Amongst the number of days strictly observed by this pious lady during her troubles, was the Nativity of Jesus Christ, for whose sake she fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and gave alms to the necessitous.  I was the more delighted when first hearing of this circumstance, because I had judged of the Mussulmaun faith by common report, and fancied they rejected, with the Jews, our Redeemer having come.  They, on the contrary, believe, according to their Prophet’s words, ’that He was born of the Virgin Mary; that He worked miracles; that He ascended after His earthly commission had ceased, to the seventh heaven; that He will again visit the earth (when their Emaum Mhidhie will also appear), to cleanse the world of its corrupt wickedness, when all men shall live in peace, and but one faith shall prevail, in the worship of the true God’.

The Mussulmaun work, ‘Hyaatool Kaloob’ (which I have so often referred to), contains, with the lives of all the prophets, the Life of Jesus Christ, His acts, and the Ungeel[15] (Gospel).  The Gospel they have is in many things different from ours; it is not formed into books by the apostles, neither are the miracles united with the Gospel, but are detailed as the acts of Christ Jesus.  What they understand by the Ungeel, is, ’the Word of God by the mouth of Jesus’;—­for instance, the Sermon on the Mount, or, in other words, the precepts of Jesus.  I am indebted to the Meer for this information.

The Mussulmauns say, ’All power belongs to God.—­Who would dare dispute the miracle of Christ’s birth?  Is there any thing difficult with God?  God first formed Adam from the dust; and by His word all things were created.  Is there any thing too great for His power?  Let no man, then, dispute the birth of Christ by a pure Virgin.’  They believe that Jesus Christ was the Prophet of God, but they believe not that He is God; and they deem all who thus declare Christ to be God, as unfaithful both to God and to Christ.

I have said the Mussulmauns of each sect have extra prayers, beside the Namaaz, or daily services of prayer.  I suppose there are a greater variety of prayers amongst these people than with those of any other religion.  Very few, if any, of the devout men, in the early ages of their religion, have omitted to leave behind them some testimony of their regard for posterity in the form of ‘prayers’, dictating the words most likely to lead the heart of the creature to the worship of the Creator; and also directions how to pray for any particular object they may desire to accomplish by the aid of God, in whom they are instructed and believe the fulness of power, as of glory, ever was, is, and will be to all eternity.