therefore it is unnecessary for us here to deal. It is also a matter of common knowledge that Muhammadans profess to derive their religion directly from Muhammad himself. They assert that he was the last and greatest of the Prophets, and that their faith rests upon the Qur'an which contains the Divine Revelation which he was commissioned to deliver to men. In addition to this they attach great importance to the authoritative Traditions (Ahadith) handed down orally from the lips of their Prophet through a long series of his followers, and only in much later times committed to writing. These two, the Qur'an and the Traditions, taken together, form the foundation of Islam. Much importance is also attached to early commentators on the Qur'an, and to the deductions from it made by early jurists and doctors of the law. But in our investigation of the origin of Islamic beliefs and practices we are but little concerned with these latter, except in so far as they throw light on what is really believed by Muslims. Even the Traditions themselves play but a subordinate part in our inquiry, since their authority — from the European point of view at least — is so very uncertain. Different sects of Muhammadans, too, accept different collections of Traditions ¹: and even the collectors

of these Traditions themselves confess that many of those which they record are of doubtful accuracy. As the Traditions deal for the most part, moreover, with the sayings and doings of Muhammad, we shall have occasion to refer to them only in cases in which they amplify or explain the teaching of the Qur'an on certain points. The latter book contains some obscure and difficult passages, the meaning of which requires to be explained by reference to Tradition. For example, the fiftieth Surah or chapter of the Qur'an is entitled "Qaf," and is denoted by the Arabic letter of that name. It is not possible to be quite certain what is meant by this until we consult the Traditions, which tell us what is to be believed concerning Mount Qaf ¹, to which the name of the Surah is held to contain a reference. Again, when in the Surah entitled