Agreeable to this notion one of their poets thus expresses
himself: "Whatever is written against thee will come to pass; what is
written for thee shall not fail; resign thyself to God, and know thy
Lord to be powerful; his decrees will certainly take place; his servants
ought to be silent."
Of their four fundamental points of practice, the first is prayer. This
duty is to be performed five times in the twenty-four hours: 1. In the
morning before sunrise. 2. When noon is past. 3. A little before sunset.
4. A little after sunset. 5. Before the first watch of the night.
Previous to prayer they are to purify themselves by washing. Some kinds
of pollution require the whole body to be immersed in water, but
commonly it is enough to wash some parts only--the head, the face and
neck, hands and feet. In the latter ablution, called _wodhu_, fine sand
or dust may be used when water cannot be had; in such case the palm of
the hand, being first laid upon the sand, is then to be drawn over the
part required to be washed. The Mahometans, out of respect to the divine
Majesty before whom they are to appear, are required to be clean and
decent when they go to public prayers in their mosques; but are yet
forbidden to appear there in sumptuous apparel, particularly clothes
trimmed with gold or silver, lest they should make them vain and
arrogant.
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