but later on this revelation was canceled by another which fixed Mecca for all time as the correct center. Some liberal Moslems may be found who will tell you that after all direction in prayer does not matter, and that the Koran says both the East and the West belong to God. Nevertheless it is extremely doubtful if they would ever be found in practice neglecting this specific instruction of the Prophet with regard to prayer. The observance of direction is universal in Islamic prayer. No mosque in the world from the Philippines to London is built without being so arranged that the worshipers will face Mecca.
Purification. This is one of the most intricate and important requirements for valid prayer. Volumes have been written for the sole purpose of explaining the methods, occasions, and purposes of the use of water for ceremonial purification, and how, under certain circumstances when water is not obtainable, clean sand may be used in its place. It is difficult for us to understand and appreciate the lengths to which Islam has gone in this matter of purification. To us it may seem puerile in the extreme. To them it is a very serious affair. This all grows out of the insistent demand which Islam makes for the specific and concrete.
Many editions of the Koran bear the following notice to all who handle this sacred book, "Let none touch it but the purified." This has no reference to the pure in heart, but to those who have removed all traces of impurity from their bodies, who have, as it were, made clean "the outside of the cup." This is
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