sins are done away with through¹ good works; and Muslims who do not trust to gaining a happy eternity in any other way, tell us that heartfelt² repentance will save them. It would be unfair to regard their religion as inculcating a piety altogether external, therefore; yet the stress which it lays upon ceremonial observances, such as fasting,³ the pilgrimage⁴ to Mecca, the recitation of⁵ fixed prayers at stated hours, the proper mode of⁶ prostration, etc., tends to make the great mass of Muhammadans mere formalists.

In the whole Qur'an and in all the Traditions I do not knew of a single passage which teaches that prayer to be efficacious must be in spirit and in truth, nor that Man should or even could love GOD as well as fear Him. One of the most modern⁷ apologists for Muhammad in his thoughtful

work well says, "Muhammad's notion of GOD had never been that of a. great moral Being who

God not  conceived  of as a  great  Moral  Being.

designs that the creatures He has created should from love and gratitude to Him, become one with Him, or even assimilated to Him." In Islam no distinction is felt between moral duties and the obligation to perform merely ceremonial¹ observances, or if there be a distinction it is in favour of according more importance to what is ceremonial than to what is moral. One may be a very holy man, according to Muhammadan² ideas, without being necessarily pure in deed or even in thought. This is well exemplified by the case of Muhammad himself, whose character for

Divorce between  Religion and Morality.

holiness and acceptableness with GOD was not at all inconsistent with the commission of murder and adultery. Nay rather, the Qur'an³ teaches us that in one or two matters the moral law was relaxed by GOD for Muhammad's benefit as a special privilege because of his being GOD's apostle and the sanctity attaching to that high office! Could