by an Arabian writer, where Yahya ibn Yahya, the famous faqui, imposed a penance of a month’s extra fast on Abdurrahman II. (822-852) for violating the Prophet’s ordinance, that wives should be abstained from during the fasting month.[7] Alvar, being a layman, may perhaps be supposed not to have studied Mohammedanism critically, and that his zeal was not according to knowledge is perhaps the best explanation of the matter.  In one place[8] he informs us of his intention of writing a book on the Cobar,[9] but the work, if ever written, has not survived.  Nor is this much to be regretted, if we may judge by the wild remarks he indulges in elsewhere[10] on this theme.  In that passage he seems to apply the obscure prophecy of Daniel[11] to Mohammed, forgetting that verse 37 speaks of one who “shall regard not the desire of women,” a description hardly characteristic of Mohammed.  He identifies the God Maozim (Hebr.  Mauzim), which our revised version (v. 38) translates the “God of fortresses” with the Mohammedan Cobar;[12] and the strange god, whom he shall acknowledge, Alvar identifies with the devil which inspired the Prophet in the guise of the angel Gabriel.  All this, as the writer himself allows, is very enigmatical.

    [1] See Dozy, ii. 107.

    [2] See Koran, cc. iii. 47; iv. 157; and Sale’s notes.

    [3] See Sale’s note on Koran, c. lxii. 9.

    [4] Cf. also Matt. xi. 19—­“The Son of Man came eating and
    drinking, and they say, Behold a gluttonous man and a
    wine-bibber.”

    [5] Chapter ii. 180.

    [6] Chapter ii. 185.  The Mohammedan fast is confined to the day
    time.

    [7] From Ibn Khallekan, apud Dozy, ii. 108.

    [8] “Ind.  Lum.,” sec. 25.

    [9] I.e., the Caaba apparently.

    [10] “Ind.  Lum.,” sec. 25, ff.

    [11] C. xi. vv. 21, ff.

    [12] ?  Caaba.

Alvar does not scruple even to accuse the Moslems of idolatry, asserting that the Arabian tribes worship their idol (the Caaba black stone[1]) as they used to do of yore, and that they set apart a holy month, Al Mozem, in honour of this idol.[2]

Finally, Mohammed is spoken of variously as the precursor of Antichrist,[3] or as Antichrist himself.[4]

Let us now see how far we can gather the opinions of educated Moslems with regard to Christian doctrine and worship.  If we find these to be no less one-sided and erroneous than the opinions of Christians as to Mohammedanism, yet can we the more easily excuse the Moslems, for the Koran itself, the very foundation and guide of all their religious dogmas, is full of incorrect and inconsistent notions on the subject.

The most important of these mistakes was that the Christians worshipped a Trinity of Deities—­God, Christ, Mary.[5] The inclusion of the Virgin Mary into this Trinity was perhaps due to the fact that worship was paid to her even at that early date, as it certainly is among the Roman Catholics at this day.  As will have been seen from a passage quoted above,[6] something very like adoration was already paid to the Virgin in the churches of Spain.