For They Say, That If Any Person Is Blessed With Such An
Opportunity, That For His Or Her Zeal In Keeping Up The Honour Of
Towoaf, Let They Petition What They Will At The Beat-Allah, They Shall
Be Answered.
Many will walk round
[P.364] till they are quite weary, then rest, and at it again;
carefully remembering at the end of every seventh time to perform two
Erkaets. This Beat is in effect the object of their devotion, the idol
which they adore: for, let them be never so far distant from it, East,
West, North, or South of it, they will be sure to bow down towards it;
but when they are at the Beat, they may go on which side they please
and pay their Sallah towards it.[FN#14] Sometimes there are several
hundreds at Towoaf at once, especially after Acshamnomas, or fourth
time of service, which is after candle-lighting (as you heard before),
and these both men and women, but the women walk on the outside the
men, and the men nearest to the Beat. In so great a resort as this, it
is not to be supposed that every individual person can come to kiss the
stone afore-mentioned; therefore, in such a case, the lifting up the
hands towards it, smoothing down their faces, and using a short
expression of devotion, as Allah-waick barick, i.e. Blessed God, or
Allah cabor, i.e. Great God, some such like; and so passing by it till
opportunity of kissing it offers, is thought sufficient.[FN#15] But
when there are but few men at Towoaf, then the women get opportunity to
kiss the said stone, and when they have gotten it, they close in with
it as they come round, and walk round as quick as they can to come to
it again, and keep possession of it for a considerable time. The men,
when they see that the women have got the place, will be so civil as to
pass by and give them leave to take their fill, as I may say in their
Towoaf or walking round, during which they are using some formal
expressions. When the women are at the stone, then it is esteemed a
very rude and abominable thing to go near them, respecting the time and
place.
[p.365]“I shall now give you a more particular description of Mecca and
the temple there.
“First, as to Mecca. It is a town situated in a barren place (about one
day’s journey from the Red Sea) in a valley, or rather in the midst of
many little hills. It is a place of no force, wanting both walls and
gates. Its buildings are (as I said before) very ordinary, insomuch
that it would be a place of no tolerable entertainment, were it not for
the anniversary resort of so many thousand Hagges, or pilgrims, on
whose coming the whole dependance of the town (in a manner) is; for
many shops are scarcely open all the year besides.
The people here, I observed, are a poor sort of people, very thin,
lean, and swarthy. The town is surrounded for several miles with many
thousands of little hills, which are very near one to the other. I have
been on the top of some of them near Mecca, where I could see some
miles about, yet was not able to see the farthest of the hills. They
are all stony-rock and blackish, and pretty near of a bigness,
appearing at a distance like cocks of hay, but all pointing towards
Mecca. Some of them are half a mile in circumference, but all near of
one height. The people here have an odd and foolish sort of tradition
concerning them, viz.: That when Abraham went about building the
Beat-Allah, God by his wonderful providence did so order it, that every
mountain in the world should contribute something to the building
thereof; and accordingly every one did send its proportion; though
there is a mountain near Algier, which is called Corradog, i.e. Black
Mountain; and the reason of its blackness, they say, is because it did
not send any part of itself towards building the temple at
Mecca.[FN#16] Between
[p.366] these hills is good and plain travelling, though they stand one
to another.
“There is upon the top of one of them a cave, which they term
Hira,[FN#17] i.e. Blessing; into which (they say) Mahomet did usually
retire for his solitary devotions, meditations, and fastings; and here
they believe he had a great part of the Alcoran brought him by the
Angel Gabriel. I have been in this cave, and observed that it is not at
all beautified; at which I admired.
“About half a mile out of Mecca is a very steep hill, and there are
stairs made to go to the top of it, where is a cupola, under which is a
cloven rock; into this, they say, Mahomet, when very young, viz. about
four years of age, was carried by the Angel Gabriel, who opened his
breast, and took out his heart, from which he picked some black
blood-specks, which was his original corruption; then put it into its
place again, and afterwards closed up the part; and that during this
operation Mahomet felt no pain.
“Into this very place I myself went, because the rest of my company did
so, and performed some Erkaets, as they did.
“The town hath plenty of water, and yet but few herbs, unless in some
particular places. Here are several sorts of good fruits to be had,
viz. grapes, melons, watermelons, cucumbers, pumkins, and the like; but
these are brought two or three days’ journey off, where there is a place
of very great plenty, called, if I mistake not, Habbash.[FN#18]
[p.367] Likewise sheep are brought hither and sold. So that as to Mecca
itself, it affords little or nothing of comfortable provisions.
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