[7] Sarīp and sharif are both in common use and have the same meaning. The latter is the Arabic form of the word.
[8] It will be noticed both here and elsewhere that the genealogies are confused and that often it is not possible to make out in the text the descent of a given individual. In explanation of this confusion the translator says: “The Moros do not know any better. This is the way they write. No attempt was made in the translation to change the order of the original text.”—[Editor.]
[9] It is not clear in Moro who the parents were. These are chosen pursuant to the general rule that the pronoun refers to the nearest noun, unless otherwise indicated.
[10] The Malay version said three people, but mentions only the above two, Akmad and Sapak.
Chapter II
Laws of the Moros
General Introduction
The Mohammedan conquerors of Mindanao and Sulu established a new form of government planned on lines similar to those of the Arabian caliphate, and adopted written codes of law for guidance in the administration of the state. In all probability the art of writing was not known in Mindanao and Sulu prior to the Mohammedan invasion. The author has no knowledge of the existence of any written law among the pagan tribes of Mindanao, nor of any written material that antedates Islam in Mindanao or Sulu. The Moros are not savage, though they seem so at first sight. As early as the end of the fifteenth century they could read and write. Mohammedanism encouraged education and invited learning. The Arabic alphabet was applied to the Mindanao tongue, and old Arabic and Malay books on religion and law were translated into the native Magindanao and Ranao dialects. The Moros of Magindanao have translations of the Quran, Hadeeth, some books on law, some commentaries on the Quran, some magic, and other varied literature. Their original writings in the Magindanao tongue consist of many genealogies and stories.