Page images
PDF
EPUB

and honour. God is the Great One; nor can any victory be obtained but from God the Mighty Orderer.

"Dread then, O servants of God! since God hath granted to you this glorious and noble victory, this pre-eminent gift, and since he hath set apart for you this distinguished capture;-dread lest you be suspected of the greatest of things forbidden, and become the greatest of rebels, and be like those nations who, having once been powerful, have greatly diminished in power, on account of their breach of God's covenant, and become as those who, having received our signs, have put them off, like a cast-off garment, and have followed Satan, and have become of the number of demons. The sacred warfare, the sacred warfare, is the most excellent of your services the most glorious of your round of duties. Assist God, and he will assist you. Think upon God, and he will think upon you. Praise God, and he shall encrease you and give you good gifts. Be zealous in cutting off the diseased part, in overthrowing the desire of your enemies. Purify the rest of the earth from these impure (wretches), with whom God and his Prophet are enraged. Cut off the heads of the Infidels; destroy from the earth their root; then, at length, the world will be illuminated with the light of

Islám and the Muhammádan religion! God is great! May God give us conquest! May God give us victory! May God grant us success in battle! May God render us conquerors! May God frustrate the Infidels!

"Be wise! If God in his mercy grant you this opportunity, then eagerly seize it. If he offer this booty to you, gird up yourselves to fight for it. If he present these good gifts of fortune, then gather them up. If he bring forward these beautiful and easily-acquired things, go out to receive them. These are your objects of pursuit. March forward to meet them. Go on towards them nobly. These are your magnificent offers. Rush forward to seize them, as if you were rushing upon a wounded foe, to despatch him. In these occupations is to be found happiness; in these treasuries ample competence; and a great booty is now openly displayed before you, to be won from these enemies, now separated from their friends. They are equal in number to you, or even exceed you. But how much? For even if ten should stand forward against one of you, God Almighty hath said, "If there be among you ten abstinent persons, they shall conquer two hundred. If there be one thousand among you, they shall be victors over two thousand.' By that spoken word of God, which is with the

abstinent, God shall aid us; but it rests upon you to perform his commands, and refrain from that which he hath prohibited you. The allied Moslem shall be strengthened by victory from him, if God will aid you; but none of you will be victorious if he frustrate you. Who, then, is he that can conquer you after that his most glorious word hath been spoken with certain determination? His darts shall penetrate: the word from his bow shall cleave the mark. That word, whereby knowledge is revealed, shall pierce through. That word is One, Single, Mighty, Omniscient!

[ocr errors]

Then he said, "My refuge is in God!" Also,

Bismillah." Then he read the first Surát of the chapter on the Assemblage of the Day of Judgment. Then he prayed for the Khalíf, the Commander of Believers, Násir-Addín-Allah, and for the Sultán, and said, "O God, grant a long life to the Sultán thy servant! He who reverently humbles himself before thy terrors, and thankfully accepst thy benefit, and acknowledges thy gifts-thy cutting, glittering sword; thy bright arrow; the Defender of the might of thy Faith; the remover of reproach from thy sacred abode; the intangible Lion; the King; the most glorious; the Conqueror. He who reunited the words of faith, and struck back the Cross; Peace of the World, as well as of the Faith; Sultán of Islám and of

Moslem; Purifier of the Holy City from the Associators, who saved it from the Infidels-Victorious Father, Joseph son of Job. May the Commander of the Faithful cause his dynasty long to live! May God grant to him the turban of an extended rule! May thy angels encircle him, and bless and strengthen the orthodox might of the Faith, and give to the Great One of the Muhammadan faith good gifts, both in body and in mind! O God! let Islám be diffused, and the alliances of men be broken, and the true prayer be announced from East to West. O God! since thou hast given us entrance into this consecrated Temple, after opinion-expresses had suspected (the practicability of so doing), give us also entrance into the remaining portions of the land, whether far or near, and make us masters of the fortresses of the Infidels, and of their chieftains; nor let them ever be enabled to join their broken ranks, nor re-assemble their scattered troops; nor let them receive any accession of numbers; but let them fail in obtaining the stake for which they are running. O God! I will praise thee for our Lord Muhammád (upon whom remain the blessing and peace of God!). May he have the pre-eminence; and may his command and his prohibition penetrate from East to West. O God! shower thy benefits upon the midst of this land and

its paths, and grant hope to the king and to his army. O God! this is the incense-receptacle of the Infidels; this the place which the noses of the iniquitous eagerly desired. May the sweet odour of this victory be spread far and wide into the palaces of the king in the chief cities. 0 God! I would invoke a blessing upon him, as well as upon his posterity; and I would also make mention of his son, the Puissant, the Fortunate. O may his arm receive strength from the rest of his sons! Amen!"

Then he wound up the whole by saying, "Truly God doth command whatsoever is equitable and good!" Then he came down and prayed in the pulpit, opening his prayer with the "Bismillah" in the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate! Then he commanded the Book to be brought. Then he commanded these verses to be read; viz. "Thus hath come to a close this divine gift of mercy. Thus hath been perfected this grant of grace." And when he had finished his prayer, the people began to talk out, and felt less embarrassed in speaking or looking about; and then they formed into a compact body, and elbows were pushed about, and (many) were drawn away from their standing-places; and joy reigned supreme. Then the Sultán, standing in front of the Chapel of the Sakhrá, uttered a

« PreviousContinue »