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weth　to　man　the　thing　which　he　knew　not；〃　a　〃most　merciful　God；〃　a　God；　in　a　word；　who　could　be　trusted；　a　God　who　would　teach　and　strengthen；　a　God；　as　he　said；　who　would　give　him　courage　to　set　his　face　like　a　flint；　and　would　put　an　answer　in　his　mouth　when　his　idolatrous　countrymen　cavilled　and　sneered　at　his　message　to　them；　to　turn　from　their　idols　of　wood　and　stone；　and　become　righteous　men；　as　Abraham　their　forefather　was　righteous。

〃A　God　who　showeth　to　man　the　thing　which　he　knew　not。〃　　That　idea　gave　might　to　Islam；　because　it　was　a　real　idea；　an　eternal　fact；　the　result　of　a　true　insight　into　the　character　of　God。　　And　that　idea　alone；　believe　me；　will　give　conquering　might　either　to　creed；　philosophy；　or　heart　of　man。　　Each　will　be　strong；　each　will　endure；　in　proportion　as　it　believes　that　God　is　one　who　shows　to　man　the　thing　which　he　knew　not：　　as　it　believes；　in　short；　in　that　Logos　of　which　Saint　John　wrote；　that　He　was　the　light　who　lightens　every　man　who　comes　into　the　world。

In　a　word；　the　wild　Koreish　had　discovered；　more　or　less　clearly；　that　end　and　object　of　all　metaphysic　whereof　I　have　already　spoken　so　often；　that　external　and　imperishable　beauty　for　which　Plato　sought　of　old；　and　had　seen　that　its　name　was　righteousness；　and　that　it　dwelt　absolutely　in　an　absolutely　righteous　person；　and　moreover；　that　this　person　was　no　careless　self…contented　epicurean　deity；　but　that　He　was；　as　they　loved　to　call　Him；　the　most　merciful　God；　that　He　cared　for　men；　that　He　desired　to　make　men　righteous。　　Of　that　they　could　not　doubt。　　The　fact　was　palpable；　historic；　present。　　To　them　the　degraded　Koreish　of　the　desert；　who　as　they　believed；　and　I　think　believed　rightly；　had　fallen　from　the　old　Monotheism　of　their　forefathers　Abraham　and　Ismael；　into　the　lowest　fetishism；　and　with　that　into　the　lowest　brutality　and　wretchednessto　them；　while　they　were　making　idols　of　wood　and　stone；　eating　dead　carcases；　and　burying　their　daughters　alive；　careless　of　chastity；　of　justice；　of　property；　sunk　in　unnatural　crimes；　dead　in　trespasses　and　sins；　hateful　and　hating　one　anothera　man；　one　of　their　own　people　had　come；　saying：　　〃I　have　a　message　from　the　one　righteous　God。　　His　curse　is　on　all　this；　for　it　is　unlike　Himself。　　He　will　have　you　righteous　men；　after　the　pattern　of　your　forefather　Abraham。　　Be　that；　and　arise；　body；　soul；　and　spirit；　out　of　your　savagery　and　brutishness。　　Then　you　shall　be　able　to　trample　under　font　the　profligate　idolaters；　to　sweep　the　Greek　tyrants　from　the　land　which　they　have　been　oppressing　for　centuries；　and　to　recover　the　East　for　its　rightful　heirs；　the　children　of　Abraham。〃　　Was　this　not；　in　every　sense；　a　message　from　God？　　I　must　deny　the　philosophy　of　Clement　and　Augustine；　I　must　deny　my　own　conscience；　my　own　reason；　I　must　outrage　my　own　moral　sense；　and　confess　that　I　have　no　immutable　standard　of　right；　that　I　know　no　eternal　source　of　right；　if　I　deny　it　to　have　been　one；　if　I　deny　what　seems　to　me　the　palpable　historic　fact；　that　those　wild　Koreish　had　in　them　a　reason　and　a　conscience；　which　could　awaken　to　that　message；　and　perceive　its　boundless　beauty；　its　boundless　importance；　and　that　they　did　accept　that　message；　and　lived　by　it　in　proportion　as　they　received　it　fully；　such　lives　as　no　men　in　those　times；　and　few　in　after　times；　have　been　able　to　live。　　If　I　feel；　as　I　do　feel；　that　Abubekr；　Omar；　Abu　Obeidah；　and　Amrou；　were　better　men　than　I　am；　I　must　throw　away　all　that　Philoall　that　a　Higher　authorityhas　taught　me：　　or　I　must　attribute　their　lofty　virtues　to　the　one　source　of　all　in　man　which　is　not　selfishness；　and　fancy；　and　fury；　and　blindness　as　of　the　beasts　which　perish。

Why；　then；　has　Islamism　become　one　of　the　most　patent　and　complete　failures　upon　earth；　if　the　true　test　of　a　system's　success　be　the　gradual　progress　and　amelioration　of　the　human　beings　who　are　under　its　influence？　　First；　I　believe；　from　its　allowing　polygamy。　　I　do　not　judge　Mohammed　for　having　allowed　it。　　He　found　it　one　of　the　ancestral　and　immemorial　customs　of　his　nation。　　He　found　it　throughout　the　Hebrew　Scriptures。　　He　found　it　in　the　case　of　Abraham；　his　ideal　man；　and；　as　he　believed；　the　divinely…inspired　ancestor　of　his　race。　　It　seemed　to　him　that　what　was　right　for　Abraham；　could　not　be　wrong　for　an　Arab。　God　shall　judge　him；　not　I。　　Moreover；　the　Christians　of　the　East；　divided　into　either　monks　or　profligates；　and　with　far　lower　and　more　brutal　notions　of　the　married　state　than　were　to　be　found　in　Arab　poetry　and　legend；　were　the　very　last　men　on　earth　to　make　him　feel　the　eternal　and　divine　beauty　of　that　pure　wedded　love　which　Christianity　has　not　only　proclaimed；　but　commanded；　and　thereby　emancipated　woman　from　her　old　slavery　to　the　stronger　sex。　　And　I　believe；　from　his　chivalrous　faithfulness　to　his　good　wife　Kadijah；　as　long　as　she　lived；　that　Mohammed　was　a　man　who　could　have　accepted　that　great　truth　in　all　its　fulness；　had　he　but　been　taught　it。　　He　certainly　felt　the　evil　of　polyamy　so　strongly　as　to　restrict　it　in　every　possible　way；　except　the　only　right　waynamely；　the　proclamation　of　the　true　ideal　of　marriage。　But　his　ignorance；　mistake；　sin；　if　you　will；　was　a　deflection　from　the　right　law；　from　the　true　constitution　of　man；　and　therefore　it　avenged　itself。　　That　chivalrous　respect　for　woman；　which　was　so　strong　in　the　early　Mohammedans；　died　out。　　The　women　themselveswho；　in　the　first　few　years　of　Islamism；　rose　as　the　men　rose；　and　became　their　helpmates；　counsellors；　and　fellow…warriorsdegenerated　rapidly　into　mere　playthings。　　I　need　not　enter　into　the　painful　subject　of　woman's　present　position　in　the　East；　and　the　social　consequences　thereof。　　But　I　firmly　believe；　not　merely　as　a　theory；　but　as　a　fact　which　may　be　proved　by　abundant　evidence；　that　to　polygamy　alone　is　owing　nine…tenths　of　the　present　decay　and　old　age　of　every　Mussulman　nation；　and　that　till　it　be　utterly　abolished；　all　Western　civilisation　and　capital；　and　all　the　civil　and　religious　liberty　on　earth；　will　not　avail　one　jot　toward　their　revival。　　You　must　regenerate　the　family　before　you　can　regenerate　the　nation；　and　the　relation　of　husband　and　wife　before　the　family；　because；　as　long　as　the　root　is　corrupt；　the　fruit　will　be　corrupt　also。

But　there　is　another　cause　of　the　failure　of　Islamism；　more　intimately　connected　with　those　metaphysical　questions　which　we　have　been　hitherto　principally　considering。

Among　the　first　Mussulmans；　as　I　have　said；　there　was　generally　the　most　intense　belief　in　each　man　that　he　was　personally　under　a　divine　guide　and　teacher。　　But　their　creed　contained　nothing　which　could　keep　up　that　belief　in　the　minds　of　succeeding　generations。　　They　had　destroyed　the　good　with　the　evil；　and　they　paid　the　penalty　of　their　undistinguishing　wrath。　　In　sweeping　away　the　idolatries　and　fetish　worships　of　the　Syrian　Catholics；　the　Mussulmans　had　swept　away　also　that　doctrine　which　alone　can　deliver　men　from　idolatry　and　fetish　worshipsif　not　outward　and　material　ones；　yet　the　still　more　subtle；　and　therefore　more　dangerous　idolatries　of　the　intellect。　　For　they　had　swept　away　the　belief　in　the　Logos；　in　a　divine　teacher　of　every　human　soul；　who　was；　in　some　mysterious　way；　the　pattern　and　antitype　of　human　virtue　and　wisdom。　　And　more；　they　had　swept　away　that　belief　in　the　incarnation　of　the　Logos；　which　alone　can　make　man　feel　that　his　divine　teacher　is　one　who　can　enter　into　the　human　duties；　sorrows；　doubts；　of　each　human　spirit。　　And；　therefore；　when　Mohammed　and　his　personal　friends　were　dead；　the　belief　in　a　present　divine　teacher；　on　the　whole；　died　with　them；　and　the　Mussulmans　began　to　put　the　Koran　in　the　place　of　Him　of　whom　the　Koran　spoke。　　They　began　to　worship　the　bookwhich　after　all　is　not　a　book；　but　only　an　irregular　collection　of　Mohammed's　meditations；　and　notes　for　sermonswith　the　most　slavish　and　ridiculous　idolatry。　　They　fell　into　a　cabbalism；　and　a　superstitious　reverence　for　the　mere　letters　and　words　of　the　Koran；　to　which　the　cabbalism　of　the　old　Rabbis　was　moderate　and　rational。　　They　surrounded　it；　and　the　history　of　Mohammed；　with　all　ridiculous　myths；　and　prodigies；　and　lying　wonders；　whereof　the　book　itself　contained　not　a　word；　and　which　Mohammed；　during　his　existence；　had　denied　and　repudiated；　saying　that　he　worked　no　miracles；　and　that　none　were　needed；　because　only　reason　was　required　to　show　a　man　the　hand　of　a　good　God　in　all　human　affairs。　Nevertheless；　these　later　Mussulmans　found　the　miracles　necessary　to　confirm　their　faith：　　and　why？　　Because　they　had　lost　the　sense　of　a　present　God；　a　God　of　order；　and　therefore　hankered；　as　men　in　such　a　mood　always　will；　after　prodigious　and　unnatural　proofs　of　His　having　been　once　present　with　their　founder　Mohammed。

And　in　the　meanwhile　that　absolute　and　omnipotent　Being　whom　Mohammed；　arising　out　of　his　great　darkness；　had　so　nobly　preached　to　the　Koreish；　receded　in　the　minds　of　their　descendants　to　an　unapproachable　and　abysmal　distance。　　For　they　had　lost　the　sense　of　His　present　guidance；　His　personal　care。　　They　had　lost　all　which　could　connect　Him　with　the　working　of　their　own　souls；　with　their　human　duties　and　struggles；　with　the　belief　that　His　mercy　and　love　were　cou