Part 9 (1/2)
an injunction nearly similar to one in the Bible[163]: but when frequent and severe contentions resulted from their use of wine, the following more decided condemnation of the practice was p.r.o.nounced:--”O ye who have become believers! verily wine and lots and images and divining-arrows are an abomination of the work of the Devil; therefore, avoid them, that ye may prosper.”[164] This law is absolute; its violation in the smallest degree is criminal. The punishment ordained by the law for drinking (or, according to most doctors, for even tasting) wine or spirits, or inducing intoxication by any other means, on ordinary occasions, is the infliction of eighty stripes in the case of a free man, and forty in that of a slave: but if the crime be openly committed in the course of any day of the month of Rama?an, when others are fasting, the punishment prescribed is death!
The prohibition of wine hindered many of the Prophet's contemporaries from embracing his religion. It is said that the famous poet El-A?sha, who was one of them, delayed to join this cause on this account, until death prevented him. A person pa.s.sing by his tomb (at Menfoo?ah, in El-Yemameh), and observing that it was moist, asked the reason, and was answered that the young men of the place, considering him still as their cup-companion, drank wine over his grave, and poured his cup upon it.[165]
Yet many of the most respectable of the pagan Arabs, like certain of the Jews and early Christians, abstained totally from wine, from a feeling of its injurious effects upon morals, and, in their climate, upon health; or more especially from the fear of being led by it into the commission of foolish and degrading actions. Thus, ?eys the son of a?im being one night overcome with wine attempted to grasp the moon, and swore that he would not quit the spot where he stood until he had laid hold of it: after leaping several times with the view of doing so, he fell flat upon his face; and when he recovered his senses, and was acquainted with the cause of his face being bruised, he made a solemn vow to abstain from wine ever after.[166] A similar feeling operated upon many Muslims more than religious principle. The Khaleefeh 'Abd-El-Melik Ibn-Marwan took pleasure in the company of a slave named Na?eeb, and one day desired him to drink with him. The slave replied, ”O Prince of the Faithful, I am not related to thee, nor have I any authority over thee, and I am of no rank or lineage; I am a black slave, and my wit and politeness have drawn me into thy favour: how then shall I take that which will plunder me of these two qualities, and by what shall I then propitiate thee?” The Khaleefeh admired and excused him.[167]
It was the custom of many Muslim princes, as might be inferred from the above anecdote, to admit the meanest of their dependants to partic.i.p.ate in their unlawful carousals when they could have no better companions; but poets and musicians were their more common a.s.sociates on these occasions; and these two cla.s.ses, and especially the latter, are in the present day the most addicted to intoxicating liquors. Few modern Arab musicians are so well contented with extraordinary payment and mere sweet sherbet as with a moderate fee and plenty of wine and brandy; and many of them deem even wine but a sorry beverage.
It was usual with the host and guests at wine-parties to wear dresses of bright colours, red, yellow, and green;[168] and to perfume their beards and mustaches with civet, or to have rose-water sprinkled upon them; and ambergris or aloes-wood, or some other odoriferous substance, placed upon burning coals in a censer, diffused a delicious fragrance throughout the saloon of the revels.
The wine, it appears, was rather thick, for it was necessary to strain it:[169] it was probably sweet, and not strong, for it was drunk in large quant.i.ties. In general, perhaps, it was nebeedh of dry raisins kept longer than the law allows. It was usually kept in a large earthen vessel, called denn, high, and small at the bottom, which was partly imbedded in the earth to keep it upright. The name of this vessel is now given to a cask of wood; but the kind above mentioned was of earth, for it was easily broken. A famous saint, Abu-l-?oseyn En-Nooree, seeing a vessel on the Tigris containing thirty denns belonging to the Khaleefeh El-Mo?ta?id, and being told that they contained wine, took a boat-pole, and broke them all, save one. When brought before the Khaleefeh to answer for this action, and asked by him, ”Who made thee Mo?tesib?”[170] he boldly answered, ”He who made thee Khaleefeh!”--and was pardoned.[171]
Pitch was used by the Arabs, as it was by the Greeks and Romans, for the purpose of curing their wine; the interior of the denn being coated with it. A smaller kind of earthen jar, or amphora (ba?iyeh), and a bottle of leather (ba??ah), or of gla.s.s (kinneeneh), were also used. The wine was transferred for the table to gla.s.s jugs, or long-spouted ewers (ibree?s). These and the cups were placed upon a round embroidered cloth spread on the floor, or upon a round tray. The latter is now in general use, and is supported on the low stool already described as being used at ordinary meals. The guests sat around, reclining against pillows; or they sat upon the deewan, and a page or slave handed the cup, having on his right arm a richly embroidered napkin, on the end of which the drinker wiped his lips. The cups are often described as holding a fluid pound, or little less than an English pint, and this is to be understood literally, or nearly so: they were commonly of cut gla.s.s, but some were of crystal or silver or gold.[172]
With these and the ewers or jugs were placed several saucers, or small dishes (nu?uldans), of fresh and dried fruits (nu?l); and fans and fly-whisks, of the kind described on a former occasion, were used by the guests.
The most common and esteemed fruits in the countries inhabited by the Arabs may here be mentioned.
The date (bela?) deserves the first place. The Prophet's favourite fruits were fresh dates (ru?ab) and water-melons; and he ate them both together.[173] ”Honour,” said he, ”your paternal aunt, the date-palm; for she was created of the earth of which Adam was formed.”[174] It is said that G.o.d hath given this tree as a peculiar favour to the Muslims; that he hath decreed all the date-palms in the world to them, and they have accordingly conquered every country in which these trees are found; and all are said to have derived their origin from the ?ijaz.[175] The palm-tree has several well-known properties that render it an emblem of a human being; among which are these: that if the head be cut off, the tree dies; and if a branch be cut off, another does not grow in its place.[176] Dates are preserved in a moist state by being merely pressed together in a basket or skin, and thus prepared are called 'ajweh. There are many varieties of this fruit.
The pith or heart of the palm (jummar) is esteemed for its delicate flavour.
The water-melon (bi??eekh, vulg. ba??eekh), from what has been said of it above, ought to be ranked next; and it really merits this distinction. ”Whoso eateth,” said the Prophet, ”a mouthful of water-melon, G.o.d writeth for him a thousand good works, and cancelleth a thousand evil works, and raiseth him a thousand degrees; for it came from Paradise;”--and again, ”The water-melon is food and drink, acid and alkali, and a support of life,” etc.[177] The varieties of this fruit are very numerous.
The banana (moz) is a delicious fruit. The Prophet p.r.o.nounced the banana-tree to be the only thing on earth that resembles a thing in Paradise, because it bears fruit both in winter and summer.[178]
The pomegranate (rumman) is another celebrated fruit. Every pomegranate, according to the Prophet, contains a fecundating seed from Paradise.[179]
The other most common and esteemed fruits are the following;--the apple, pear, quince, apricot, peach, fig, sycamore-fig, grape, lote, jujube, plum, walnut, almond, hazel-nut, pistachio-nut, orange, Seville orange, lime, lemon, citron, mulberry, olive, and sugar-cane.[180]
Of a selection of these fruits consists the dessert which accompanies the wine; but the table is not complete without a bunch or two of flowers placed in the midst.
Though the Arabs are far from being remarkable for exhibiting taste in the planning of their gardens, they are pa.s.sionately fond of flowers, and especially of the rose (ward). The Khaleefeh El-Mutawekkil monopolized roses for his own enjoyment; saying, ”I am the King of Sul?ans, and the rose is the king of sweet-scented flowers; therefore each of us is most worthy of the other for a companion.” The rose in his time was seen nowhere but in his palace: during the season of this flower he wore rose-coloured clothes; and his carpets were sprinkled with rose-water.[181] A similar pa.s.sion for the rose is said to have distinguished a weaver in the reign of El-Ma-moon. He was constantly employed at his loom every day of the year, even during the congregational-prayers of Friday, excepting in the rose-season, when he abandoned his work and gave himself up to the enjoyment of wine early in the morning and late in the evening, loudly proclaiming his revels by singing,--
”The season has become pleasant! The time of the rose is come!
Take your morning potations, as long as the rose has blossoms and flowers!”
When he resumed his work, he made it known by singing aloud--
”If my Lord prolong my life until the rose-season, I will take again my morning potations: but if I die before it, alas! for the loss of the rose and wine!
”I implore the G.o.d of the supreme throne, whose glory be extolled, that my heart may continually enjoy the evening potations to the day of resurrection.”
The Khaleefeh was so amused with the humour of this man that he granted him an annual pension of ten thousand dirhems to enable him to enjoy himself amply on these occasions. Another anecdote may be added to show the estimation of the rose in the mind of an Arab. It is said that Row? Ibn-?atim, the governor of the province of Northern Africa, was sitting one day, with a female slave, in an apartment of his palace, when a eunuch brought him a jar full of red and white roses which a man had offered as a present. He ordered the eunuch to fill the jar with silver in return; but his slave said, ”O my lord, thou hast not acted equitably towards the man; for his present to thee is of two colours, red and white.” The Emeer replied, ”Thou hast said truly;” and gave orders to fill the jar for him with silver and gold (dirhems and deenars) intermixed. Some persons preserve roses during the whole of the year in the following manner. They take a number of rose-buds and fill with them a new earthen jar, and, after closing its mouth with mud so as to render it impervious to the air, bury it in the earth. Whenever they want a few roses, they take out some of these buds, which they find unaltered, sprinkle a little water upon them and leave them for a short time in the air, when they open and appear as if just gathered.[182]
The rose is even a subject of miracles. It is related by Ibn-?uteybeh that there grows in India a kind of rose, upon the leaves of which is inscribed, ”There is no deity but G.o.d:”[183] But I find a more particular account of this miraculous rose. A person, who professed to have seen it, said, ”I went into India, and I saw at one of its towns a large rose, sweet-scented, upon which was inscribed, in white characters, 'There is no deity but G.o.d; Mo?ammad is G.o.d's apostle: Aboo-Bekr is the very veracious: 'Omar is the discriminator:' and I doubted of this, whether it had been done by art; so I took one of the blossoms not yet opened, and in it was the same inscription; and there were many of the same kind there. The people of that place wors.h.i.+pped stones, and knew not G.o.d, to whom be ascribed might and glory.”[184]
Roses are announced for sale in the streets of Cairo by the cry of ”The rose was a thorn: from the sweat of the Prophet it blossomed!” in allusion to a miracle recorded of Mo?ammad. ”When I was taken up into heaven,” said the Prophet, ”some of my sweat fell upon the earth, and from it sprang the rose; and whoever would smell my scent, let him smell the rose.” In another tradition it is said, ”The white rose was created from my sweat on the night of the Me?raj;[185] and the red rose, from the sweat of Jebraeel;[186] and the yellow rose, from the sweat of El-Bura?.”[187] The Persians take especial delight in roses; sometimes spreading them as carpets or beds on which to sit or recline in their revellings.
But there is a flower p.r.o.nounced more excellent than the rose, that of the Egyptian privet, or Lawsonia inermis.[188] Mo?ammad said, ”The chief of the sweet-scented flowers of this world and of the next is the f.a.ghiyeh;” and this was his favourite flower.[189] I approve of his taste; for this flower, which grows in cl.u.s.ters somewhat like those of the lilac, has a most delicious fragrance. But, on account of discrepancies in different traditions, a Muslim may with a clear conscience prefer either of the two flowers next mentioned.
The Prophet said of the violet (benefsej), ”The excellence of the extract of violets, above all other extracts, is as the excellence of me above all the rest of the creation: it is cold in summer, and hot in winter:” and, in another tradition, ”The excellence of the violet is as the excellence of el-Islam above all other religions.”[190] A delicious sherbet is made of a conserve of sugar and violet-flowers.
The myrtle (as or na.r.s.een) is the rival of the violet. ”Adam,” said the Prophet, ”fell down from Paradise with three things; the myrtle, which is the chief of sweet-scented flowers in this world; an ear of wheat, which is the chief of all kinds of food in this world; and pressed dates, which are the chief of the fruits of this world.”[191]