Mahomedanism.

Manawatu Herald, 13 October 1898, Page 3

Mahomed an ism.

RESURRECTION AND PARADISE. When a corpse is laid in the grave it is catechised by two angels of frightful aspect, named Munkir and Nakir, who direct the dead to sit up and answer as to the soundness of their faith. If the reply is satisfactory the body is allowed to rest in peace and to be refreshed by the air of Paradise, but if it is not so, various torments commence, such as being 'beaten on the temples with iron mallets, or being gnawed by frightful dragons till the day of resurrection. Infidels are shut up in a pit in the province of Hadramant where they suffer torment till the day of judgment. Mahomed wisely refrained from fixing the date of the resurrection which he stated was a secret known to the Almighty alone. The Ange! Gabriel even when asked having frankly confessed his ignorance. The awfal catastrophe will, however, be preceded tby various phenomena, ■ such as the relapse of the Arabs to their ancient idolatry, &c, the immediate signal being three blasts of a trumpet. The first, the blast of consternation, will strike terror into the whole creation and even darken the sun and unaphere the stars ; the second, called the blast of extermination, will be the harbinger of death to all living beings, not except* ing the angel Azrael ; and after a pause of forty years, third or blast of resurrection will sound, when all the scattered particulars of humanity, even to the very hairs will re-unite, and angels genii, men and animals, will all bo recalled to life, the first fruits of the grave being Mahomed himself. After thia follows the judgment when each individual will be required to state minutely all the circnm* stances of his life, and to confess how he Bpent his time, accumulated his wealth, or employed his talent?. He will be at liberty to make the best story he can, and even to inculpate others as the authors or partakers of his guiU, even the soul and body will be allowed to dispute their respective shares of criminality ; and the most exact measure of justice will be observed, the good and evil deeds being weighed ac curately in a balance, of which one scale will hang over Paradise and the other over hell, and as the beam preponderates so will be the doom. Any perpon injured by another, will be allowed to claim compensation by taking a certain number of his good deeds to make up his own 'shortcomings. Another perilous trial which awaits all without distinction, is the passage of the famous bridge (Al Kirat) or the strait, which span 3 the awful abyss of hell, and is represented to be finer than a hair and sharper than the edge of a sword. Thifrightful path h rendered more difficult by thorns and brier*, but the faithful will find no impedimentsbut will cross with ease and safety. Mahomed and his daughter Fatinia leading the way, everyone beinp commanded to bare his head durinp the passage of the lady. To tbcwicked these obstacles will prove fatal, and missing their footing they will be plunged into the upper or mildest hell, where their t'vm of expiration will vary from 900 to 7000 years, after which they are supposed to be purged and received into Paradise, the eternity of punishment being reserved for infidels alone. Certain distinctions are also laid down with regard to Paradise; Mahomed being the first to enter and the poor being admitted 500 years before the rich. The measure of felicity also is nicely proportioned , the most eminent degree being reserved for the prophets, after whom come the doctors and teachers of the Mosques, then the martyrs, and lastly the common herd of believers. The celestial joys are 1 chiefly addressed to the indulgence of luxury and appetite, s uch as rivers of water, trees of gold, tents of rubies and emeralds, beds of musk, the richest garments, &c. Hungry saints will be satisfied with loaves as large as the globe,' or with livers of fish of which one lobe would suffice to feed 70,000 men, they wU.I be served on golden dishes by 300 attendants. Wines, forbidden in this life, may be freely partaken and tl lat without risk of the consequences. The " Tooba " or tree of happiness, which is so large that the fleetest horse cannot gallop from one end of its shadow tq the other in 100 years, andl bearing all the most delicious fruits of wonderful size and relish, will extend its branches over the couch of each believer and invite him to pluck its vintage. The ear will also be ravished with the melodious songs of angels and houris, and when to this is added that even the humblest of the faithful will have for his portion seventy-two damsels, whose charms eclipse all other glories, withxomplexions as bright as rubiesand eyes resembling " pearls hidden in their shells," and whose affections will never wander to others than their

husbands, we may conceive the delight to which the voluptuous Mussalman looks forward as his chief felicity in f the world to come.