rulers about the year 920 A.D. This was more than five hundred years
before Columbus discovered America! The Carmathians were a very fanatical
sect of Moslems. You remember reading in chapter three how they took the
black stone from Mecca?

Well, these people had this province as the centre of their power and here
they struck these peculiar coins. I have heard it said that they were so
opposed to images and faces on money that their leader devised this long
bar-like shape for his coins to prevent any one from making images on
them!

At any rate the Carmathians were very brave warriors. When Abu Tahir,
their first leader, attacked Bagdad with only 500 horsemen he was met by a
messenger from the city saying that 30,000 soldiers were guarding the
gates. "Yes," said Abu Tahir, "but among them all there are not three such
as these." At the same instant he turned to three of his companions
commanding one to plunge a dagger into his own breast, another to leap
into the rushing Tigris river and the third to cast himself down a
precipice. They obeyed without a murmur. "Relate," continued the general,
"what you have just seen; before evening your leader shall be chained
among my dogs." No wonder that with such absolute obedience, the
Carmathians terrified all Arabia with their army.

As I handle their old coins and think of the past, I sometimes wonder how
much Our Great Captain, Christ Jesus would accomplish had He soldiers
equally obedient and brave as did the Carmathian general, in redeeming
Arabia from its long darkness and bloodshed. It is nineteen hundred years
ago that He commanded us: "Go ye into all the world and preach the
gospel."