together with exclamations of surprise and, perhaps, fear. The lady of our party went to remonstrate with them because they had taken a cock from out of the fowl-crate and were whipping him . . . they alleged “for making noise”; he also had been surprised by the phenomenon, and had crowed. One added, “The people at home, who know no better, will be killing cocks and beating drums . . . this,” pointing to the rival pageants of sun and moon, “will frighten them.” Professor Euting then recited the “Sûra of the Daybreak,” cxiii., which seemed to meet the needs of the case ; the men expressed their satisfaction, and the cock was restored to his family. (Dr Spoer’s “Notes on Bloody Sacrifices in Palestine,” vol. xxv. pp. 312 ff. of Journal of the American Oriental Society, 1906, and page 104 of vol. xxvii. 1906).
II
P. 9. The mother of devils.—For the Jewish notions on this subject see Bodenschatz, iii. ch. x. pars. 5-7, pp. 169, 170.
P. 11. Origin of ghouls, etc.—For Jewish notions (which are also current amongst other orientals) on this subject, see Bodenschatz, iii. ch. x. par. 3, and Wiinche, “ Bibliotheca Rabbinica, Midrasch Bereshit Rabba,” p. 94, and Edersheim, “ Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah,” Appendix xiii. Section III. par. 1., also note 41 of “Tales told in Palestine,’ by J. E. Hanauer, edited by H. G. Mitchell (Cincinnati: Jennings & Graham. New York: Eaton & Mains).
P. 11. Cain and Abel.—Kabil and Habil, or Cain and Abel, with their two sisters were the first children born to Adam and Eve. Adam, by Allah’s direction, ordered Cain to marry Abel’s twin sister, and that Abel should marry Cain’s (for, it being the common opinion that marriages ought not to take place with those very near akin, such as their own sisters, it seemed reasonable to suppose that they ought to take those of the remoter degree, but this Cain refused to agree to, because his sister was the handsomer.[1] Hereupon Adam told them to make their offerings to Allah, thereby referring the dispute to
- ↑ Allah ordained that Hawa should produce children in pairs, a male with a female, in order that some restraint of decency might be imposed on mankind from the outset. It was forbidden for a son to marry his twin sister. Cain, enslaved by the beauty of his twin sister Abdul Mughis transgressed this commandment, and eventually murdered Abel, to whom she was promised. To prevent such havoc being wrought by woman’s looks, it was from that time forth decreed that all females having reached a certain age should go veiled. A popular variant of the above.—Ed.
