Ismaili Materials

Sacred Texts Journals Ismâili materials INTRODUCTION. SOME time ago, I received from Dr. Henry W. De Forest, missionary in Syria, an Arabic manuscript of fifty-seven leaves, consisting of three documents which throw new light upon the opinions held by the Ismâilis, and other sects of Allegorists, or Mystics, of Muslim origin. Two of these documents bear marks of being authoritative with the sects themselves whose views they profess to represent; while the other, though controversial in its design and character, is valuable for comparison with them. The history of the Ismâilis and their branches, of which the Druzes constitute one of the most important, is, at least in its outlines, sufficiently well known. But excepting the Druzes, whose books have now for some time been in the hands of the learned, the opinion of none of them have been definitely ascertained.* Of the Nuairian and Ismâilian documents announced within the last three years, in France and Germany, as recently discovered, only outlines with brief extracts, or mere tables of contents, have as yet been published. Under these circumstances, though with some diffidence, I publish the following translation of two of the documents sent to me by Dr. De Forest, setting one of them aside, for the present, for fear that I may not have yet fully mastered the system contained in it. The document set aside consists of two fragments of what purports to be a conversation between Muammed Ibn Aly El-Bair and Khâlid Ibn Zeid El-Jufy, related by the latter in the form of a ###, i. e. Missive, for the purpose of directing certain persons supposed to have "deviated from the path of rectitude." The former of the two interlocutors here introduced can be no other, as the conversation itself shows, than the fifth Imâm of the Ismâilis, commonly known as El-Bâir, a great-grandson of the Khalîfeh Aly; the other, who appears as an inquirer, is not so easily identified, but may be conjectured to be a descendent of Aly, whose father was a brother of El-Bâir.* But, inasmuch as Esh-Shahrastâny informs us that the Shîite sects, after the time of El-Bâir, were much disposed "to pass off" their opinions "upon his followers," and "to refer their origin to him, and to fix them on him," the question noturally arises, whether we have, in this Missive, the genuine doctrine of El-Bâir, or that of some party availing itself of his name to give currency to views in reality not his. To judge by what Esh-Shahrastâny tells us of the opinions of El-Bâir, the Missive in question might be taken as an authentic expression of his mind, for he here denies, either explicitly, or by implication, each of certain doctrines which are particularly mentioned by Esh-Shahrastâny as not actually held by him, and which therefore appear to have been those oftenest ascribed to him falsely. It is possible, however, that some party with which he was not so generaly confounded, or perhaps kindred to his own, may have here used his name without authority. At all events, this Missive sets forth doctrines different from those maintained by either of the sects referred to, or represented, in the other two documents. The first portion of the following translation is made from the controversial document. The original of this is entitled ### i. e. The Attack of the Partizan of Justice upon the party of the Ismâilîyeh, and the Angry Eye upon the party of the arâmaah, and is an extract from a larger work entitled ### i. e. The Book of the Open Ways of Approach [to God,] touching on the Gladdenings of [Divine] Lenity. It seems to have been written on the appearance of some followers of arma in the Wâdy amâh, probably near to amâh in Syria, "between om and Kinnesrîn," as Abulfeda says, who adds that those who threw off the faith of Islâm, had free range there.* There is no precise indication of the date of its composition, nor is the name of the author given. He only calls himself Esh-Shâfiy, or the Shâfiite. This document consists of three parts. The author begins with eight hundred and thirty-two lines of rhymed measure, in which he portrays the hated party against which he writes, in concise and pointed terms. These rhymings I have passed over in translating, as the fuller statements in prose which follow them, though less piqutant as a specimen of controversy, may be more safely relied upon for information. Next is introduced a piece in prose by another author. This author calls himself El-Âmidy, and it may be suggested as quite probable that he is the Seif ed-dîn El-Âmidy whom Ibn Khallikân speaks of as having taken up his residence at amâh, and there composed works "on the principles of religion, and jurisprudence, and logic, and philosophy, and disputation," and whose death, as the same authority informs took place A. H. 631, i. e. A. D. 1233-4. It is worthy of notice, in this connection, that a portion of this piece strikingly resembles what Von Hammer published many years ago, on the Ismâilis, as in substance contained in a work by El-Jorjâny, who, according to D'Herbelot, died A. H. 816, i. e. A. D. 1413-14.§ The third part of this document is a statement of inquiries respecting the Nuairis, presented to Tay ed-dîn Ibn Yatmiyeh, with his answer. This person was a distinguished doctor of Muslim law, who died, according to D'Herbelot, A. H. 768, or, as some say, A. H. 748, i. e. A.D. 1366-7, or A. D. 1347-8. It follows from the limitation of date thus given to the concluding part of this document, that it must have been compiled as late as the middle of the fourteenth century of our era. This document was obtained by Rev. Dr. Eli Smith, missionary in Syria, from Mikhâil Meshâka of Damascus. The second portion of the following translation is made from a document without title, but of which the nature of the contents is sufficiently evident. It consists of four pieces. The first piece presents a system of cosmogony; the second, a formula of religious belief; the third, a mystical allegorizing of the doctrines set forth in that formula; and the fourth, a statement of the doctrines of the Imâm. All these pieces are in form declarative, not argumentative; and in reading them attentively one cannot resist the impression, that they are specimens of the so-called sermons which the Dâis, or missionaries, of the Ismâilis are said to have been in the habit of delivering, at stated seasons, in general assemblies of the sect, to those whom they would initiate into their system.* That they express Ismâilian doctrine is put beyond doubt by allusions contained in them. But, what is more, one may even refer some of them, with considerable confidence, to particular grades of initiation which are described by oriental writers as recognized by this sect, and are briefly alluded to in our first document. For the fourth piece evidently belongs to that stage of instruction of which the object was to impress with the sense of dependence upon the Imâm; and the third, to that which was designed to initiate the proselyte into a pretended mystic sense of the doctrines and precepts of Islâm; while the second might very appropriately have been delivered to less advanced scholars, by way of "pretension of agreement with them on the part of the great in religious and worldly affairs," that is, the leading religious and civil authorities of the day, or those of the Muslims, which our controversial document charges upon them as one of their practices. The date of these peculiar missionary-sermons cannot be exactly determined. But there seems to be an intimate connection between them all, so that whatever date belongs to one is probably to be affixed to all. This document, so important for its contents, was obtained through the courtesy of Mr. Von Wildenbruch, late Prussian Consul General for Syria, whose dragoman, Mr. Catafago, found it near Aleppo. As a farther introduction to the following translation, are here added translations of several passages from Esh-Shahrastâny's celebrated Book of Creeds and Sects, relative to the parties to be brought before the reader. The passage above referred to, in which this author gives an account of El-Bâir, is also appended. It seemed the more desirable to make these extracts, as no English translation of this high authority on such subjects is known to have been published, and the German translation by Haarbrücker, of which the first volume has recently appeared, although a good one, does not supply the place of one in our own language.* The first of these extracts relates to the Ismâilis, under the more general name of the Bâinis, which includes also the followers of arma and the Nuairis. The second is on the Ghâlis, the Extravagant Shîis, in general. The third is on that particular portion of this party denominated the Nuairis and Isâis.§ The fourth relates to El-Bâir. Exactness has been my aim in translating; and to this every thing else has been sacrificed, so far as was consistent with preserving the English idiom. The foot-notes are intended mainly to facilitate the understanding of the text. A discussion of the many interesting topics suggested by it, would probably have been premature, if indeed it could have been entered upon. Footnotes * See Mémoires de l'Académie Royale des Inscriptions, Tome xvii. pp. 127, ff.; Notices et Extraits des Manuscrits, Tome ix. pp. 143, ff.; C. Niebuhr's Reisebeschreibung, Bd. ii. ss. 439, ff.; Mémoires de l'Institut Royal, Classe d'Hist. et de Littér. Anc., Tome iv. pp. 1 ff.; Die Geschichte der Assassinen, d. Joseph von Hammer; Mémoires sur les trois plus fameuses Sectes du Musulmanisme, par M. R. pp. 51 ff.; Travels in Syria and the Holy Land, by John Lewis Burkhardt, pp. 150-6; Journal Asiatique, Tome v. pp. 129, ff.; Exposé de la Religion des Druzes, par M. le Baron Silvestre De Sacy, 2 Tomes; Die Druzen and ihre Vorläufer, von Dr. Philipp Wolff, Einleitung; Geschicte der Chalifen, von Dr. Gustav Weil, Bd. ii. ss. 493, ff.; Journal Asiatique, Série iv. Tome xiii. pp. 26, ff. See Journal Asiatique, Série iv. Tome xi. pp. 149, ff.; Idem, Tome xii. pp. 72, ff. 485, ff.; Zeitschrift d. Deutsch. Morgenländ. Gesellschaft, Bd. ii. ss. 388, ff.; Idem, Bd. iii. ss. 302, ff. * See Weil's Geschichte der Chalifen, Bd. i. ss. 625-7; Id. Bd. ii s. 204. The orthodox author so designates himself as one holding to the justice of God in respect to predestination. * See Géographie d'Aboulféda, ed. Reinaud et De Slane, pp. 262-3. See Ibn Khallikân's Dictionnaire Biographique, ed. De Slane, pp. 456-7. See Journal Asiatique, Tome vi. pp. 332-5. § See D'Herbelot's Bibliothèque Orientale, p. 373. See Idem, p. 444. * See Mémoires de l'Institut, Tome iv. p. 4-5. * Abu-l-Fat Muammed asch-Schahrastâni's Religions-Partheien und Philosophen-Schulen, zum ersten Male vollständig aus d. Arab. übersetzt von Dr. Theodor Haarbrücker. Erster Theil. Halle: 1850. See Book of Religious and Philosophical Sects, by Muhammad Al-Shahrastâni, ed. Rev. W. Cureton, pp. 147, ff. Idem, p. 132. § Idem, pp. 143, ff. Idem, pp. 124, ff. Sacred Texts Journals Ismâili materials {Excerpts from Esh-Shahrastâny's Book of Creeds and Sects} "The Bâinîyeh.¶This appellation is affixed to them only because they give out that every thing outward has an inward; and every letter of revelation, an allegorical sense. And they have many appellations beside this, according to the language of one and another people. For in Irâ, they are named the Bâinîyeh, and the arâmaeh, and the Mazdakîyeh;* and in Khorasan, the Talîmîyeh, and the Mulideh. And they say, 'We are Ismaîlîlyeh,§ for we are distinguished from the parties of the Shîah, by this name and this impersonation.' "Now the ancient Bâinîyeh have mingled with their system something of the system of the sect of Philosophers, and composed their books after that way. Say they respecting the Creator,let him be exalted! 'As for us, we say not that he is existent, nor that he is non-existent; neither that he is one who knows, nor that he is ignorant; neither that he is one possessed of power, nor that he is impotent; and in like manner, with regard to all the attributes. For veritable affirmation requires the association of him with other existences in that respect in which we speak of him absolutely, and that is anthropomorphism; so that he does not admit of judgement by absolute affirmation and absolute denial; on the contrary, he is the Deity of those who stand opposed to one another, and the Creator of disputers, and the arbiter between those who differ.' And respecting this, they also tell of Muammed Ibn Aly El-Bâir, that he said, 'Because he bestows knowledge on the knowing, it is said that he is one who knows; and because he bestows power on the powerful, it is said that he is one possessed of power. So then, he is one who knows, one possessed of power, in the sense that he bestows knowledge and power, not in the sense that knowledge subsists in him, and power, or that he is qualified with knowledge and power.' But it is said respecting them that they are deniers of the attributes, who despoil the divine essence of the attributes. "Say they, 'And in like manner we say, with regard to eternity, that he is not eternal, nor originated; on the contrary, the Eternal is his Amr and his Word,* and that which is originated is his creation and his workmanship. He produced, by the Amr, the prime Intelligence, which is perfect in action; and by the intervention of that, he produced the secondary Soul, which is not perfect. And the relation of the Soul to the Intelligence is either the relation of the genital seed to the perfection of created form, and of the egg to the bird, or the relation of the child to the father, and of the offspring to her who brings forth, or the relation of the female to the male, and of consort to consort.' Say they, 'And because the Soul yearns after the completion of the Intelligence, it requires motion from incompleteness to completion, and motion requires the means of motion. And so the celestial spheres originate, and move with a circular movement, as governed by the Soul. And after them, the simple natural properties originate, and move with the movement of directness, also as governed by the Soul. And so are compounded the composites, namely, minerals, and plants, and animals, and man; and particular souls enter into bodies. And the species of man is distinguished from other existences, by peculiar preparedness for the effusion of those Lights; and his world stands opposed to the whole world. And an Intelligence and a Soul which is universal, in the higher world, makes necessary that there should be in this world an impersonated Intelligence which is a whole, and of which the bearing is the bearing of a complete, mature impersonation,' which they name the Nâi, and which is the Prophet, and an impersonated Soul which is also a whole, and of which the bearing is the bearing of an infant who is incomplete, tending to completion, or the bearing of the genital seed tending to perfection, or the bearing of the female consorted with the male,' which they name the Asâs,* and which is the Legatee. "Say they, 'And as the celestial spheres move as moved by the Soul and the Intelligence, and the natural properties too, in like manner souls and persons move in accordance with laws, as moved by the Prophet and the Legatee, in every age, in a circle of successive sevens, until the final period is reached, and the age of resurrection is entered, and obligations are taken off, and rules and laws are unloosed. And these movements of the celestial spheres, and the rules enjoined by law, are only in order to the Soul's attaining to the state of its completion; and its completion is its attaining to the degree of the Intelligence, and its being united to that, and its reaching the rank of that, as an actuality. And as for that, it is the greater resurrection, upon which the compoundings of the celestial spheres and the elements, and the composites, are unloosed; and the heavens are rent; and the stars are dispersed; and the earth is exchanged for the absence of earth; and the heavens are rolled up like the rolling up of the scroll for the Book written upon within; and creatures are reckoned with; and the good one is separated from the bad one, and the obedient one, from the disobedient one; and the constituents of truth are joined to the whole Soul, and the constituents of falsehood to the false Sheitân. And so, from the time of motion up to rest is the beginning; and from the time of rest up to that which has no end is the completion.' "Moreover they say, 'There is no statute, nor rule, nor sentence of the sentences of law, concerning barter, or patronage, or giving, or marriage, or divorce, or wounding, or revenge, or the price of blood, without its counterpart pertaining to the world, by number against number, and bearing against bearing; for the laws are worlds spiritual, of the Amr, and worlds are the laws embodied, belonging to created things. And in like manner, compoundings which respect the letters and the words [of the urân,] are in the way of counter-part to the compoundings of forms and bodies; and as for the single letters, their relation to the composites, of the words, is as bare simples to composites, of bodies. And every letter has a counter-part in the world, and a natural property with which it belongs, and an impress, so far as that property is in souls. And so, in consequence of this, sciences deriving virtue from the words of instruction, become an aliment to souls, like as aliments deriving virtue from the natural properties belonging to created things, become an aliment to bodies. And God has indeed ordained that something of that out of which it was created should be the aliment of every existence.' "And on the ground of this equivalence, they go to telling the numbers of the words and verses [of the urân,] and that the calling upon the divine name* is a composite of seven and of twelve; and that the extolling God is a composite of four words in one of the formulas of testimony, and of three words in the second formula of testimony; and that there are seven segments in the first, and six in the second; and that there are twelve letters in the second; and in like manner, with regard to every verse which admits of their calculating its number;all which he who is intelligent exercises not his thought upon, without coming short of it, through fear of his meeting his match! "These counter-balancings constituted the way of their men of early times; who composed books respecting them, and called men to an Imâm, in every age, who knows the equivalences of these sciences, and directs to the paths of these positions and definitions. "Afterwards, the men of the new call departed from this way, when El-asan Ibn E-abbâ proclaimed his call, and was unequal to the exigencies of his word, and asked help of men, and fortified himself in castles. And the commencement of his going up to the castle of Alamût was in Shabân in the year 483. And that was after he had made journey to the country of his Imâm,* and had got from him how to call the men of his age; upon which he returned and called men with the first of a call to the doctrine of the appearance of a rightful Imâm taking his stand in every age, and of the distinction of the party which obtain deliverance from the other parties in this point; which is to say, that they have an Imâm, and that the others have not any Imâm. And the refined gold of his system, after the rejection of that which was said respecting it, amounts, ultimately, in the Arabic language and in the Persian language, to this particular. And as for us, we shall translate that which he wrote in the Persian language, into the Arabic; and there is no fault resting upon the translator; and the prospered is whosoever follows the truth, and turns aside from falsehood; and God is the Prosperer, and the Helper. "So then we begin with the four Articles with which began the call, and which he wrote in the Persian, and so I have put into the Arabic. Says he, 'He who gives an answer respecting the knowledge of the Creator,let him be exalted! has one of two things to say, either to say, "I know the Creator by mere intellect and speculation, without need of the teaching of a teacher," or to say, "There is no way to knowledge, with intellect and speculation, except by the teaching of a rightful teacher."' Says he, 'And whoever answers with the former, denies not another's intellect and speculation. For, as for him, if ever he so denies, he teaches; and the denial is a teaching, and a proof, that that which is denied has need of something other than itself.' Says he, 'And the two parts are both necessary consequences. For as for man, whenever he gives decisions, or makes a declaration, he speaks on his own part, or on the part of another; and in like manner, whenever he is bound with an obligation, he is bound with it on his own part, or on the part of another.' This is the first Article; which is a rupture with the Men of opinion and intellect.* "And he states in the second Article, as follows: 'Since the need of a teacher is established, is then absolutely every teacher suitable, or must there of necessity be a rightful teacher?' Says he, 'And whoever says that every teacher is suitable, is not allowed to deny a teacher adverse to himself, forasmuch as, when he so denies, he yields the point that there must of necessity be a reliable, rightful teacher.' So much for this. And this is a rupture with the Men of tradition. "And he states in the third Article, as follows: 'Since the need of a rightful teacher is established, must there not of necessity be knowledge of the teacher, first of all, and possession of him, and afterwards instruction by him? or may there be instruction by every teacher, without his person being fixed upon, and his right being made clear? And the latter is a coming, back to the former, forasmuch as, if one can not walk the way, except with one going before, and a companion, let there be the companion, and afterwards let the way be trod,'which is a rupture with the Shîah. "And he states, in the fourth Article, that 'men constitute two parties, namely, a party who say, "There is need, with respect to knowledge of the Creator,let him be exalted! of a rightful teacher; and the fixing upon him, and the recognition of him, is necessary, first of all, and afterwards instruction by him;" and a party who take up from a teacher, and from one who is not a teacher; in every science. 'And it is clear, by the preceding premises, that the truth is with the former party; so that, as for their head, he must needs be the head of those who hold to the truth. And since it is clear that falsehood is with the latter party, their heads, consequently must needs be the heads of those who hold to falsehood. Says he, 'And this way is that which causes us to know the place of truth by the truth, with general knowledge. Then, after that, we know the truth the place of truth, with special knowledge; so that the rotation of questions is not requisite.' And by 'the truth' he here means only the having need;* and by 'the place of truth,' him who is needed. And says he, 'By the having need we know the Imâm, and by the Imâm we know the measures of the having need; just as by potentiality we know necessity, that is, the Necessarily Existing, and by this know the measures of potentiality in things potential.' Says he, 'And the way to the profession of unity is, by the measuring of feather by feather, in like manner.' "Moreover, he states certain Articles which have respect to the confirmation of his doctrine, either by way of accommodation to, or by way of rupture with, received doctrines; and most of them are some rupture or other, and an insisting upon, and a demonstration of, diversity on the ground of falsehood, and agreement on the ground of truth. One of them is the 'Article of truth and falsehood, and the little and the great.' He states that 'in the world there is a truth and a falsehood;' after which he states that, 'as for the mark of truth, it is unity, and as for the mark of falsehood, it is multiplicity; and unity accompanies instruction, and multiplicity, opinion; and instruction accompanies the forming one party, and the forming one party, the Imâm; and opinion accompanies diverse parties, which accompany their heads.' And he lays down truth and falsehood, and the similarity between them, on the one hand, and the difference between them, on the other hand, the mutual confronting in the two extremes, and the ranking in one of the two extremes, as a balance by which he weighs every thing about which he disputes. Says he, 'And I have derived this balance only from the word of testimony, and its being compounded of denial and affirmation, or denial and exception;' says he, 'so that not that which merits denial, is falsehood; and not that which merits affirmation, is truth. And by that is weighed the good and the bad, and the true and the false, and the other opposites.'* And his main point is to come back, as respects every declaration and word [of the urân,] to the affirmation of a teacher; and that, as for the profession of unity, it is the profession of unity together with the doctrine of a Prophet, while it is the profession of unity; and that, as for the doctrine of a Prophet, it is the doctrine of a Prophet together with the doctrine of an Imâm, while it is the doctrine of a Prophet. "This is the end of his system. He prohibited common people, however, from meddling with a matter of science; and in like manner, people of note, from examining the ancient Books; except those who knew the state of the case respecting every Book, and the degree attained by men in every science. And in respect to points relating to the Deity, he went not with his followers beyond his saying, 'Our Deity is the Deity of Muammed.' Says he, 'I and you say, that our Deity is the Deity of intellects, that is, that that which directs to him is the intellect of every intelligent being.' But if it is said to one of them, 'What sayest thou respecting the Creator,let him be exalted! as for him, is he? and as for him, is he one, or multiple, possessed of knowledge, powerful, or not?' this definition alone is given for answer, 'My Deity is the Deity of Muammed; and he it is who sent his Envoy with the direction; and as for the Envoy, he is the director to him.' "And often as I have entered into discussion with the people, on the ground of the premises stated, they have not taken a step beyond their saying, 'Have we then need of thee?' or 'Shall we hear this from thee?' or 'Shall we be instructed by thee?' And often as I have been conciliating towards the people, respecting the having need, and have said, 'Where is he who is needed? and how determines he for me the points relating to the Deity? and what is it which he prescribes in respect to things which are objects of the intellect? inasmuch as "the teacher" has no meaning intrinsically, and only has meaning because teaches; and ye, indeed, shut up the gate of science, and open the gate of submission to dictation, and the following of authority; and an intelligent being is not content to believe a doctrine, without any evidence to rest upon, or to walk in a way, without any proof that he should do so,'the beginnings of the system have been authorizings to judge, and submissions to authority. 'But not, by thy Lord, not believe will they, until they make thee the judge respecting that which is in controversy between them; after which, they will not find, in their souls, any fault pertaining to that which thou determinest; and they will submit themselves, with submission.'"* "The Ghâlîyeh.These are they who are extravagant in respect to the reality of their Imâms, to such a degree that they put them out of the limits of the creature-state, and pronounce bearings of the state of Deity to be in them. For often they liken one of their Imâms to God; and often they liken God to the creature; and they hold to the two extremes of extravagance and curtailment. And their assimilations have only grown out of the doctrines of the Incarnationists and the Transmigrationists, and the doctrines of the Jews and the Christians; inasmuch as the Jews liken the Creator to the creature, and the Christians liken the creature to the Creator; and so these assimilations passed into the minds of the Extravagant Shîah, to such a degree that they pronounce bearings of the state of Deity to be in the reality of some of their Imâms. And anthropomorphism was, as a principle, and fundamentally, among the Shîah; and only went over to some of the People of the Sunneh, after that. And the system of the Mutazileh prevailed among the latter, after they saw that it was nearer to that which is objective to the intellect, and farther from anthropomorphism and incarnation. "And the heresies of the Extravagants are comprehended in four things, namely, anthropomorphism, and the coming forth, and the return, and transmigration. And there are appellations belonging to them; and in every country, they have an appellation. They are called in Ifahân the Khurramîyeh,* and the Kûdîyeh; and in Rei, the Mazdakîyeh, and the Sinbâdîyeh; and in Adherbîjân, the Dhuûlîyeh;§ and in a certain place, the Muammarîyeh; and in Mâ-warâ-l-nahr, the Mubeiyehîyeh."¶ "The Nuairîyeh and the Isâîyeh.**They are among the Extravagants of the Shîah. And there is a set of them who defend their doctrine, and act the part of leaders in respect to their declarations. And there is a disagreement among them respecting the way to generalize the name appropriate to the state of Deity, so as to include the Imâms of the people of the Family. Say they, 'The appearance of the spiritual in a material body is a thing which no intelligent being denies; whether on the side of good, like the appearance of Jebrîl,let peace be to him! by some impersonation, and the being fashioned in the form of one of the Arab race, and the being likened to the form of mankind; or on the side of evil, like the appearance of Esh-Sheiân in the form of man, so that he may work evil in his form, and the appearance of the Jinns in the form of mankind, so that they may dispute with its tongue. And so, on account of that, we say that God,let him be exalted! appears in the form of impersonations. And because there is not, after the Envoy of God,let the divine benediction and peace be to him! any impersonation more excellent than Aly,let benediction and peace be to him! and after him, his appropriated descendants,* who are the best of creatures, therefore, the true God appears in their form, and speaks with their tongue, and holds with their hands. So then, by virtue of this we generalize the name appropriate to the state of Deity so as to include them. And we affirm this being appropriated of Aly, preferably of any one else only because he had given to him specially an aiding from God,let him be exalted! which is something that connects itself with the hidden sense of mysteries. Said the Prophet,let the divine benediction and peace be to him! "I judge by the outward, and God has charge of secrets." And by virtue of this, it was the lot of the Prophet,let the divine benediction and peace be to him! to fight with polytheists, and the lot of Aly to fight with hypocrites. And by virtue of this, he likened him to Îsa Ibn Maryam, and said, "And if men may not have said respecting thee that which they say respecting Îsa Ibn Maryam, have not I, indeed, declared respecting thee with a declaration?"' "And often they affirm of him a participation in the envoyship, inasmuch as he said, 'Among you is one who fights on the ground of its allegorical sense, as I fight on the ground of its letter; is he not, indeed, the sewer of the sandal?'§ and so, that the knowledge of the allegorical sense, and the fighting with hypocrites, and the disputing with the Jinns, and the removing of the gate of Khaibar, not by corporeal power,* are the most convincing proof that in him was a divine part, and a sovereign power from the Lord, or that it is he in whose form God appeared, and with whose hand he created, and with whose tongue he commanded. And by virtue of this, they say, 'He was in existence before the creation of the heavens and the earth; says he, "We were shadows on the right hand of the throne; and so we gave glory, and then the angels gave glory with our giving glory,"and as for those shadows, and those forms not casting shade, they are real, and shine with shining, by the light of the Lord; which is not cut off from them, whether they are in this world or in that world. And by virtue of this, Aly said, "I am of Amed as light of light,"meaning that there is no distinction between the two lights, except that one of them precedes, and the second, a correlate to it, comes on after it. And this proves a sort of association.' "But the Nuairîyeh are more inclined to maintain the divine part; and the Isâîyeh are more inclined to maintain the association in the prophetic office. And they have other disagreements which we shall not mention." "The Bâirîyeh, and the constant Jafarîyeh.They are the followers of Abû Jafar Muammed Ibn Aly El-Bâir, and his son Jafar E-âdi. They declare the imamship of both of them, and the imamship of their parent Zein el-Âbidîn; except that among them are some who are constant to one of the two, and forward not the imamship to their descendants, and some who do forward. And we distinguish this party over and above the sects professing to be Shîah which we shall mention, only because those of the Shîah who are constant to El-Bâir, and declare his return, are in constancy like those [of the Shîah] who declare the imamship of Abû Abdallah Jafar Ibn Muammed E-âdi. "And he was a possessor of rare science in religion, and perfect culture in philosophy, and consummate self-restraint in respect to this world, and complete abstinence from appetites. And he had dwelt in Medîneh a length of time, doing much service to the Shîah who sided with him, and committing to those friendly to him the secrets of the sciences; when he entered Irâ, and dwelt there a length of time. He never assumed the imamship, nor contended with any one respecting the khalifship; and whoever plunges into the sea of knowledge, is not eager for a shore; and whoever is elevated to the summit of verity, fears not a letting down; and there is a saying, 'Whoever has converse with God, is empty of men, and whoever cultivates familiarity with others than God, the Tempter makes a prey of him.'* And he was related, on the father's side, to the stock of prophecy; and on the mother's side, he was related to Abû Bekr,let God be gracious to him! And he cleared himself of that which any one of the Extravagants had to do with, and cleared himself of him, and cursed them; and he was clear of the peculiarities of the doctrines of the Râfiheh, and their fooleries, namely, the declaring of the disappearance and the return, and the coming forth,§ and transmigration, and incarnation, and anthropomorphism. "But the Shîah were divided, after his day, and every one of them professed a doctrine, and desired to pass it on upon his followers, and referred its origin to him, and fixed it on him; while the master was clear of that, and of the system of the Mutazileh, and also of the doctrine of the adarîyeh.¶ This is his saying respecting volition, namely, 'God,let him be exalted! wills by us something, and wills from us something; and so, that which be wills by us he hides from us, and that which he wills from us he manifests to us. So then, what have we to do, to meddle with that which he wills by us, to the neglect of that which he wills from us?' And this is his saying respecting predestination, namely, 'It is a thing between two things, not absolutism, and not indifferentism.' And he was wont to say, in prayer, 'O God, to thee belongs the praise, if I obey thee; and to thee it belongs to convict, if I disobey thee. There pertains not to me, nor to any one else, any efficiency in the case of a doing well; and there is no convicting on my part, or on the part of any one else, in the case of a doing ill.' "Now then, we will mention the sects which differed from each other respecting him, and after his day, not on the ground of their being divisions of his partizans,on the contrary, on the ground of their having to do with the root of his stock, and the branches of his descendants."* Footnotes ¶ i. e. Party of the hidden sense. * i. e. Party of Mazdak. Mazdak was the author of a modification of Magism, who was patronized by Kobâd, one of the Sâsânide kings, and put to death by Nûshirwân. For his opinions, see The Dabistân, transl. by Shea and Troyer, Vol. I. pp. 372, ff.; Esh-Shahrastâny's Book of Relig. and Philos. Sects, pp. 192, ff. What particular ground there may have been for the application of this name to the Ismâilis, we do not know. But there is reason to believe that they may have derived some of their peculiar doctrines from a Persian source. i. e. Party of instruction. The ground of this appellation appears from some of asan Ibn abbâ's "articles," stated farther on by Esh-Shahrastâny. i. e. Heretics. § i. e. Party of Ismaîl, son of Jafar E-âdi, the seventh and last Imâm of the Ismâilis. Those of the Muslim learned men who were influenced in their religious opinions by the study of Greek philosophy, introduced among them especially under the Khalifeh Mamûn, were called by this name. * It will be evident, farther on, that the Ismâilian Word, or Amr, is a prime emanation from the Deity, having divine names and attributes, but distinct from the Deity itself. Nâi, i. e. Utterer, is the name which the Ismâilis give to every Prophet of a period, who declares the divine will for that time. * Asâs, i. e. Foundation, is the name given in the Ismâilian system to first of seven supposed successors of every Nâi, that is, the first of seven Imâms of each period, whose office it is to confirm his teaching by the disclosure of its allegorical sense. See Rev. vi. 12-17; Id. xx. 5. * ### In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate, of which the first part, In the name of God, consists in the original of seven letters, and the remainder, of twelve. The two "formulas" here referred to are ### i. e. There is no Deity but God; and ### i. e. Muammed is the Prophet of God. By "segments," are meant separate syllables; to make these of the numbers mentioned, final vowels must be thrown off, and the Prophet's name must be pronounced Mumed. * The Fâimite Khalîfeh Mustaner-billah, who reigned in Egypt when asan began his career, is undoubtedly here intended. Before asan established an independent dynasty, he went about in the character of an Ismâilian Dâi, advocating the legitimacy of the Fâimites, as descendants of Aly, against the Abbâsides. See Mém. de l'Inst., Tome iv. p. 8; Notices et Extraits des Manuscrits, Tome iv. p. 687; Id. Tome ix. p. 152, ff. * The amount of this article seems to be, that religious instruction is necessary, contrary to the doctrine of those who hold that God is known by mere intellect and speculation; because whoever affirms the latter, if he would establish any definite criterion, must confine it to himself, and in so doing contradict his principle, by making circumstances personal to himself, independent of the possession of mere intellect and speculative faculty, requisite to the end. Exaggerators of ancient authority are here referred to. Esh-Shahrastâny elsewhere says that they were called Men of tradition, "because their aim is to get traditions, and to hand down accounts, and to base sentences on authorities, and they do not go back to analogy, manifest or hidden, so long as they find an account, or a memorial." See Esh-Shahrastâny's Book of Relig. and Philos. Sects, ed. Cureton, p. 160. That such a party were wanting in discrimination, as asan affirms, may easily be credited. That is to say, the very statement of the latter alternative involves the affirmation of the former. * The need of a teacher. The meaning is, that one comes to the profession of the divine unity, with a full understanding of it, through the Imâm, precisely as it is through him that one attains to a complete conviction of his need of instruction. * This "balance," or principle of judgment as to the true and the false, the good and the bad, and all opposites, was derived from the fundamental confession of faith among the Muslims, There is no Deity but God, which expresses the truth of the divine unity only as the propositions included in it, namely, There is no Deity, and God is a Deity, each of which, by itself, may stand either for truth or for falsehood, are taken together as mutually complementary. The general principle may be stated as follows: that what may be affirmed absolutely, as between any opposites, consists in the complementary relation to each other of those opposites. This means, that the declaration There is no Deity but God, implies the doctrine of a Prophet to reveal the truth thus expressed, and that the doctrine of a Prophet, expressed in the declaration Muammed is his Prophet, implies that of an Imâm to carry on the Prophet's work. The Scriptures of former periods, or previous Divine Revelations. * urân, Sur. iv. v. 68. It is the edition of Flügel which is referred to in these notes, in all cases. i. e. Party of the Extravagants. The writer means that they not only exalt the creature to the rank of the Deity, but also bring down the Deity to the level of the creature. * i. e. Party of the Voluptuous. i. e. Party of the Self-willed, probably. In this sense, the word seems to be originally Persian, as is Khurramîyeh. i. e. Party of the Followers of Sinbâd. Sinbâd was a leader of the Extravagant Shîis, in Khorâsân, in the reign of the Khalîfeh Mamûn. See Weil's Geschichte der Chalifen, Bd. ii. s. 236. § I can make no sense of this word, however pronounced, either as Arabic, or Persian. But if we read Duûlîyeh, it is an Arabic word, meaning Self-hiders. Now from one of our new documents it appears, that certain Ismâilian followers of Bâbek, whose standard of rebellion was first raised in Ajerbîjân, took from him the fashion of going abroad in mantles of Yemen, an article of dress covering the whole person, from the top of the head down; and the class of people there called, from that circumstance, Bâbekîyeh, may have been the same as those here named. See p. 281. i. e. Party of the Reddened, because they wore red there. ¶ i. e. Party of the Whitened, because they wore white in that country. ** The origin of this name I do not know. The name Nuairyeh, signifying Little Christians, was probably given in derision. See Zeitschrift d. Deutsch. Morgenländ Gesellschaft, vol, iii. p. 308. * Appropriated as dwelling-places of the Deity. A traditionary saying. A traditionary saying. § Meaning, does he not complete what I begin? This also is one of the traditionary sayings of the Prophet. * This must refer to some tradition connected with the taking of Khaibar by Muammed. The meaning is, that some regard one or the other of the two as the last Imâm, to whom the imamship still belongs, although he is for a season withdrawn from human view; while others consider the imamship as the inheritance of successive generations in the line of his posterity. * This is probably a traditionary saying of Muammed. i. e. Party of the Deserters, the name given to a party whose doctrinal belief Esh-Shahrastâny characterizes by saying that "they are extravagant in respect to the prophetic office and imamship, to such a degree that they come to the doctrine of incarnation [of the Deity.]" See Esh-Shahrastâny's Book of Relig. and Philos. Sects, p. 9. The disappearance and return of the Imâm. § The manifestation of the Deity by emanation. This was essentially, as Esh-Shahrastâny expresses it, such an "extravagance in the way of thinking about the divine unity, as amounted to making God a vacuity by the denial of attributes." See Esh-Shahrastâny's Book of Relig. and Philos. Sects, p. 9. ¶ i. e. Maintainers of power [in man,] in opposition to the doctrine of absolute divine decrees. * Meaning, as holding in common that the imamship is perpetuated in his family, while distinguished by particular attachment to one or another of his descendants. Journals Sacred Texts Journals Ismâili materials {The Attack of the Partizan of Justice upon the party of the Ismâilîyeh, and the Angry Eye upon the party of the arâmaah} TRANSLATION. I. THE Ismâilîyeh.These are called by seven appellations. [1.] The Bâinîyeh, on account of their profession of the inward sense of the Book, beside its outward sense. For they say, that the urân has an outward and an inward sense; and as for its meaning, that its outward sense appertains to the sciences of language, and that the relation of the inward sense to the outward is like the relation of the pith to the bark. And they say that the laying hold of its outward sense punishes with fatigue in assiduous action,* and that its inward sense is an aid to the leaving off of action by its outward sense. And as respects this, they lay hold of his saying,let him be exalted! "And so there is established between them a wall, having a gate the inward part of which, within it, is mercy, and the outward part before it, is punishment." [2.] The arâmaeh, because their leader, he who levelled the high-way for their doctrine, was a man named amdân of arma, which is the only place of its name, namely, arma of Wâsi. [3.] The aramîyeh,§ on account of their desecration of sacred things, and allowing of things forbidden. [4.] The Sabîyeh, because they think that the Nâis of the revealed laws, that is, the Envoys, are seven, namely, Adam, and Nû, and Ibrâhîm, and Mûsa, and Îsa, and Muammed,let the divine benediction and peace be to him! and Muammed the Mehdy,* the seventh of the Nâis; and that between each two of the Nâis there are seven Imâms, who rely upon the law of the Nâi; and that there must of necessity be in every age seven who are imitated, and by whom direction is given, in respect to religion, who differ from one another in rank, namely, an Imâm, who aids the religion of God, who is the acme of arguments in proof of the religion of God; and a ujjeh, who relieves the Imâm, sustaining his science, and thereby authenticating him; and a Dhû-l-maah, who imbibes science from the ujjeh, that is, receives it from him;these three, and also certain Bâbs, who are the Dâis,§ namely, an Akbar, that is a Dâi Akbar; who is the fourth allong them, who elevates the degrees of believers; and a Dâi Madhûn,¶ who receives the engagements binding inquirers from among the People of the outward sense, and causes them to enter into clientship with the Imâm, and opens to them the gate of science and knowledge; and he is the fifth; and a Mukellib,** whose degree in religion is indeed elevated, but who is not licensed in respect to the office of Dâi, whose license on the contrary respects argumentation with men, and who accordingly argues, and renders eager for the Dâi, like the hunter's dog, until, when he has argued with one of the People of the outward sense, and has drawn him off from his doctrine, so that he is averse to it, and inquires after the truth, he, the Mukellib, conducts him to the Dâi, who is licensed to receive the engagements binding him; (says El-Âmidy, they call such a person a Mukellib only because he is like the ravenous beast, who draws off the hunter's dog from the game, according to what he says agreeing therewith, and ye know not of ravenous beasts any which train dogs;) and he is the sixth; and a Mumin,* who follows after him, that is, pants for the Dâi, from whom are received the engagements binding him, and who believes, and is thoroughly acquainted with the engagement, and enters into clientship with the Imâm, and acts according to him; and he is the seventh. These, they say, are like the heavens, and the earths, and the seas, and the days of the week, and the planets which govern with a command. [5.] The Bâbekîyeh, inasmuch as a party among them follow Bâbek El-Khurany in respect to going out clad in the mantle of Yemen, and in red, because they wore red in the days of Bâbek, or because they were like those who differed from them of the Muslims, in respect to the mantle. [6.] The Ismâilîyeh, an account of their affirming the imamship as the right of Ismaîl Ibn Jafar E-âdi, who was the eldest of Jafar's sons; or, as some say, on account of the derivation of their heterodoxy from Muammed Ibn Ismaîl. And the root from which their preaching of the abrogation of the laws grew up, was the Kobâdîyeh, a sect of the Magians, who, being goaded by Islam, aimed to allegorize the laws in certain ways coming back to the principles of their forefathers;§ that is to say, they assembled, and reminded one another of the position of undivided rule which their forefathers held, and said, "There is no way for us to eject the Muslims by the sword, on account of their superiority, and their possession of the seats of empire; but let us use stratagem, by allegorizing their laws, with a view to a coming back to our principles, leading on by degrees the weak among them; and so that will necessitate their being at variance with one another, and the shaking of their system." And their head, in respect to that,* was amdân of arma, or, as some say, Abdallah Ibn Meimûn El-adda. And in calling and leading on men, they have degrees of finesse; which comprehends [1.] the judging by the countenance of the state of the person called, whether he is favorable to the call, or not; and the saying, "Thou wilt make excuse for the putting of the germ into the trunk," that is, for the call of one not favorable, is in accordance with that; and they refuse to dispute "in a house where there is a lamp," that is, in a place where there is a doctor of the law, or a metaphysician; and then [2.] the familiarizing oneself with the inclination of every one of those called, with that which he inclines to, as respects his desire, and his native bent, pertaining to withdrawment from the world, and free living; and so, if he inclines to withdrawment from the world, it is set off in fair colors before him, and its opposite is depreciated; and if he inclines to free living, that is set off in fair colors before him, and its opposite is depreciated, until the man is thereby gained; and then [3.] the causing to doubt in respect to the corner-stones of the law, and the abbreviations of the surahs,§ in that one says, "What is the meaning of the isolated letters in the beginnings of the surahs? and of the statute requiring woman in her menses to fast, without a statute requiring her to pray, that is, why is one needful, and not the other? and of the necessity of ablution on account of the seminal discharge, and not of the urine? and of the number of the prostrations in prayer, that is, why are they in some cases four, and in some, three, and in some, two?"and so on to things remote from these; and the reason why they thus render them doubtful, and cause to inquire the answer in regard to these things, is that they may be inquired of, on their return, respecting them; and then [4.] the confirmation, which includes two things, namely, first, the receiving of the engagement from the candidate, in that they say that God's Sunneh has had currency by the receiving of engagements and pledges, and alledge, in proof of that, his saying,let him be exalted! "And when we received from the Prophets their engagements,"* and then receive, with receiving, his engagement, made in accordance with a firm belief, on his part, that no secret thing is hidden from them; and second, the obligating him, in behalf of the Imâm, with respect to the clearing up of that which he is confused about, of the things which one presents to him; because it is he who knows them, and the candidate has no command of them until he elevates himself to something of the degree which pertains to him, and comes to the Imâm; and then [5.] the imposition, which is the pretension of agreement with them on the part of the great in religious and worldly affairs, so that the candidate may be more in favor of that to which one calls him; and then [6.] the putting upon a foundation, which is the arranging of premises to which he who is called is favorable, and which he grants, which point him to that false doctrine to which one calls him; and then [7.] the divestiture, which is the causing to rest in the neglect of corporeal actions; and then [8.] the despoiling of the firm beliefs of religion. And when an affair of calling has gone so far, they set about to abrogate prohibitions, and to incite to indulgence in pleasures, and to allegorize the laws, agreeably to their saying that the partial washing signifies friendship to the Imâm; and as for the entire washing, that it is the receiving by hearsay from the Madhûn, when the Imâm is hidden, what prayer is; and that prayer signifies the Nâi, who is the Envoy, as is proved by his saying,let him be exalted! "Verily, prayer restrains from depravity and crime;" and that the having nocturnal pollution signifies the divulging of one of their secrets to one who is not of the people to whom it belongs, without any object in so doing; and the ablution of the whole body, the renewal of the pledge; and alms-giving, the purification of the soul by knowledge of the religion which they profess; and the Kabeh, the Prophet, and the gate [of the Kabeh,] Aly; and E-afâ, Aly, and El-Marweh,* the Prophet; and the place of rendezvous of pilgrims, the familiarizing; and the bending,§ the responding to the call; and the circling of the House seven times, friendship to the seven Imâms; and the Garden, the repose of bodies from duty; and the Fire, the severity of toil in duty;and so on to other of their ravings. And their doctrine is, that God is not existent, nor non-existent; neither knowing, nor ignorant; neither powerful, nor weak;and so on, as to all the attributes; and that because veritable affirmation requires the association of him with things existent, which is an anthropomorphism; while absolute denial requires the association of him with things non-existent, which is a making void. But that, on the contrary, he is necessarily possessed of these attributes, and the Lord of contraries. And often they blend their system with the system of the Philosophers, and accordingly say that he,let him be exalted! produced by his Amr the perfect Intelligence, and that by means of that was the production of the Soul, which is not perfect; and so, that the Soul yearns after the perfect Intelligence, seeking to be quickened by it; and consequently, that there is a requiring of motion from incompleteness to completion; and that motion is perfected only through its [the Soul's] restlessness; and so, that the bodies of the celestial spheres originate, and move with a circular movement, as governed by the Soul; and so, that by means of them originate the simple elementary natural properties; and that by means of the simples originate the composites, namely, minerals, and plants, and the species of animals; and that the most excellent of them is man, on account of his preparedness for the effusion upon him of the Lights of the Holy One, and his connection with the higher world; and that, as the higher world contains a perfect Universal Intelligence, and an imperfect Universal Soul, which is the source of beings, so there is in the lower world a perfect Intelligence, which is a means of deliverance, by likeness in it to the relation of the primitive Soul to the primitive Intelligence, in what relates to the causing of beings to exist; and that that is the Imâm, who is a Nâi-Legatee; and that, as the celestial spheres move as moved by the Intelligence and the Soul, in like manner living souls move to deliverance, as moved by the Nâi and the Legatee,that it is so in every age and period. Says El-Âmidy, Such were the opinions of some senseless person; and when El-asan Ibn Muammed E-abbâ appeared,* he exerted himself, and the call assumed that he was the ujjeh, who relieves the Imâm, whom no period may be without. And the sum of his system was that which took the precedence, respecting the need of the teacher. Moreover, he prohibited common people from meddling with the sciences, and people of note from looking into the ancient Books, lest their disgraces should be exposed. And afterwards they became Philosophers, and ceased not to make sport of the canons of religious ordinances and legal commands; and they entrenched themselves in fortresses, and their power increased, and any kings whose vezirs were of their party, feared calamity, for they made a show of neglecting duties, and openly desecrated sacred things, and became like brute beasts, without any religious control, or legal restraint. Says he [the author] respecting the Tâtârkhânîyeh, And in the year 577, the doctors of the law of Samarand were asked,respecting a man who makes a show of Islâm, and prays, and fasts, and makes a show of the profession of unity, and belief in Muammed,let peace be to him! for many years, and afterwards confesses, saying, "As for me, I have been, during these past years, a firm believer according to the doctrine of the arâmaeh, and I have been a Dâi to men; and now I am a convert, and return to Islâm," and makes now a show of that which he before made a show of, pertaining to the religion of Islâm, only that he is suspected to hold the doctrine of the arâmaeh, as if he were among them,what the sentence is as to his blood, and his property, and his effects, while the occasion of his exposing himself, and his confession, is that he has been found out, and it were idle, until he confesses his doctrine, to put him to death. Abd-El-Karîm Ibn Muammed said, "The putting to death of the arâmaeh, universally, is a necessary thing, and their being treated without discrimination, a statute, because they are veritably apostate unbelievers, and their influence to corrupt the religion of Islâm is greater than any other, and the injury which they do, the greatest of injuries." Abû-l-asan Muammed Saîd said, "It may be said of this man of whom mention is made, as Abû anîfeh,let God be merciful to him! is related to have said respecting a adary* who said, in the presence of Abû anîfeh, 'I am a convert;' Abû anîfeh, namely,let God be merciful to him! said, 'Conversion on thy part is that thou returnest to all whom thou hast led astray, and callest them to the truth, and sayest, "As for me, I have been holding falsehood."' And Abû-l-âsim Abd-El-Ramân Ibn El-usein E-affâr said, "With regard to the like of these, namely, the arâmaeh, whenever we cause them to be found out, the obligation rests upon the Sultân, in the first instance, and upon the doctors of the law of the Muslims, in the second instance, to set it down to their account to put them to death, and to eradicate them, not admitting, on their part, either conversion, or apology." And Abû Muammed Abd-El-Karîm Ibn Muammed said, "As for all who act openly, of the arâmaeh,let God abandon them! as firm believers according to their doctrine, and become Dâis of men to it, they are not, after that, sincere in their pretension of conversion, and return to Islâm; because they are not truly converted, and make a show, on their part, of that which they make a show of, only after the manner of piety, for the safety of themselves, and their property, and their families, and their children, or something thereof; for a certain one said, 'Methinks that to pray, which profits not, is advantageous among Imâms,' and he was one of the Party of the Impious; to which his pupil said, 'O my preceptor, what avails this assiduity, while we acknowledge the faith?'* whereupon he said, 'It is on account of the custom of the country, and for the protection of family and children.' So then, if we were to admit, on their part, that which they pretend of conversion, they would make that turn out to the overthrow of Islâm and the laws; and the injury to the Muslims would be greater than that which happens to them of injury from those with whom they are at war. And accordingly, one of our men tells us that the doctors of the law in Balkh have decided in favor of shedding the blood of the arâmaeh, and burning up their houses, after they have declared themselves of their opinion; and so some of them were beaten with thongs, and afterwards put to death." And Abû Selimeh Muammed Ibn Dâwûd Esh-Shâfiy, said, "Whoever bruits this vile doctrine, and makes a show, on his part, of the call to it, let not any conversion be admitted on his part, but on the contrary let him be put to death. And Abû Seîd El-Iakhry, one of our men, was of this opinion, and said, 'Some of our men have distinguished that which marks the apostate in the follower of arma, with respect to conversion. And if the follower of arma is an apostate, he lets go the manifest senses of words, and calls up their hidden senses; and so, when he with his tongue makes a show of conversion on his part, it may be that, together with that, he declares something hidden, which he pretends, as his tongue happens to express it, after the manner of piety; and he gives out that he is already converted, so that his being a Muslim may not be judged of. And as for the apostate other than the follower of arma, because he calls not up the hidden senses of words, as the follower of arma does, and he was a Muslim originally, whenever he professes Islâm, he returns, and we know that he is converted. Verily he,let him be exalted! says, "So then, what shall be the portion of those who fight against God and his Envoy, and exert themselves to corrupt the earth? etc.,"*which is directed against those who exert themselves to corrupt the earth; but religion is worthier and prior, because that which religion enjoins is of more moment, to be cared for, than the earth, in every respect, and prior to it."' The above is in brief what was said. And an inquiry was proposed to the Sheikh el-Islâm, the Seal of profound investigators, of the party of anbal, Tay ed-dîn Ibn Yatmiyeh, the form of which was as follows: "What say the learned seignors, the Imâms of religion,let God be gracious to them all, and aid them to manifest the plain truth, and to cover the fair show of errorists! respecting the Nuairîyeh, who declare the lawfulness of wine, and the transmigration of spirits, and the eternity of the world; and profess to deny the awakening, and the gathering, and the resurrection, and the Garden and the Fire, in another than the life which is of this world; and declare that the five prayers signify five names, which are Aly, and El-asan, and El-usein, and Musin, and Fâimeh, so that the mentioning of these five suffices them, in place of the ablution of the whole body, on account of sexual intercourse, and the partial washing, and the other conditions of prayer, and its essentials; and that fasting, in their opinion, signifies three men, and is the name of three women, all of whom they enumerate in their books, to mention whom particularly there is no room here; and that their Deity, who created the heavens and earth, is Aly Ibn Abû; âlib,let God be gracious to him! so that he, in the opinion, is the Deity in the heavens, and the Imâm on the earth; and the philosophy which maintains the manifestation of the Deity in this humanity, is based upon their view that he enters into familiarity with his creatures in order that he may teach them how they may know him, and serve him;and that the Nuairy becomes not, in their opinion, a believing Nuairy, whom they will sit with, and in company with whom they will drink, and whom they will let into their secrets, and to whom they will give in marriage of their women, until his teacher addresses him; and the substance of the address, in their opinion, is that they make him swear to the concealment of his religion, and the knowledge of his elders and the great ones among the people of his doctrine, and that he will consult no Muslim, nor any others, excepting those who are of the people of his religion, and that he acknowledges his Imâm, and his Lord, as manifested in his revolutions and his periods, and so acknowledges the transmission of the Ism and the Mana* in every epoch and age. And the Ism, in their opinion, among the first of men, was Adam, and the Mana, Shait; and the Ism, Yaûb, and the Mana, Yûsuf; and they use to prove this representation, as they think, that which is in the urân, namely, a story about Yaûb and Yûsuf;let peace be to them both! and accordingly say, "What was Yaûb? as for him, he was the Ism, for what power exceeds its station? and he says, 'Presently, I will ask pardon for you of my Lord; verily, he is the Pardoner, the Compassionate;'§ and as for Yûsuf, he was the Mana who is asked, and so he says, 'There is no reprimanding of you this day, God pardons you,' and brings not in the authority of another, because he knows that he is the absolute Deity." And they lay it down that Mûsa was the Ism, and Yûshûa, the Mana, and say, "As for Yûshûa, the sun yielded to him, after he had commanded it, and obeyed his command; and does the sun yield to any one except its Lord?" And they lay it down that Suleimân was the Ism, and Âaf; the Mana, and say, "Suleimân was impotent to cause to be present the throne of Belîs, and Âaf had power to do it, because Suleimân was the Ism, and Âaf was the Mana, the Potent, the Powerful."* And they enumerate the Prophets and the Messengers, one by one, after the manner of this talk, up to the time of the Envoy of God,let the divine benediction and peace be to him! and so they say that Muammed was the Ism, and Aly, the Mana; and they carry on the enumeration, in this order, through every age, up to our time. So much for this. But it is a part of the substance of religion, and of the address, in their opinion, that instruction be given that Aly is the Lord; and Muammed, the Veil; and Selmân, the Gate; and that these, in this order, have not ceased, and will not cease to be. And to the rhyming which is famous among them, of some of their extravagances, belongs the saying of one, the accursed, the disbeliever in God,let him be exalted! "I testify that there is no Deity, except, the Lion with bald temples and big belly; and no Veil to him, except Muammed the Just, the Faithful; and no Way to him, except Selmân the Possessor of power, the Stedfast." And in like manner, there are the five Solitaries, and the twelve Naîbs,§ whose names are made known, according to them, in their detestable books; for they cease not to proclaim the Lord, the Veil, and the Gate, in every revolution and period, forever, without end. Also, that the Iblîs of Iblîses was Omar Ibn El-Khaâb,let God be gracious to him! and that the next in the rank of Iblîses was Abû Bekr, and then Othmân,let God be gracious to them, and clear them, and elevate their rank above the sayings of the Heretics, and the profession of the self-devoting Extravagants! and they cease not, at any time, to exist, according to what they tell. And there are ramifications and subdivisions to their doctrines, which come back to these fundamental principles mentioned. And this accursed sect has possessed itself of a great part of the country of Syria, so that they are known, noted, and declare themselves, as holding this doctrine; and all who have had intercourse with them, of the government-agents of the Muslims, and their learned men, and of the common people, also, up to the present time, have verified the state of the case in respect to them. For, during the time that the heretic Franks held possession of the country, it was unknown to many, how it stood with them; but after the days of Islâm came,* the state of the case in respect to them was discovered, and their departure from the right way was manifested, and the proof of them was very abundant. So then, is it allowed to the Muslim to take a wife from among them, and is the eating of their sacrifices permitted, while the state of the case is such? And what is the sentence in respect to the cheese made from the curdled milk of one of their animals offered in sacrifice? And what is the sentence in respect to their vessels, and their garments, also? And is the burying of them among the Muslims allowed, or not? And is it allowed to employ any of them on the frontiers of the Muslims, and to entrust them to them? or, on the other hand, is it obligatory upon the prefect of command to displace them, and to employ other men, of the trusty Muslims? And does he do wrong, when he commands to turn them off, and to employ others than them? or, on the other hand, is it allowed to him to grant delay, in case this is determined upon? And when he employs them, and afterwards displaces them, or does not displace them, is it allowed to him to invest the monies of the Public Treasury on their responsibility? And is the shedding of the blood of the said Nuairîyeh lawful? And is their property a thing decided upon as free to be taken, or not? And when the prefect of command makes war upon them, does God,let him be exalted! aid him in the extinction of their false doctrine, and in the ejection of them from the fortresses of the Muslims, and in the warning of the people of Islâm against intermarrying with them, and eating their sacrifices, and in the commanding of them to fast, and pray, and in the preventing of them from making a show of their false religion? And is he who wars with the said Nuairîyeh counted as one who mounts a cavalier? and is his recompense like the recompense of him who mounts a cavalier on the frontiers, on the shore of the Sea,* through fear of an invasion of the Franks? or has this one a greater recompense? And is it obligatory upon any one who knows the said persons, and their doctrines, to divulge what they are, and to help to do away with their false doctrine, and the proclaiming of the Imâm on their part, so that God,let him be exalted! may perhaps regard their offspring and their children as Muslims? or, on the other hand, is it allowed to him to be unconcerned, and to let things take their course? And what is the recompense of him who labors assiduously for that, and is zealous for it, and intent upon it? Have they spoken explicitly respecting these things, as assisted, and aided, and recompensed, if God,let him be exalted! wills?" The answer respecting this, in the hand-writing of the Sheikh Tay ed-dîn Ibn Yatmiyeh,may God,let him be exalted! be merciful to him! was as follows: "As for these people, denominated the Nuairîyeh, they and the other classes of the mystical arâmaeh, are more unbelieving than the Jews and the Christians; nay, more unbelieving than many idolaters; and the injury which they do to the community of Muammed,let the divine benediction and peace be to him! is greater than the injury done by warring infidels, such as the infidels of the Turks and Franks, and others. For these meet the warring of the Muslims by affecting to be Shîah, while, in reality, they believe not in God, nor in his Envoy, nor in his Book, nor in any command, nor in any prohibition, nor in any reward, nor in any penalty, nor in any Garden, nor in any Fire, nor in any one of the messengers preceding our Prophet Muammed,let the divine benediction and peace be to him! nor in any of the former religions; nay, they take up the word of God and his Envoy, acknowledged among the Muslims, to allegorize it agreeably to certain things which they are full of, pretending that they constitute the science of the hidden sense, such as those mentioned by the inquirer, and others not of this sort. For, as for them, they have no set limit as to that which they pretend of heresy respecting the names of the Creator, and his signs,* and of perversion of the word of God,let him be exalted! and the word of his Envoy, to the doing away of its positions, inasmuch as their intention is to deny the faith and the laws of Islâm, altogether; while at the same time they hold out that these things have their realities, known to them, which are such sort of things as the inquirer has mentioned, and such as their saying that the five prayers are the knowledge of their secrets; and the prescribed fasting, the concealment of their secrets; and the pilgrimage to the Ancient House, the visiting of their sheikhs; and that the two hands of Abû Lahab were Abû Bekr and Omar,let God be gracious to them both! and that the Great Prophet, and the Evident Imâm, was Aly Ibn Abû âlib,let God be gracious to him! And they are the authors of some well-known charges, and some books composed, in hostility to Islâm and its people. And so, whenever it is in their power, they shed the blood of the Muslims, as they put to death, once upon a time, the pilgrims to Mekkeh, and cast them into Zemzem, and, once upon a time, took off the Black Stone, which remained with them a long while, and put to death a multitude which only God,let him be exalted! can compute, of the learned men of the Muslims, and their elders, and their princes, and their troops.§ And it is said that they have composed many books, and that what the inquirer mentions is in them, and other things. And the learned men of the Muslims have composed books disclosing their secrets, and have therein made evident the infidelity, and the Zendiism, and the heresy, which they profess, inasmuch as they are herein more unbelieving than the Jews, or than the Christians, or than those who worship idols. And as for that which the inquirer has mentioned by way of describing them, it is a little out of the much of that which is known to learned men, as descriptive of them. And it is, among other things, known among them, that the Christians possessed themselves of the sea-coasts of Syria only by means of them, who are always in league with every enemy to the Muslims, and so were leagued with the Christians against the Muslims. And one of the greatest of calamities, in their opinion, was the Muslims coming off superior over the Tâtârs;* and one of the greatest of their rejoicings was when the Christians,and reverse is God's appointment,possessed themselves of the frontiers of the Muslims, which ceased not to be under the power of the Muslims, as far as the island of Cyprus, (conquered by the Muslims in the khalifate of the Prince of the believers Othmân Ibn Affân,let God be gracious to him! which Muâwiyeh, the son of Abû Sufyân,let God be gracious to them both! conquered,) up to the middle of the fourth century; when these combattants against God and his Envoy multiplied on the sea-coasts and elsewhere, and so the Christians possessed themselves of the sea-board; and afterwards, owing to them, possessed themselves of the Holy City, and other places. For the circumstances of the case as respects them were among the most potent occasions thereof; after which, when God had raised up kings of the Muslims who warred in the way of God, such as Nûr ed-dîn the martyr, and alâ-ed-dîn, and their successors, and they had conquered the sea-coasts from the Christians, and those who were in league with them, and had also conquered the land of Egypt, they held possession of them about two hundred years, and were at peace with them and the Christians, for, until they had conquered the country, the Muslims made war upon them; and within that period, the call of Islâm was published in the country of Egypt, and in that of Syria.* And they have certain appellations affixed to them among the Muslims. Sometimes, they are called the Mellâeh; and sometimes they are called the arâmaeh; and sometimes thay are caled Nâshîyeh; and sometimes thay are called the Nuairîyeh; and sometimes they are caled the aramîyeh;§ and sometimes they are caled the Muammareh. And as for these names, some of them belong to them in common, and some are peculiar to some of their classes, just as the name formed from the fourth conjugation salama,¶ and that formed from the fourth conjugation of amana,** belongs to the Muslims in common, while some of them have names peculiar to them, either by parentage, or by country, or on account of something else." And he [Ibn Yatmiyeh] comments upon their purposes, at some length, as follows: "so then, they consist of those who are outwardly Râfiheh, and inwardly pure infidels. And the truth of the matter in respect to them is, that they believe not in any one of the Prophets and the Messengers, neither in Nûh, or in Ibrâhîm, nor in Mûsa, nor in Îsa, nor in Muammed,let the divine benediction and peace be to him! nor in any of the Books of God, sent down from above, neither in the Law, nor in the Gospel, nor in the Psalms, nor in the Distinguisher. And they do not maintain that the world had a Creator who created it, nor that there is any religion of his which he commands, nor that he is provided with any state of being in which he recompenses men for their actions, other than the present state. And sometimes, they base their profession of belief in accordance with the doctrines of the Philosophers, naturalistic, or deistic, upon that of the Mutaashshifeh, and that of the Magians who worship fire; and to that add a mingling of Râfihism, and falsify, reporting, for instance as a tradition handed down from the Prophet,let the divine benediction and peace be to him! that he said "The first thing that God created was the Intelligence, and he said to it, 'Approach,' and it approached, and he said to it, 'Retire,' and it retired;" and perverting the Prophet's expressions to such a degree that one of them writes, "The name of God,let him be exalted! is on the lower part of his legs."* And they deny what the Prophets have communicated. And the learned men of the Muslims are already agreed that, as for such as these, intermarriage with them is not allowed, so that a man may not use one of them as his concubine, nor take one of them as his wife; and that their sacrifices are not to be partaken of. And, as for cheese made from their curdled milk, learned men say two things which are well known, respecting it, as in respect to other curdled milk of a dead animal, and the curdled milk of the Magians, and the curdled milk of the Franks, of whom it is said that they do not slay victims for sacrifice. The doctrine, then, of Abû anîfeh,let God be gracious to him!and I give praise in making one of the two citations,is that this cheese is allowed, because the curdled milk becomes not dead with the death of the beast, and the impure receptacle in the belly affects it not with a pollution. And the doctrine of Mâlik and of Esh-Shâfiy,and I give praise in making the other citation,is that this cheese is impure, because, in their opinion, the curdled milk is impure, for the milk of a dead animal and its curdled milk are, in their opinion, impure; and of whomsoever the sacrifice may not be partaken of; his sacrifice is like a dead animal. And as for their vessels, and their garments, they are like the vessels of the Magians, and the garments of the Magians, according to what is known of the doctrines of the Imâms; and The The aî, on that point, says that "their vessels should not be used, except after they have been washed; for their sacrifices are dead animals; and so, of necessity, if any part of what they cook of their sacrifices reaches those of their vessels which are made use of, they are thereby polluted." But as for the vessels which one is not obliged to regard as rendered impure, they may be used without any washing, such as vessels for milk, in which they leave not their bouillons, and which they wash before putting milk into them. And Omar,let God be gracious to him! indeed, performed his ablutions with the jar of a Christian woman, respecting the impurity of which he doubted; so that he did not judge it to be impure, by doubting. And it is not allowed to bury them in the burial-places of the Muslims; nor to pronounce the benediction upon any of them who die. For God,let him be exalted! forbade his Prophet,let the divine benediction and peace be to him! to pronounce the benediction upon hypocrites, such as Abdallah Ibn Ubeiy, and those about him, who made a show of praying, and alms-giving, and fasting, and warring on the side of the Muslims, not making openly any declaration which was at variance with the religion of the Muslims, but keeping such difference secret. Says God,let him be exalted! "And thou mayest not pronounce the benediction upon any one of them who dies, ever, and thou mayest not preside over his burial; verily, they disbelieve in God and his Envoy, and die as wicked persons."* How shall it be, then, with these, who, together with Zendiism and hypocrisy, make a show of infidelity and heresy? And as for the employing of such as these on the frontiers of the Muslims, and in their fortresses, or among their troops, that is a great error, equal to one's employing wolves to pasture sheep. For they are the most treacherous of men toward the Muslims, and the prefects of their commands, and the most eager of men for the corruption of the religion of Islâm and the empire of Muammed. And they are worse than the lurker about in the army; for, as for him who lurks about, he has an aim which concerns either the commander of the armys or the enemy; while their aims concern our religion, and its Prophet, and its rites, and its kings, and its learned men, and its common people, and its people of note. And they are the most eager of men to entrust the fortresses to the enemies of the Muslims, and to alienate the troops from the prefect of command, and to withdraw them from obedience to him. So then, it is obligatory upon the prefects of commands to displace them from the rolls of fighting men, whether in a fortress, or elsewhere than in a fortress, while the harm they do in a fortress is most serious; and that they employ, instead of them, believing men, who hold to the religion of Islâm, and the admonition of God, and his Envoy, and the Imâms of the Muslims. And when they make a show of conversion, respecting that there is a dispute among learned men. So then, those who admit their conversion, bind them to the observance of the law of Islâm, and impose upon them tribute of their effects; and those who admit it not, reject their ranking as of their class, so that whatever is theirs reverts to the Public Treasury. But, as for these, whenever they are taken up, they make a show of conversion, inasmuch as one accommodates his doctrine to piety and the hiding of what is the case with them; and there are those among them who are acquainted with their religion, and those who are not so. So that the way, respecting that, is to look out for what is the case with them; and that they be not suffered to congregate; and that they be not empowered to bear arms,not even if they make a part of the fighting men; and that they be bound to the observance of the laws of Islâm, namely, the five prayers, and the reading of the urân; and that some one stay among them, who may teach them the religion of Islâm, and interpose between them and their teachers. And let them be prohibited from making a part of the cavalry, and of the bearers of arms, and of those clad in the coats of mail which the fighting men wear; and they may not stay among the troops, just as neither a Jew nor a Christian may stay among the troops. And let them be bound to the observance of the laws of Islâm. And it is not allowed to anyone to leave them at the extremity of the frontiers. This is according to that which God,let him be exalted! says, namely, "Do ye regard the giving of water to the pilgrim to Mekkeh, and the visiting of the Mosque, as ye regard one's believing in God and the day which is to come, and warring on the side of God? They are not alike in God's estimation, and God directs not wicked people. Those who believe, and leave their homes, and war on the side of God, staking their effects and their lives, are highest in degree in God's esteem; and as for those, they are those who are saved. Their Lord announces to them the gladness of mercy from him, and grace; and there are gardens for them, in which is enduring pleasure, where they shall abide forever. With God is great recompense."* And God,glory be to him! is the Knowing One. Footnotes * Meaning that it obliges to go through laborious outward observances. See urân, Sur. lvii. v. 13. The "wall" spoken of in this passage, is properly a wall separating "believers" from "hypocrites" in a future state. This person, commonly called arma, was the leader of a faction among the Ismâilis, which separated itself A. H. 277, i. e. A. D. 890-1, and afterwards became fearfully celebrated under the name of the armais, or the Hashîshis. See De Sacy's Exposé de la Relig. des Druzes, Tome i. Introd. pp. 166, ff. Wâsi, within the territory of which amdân is said by our author to have originated, was on the Tigris, at about the same distance, fifty parasangs, from Barah, Kûfeh, Ahwâz and Baghdâd. See Reinaud and De Slane's Géographie d'Aboulféda, p. 307. § i. e. Party of the illegal. i. e. Party of the number seven. * i. e. Way of direction. The Muammed so designated was a son of Ismaîl Ibn Jafar E-âdi. Being the Nâi of the seventh and last period of the Ismâilis, this personage is to be considered as the originator of their party. Their first existence as a separate sect may therefore be placed in the latter part of the second century of the Hijrah, that is, the latter part of the eighth, or the beginning of the ninth, century of our era. See De Sacy's Exposé de la Relig. des Druzes, Tome i. Introd. pp, 66-7. i. e. Argument, literally. i. e. Imbiber. § The Ismâilian missionaries are called Bâbs, i. e. Gates, with reference to their being a medium of access to the Imâm. i. e. Greater Dâi, or Head Missionary. The Ismâilis, in carrying on their proselytism, formed dioceses, over each of which some one Dâi presided. ¶ i. e. Licensed Dâi. ** i. e. Dog-trainer. The ground of this appellation appears in what immediately follows. * i e. Believer. i. e. Party of the Followers of Bâbek. These were, originally at least, of that subdivision of the Ismâilis called the Extravagant Shi's. See Weil's Geschichte der Chalifen, Bd. ii. s. 236-6. The appellation El-Khurany, here given to Bâbek, should undoubtedly be El-Khursany, ###, as a relative adjective, in an abridged form, from ###, Khorâsân, the country where Bâbek mustered his followers, in the reign of the Khalîfeh Mamûn. See note * p. 280. § From this it would appear that the Magian party established by Mazdak, whom the Sâsânide king Kobâd patronized, survived the death of its founder, and existed, bearing a name derived from its royal patron, at the time of the inroads of Islâm into Persia. See note * p. 264. * That is, the leader of the Ismâilis in respect to the imitation of the Kobâdiyeh, in annulling the laws of Islâm by allegorical interpretation. De Sacy supposes that this person lived about the middle of the century of the Hijrah, that is, about A. D. 864. See Exposé de la Relig. des Druzes, Tome i. Introd. p. 160. A saying, apparently, of the Ismâilis, meaning that to impart instruction to one not fit to receive it is not allowed. According to Von Hammer, quoting El-Jorjâny, the saying was that seed should not be thrown into a saline soil. See Journal Asiatique, Tome vi. p. 333. § i. e. The chapters of the urân. * urân, Sur. xxxiii v. 7. See p. 262. urân Sur. xxix. v. 44. * This and E-afâ are the two hills, near Mekkeh, between which the Muslim pilgrim performs a seven times repeated ceremonial walk, on coming to the holy city. See Travels in Arabia, by John Lewis Burckhardt, vol. i. pp. 174-6. That is, after the ceremonies on first coming to Mekkeh. See Burckhardt's Travels in Arabia, vol. i. pp. 179-80. Meaning the associating oneself with the Ismâilis. § Meaning the performance of rekahs, or prostrations, before the seven times repeated walk around the Kabeh. See Burckhardt's Travels in Arabia vol. i. p. 172. See page 264. * See page 267, ff. El-Âmidy now proceeds to state opinions which had been recently delivered by the fakîhs of Samarand, relative to the armais. The appellation of the Tâtârkhânîyeh which he here gives them, without any explanation, is deserving of attention. It must certainly be inferred from it, that the followers of armai had, in process of time, become so associated with some people among the Northern hordes, which in the thirteenth century of our era were pressing in upon the old empire of the Khalîfehs, that a name significant of such an association would be generally understood as applicable to them. * See note ¶ p. 276. * Meaning the principles involving the abrogation of all outward observances. * urân, Sur. v. v. 37. But there is a slight variation from the common reading in this quotation. The passage properly reads, "The portion of those etc. is only that etc." Here begins the third part of this document. See p. 261. By this is intended, I suppose, the awakening of the dead, in their graves, to be examined by the angels Munkir and Nakîr, and to receive from them a foretaste of their final allotments. * The Nuairis are here represented as holding that the Deity in name, the Ism, and the Deity in reality, the Mana, appear in every age. Seth. Its original. § See urân, Sur. xii. v. 99. Ibid., v. 92. * See urân, Sur. xxvii. vv. 38-40. Âaf is not named in the urân, but El-Beihâwy allows the interpretation which attributes to him the miracle here referred to. See Beidawii Commentarius in Coranum, ed. H. O. Fleischer, vol. ii. p. 69. A well-known sobriquet of Aly, among the Muslims, is the Lion of God. Meaning, probably, ujjahs without manifested Imâms. The document, referred to in the Introduction, which I have set aside for the present, teaches that the number of the Imâms is seven, while that of the ujjahs is twelve, without, however, admitting the doctrine of the disappearance of the Imâm. § i. e. Administrators, a name given to the ujjahs of the Imâms. * This refers to the victories of alâ ed-dîn over the Christians, in the latter part of the twelfth century of our era. See Vita et Res Gestae Saladini, ed. Albertus Schultens, pp. 34, ff. Meaning the provincial governor. * The Mediterranean. It seems to have been understood, when Ibn Yatmiyeh gave the following opinion, that the Nusairis were a class of the armais. * Meaning the verses of the urân. The Kabeh. Abû Lahab, an uncle of Muammed, was one of his most implacable enemies. § This refers to the taking of Mekkeh by the followers of arma, under Abû âhir, A. H. 317, i. e. A. D. 929-30. See Mémoires de l'Institut, Tome iv. p. 5. Or, Magism. * Alluding, probably, to the discomfiture and repulse which the Mongols received, when they at length invaded Syria, in the beginning of the fourteenth century of our era. See Abulfedae Annales Muslemici, ed. J. J. Reiske, Tome v. pp. 172, ff. Abulfeda assigns this conquest of Cyprus by Muâwiyeh to the year of the Hijrah 28, i. e. A. D. 648-9. See Abulfedae Annales Muslemici, Tome i. p. 262. * This statement of the relations existing between the Nuairis and the Christians in Syria, from the middle of the tenth century of our era down into the fourteenth century, the period when Ibn Yatmiyeh himself lived, can not fail to be regarded with interest, as it is believed to be quite new. i. e. Party of the Sellers of salt, probably. I think it has been said by some one, that, at the present day, Nuairis come to Beirût to sell salt. i. e. Party of the inebriates. § See note § p. 279. See note p. 273. ¶ Meaning the name El-Muslimûn. ** Meaning the name El-Muminûn. See note p. 276. i. e. Party of the Squalid. The Brâhman Hermits, or Buddhist Mendicants, are probably referred to here. * May not the saying here attributed to the Nuairis, be an imitation of what is said of the "Word of God" in Rev. xix. 16. "And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords?" Probably The aî of El-Bukhâry, which is the most esteemed of the collections of authentic traditions bearing this name. * urân, Sur. ix. v. 85. In El-Beihâwy's commentary on this verse we read, "It is reported by tradition that Abdallah Ibn Ubeiy called for the Prophet of God, during his illness; and after he had entered where he was, he asked him to forgive him, and that he would wrap him for burial in the covering which was next his body, and would pronounce the benediction over him. So, after he was dead, he [the Prophet] sent his tunic that he might be wrapt in it for burial, and went out to pronounce the benediction over him; whereupon the verse came down, etc." See Beidhawii Comm. in Coran., vol. i. p. 396; and compare Mohammed der Prophet, von Dr. Gustav Weil, s. 283. * urân, Sur. ix. vv. 19-22. Journals Sacred Texts Journals Ismâili materials {Untitled Ismâili document} II. In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Praise be to God, who confirms every thing by his unity; to the glory of whose reverence every thing bows; who embraces by science the thing in every thing; who is, and before whom was not anything; and who created out of nothing things created; and the glory of whose dominion nothing resembles, so that not any thing is too much for him if he wills it; and who is the cause of every thing; and who dipenses with every thing, and whom nothing dispenses with; whom all things need, and from whom and with whom are all things; from whom every thing emanates, and who emanates not from any thing; and who is not the general of any thing special, and who comes not under anything; and by reason of whom nothing subsists, and to the detriment of whom nothing changes; and to the degree of whose essence there is no reaching for any perception, or any conjecture; who is the Hidden of the hidden, and the Mystery of mystery; from whose unity emanated a sole Amr. And to it was given for a covering the Kâf and the Nûn,* comprehending that which was, and that which is, and that which is to be. So then, that is his Word, and his effusion, and his out-pouring, and his science, and the cause of that which is produced by him, and his perfection, and the medium of his producing, and the means of his creating, and the manifester of his declaring, and the exhibiter of his superior power, and a hiyûly to his command, and a form to his volition, like as the Irâdeh is a hiyûly to his Amr, and a form to his Meshiyeh;§ and as will is a hiyûly to volition, and a form to the intellect. And so emanates from his sole Amr the first producer, the Sâbi, the most perfect receiver, the simple substance, the apprehender, the comprehender, the suited to the appropriation of perfection, the creator by no reinforcement,¶ and the correspondent of the Eternal One, and the Noble Root, the Primitive Light, and the Universal Intelligence, the improver of things existing, the shedder forth of things created, the producer of things produced, the preceder of things made, the divine in essence, the conjoined with felicities, the abiding, the constant, the medium between the Creator and his reinforcement pertaining to things caused, the made one with the Word, the sharer in the divine majesty, the prior by essence and rank, the exempt from finiteness and defect, the place of the act of creation, and the seat of the act of production, the shedder forth upon the Tâly** as to that which it receives of the out-pouring of the Highest, the lofty, the form of forms, the originator of creatures, the governor of ranks, the performer of wonders, and the manifester of extraordinaries, the complete as to excellencies, the finisher of the first five,* the uniter of things allied, the separater of things which differ. So then, it is the first of substances, and the second of manifesters, the necessary by its Cause, the competent by its divinity, the living, the emulous in science, the potent, the ruler, the prohibiter, the commander, the shedder forth, the receiver, the made, the maker, the perfected, the perfecter, the lover, the beloved for its essence, the exerciser of justice, the joyous with its delights, the qualified with the most perfect of attributes, the designated by the most excellent of epithets, which is set forth in the attributes and the names, and which is named Fate. So then, it is the fortune of fortunes, and the pen of that which is written, and the hiyûly of every hiyûly, and the place of science, and the supreme and primitive nature, which receives effusion from its Cause, and is let out, and so becomes the shedder forth of the lights of his Word, and takes its stand with his taking his stand, and abides with his abiding, by virtue of a continual effusion of reinforcements, from eternity to eternity, endless, without measure, and incomputable. And its receiving that which is not an end§ postulates that it is a receiver in order to spreading, in order that the acted upon may be converted into an actor, and that the Intelligence, and that which is objective to the Intelligence, may become an intelligent being, and that the height of its potency may be manifested, and the light of its wisdom. And so emanates, in accordance with its volition, in order to the continuance of the perfection of its felicity, through the fairness of its forming, an active substance, congruous with its substance, which is named the Universal Soul, and the Veritable Spirit, which is raised up by it as a receiver of its effusion and its impresses, improving by the succession of its benefits and its lights, prepared for the reception of impress, naked of forms. So then, it is the verity of verities, and the quintessence of things recondite, which is designated as the Tâly to that Sâbi, the essence of which is a tablet for the inscribing of the letters of the pen of the Intelligence, a root to that which is beside it of branches, and a branch to that root, a place of beginning to the lettings out of things, and a cause of the measurements of things which have parts, and a medium between the first and the last, and the inward and the outward, the place of coming out of that which is potential to the open field of actuality, the sojourning-place of lights, the excellencies of science and justice,* a power able to manifest sciences in that which is caused, a receiver of the impress of its Cause, an actor, making its impresses upon that which is caused, pervading through all existence, reinforcing, by effusion and aiding, the rest of the Enclosures, which manifests things subtile, and forms things gross, and disperses through the world its forces, and manifests its ideas in every genus and species and person. And so emanates therefrom the Primitive Hiyûly, the receiver, essentially, of the forms of things created, upon which the Soul pours out that which it receives of the impress of its Cause, and through the medium of which it perpetuates the perfection of its excellence, and which, by the force of receptivity, and the perfection of preparation for forms, it causes to become the distant three. For, pervading nature and coursing forms are manifested in things whole and things of parts, and things high and things low; and the Hiyûly thereby becomes an absolute body, and the force of the soul is attached to it with attachment, and so are parted off from it the higher envelopes, and made out of it the lower bodies; while attractive, propensive force manifests motion of volition.§ And so the Circumambient is fashioned in the most excellent of fashions, and ordered in the most perfect of states. So then, it is the cause of sensible motions, and the manifester of the forces of the Soul, and the reconditeness of the idea of the Holy One, the limiter of regions, the uniter of things simple and things composite, a cause of place, an actualizer of time, which is enthroned in the evenness of the Merciful, and the place of the loftiness of the envelopes, the basis of the regulator of the day, the compriser of every cause and every effect.* Afterwards, is let out the Stellar Sphere, with the fixed stars, the seat of power, which compasses the earth and the heavens, which is the standing-place of forms, and the lunar mansions, and the zodiacal signs, which is denominated the heaven of the degrees of the zodiacal signs, the actualizer of the great periods, the mover of that which is beside it of envelopes. Afterwards, rises to view the Elevated Palace, the capacious structure, the vestibule, the hall of Keiwân, who is the superior over beings, the master of abstinence and chieftainship, the educator of people of thought and ingenuity, the presider over cultivated spots and sown fields, the sheikh of the overflowing, and the lords of groups of houses, the letter out of ages by his rotation, the master of handicrafts, the black as to his colors. Afterwards, the Second Palace, the solid as to foundations, of which the defenses hide Birjîs, who is the manifest by science and research, the aider of the masters of the luminous and the enlightening, namely the Lights, the shedder forth, whose beauty gives light, the powerful in the house of the King of the invisible realm of heaven, the ordainer of kings and rulers, the manifester of nights and days, the cause of articles* by his movements, and the regulator of fundamentals by his reposings, who puts in motion the great enlightener, the most potent master of revolution. Afterwards, the Fifth Palace, the palanquin of the fair Nâhaid, and the sitting-place of the bright Zaharah, who is the star of the people of gaiety and ordered song with music, the sweetheart of the sparkling orbs, the adorner of women and girls, the belle of the celestial spheres, the tempter of the king who presides over love and mirthfuness, as for accidents; and as for colors, the white. Afterwards, the Sixth Palace, the shop of the devices of Uârid, who is involved in every thing emanating, and every thing coming into existence, the sage, the geometrician, and the sanctified ascetic, the master of paintings and writings, who takes care of the niceties of the arts, the compiler of diwâns, the educator of artificer and artizans, the mingled, the colored, the refined, the varied. Afterwards, the Seventh Palace, the hippodrome of Jaulân, who is the second enlightener, the hastener in journeyings, without delay, the master of the fashionings of light, the star of the camel-train and couriers, the colorer of things, who has command of striping and reddening, who makes months and years to be, the agent of properties and powers, the befriender as to supplies, the clother, who takes in hand the concerns of common men. And after the seven homogeneous palaces, come other seven heterogeneous, which are the four Corner-stones, and their intermediates, the circumscribing three. The first, then, of the Corner-stones is the Globe of Ether, which is the heaven of the shooting stars, and the station of the possessors of tails and flowing manes, the highest of the elements, and the agent of heats in substances. Next, the second, is the Globe of Air, with clouds and rains, the place of convolution for the convolution of vapor, the agent of thunder-clouds, and thunder-bolts, and mists, and distant thunderings, the uniter of colds in freezing cold, and the life of every thing animate which possesses form. And the third is the Globe of Water, the giver of moisture to things, the image of science, the all-embracing, by means of which every thing living is constituted, the manifest by the ocean, the filled with substance, the pourer, the profuse. The fourth is the Globe of gross Earth, the centre of every subtile circumambient,* the guardian of dryness in composites, the binder of separating parts. The first two are light, and the last two, heavy; and as for each two of them, an intermediate determines them, that they may not exceed their bounds. And after the fathers and the mothers have moved with the three motions, and natural properties incline towards being awakened, and the three generators appear, and the males are filled with the females, the first of things generated is Minerals, which are compounded of the Corner-stones, of which the lowest is sand, and the highest, small pearls; and as for the second, it is Plants, of which the lowest is the kushût, and the highest, the tall palm; and the third is Animals, of which the lowest is the intestinal worm, and the highest, man. So then, these are conjoined substances, and a material not dissevered, spreading itself from the apogee of the Holy One to the perigee of genus, coursing through the worlds, appearing in things which rise to view, and hiding itself in things obscured. In twenty-eight places of manifestation is the Perfect in number, which are three groups of seven,§ successive as to effusion, and the reinforcements in which the light of the Divine Word spreads itself of which the form is perfectness, and the ideas are consummate.* And so it appears, in every place of manifesttion, in the most elevated of Impersonations; and them it causes to acknowledge the way of return and deliverance, and instructs in the ideas of mystery and witness, and commands to obey and worship, and forbids to pass limits. Blessed, then, be that which separates and unites, and which is conversant with that which is made! And let gratitude be to our friends, and praise to our superiors, for the bestowal of acquirements of knowledge, and gifts of thing subtile, and the knowledge of quality, and that which is qualified, and the qualifier. And in him who knows, who is assured, there is that which apprehends every idea. These things, O my seignors and my brethren, are the verity of my knowledge, and the philosophy of my essence and my quality, and my circuit of my Kabeh, and my stopping on my Arafeh,§ and the hidden sense of my pilgrimage, and the idea of my visitation of the sacred spots, and the finishing of my endeavor for the afâ of my Choice, and the Marweh of my Fortitude, and my prostration to the Muammedan ibleh and the ureishite Kabeh, and the Aly-presence, and the Hâshimite Corner-stones, and the Fâimite Domes, and the Ismâilian Imâms, and the Suns of the West and East,from them and to them let there be the best of peace-giving, and the most perfect of salutation! "And thy Lord said by inspiration to the bee, 'Take thou of the mountains for homes, and of the trees, and of what they rear for shelter, and afterwards eat thou of every fruit; so pursue thou the ways of thy Lord.' That makes to come out from within her a drink varied in its colors, in which there is healing for men. Verily, therein is a sign to people who consider."* The Memorial of the acquirements of knowledge by the friend of God Ibrâhîm, of whose spirit was Ismaîl,let peace from both of them be to us! The Blessed Belief. Praise be to God who has directed us to his religion, the right, and brought us to his way, the straight, and elected us to the creed of our father Ibrâhîm, and freely bestowed it upon us! for it is the ancient doctrine which is the doctrine of Ismaîl the noble. And let the benedictions of God, and his peace, and his salutations, and his honoring, be to the Possessors of pure elements, and pervading envelopes, and angelic souls, and holy intelligences! I believe as they who profess the unity, believe, and hold to that which they who know, hold to, and I declare as they who believe, declare, that the world with all its parts, from the roof to the ground, is originated, potential; and that that which is originated is that which is potential, needing an originator who exercises preference; and that he is God, the Eternal, the Necessary; the essentially Rich, the Self-subsistent, whom things potential take the place of, and are necessary to, whom we qualify with the qualifyings of hallowing and exalting, and acquit ourselves of the profession of vacuity,§ as well as of anthropomorphism. And I believe that the Prophets of God are so of right, and veritably Nâis, whose testimony is confirmed by intellectual proofs, and decisive arguments; and that the Leaves of the Prophets, and their Books, sent down to them, are the word of God,let him be magnified and glorified! and as for the letter of his revelation, that there is no vagueness in it, and no uncertainty, and no defect, and no fault; and that the angels are they who are the favorite servants of God, who are the Karûbis and the Spirituals;* and that the religions to which the Nâis call, during the periods, and the laws which they establish for the people of the ages, are correct as to terms, truthful as to ideas, obligatory as to the following of them, obvious for their utility, the denier of which, during their time, is an infidel, and the opposer of which, during their season, is an obdurate wretch; and as for the law of our period, that it is the Muammedan law, and that the religion of this our time is the religion of Amed. And I believe that the punishment of the sepulchre and its comfort are a reality; and that Munkir and Nakîr are a reality; and the gathering, and the blast; and the resurrection, a reality; and the Garden and the Fire, a reality; and the Book, and the reckoning, and the irâ, and the Balance, a reality; and the coming to an end, and the returning to God, a reality; and the seeing of him, a reality; and the allowed and the forbidden, a reality; and that the commanding of acts of obedience and services, is a thing admitted;§ and the prohibition of acts of disobedience and offences, a thing objective to the intellect; and that prayer, and alms; and fasting, and pilgrimage, and holy warfare, and justice, and beneficence, and the giving to a relative, are obligatory on the believers; and that the commission of adultery, and the practice of usury, and obscenity, and depravity, and the killing without right, and games, and things intoxicating, are forbidden to the Muslims. And I believe that the Jinns are existent, and the Sheiâns not unreal; and that Iblîs and his troop, the cursed, are the friends of infidels and hypocrites. And I believe that there is no perfection except by the knowledge of oneself; and no elevation except by making sure the sciences of religion; and no deliverance except by sincerity as to the articles of faith; and no rest except in the renunciation of conveniences, and the taking to utilities; and no knowledge except by the profession of unity; and no clean purification, and no attaining, except by perseverance; and no coming up except by the Imâm; and no obedience except by the friends; and no disobedience except by following the adversaries; and no direction, and no being a Muslim, except by submission to the rightful Imâms; and no faith except by love to the pure people of the Family;* and no religion except the religion of the Lords of disclosure and allegory; and no belief except the belief of the Masters of wisdom and the letter of revelation; and no doctrine except the doctrine of the Dâis of Ismaîl. These things are the cream of my doctrine, and my belief on my setting out and my return; and the refined gold of my faith, and the credence of my heart. And therewithal I submit to God in my inmost soul, and my open doing, and hope for the end of the attainment of things desired. And I am fixed in what my tongue has uttered in the presence of my chiefs and my brethren. And we read, "Upon those who believe, and who perform good actions, there rests no guilt in respect to that which they eat, provided they stand in awe, and believe, and perform good actions, and after that stand in awe, and believe, and after that stand in awe, and do virtuously; and God loves those who do virtuously." The Memorial of the talker with God Mûsa,let peace from both of them be to us! The Allegorical Sense of the Blessed Belief. "He it is who has sent down to thee the Book, of which some verses are explicit, which are the mother of the Book, and others not precise. So then, as for them in whose hearts is wandering, they follow that which is not precise, pertaining to it, from desire to seduce, and from desire to allegorize it; while no one knows its allegorical sense, except God and those who are firmly established in science, who say, 'We believe in it; all is from our Lord;' and only the possessors of hearts reflect."* I hold fast to the Possessor of majesty and omnipotence, and I fortify myself in the King of the visible realm and the invisible, and I entrust myself to the Living One, who dies not, our Deity, and the Deity of those who discover to us, and our Lord, and the Lord of our superiors, and our Friend, and the Friend of our friends. And I acknowledge that there is no outward without its inward; and no form without its perfect idea; and no rind without its core; and no Light without its veil; and no Knowing One without his Gate; and no law without its way; and no way without its verity; and no verity without its letter of revelation; and no letter of revelation without its allegorical sense; and no allegorical sense except to the firmly established in science; and no being firmly established in science except to the allegorizers. So then, as for our saying God, its allegorical sense is the Word. And the allegorical sense of the world is a place for manifesting the divine greatness. And as for the coming into existence, it is the posteriority of the caused to the cause, and the latter's preceding the former, agreeably to convincing proofs, a priori and a posteriori, with reference to order, by argument from order of time, not order of place. And as for potentiality, it is the essence of the being in need, and the ordaining of the realization of the relation of cause to effect. And "the essentially Necessary" implies the absurdity of defining by that which is devoid of quality. And as for the Mana's being established as pre-existent and eternal, and the hallowing of the self-existently Necessary, and the exempting of him from his qualities, it is that we abstract from him every thing which occurs to our minds, and is fixed in our perceptions; and we know that he is above the reach of the choicest of our perceptions and our conjectures; and his unreached qualities take us out of the ditch of sentimentalizing and the profession of vacuity, while they save us from the fetter of anthropomorphism and assimilation. And as for prophecy and communication by message, they are the manifestation of the Word in the Veil, and the setting up of the Guide, and the Conductor, and the Gate to the open way of truth and the path of rectitude. And as for the Prophet, he is the informer with regard to fundamentals, calling to that to which the Envoy* calls. And as for the Envoy, he is the Nâi, calling to the two Roots, the Sâbi and the Tâly, and the three Branches, the Jedd and the Fat and the Khiyâl, which make the higher five comprising perfection. The Nâi is an outward, of which the inward is the Tâly, to which latter it pertains to train and manage, while the opposite is the case in regard to composing and putting together. And as for the confirmation of communication by message, by means of proof and analogy, it is the allegorical sense of the Asâs, and the manifestation to the intelligent among men of Ideas composed by the Nâi. And as for the sending down of the Leaf and the Book, and Jebrîl's bringing the Address, it is the coming of aid to the Nâi from the Sâbi, and its directing with reference to composing, and its assisting in the writing out. The embodiment of form objective to the intellect is necessary; and the Address is the verification of things determined by the intellect. And as for the favorite angels, they are the knowing, active forces in the upper and lower worlds. And as for their glorifying night and day, and their ascribing of dominion for people of the faith, with asking of forgiveness, it is the continuing of those forces to order the succession of the Amrs, and the manifestation of the properties thereof, in their known place, without intermission,§ And the Karûbis are the forces which support the Nâis in composing the letter of revelation. And the Spirituals are the forces which belong to the Asâses in the disclosure of the allegorical sense. And as for religions and laws, they are the institutions of divine intelligences for the good estate of earthly bodies, in order to the perfecting of the sciences of human souls; which are six, while seven is the number of the days of the week.* And as for the sepulchre, it is corporeal form and the enveloping Palaces. And as for the punishment of the sepulchre, it is the impression made upon the soul by the shackle of that which comes to it of Hiyûly-forms, opposed to its natural properties; which is in the way of fettering. And the comfort of the sepulchre is the loss of the impression made upon it thereby, and its taking refuge in the verification of the apprehensions pertaining to its Palace-like instruments; which is by the power of attraction. And as for the fixing by Munkir and Nakîr, it is the mastery of the forces of passionate desire and anger. And as for the gathering, it is the hastening of souls in pursuing the route of their instruments, and their decamping to the rear-guard of their instruments, and the conclusion from premises of creatures, in respect to their days, and the verity of the idea of a day which calls all men to their Imâm. And as for the awakening, it is the manifestation of souls in world after world, in accordance with their acquirements of wrong and crime. And as for the allegorical sense of the resurrection, the resurrection of individual souls is separation from the apprehensions of sense, and corporeal instruments; and the resurrection of laws and religions is the appearance of the âim* of the time; and the resurrection of the period in the Universal Soul's showing itself in the well-doings of individual souls; and the resurrection of resurrections is the perfection of deliverance and salvation, and the relief of all souls from being made to emanate, and their reaching the world of the Holy Ones and the place of Lights, and the ending of the prolongation of the hours of the Great Day, and the coming together of the planets, after their separation, at the point of the first equipoise in revolution; and the resurrection of the whole is the consummation of the two awakenings, and the closing together of the two zones, and the reversion of science and power to the Universal Soul, in the two worlds, and the coming to nothing of articles, and the failure of difference in fundamentals, and the Hiyûly's putting off the clothing of form, and the Soul's dispensing with the efficiencies of necessity,§ and the Knowing One's becoming alone as to his sort and his principle, and the verification of his saying, "And to him shall all command revert."¶ And as for the Book, it is the tablet of secret thought, and the place of that by which the soul is determined in respect to holding to be true and imagining. And as for the reading of it, it is the soul's eyeing and regarding its objects of knowledge akin to itself. And if they are proved sciences and decisive verities, the soul takes hold of them by the right hand, because they pertain to the higher alternative of direction and certain knowledge; and if they are the imaginings of conjecture and the accreditings of supposition, and the doubtings of syllogism, and the beliefs of the following of authority, the soul takes hold of them by the left hand,* because they pertain to the lower alternative of conjecturing and error. And as for the reckoning, it is that the superior Universal Soul stands by inferior individual souls, in respect to that which emanates from them of sayings and doings, and sciences and operations, whilst they use the instruments of form, and outward shapes, with the four compound forces, out of which are made up the forces of man, which are the angelic, and the brutal, and the bestial, and the Satanic. And so, if the angelic increases, and the force of certain knowledge predominates, they merit the good of compensation, and are safe from the evil of penalty, and are elevated, as devotees, to the inner court of the invisible realm of the celestial spheres, to have command of worlds beneath which the Regal Powers have sway, and are raised by degrees to their spiritual mansion, and their world of light; and if one of the three [other] forces predominates, and hinders them from experiencing resurrection, they merit the torment of penalty, and return into the defile of the place of return, and are brought back to the long zig-zag, and to base, hideous form, and are dismissed to a shade in three parts, and are imprisoned in the caverns of abjectness and weakness. And as for the Balance, it is the medium which the intellect makes use of in order to apprehension, and discernment, and preference between the incoherencies of falsehood and the accordances of that which is precious. And as for that which is weighed, it is views and firmly established beliefs, as respects sayings and doings, and sciences and operations. And as for the weigher, it is the intellect, the apprehender, the comprehender, the discerner between the composite and the simple. And as for the irâ,§ it is the intermediate between progression and attainment, shared in common, and the soul's way of transit to the upper world, from the lower opposed thereto, between that which is corporeal and that which is spiritual, a place of twisting for minerals, a place of bending for plants, a place of stooping for animals, a place of erect standing for spiritual men and deities.* And as for the idea of the Garden, it is the eight worlds, of which the first is the Garden of the Balancer which is the station of man; and the second, the Garden of Adan, which is the station of angels; and the third, the Garden of eternal life, which consists of the worlds of the celestial spheres; and the fourth, the Superior Garden, which consists of the worlds of spirit abstracted from the enveloping worlds; and the fifth, the Garden of Firdaus, which consists of the worlds of the Soul-like; and the sixth, the Garden of comfort, which is the world of science; and the seventh, the Garden of Rihwân, which is the world of the Intelligene; and the eighth, the Garden of the peace of aid; which is the world of the Divine Amr, from which the worlds come forth, and to which is their return. And as for the gradations of the Garden, they are the degrees of sciences, and the measures of perceptions, in every known Place. And as for the delights, and the enclosures, they are the whirling about of souls in the inner court of their acquirements of knowledge, and their gaiety on reaching their places of witness,§ and their stopping-places. And as for the couches, and the shades, and the cushions, and the mantles, they are the places of manifestation of souls in rival forms, and their putting off disagreeing forms, and clothing themselves in suitable impersonations. And as for the water-pitchers, and the goblets, and the butler, and the wine-chalice, and the wine, they are instruments of the apprehensive faculties, and helps to the comprehension of the sciences of the invisible realm and the angels. And the butler is the Imâm of the circling period; and the wine-chalice is that which the Nâi composes of the outward; and the pure wine is the allegorical sense of the letter of revelation, and the disclosure of the hidden. And as for the Fire, it is the seven worlds, namely, the three things generated and the four Corner-stones; of which the first is Lea, which is the Globe of Ether; after which is El-Jehîm, the centre of Air and Freezing Cold; after which is Es-Saîr, the mansion of Water; after which is El-Hâwiyeh, the place of sepulture; after which is Jehennam, the world of animals other than man; after which is Saar, the station of plants; after which is Sejjîl, the place of dead minerals. And its descents are the forms of its hideous impersonations, and its gross, heavy envelopes. And its people are the individual souls which profess false religions and depraved beliefs. And as for the punishment and the penalty, it is that which one experiences of sufferings and pains and diseases, and separation from things habituated to, by the inroad of misfortunes and calamities. And as for the Zubâniyeh,* the helps of El-Jehîm, they are the forms of doubts and ignorances, and the impersonations of errors and phantasms, and the manifesters of false views and failures. And Mâlik is the impersonation of composite ignorance. And as for the being qualified with badness, that is the being collared with the serpent and the scorpion, and the change of skins, and the being folded to breaking, and the being brought back to the lowest of two low states, and the being conducted into the zig-zag of Es-Saîr, and the tree Zaûm,§ and the becoming akin to the Adversaries, and the gathering of the fruits of infidelity and repugnance, and the feeding on the harî¶ and putrefaction. And the belief of that which fits not the intellect, and religion, and the following of authority, are the People of uncertainties and conjecturing,** and the drink of hot water, and the sentences adverse to the certain truth. And as for the coming to an end, and the return to God,let him be exalted! it is the terminating of all the relations and connections which are between things simple and things composite, of the spiritual and corporeal worlds, and things subtile and things gross, in the four Upholding Roots,* the traces of the Word, in the order indicated, by means of of the letters of God conjoined with the Amr; which is the idea of the return of things composite, having relation to number, to Unity; which is anterior to Ether, which is the principle of number, and its origin, and which is the principle of the perfect, the deficient, and the redundant. And as for the seeing of him,let him be exalted! it is the knowledge of the rank of the Imâm, and the witnessing of his lights, comprehending that which is special and that which is general, and the regarding of his traces, embracing ideas and corporeities. And as for the allowed, it is that which is necessary to be manifested and laid open. And as for the forbidden, it is that which is necessary to be concealed and hidden. And obedience is the entering into covenant with the âim of the time. And disobedience is the inclining to the Imâms of error and hostility. And as for prayer, it is the connection of the Dâi with the House of peace, through paternal connection, in respect to religiousness, with the Imâm.§ And alms is the coming of wisdom to him who is worthy, and the guiding of the inquirer to the open way of truth. And fasting is the abstaining from disclosure of the verities of legal enactments, in the presence of others than those to whom they are suited, during the period of disclosure. And as for the going into retirement, it is the Imâm's hiding himself by means of his Veils,¶ and his concealing himself by means of some of his Dâis and his ujjahs, that is, night, which is the Imâm's veiling himself by his Veils from sight. And day is that which proves the period of disclosure, that is, the breaking of fast, which is the manifestation of the Imâm behind a Veil, and his causing souls to know without a Gate. And as for the breaking of fast, it is the coming out to view of the divine ideas, and the knowledge of the verity of the circumstances of the Place of return;* which is its manifestation without a Veil with which it veils itself, and without a Gate by which entrance is made to it; and the manifestation of guarded secrets and reserved sciences. And as for pilgrimage, it is correct motive in respect to love of the Seignors, the Imâms, and constancy in friendship for the people of the Family, the Family of science and wisdom. And the setting out is the cutting off of speculation, to the neglect of that which is beside them. And the provision for the way, and the pack-camel, is the asking to be reinforced with their idea. And the entering upon the sacred territory is departure from the doctrines of the Adversaries, and the acquiring of receptivity and preparation. And as for the stopping on Arafeh and Muzdelifeh, it is the being intent upon the canons of wisdom and knowledge. And as for the idea of the slaying and the shearing,§ it is the putting an end to falsehood by the manifestation of the truth. And the casting of stones at intervals of three thousand paces is the rejection of doubting and supposing and conjecturing, as respects sciences and operations. And the kissing of the Black Stone¶ is acceptance of the call from the aided Nâi. And the going around the corners** is the knowledge of the groups of seven pertaining to the relation of cause to effect. And the Makâm and Zemzem* are the call to that which is inward and the call as to that which is outward. And the running between Marweh and afâ is the performance of the covenant with faithfulness. And the finishing of pilgrimage by the complete visitation of the sacred spots, is the responding to the Mâdhûns with respect to the general call. And the going against an enemy and holy warfare are the scrutinizing of the arguments of those who are repugnant, and the bringing to nought their sayings by intellectual proofs and decisive arguments. And as for the commission of adultery, it is the responder's being brought into connection without a witness, and the laying open of things before the choosing to enter into covenant. And the practice of usury is the passionate desire for enrichment, and the seeking of things perishable by the divulging of secrets. And obscenity is the mentioning of commendable actions as pertaining to the obstinate disobedients, and the reference of fair deeds to the hostile transgressors. And depravity is the exchange of the Knowing One for the Ignorant. And transgression is the preferring of that which is excelled above that which excels. And justice is the abandoning of that which is deficient, when the perfect exists. And fair doing is the science of the comprehensiveness of the Imâm, and his sovereignty over that which is inward and that which is outward, or which appears and which hides itself. And the giving to a relative is love of the Family of the Envoy, and friendship for the posterity of the Immaculate, and the extolling of the Hâshimites, and the declaration of the imamship of the Fâimite Imâms. And injustice is the making others than the people of the Family the depositories of the imamship, and the falling away from the Knowing One, the Living One, and the imitating of the Ignorant, the Lifeless. And as for the killing without right and evidence, it is the contending for victory without science, and the striving to put to rout without proof. And games are the sciences of the Party of the Outcasts, and the things believed by the Party of the Externalists; which prevent souls from inquiring into verities, and from contemplating things which are recondite, and interdict the following of the rules of the ignorants, and the institutions of the Adversaries and the repudiating zealots. And the forbidden intoxicating draught is that which diverts the intellect from direction toward the knowledge connected with inquiry concerning the Imâm, and the witnessing of his lights, comprehending the special and the general, and the regarding of his traces, embracing ideas and corporeities. And as for the Jinns, they are the Hiders of themselves from the eyes of the aliens, but the Attendants upon the perfect, the good, who expand wings of mercy over the inhabitants of the metropolises. And as for the Ifrîts and the Ghûls, they are the accursed, obstinate Adversaries, of the species of the gainsayers and the repugnant,let the curse of God and of the angels be on them all! And as for Iblîs he is the undertaker of hostility to the manifest Imâm of the age, through envy and hatred. This is the allegorical sense of my belief with respect to religion, and the refined ore of my holding with respect to the summing up of the substance of certain knowledge; which is the religion of the Noble Envoy, and the creed of our father Ibrâhîm, and the doctrine of the great Annunciation, and the belief of the people of the Noble Family. "So then, whoever changes it, after that he has heard it, the fault thereof rests only upon those who change it. Verily, God is one who hears, one who knows."* As for the pious, verily they are beheld taking comfort upon couches; in their faces is discerned the brightness of comfort; they have given them to drink pure wine sealed, of which the seal is a perfume of musk. And let those be eager, then, for that, who are eager for gladness, and joy, and happiness, and resurrection. The Memorial of the Spirit of God Îsa and his Legatee Shemun,let peace from both of them be to us! The Knowledge of the rank of the Imâm,let the most distinguished peace, and the most perfect salutation, be to his memory! which is the hidden Sense of alms. It is a saying of his,let him be exalted! "And we have indeed ennobled the sons of Adam, and borne them upon the land and upon the sea, and bestowed on them good things, and distinguished them above many of those whom we have created, with distinction. On a certain day, we shall call all men to their Imâm; and so, whoever have their books given to them in their right hands, those will read their books, and will not be wronged a mite; and whoever is blind in this world, he will be blind in the world to come, and more out of the way."* Praise be to God who has taught us, and informed us, and ennobled us, and made us to see, in that he has directed us to the way of the profession of unity, and has put us, by causing to follow the Imâms of truth, among the most distinguished of his servants! And benediction, and peace, and salutation, and honoring, be to the memory of our Friend, the Imâm of the time, the point of the circle of religions, the ibleh of the people of the faith, and the plain way to the Gardens, the affirmed as to his existence by argument and proof, the verity of verities, and the end of ways, and the acme of the intention of created things, and the cause of the existence of the Tâly and the Sâbi, the firm bond of alliance with God, and his clear light, and his certain truth, and his preceptive Book, and his prolonged shadow, and the watering-reservoir of him, and his blessed Place of standing, and his knotted standard, and his Amr by which existence appears, and his Word from which the worlds come forth, and to which they return, the proposed end, the perfection of the knowledge of whom has to do with the ordaining of laws and creeds, the showing of whose rank is that which is intended by the manifestation of occasions and causes, for whose sakes intellects and souls are made fast,§ and on whose account is the manifestation of that which is objective to the intellect and that which is objective to sense, around whom is the circling of the celestial spheres and the envelopes, and from whom proceeds the sustenance of spirits and bodies, and through whom is the remaining of the Corner-stones and the things generated, and to whom pertains the consolidation of causes and things caused, of whose familiarity the worlds* are the manifesters, and of whose sanctity they are the place, and of the lights of whose divinity they are the place of appearing, and of the mysteries of whose humanity they are the hiding-places, and of the suns of whose glory they are the rising-places, and of the moons of whose perfection they are the setting-places,§ by the following of whom elevation is attained, and through the love of whom abiding is perpetual, and by the knowledge of whom there is salvation from the obscurities of El-Hâwiyeh, and arrival at high degrees, and deliverance from the snare of polytheism and disobedience, and rectitude in the open way of direction and faith, to whom the Prophets and the Envoys point, and in whom the courses and the paths come to an end. So then, he is the idea of the Book, and the import of the Address, and the way of right judgment, and the hidden sense of the Veil, and the Gate of Gates. And he is the divine effusion, and the other consummate out-pouring.¶ And to him belongs light, and darkness, and the causing to exist, and annihilation. By obedience to him is perfection, and the reaching to the most exalted of states; and by disobedience to him is irreclaimableness, and falling into the pit of ruin. No companion is without him, and no place dispenses with him; and his effusion is not severed from things produced; and from his science escapes not the weight of a mite, either in the earth or in the heavens; and he exempts not from his sovereignty either things which move or things which are at rest, or things outward or things inward. So then, let worthiness to be glorified, and worthiness to be hallowed, be ascribed to his noble presence! And let there be a hallowing and an exalting of his eternal majesty, and a magnifying and a praising of his great throne! And to his side we betake ourselves, and with knowledge of him we wake to attention, and to gratitude to him we give utterance, and to his mercy we render thanks, and in the profession of his unity we believe, and to his Enclosures we yield obedience, and to his Nâis* we give credit. And their Asâses we acknowledge, and their Imâms we know for certain. And with their direction we have contracted, and upon their gladdening with intimacy and secret converse we rely, and in the open way of their counsel we stand fast, and in the light of their lights we see, and in the love of them, and friendship to them, we die and live, and in obedience to them we go on journeys. And if they had not benignantly bestowed upon us their long-suffering, certainly we should not have perceived the enactments of the time, and the Mediators of the Merciful, and the Gate of God, the Knowing One, the Omniscient. And know thou that every Imâm of the time is according to the time; who is the first and the last, the outward and the inward; who is knowing to every thing. This, then, is a part of the hidden things of the science of religion, and the mystery of certain knowledge, and the faith of the believers, and the light of the Rightful, and the tenets of those who profess unity, and the crown of those who have knowledge, and the end of the patient, and the mark of every one who has an aim, and the watering-place of everyone who goes to water. So hold thou on to it, with the holding on of him who hopes to have it on the day of return; and provision thyself with it, for it is the best of provisions for the way. And it is that which is most important of the sciences, and that which is the highest of them. And thou shalt not communicate it except to those to whom it is suited. And praise be to God who has directed us hereto! and we should not have been to be directed, if God had not directed us. And do thou, O God, bless our chief Muammed, and his Family, the good, the pure, with a benediction abiding to the day of doom! And God is our sufficiency. And well is he the Guardian! And well is he the Friend! And well is he the Defender! And let peace be to the Messengers! And praise be to God, the Lord of worlds! Footnotes Meaning, who knows the essence of every thing. * By the Kâf and the Nûn is meant the creative mandate ###, be thou. Meaning the declaration of his mind and will by revelation. The Greek , matter without form. Of course, both this word and "form" are here used metaphorically. § By the Irâdeh, or the Will, and the Meshiyeh, or the Volition, seem here to be intended the Sâbi and the Tâly, presently to be mentioned, of which the former emanates directly from the Amr, while the latter emanates from it. The same application of names is found in the books of the Druzes. See De Sacy's Exposé de la Religion des Druzes, Tome ii. pp. 21-2. i. e. Preceder. ¶ Meaning, without any aiding from a higher power. ** i. e. Follower. See below. * Meaning the first five emanations, namely, the Amr, the Sâbi, the Tâly, the Primitive Hiyûly, and the Circumambient. See below. Namely, those applied to God by the Muslims. Meaning reinforcements from the Amr, received by the Sâbi, and transmitted to the Prophets of every period, and to the seven Imâms of each, as their representatives, by virtue of which the Deity himself is conceived of as taking his stand, and abiding, in them. § Namely, the reinforcement from the Amr. * Meaning that the divine attributes of knowledge and justice are tabernacled in it. Enclosures of the Deity. This name seems to include, in the Ismâilian system, all created existences. See p. 306. By which is meant the three classes of existence farthest removed from the Deity, namely, Minerals, Plants, and Animals. See below. § The name of "the higher envelopes" includes the Stellar Sphere, and the seven Palaces, presently to be mentioned; while the four Globes, of Ether, Air, Water, and gross Earth, together with Minerals, Plants, and Animals, which are also presently to be mentioned, constitute what are called "the lower bodies." It is evidently the Universal Soul of which all these conceived to be incorporations, differing only in grade; for they are said to come into existence in consequence of the union of the Soul with "absolute body." But by the inclination of the Soul to absolute body is first developed, according to this system, motion of volition. It follows from this, that all the emanations previously mentioned are to be considered as involuntary. * From this description it is evident that the Circumambient is Finite Space. This is the outer concave of the ancient Ptolemaic system of astronomy as appears from what follows in our text, taken in connection with the following passage from an astronomical work of El-Farghâny, an Arabic astronomer probably of the ninth century of our era: "So then, we say that the number of the spheres which compass all the motions of the stars, is eight; of which seven belong to the seven planets, and the eighth is the highest belonging to the fixed stars, which is the sphere of the zodiacal signs. And the figure of these spheres is like the figure of globes one within another. And so the smallest of them is that which is the nearest of them to the earth which is the globe of the Moon, and the second belongs to Uârid, [Mercury,] and the third, to Ez-Zaharah, [Venus,] and the fourth, to the Sun, and the fifth, to El-Mirrîkh, [Mars,] and the sixth, to El-Mushtary, [Jupiter,] and the seventh, to Zual, [Saturn,] and the eighth, to the fixed stars. And so, as for the sphere of the fixed stars, which is the sphere of the zodiacal signs, on the one hand, its centre is the centre of the earth; and as for the centres of the seven globes which belong to the planets, they deviate from the centre of the earth, variously." See Ferganensis Elementa Astronomica, ed. J. Golius, pp. 45-6. * Meaning articles of belief. The spheres, or concaves, of the seven planets are referred to under this general name. We have proof of this, and a most important help to the understanding of the descriptions above given of these several Palaces, as well as a clear indication of the source from which the ideas here expressed were derived, in Esh-Shahrastâny's account of the Sabians. This author, after characterizing Sabiism as a system inculcating assiduity in action, rather than a religious disposition, goes on to speak of its followers as those who hold to "Spiritual Existences, pure and holy, in substance, act, and state," which are necessary mediators between man and the glorious Creator, in respect to all benefits received from him; so that man must cultivate intercourse with them, by "assiduity in action, austerity, and withdrawment from the mundanities of passions." He also tells us that the Sabians hold these Spiritual Existences to be "the mediating occasions, in respect to production, and causing to exist, and alteration from one state to another, and the causing of created things to tend from a beginning to a perfection." After this he adds: "Some of them are the regents of the seven planets in their spheres, which are their Palaces; and to every Spiritual there is a Palace, and to every Palace, a sphere. And the relation of a Spiritual to that Palace which is appropriate to it, is the relation of the soul to the body; so that it is its lord, and its regent, and its intendant. And they name the Palaces lords; and often they name them fathers, and the elements mothers; and so the action of the Spirituals is to cause them to move, by a peculiar power, in order that from their motions actualities may arise within natural properties and the elements, and therefrom compoundings, and temperaments in composites, upon which follow corporeal forces, and to which are superadded spiritual souls, like the species of plants and the species of animals." He also distinguishes the Spirituals of the Sabian system as "universal" in their "impressions," to which are to be referred the distinctions of species, and "particular," to which are to be referred the distinctions of one individual of a species from another; and as exerting their influences either in the upper air, in the heavens, in the lower atmosphere, and on the earth, or every where, in all existences, alike. See Esh-Shahrastâny's Book of Relig. and Philos. Sects, pp. 203-5. This statement by Esh-Shahrastâny makes it quite evident what is intended by the Palaces and the beings occupying them, described in our text; and also throws light upon the union of these Palaces with the four Corner-stones, or elements, presently to be mentioned as the immediate occasion of the generation of Minerals, Plants and Animals. As to the portraitures of the several regents of the planets, given in our text, however, I am unable to show that they have their analogies in any other system, although I do not doubt that such will be found to be the case. Some of the names which these regents bear in the text may be seen, by reference to our extract from El-Farghâny's astronomical work, to be those which are ordinarily given to some of the planets in Arab astronorny. But others differ. It is deserving of notice, also, that, although seven Palaces are spoken of in our text, the third and fourth, in the order of their being "let out," namely that of the Sun and that of Mars, are omitted in the description. * See note p. 303. Cuscuta epithymum, a parasitic climbing plant, without roots, and without leaves, but bearing small seeds at its extremities. See Ebn Baithar's Heilund Nahrungs-mittel, übersetzt von Dr. Joseph v. Sontheimer, Bd ii. s. 380. Meaning, not dissevered from the Deity. See p. 299. § These three groups are as follows: 1. the Deity, the Amr, the Sâbi, the Tâly, the Primitive Hiyûly, the Circumambient, and the Stellar Sphere; 2. the seven Palaces; and 3. the Four Corner-stones, and the three classes of generated existences, Minerals, Plants, and Animals. Consequently, "the Perfect in number" denotes some absolute numerical principle pervading all things. It can be nothing else than Unity of number. The of the Pythagoreans may be referred to as a parallel, provided only that simultaneousness of existence is ascribed to this principle of Unity and the Deity, for it is said of the Deity, above, that he "is, and before him was not any thing." See p. 299. * See note p. 301. Meaning the knowledge of God as he is, or, allegorically, acquaintance with the rank and power of the Imâm. See p. 318. Meaning what is essence and quality to me. § Stopping on the hill Arafeh, a short distance from Mekkeh, is one of the ceremomes of pilgrimage to the holy city. There is a play on words, here, which cannot be rendered in English. The arduous ceremony of the walk to and fro between afâ and Marweh is alluded to; but the idea of the person speaking is, that what he has said is in the way of sincere endeavor to be the object of the friendship of the Imâm, and to be bold in his service. * urân, Sur. xvi, vv. 70-71. This passage seems to be used in an allegorical sense, as a recommendation of diligent seeking after hidden knowledge. This piece and the two following are called "Memorials" of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, under the pretense that they contain that which is kindred to the teachings of these earlier Prophets. A description of the Imâms, as made up of the four elements in their purity, pervaded by influences of the celestial spheres, with special aidings from the Amr, through the Sâbi and the Tâly. § See note p. 276. * See note p. 304. The Karûbis are Cherubim. Meaning the blast of the trumpet to rouse the dead to final Judgment. The bridge over Hell. § Meaning a thing which the reason allows. * The family of Muammed. urân, Sur. v. v. 94. * urân, Sur. iii. v. 5. El-Beihâwy explains the expression "mother of the Book," in this passage, to mean "its root, that to which the test of it amounts." This orthodox commentator is obliged to admit that an allegorical sense pertaining to some verses of the urân, is here recognized; but he claims that there are points left indefinite because God reserves to himself the knowledge of them, and that man has no concern with the allegorical sense, except where it becomes necessary to lean upon it with reference to faith or practice. See Beidhawii Comm. in Coranum, vol. i. pp. 145-6. The Veil of the Ismâilian system seems to be the human person of the Imâm, while the so called Light is the veritable Imâm himself. i. e. The Idea, the absolute Deity. * Muammed. The Jedd, or the Primogenitor, the Fat, or the Opening, and the Khiyâl, or the Image, are here, evidently, used as names of the Primitive Hiyûly, the Circumambient, and the Stellar Sphere See note * p. 266. § What is here allegorized will be best understood by another quotation from Esh-Shahrastâny's statement of the belief of the Sabians in regard to the so called Spirituals. He says, "And they create in hallowing and glorifying, not disobeying God as to that which he commands, and doing that which they are commanded. . . . . . And we depend upon them as our administrators, so that they are our lords and our divinities, and our askers, and our intercessors beore God; while he is the Lord of lords, and the God of gods." See Esh-Shahrastâny's Book of Relig. and Philos. Sects, p. 203. The next sentences show that by "the Amrs" are here intended the reinforcements which the Amr transmits to the Nâis and Asâses, or Prophets and Legatees, of the seven periods. * This seems to indicate that the Prophet of the seventh period was not considered as having established the new order of things, when this sermon was composed. By which are intended the senses. This and the "pursuing the route of their impediments" are expressions borrowed from the operations of an army in the field, to signify a victory gained by souls over all the obstacles of corporeal form. * i. e. The Taker of his stand, meaning the manifestation of the Amr in each new Prophet. See note p. 301. Probably, the awakening by Munkir and Nakîr, (see note p. 288,) and the awakening for final Judgment. Meaning the two zones called, in the astronomy of the Arabs "the zone of primary motion," a circle intersecting the earth near the north and south poles, which regulates the rotation of all the heavenly bodies together, from east to west, around the earth, every twenty-four hours; and "the zone of secondary motion," a circle, intersecting the earth at other than the polar points, which regulates the revolutions of the sun and stars from west to east around the earth, in varying periods. See Ferganensis Elementa Astronmica, pp. 15-16, 46. § See p. 302. See note § p. 306. ¶ urân, Sur. xi. v. 123. * The taking hold by the right hand, or by the left, in this passage signifies good or evil augury. The language is borrowed from the scene of the judgment-day, as anticipated by the Muslim, when the good man will have his book of accounts put into his right hand, and the bad man will be made to take it by the left hand. See Tableau Général de l'Empire Othoman par M. De M. D'Ohsson, Tome i. p. 47. Meaning the Regents of the planets. Meaning that they become embodied in minerals, plants, or animals. See p. 317. § See note p. 309. * Here is allegorized that sort of intermediate state represented in the Muslim creed by the bridge over Hell, which the good pass with the speed of lightning, while the bad are precipitated from it into the flames below. It is explained to mean the scene of the progress of souls through this world, in its various stages of mineral, vegetable, and animal embodiment. All this may be understood by reference to the system of cosmogony, detailed in the first piece contained in this document. Place of the reinforcements of the Amr. See p. 301. § See note p. 307. * Demons of the Muslim Hell. A note to the original manuscript, in Arabic, interprets this to be the name of "the barbed and feathered arrow of the porter of Hell." Meaning, to El-Jehîm. See above. § The Tree of Hell. A name given to the Spirits of Hell. ¶ The harî is said to be a plant of heating qualities, found on the shore of the Dead Sea. See Ibn Beiâr's Heil- und Nahrungs-mittel, Bd. ii. p. 145. ** A name given to the Spirits of Hell. * The four elements. See note * p. 300. See note § p. 306; and it is worthy of notice in that connection, that the relations of number as even, and odd, in the two opposite respects of too little and too much, are referred to in the last clause of this sentence. § On the relation of the Dâi to the Imâm, see p. 280. This is one of the duties obligatory upon the Muslim. It is defined to consist "in remaining several days and nights in the interior of a mosque, there to fast, pray, and meditate, in an unbroken and complete collectedness of mind." See D'Ohsson's Tableau Général de l'Empire Othoman, Tome ii. p. 7. ¶ See note p. 311. * A name applied to the Imâm, as one who brings back the Amr to the world, by virtue of those reinforcements from the Amr which are the essential part of his being. Meaning to have the true idea of the Imâm formed in the mind. A locality near Mekkeh, one of the sacred stations of the Muslim pilgrim, where he spends the night after visiting Arafeh. See D'Ohsson's Tableau Général de l'Empire Othoman, Tome ii. p. 29. § Meaning, of animals for the sacrifice offered in connection with pilgrimage to Mekkeh. A ceremony several times repeated by the Muslim pilgrim, in memory of Abraham's putting demons to flight, by throwing stones at them, who tempted him to disobey God. See D'Ohsson's Tabl. Gén. de l'Empire Othoman, Tome ii. pp. 29, ff. ¶ The black stone on one comer of the Kabeh which is kissed by the pilgrim in making the tour of the Ancient House. See Burckhardt's Travels in Arabia, vol. i. p. 249. ** Of the Kabeh. * The Maâm, or Maâm Ibrâhîm, i. e. The station of Abraham, supposed to mark the spot where the patriarch stood to build the original Kabeh, is a small building which the Muslim pilgrim passes immediately befare reaching that inner shrine of the Mosque. The well Zemzem is situated near by, but farther from the Kabeh. See Burckhardt's Travels in Arabia, vol. i. pp. 266-7. Meaning his being admitted to the fraternity. A name applied to Fâimeh. * urân, Sur. ii. v. 177. * urân, Sur. xvii. vv. 72-4. Meaning the Amr, or Word, but in a secondary sense. See below, and pp. 301-2. See note p, 301. § Meaning, embodied. * The eight higher worlds and the seven lower, mentioned above. The embodiment. Meaning, whose manifested divinity they show, and whose concealed divinity they hide. But let it be carefully observed, that the divinity here ascribed to the Imâm is only a derived divinity. § Meaning, whose rising, sun-like glory they exhibit, and whose setting, moon-like light they shroud. There is allusion, in this and the preceding clause, to the distinction between the Imâm making himself known, and the Imâm withdrawing into seclusion, which is clearly expressed in the preceding sermon. See pp. 318-19. The revelation by Gabriel. See p. 312. ¶ Meaning the effusion of God, and that of the Amr. * As the representative of the Amr, the Imâm is here said to have his Nâis; while immediately afterwards is recognized his relation of successor to the Nâi, in the Ismâilian hierarchy. The day of final account. Journals Sacred Texts Journals Ismâili materials Two fragments of a Risâleh by Khâlid Ibn Zeid El-Jufy INTRODUCTORY NOTE. THE following is a translation of that portion of an Arabic manuscript sent to me by Dr. Henry W. De Forest, missionary in Syria, which was spoken of in the introduction to a translation of the larger part of the manuscript, published in the last volume of this Journal, as for the time set aside. It consists of two fragments of a Risâleh, or Missive, by one Khâlid Ibn Zeid El-Jufy, designed for the instruction of certain persons supposed to have "deviated from the path of orthodoxy," and chiefly taken up with relating a conversation which the author professes to have had with the Imâm Muammed Ibn Aly El-Bâir. Who this Khâlid was, whether a contemporary of Muammed El-Bâir, or not, I have not been able to determine. But the probability is, that he represents one of the numerous Shîite seets which, after the El-Bâir's day, as Esh-Shahrastâny informs us, availed themselves of his distinguished name to give currency to their own opinions. It is to be observed, however, that the doctrine of this Risâleh accords very well with the sketch given by Esh-Shahrastâny of El-Bâir's views; so that we may have here, at least, an authentic tradition of what he taught. As respects the heterodoxy opposed in this Risâleh, there is, in some of its statements, an evident antagonism to the doctrine of the Ismâilis: as, for example, is the fundamental representation of the Amr, or Word, which is here the Absolute Deity, while, in the Ismâilian system, it is the prime emanation from the Deity; and again, in the view given of the Meshiyeh, which, with the Ismâilis, is only another name for the Tâly, while here it is represented as a Divine Volition caused by the Sâbi and the Tâly; and yet again, in the statement of the origin of the world, which, in the Ismâilian system, is viewed as an emanation from the Deity, in consequence of his creative mandate, but is here carefully distinguished as not in any sense the work of the Deity. But the opposition of this Risâleh seems to me to be, chiefly, to the doctrine of the Ghâlis, or Extravagants; with some allusions to that particular branch of this party denominated the Nuairis. What was said respecting these sects in the article above referred to, will enable the reader to appreciate this suggestion. It should be remembered, also, that these and the Ismâilis belong to the same general family. The footnotes to the translation are intended to facilitate the understanding of the text, without entering into any discussion of the doctrines set forth in it. The portion of our manuscript translated in the following pages, was obtained through the courtesy of the late Prussian Consul General for Syria, Mr. Von Wildenbruch. TRANSLATION. . . . . . except me and my brother,"let peace be to them both! Afterwards he said, "And no one knows us* with verity of knowledge, except the Prophets and the Legatees, and the Believers, 'whose hearts God opens' to the faith, or our eminent Naîbs, who are elected, and whom we elect. Hearest thou not God, where he says, 'And whomsoever we direct and choose, when the signs of the Merciful are read to them, they fall down worshipping and weeping'?§ And he upbraids the other party, saying, 'And when it is said to them, "Worship ye the Merciful," they say, "And what is the Merciful? shall we worship that which thou commandest us?" and it increases their shyness,'meaning, that they are shy of the disclosure to them of the knowledge of the verity of the science of the hidden sense, pertaining to the knowledge of the Prince of the believers Aly Ibn Abû âlib,let peace from him be to us!" "And know thou, O Khâlid, that this name means, by a similitude, the Merciful, which is one of the names of the prince of the believers Aly Ibn Abû âlib,let peace be him! and that the Compassionate is, by a similitude, a derived name among the names of the Envoy Muammed,let the divine benediction and peace be to him and to his family! Hearest thou not the urân, where it says, 'Verily an Envoy has come to you from among yourselves, to whom it is a grievous thing that ye are corrupted, who is eager for your being believers, mild, compassionate,' and so on, to the end of the sûrah?* So then the Merciful is a name of the Prince of the believers Aly Ibn Abû âlib,let peace be to him! and the Compassionate is a name of Muammed,let the divine benediction and peace be to him!" "And they are shy, only forasmuch as, after the Nâi has called them to himself, they respond to him, but, after he has said to them, 'To-morrow, will he be gracious whose confederate I am,'to wit, Aly his confederate,they shy of covenanting with him, and shy of the Nâi; and that is from a shyness of following the Nâi, which is from the contrariness which besets them. And know thou, that, as for those others, of whom he speaks, when the signs of the Merciful are read to them, they fall down worshipping and weeping.'" "And know thou, O Khâlid Ibn Zeid, that they are these twelve who are ujjehs of the Imâms,let peace be to them! the Executors of the bidding of God, and the Attendants, who have sojourned only in eighteen men, whom I will by and by enumerate to thee, if God will, and who are those who were on the side of the Prince of the believers Aly,let peace from him be to us! Hearest thou not the saying of the Envoy Muammed,let the divine benediction and peace be to him! 'The Believer sees by the Light of God'meaning only them, these who pertain to him, and who are his ujjehs? And whoever adheres to them, they are the light of the lights of his wisdom, as seeing by the Light of God; for God is not beheld except by his Light, and how is it possible for man to see by his own light, or to be directed by the Candle? But that saying of his, 'sees by the Light of God,' means his Deity, who bestows upon him his acceptance, and to whom he will return. And they must of necessity return to the earth with their Master, whenever the âim,let peace be to his memory! takes his stand." And in like manner El-Bâir,let peace be to him! said, "Whoever believes not in our rotation, and our returning, he is not ours, and we are not his,"meaning,let peace be to him! that the imamship is never cut off, and that it is transmitted from one group of seven to another group of seven, to the âim,let peace be to him! by a return of something hidden, not outward, of something subtle, not gross; "therefore the knowledge of that is highly necessary." "And it is necessary for thee that thou shouldst acknowledge the Tâly in that which is made, and in that which appears, and its Measure* which it takes to itself, namely, its Spiritual Measure, and its Corporeal Measure; and that there is no distinction between the Sâbi and the Tâly; and that one of them excells not the other, either in respect to spiritual quality, or in respect to corporeal quality, or in respect to their science, in which they shroud themselves, or in respect to the showing of their miraculous signs. And so we say as follows. O Khâlid Ibn Zeid, thou shalt not be extravagant respecting the Prince of believers,let peace from him be to us! devoid of science. O Khâlid Ibn Zeid, the Prince of the belivers,let peace from him be to us! is as when sandal is measured with sandal, part answering, all but a trifle, to part. For he is the reinforcement of the Nâi, by means of the Sâbi, as something spiritual, without any thing corporeal, and the reinforcement of the Asâs of the higher world, in the image of El-Fat, by means of the Tâly. Hearest thou not the Prophet,let peace be to him! who says, 'I and Aly are like two hés, and the putting together of the two fore-fingers'?wherein he shows thee that there is no distinction between the two, and between the Imâm§ and the Legatee,let peace be to him! And if he [Aly] shows miraculous signs, he says,let peace be to him! 'But the Prophet,let peace be to him and to his Family! has already brought to pass things miraeulous, beyond the scope of inquirers respecting them, such as his dividing the moon at Mekkeh, and his turning out the serpent from the precincts of the Kabeh and his overpowering those who designed evil to Mekkeh, so that he sent upon them the torrent, and his bringing the Distinguisher.' And to each of them belongs a determined Measure, which he exceeds not, and it is not at all necessary that there should be distinction made between the two. Has not God said in the urân, '"We distinguish not between his several Envoys, and we are resigned to him,"'meaning by that his Envoys and his Legatees,'and say, "We hear and we obey thy pardon, O our Lord! and to thee will be our coming,"'*the meaning of, 'O our Lord!' which points to the Amr of the Creator,let it be magnified and glorified! being that there is no distinction between the two, because they are the Correspondents of the two Eternal Roots? And know thou, O Khâlid Ibn Zeid, that I shall by and by return to the Primary Attribute, and explain it to thee with an explanation which thou wilt understand. As for the Prince of the believers,let peace from him be to us! he is the Measure of the Tâly, which is that which causes bodies to be, and creates them, and does well the forming of them; while it is the Sâbi, of which the Correspondent is Muammed,let the divine benediction and peace be to him! which causes spirits to be. All of them together are by means of the two Roots. Hence, O Khâlid Ibn Zeid, spirits excell not bodies, nor do bodies excell spirits, because the two are of one rank; although bodles alone stay in the dust without ever parting from it, while spirits stay but for a moment of time in the dust, (which is the moment of time while body moves from place to to place, together with which they move from place to place,) until body is stationary, whereupon they, the spirits, mount to their world. And know thou, O Khâlid Ibn Zeid, that spirit is subject to punishment which body is not subject to; for, if it believes, then it goes to happiness, and if it is refractory, then, to the punishment of Es-Saîr, while body is not known, after that, as long as its way is in the dust." "And know thou, that it is that on account of which the Sâbi and the Tâly are named.* And the two match in respect to the state of being, because each of them is indispensable to its mate. For the Amr of the Creator,let its memory be glorified! has made all things to be reciprocal and conjoined, so that there is a conjunction in a reciprocity, and a reciprocity in a conjunction; while the Amr of the Creator is separate, without any reciprocal, or any resemblant, or any associate, or any like, or any image; and number applies not to it; nor are conjectures applicable; and the intellect of man embraces it not,let its name be blessed, clear of that which they say by a great superiority! And know thou, O Khâlid, that any thing pertaining to the Tâly, is completed only through the Sâbi; for its [the Tâly's] reinforcements are from the Sâbi, because, otherwise, it [the thing] would be a mockery. And if spirits were not, bodies would not articulate speech; and if bodies were not, spirits would not stay; so that they are indispensable to one another. It is like water in the pitcher: if the pitcher were not, the water would not stay; and if it were not for the use of the water, it would not come to the pitcher; and its use consists in the union of the two things, one following the other. So then 'Glory be to him who created all the mates of that which the earth brings forth, and of themselves, and of that which they know not'!" Then said I, "O my master,my life for thee! and what are 'the mates'?" Whereupon he said, "Muammed and Aly,let peace be to them both! are 'all the mates;' and 'of that which the earth brings forth' are our ujjehs; and 'of themselves' are the Imâms, one being of another, Light of Light, Imâm of Imâm, and thus ever, without intermission, without cessation, who are undiminished, up to the determined bound, and the known limit, which is our âim, 'on the day when riches profit not, nor sons, only be who brings to God a resigned heart.'"* "So then the Sâbi, of which the Correspondent is Muammed,let the divine benediction and peace be to him! is the Creator as to spirits; and the Tâly, of which the Correspondent is the Prince of the believers,let peace from him be to us!is the Creator as to bodies. Hearest thou not that which says, 'As for us, we cause to live, and we cause to die, and to us will be the coming'wherein shows thee the origin of life, and considers the origin of death, as something hidden, not outward? Therefore understand thou that. And as for the Amr of the Creator, not anything is above it, and no occasion has to do with it, and it pertains not to any occasion; and there is no deity like it; and not any thing resembles it; and it is 'the Hearer, the Knowing One.'§ That it is which committed all things to these two Higher Measures; and to them it will fall to reckon with creatures, on the day of reckoning. Hearest thou not that which says, 'Verily, to us will be their coming; and on us will devolve the reckoning with them'? So then let the Amr, namely, the Amr of the Creator,let it be exalted! be glorified, clear of all things! forasmuch as it committed the same to the Sâbi and the Tâly, and left to them Higher Similitudes and Earthly Resemblances,¶ which renew themselves, without his giving to be seen in them, and are unchanged, without his causing to be known through them." "And know thou, O Khâlid Ibn Zeid, that the Prince of the believers, together with Muammed,let the divine benediction be to them both! must of necessity descend to the earth; and that, at the beginning of every new period, on the completion of the period of the seven Imâms, simultaneously with the coming of every Nâi and Legatee. For, as for Muammed,let the divine benediction and peace be to him! he reinforces the Nâi in the first of the Transients; and so, when the law is finished for the latter, the Veil is withdrawn, as respects him, from the former.* And so be it known, that his reinforcement is from both these Earthly Measures, having to him and to his Asâs accompanying him the force of the two Higher Measures; for the Prince of the believers,let peace from him be to us! reinforces his Asâs, as something hidden, not outward, just as Muammed,let peace be to him and to his Family! reinforces him. And so, what with the two Higher Measures, which reinforce the two Lower Measures, come to be the Four Measures. And in like manner, the two Lower Measures reinforce bodies which they set apart, and elect, and in which they consequently cause to appear and to dwell spirits inspired by the Pen; and by and by I will acquaint thee with them, and their names, in order that the verity of thy knowledge may be made perfect." "O Khâlid Ibn Zeid, know thou that the Sâbi delivered up its science and its reinforcement to the Meshiyeh, which was caused by the Sâbi and the Tâly, upon their glorifying and hallowing.§ For all of them together form the council of sciences, and accordingly the Tâly committed thereto the reinforcernent of its science; whereupon it glorified, and its glorifying was that it said, 'Be thou glorified, O Eternal of Eternals! verily, thou makest strong that which thou dost create.' And upon that, there came to it [the Meshiyeh] an Amr-reinforcernent, from the First Cause, which is the Amr of the Creator, the Veritable Deity,*let it be exalted! whereby it strengthened it. Afterwards, the Meshiyeh beheld the Sâbi with the eye of predestination, and beheld the Tâly with the eye of love; whereupon there came to be, for the two in the earth, a Correspondent, like to that which had come to be, for the Sâbi and the Tâly. And so it reinforces the Nâi, with its Amr-reinforcement, and its reinforcements which are from the Sâbi and the Tâly. The Prophet,let the divine benediction and peace be to him and to his Family! speaks of Faimeh, where he denominates her 'the mother of her father,' with the meaning that she reinforces her father, with her Amr-reinforcements, and the reinforcements of the Sâbi and the Tâly; for all that a certain party has said that the Fâimeh-Station,let peace be to her! was the Station of a male person, that is, Gabriel,let peace be to him! And this is an error, because God says respecting them, 'As for them, they have the angels with the naming of woman, while yet they have no knowledge concerning it. That which they follow is not any thing but supposition, and their own desire, for all there has come to them direction from their Lord.'§ And it [the Meshiyeh] teaches those things which are unknown, except to the two Higher Measures, by an aiding on their part, derived from his Word,let it be exalted! through the medium of the two Asâses. And as for this, again, it is a tradition handed down from the Prophet,let the divine benediction and peace be to him! that he said, 'On the night when I was borne up to heaven, and entered the Garden, I ate a quince; and so, after I had descended to the earth, I went in to Khadîjeh, and she became with child of Fâimeh,'let, peace be to her! and the meaning of the 'quince' is that the higher reinforcement manifests itself only by the Meshiyeh; and so the Meshiyeh willed to have in the earth a fixed Correspondent, and that consisting of the reinforcement of the Sâbi, together with the will of the Amr of the Creator,let it be exalted! and efficiencies from the Tâly; whereupon Fâimeh,let peace be to her! came to be, by the causation of the two Eternal Lights,* and on account of their manifestation by the two Lower Measures. And to her pertain, in heaven, two Measures, and on the earth four. And by reason of that, the Prophet,let the divine benediction and peace be to him! says, 'Verily, Fâimeh has two names in heaven, and on the earth four,'in allusion to the Measures which pertain to her in heaven, and those which pertain to her on the earth." Says Khâlid Ibn Zeid El-Jufy, Thereupon I said, "O my Master, I inquire of thee respecting her reality,it is thine to tell,and respecting the reality of those who constituted for thee this rank, and respecting the reality of the Imâms without end whom people pride themselves in. Does not that which thou tellest me concerning the Envoy,let the divine benediction and peace be to him and to his family! respect the verity of his Station? so then tell me, with regard to El-asan and El-usein, how was the beginning of the Amr to them." El-Bâir,let his peace be to us! said, "As for the Envoy, his Station was the Sâbi, and he was its Correspondent. And in like manner was the Envoy§ resembled by a Correspondent Abdallah Ibn Râwaah El-Anâry, who it is whom trouble befell, whose four side-teeth were broken, who hid himself in the cave. For, as for the impersonation of Muammed,let the divine benediction and peace be to him and to his Family! it did not absent itself, nor hide, nor betake itself to flight, nor did any evil come upon it,nay, but befell it seemmgly. And in like manner, as for Fâimeh, all the misfortunes and things disagreeable which happened to her, rested upon the Image, that is, the Veil; and it must of necessity be, that every Nai and every Asâs has a Veil which hides him. And in like manner, as for El-asan and El-usein,let peace be to them both! they had two Correspondents; and so, whatever there was of misfortune, or trial, or affliction, it befell the Correspondent,and may the enemies of the Imâms,let peace be to them! suffer the penalties, because they insist that that punishment befell them!" "And know thou, O Khâlid Ibn Zeid, that El-asan and El-usein,let peace be to them! were children of Fâimeh,let peace be to her! by the Prince of the believers,let peace be to him! although they were enveloped where the intestines are seated in man, and came out from that which is not the place of coming out for children, and our Master Abû Abdallah El-asan,let peace be to him! came out from the right side, independently of any of the states of women, and without any occasion of disgust at Fâimeh,let peace be to her! But the primary asan and usein,let peace be to them! came to be, as children of the Meshiyeh, while these were earthly impersonations. And they are Creators, by their sciences, to their Correlates;* forasmuch as two created ones have made them to descend with their aiding received from the two Roots; through the medium of the two Asâses; and they second the setting up of the Perfect, the Correlates, and the Measures. And they are made for those above them, namely, the two Asâses and the two Roots, which are established as sovereign over them, and are not established over any thing above them; so that they are sovereign with the sovereignty of the Amr of the Creator,let its memory be exalted! through the medium of the two Roots and the two Asâses, and work, in their working, with a loosing power and a binding might, which changes not, nor ceases; and there is no dispensing with them by the sovereignty of the Amr of the Creator, while to them pertains no sovereignty which is superior to the sovereignty of the Amr of the Creator,let its memory be exalted! and they 'act by his Amr.' Hearest thou not that which says, 'Nay, but honored servants, who precede him not in speaking, and who act by his Amr'*meaning that they create, and nourish, and endow, and enlarge, and cause to grow, by spiritual sciences received from the two Roots, through the medium of the two Asâses, and that they are signs of the reckoning, and the penalty, and the Garden, and the Fire? And the Amr is clear of all things since its Relatives, the Correspondents of the Sâbi and the Tâly, who manifest its sovereignty, namely, Muammed and Aly,let the divine benediction be to them! are 'honored servants,' created to be kings by that which is not resembled in the Similitudes and Stations which I have given to them. And every thing which thou seest is by the operation of the Sâbi and the Tâly; and the creation of them is by the operation of the Amr." Thereupon I said, "O my Master, did I not say to thee that thou shouldst disclose to me the verity of that which is of the Amr to them?" He said, "Yes." Said I, "O my Master, how was the beginning of the bidding of the Amr of the Creator with respect to them, and their creation by the Amr? and how was the causing of them to be?" El-Bâir,let peace be to him! said, "Know thou that the Amr of the Creator,let it be magnified and glorified! willed that there should be a world, and heavens and an earth, and days and nights, and seas and mountains, and Jinns and angels, and trees and waters, and the like. But the Amr of the Creator,let it be exalted! knew that creatures would be disobedient and obedient, and that they would contract impurities from the foulness of acts of disobedience; and so the Amr kept itself clear therefrom. It created Light, which accordingly was. Afterwards, it willed to separate it, and so it separated it with the separation of a reality. Whereupon, after it had yielded to it in respect to all that which it willed, the Amr exposed it to all things, namely, all good, and evil, and trial, whatever; it said, 'Be thou patient,' and it was patient. Afterwards, it commanded it to obey, and so it obeyed with an obedience without any disobedience. Whereupon, it delivered up to it, and so that Light became an originating act, neither creating nor created, not a thing, which is the Sâbi. And there was made to subsist therein, and aided it with the Holy Spirit, an Ultimate Producer, possessed of power, and activity, and a spirit of its own, which is the Tâly; and as for this, thou findest it in the urân, since it says, 'Remember my favor towards thee and towards her who bore thee, when I aided thee with the Holy Spirit, that thou mightest talk with man in the cradle,'*where 'the Holy Spirit' is Muammed,let the divine benediction be to him and to his Family! who is the Measure of the Sâbi, and its Correspondent in the corporeal world; and the 'talking' which it mentions is the talking of the Measure of the Tâly, which is the Prince of the believers,let peace from him be to us! and its Correspondent in the corporeal world. And thus is the aiding transmitted from one to another, until it reaches the âim, the seventh Nâi,let his peace be to us! and so all the aiding is concentrated in him; and the Lights branch out, Light after Light, to Imâm after Imâm, one inheriting from another the Light, the Light of God, which he made to enter into the two Eternal Roots. 'God directs to his Light whom he will.' And as for that which I have told thee as to the elected impersonations, I will by and by acquaint thee with them. Hear thou, O Khâlid Ibn Zeid, and consider thou those who, says God,let his memory be glorified! 'when the signs of the Merciful are read to the down worshipping and weeping,'worshipping with submission, and weeping through fear lest their hearts should fall away. And know thou that one wills to be above another in respect to science and rank, and that they rival one another in the two worlds, the spiritual and the corporeal, while they transmit, united with them, in the periods and the revolutions, their Primary."* And their names, O Khâlid Ibn Zeid, are Selmân and his Station, and El-Midâd and his Station, and aah Ibn aukhân and his Station, and Saîneh and his Station, and Jâbir Ibn Abdallah and his Station, and Zeid El-Hijry and his Station, and El-Fahl Ibn Omar and his Station, and uheib and his Station, and Abû Nuair and his Station, and Yaya Ibn Omm-E-awîl and his Station,let the complacence of God and his peace be to them all! And know thou, O Khâlid, that the rank of these is the highest of ranks, and the most elevated of degrees, before their Master!let its memory be glorified! which entrusts the command to them, and all things, by the way of the two Asâses, which are Muammed, the Truthful Envoy and the Nâi, and the Prince of the believers Aly,let peace from him be to us! And its Station is Selmân, the Correspondent of Jebrîl, and who is in the pattern of the corporeal world; and his Station is Ammâr, the Likeness of Mîkâil, and his Correspondent; and his Station is Abû-d-Darr, the Station of Andarâil, and his Correspondent; and his Station is Uweis El-arny, the Likeness of Asrâîl and his Correspondent, and the Station of Mâlik El-Ashtar Azrâil, and his Correspondent. And in accordance with this is the Station of each one severally, until thou comest to El-Midâd; and so his Station is Mâlik the Guardian of the Fire, who is his Correspondent. And the Station of aah Ibn aukhân is the Likeness of the Station of Ridhwân the Attendant of the gardens." "And their correlate Likenesses belong to every age and epoch; every one of whom holds the place of a Favorite Angel, or the place of a Commissioned Prophet, (although he is not like the Station of the Envoy, the Nâi, and the likeness of the Asâs,) or the place of the Mature Believer. For the Imâm El-Bâir,"let his peace be to us! "says, Our sciences are difficult, hard to be got along with; the burthen of them is borne only by a Commissioned Prophetmeaning, commissioned to the heart, in order to the knowledge of the two Primary Roots, and their Correspondents, the two Asâses,or a Favorite Angel,meaning their Stations, (and their Likenesses are these four, namely, Selmân, and Imâd, and Uweis El-arny; and Mâlik El-Ashtar,let peace be to them! so that these, those to whom these names appertain, are the Favorites, while the rest are angels, but not Favorites,)or, to return to what he says, a Believer 'whose heart God opens' with the faith,which means the followers in their track, that is, Abdallah Ibn Râwaah and Othmân Ibn Maûn;* and Othmân, this one, was a foster-brother to the Prince of the believers,let his peace be to us!" Says Khâlid, Thereupon I said, "O son of the Envoy of God, I have heard thee say that the Merciful is a name pertaining to the Prince of the believers,let peace from him be to us! and that the Compassionate is a name pertaining to the Envoy,let peace be to him and to his Family! and I hear that certain names, as well as these names, presuppose one name. What does this mean?" He then said, "O Khâlid, know thou,let God be merciful to thee! that these ninety-nine names which are in the urân, are names of the Sâbi and the Tâly, and names of the angels, that is, the Hidden Name, of which it is said in the urân, 'Read thou with the name of thy Lord, who did the work of creation, who created man out of the dust;' after which there is a reiteration, and so it is said, 'read thou, and thy Lord is the Most Noble, is he who has taught by the Pen, who has taught man that which he knew not,'where, in the first address, passes the expression 'the name of thy Lord,' which is an announcement of, and a pointing to, the Amr of the Creator,let it be exalted! which is not taken in by the eyes; after which there is a reiteration, in order to a pointing to the Sâbi, whence the words, 'thy Lord is the Most Noble;' after which there is a reiteration, in order to a pointing to the Tâly, and so it is said, 'is he who has taught by the Pen,who has taught that which he knew not,nay indeed, as for man, he is rebellious,'*'man' meaning the race of Adam, who are rebellious in neglect of the covenant. And know thou, O Khâlid, that the Amr is not denoted by names, as qualities and attributes are not predicable of it." "And know thou, O Khâlid, that these names belong to the Sâbi and the Tâly; which are such as thy saying: O Presider, O Surety, O Light, O Gracious One, O Compassionate One, O Lord, O Protector, O Hider, O Coverer, O Returner, O Munificent One, O Believer, O Maker, O Creator, O Affectionate One, O Recompenser, O Knowing One, O Noble One, O Powerful One, O Pardoner, O Preserver, O Holy One, O Unique One, O Single One, O Conqueror, O Defender, O Continuer, O Propitious One, O Producer, O Lofty One, O Just One, O Liberal One, O One, O Restorer of life, O Judge, O Inclined to favor, O Fair in conduct, O Beholder, O Arbiter, O Advocate, O Informed One, O Director, O Truthful One,which names belong to the Sâbi,let its peace be to us! The names of the Tâly are such as thy saying: O Subduer, O Vanquisher, O Potent One, O Mighty One, O All-powerful One, O Great One, O Peace, O First One, O Last One, O Manifest One, O Hidden One, O Sustainer, O Sovereign Disposer, O Unapproachable One, O Survivor, O Hearer, O Conjoined One, O Possessor of glory and honor, O Observer, O Reckoner, O Perfect One, O Witnessing One, O Creator, O Self-exalter, O Giver of form, O Supporter, O Abounding One, O Established One, O Abiding One, O Merciful One, O Living One, O Forgiver, O King, O Director, O Grasper, O Full One, O Excellent One, O Arbitrator, O Refuge, O Glorious One, O Responder; and it is enough that we have distinguished for thee these names, which belong to the Tâly,let it show favor, and let thanks be to it, first and last! verily, verily, O my Master, thou art the Worthy to be praised, the Noble One. Says Khâlid Ibn Zeid, Afterwards, our Master El-Bâir Muammed Ibn Aly,let his peace be to us! wept with violent weeping, and said, "O Khâlid, they who make equal with God lie, and err with wide erring, and lose with 'manifest losing.' 'God has not begotten any child; and there is not; together with him, any deity. Had there been, each deity would have certainly gone off with that which it created, and one would have certainly been over the other. So then, glory be to God,let him be exalted! clear of their associating!'* O Khâlid, there are men who say concerning us that which we say not, and who make us of a lineage which does not belong to us. Far be it, far be it; they have gone out of the way, and are turned aside; and they lose, while we make profit. 'But as for these, they are those whose actions come to nought, in this world and the next.' 'That, indeed, is manifest losing.' O Khâlid, hear thou what I say, and hold on to my instruction, and testify to that which thou hearest; for 'He utters not any speech, except there is a Prepared One, an Observer, at his side.'§ O Khâlid, Muammed and Aly,let the divine benediction be to them both! are Creators who were created, empowered, described as 'honored servants, who precede him not in speaking, and who act by his Amr.' O Khâlid, the Amr, namely, the Amr of the Creator,let it be exalted! 'the like of whom not any thing is, and who is the Hearer, the Knowing One,'¶ which is that which the searcher apprehends not, and which is not measured with men, committed all things to these two Primaries, that is the Sâbi and the Tâly, in which the Creator,let its memory be exalted! deposited, by its command, something of that which is spiritual and corporeal, and which it constituted the Correspondent of its corporeity, so that they were such as thou hast heard them to be, as created out of the very Light. And their Lights branched out into three lights; namely, El-Jedd, and El-Fat, and El-Khiyâl; and their Likenesses in respect to that which is corporeal are Ez-Zuhra,* El-asan, and El-usein. Hast thou not, indeed, heard, in the recital which the man of note makes not up, and of which the common man is ignorant,does it not say, "I have derived names for them from some of my names: for I am El-Mamûd, and this is Muammed; and I am El-Aly, and this is Aly; and I am Fâim, and this is Fâimeh; and I am El-Isân, and this is El-asan; and I am El-Musin, and this is El-usein'?let their peace be to us! but these are some of the names of the Sâbi. And the Lights which branched out enter into the two words, the saying of the urân, Kun, two letters, fatekun, five, which are expanded from the two letters; for Light had its origin in the Creator,let it be magnified and glorified! because it came to be by a volition on the part of the Amr, and so they were created." "Afterwards, it said to the Sâbi, 'Thou art like the irâ,'§ and said to the Tâly, 'Thou art like the Balance.' The former gives transit, the latter weighs. So then, 'As for him whose balances are heavy, he will lead a pleasant life,'meaning, on account of the knowledge of the Tâly, and its Likeness, the Prince of the believers,let his peace be to us!'and as for him whose balances are light, Hâwiyeh will be his mother; and what shall give thee to know what that is?a burning fire;'* and oh the crying pains of him who is tainted with a burning fire, inasmuch as he acknowedges not the Imâm, the Tâly, and, what is more, opposes him, and turns away from him to another, of diminished rank!" "Afterwards, the Amr of the Creator,let its memory be glorified! said, 'I reinforce you two with my Lights; do ye, therefore, with them that which ye will;' and so it is said, 'who act by his Amr.' And it kept itself clear of reckoning with the nations, and of their defilements, saying, 'Obedience to me is difficult; I lay it upon you alone, because ye are of my very Light, the Most High. So then, be ye charged, ye, with obedience to me, which is due to me from you; and do ye charge, ye, the nations with obedience to you; and to trace to the Cause is the pith of knowledge of you, so that whoever knows you, will know me, and whoever obeys you, will obey me. This is my covenant; accept it, therefore, as conditioned; and whoever, then, yields to you, yields to me, and whoever disobeys you, disobeys me; my being pleased is your being pleased, and my being indignant is your being indignant.'" "So then they two became created out of the Light of the Amr,meaning the caused and the Cause;and they produced the Lights, and so became Creators." "And there are set in the heavens seven Lights which are the Higher Letters,let their peace be to us! and in the earths seven Lights,let their peace be to us! the seven Imâms being subordinate to the seven Nâis. And in respect to all of the seven Imâms, who are the Pillars of the earth and its Corner-Stones, transmitted in the periods and the revolutions, there is no exception to their having Similitudes to themselves in the heavens, and Likenesses. And the urân has already expressed that, where it says, 'So, in two days, he made them to be seven heavens, and inspired every heaven with its Amr.'* Consequently, inasmuch as the celestial spheres are vacated, after they have made their round, and disappear, if the earths had been emptied of the Imâms, certainly they would have sunk and vanished; since they, [the Imâms,] O Khâlid, hold the place of the seven Planets. And in like manner, the twelve Stars are the Likenesses of their ujjehs; and, accordingly, they must of necessity have, in the earths, ujjehs, who accept the covenant with him who is above the inhabitants of the heavens, and the covenant with him who is in the heavens, which is the covenant accepted in favor of the Chief of the earth, in the earth." "And there is no Imâm whose spirit is transmitted, except it goes where its Place is; and it has no elevation in spiritual degrees, as created, up to the limit of that which is corporeal, when the period is completed, and the seven is made out in full; for he who dies, among us, dies not without his soul's being ennobled, returning to that which is better for it than the state in which it has been. Hearest thou not the urân, where it says, 'And of us are only such as have their known Places,'?"§let their peace be to us! And so, as for these their Measures and their Places, let their peace be to us and to all believers! Says Khâlid, Thereupon I said, "O my Master,let peace from thee be to me! who is, then, the 'Observer,' and who, the 'Prepared One'?" He said, "O Khâlid, the 'Prepared One' is the Place of the Measure of the Sâbi, that is, the Station of the Nâi; and the 'Observer' is the Measure of the Tâly, that is, the Station of the Asâs. Hearest thou not the urân, where it says, 'But after thou didst take me to thyself, thou wast, thou, the Observer of them,'*meaning, after the law was finished, I was discharged,meaning, after I was refined as to my corporeal impersonation, to the degree of the spiritual world, thou wast, thou, the Imâm after me, and the Legatee? But know thou" . . . {here follow five lines of ellipsis} . . . "he is a polytheist; and whoever worships the Mana in its verity, has hit the mark. And know thou, O Khâlid, that the meaning of that is, that whoever worships the Ism, is an unbeliever; and the Ism is that with which the Sâbi is named, so that one is certainly an unbeliever, inasmuch as he worships that on the ground of its being the Creator,meaning the Sâbi. And whoever worships the Ism and the Mana,meaning the Sâbi and the Tâly,is a polytheist. But whoever knows that the Amr of the Creator,let it be exalted! made these two Roots, he believes in its unity, and worships it. So then, glory be to that which hath indeed performed the work of creation, and hath done well its creating, which is the Creator,let it be exalted! beside which there is no Lord!" "And be it known, that, as for these two Roots, they are a Light from that Light, not a Light like to that Light; for each of these two Lights comes forth, and is manifested. Acknowledge thou that, then, O Khâlid Ibn Zeid. And know thou, that, if men had acknowleged their Creator, and the Mediators of their Creator, they certainly would not have been wicked, and would have never come into the Fire of Jehennam." "O Khâlid, beware lest thou sayest concerning me that which I say not, and tellest from me that which I do not tell. Dost thou do so, I shall call thee to account for it on the day of resurrection, and shall be quit of thee, and thou wilt be quit of me. We are 'servants in honor' to God, and purified by God, and made to be of the Light of God. We serve God with the reality of serving him; and if ye had served him with any thing of our service of him, or had been charged, in order to something of that, with the weight of an atom thereof, it certainly would have proved too much for you; and if there had been put upon the mountains, and the heavens and the earths, the weight of an atom of that to which we are obligated, of obedience and service, they certainly would not have borne it, and would have sunk and disappeared, on account of the burthen of that service. So then we are charged in your stead; and we serve him with the reality of serving him, and acknowledge him with the reality of knowledge of him, while there is not that obligatory upon you, thereof, which is obligatory upon us. But as for you, it is incumbent upon you, that ye should acknowledge us, and not deny us, and that ye should obey us, and not disobey us; and whoever acknowledges us with the reality of knowledge of us, and knowledge of our service, knows that from us things come forth, and to us they will return. We are the Subject Lords, and the Hidden Creatures. When thou wouldst us, O Khâlid, seek us, with thine inmost soul, in the invisible realm, and thou wilt find us above that which is above; there is not above us any superior other than the Amr of the Creator,let it be exalted! and the Sâbi and the Tâly,*a truth respecting which it is due to no one of those created out of clay, that a word should be uttered; and how shall that be apprehended by such as pass away, and are gone, and die? wherefore yield ye to our dictum, and acknowledge ye it. This, then, O Kâlid Ibn Zeid, is the end of seeking, therefore be thou a seeker; we, then, are the final end of the devotee, therefore be thou a devotee. And beware lest thou goest astray, or slidest; verily, Sheiân is thine enemy, so be thou wary of him." Says he, [the author,] Thereupon I said, "O my Chief, thou hast said to me, that if any one reaches to the Measure of the Word, there is no measure beyond that, nor the like of that; and that whoever acknowledges the Tree, attains with certainty, to whatever degree he wills. What, then, is this 'Word'? and what, this 'Tree'?" Then said our Master El-Bâir,let the benedictions of God be to him! "As for the 'Word,' it is Muammed; and as for the 'Tree,' it is the Prince of the believers Aly,let peace from them both be to us! Hearest thou not God, who says in the urân, 'And it is the parable of a good Word like a good Tree, of which the root is fast, and the top is in heaven'?*wherein the root of the Word and its top are made two limits, the root being the Sâbi, and the top, the Tâly, which is the Measure of Muammed,let the divine benediction be to him! And the 'Tree' is the Prince of the believers Aly,let his peace be to us and to all believers! inasmuch as they two are the two tops belonging to the two Roots, which constitute the Asâs of the corporeal world. He,let his name be magnified! adds, 'which bears its fruit every season, with the permission of its Lord,'meaning the Imâms whom he [the Prince of the believers] generates." Afterwards, he said to me, "O Khâlid, dost thou keep in mind? dost thou hearken?" I replied, "Yes, O my Master,my life for thee!" Thereupon he said, "O Khâlid Ibn Zeid, if thou wouldst acquire our sciences, acquire them from the Mines?" To this I said, "And what are 'the Mines'?" He replied, "Those Imâms,"let their peace be to us! "whom God causes to inherit the prophetic gift." Then said I, "What if I meet with no Imâm?" He replied, "Thou shalt take, on the authority of the reliable Ulemas, that which they take on the authority of the Orthodox Imâms,"let their peace be to us and to all believers! "or else thou shalt draw from a known book, to which the urân testifies, and which tradition authenticates, and the intellect approves, and from other books. But beware thou, and again beware. And be thou a servant sincere in the love of us, and thou shalt be saved." "O Khâlid Ibn Zeid, this is my instruction to thee; so then receive thou it. And it is the mystery of the Almighty God, the 'flesh' and the 'blood' of which the Mesî,let peace be to him! said to his disciples, 'This is my flesh and my blood; so then, eat ye, and drink ye.'* And I have indeed opened to thee the pasture, and have given thee to eat, and given thee to drink, and have drawn water for thee; so then, eat thou with good digestion, and drink thou to thine health; and behave thou uprightly towards thy brethren, the believers. And sufficient for thee is that which I say. And let peace be to those who follow direction! And this is enough for men, and it is that they may be warned by it, and may know that he is one God, and that the possessors of hearts may consider'." Says Khâlid Ibn Zeid, There is, therefore, not, by God, not any deity except God. After this instruction, no vacillation is in my heart respecting God, nor does there lurk in my inmost soul any doubt. And I neither deny him, nor avow him, to any one except those in whom I confide as respects friendship to the Prince of the believers Aly,let peace from him be to us! And already, indeed, have many people been directed by this Missive, of those who had deviated from the path of orthodoxy, while I have not ceased to rehearse the instruction of our Master El-Bâir,let his peace be to us! and to present it to the hearts of his friends. Now then, whoever comes forward, will be delivered; and whoever remains behind, will wander in the Fire, and be precipitated into El-Hâwiyeh. And this is that which I hear and see. And God is sufficient for me! And well is he the Guardian! A CHAPTER. And know thou, O my brother, that the reinforcement which comes to man from the Imâm, is the intelligence of man; and that intelligence belongs to the Imâm, and thought to the Bâb, and attention to the ujjeh, and memory to the Dâi, and speculation to the Madhûn; and that this reinforcement comes from the Imâm and his ujjehs to man in a state of indifference, and not knowing where they are placed;* and that there is in man the imagining faculty, and the thinking faculty, and the attending faculty, and the knowing faculty, and the understanding faculty; and that they are a resemblance of the Higher Measures, that is, the Intelligence, and the Soul, and El-Jedd, and El-Fat, and El-Khiyâl. Know thou that, and thou wilt be orthodox, if God will. A CHAPTER. And know thou, O my brother,let God aid thee, and us, with a spirit of his own, and enlighten thy vision with a light of thought, and a capacity for the universal! that the entire world is a spherical impersonation, the celestial spheres being globes which encircle and are encircled, that is, a great man,let glory, then, be to its Creator, and hallowing to its Maker! and that its Producer, as to its intelligence, was the Sâbi, and as to its holy soul, the Tâly, and as to its heart, El-Jedd, and as to its power of sensation and growth, El-Fat, and El-Khiyâl, and as to its form, the Hiyûly; and that the Hiyûly and for in constitute its higher, right side, which is animals and man; and that its lower, left side, consists of minerals and plants.§ Thus it was predetermined by the Mighty One, the Knowing One. A CHAPTER. And know thou, that, as for the Imâm, a transmission from the corporeal world to the spiritual world is not his lot,nay, but his soul is in conjunction with the spiritual world and the corporeal world, because he is the medium between creatures and the Creator; and it is because he is God's ujjeh to the creation, that by him is the deliverance of the entire world. And as often as an Imâm disappears, an Imâm takes his stand; nor is one different from the other, except in respect to his manifestation in bodily form; so that the earth is not without him the twinkling of an eye, and it happens not to him to disappear except at the time of his manifestation, and the transmission from one form to another. And an Imâm is not transmitted from this state of being, until another Imâm takes his stand,* on acccount of the transmission of the Word of the Imâm from one Place of manifestation to another. And let there be peace! The word of thy Lord, true and just, is ended. Of his words there is no changing. And he is the Hearer, the Knowing One. Let it be accomplished! Footnotes * The Imâms. urân, Sûr. xlix. v. 3. The ujjehs of the Imâms. See Journ. of Am. Or. Soc., vol. ii. p. 290, note §; Ibid., p. 280, note . § urân, Sûr. xix. v. 59. urân, Sûr. xxv, v. 61. The passage refers, properly, to those who rejected Muammed. El-Beihâhy says, "The command to worship the Merciful increases their shyness of the faith." See Beidhawii Commentarius, vol. ii. p. 44. * urân. Sûr. ix. vv. 129-130. Es-Sirâj, meaning one who is most enlightened with human science The Deity of the "Believer." * The word add, Measure, is used in this Risâleh as synonymous with Correspondent, or Representative. See Journ. of Am. Or. Soc., vol. ii. p. 265, note . El-Fat is a super-human type of El-asan, who is the first Imâm in this system. See p. 185. § The Imâm par éminence, i. e. the Prophet, as the connection shows. * urân, Sûr. ii. v. 285. "We distinguish not etc." is properly the language of believers in Muammed's mission. The argument proceeds upon the assumption that "O our Lord!" is addressed to the Envoy Muammed as representing the Amr, by virtue of his correspondence to the Sâbi, one of the two Eternal Roots created by the Amr. This being assumed, it follows that the Prince of the believers is co-equal with the Envoy Muammed, since he too represents the Amr by his correspondence to the other Eternal Root, namely, the Tâly. The Light of the Amr, which constitutes the essence of the two Eternal Roots. See below. * See Journ. of Am. Or. Soc., vol. ii. pp. 300-302. But it is here affirmed that the Sâbi and the Tâly are named from their being the creators of spirits and bodies, respectively, the former having a higher destiny than the latter. See Journ. of Am. Or. Soc., vol. ii. p. 306, note §. urân, Sûr. xxxvi. v. 36. According to El-Beihâwy's interpretation of this verse, it means, 'Glory he to him who created the varieties and species of plants and trees, the male and the female, and the mates of what he has not given them to know, nor made for them a way to the knowledge of." See Beidhawii Comment., vol. ii. p. 160. * urân, Sûr. xxvi. vv. 88-89. urân, Sûr. l. v. 42. A denial that secondary causes connect themselves with the Amr. § That is, the true God, these being among the epithets most frequently applied to God in the urân. urân, Sûr. lxxxviii. vv. 25-26. ¶ The "Higher Similitudes" are the super-human Muammed and Aly and the super-human Fâimeh, asan, and usein, called El-Jedd, El-Fat, and El-Khiyâl, whose origin is explained in the sequel. The "Earthly Resemblances" are the same beings embodied on earth. * That is, the super-human Muammed shows himself under the Veil of the temporary Prophet, as soon as he has furnished the latter with the law which he is to establish. In other words, inspires with the allegorical sense of the established law, which it is the office of the Asâs to disclose, See Journ. of Am. Or. Soc., vol ii. p. 266, note *. Supernatural inspiration, conceived of as a pen inscribing characters on the spirit. § ln the Ismâilian and Druze systems, the Meshiyeh is the Tâly. See Journ. of Am. Or. Soc., vol ii. p. 300, note §. * The conception of the Amr as being the Veritable Deity, here distinctly expressed, and implied through the whole of this Risâleh, presents an important point of contrast with Ismâilian doctrine, according to which the Amr is the prime emanation from the Absolute Deity. See Journ. of Am. Or. Soc., vol. ii. pp. 265, note *, 299-300. Namely, to itself, that is, the super-human Fâimeh, who sustains a relation to the super-human Muammed and Aly, similar to that which the Meshiyeh sustains to the Sâbi and the Tâly. Menzeleh, Station, is a term used in this Risâleh to signify impersonation. § urân, Sûr. liii. v. 28, with a clause added. "They name the angels with the naming of woman," is explained by El-Beihâwy to mean, "that they name each of them a daughter." See Beidhawii Comment., vol. ii. p. 294. The super-human Muammed and Aly. * The Sâbi and the Tâly. See p. 180. That is the super-human Muammed and Aly, for whom the super-human Fâimeh was created, that she might serve as their medium of communication with each Prophet and Legatee. See p. 176. That is, the Sâbi constituted the essential reality of the impersonated Muammed. This is sufficiently explained by what goes before. § That is, the Envoy personified in Muammed. Allusions to well-known circumstances in the life of Muammed. See Mohammed der Prophet, von Dr. Gustav Weil, pp. 40, ff., and 127. Abdallah Râwaah El-Anâry was one of Muammed's most zealous partizans. * The Imâms. * urân, Sûr. xxi. vv. 26-27. El-Beihâwy informs us that this passage was revealed "on account of the Khuzâites, upon their saying that the angels are daughters of God." The proper sense of the last clause is: "who act at his bidding." See Beidhawii Comment., vol. i. pp. 614-615. See p. 177. Or, made it a distinct essence. * urân, Sûr. v. v. 109. These words, addreseed to Jesus, make a part of what it is supposed God will say, on the day of judgement, to remind the Prophets of their miracles, and so to reprove the infidels for their infidelity. See Beidhawii Comment., vol. i. p. 279. urân, Sûr. xxiv. v. 35. See p. 175. * The Light of the Amr. Namely, the names of the so-called "elected impersonations." It is probable that these names are all taken from friends of Muammed and Aly; but have not been able to identify them all. They are here applied to beings of a higher order than man, though not strictly spiritual. Ammâr and Abû-d-Darr are known as names of friends of Muammed. * This person was another of Muammed's friends. El-Bâir is so called as a descendant of Muammed. See the statement of Esh-Shahrastâny on this point, Journ. of Am. Or. Soc., vol ii. p. 276. * urân, Sûr. xcvi. vv. 1-6. According to El-Behâwy, "Read thou with the name of thy Lord" is the same as to say, "Read thou the urân, beginning with the name of thy Lord, or asking help therewith." "By the Pen" is explained by this commentator to signify "by writing with the pen," "which," he adds, "is said because sciences are closely connected therewith, and that which is remote is thereby known." See Beidhawii Comment., vol ii. pp. 409-10. * urân, Sûr. xxiii. vv. 93-94, slightly abridged. El-Beihâwy develops the argument here employed, thus: "If there had been deities beside him, as they say, each one of them would have certainly gone off with that which it created, and would have appropriated it to itself; and its dominion would have been distinct from the dominion of the others, and there would have arisen between them contention and striving for superiority, as is the case with kings in this world, and so the sovereignty over all things would not have been in its hands alone." See Beidhawii Comment., vol. ii. p. 11. urân, Sûr. ii. v. 214. urân, Sûr. xxii. v. 11; Id. xxxix v. 17. § urân, Sûr. l. v. 17. The passage alludes to two angels supposed to stand, one on the right, and the other on the left, of man, during his course on earth, to take account of his good and bad deeds. See Beidhawii Comment., vol. ii. p. 279. See p. 179, note *. ¶ urân, Sûr. xlii. v. 9. * i. e. The Brilliant, meaning Fâimeh. Some intimation of what is symbolized under the names here given to the super-human Fâimeh, asan and usein, may be derived from Journ. of Am. Or. Soc., vol. ii. p. 312, note , and the passage there referred to. Meaning, the Collection of traditions. The words here mystified, signifying "be thou, and so it is," are those by which the creative power of God is so often expressed in the urân. The Creator's mandate, Kun, be thou, is here imagined to represent the Light of the Amr under the two-fold form of the Sâbi and the Tâly; while in the result of that mandate, fatekun, and so it is, is found a symbol of the super-human Muammed and Aly, and the super-human Fâimeh, asan, and usein, as branches from that Light. § See Journ. of Am. Or. Soc., vol. ii. p. 309, note . * urân, Sûr. ci. vv. 5-8. El-Beihâwy explains the clause "Hâwiyeh will be his mother" by "his dwelling-place will be the Fire." See Beidhawii Comment., vol. ii. p. 414. That is, the Light created by the Amr. * urân, Sûr. xli. v. 11. The " Amr" of each heaven is explained by El-Beihâwy to mean "its business, that which is brought to pass by it, through being charged therewith, of choice, or by nature," alluding to planetary influences. See Beidhawii Comment., vol ii. p. 220. In our text, these influences are personified. The Imâm is here described under three aspects: first, as comprehended in the five Lights put forth from the Sâbi and the Tâly, then, as prefigured in the seven Planets, and last, as existing in human form. That is, an embodiment adapted to it. § urân, Sûr. xxxvii. v. 164. This is interpreted by El-Beihâwy as "a confession by the angels of their subordination, by way of disowning their being eternal;" "their known places," he adds, "in respect to knowledge, and service, and deference to the command of God, in the government of the world." See Beidhawii Comment., vol ii. p. 179. * urân, Sûr. v. v. 117. These words are a part of what Jesus, as is supposed, will say to God at the last day, in justification of himself, in view of the errors of Christians. In the application here made of them, it seems to be implied, that, if the "Observer" means the Legatee, the "Prepared One," as the Observer's mate, must be the Prophet. See Journ. of Am. Or. Soc., vol. ii. p. 289, note *. Compare what is said of the doctrine of the Nuairis, in Journ. of Am. Or. Soc., vol. ii. pp. 289-290. * See p. 185. * urân, Sûr. xiv. vv. 29-30, quoted ad sensum. See p. 180. This passage suggests an important inquiry; to which, however, no satisfactory answer can be given, at present. Perhaps an acquaintance with the books of the Nuairis may serve to explain the allusion. * An allusion to the words of Christ in instituting the sacrament of the Last Supper. urân, Sûr. xiv. v. 52. Respecting the Bâb, the ujjeh, the Dâi, and the Madhan, see Journ. of Am. Or. Soc., vol ii. p. 280, notes , §, , ¶. * See p. 187, note . "The Intelligence" and "the Soul" are names here applied to the super-human Muammed and Aly. Compare the Ismâilian doctrine in Journ. of Am. Or. Soc., vol. ii. pp. 300-301. See Journ. of Am. Or. Soc., vol. ii. p. 300, note . § Compare the Ismâilian cosmogony, in Journ. of Am. Or. Soc., vol ii. pp. 302-306. * Namely, at the commencement of a new period. See p. 175. Journals