The people of the Philippines, their religious progress and preparation for spiritual leadership in the Far East,

60 THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES
their religion and the five daily prayers which every true
Moslem is supposed to repeat, prescribing punishment for
those who did not observe these prayers. Desiring all the
panditas (Moslem priests) to learn Arabic, he prepared ArabicSulu vocabularies as a preliminary step to making Arabic the
official language of the State.
King Philip V sent to Alimud Din a letter, requesting him
to admit the Jesuit missionaries to Sulu with permission to
preach the Christian religion to the Sulus. The Sultan not
only granted the request of the Spanish monarch, but authorized the building of a church and recommended the building
of a fort for the safe protection of the missionaries. In
return for this favor he requested six thousand pesos with
which to build a navy. The request of the Sultan was
granted; and the Jesuit missionaries entered Jolo, translated
the catechism into Sulu, and distributed it freely among the
people.
The friendship of the Sultan for the Jesuits created widespread dissatisfaction. Bantilan, prince of a rival line, sought
to assassinate Alimud Din. The Jesuits, scenting danger,
escaped in a boat to Zamboanga, and the Sultan followed
them to seek aid from Spain in overcoming the rebels. Failing
to get help in Zamboanga, he went on to Manila, where he was
received "with all the pomp and honor due to a prince of
high rank.. A public entrance was arranged which took
place some fifteen days after he reached the city. Triumphal
arches were erected across the streets, which were lined with
more than two thousand native militia under arms.... The
Sultan was showered with presents, which included chains of
gold, fine garments, precious gems, and gold canes, while the
government sustained the expense of his household." a
Following this reception, steps were taken for his conversion. His spiritual advisers cited to him the example of the
Emperor Constantine, whose conversion enabled him to effect
triumphant conquests over his enemies. Under these representations Alimud Din expressed his desire for baptism. He
2 "Relacion de la entrada del Sultan Rey de Jolo, en Archivo del Bibliofilo
Filipino," translated by N. M. Saleeby in his "History of Sulu," p. I82.