Islam and the Psychology of the Musulman pdf

4ISLAM AND THE PSYCHOLOGYdocuments—on the contrary, they abound, for Islamwas born and grew up in the full light of history—but because the Moslem religion and the Arabs areveiled from our sight by so vast a cloud of acceptedopinions, legends, errors, and prejudices that it seemsalmost impossible to sweep it away. And yet thetask must be undertaken if we wish to get out of thedepths of ignorance in which we are now sunk inregard to Musulman psychology. ules Lemaitre was once called upon to introduceto the public the work of a young Egyptian writeron Arab poetry. The author, a novice, declaredwith fine assurance that Arab literature was therichest and the most brilliant of all known literatures,and that Arab civilization was the highest and themost splendid. Jules Lemaitre, who in his judg-ments resembled Sainte-Beuve in his preference formoderate opinions, felt some reluctance to counter-sign such a statement. On the other hand theobligations of courtesy prevented him from layingtoo much stress upon the poverty and bareness ofArab literature. He got out of the difficulty verycleverly by the following somewhat reserved state-ment :” It is diffcult to understand how a civilization sonoble, so brilliant, whose manifestations have neverlost their charm, and which in times past had soremarkable a power of expansion, seems to have lostits virtue in these latter days. It is one of thesorrows and mysteries of history. “As the observation of a subtle mind, accustomednever to accept blindly current opinions as such, thisis perfectly justified. For if we admit all thequalities that are habitually attributed to Arabcivilization, if we are ready to bow in pious awe before