his religious parents. Now tell me, Ibrahim, was it proper to put this boy to death, or was Elias unjust? If Elias was unjust, is it not extraordinary that he should be praised by the Almighty? and his praises are written in the Koran." Ibrahim was at a loss to answer. "I abandon this point," said he. "But what do you say regarding Aly and Abbas (his uncle)? they disputed with each other regarding the right of inheritance to the Prophet; each asserted he had the right, and they carried their complaints to Aboubeker-When two persons go to a judge, one must be right and one wrong." The design of Ibrahim in putting this question was to oblige Husneah either to offend the caliph and hazard her life by declaring Abbas (who was the immediate ancestor of Haroun) in the wrong, or (if the fear of that danger led her to pronounce Aly wrong) to make her give up the whole argument and abandon her creed. Husneah in reply said, “I must, Ibrahim, answer thy question out of the holy Koran.” “Let us hear it," said the Moullah. "God," said Husneah, "has stated through the Prophet that the angels Michael and Gabriel carried a dispute before David, in order to expose more strongly the crime of that monarch in taking the wife of his poor subject (Uriah). Now tell me, Ibrahim, which of these two disputing angels were in the wrong, and which in the right?” "Both," said Ibrahim, "were in the right; it was to correct and punish David that they went before that monarch with their dispute." "Thank God! for this admission," said Husneah; " and in like manner both Murteza Aly and Abbas were in the right, and it was to correct the fault of Aboubeker they went before him: Abbas said, The right of inheritance is mine, because I am the uncle of the Prophet. Aly said, It belongs to me as his cousin, son-in-law, adopted brother, and heir, and his daughter is now in my house, and Hassan and Hassein, who are the lords of the Syuds (inheritors of paradise), are my children: I am identified with the Prophet. When Aboubeker (on whom be God's curse) heard all this, he said, God knows best, but I have heard the Prophet declare Aly is his heir and the lord of my religion*. When Abbas heard this expression from the mouth of Aboubeker, he was enraged and said, O Aboubeker, if * Another reading, "payer of my debts."

thou hast heard this speech from the holy Prophet, how comes it that thou sittest where thou art as caliph, to the injury of Aly's right as declared by thyself? When Aboubeker heard this, he understood perfectly that both parties had come to expose his guilt. You are come, said he, to quarrel with me, not to appeal to my decision as a ruler; and immediately left the assembly.". When Ibrahim heard this reply from Husneah, he observed that he also gave up this point. this point. "But tell me," he added, “which you consider the most excellent, Aly or his uncle Abbas ?" "Tell me," said Husneah, "which you deem most excellent, Humzah or his nephew Mahomed? Why do you puzzle yourself so much with Aly and Abbas? If Aly was the most excellent, it was the glory of Abbas to have such a nephew; and if Abbas was superior, it must add to the honour of Aly to have had such an uncle." Haroun marked with wonder the ingenuity and ability of Husneah: he turned to Ibrahim Nizam, and said, “I pity thy knowledge." Husneah then observed that she had answered seventythree questions; all she now required was permission to ask one of the holy Moullah: "and if he can answer it," she added, "I will confess myself conquered." "Ask then whatever you like," said the caliph. "Tell me, Ibrahim," said Husneah, "when the Prophet left this earth did he nominate an heir or did he not ?" Ibrahim said, "He did not." "Was this omission," said she, "an error, or was it right? and was the election of a caliph an error, or was it right in those by whom it was made? To which do you ascribe the error, Ibrahim, to the Prophet or to the caliph?" Ibrahim gave no answer: he could not say the Prophet had committed an error, without injury to the faith; and if he admitted the caliph had been in the wrong, he gave up the point in dispute to Husneah: he had also a dread of Haroun, and was silent from reflection. His distress for an answer was evident to all, and a laugh became general through the assembly, and he was reproached for allowing himself to be so defeated by a woman. When Haroun saw how matters went, he said to his vizier, "O Yahya, I have heard that in ancient times the wise men of Bagdad and the sons of Hashem and wise men of Hellah had disputations on fate and freewill;-ask Ibrahim what their opinions were on these points." Yahya de

manded of Ibrahim if he believed in predestination, or if (like the Ben Hashem) he was the advocate of free-will [A disputation follows, in which Husneah, who argues for free-will, has the victory.]

The Prophet stated his religion would be divided into seventy-three sects, of which one alone would be saved. On being asked which that sect was, "Those," he said, "that are the friends of my family-my house shall be as the ark of Noah (said Mahomed), and those who are embarked shall be safe amid the general wreck :" this the Sheeahs interpret as meaning their sect. This work, which is very highly prized by the Sheeahs (as containing a clear exposition of all those points that form the ground of their schism) concludes by ascribing a complete victory to Husneah. The caliph convinced by her statements desisted from his persecution of the Syuds. He He gave her, agreeably to the terms fixed, a hundred thousand meseals of gold, and directed her to return to her khajah, on whom he bestowed a dress of honour. He however whispered to Husneah to leave Bagdad, lest some misfortune should happen to her. The lady and the khajah left the assembly in triumph; and independent of the presents she received from Haroun, others were given by some princes of the blood and other great persons. Ibrahim Nizam came down from his golden chair quite ashamed, and retired with Abou-Yuseph Shaffee and some others of the enemies of the Sheeahs. The people laughed at them, and a cousin of Haroun was particularly witty at their expense. Husneah and the khajah, with a number of followers, went to Medinah*.

*An account of this work is given at the close. The Persian author says that in the year 958 he was returning from Mecca, and at Damascus he got the Arabic manuscript which he has translated from a Syrian Syud. The name of the translator is scratched out, and therefore not known; the book was probably first written in Persian: the translator ascribes the original to Shaikh Aboul-Futtouah Razee.

VIII.

A TREATISE ON SUFIISM, OR MAHOMEDAN MYSTICISM. By Lieutenant JAMES WILLIAM GRAHAM, Linguist to the 1st Battalion of the 6th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry*.

Read 30th December, 1811.

Γνῶθι σεαυτόν.

INTRODUCTION.

ALTHOUGH much has been said on the celebrated though little known subject of Sufiism by Sir William Jones† the president of the Asiatic Society, and by the learned and ever-to-be-lamented Dr. Leyden ‡ that universal genius; yet there is an ample field for further discussion on this curious and important head: more especially as the illustrious President has written professedly on their poetry only; and though his discourse explains a number of their tenets, yet it does not fully convey the notions of this peculiar sect, which could not have been done without much digression, nor was primarily intended. Dr. Leyden again was similarly situated, by being confined to Bayezid Ansari and his sect, which was evidently Sûfi or a species of Sufiism, and the founder will come under the denomination of Mijězoob, or perhaps rather Mijězoob Sulik-terms which will be treated of hereafter.

Through my colloquial intercourse with natives of different classes, I have heard with some degree of pleasure many anecdotes of this wonderful order, though the greater part of them certainly bordering upon

* This paper was originally drawn up in a cursory manner at the desire of Brigadiergeneral Sir John Malcolm in 1811, and since corrected and enlarged.

+ See Mystical Poetry of the Persians and Hindoos. As. Res. vol. iii.

+ See Asiatick Researches, vol. ii.

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the marvellous. I shall however relate a few of them in their proper place, although they may be thought by us, in the apparent natural order of things, not consonant to reason or human possibility: but still, as they are popular narratives, and accepted by the orthodox Mussulmans (Sooni) and also by the Sheeyâ, they may tend materially to throw a light upon this mysterious system, and consequently answer our purpose.

In order to avoid every tautology of circumstance, and create as little confusion as possible, I have endeavoured to arrange the subjects in a regular order and treat of them accordingly under their several heads, at the same time offering my remarks and explanations, where I have conceived requisite.

1. On the Meaning of the Term SUFIISM or SUFI.

In the first place the word sûfi implies wise, devout, spiritual, &c. derived from seƒā, meaning purity, clearness; hence saf pure, clear, sincere, candid; and sefi pure, clear, bright, just, upright, sincere. Again, by some the word sûfi is supposed to be derived from sûf, wool, on account of this peculiar order wearing woollen apparel, thereby evincing their contempt of luxury and worldly grandeur, and inuring themselves to a rigid austerity of manners; and from their exemplary life of wisdom, piety, and devotion, the term became transferred to an epithet implying the above.

The meaning of the term sufiism or sûfi in this case may be wisdom, piety, fervour, ardent devotion; but from the doctrines and tenets subsequently explained, it will be admitted that the terms mysticism or quietism will be more applicable, as comprehending the whole system in one word, and being in some degree explanatory of the doctrine.

2. On the Religion or Doctrine of SUFIISM.

With regard to the religion (if it can be so termed in the general acceptation of that word) or rather doctrine and tenets of the sect of Sûfis, it is requisite to observe, first, that any person, or a person of any religion or sect, may be a Sûfi: the mystery lies in this;-a total disengagement of the mind from all temporal concerns and worldly pursuits; an entire throw