Bedouin Tribes of the Euphrates Vol 2 - The Search For Mecca

2 20 Bedouin Tribes of the Euphrates, [rii. xxvi.
sheyklis of tribes for political motives, or even for
motives of advantage. Two slieykhs will thus
swear brotherhood as the preliminary to a peace
and, on the other hand, most Bedouin sheykhs
have brothers among the sheykhs of the desert
towns, who are often of pure Arab blood, and who
recomise o the rules of Desert honour. In this latter
case the oath is of great service to both parties, to
the Bedouin in the town and to the townsman in
the Desert.
The oath binds those who have taken it
in every
respect as brothers, except in the matter of marriage,
for there is no prohibition of marriage between a
brother and his brother's sister.
A belief, then, in God, certainly exists among
the Bedouins, though the only active form of it is a
submission to the Divine will.
It stands in sins:ular
correspondence with the religion of the ancient
patriarchs. At the present day, no doubt, it is but
a vague reflection of the ancient faith, and depends
as much upon custom as every other belief or prejudice
of the Bedouin mind.
AVe w^ere pointed out in
the Shammar tents certain men, the Zediye, who,
the Arabs explained to us, were distinguished from
themselves for two reasons. The first was that they
prayed to the devil, and the second that they
wore their shirts cut square at the neck. Those who
told us this made no distinction m importance
between the two peculiarities.
With the belief in God, relio;ion in the desert ends.