“When the prophet arrived at the Kaaba, he kissed the Black Stone, then encompassed the kaaba three times in a quick step, and walked four times in a gentle pace; after which he came to the stone on which is the impression of Abraham’s foot, and repeated this revelation; ‘Take the station of Abraham for a place of prayer.’ Then he gave the salām. One hundred camels were brought for sacrifice, of which the prophet slew sixty-five with his own hands at the place of sacrifice, which is in Mina. The prophet kissed the Black Stone and the Yemáni Pillar of the Kaaba, which pillar belonged to the original structure of the kaaba ascribed to Abraham, and on that account it is held in higher reverence than any of the others.
“The black stone came down from Paradise, and at the time of its descent it was whiter than milk, and the sins of the children of Adam have caused it to be black, by their touching it. ‘Verily, God will suspend the Black Stone, on the day of resurrection, when it will have two eyes, by which it will see and know all those who touched it, and kissed it; and it will have a tongue by which it will speak, and it will give evidence for all those who touched and kissed it on Imàn.’ ‘God has appointed seventy angels over the Yemáni Pillar.’
“The Hindoos insist, that the Black Stone in the wall of the Kaaba, or sacred temple of Mecca, is no other than a form of Mahadēo; and that it was placed there by Mohammud out of contempt; but the newly-converted pilgrims would not give up the worship of the Black Stone, and sinistrous portents forced the ministers of the new religion to connive at it.”
The pilgrims to Mecca visit the graves of Adam, and Noah, and Ali, who was buried near them on the Mount on which Noah’s Ark rested, and make salām also to the grave of Eve, said to be nine yards long!
“It is said God created Adam a handsome figure; he was sixty cubits in stature, and his children also; since which time they have degenerated; but when they enter into Paradise, they will be as tall as Adam was. His stature was sixty cubits, and he was seven cubits broad.”
The Muhammadan religion is intolerant: “His Majesty said, ‘Alláho-Acber I bear witness that I am God’s servant, and sent by him.’ And he added, ‘O Bill’al! get up, and give notice that none will enter Paradise but Musalmāns.’
“There are six duties from one Musalmān to another; to salute each other when they meet; to accept each other’s invitations to dinner; to say ‘God have mercy upon you!’ after sneezing; to visit the sick; and to follow each other’s biers when dead; and for one Musalmān to wish for another what he wishes for himself.” The Muhammadans stand in great awe of the punishments of the grave. “The prophet of God said, ‘When a Musalmān is interrogated in his grave about his God, his prophet, and religion, he will give evidence to the unity of God, and the mission of his prophet, and will say, My religion is Islām.’ When a servant is put into his grave and mankind leave him; verily he hears the noise they make in walking away: when two black angels, with blue eyes, come to the dead body, the name of the one Munkir, the other Nak’ir, and cause it to sit up, and say to it, ‘Who is thy defender?’ and it will say, ‘My defender is God.’ ‘And what is thy religion?’ It will say, ‘My religion is Islām.’ Then they will ask, ‘Who is this man who was sent to thee?’ It will say, ‘He is the messenger of God.’ ‘And how didst thou know he was the prophet of God?’ It will say, ‘I read the book of God, and put faith in it.’ Then a voice will come from heaven, saying, ‘My servant hath spoken true.’ And a bed shall be prepared and clothes provided for it from Paradise; and a door shall be opened for it towards Paradise, when a fragrant gale will breathe upon it from above, and a place will be opened for it in the grave to see out of; but the soul of an infidel will be replaced in its body in the grave. Two angels will come to it and say, ‘Who is thy cherisher?’ It will say, ‘Alas! alas! I know not.’ Then the angels will ask about Muhammad. It will reply, ‘Alas! I know him not.’ A voice will then come from heaven, saying, ‘This servant hath lied; then give it a bed from hell, and clothes also, and open for it a door towards hell.’ Then a hot wind will come to it, and its grave will be contracted so as to break the bones on each side; after which an angel will come to it, deaf and dumb, with a mace of iron, with which, if a mountain were struck, it would turn to dust. Then the angel will strike the body with the mace, the noise of which will be heard by every thing between the east and west, excepting the genii and man, and it will turn to dust; after which, a soul will be returned to it, and it will be tormented to the day of resurrection.”
The iron mace with which the angels torment the wicked is, it is said, the goorz, a sort of iron club, pointed at one end, and having a knob on the other covered with spikes. This sort of mace is carried by Muhammadan fakīrs, the goorz-mar, who believe the wounds made by it will quickly heal from the application of their spittle, by the influence of Syud Ahmad Kabeer.
The prophet said, “When any one of you dieth, his place is shown him morning and evening, whether in heaven or hell; and it is said to him, ‘This grave is thy sitting place until the day of resurrection.’” “Aa’yeshah said, ‘A Jew came to me, and mentioned the punishments of the grave.’ Then I interrogated the prophet about them, and he said, ‘Yes, punishments in the grave are true: and I always observed the prophet, at the end of every prayer, implore God to defend him from the sufferings of the grave.’”
The sums of money and the quantity of food distributed by Colonel Gardner’s Begam in charity was surprising; she was a religious woman, and fulfilled, as far as was in her power, the ordinances of her religion. The necessity of giving alms is strongly inculcated. “To whomsoever God gives wealth, and he does not perform the charity due from it, his wealth will be made into the shape of a serpent on the day of resurrection, which shall not have any hair upon its head; and this is a sign of its poison and long life; and it has two black spots upon its eyes; and it will be twisted round his neck, like a chain, on the day of resurrection: then the serpent will seize the man’s jawbones, and will say, ‘I am thy wealth, from which thou didst not give in charity; I am thy treasure, from which thou didst not separate any alms.’ After this the prophet repeated this revelation. ‘Let not those who are covetous of what God of his bounty hath granted them, imagine that their avarice is better for them: nay, rather it is worse for them. That which they have covetously reserved shall be bound as a collar about their necks on the day of resurrection.’”