The Sulu Archipelago and its people, by Sixto Y. Orosa ...

78 SULU ARCHIPELAGO AND ITS PEOPLE

on the Mohammedan priests, superstitions forming the
main part of their religion.
The priests and those others who have had some
Islamic education are devotedly religious, to the extent
of being fanatical. They pray five times a day either
at home or in the mosque. If they are in a crowd when
it is time to pray, they step out to a corner and say
their prayers. This custom is now being observed less
strictly than formerly. The prayers are said before
sunrise (subo), at noon (lojar), before sunset (asar),
after sunset (magarip), and before going to bed (aisa).
On Friday, the Mohammedan day of rest, it is obligatory that one prayer at least, preferably that for noon,
be said in the mosque. The Arabs and Turks in the
province join the Sulus in their religious practices.
Before a person enters a mosque, he should purify
himself by washing, for which purpose there is a large
tank beside a well in front of the mosque. He should
wash his hands up to the wrists with water, lest anything unclean has been touche(ld; lest anything not his
own has been taken; or lest anything unworthy of God
has been done. Next lie should wash the lips, lest a lie
has been uttered; the nose, lest something foul has
been smelled; then the entire face, especially the eyes
lest ugly creatures or, especially, images of Chrisiian
saints have been seen; the hands again this time up
to the elbows so that God will not put manacles on
the believer after death; then the head, in order to
drive away all of Satan's temptations, the ears, lest a
curse has been heard; the neck, so that God will not
hang the believer in Hades; and, lastly, the feet and
legs, so that the steps toward heaven can be trodden
more steadily and surely. Then the believer is ready