“Honourable5 is the riding of a horse to the rider,
But the mule6 is a dishonour7, and the donkey a disgrace,”
says their song. The Turkish pilgrims, however, who appear to take a pride in ignoring all Arab points of prejudice, generally mount donkeys when they cannot walk. The Badawin therefore settled among themselves, audibly enough, that I was an Osmanli, who of course could not understand Arabic, and they put the question generally,
“By what curse of Allah had they been subjected to ass-riders?”
But Shaykh Hamid is lecturing me upon the subject of the Mosque8. The Masjid Al-Nabawi, or the Prophet’s Mosque, is one of the Haramayn, or the “two sanctuaries” of Al-Islam, and is the second of the three1 most venerable places of worship in the world; the other two being the Masjid al-Harim at Meccah (connected with Abraham) and the Masjid al-Aksa of Jerusalem (the peculiar9 place of Solomon). A Hadis or traditional saying of Mohammed asserts, “One prayer in this my Mosque is more efficacious than a thousand in other places, save only the Masjid al-Harim.2” It is therefore the visitor’s duty, as long as he stays at Al-Madinah, to pray there the five times per diem, to pass the day in it reading the Koran, and the night, if possible, in watching and devotion.
A visit to the Masjid al-Nabawi, and the holy spots within it, is technically10 called “Ziyarat” or Visitation.3 An essential difference is made between this rite11 and Hajj or pilgrimage. The latter is obligatory12 by Koranic order upon every Moslem13 once in his life: the former is only a meritorious14 action. “Tawaf,” or circumambulation of the House of Allah at Meccah, must never be performed at the Apostle’s tomb. This should not be visited in the Ihram or pilgrim dress; men should not kiss it, touch it with the hand, or press the bosom15 against it, as at the Ka’abah; or rub the face with dust collected near the sepulchre; and those who prostrate16 themselves before it, like certain ignorant Indians, are held to be guilty of deadly sin. On the other hand, to spit upon any part of the Mosque, or to treat it with contempt, is held to be the act of an Infidel.
Thus the learned and religious have settled, one would have thought, accurately17 enough the spiritual rank and dignity of the Masjid al-Nabawi. But mankind, especially in the East, must always be in extremes. The orthodox school of Al-Malik holds Al-Madinah, on account of the sanctity of, and the religious benefits to be derived18 from, Mohammed’s tomb, more honourable than Meccah. Some declare that the Apostle preferred his place of refuge, blessing19 it as Abraham did Meccah. Moreover, as a tradition declares that every man’s body is drawn20 from the ground in which he is buried, Al-Madinah evidently had the honour of supplying materials for the Apostle’s person. Others, like Omar, were uncertain which to prefer. The Wahhabis, on the other hand, rejecting the Intercession of the Apostle on the Day of Judgment21, considering the grave of a mere22 mortal unworthy of notice, and highly disgusted by the idolatrous respect paid to it by certain foolish Moslems, plundered23 the sacred building with sacrilegious violence, and forbade visitors from distant countries to enter Al-Madinah.4
The general consensus24 of Al-Islam admits the superiority of the Bayt Allah (“House of God”) at Meccah to the whole world; and declares Al-Madinah to be more venerable than every part of Meccah, and consequently all the earth, except only the Bayt Allah. This last is a juste milieu25 view by no means in favour with the inhabitants of either place. In the meanwhile the Meccans claim unlimited26 superiority over the Madani: the Madani over the Meccans.
Passing through muddy streets, — they had been freshly watered before evening time, — I came suddenly upon the Mosque. Like that at Meccah, the approach is choked up by ignoble27 buildings, some actually touching28 the holy “enceinte,” others separated by a lane compared with which the road round St. Paul’s is a Vatican Square.5 There is no outer front, no general prospect29 of the Prophet’s Mosque; consequently, as a building, it has neither beauty nor dignity.
And entering the Bab al-Rahmah6 — the Gate of Pity, — by a diminutive30 flight of steps, I was astonished at the mean and tawdry appearance of a place so universally venerated31 in the Moslem world. It is not, like the Meccan Temple, grand and simple, the expression of a single sublime32 idea: the longer I looked at it, the more it suggested the resemblance of a museum of second-rate art, an old Curiosity-shop, full of ornaments33 that are not accessories, and decorated with pauper35 splendour.
The Masjid al-Nabi is a parallelogram about four hundred and twenty feet in length by three hundred and forty broad, the direction of the long walls being nearly north and south. As usual in Al-Islam, it is a hypaethral building with a spacious36 central area, called Al-Sahn, Al-Hosh, Al-Haswah, or Al-Ramlah,7 surrounded by a peristyle with numerous rows of pillars like the colonnades37 of an Italian cloister39. The arcades40 or porticoes41 are flat-ceilinged, domed43 above with the small Media Naranja, or half-orange cupola of Spain, and divided into four parts by narrow passages, three or four steps below the level of the pavement. Along the whole inner length of the Northern short wall runs the Majidi Riwak, so called from the then reigning45 Sultan.8 The Western long wall is occupied by the Riwak of the Rahmah Gate; the Eastern by that of the Bab al-Nisa, the “Women’s Entrance.9”
Embracing the inner length of the Southern short wall, and deeper by nearly treble the amount of columns than the other porticoes, is the main colonnade38, called Al-Rauzah10 (the Garden), the adytum containing all that is venerable in the building. These four Riwaks, arched externally, are supported internally by pillars of different shape and material, varying from fine porphyry to dirty plaster. The Southern, where the sepulchre or cenotaph stands, is paved with handsome slabs46 of white marble and marquetry work, here and there covered with coarse matting, and above this by unclean carpets, well worn by faithful feet.11
But this is not the time for Tafarruj or lionising.
Shaykh Hamid warns me, with a nudge, that other things are expected of a Zair (visitor). He leads me to the Bab al-Salam, fighting his way through a troop of beggars, and inquires markedly if I am religiously pure.12 Then, placing our hands a little below and on the left of the waist, the palm of the right covering the back of the left, in the position of prayer, and beginning with the dexter feet,13 we pace slowly forwards down the line called the Muwajihat al-Sharifah, or “the Illustrous Fronting,” which, divided off like an aisle48, runs parallel with the Southern wall of the Mosque. On my right hand walks the Shaykh, who recites aloud the following prayer, making me repeat it after him.14 It is literally49 rendered, as, indeed, are all the formulae, and the reader is requested to excuse the barbarous fidelity50 of the translation.
“In the Name of Allah and in the faith of Allah’s Apostle! O Lord, cause me to enter the Entering of Truth, and cause me to issue forth51 the Issuing of Truth, and permit me to draw near to Thee, and make me a Sultan Victorious15!” Then follow blessings52 upon the Apostle, and afterwards: “O Allah! open to me the Doors of Thy Mercy, and grant me Entrance into it, and protect me from the Stoned Devil!”
During this preliminary prayer we had passed down two-thirds of the Muwajihat al-Sharifah. On the left hand is a dwarf53 wall, about the height of a man, painted with arabesques55, and pierced with four small doors which open into the Muwajihat. In this barrier are sundry56 small erections, the niche57 called the Mihrab Sulaymani,16 the Mambar, or pulpit, and the Mihrab al-Nabawi.17
The two niches58 are of beautiful mosaic59, richly worked with various coloured marbles, and the pulpit is a graceful60 collection of slender columns, elegant tracery, and inscriptions61 admirably carved. Arrived at the Western small door in the dwarf wall, we entered the celebrated62 spot called Al-Rauzah, after a saying of the Apostle’s, “Between my Tomb and my Pulpit is a Garden of the Gardens of Paradise.18” On the North and West sides it is not divided from the rest of the portico42; on the South runs the dwarf wall, and on the East it is limited by the west end of the lattice-work containing the tomb.
Accompanied by my Muzawwir I entered the Rauzah, and was placed by him with the Mukabbariyah19 behind me, fronting Meccah, with my right shoulder opposite to, and about twenty feet distant from, the dexter pillar of the Apostle’s Pulpit.20 There, after saying the afternoon prayers,21 I performed the usual two bows in honour of the temple,22 and at the end of them recited the hundred and ninth and the hundred and twelfth chapters of the Koran-the “Kul, ya ayyuha’l-Kafiruna,” and the “Surat al-Ikhlas,” called also the “Kul, Huw’ Allah,” or the Declaration of Unity63; and may be thus translated:
“Say, He is the one God!
“The eternal God!
“He begets64 not, nor is He begot65!
“And unto Him the like is not.”
After which was performed a single Sujdah (Prostration66) of Thanks,23 in gratitude67 to Allah for making it my fate to visit so holy a spot.
This being the recognised time to give alms, I was besieged68 by beggars, who spread their napkins before us on the ground, sprinkled with a few coppers69 to excite generosity70. But not wishing to be distracted by them, before leaving Hamid’s house I had changed two dollars, and had given the coin to the boy Mohammed, who accompanied me, strictly71 charging him to make that sum last through the Mosque.
My answer to the beggars was a reference to my attendant, backed by the simple action of turning my pockets inside out; and, whilst he was battling with the beggars, I proceeded to cast my first coup-d’oeil upon the Rauzah.
The “Garden” is the most elaborate part of the Mosque. Little can be said in its praise by day, when it bears the same relation to a second-rate church in Rome as an English chapel-of-ease to Westminster Abbey. It is a space of about eighty feet in length, tawdrily decorated so as to resemble a garden. The carpets are flowered, and the pediments of the columns are cased with bright green tiles, and adorned72 to the height of a man with gaudy73 and unnatural74 vegetation in arabesque54. It is disfigured by handsome branched candelabras of cut crystal, the work, I believe, of a London house, and presented to the shrine75 by the late Abbas Pasha of Egypt.24
The only admirable feature of the view is the light cast by the windows of stained glass25 in the Southern wall. Its peculiar background, the railing of the tomb, a splendid filigree76-work of green and polished brass77, gilt78 or made to resemble gold, looks more picturesque79 near than at a distance, when it suggests the idea of a gigantic bird-cage. But at night the eye, dazzled by oil-lamps26 suspended from the roof, by huge wax candles, and by smaller illuminations falling upon crowds of visitors in handsome attire80, with the richest and the noblest of the city sitting in congregation when service is performed,27 becomes less critical. Still the scene must be viewed with Moslem bias81, and until a man is thoroughly82 imbued83 with the spirit of the East, the last place the Rauzah will remind him of, is that which the architect primarily intended it to resemble-a garden.
Then with Hamid, professionally solemn, I reassumed the position of prayer, and retraced84 my steps. After passing through another small door in the dwarf wall that bounds the Muwajihah, we did not turn to the right, which would have led us to the Bab al-Salam; our course was in an opposite direction, towards the Eastern wall of the temple. Meanwhile we repeated, “Verily Allah and His Angels28 bless the Apostle! O ye who believe, bless him, and salute85 Him with Honour!” At the end of this prayer, we arrived at the Mausoleum, which requires some description before the reader can understand the nature of our proceedings86 there.
The Hujrah29 or “Chamber” as it is called, from the circumstance of its having been Ayishah’s room, is an irregular square of from fifty to fifty-five feet in the South-East corner of the building, and separated on all sides from the walls of the Mosque by a passage about twenty-six feet broad on the South side, and twenty on the East. The reason of this isolation87 has been before explained, and there is a saying of Mohammed’s, “O Allah, cause not my Tomb to become an Object of Idolatrous Adoration88! May Allah’s Wrath89 fall heavy upon the People who make the Tombs of their Prophets Places of Prayer30!”
Inside there are, or are supposed to be, three tombs facing the South, surrounded by stone walls without any aperture90, or, as others say, by strong planking.31 Whatever this material may be, it is hung outside with a curtain, somewhat like a large four-post bed. The external railing is separated by a dark narrow passage from the inner, which it surrounds; and is of iron filigree painted of a vivid grass green, — with a view to the garden. Here carefully inserted in the verdure, and doubly bright by contrast, is the gilt or burnished91 brass work forming the long and graceful letters of the Suls character, and disposed into the Moslem creed92, the Profession of Unity, and similar religious sentences.
On the South side, for greater honour, the railing is plated over with silver, and silver letters are interlaced with it. This fence, which connects the columns and forbids passage to all men, may be compared to the baldacchino of Roman churches. It has four gates: that to the South is the Bab al-Muwajihah; Eastward93 is the gate of our Lady Fatimah; westward94 the Bab al-Taubah (of Repentance95), opening into the Rauzah or garden; and to the North, the Bab al-Shami or Syrian gate. They are constantly kept closed, except the fourth, which admits, into the dark narrow passage above alluded96 to, the officers who have charge of the treasures there deposited; and the eunuchs who sweep the floor, light the lamps, and carry away the presents sometimes thrown in here by devotees.32
In the Southern side of the fence are three windows, holes about half a foot square, and placed from four to five feet above the ground; they are said to be between three and four cubits distant from the Apostle’s head. The most Westerly of these is supposed to front Mohammed’s tomb, wherefore it is called the Shubak al-Nabi, or the Prophet’s window. The next, on the right as you front it, is Abu Bakr’s, and the most Easterly of the three is Omar’s.
Above the Hujrah is the Green Dome44, surmounted97 outside by a large gilt crescent springing from a series of globes. The glowing imaginations of the Moslems crown this gem98 of the building with a pillar of heavenly light, which directs from three days’ distance the pilgrims’ steps towards Al-Madinah. But alas99! none save holy men (and perhaps, odylic sensitives), whose material organs are piercing as their spiritual vision, may be allowed the privilege of beholding100 this poetic101 splendour.
Arrived at the Shubak al-Nabi, Hamid took his stand about six feet or so out of reach of the railing, and at that respectful distance from, and facing33 the Hazirah (or presence), with hands raised as in prayer, he recited the following supplication102 in a low voice, telling me in a stage whisper to repeat it after him with awe103, and fear, and love:—
“Peace be upon Thee, O Apostle of Allah, and the Mercy of Allah and his Blessings! Peace be upon Thee, O Apostle of Allah! Peace be upon Thee, O Friend of Allah! Peace be upon Thee, O best of Allah’s Creation! Peace be upon Thee, O pure Creature of Allah! Peace be upon Thee, O Chief of Prophets! Peace be upon Thee, O Seal of the Prophets! Peace be upon Thee, O Prince of the Pious104! Peace be upon Thee, O Apostle of the Lord of the (three) Worlds! Peace be upon Thee, and upon Thy Family, and upon Thy pure Wives! Peace be upon Thee, and upon all Thy Companions! Peace be upon Thee, and upon all the Prophets, and upon those sent to preach Allah’s Word! Peace be upon Thee, and upon all Allah’s righteous Worshippers! Peace be upon Thee, O thou Bringer of Glad Tidings! Peace be upon Thee, O Bearer of Threats! Peace be upon Thee, O thou bright Lamp! Peace be upon Thee, O thou Apostle of Mercy! Peace be upon Thee, O Ruler of Thy Faith! Peace be upon Thee, O Opener of Grief! Peace be upon Thee! and Allah bless Thee! and Allah repay Thee for us, O Thou Apostle of Allah! the choicest of Blessings with which He ever blessed Prophet! Allah bless Thee as often as Mentioners have mentioned Thee, and Forgetters have forgotten Thee! And Allah bless Thee among the First and the Last, with the best, the highest, and the fullest of Blessings ever bestowed105 on Man; even as we escaped Error by means of Thee, and were made to see after Blindness, and after Ignorance were directed into the Right Way. I bear Witness that there is no god but the God (Allah), and I testify that Thou art His Servant, and His Apostle, and His Faithful Follower106, and Best Creature. And I bear Witness, O Apostle of Allah! that Thou hast delivered thy Message, and discharged Thy Trust, and advised Thy Faith, and opened Grief, and published Proofs, and fought valiantly107 for Thy Lord, and worshipped Thy God till Certainty came to Thee (i.e. to the hour of death). And we Thy Friends, O Apostle of Allah! appear before Thee, Travellers from distant lands and far Countries, through Dangers and Difficulties, in the Times of Darkness, and in the Hours of Day, longing108 to give Thee Thy Rights (i.e. to honour Thee by benediction109 and visitation), and to obtain the Blessings of Thine Intercession, for our Sins have broken our Backs, and Thou intercedest with the Healer. And Allah said,34 ‘And though they have injured themselves, they came to Thee, and begged Thee to secure their Pardon, and they found God an Acceptor of Penitence111, and full of Compassion112.’ O Apostle of Allah, Intercession! Intercession! Intercession35! O Allah, bless Mohammed and Mohammed’s Family, and give Him Superiority and high Rank, even as Thou didst promise Him, and graciously allow us to conclude this Visitation. I deposit on this spot, and near Thee, O Apostle of God, my everlasting113 Profession (of faith) from this our Day, to the Day of Judgment, that there is no god but Allah, and that our Lord Mohammed is His Servant and His Apostle.36 Amen! O Lord of the (three) Worlds!37”
After which, performing Ziyarat38 for ourselves, we repeated the Fatihah or “opening” chapter of the Koran.
“In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate114!
“Praise be to Allah, who the (three) Worlds made.
“The Merciful, the Compassionate.
“The King of the Day of Faith.
“Thee (alone) do we worship, and of Thee (alone) do we ask Aid.
“Guide us to the Path that is straight —
“The Path of those for whom thy Love is great, not those on whom is Hate, nor they that deviate115.
“Amen! O Lord of Angels, Jinnis, and Men!39”
After reciting this mentally with upraised hands, the forefinger116 of the right hand being extended to its full length, we drew our palms down our faces and did alms-deeds, a vital part of the ceremony. Thus concludes the first part of the ceremony of visitation at the Apostle’s tomb.
Hamid then stepped about a foot and half to the right, and I followed his example, so as to place myself exactly opposite the second aperture in the grating called Abu Bakr’s window. There, making a sign towards the mausoleum, we addressed its inmate117, as follows:—
“Peace be upon Thee, O Abu Bakr, O Thou Truthful118 One! Peace be upon Thee, O Caliph of Allah’s Apostle over his People! Peace be upon Thee, O Companion of the Cave, and Friend in Travel! Peace be upon Thee, O Thou Banner of the Fugitives119 and the Auxiliaries120! I testify Thou didst ever stand firm in the right Way, and wast a Smiter121 of the Infidel, and a Benefactor122 to Thine own people. Allah grant Thee through His Apostle Weal! We pray Almighty123 God to cause us to die in Thy Friendship, and to raise us up in Company with His Apostle and Thyself, even as He hath mercifully vouchsafed124 to us this Visitation.40”
After which we closed one more step to the right, and standing125 opposite Omar’s window, the most easterly of the three, after making a sign with our hands, we addressed the just Caliph in these words:—
“Peace be upon Thee, O Omar! O Thou Just One! Thou Prince of True Believers! Peace be upon Thee, who spakest with Truth, and who madest Thy Word agree with the Strong Book! (the Koran): O Thou Faruk! (the Separator).41 O Thou Faithful One! who girdedst thy Loins with the Apostle, and the First Believers, and with them didst make up the full Number forty,42 and thus causedst to be accomplished126 the Apostle’s Prayer,43 and then didst return to Thy God a Martyr127 leaving the World with Praise! Allah grant Thee, through his Apostle and his Caliph and his Followers128, the best of Good, and may Allah feel in Thee plenary Satisfaction!”
Shaykh Hamid, after wrenching129 a beggar or two from my shoulders, then permitted me to draw near to the little window, called the Apostle’s, and to look in. Here my proceedings were watched with suspicious eyes. The Persians have sometimes managed to pollute the part near Abu Bakr’s and Omar’s graves by tossing through the aperture what is externally a handsome shawl intended as a present for the tomb.44 After straining my eyes for a time, I saw a curtain,45 or rather hangings, with three inscriptions in long gold letters, informing readers that behind them lie Allah’s Apostle and the first two Caliphs.
The exact place of Mohammed’s tomb is moreover distinguished130 by a large pearl rosary, and a peculiar ornament34, the celebrated Kaukab-al-Durri, or constellation131 of pearls, suspended to the curtain breast-high.46 This is described to be a “brilliant star set in diamonds and pearls,” placed in the dark that man’s eye may be able to bear its splendours: the vulgar believe it to be a “jewel of the jewels of Paradise.” To me it greatly resembled the round glass stoppers used for the humbler sort of decanters; but I thought the same of the Koh-i-Nur. Moreover I never saw it quite near enough to judge fairly, and I did not think fit to pay an exorbitant133 sum for the privilege of entering the inner passage of the baldaquin.47
Altogether the coup-d’oeil had nothing to recommend it by day. At night, when the lamps, hung in this passage, shed a dim light upon the mosaic-work of the marble floors, upon the glittering inscriptions, and the massive hangings, the scene is more impressive.
Never having seen the Tomb,48 I must depict134 it from books, — by no means an easy task. Most of the historians are silent after describing the inner walls of the Hujrah. Al-Kalkashandi declares in eo lapidem nobilem continere sepulchra Apostoli, Abubecr et Omar, circumcinctum peribole in modum conclavis fere usque ad tectum assurgente, quae velo serico nigro obligatur. This author, then, agrees with my Persian friends, who declare the sepulchre to be a marble slab47. Ibn Jubayr, who travelled in A.H. 580, relates that the Apostle’s coffin136 is a box of ebony (abnus) covered with sandal-wood, and plated with silver; it is placed, he says, behind a curtain, and surrounded by an iron grating. Al-Samanhudi,49 quoted by Burckhardt, declares that the curtain covers a square building of black stones, in the interior of which are the tombs of Mohammed and of his two immediate137 successors. He adds that the tombs are deep holes; and that the coffin which contains the Apostle is cased with silver, and has on the top a marble slab inscribed138 “Bismillah! Allahumma salli alayh!” (“In the name of Allah! Allah have Mercy upon Him50!”)
The Apostle’s body, it should be remembered, lies, or is supposed to lie, stretched at full length on the right side, with the right palm supporting the right cheek, the face fronting Meccah, as Moslems are always buried, and consequently the body lies with the head almost due West and the feet due East. Close behind him is placed Abu Bakr, whose face fronts the Apostle’s shoulder51; and, lastly, Omar holds the same position with respect to his predecessor139.
The places they are usually supposed to occupy, then, would be thus disposed. But Moslem historians are not agreed even upon so simple a point as this. Many prefer this position, in line [figure] -some thus, in unicorn140 [figure] — and others the right angle.52
[figure]
It is popularly asserted that in the Hujrah there is now spare place for only a single grave, reserved for Isa bin135 Maryam after his second coming. The historians of Al-Islam are full of tales proving that though many of their earlier saints, as Osman the Caliph and Hasan the Imam, were desirous of being buried there; and that although Ayishah, to whom the room belonged, willingly acceded141 to their wishes, son of man has as yet been unable to occupy it.
After the Fatihah pronounced at Omar’s tomb, and the short inspection142 of the Hujrah, Shaykh Hamid led me round the south-east corner of the baldaquin.53 Turning towards the north, we stopped at what is commonly called the Mahbat Jibrail (“Place of the Archangel Gabriel’s Descent with the Heavenly Revelations”), or simply Al-Malaikah-the Angels. It is a small window in the Eastern wall of the Mosque; we turned our backs upon it, and fronting the Hujrah, recited the following prayer:—
“Peace be upon You, O Angels of Allah, the Mukarrabin (cherubs), and the Musharrifin (seraphs), the pure, the holy, honored by the Dwellers143 in Heaven, and by those who abide144 upon the Earth. O beneficent Lord! O Long-suffering! O Almighty! O Pitier! O thou Compassionate One! perfect our Light, and pardon our Sins, and accept Penitence for our Offences, and cause us to die among the Holy! Peace be upon Ye, Angels of the Merciful, one and all! And the Mercy of God and His Blessings be upon You!” After which I was shown the spot in the Hujrah where Sayyidna Isa shall be buried54 by Mohammed’s side.
Then turning towards the West, at a point where there is a break in the symmetry of the Hujrah, we arrived at the sixth station, the sepulchre or cenotaph of the Lady Fatimah. Her grave is outside the enceinte and the curtain which surrounds her father’s remains145; so strict is Moslem decorum, and so exalted146 its opinion of the “Virgin’s”55 delicacy147. The Eastern side of the Hujrah, here turning a little Westward, interrupts the shape of the square, in order to give this spot the appearance of disconnection with the rest of the building. The tomb, seen through a square aperture like those above described, is a long catafalque, covered with a black pall148. Though there is great doubt whether the Lady be not buried with her son Hassan in the Bakia cemetery149, this place is always visited by the pious Moslem. The following is the prayer opposite the grave of the amiable150 Fatimah:—
“Peace be upon Thee, Daughter of the Apostle of Allah! Peace be upon Thee, Daughter of the Prophet of Allah! Peace be upon Thee, thou Daughter of Mustafa! Peace be upon Thee, thou Mother of the Shurafa!56 (seed of Mohammed.) Peace be upon Thee, O Lady amongst Women! Peace be upon Thee, O fifth of the Ahl al-Kisa!57 Peace be upon Thee, O Zahra and Batul!58 (Pure and Virgin). Peace be upon Thee, O Daughter of the Apostle! Peace be upon Thee, O Spouse151 of our Lord Ali al-Murtaza! Peace be upon Thee, O Mother of Hasan and Husayn, the two Moons, the two Lights, the two Pearls, the two Princes of the Youth of Heaven, and Coolness of the Eyes59 (i.e. joy and gladness) of true Believers! Peace be upon Thee, and upon Thy Sire, Al-Mustafa, and Thy Husband, our Lord Ali! Allah honour his Face, and Thy Face, and Thy Father’s Face in Paradise, and Thy two Sons, the Hasanayn! And the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings!”
We then broke away as we best could from the crowd of female “askers,” who have established their Lares and Penates under the shadow of the Lady’s wing; and, advancing a few paces, we fronted to the North, and recited a prayer in honour of Hamzah, and of the martyrs152 who lie buried at the foot of Mount Ohod.60 We then turned to the right, and, fronting the Easterly wall, prayed for the souls of the blessed whose mortal spirits repose153 within Al-Bakia’s hallowed circuit.61
After this we returned to the Southern wall of the Mosque, and, facing towards Meccah, we recited the following supplication:— “O Allah! (three times repeated) O Compassionate! O Beneficent! O Requiter (of good and evil)! O Prince! O Ruler! O ancient of Benefits! O Omniscient155! O Thou who givest when asked, and who aidest when Aid is required, accept this our Visitation, and preserve us from Dangers, and make easy our Affairs, and broaden our Breasts, (gladden our hearts), and receive our Prostration, and requite154 us according to our good Deeds, and turn not against us our evil Deeds, and place not over us one who feareth not Thee, and one who pitieth not us, and write Safety and Health upon us and upon Thy Slaves, the Hujjaj (pilgrims), and the Ghuzzat (fighters for the faith), and the Zawwar62 (visitors to the tomb), and the Home-dwellers and the Wayfarers156 of the Moslems, by Land and by Sea, and pardon those of the Faith of our Lord Mohammed One and All!”
From the Southern wall we returned to the “Apostle’s Window,” where we recited the following tetrastich and prayer:—
“O Mustafa! verily, I stand at Thy door,
A man, weak and fearful, by reason of my sins:
If Thou aid me not, O Apostle of Allah!
I die-for, in the world there is none generous as Thou art!”
“Of a Truth, Allah and His Angels bless the Apostle! O Ye who believe, bless Him and salute Him with salutation!63 O Allah! verily I implore157 Thy Pardon and supplicate158 Thine Aid in this World as in the next! O Allah! O Allah! abandon us not in this Holy Place to the consequences of our Sins without pardoning them, or to our Griefs without consoling them, or to our Fears, O Allah! without removing them. And Blessings and Salutation to Thee, O Prince of Apostles, Commissioned (to preach the word), and laud159 be to Allah, the Lord of the (three) Worlds!”
We turned away from the Hujrah, and after gratifying a meek-looking but exceedingly importunate160 Hindi beggar, who insisted on stunning161 me with the Chapter Y, S.,64 we fronted Southwards, and taking care that our backs should not be in a line with the Apostle’s face, stood opposite the niche called Mihrab Osman. There Hamid proceeded with another supplication. “O Allah! (three times repeated), O Safeguard of the Fearful, and Defender162 of those who trust in Thee, and Pitier of the Weak, the Poor, and the Destitute163! accept us, O Beneficent! and pardon us, O Merciful! and receive our Penitence, O Compassionate! and have Mercy upon us, O Forgiver! — for verily none but Thou canst remit164 Sin! Of a Truth Thou alone knowest the hidden, and veilest Man’s Transgressions165: veil, then, our Offences, and pardon our Sins, and broaden our Breasts, and cause our last Words at the Supreme166 Hour of Life to be the Words, ‘There is no god but Allah,65 and our Lord Mohammed is the Apostle of Allah!’ O Allah! cause us to live according to this Saying, O thou Giver of life; and make us to die in this Faith, O thou Ruler of Death! And the best of Blessings and the completest of Salutations upon the sole Lord of Intercession, our Lord Mohammed and His Family, and His Companions One and All!”
Lastly, we returned to the Garden,66 and prayed another two-bow prayer, ending, as we began, with the worship of the Creator.
Unfortunately for me, the boy Mohammed had donned that grand embroidered167 coat. At the end of the ceremony the Aghas, or eunuchs of the Mosque, a race of men considered respectable by their office, and prone168 to make themselves respected by the freest administration of club-law, assembled in Al-Rauzah to offer me the congratulation Ziyaratak Mubarak — “Blessed be thy Visitation,” — and to demand fees. Then came the Sakka, or water-carrier of the Mosque well, Zemzem,67 offering a tinned saucer filled from the holy source. And lastly I was beset169 by beggars.
Some were mild beggars and picturesque, who sat upon the ground immersed in the contemplation of their napkins; others, angry beggars who cursed if they were not gratified; and others noisy and petulant170 beggars, especially the feminine party near the Lady’s tomb, who captured me by the skirt of my garment, compelling me to ransom171 myself. There were, besides, pretty beggars, boys who held out the right hand on the score of good looks; ugly beggars, emaciated172 rascals173 whose long hair, dirt, and leanness entitled them to charity; and lastly, the blind, the halt, and the diseased, who, as Sons of the Holy City, demanded from the Faithful that support with which they could not provide themselves. Having been compelled by my companions, highly against my inclination174, to become a man of rank, I was obliged to pay in proportion, and my almoner in the handsome coat, as usual, took a kind of pride in being profuse175. This first visit cost me double what I had intended-four dollars-nearly one pound sterling176, and never afterwards could I pay less than half that sum.68
Having now performed all the duties of a good Zair, I was permitted by Shaykh Hamid to wander about and see the sights. We began our circumambulation at the Bab al-Salam,69 the Gate of Salvation177, the South-Western entrance pierced in the long wall of the Mosque. It is a fine archway handsomely encrusted with marble and glazed178 tiles; the many gilt inscriptions on its sides give it, especially at night-time, an appearance of considerable splendour. The portcullis-like doors are of wood, strengthened with brass plates, and nails of the same metal. Outside this gate is a little Sabil, or public fountain, where those who will not pay for the water, kept ready in large earthen jars by the “Sakka” of the Mosque, perform their ablutions gratis179. Here all the mendicants congregate180 in force, sitting on the outer steps and at the entrance of the Mosque, up and through which the visitors must pass.
About the centre of the Western wall is the Bab alRahmah, the Gate of Pity, which admits the dead bodies of the Faithful when carried to be prayed over in the Mosque. There is nothing remarkable181 in its appearance; in common with the other gates it has huge folding doors, iron-bound, an external flight of steps, and a few modern inscriptions.
The Bab Majidi, or Gate of the Sultan Abd al-Majid, stands in the centre of the Northern wall; like its portico, it is unfinished, but its present appearance promises that it will eclipse all except the Bab al-Salam.
The Bab al-Nisa, or Gate of Women, is in the Eastern wall opposite the Bab al-Rahmah, with which it is connected by the “Farsh al-Hajar,” a broad band of stone, two or three steps below the level of the portico, and slightly raised above the Sahn or the hypaethral portion of the Mosque. And lastly, in the Southern portion of the same Eastern wall is the Bab Jibrail, the Gate of the Archangel Gabriel.70
All these entrances are arrived at by short external flights of steps leading from the streets, as the base of the temple, unlike that of Meccah, is a little higher than the foundation of the buildings around it. The doors are closed by the attendant eunuchs immediately after the night prayers, except during the blessed month Al-Ramazan and in the pilgrimage season, when pious visitors pay considerable fees there to pass the night in meditation182 and prayer.
The minarets183 are five in number; but one, the Shikayliyah, at the North-West angle of the building, has been levelled, and is still in process of being rebuilt. The Munar Bab al-Salam stands by the gate of that name: it is a tall, handsome tower, surmounted by a large ball or cone71 of brass gilt or burnished. The Munar Bab al-Rahmah, about the centre of the Western wall, is of more simple form than the others: it has two galleries, with the superior portion circular, and surmounted by the conical “extinguisher” — roof so common in Turkey and Egypt. On the North-East angle of the Mosque stands the Sulaymaniyah Munar, so named after its founder184, Sultan Sulayman the Magnificent. It is a well-built and substantial stone-tower divided into three stages; the two lower portions are polygonal185, the upper cylindrical186, and each terminates in a platform with a railed gallery carried all round for the protection of those who ascend187.
And lastly, from the South-East angle of the Mosque, supposed to be upon the spot where Belal, the Apostle’s loud-lunged crier, called the first Moslems to prayer, 72 springs the Munar Raisiyah, so called because it is appropriated to the Ruasa or chiefs of the Mu’ezzins. Like the Sulaymaniyah, it consists of three parts: the first and second stages are polygonal; and the third, a cylinder188, is furnished like the lower two with a railed gallery. Both the latter minarets end in solid ovals of masonry189, from which project a number of wooden triangles. To these and to the galleries on all festive190 occasions, such as the arrival of the Damascus caravan191, are hung oil-lamps-a poor attempt at illumination, which may rationally explain the origin of the Madinite superstition192 concerning the column of light which crowns the Prophet’s tomb. There is no uniformity in the shape or the size of these four minarets, and at first sight, despite their beauty and grandeur193, they appear somewhat bizarre and misplaced. But after a few days I found that my eye grew accustomed to them, and I had no difficulty in appreciating their massive proportions and lofty forms.
Equally irregular are the Riwaks, or porches, surrounding the hypaethral court. Along the Northern wall there will be, when finished, a fine colonnade of granite194, paved with marble. The Eastern Riwak has three rows of pillars, the Western four, and the Southern, under which stands the tomb, of course has its columns ranged deeper than all the others. These supports of the building are of different material; some of fine marble, others of rough stone, plastered over and painted with the most vulgar of arabesques, — vermilion and black in irregular patches and broad streaks195, like the stage-face of a London clown.73 Their size, moreover, is different, the Southern colonnade being composed of pillars palpably larger than those in the other parts of the Mosque. Scarcely any two shafts196 own similar capitals; many have no pedestal, and some of them are cut with a painful ignorance of art. I cannot extend my admiration197 of the minarets to the columns-in their “architectural lawlessness” there is not a redeeming198 point.
Of these unpraisable pillars three are celebrated in the annals of Al-Islam, for which reason their names are painted upon them, and five others enjoy the honour of distinctive199 appellations200. The first is called Al-Mukhallak, because, on some occasion of impurity201, it was anointed with a perfume called Khaluk. It is near the Mihrab al-Nabawi, on the right of the place where the Imam prays; and it notes the spot where, before the invention of the Pulpit, the Apostle, leaning upon the Ustuwanat al-Hannanah-the Weeping Pillar74 — used to recite the Khutbah or Friday sermon.
The second stands third from the Pulpit, and third from the Hujrah. It is called the Pillar of Ayishah, also the Ustuwanat al-Kurah, or the Column of Lots, because the Apostle, according to the testimony202 of his favourite wife, declared that if men knew the value of the place, they would cast lots to pray there: in some books it is known as the Pillar of the Muhajirin or Fugitives, and others mention it as Al-Mukhallak-the Perfumed.
Twenty cubits distant from Ayishah’s Pillar, and the second from the Hujrah, and the fourth from the Pulpit, is the Pillar of Repentance, or of Abu Lubabah. It derives203 its name from the following circumstance. Abu Lubabah was a native of Al-Madinah, one of the Auxiliaries and a companion of Mohammed, originally it is said a Jew, according to others of the Beni Amr bin Auf of the Aus tribe. Being sent for by his kinsmen204 or his allies, the Benu Kurayzah, at that time capitulating to Mohammed, he was consulted by the distracted men, women, and children, who threw themselves at his feet, and begged of him to intercede110 for them with the offended Apostle. Abu Lubabah swore he would do so: at the same time, he drew his hand across his throat, as much as to say, “Defend yourselves to the last, for if you yield, such is your doom205.” Afterwards repenting206, he bound himself with a huge chain to the date-tree in whose place the column now stands, vowing207 to continue there until Allah and the Apostle accepted his penitence-a circumstance which did not take place till the tenth day, when his hearing was gone and he had almost lost his sight.
The less celebrated pillars are the Ustuwanat al-Sarir, or Column of the Cot, where the Apostle was wont208 to sit meditating209 on his humble132 couch-frame of date-sticks. The Ustuwanat Ali notes the spot where the fourth Caliph used to pray and watch near his father-in-law at night. At the Ustuwanat al-Wufud, as its name denotes, the Apostle received envoys210, couriers, and emissaries from foreign places. The Ustuwanat al-Tahajjud now stands where Mohammed, sitting upon his mat, passed the night in prayer. And lastly is the Makam Jibrail (Gabriel’s place), for whose other name, Mirbaat al-Bair, “the Pole of the Beast of Burden,” I have been unable to find an explanation.
The four Riwaks, or porches, of the Madinah Mosque open upon a hypaethral court of parallelogramic shape.
The only remarkable object in it75 is a square of wooden railing enclosing a place full of well-watered earth, called the Garden of our Lady Fatimah.76 It now contains a dozen date-trees-in Ibn Jubayr’s time there were fifteen. Their fruit is sent by the eunuchs as presents to the Sultan and the great men of Al-Islam; it is highly valued by the vulgar, but the Olema do not think much of its claims to importance. Among the palms are the venerable remains of a Sidr, or Lote tree,77 whose produce is sold for inordinate211 sums. The enclosure is entered by a dwarf gate in the South-Eastern portion of the railing, near the well, and one of the eunuchs is generally to be seen in it: it is under the charge of the Mudir, or chief treasurer212. These gardens are not uncommon213 in Mosques214, as the traveller who passes through Cairo can convince himself. They form a pretty and an appropriate feature in a building erected215 for the worship of Him “Who spread the Earth with Carpets of Flowers and drew shady Trees from the dead Ground.” A tradition of the Apostle also declares that “Acceptable is Devotion in the Garden and in the Orchard216.”
At the South-East angle of this enclosure, under a wooden roof supported by pillars of the same material, stands the Zemzem, generally called the Bir al-Nabi, or “the Apostle’s well.” My predecessor declares that the brackishness217 of its produce has stood in the way of its reputation for holiness. Yet a well-educated man told me that it was as “light” (wholesome) water78 as any in Al-Madinah, — a fact which he accounted for by supposing a subterraneous passage79 which connects it with the great Zemzem at Meccah. Others, again, believe that it is filled by a vein218 of water springing directly under the Apostle’s grave: generally, however, among the learned it is not more revered219 than our Lady’s Garden, nor is it ranked in books among the holy wells of Al-Madinah.
Between this Zemzem well and the Eastern Riwak is the Stoa, or Academia, of the Prophet’s city. In the cool mornings and evenings the ground is strewed220 with professors, who teach the young idea, as an eminent221 orientalist hath it, to shout rather than to shoot.80 A few feet to the South of the palm garden is a moveable wooden planking painted green, and about three feet high; it serves to separate the congregation from the Imam when he prays here; and at the North-Eastern angle of the enclosure is a Shajar Kanadil, a large brass chandelier, which completes the furniture of the court.
After this inspection, the shadows of evening began to gather round us. We left the Mosque, reverently222 taking care to issue forth with the left foot, and not to back out of it as is the Sunnat or practice derived from the Apostle, when taking leave of the Meccan Temple.
To conclude this long chapter. Although every Moslem, learned and simple, firmly believes that Mohammed’s remains are interred223 in the Hujrah at Al-Madinah, I cannot help suspecting that the place is doubtful as that of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem. It must be remembered that a tumult224 followed the announcement of the Apostle’s death, when the people, as often happens, believing him to be immortal,81 refused to credit the report, and even Omar threatened destruction to any one that asserted it.
Moreover the body was scarcely cold when the contest about the succession arose between the fugitives of Meccah and the auxiliaries of Al-Madinah: in the ardour of which, according to the Shi’ahs, the house of Ali and Fatimah-within a few feet of the spot where the tomb of the Apostle is now placed-was threatened with fire, and Abu Bakr was elected Caliph that same evening. If anyone find cause to wonder that the last resting-place of a personage so important was not fixed225 for ever, he may find many a parallel case in Al-Madinah. To quote no other, three several localities claim the honour of containing the Lady Fatimah’s mortal spoils, although one might suppose that the daughter of the Apostle and the mother of the Imams would not be laid in an unknown grave. My reasons for incredulity are the following:
From the earliest days the shape of the Apostle’s tomb has never been generally known in Al-Islam. For this reason it is that graves are made convex in some countries, and flat in others. Had there been a Sunnat,82 such would not have been the case.
The accounts of the learned are discrepant226. Al-Samanhudi, perhaps the highest authority, contradicts himself. In one place he describes the coffin; in another he expressly declares that he entered the Hujrah when it was being repaired by Kaid-Bey, and saw in the inside three deep graves, but no traces of tombs.83 Either, then, the mortal remains of the Apostle had, despite Moslem superstition,84 mingled227 with the dust, (a probable circumstance after nearly nine hundred years’ interment), or, what is more likely, they had been removed by the Shi’ah schismatics who for centuries had charge of the sepulchre.85
And lastly, I cannot but look upon the tale of the blinding light which surrounds the Apostle’s tomb, current for ages past and still universally believed upon the authority of the attendant eunuchs, who must know its falsehood, as a priestly gloss228 intended to conceal229 a defect.
I here conclude the subject, committing it to some future and more favoured investigator230. In offering the above remarks, I am far from wishing to throw a doubt upon an established point of history. But where a suspicion of fable231 arises from popular “facts,” a knowledge of man and of his manners teaches us to regard it with favouring eye.
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1
lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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mule
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| n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人 | |
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dishonour
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| n./vt.拒付（支票、汇票、票据等）；vt.凌辱，使丢脸；n.不名誉，耻辱，不光彩 | |
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mosque
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| n.清真寺 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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technically
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| adv.专门地，技术上地 | |
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rite
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| n.典礼，惯例，习俗 | |
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obligatory
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| adj.强制性的，义务的，必须的 | |
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Moslem
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| n.回教徒，穆罕默德信徒；adj.回教徒的，回教的 | |
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meritorious
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| adj.值得赞赏的 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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accurately
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| adv.准确地，精确地 | |
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derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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plundered
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| 掠夺，抢劫( plunder的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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consensus
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| n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识 | |
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milieu
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| n.环境；出身背景；(个人所处的)社会环境 | |
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unlimited
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| adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的 | |
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ignoble
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| adj.不光彩的，卑鄙的；可耻的 | |
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touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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diminutive
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| adj.小巧可爱的，小的 | |
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venerated
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| 敬重（某人或某事物），崇敬( venerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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pauper
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| n.贫民，被救济者，穷人 | |
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spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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colonnades
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| n.石柱廊( colonnade的名词复数 ) | |
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colonnade
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| n.柱廊 | |
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cloister
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| n.修道院；v.隐退，使与世隔绝 | |
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arcades
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| n.商场( arcade的名词复数 )；拱形走道（两旁有商店或娱乐设施）；连拱廊；拱形建筑物 | |
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porticoes
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| n.柱廊，（有圆柱的）门廊( portico的名词复数 ) | |
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portico
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| n.柱廊，门廊 | |
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domed
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| adj. 圆屋顶的, 半球形的, 拱曲的 动词dome的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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dome
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| n.圆屋顶，拱顶 | |
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reigning
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| adj.统治的，起支配作用的 | |
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slabs
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| n.厚板，平板，厚片( slab的名词复数 )；厚胶片 | |
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slab
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| n.平板，厚的切片；v.切成厚板，以平板盖上 | |
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aisle
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| n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道 | |
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literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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fidelity
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| n.忠诚，忠实；精确 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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blessings
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| n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福 | |
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dwarf
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| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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arabesque
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| n.阿拉伯式花饰；adj.阿拉伯式图案的 | |
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arabesques
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| n.阿拉伯式花饰( arabesque的名词复数 )；错综图饰；阿拉伯图案；阿拉贝斯克芭蕾舞姿（独脚站立，手前伸，另一脚一手向后伸） | |
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sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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niche
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| n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等) | |
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niches
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| 壁龛( niche的名词复数 )； 合适的位置[工作等]； （产品的）商机； 生态位（一个生物所占据的生境的最小单位） | |
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59
mosaic
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| n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的 | |
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60
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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61
inscriptions
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| （作者）题词( inscription的名词复数 )； 献词； 碑文； 证劵持有人的登记 | |
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62
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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63
unity
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| n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调 | |
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64
begets
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| v.为…之生父( beget的第三人称单数 )；产生，引起 | |
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65
begot
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| v.为…之生父( beget的过去式 )；产生，引起 | |
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66
prostration
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| n. 平伏, 跪倒, 疲劳 | |
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67
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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68
besieged
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| 包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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69
coppers
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| 铜( copper的名词复数 )； 铜币 | |
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70
generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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71
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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72
adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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73
gaudy
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| adj.华而不实的；俗丽的 | |
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74
unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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75
shrine
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| n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣 | |
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76
filigree
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| n.金银丝做的工艺品；v.用金银细丝饰品装饰；用华而不实的饰品装饰；adj.金银细丝工艺的 | |
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77
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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78
gilt
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| adj.镀金的；n.金边证券 | |
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79
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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80
attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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81
bias
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| n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见 | |
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82
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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83
imbued
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| v.使（某人/某事）充满或激起（感情等）( imbue的过去式和过去分词 )；使充满；灌输；激发（强烈感情或品质等） | |
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84
retraced
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| v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
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85
salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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86
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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87
isolation
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| n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离 | |
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88
adoration
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| n.爱慕，崇拜 | |
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89
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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90
aperture
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| n.孔，隙，窄的缺口 | |
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91
burnished
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| adj.抛光的，光亮的v.擦亮（金属等），磨光( burnish的过去式和过去分词 )；被擦亮，磨光 | |
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92
creed
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| n.信条；信念，纲领 | |
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93
eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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94
westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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95
repentance
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| n.懊悔 | |
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96
alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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97
surmounted
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| 战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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98
gem
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| n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel | |
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99
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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100
beholding
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| v.看，注视( behold的现在分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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101
poetic
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| adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的 | |
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102
supplication
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| n.恳求，祈愿，哀求 | |
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103
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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104
pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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105
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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106
follower
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| n.跟随者；随员；门徒；信徒 | |
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107
valiantly
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| adv.勇敢地，英勇地；雄赳赳 | |
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108
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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109
benediction
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| n.祝福；恩赐 | |
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110
intercede
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| vi.仲裁，说情 | |
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111
penitence
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| n.忏悔，赎罪；悔过 | |
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112
compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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113
everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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114
compassionate
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| adj.有同情心的，表示同情的 | |
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115
deviate
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| v.(from)背离，偏离 | |
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116
forefinger
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| n.食指 | |
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117
inmate
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| n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人 | |
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118
truthful
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| adj.真实的，说实话的，诚实的 | |
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119
fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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120
auxiliaries
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| n.助动词 ( auxiliary的名词复数 )；辅助工，辅助人员 | |
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121
smiter
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| 打击者 | |
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122
benefactor
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| n. 恩人，行善的人，捐助人 | |
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123
almighty
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| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
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124
vouchsafed
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| v.给予，赐予( vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词 )；允诺 | |
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125
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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126
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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127
martyr
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| n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲 | |
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128
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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129
wrenching
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| n.修截苗根，苗木铲根（铲根时苗木不起土或部分起土）v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的现在分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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130
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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131
constellation
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| n.星座n.灿烂的一群 | |
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132
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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133
exorbitant
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| adj.过分的；过度的 | |
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134
depict
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| vt.描画，描绘；描写，描述 | |
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135
bin
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| n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
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136
coffin
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| n.棺材，灵柩 | |
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137
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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138
inscribed
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| v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接 | |
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139
predecessor
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| n.前辈，前任 | |
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140
unicorn
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| n.(传说中的)独角兽 | |
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141
acceded
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| v.（正式）加入( accede的过去式和过去分词 )；答应；（通过财产的添附而）增加；开始任职 | |
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142
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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143
dwellers
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| n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 ) | |
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144
abide
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| vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受 | |
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145
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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146
exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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147
delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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148
pall
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| v.覆盖，使平淡无味；n.柩衣，棺罩；棺材；帷幕 | |
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149
cemetery
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| n.坟墓，墓地，坟场 | |
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150
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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151
spouse
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| n.配偶(指夫或妻) | |
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152
martyrs
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| n.martyr的复数形式；烈士( martyr的名词复数 )；殉道者；殉教者；乞怜者（向人诉苦以博取同情） | |
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153
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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154
requite
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| v.报酬，报答 | |
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155
omniscient
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| adj.无所不知的；博识的 | |
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156
wayfarers
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| n.旅人，（尤指）徒步旅行者( wayfarer的名词复数 ) | |
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157
implore
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| vt.乞求，恳求，哀求 | |
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158
supplicate
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| v.恳求；adv.祈求地，哀求地，恳求地 | |
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159
laud
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| n.颂歌；v.赞美 | |
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160
importunate
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| adj.强求的；纠缠不休的 | |
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161
stunning
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| adj.极好的；使人晕倒的 | |
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162
defender
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| n.保卫者，拥护者，辩护人 | |
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163
destitute
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| adj.缺乏的；穷困的 | |
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164
remit
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| v.汇款，汇寄；豁免（债务），免除（处罚等） | |
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165
transgressions
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| n.违反，违法，罪过( transgression的名词复数 ) | |
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166
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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167
embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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168
prone
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| adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的 | |
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169
beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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170
petulant
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| adj.性急的，暴躁的 | |
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171
ransom
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| n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救 | |
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172
emaciated
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| adj.衰弱的，消瘦的 | |
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173
rascals
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| 流氓( rascal的名词复数 )； 无赖； （开玩笑说法）淘气的人（尤指小孩）； 恶作剧的人 | |
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174
inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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175
profuse
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| adj.很多的，大量的，极其丰富的 | |
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176
sterling
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| adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑) | |
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177
salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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178
glazed
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| adj.光滑的，像玻璃的；上过釉的；呆滞无神的v.装玻璃( glaze的过去式)；上釉于，上光；（目光）变得呆滞无神 | |
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179
gratis
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| adj.免费的 | |
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180
congregate
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| v.(使)集合，聚集 | |
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181
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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182
meditation
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| n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录 | |
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183
minarets
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| n.（清真寺旁由报告祈祷时刻的人使用的）光塔( minaret的名词复数 ) | |
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184
Founder
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| n.创始者，缔造者 | |
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185
polygonal
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| adj.多角形的，多边形的 | |
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186
cylindrical
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| adj.圆筒形的 | |
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187
ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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cylinder
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| n.圆筒，柱(面)，汽缸 | |
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masonry
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| n.砖土建筑；砖石 | |
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festive
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| adj.欢宴的，节日的 | |
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caravan
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| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
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superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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streaks
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| n.（与周围有所不同的）条纹( streak的名词复数 )；（通常指不好的）特征（倾向）；（不断经历成功或失败的）一段时期v.快速移动( streak的第三人称单数 )；使布满条纹 | |
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shafts
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| n.轴( shaft的名词复数 )；（箭、高尔夫球棒等的）杆；通风井；一阵（疼痛、害怕等） | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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redeeming
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| 补偿的，弥补的 | |
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distinctive
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| adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的 | |
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appellations
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| n.名称，称号( appellation的名词复数 ) | |
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impurity
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| n.不洁，不纯，杂质 | |
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testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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derives
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| v.得到( derive的第三人称单数 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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kinsmen
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| n.家属，亲属( kinsman的名词复数 ) | |
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doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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repenting
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| 对（自己的所为）感到懊悔或忏悔( repent的现在分词 ) | |
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vowing
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| 起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式） | |
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wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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meditating
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| a.沉思的，冥想的 | |
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envoys
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| 使节( envoy的名词复数 )； 公使； 谈判代表； 使节身份 | |
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inordinate
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| adj.无节制的；过度的 | |
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treasurer
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| n.司库，财务主管 | |
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uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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mosques
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| 清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 ) | |
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ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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orchard
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| n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场 | |
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brackishness
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| 半咸性 | |
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vein
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| n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络 | |
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revered
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| v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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strewed
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| v.撒在…上( strew的过去式和过去分词 )；散落于；点缀；撒满 | |
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eminent
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| adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的 | |
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reverently
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| adv.虔诚地 | |
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interred
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| v.埋，葬( inter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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discrepant
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| 差异的 | |
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mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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gloss
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| n.光泽，光滑；虚饰；注释；vt.加光泽于；掩饰 | |
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conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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investigator
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| n.研究者，调查者，审查者 | |
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fable
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| n.寓言；童话；神话 | |
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