READING THE QURAN TO THE SICK
CHAPTER X
MUHAMMADAN CHARMS AND SUPERSTITIONS
Muhammad did not write down his teaching, for he could not write, but his followers learnt it by heart, and wrote it down, and after his death it was collected into one book called the Quran. It was arranged in a haphazard way, and probably the early chapters were really spoken last, and the later ones first. However, the Muhammadans believe it to be, as it now stands, the Word of God, and they treat it with great respect. When they pick the book up or lay it down they put it first to the forehead and then to the lips, and they hold it in both hands. Many Christians might learn from them to treat God’s Word more reverently. They consider it a work of merit to read the Quran or listen to it, and they read it over their sick folk in hopes of curing them. But perhaps the commonest and most popular edition is a two-inch hexagonal one which is almost illegible. This is sewn up in two little round or hexagonal cases, each containing half, and is worn on the arms to keep off evil of every kind. The cases may be plain leather or cloth, or they may be more elaborate and ornamental, or silver cases may be used with texts from the Quran engraved upon them.
Smaller and cheaper charms are made of texts from the Quran enclosed in the same way.
These charms, and also beads made from the blue clay of the holy city of Qum, are used for animals as well as people, especially young mules. I once had a charm given me for a kitten.
Children often wear a very large number of charms sewn on to the cap or hung on a chain round the neck, as they are supposed to be much more susceptible than grown-up people to evil influences. One quaint-looking charm is a little cloth camel, Abraham’s camel, sewn on the cap.
What the Persians fear more than anything for their children is the evil eye, and it is especially to protect them from this that they cover them with charms. They say there are certain people who have an “evil eye.” No one seems to know many such people, but most people say they know at least one. These people injure everything that pleases them, and that they admire. If they admire a baby it will get ill and very likely die; if they admire a mule it will probably go lame; if they admire a tree it will wither; if they admire a cup it will break. There does not seem to be necessarily any wish to do harm, the mere taking pleasure in the thing causes the disaster. Persons with the evil eye are quite impossible to distinguish, so the Persians are afraid of all strangers lest they should have it. This is why you must not admire a baby, and Persian mothers cover up their young babies completely in the street for fear a casual passer-by should admire them and should prove to have the evil eye.
The men carry iron in their pockets as a protection, and a magnet is considered specially powerful in this way. A more common form of iron to carry is an iron chain, which is useful for driving mules and donkeys and beating off savage dogs.