself do not envisage any further intervention on the part of England in defense of the Turkish-speaking lands. England is a naval power and the seat of the caliphate must be secured against all land attack.
Our duty to protect the head of the Muslim faith established in Mecca would be relatively simple. The arrangement of the Hajj is indeed an immediate imperative part of our duty and a condition of our influence in the Muslim world; and this is what we should be grievously mistaken to neglect. With a protectorate, then, in the future of Egypt and, it was hoped, of Syria, England would be in a position to have an extraordinary influence on the commercial fortunes of the holy cities.
I am fully convinced that it would have a disproportionately beneficial effect on the political sentiments of the Muhammadans towards British rule."
THE END
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