There is another mode of istikhárah; which is, to take hold of any two points of a “sebhah” (or rosary), after reciting the Fát’hah three times, and then to count the beads between these two points, saying, in passing the first bead through the fingers, “[I extol] the perfection of God;” in passing the second, “Praise be to God;” in passing the third, “There is no deity but God;” and repeating these expressions in the same order, to the last bead: if the first expression fall to the last bead, the answer is affirmative and favourable: if the second, indifferent: if the last, negative. This is practised by many persons. Some, again, in similar cases, on lying down to sleep at night, beg of God to direct them by a dream; by causing them to see something white or green, or water, if the action which they contemplate be approved, or if they are to expect approaching good fortune; and if not, by causing them to see something black or red, or fire: they then recite the Fát’hah ten times, and continue to repeat these words—“O God, favour our lord Mohammad!”—until they fall asleep. The Egyptians place great faith in dreams, which often direct them in some of the most important actions of life. They have two large and celebrated works on the interpretation of dreams, by Ibn-Sháheen and Ibn-Seereen, the latter of whom was the pupil of the former. These books are consulted, even by many of the learned, with implicit confidence. When one person says to another, “I have seen a dream,” the latter usually replies, “Good” (_i.e._ may it be of good omen), or, “Good, please God.” When a person has had an evil dream, it is customary for him to say, “O God, favour our lord Mohammad!” and to spit over his left shoulder three times, to prevent an evil result.