AR-RABB (الرب‎). “The Lord,” “The Sustainer,” “The Supporter.” A title frequently used in the Qurʾān for the Divine Being, e.g.:—

Sūrah iii. 44: “God (Allāh) is my Lord (Rabb) and your Lord (Rabb).”

Sūrah xviii. 13: “Our Lord (Rabb) is the Lord (Rabb) of the heavens and the earth.”

From its frequent occurrence in the Qurʾān, it would seem to occupy the place of the Hebrew ‏יְהֹוָה‎ Jehovah, the Κύριος of the LXX., the Dominus of the Vulgate, and the Lord of the English Bible; but all Muslim writers say that whilst Allāh is the Ismu ʾẕ-Ẕāt, or “Essential name of God,” ar-Rabb, “the Lord,” is but an Ismu Ṣifah, or attribute, of the Almighty.

Al-Baiẓāwī, the commentator (p. 6, line 10, of Flügel’s edition), says, “rabb, in its literal meaning, is ‘to bring up,’ that is, to bring or educate anything up to its perfect standard, by slow degrees, and inasmuch as the Almighty is He who can bring everything to perfection, the word الرب‎ ar-Rabb, is especially applied to God.”

It is the Hebrew ‏רַב‎ Rab, which enters into the composition of many names of dignity and office in the Bible.

In Muslim works of theology, the word occurs with the following combination:—

The word is also used for a master or owner, e.g.:—

RABBU ʾN-NAUʿ (رب النوع‎). The “Lord of the Species.” An angel who is said to preside over the animate and inanimate creation, viz.: nabātāt, “vegetable”; ḥaiwānāt, “animal”; jamādāt, “inanimate” (stones, earth, &c.), called al-ʿālamu ʾs-suflī, “the lower creation,” as distinguished from al-ʿālamu ʾl-ʿulwī, “the heavenly world.” (See G͟hiyās̤u ʾl-Lug͟hah.)

RABĪʿU ʾL-ĀK͟HIR (ربيع الاخر‎). “The last spring month.” The fourth month of the Muḥammadan year. [MONTHS.]

RABĪʿU ʾL-AWWAL (ربيع الاول‎). “The first spring month.” The third month of the Muḥammadan year. [MONTHS.]

In India, the word rabīʿ is used for spring harvest, or crop sown after the rains.

RACHEL. Arabic Rāḥīl (راحيل‎). Heb. ‏רָחֵל‎, Rahel. The wife of Jacob and the mother of Joseph. Not mentioned in the Qurʾān, but the name occurs in commentaries.

The English form Rachel is a strange error on the part of our translators, who almost invariably represent the Hebrew ‏ח‎ by the letter h. The correct form, Rahel, which is the form familiar to Muslim writers, occurs once in the English Bible, Jer. xxxi. 15.

AR-RAʿD (الرعد‎). “Thunder.” The title of the XIIIth Sūrah of the Qurʾān, in the 14th verse of which the word occurs. “The thunder celebrates his praise.”

AR-RADD (الرد‎). Rejection, repulsion, refutation, reply; repeal, abrogation, making null and void; sometimes, erasure. In Muḥammadan law it applies especially to the return or surplus of an inheritance which remains after the legal portions have been distributed among the sharers, and which, in default of a residuary heir, returns, or is to be divided amongst the original sharers.

RADDU ʾS-SALĀM (رد السلام‎). The returning of a salutation which is an incumbent duty upon one Muslim to another. [SALUTATION.]

AR-RĀFIʿ (الرافع‎). “The Exalter.” One of the ninety-nine names or attributes of God. The word occurs in the Qurʾān, Sūrah iii. 48: “When God said, O Jesus! I will make thee die and will take thee up again to myself” (رافعك الى‎).

RĀFIʿ IBN K͟HADĪJ (رافع بن خديج‎). One of the Ṣaḥābah. He was too young to be present at Badr, but he accompanied Muḥammad at Uḥud and was wounded with an arrow, on which occasion the Prophet said to him, “I will answer for you in the Day of Judgment.” He died at al-Madīnah, A.H. 73, aged 86.

RĀFIẒĪ (رافضى‎). Lit. “A forsaker.” Synonymous with Rāfiẓah (pl. Rawāfiẓ). A term used for a body of soldiers who have deserted their commander and turned back again, applied to a sect of Shīʿahs who joined Zaid the son of ʿAlī, the son of al-Ḥusain, the second son of the K͟halīfah ʿAlī, who, when they had submitted to Zaid, demanded that he should abuse Abū Bakr and ʿUmar, the first two K͟halīfahs of the Sunnīs; but Zaid refused to do so, for he said, “They were both Wazīrs of my forefather Muḥammad.” Upon this they forsook the party of Zaid, and were called Rāfiẓah. Zaid had then only fourteen faithful companions left, and he was soon surrounded by al-Ḥajjāj ibn Yūsuf, the general of the Imām Jaʿfar’s army, and fell at the head of his brave companions, not one of them surviving him.

(2) The term Rāfiẓī is used by Sunnī Muslims for any sect of Shīʿahs.

RAHBĀNĪYAH (رهبانية‎). [MONASTICISM.]

RĀHIB (راهب‎), pl. Ruhbān. A Christian monk. Mentioned in the Qurʾān, Sūrah v. 85: “Thou wilt find the nearest in love to those who believe to be those who say, ‘We are Christians’; that is, because there are amongst them priests (qissīsūn) and monks (ruhbān), and because they are not proud.” [MONASTICISM.]

RAḤĪL (رحيل‎). Lit. “That which is fit for travelling.” A small book-stand made so as to fold up for convenience in travelling, but now generally used as a book-stand in mosques and Muslim schools to support the Qurʾān and other books as the student reads his lesson from them. They are also used in private dwellings.

AR-RAḤĪM (الرحيم‎). “The Compassionate.” One of the ninety-nine names or attributes of God. It generally occurs in conjunction with the attribute ar-Raḥmān, e.g. Qurʾān, Sūrah ii. 158: “The Merciful, The Compassionate.” [RAHMAN.]

RAḤMAH (رحمة‎), Heb. ‏רִחַם‎ riham. “Mercy, compassion.” The attribute of mercy is frequently dwelt upon in the Qurʾān, e.g.:—

Sūrah vii. 54: “The mercy of God is nigh unto those who do well.”

Sūrah x. 58: “A guidance and a mercy to believers.”

Sūrah vi. 133: “Thy Lord is the rich one, full of compassion.”

Ar-Raḥmān, “The Merciful,” is one of the chief attributes of the Almighty.

AR-RAḤMĀN (الرحمان‎), Heb. ‏רַחוּם‎ rahūm. “The Merciful.” One of the ninety-nine names or attributes of God. It generally occurs in conjunction with the attribute ar-Raḥīm, e.g. Qurʾān, Sūrah ii. 159: “Your God is one God. There is no god but He, the Merciful, the Compassionate.” It also occurs in the initial formula, placed at the commencement of each Sūrah, with the exception of the IXth, “In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.”

Al-Baiẓāwī says that ar-Raḥmān is a more exalted attribute than ar-Raḥīm, because it not only contains five letters whilst Raḥīm only has four, but it expresses that universal attribute of mercy which the Almighty extends to all mankind, the wicked and the good, believers and unbelievers.

RAHN (رهن‎). Pledging or pawning. A legal term which signifies the detention of a thing on account of a claim which may be answered by means of that thing; as in the case of debt. This practice of pawning and pledging is lawful in Islām, for it is related that the Prophet, in a bargain with a Jew for grain, gave his coat of mail in pledge for the payment. It is also said in the Qurʾān, Sūrah ii. 283: “Let pledges be taken.” The word is used in the Qurʾān in its plural form, rihān. (For further information on the subject of Pawning, see Hamilton’s Hidāyah, vol. iv. p. 188.)

RAIḤĀNAH (ريحانة‎). A Jewess whose husband had been cruelly murdered in the massacre of the Banū Quraiz̤ah. Muḥammad offered to marry her if she would embrace Islām; but she refused to forsake the faith of her forefathers, and consented to become his concubine instead of his wife.

RAIN. Arabic mat̤ar (مطر‎), Heb. ‏מָטָר‎ mātor. Mentioned in the Qurʾān as one of God’s special mercies. Sūrah vii. 55: “He it is who sends forth the winds as heralds before His mercy; until when they left the heavy cloud which We drive to a dead land, and send down thereon water, and bring forth therewith every kind of fruit.”

Prayers for rain are called Ṣalātu ʾl-Istisqāʾ, and consist of two rakʿah prayers. Anas says that on one occasion they were caught in the rain, and the Prophet took off his garment until he got wet, and they said, “O Prophet, why have you done this?” He replied, “This is fresh rain from our Lord.” (Mishkāt, book iv. ch. liii.)

RĀʿINĀ (راعنا‎). A word the use of which is forbidden in the Qurʾān, Sūrah ii. 98: “O ye who believe! say not to the Apostle ‘Rāʿinā’ (i.e. ‘Look at us’), but say, ‘Unz̤urnā’ (i.e. ‘Regard us’).” These two words have both the same signification; but Muḥammad had a great aversion to the use of the word rāʿinā, because it had also a bad meaning in Hebrew (see al-Baiẓāwī, in loco), alluding, perhaps, to the Hebrew verb ‏רוּעַ‎ rūaʿ, which signifies “to be mischievous or bad.”

RAINBOW. Arabic qausu quzaḥ (قوس قزح‎), Heb. ‏קֶשֶׁת‎ kesheth. Lit. “The bow of many colours.” Not mentioned in the Qurʾān, but in the Traditions. In the book entitled an-Nihāyah, it is said that Muḥammad forbade his people calling the rainbow qausu quzaḥ, because quzaḥ is one of the names of Satan (one who can assume many characters in order to tempt the sons of men). He enjoined them to call it Qausu ʾllāh, “God’s bow,” because by it God has promised to protect the world from a second deluge. (Majmaʿu ʾl-Biḥār, vol. ii. p. 142.)

The Persians call it Kamān-i-Rustum, “the bow of Rustum.” (See Muntaha ʾl-ʿArab, in loco.)

RAIYĀN (ريان‎). Lit. “One whose thirst is quenched.” The gate of Paradise through which, it is said, the observers of the month of Ramaẓān will enter. It is mentioned in the Traditions (Mishkāt, book vi. ch. vii. pt. 1), but not in the Qurʾān.

RAIYĀN IBN AL-WALĪD (ريان بن الوليد‎). The King of Egypt in the time of Joseph. (See al-Baiẓāwī on Sūratu Yūsuf in the Qurʾān.)

RAJAB (رجب‎). Lit. “The honoured month.” The seventh month of the Muḥammadan year. So called because of the honour in which it was held in the “Time of Ignorance,” i.e. before Islām. It is called Rajabu Muẓar, because the Muẓar tribe honoured it more than any other month. [MONTHS.]

RAJʿAH (رجعة‎). “Restitution.” Receiving back a wife who has been divorced, before the time has fully elapsed when the divorce must of necessity take place. In other words, the continuance of the marriage bond. (Hidāyah, vol. i. p. 289.)

RAJĪM (رجيم‎). Lit. “One who is stoned.” A name given to Satan in the Qurʾān, Sūrah iii. 31: “I have called her Mary, and I seek refuge in Thee for her and for her seed from Satan, the pelted one” (Min ash-Shait̤āni ʾr-Rajīmi).

Muḥammad taught that the devil and his angels listen at the gates of heaven for scraps of information regarding the things of futurity, and when detected by the angels of heaven they are pelted with shooting stars. Abraham is also said to have driven the devil away by pelting him with stones, which legend is expressed in the throwing stones at the pillars at Minā. [PILGRIMAGE.]

RAJM (رجم‎). “Lapidation.” [STONING TO DEATH.]

RAKʿAH (ركعة‎). From Rukūʿ, “to bow, to prostrate one’s self.” A section of the Muḥammadan daily prayers. [PRAYERS.]

RAMAẒĀN (رمضان‎). The ninth month of the Muḥammadan year, which is observed as a strict fast from dawn to sunset of each day in the month. The word Ramaẓān is derived from ramẓ, “to burn.” The month is said to have been so called either because it used (before the change of the calendar) to occur in the hot season, or because the month’s fast is supposed to burn away the sins of men. (G͟hiyās̤u ʾl-Lug͟hah, in loco.)

The observance of this month is one of the five pillars of practice in the Muslim religion, and its excellence is much extolled by Muḥammad, who said that during Ramaẓān “the gates of Paradise are open, and the gates of hell are shut, and the devils are chained by the leg, and only those who observe it will be permitted to enter at the gate of heaven called Raiyān.” Those who keep the fast “will be pardoned all their past venial sins.” (Mishkāt, book vii. ch. i. pt. 1.)

The express injunctions regarding the observance of this month are given in the Qurʾān, Sūrah ii. 179–184:—

“O believers! a Fast is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may fear God, for certain days. But he among you who shall be sick, or on a journey, shall fast that same number of other days: and as for those who are able to keep it and yet break it, the expiation of this shall be the maintenance of a poor man. And he who of his own accord performeth a good work, shall derive good from it: and good shall it be for you to fast—if ye knew it. As to the month Ramaẓān in which the Qurʾān was sent down to be man’s guidance, and an explanation of that guidance, and of that illumination, as soon as any one of you observeth the moon, let him set about the fast; but he who is sick, or upon a journey, shall fast a like number of other days. God wisheth you ease, but wisheth not your discomfort, and that you fulfil the number of days, and that you glorify God for his guidance, and that you be thankful. And when my servants ask thee concerning me, then will I be nigh unto them. I will answer the cry of him that crieth, when he crieth unto me: but let them hearken unto me, and believe in me, that they may proceed aright. You are allowed on the night of the fast to approach your wives: they are your garment and ye are their garment. God knoweth that ye defraud yourselves therein, so He turneth unto you and forgiveth you! Now, therefore, go in unto them with full desire for that which God hath ordained for you; and eat and drink until ye can discern a white thread from a black thread by the daybreak: then fast strictly till night, and go not in unto them, but rather pass the time in the Mosques. These are the bounds set up by God: therefore come not near them. Thus God maketh His signs clear to men that they may fear Him.”

From the preceding verses it will be seen that fast does not commence until some Muslim is able to state that he has seen the new moon. If the sky be over-clouded and the moon cannot be seen, the fast begins upon the completion of thirty days from beginning of the previous month.

It must be kept by every Muslim, except the sick, the infirm, and pregnant women, or women who are nursing their children. Young children, who have not reached the age of puberty, are exempt, and also travellers on a journey of more than three days. In the case of a sick person or traveller, the month’s fast must be kept as soon as they are able to perform it. This act is called Qaẓāʾ, or expiation.

The fast is extremely rigorous and mortifying, and when the Ramaẓān happens to fall in the summer and the days are long, the prohibition even to drink a drop of water to slake the thirst is a very great hardship. Muḥammad speaks of this religious exercise as “easy” (Qurʾān, Sūrah ii. 181), as most probably it was when compared with the ascetic spirit of the times. Sir William Muir (Life of Mahomet, vol. iii. 49) thinks Muḥammad did not foresee that, when he changed the Jewish intercalary year for the lunar year, the fast would become a grievous burden instead of an easy one; but Muḥammadan lexicographers say the fast was established when the month occurred in the hot season (see G͟hiyās̤u ʾl-Lug͟hah).

During the month of Ramaẓān twenty additional rakʿahs, or forms of prayer, are repeated after the night-prayer. These are called Tarāwīḥ.

Devout Muslims seclude themselves for some time in the Mosque during this month, and abstain from all worldly conversation, engaging themselves in the reading of the Qurʾān. This seclusion is called Iʿtikāf. Muḥammad is said to have usually observed this custom in the last ten days of Ramaẓān. The Lailatu ʾl-Qadr, or the “night of power,” is said by Muḥammad to be either on the twenty-first, twenty-third, or twenty-fifth, or twenty-seventh, or twenty-ninth of the month of Ramaẓān. The exact date of this solemn night has not been discovered by any but the Prophet himself, and some of the Companions, although the learned doctors believe it to be on the twenty-seventh of this night. Muḥammad says in the Qurʾān (Sūratu ʾl-Qadr):—

By these verses the commentator Ḥusain understands that on this night the Qurʾān came down entire in one volume to the lowest heaven, from whence it was revealed by Gabriel in portions, as the occasion required. The excellences of this night are said to be innumerable, and it is believed that during it the whole animal and vegetable kingdom bow in humble adoration to the Almighty, and the waters of the sea become sweet in a moment of time! This night is frequently confounded with the Shab-i-Barāt, but even the Qurʾān itself is not quite clear on the subject, for in Sūrah xliv. 1 it reads, “By this clear book. See on a blessed night have we sent it down, for we would warn mankind, on the night wherein all things are disposed in wisdom.” From which it appears that “the blessed night,” or the Lailatu ʾl-mubārakah, is both the night of record and the night upon which the Qurʾān came down from heaven, although the one is the twenty-seventh day of Ramaẓān and the other the fifteenth of Shaʿbān.

M. Geiger identifies the Ramaẓān with the fast of the tenth (Leviticus xxiii. 27); but it is probable that the fast of the Tenth is identical with the ʿĀshurāʾ, not only because the Hebrew Asūr, “ten,” is retained in the title of that Muḥammadan fast, but also because there is a Jewish tradition that creation began upon the Jewish fast of the Tenth, which coincides with the Muḥammadan day, ʿĀshurāʾ being regarded as the day of creation. Moreover, the Jewish Asūr and the Muslim ʿĀshurāʾ are both fasts and days of affliction. It is more probable that Muḥammad got his idea of a thirty days’ fast from the Christian Lent. The observance of Lent in the Eastern Church was exceedingly strict, both with regard to the nights as well as the days of that season of abstinence; but Muḥammad entirely relaxed the rules with regard to the night, and from sunset till the dawn of day the Muslim is permitted to indulge in any lawful pleasures, and to feast with his friends; consequently large evening dinner-parties are usual in the nights of the Ramaẓān amongst the better classes. This would be what Muḥammad meant when he said, “God would make the fast an ease and not a difficulty,” for, notwithstanding its rigour in the day-time, it must be an easier observance than the strict fast observed during Lent by the Eastern Christians of Muḥammad’s day.

The following sayings of Muḥammad regarding the fast of Ramaẓān are found in the Traditions (see Mishkāt, Arabic Ed., Kitābu ʾṣ-Ṣaum).

“The difference between our fast and that of the people of the book (i.e. Jews and Christians) is eating only before the first dawn of day (and not afterwards).”

“Keep not the fast till you see the new moon, and if the moon be hidden from you by clouds, count the days.” And in one tradition it is thus:—“A month is twenty-nine nights, then keep not the fast till you see the new moon, which, if she be hid from you by clouds, then complete thirty days.”

“When the darkness of the night advances from the west and the day departs from the east, and the sun sets, then the keeper of the fast may begin to eat.”

“There are eight doors in Paradise, and one is called Raiyān, by which only the keepers of the fast shall enter.”

“When the month Ramaẓān arrives the doors of Heaven are opened” (in another tradition it is said, the doors of Paradise are opened), “and the doors of hell are shut, and the devils are chained” (in one tradition it is said, the doors of God’s mercy are opened).

“The person who fasts in the month of Ramaẓān on account of belief in God and in obedience to His command, shall be pardoned of all his past sins, and the person who says the night prayers of the Ramaẓān shall be pardoned all his past sins, and the person who says the prayers on the Lailatu ʾl-Qadr with faith and the hope of reward shall be pardoned of all his past sins.”

“If a keeper of fast does not abandon lying, God cares not about his leaving off eating and drinking.”

“There are many keepers of fast who gain nothing by fasting but thirst, and there are many risers up at night and performers of prayers who gain nothing by their rising but wakefulness.”

RAMYU ʾL-JIMĀR (رمى الجمار‎). The throwing of pebbles at the pillars, or Jumrah, at Makkah. A religious ceremony during the Pilgrimage. [PILGRIMAGE.]

RAQABAH (رقبة‎). Lit. “The Neck”; pl. riqāb. A term used in the Qurʾān for a captive slave. Sūrah iv. 94: “Whosoever kills a believer by mistake, then let him free a believing neck.”

The word is used in India for an enclosed area of land. (See Wilson’s Glossary of Indian Terms.)

AR-RAQĪB (الــرقـيـب‎). “The Watcher over.” One of the ninety-nine names or attributes of the Almighty. The word occurs in the Qurʾān, e.g. Sūrah iv. 1: “Verily God doth watch over you.”

AR-RAQĪM (الرقيم‎). A word which occurs in the Qurʾān, Sūrah xviii. 8: “Hast thou reckoned that the Fellows of the cave and the Raqīm were a wonder amongst our signs?” The commentators are not agreed as to the meaning of this word. The Jalālān say, it was a brass plate or stone-table, on which the names of the Fellows of the Cave were written. The Kamālān say it was either the name of the dog which belonged to the young men, or of the valley in which the cave was situated.

AR-RASHĪD (الرشـيـد‎). “The Rightly Directing.” One of the ninety-nine names or attributes of God. The word occurs once in the Qurʾān, but it is not there used for the Almighty. See Sūrah xi. 80: “Is there not among you one who can rightly direct?”

RASM (رسم‎), pl. Rusūm. Lit. “That which is stamped or sealed.” According to the Qāmūs, it is a very ancient word used in Arabia before the days of the Prophet for custom and law, the ancient records of the people being entitled Rawāsīm (رواسيم‎). It is a word which is very common in Hindustan for the customs and usages of the people.

AR-RASS (الرس‎). A word which occurs twice in the Qurʾān, the meaning of which is uncertain.

Sūrah xxv. 40: “The people of ʿĀd, and S̤amūd, the people of the Rass.”

Sūrah l. 12: “Before them the people of Noah and the fellows of the Rass and S̤amūd and ʿĀd and Pharaoh, called the Apostles liars.”

According to the commentators al-Jalālān, it is the name of a well near Midian. Some take it to be the name of a town in Yamāmah.

RASŪL (رسول‎), pl. Rusul. “An Apostle.” A title specially applied to Muḥammad, but used also for all Prophets who brought inspired books. [PROPHET.]

RAT̤L, RIT̤L (رطل‎). (1) A certain thing which one weighs. A weight or measure. (See The Mug͟hrib of al-Mut̤arrizī, in loco.) (2) That which is chaste. (See the Tāju ʾl-ʿArūs, in loco).

(1) According to the standard of Bag͟hdād, a weight of 12 ounces, and as a measure of capacity, a pint. (Lane’s Arabic Dictionary.) Muḥammad used to give a rat̤l of silver as a marriage present, which has given rise to the expression, As-sunnatu fī ʾn-nikāḥi rit̤lun (السنة فى النكاح رطل‎). Professor Wilson says that at Bombay the ratal is equal to 36 Surat rupees, and in the Red Sea the rottolo, as it is corruptly called, varies from 10 to 20 ounces avoirdupois.

(2) A boy not having arrived at puberty.

(3) An aged man.

AR-RAʾUF (الروف‎). “The Kind.” One of the ninety-nine names or attributes of God. It occurs frequently in the Qurʾān, e.g. Sūrah ii. 138: “God is kind and merciful with mankind.”

AR-RAUẒAH (الروضة‎). Lit. “The Garden.” The garden in which is situated the tomb of Muḥammad at al-Madīnah. The name is also given to the tomb itself by some writers.

RAVEN. Arabic g͟hurāb (غراب‎). Heb. ‏עֹרֵב‎ ʿoreb. Mentioned once in the Qurʾān, Sūrah v. 34: “Am I too helpless to become like this raven and hide my brother’s shame.” The raven is not lawful food according to the Muslim law. (Durru ʾl-Muk͟htār, vol. iv. p. 523.)

RAWĀ (روا‎). A Persian word for that which is lawful. [LAW.]

AR-RAZZĀQ (الرزاق‎). “The Provider with Food.” One of the ninety-nine names or attributes of God. It occurs in the Qurʾān once. Sūrah li. 58: “Verily God; He is the Provider.”

REBEL. Arabic bāg͟hī (باغى‎), pl. bug͟hāt. A legal term for a person, or a body of people, who withdraw themselves from obedience to the rightful Imām. In case of rebellion, the Imām must first call the rebels to his allegiance and show them what is right, and if they refuse to obey, he must use force of arms. (Hidāyah, vol. ii. 248.)

RECORDING ANGELS, The. [KIRAMU ʾL-KATIBIN.]

RED SEA. Arabic al-Baḥru ʾl-Aḥmar (البحر الاحمر‎). Mentioned in the Qurʾān as al-Baḥr, “the Sea.”

Sūrah i. 47: “When we divided for you the sea, and saved you and drowned Pharaoh’s people.”

Sūrah x. 90: “And We brought the Children of Israel across the sea.”

In Muḥammadan works it is known as the Baḥru ʾl-Qulzum, or Qalzam. Jalālu ʾd-Dīn, the commentator, says the town of Qulzum is the same as Ailah (the Elath of the Bible, Deut. ii. 8), a town at the head of the Arabian Gulf. The Αἴλανα of Strabo (xvi. p. 768). It is referred to in the Qurʾān, Sūrah vii. 163: “Ask them about the city which stood by the sea.” Elath was at one time a place of importance, but it has now become quite insignificant.

RELIGION. The religion of Muḥammadans is called Islām (اسلام‎), and the laws of God Sharīʿah (شريعة‎). There are three words used by Muslim writers for the word religion, namely, Dīn, Millah, and Maẕhab. In the Kitābu ʾt-Taʿrīfāt, the difference between these words is as follows:—

Dīn (دين‎) is used for religion as it stands in relation to God, e.g. Dīnu ʾllāh, “the religion of God.”

Millah (ملة‎), as it stands in relation to the Prophet or lawgiver, e.g. Millatu Ibrāhīm, “the religion of Abraham,” or Millatu ʾr-Rasūl, “the Prophet’s religion.”

Maẕhab (مذهب‎), as it stands in relation to the decisions of the Mujtahidūn, e.g. Muẕhabu Abī Ḥanīfah.

The expression Dīn, however, is of general application, whilst Millah and Maẕhab are restricted in their use. [ISLAM.]

RELIGIOUS DUTIES, The performance of. Strictly according to Muḥammadan law, it is not lawful to accept any remuneration for the performance of religious duties. But these injunctions are now totally disregarded, and fees are taken for almost every religious duty performed by an Imām. The teaching of the Hidāyah on the subject is as follows:—

“It is not lawful to accept a recompense for summoning the people to prayers, or for the performance of a pilgrimage, or of the duties of an Imam, or for teaching the Koran, or the law; for it is a general rule, with our doctors, that no recompense can be received for the performance of any duty purely of a religious nature. According to Shafei, it is allowed to receive pay for the performance of any religious duty which is not required of the hireling in virtue of a divine ordinance, as this is only accepting a recompense for a certain service; and as the acts above described are not ordained upon the hireling, it is consequently lawful to receive a recompense for them. The arguments of our doctors upon this point are twofold. First, the prophet has said, ‘Read the Koran, but do not receive any recompense for so doing’; and he also directed Othman-bin-Abeeyas, that if he were appointed a Mawzin [a cryer to prayer] he should not take any wages. Secondly, where an act of piety is performed, it springs solely from the performer (whence regard is had to his competency), and consequently he is not entitled to any recompense from another, as in the cases of fasting or prayer. A teacher of the Koran, moreover, is incapable of instructing another in it, but by means of qualities existing in his scholar, namely, capacity and docility, and therefore undertakes a thing the performance of which does not depend upon himself, which is consequently invalid. Some of our modern doctors, however, hold it lawful to receive wages for teaching the Koran in the present age, because an indifference has taken place with respect to religion, whence if people were to withhold from paying a recompense for instruction in the sacred writings, they would in time be disregarded;—and decrees pass accordingly.

“It is not lawful to receive wages for singing or lamentation, or for any other species of public exhibition, as this is taking a recompense for an act which is of a criminal nature, and acts of that nature do not entitle to a recompense in virtue of a contract.”