The cause of Mohammedan decline is mainly that Islam is especially designed for nomad and half-nomad races; hence when they settle they lose the strength which arises from their nomadic life, and their religion loses its purity and po^ver. They degenerate, become luxurious and inactive ; internal dissensions and divi- ', sions arise ; the same doctrine (e. g. fatalism) that ' Strengthened them in their success weakens them in I their depression. Jloreover, the opposition to progress innate in Islam tends to keep Mohammedan nations ; stationary, while Cliristian powers advance in strength i and wealth. Says Mr. I'algrave, who has given the latest and best account of Mohammedanism in Central and Southern Arabia: "Islam is in its essence station- ary, and was framed thus to remain. Sterile like its God, lifeless like its First Principle and Supreme Orig- inal, in all tliat constitutes true life— for life is love, participation, and progress, and of tliese the Koranic Deity has none— it justly repudiates all change, all ad- vance, all development. To borrow the forcible words of lord Ilougliton, the 'written book' is the 'dead man's Land,' stiff autl motii)iik'ss, and wliatever savors of vi- tality is Ijy tliat aliiiie convicted of heresy and defec- tion. IJut Cliristianity, witii its living and loving God, begetter and begotten, spirit and movement; nay, more — a Creator made creature, tlie JIaker and made exist- ing in one; a Divinity communicating itself by unin- terrupted graduation and degree from the intimate union far off to the faintest irradiation, through all it has made for love and governs in love; One who calls his creatures, not slaves, not servants, but friends— nay. sons— nay, gods; to sum up, a religion in whose real secret '(iod in man is one witli man in (iod' must also be necessarily a religion of vitality, of progress, of ad- vancement. The contrast between it and Islam is that of movement with lixechuss, of participation with ste- rility, of development willi barreimess, of life with petri- faction. The lirst vital princijde and the animating si)irit of its birth must, indeed, abide ever the same ; but the outer form must change with the changing days, and new offshoots of fresh sap and greenness be continually thrown out a3 witnesses to the vitality with-
I in ; else were the vine withered and the branches dead. 1 I have no intention here — it would be extremely out of I place — of entering on the maze of controversy, or dis- cussing whether any dogmatic attempt to reproduce the religious phase of a former age is likely to succeed. I only say that life supposes movement and growth, and both imply change; that to censure a living thing for growing and changing is absurd ; and that to attempt to hinder it from so doing, by pinning it down on a written label, or nailing it to a Procrustean framework, is tantamount to killing it altogether. Now Christian- ity is living, must grow, must advance, must change, and was meant to do so ; onwards and forwards is a con- dition of its verj' existence; and I cannot but think that those who do not recognise this show themselves so far ignorant of its true nature and essence. On the other hand, Islam is lifeless ; and, because lifeless, cannot grow, camiot advance, cannot change, and was never intended so to do."
The effects of Mohammedanism, as shown in life and character, must be briefly noticed. The minuteness of the ritual and social rules, together with the hardness j and coldness of the morality taught, produces a great I amount of formalism. The name of God and pious ejaculations are constantly on the lips, even in the midst of the most indecent conversation. Mohammedans often saj' the " Bismillah" before committing a crime (Spren- ger, ii, 206). Hence the most scrupulous observance of outward duties is not unfrequently united with the grossest habitual immorality and crime (Dullinger, p. 20-29) ; religion and morality seem completely sundered. Another great evil results from the minuteness of the laws concerning marriage and divorce. :Many volumes have been written to explain them, entering into the closest and most disgusting details, forming "a mass of corruption, poisoning the mind and morals of every Mo- hammedan student" (Jluir, iii, 302), and utterly defiling the very language. Hence arises the prevalence not only of the most indecent language and conduct, but also of extreme profligacy among both sexes. Unnat- ural vice is fearfully common. The jiictures of the joys of paradise contribute in some degree to this profligacy; these come to be the object of their thoughts, and are anticipated, as far as possible, on earth. The doctrine of predestination, or, rather, fatalism, produces extreme apathy and want of energy in acticm ; while the notion that all Mohammedans are (lod's chosen in a special sense, tliough causing a deep brotherly feeling among tliemselves, which is fostered by the precepts and alms- giving, leads them to a bitter contempt and hatred of all other religions.
It remains to sum up the good and evil sides of Mo- hammedanism. On the one hand, it is a rigid foe to idolatry, as it teaches the unity, perfection, providence, and government of God, and hence submission and res- ignation to his will, together with the great doctrine of a judgment and eternal retribution. It inculcates, more- over, brotherly love and union with fellow-believers, and many social virtues; with almsgiving, temperance, and a certain standard of morality. On the other hand, it perpetuates the great evils of the East — polygamy, slavery, and absolute despotism; it opposes all political and social progress, wliile the semi-civilized, arbitrary character tif its law and justice renders pro])crty inse- cure. Its doctrine of propagation by the sword leads to constant wars and rebellions, with an utter contempt for human life. It is in fact a semi-barbarous religion. On its religious side it fails to satisfy the natural longing for some mediator between (iod and man, while yet it bows before (iod as an irresistible power; its morality, in itself defective, is dry, cold, hard, lifeless, without any amiable traits; and, finally, as sul)stituting ]Mo- hammed for Christ, it is essentially anti -Cliristian. Wiiile it may be an advance on heatlienism, it is an ad- vance which almost excludes the further advance of Cliristianity, missionary efforts being well-nigh without result.