THE SECTS OF ISLÁM.
It is a commonly received but nevertheless an erroneous opinion, that the
Muhammadan religion is one remarkable for the absence of dogma and the
unanimity of its professors. In this chapter I propose to show how the
great sects differ in some very important principles of the faith, and
their consequent divergence in practice. There is much that is common
ground to all, and of that some account was given in the first chapter on
the "Foundations of Islám."
It was there shown that all Muslim sects are not agreed as to the essential
foundations of the Faith. The Sunnís recognise four foundations, the
Wahhábís two; whilst the Shía'hs reject altogether the Traditions held
sacred by both Sunní and Wahhábí. The next chapter will contain a full
account of the doctrines held by the Sunnís, and so no account of this, the
orthodox sect, is given in this chapter.
The first breach in Islám arose out of a civil war. The story has been so
often told that it need not be reproduced here at any length. 'Alí, the
son-in-law of Muhammad, was the fourth Khalíf of Islám. He is described as
"the last and worthiest of the primitive Musalmáns who imbibed his
religious enthusiasm from companionship with the Prophet himself, and who
followed to the last the simplicity of his character." He was a man
calculated by his earnest devotion to the Prophet and his own natural
graces to win, as he has done, the admiration of succeeding generations. A
strong opposition, however, arose, and 'Alí was assassinated in a mosque at
Kúfa. It is not easy, amid the conflicting statements of historians of the
rival sects, to arrive at the truth in all the details of the events which
happened then; {74} but the generally received opinion is, that after the
assassination of 'Alí, Hasan, his son, renounced his claim to the Khalifate
in favour of his father's rival, Muavia. Hasan was ultimately poisoned by
his wife, who, it is said, was instigated by Muavia to do the deed, in
order to leave the coast clear for his son Yezíd. The most tragic event has
yet to come. Yezíd, who succeeded his father, was a very licentious and
irreligious man. The people of Kúfa, being disgusted at his conduct, sent
messengers to Husain, the remaining son of 'Alí, with the request that he
would assume the Khalifate. In vain the friends of Husain tried to persuade
him to let the people of Kúfa first revolt, and thus show the reality of
their wishes by their deeds. In an evil hour Husain started with a small
band of forty horsemen and one hundred foot-soldiers. On the plain of
Karbalá he found his way barred by a force of three thousand men. "We are
few in number," said Husain, "and the enemy is in force. I am resolved to
die. But you--I release you from your oath of allegiance; let all those who
wish to do so leave me." "O Son of the Apostle of God!" was the reply,
"what excuse could we give to thy grandfather on the day of resurrection
did we abandon thee to the hands of thine enemies?" One by one these brave
men fell beneath the swords of the enemy, until Husain and his infant son
alone were left. Weary and thirsty, Husain sat upon the ground. The enemy
drew near, but no one dared to kill the grandson of the Prophet. An arrow
pierced the ear of the little boy and he died. "We came from God, and we
return to him," were the pathetic words of Husain, as with a sorrowful
heart he laid the dead body of his son on the sand. He then stooped down to
drink some water from the river Euphrates. Seeing him thus stooping, the
enemy discharged a flight of arrows, one of which wounded him in the mouth.
He fought bravely for a while, but at last fell covered with many wounds.
The schism between the Sunní and the Shía'h was now complete. {75}
The ceremonies celebrated during the annual fast of Muharram refer to these
historical facts, and help to keep alive a bitter feud; but to suppose that
the only difference between the Shía'h and the Sunní is a mere dispute as
to the proper order of the early Khalífs would be a mistake. Starting off
with a political quarrel, the Shía'hs have travelled into a very distinct
religious position of their own. The fundamental tenet of the Shía'h sect
is the "divine right" of 'Alí the Chosen and his descendants. From this it
follows that the chief duty of religion consists in devotion to the Imám
(or Pontiff); from which position some curious dogmas issue. The whole
question of the Imámat is a very important one. The word Imám comes from an
Arabic word meaning to aim at, to follow after. The term Imám then becomes
equal to the word leader or exemplar. It is applied in this sense to
Muhammad as the leader in all civil and religious questions, and to the
Khalífs, his successors. It is also, in its religious import only, applied
to the founders of the four orthodox schools of jurisprudence, and in a
restricted sense to the leader of a congregation at prayer in a mosque. It
is with the first of these meanings that we have now to deal. It is so used
in the Qurán--"When his Lord made trial of Abraham by commands which he
fulfilled, He said: 'I am about to make of thee an Imám to mankind;' he
said: 'Of my offspring also?' 'My covenant,' said God, 'embraceth not the
evil-doers.'" (Súra ii. 118.) From this verse two doctrines are deduced.
First, that the Imám must be appointed by God, for if this is not the case,
why did Abraham say "of my offspring also?" Secondly, the Imám is free from
sin, for God said: "My covenant embraceth not the evil-doer."
The first dispute about the Imámat originated with the twelve thousand who
revolted from 'Alí after the battle of Siffin (657 A.D.), because he
consented to submit to arbitration the dispute between himself and Muavia.
Some years after they were nearly all destroyed by 'Alí. A few {76}
survivors, however, fled to various parts. Two at last settled in Omán, and
there preached their distinctive doctrines. In course of time the people of
Omán adopted the doctrine that the Imámat was not hereditary but elective,
and that in the event of misconduct the Imám might be deposed.
'Abdullah-ibn-Ibádh (744 A.D.) was a vigorous preacher of this doctrine,
and from him the sect known as the 'Ibádhiyah takes its rise. The result of
this teaching was the establishment of the power and jurisdiction of the
Imám of Omán. The 'Ibádhiyah seem to have always kept themselves
independent of the Sunní Khalífs of Baghdád, and, therefore, would consider
themselves free from any obligation to obey the Sultán of Turkey. From the
ordinary Shía'hs they differ as regards the "divine right" of 'Alí and his
children. The curious in such matters will find the whole subject well
treated in Dr. Badger's "Seyyids of Omán."
The term Khárigite (Separatist) has since become the generic name for a
group of sects which agree as to the need of an Imám, though they differ as
to the details of the dogma. In opposition to this heresy of the Khárigite
stands what may be termed the orthodox doctrine of the Shía'h. The Shía'hs
hold that the Imámat must continue in the family of 'Alí, and that religion
consists mainly in devotion to the Imám. The tragic end of 'Alí and his
sons invested them with peculiar interest. When grieving for the sad end of
their leaders, the Shí'ahs found consolation in the doctrine which soon
found development, _viz._, that it was God's will that the Imámat should
continue in the family of 'Alí. Thus a tradition relates that the Prophet
said: "He of whom I am master has 'Alí also for a master." "The best judge
among you is 'Alí." Ibn Abbás, a Companion says: "I heard the Prophet say:
'He who blasphemes my name blasphemes the name of God; he who blasphemes
the name of 'Alí blasphemes my name.'" A popular Persian hymn shows to what
an extent this feeling deepened. {77}
"Mysterious being! none can tell
The attributes in thee that dwell;
None can thine essence comprehend;
To thee should every mortal bend--
For 'tis by thee that man is given
To know the high behests of heaven."
The general idea is, that long before the creation of the world, God took a
ray of light from the splendour of His own glory and united it to the body
of Muhammad, to which He said: "Thou art the elect, the chosen, I will make
the members of thy family the guides to salvation." Muhammad said: "The
first thing which God created was my light, and my spirit."[67] The body of
the Prophet was then in some mysterious way hidden. In due time the world
was created, but not until the birth of Muhammad did this ray of glory
appear. It is well known to all Musalmáns as the "Núr-i-Muhammadí"--light
of Muhammad.
This "Núr" is said to be of four kinds. From the first kind God created His
Throne, from the second the Pen of Fate, from the third Paradise, and from
the fourth the state, or place of Spirits and all created beings. According
to a statement made by 'Alí, Muhammad said that he was created from the
light of God, whilst all other created beings were formed from the "light
of Muhammad."[68]
This "light" descended to 'Alí, and from him passed on to the true Imáms,
who alone are the lawful successors of the Prophet. Rebellion against them
is sin; devotion to them the very essence of religion.
The doctrine of the Imámat has given rise to endless discussion and
dissension, as the numerous sub-divisions of the Shía'h sect will show.
They are said to be thirty-two in number. The Shía'h proper is the largest
and most influential of them. The following are the Shí'ah tenets regarding
the Imám, based on one of their standard books of {78} divinity.[69] The
Imám is the successor of the Prophet, adorned with all the qualities which
he possessed. He is wiser than the most learned men of the age, holier than
the most pious. He is the noblest of the sons of men and is free from all
sin original or actual: hence the Imám is called ma'sum (innocent.)[70] God
rules the world by wisdom, hence the sending forth of prophets was a
necessity; but it was equally necessary to establish the Imámat. Thus the
Imám is equal to a prophet. 'Alí said: "In me is the glory of every prophet
that has ever been." The authority of the Imám is the authority of God, for
(I quote the Hyát-un-Nafís) "his word is the word of God and of the
Prophet, and obedience to his order is incumbent." The nature of the Imám
is identical with the nature of Muhammad, for did not 'Alí say: "I am
Muhammad, and Muhammad is me." This probably refers to the possession by
the Imám of the "light of Muhammad." The bodies of the Imáms are so pure
and delicate that they cast no shadow.[71] They {79} are the beginning and
the end of all things. To know the Imáms is the very essence of the
knowledge which men can gain of God. "The Holy God calls the Imáms His
word, His hands, His signs, His secret. Their commands and prohibitions,
their actions too, He recognises as His own." As mediums between God and
man they hold a far higher position than the prophets, for "the grace of
God, without their intervention, reaches to no created being." These
extravagant claims for the Imáms culminate in the assertion that "for them
a pillar of light has been fixed between the earth and heaven, by which the
actions of the Faithful are made known to them." The Imám is the supreme
Pontiff, the Vicar of God on earth. The possession of an infallible book is
not sufficient. The infallible guide is needed. Such wisdom and discernment
as such a guide would require can only be found amongst the descendants of
the Prophet. It is no longer, then, a matter of wonder, that in some cases,
almost, if not entirely, divine honour is paid to 'Alí and his
descendants.[72]
The Usúl, or fundamental tenets of the Shía'h sect are five in number. (1)
To believe in the unity of God, (2) To admit that He is just, (3) To
believe in the divine mission of all the prophets, and that Muhammad is the
chief of all, (4) To consider 'Alí the Khalíf next in order after Muhammad,
(5) To believe 'Alí's descendants from Hasan to Mahdí, the twelfth Imám, to
be his true successors, and to consider all of them in character, position
and dignity as raised far above all other Muslims. This is the doctrine of
the Imámat.
{80}
The first principal divisions of the Shía'h sect are the Ismá'ílians and
the Imámites. The latter believe in twelve Imáms, reckoning 'Alí as the
first.[73] The last of the twelve Abu'l-Qásim, is supposed to be alive
still, though hidden in some secret place. He bears the name of Al-Mahdí,
"the guided." It is expected that he will reappear at the second advent of
Christ. They say that he was born near Baghdád in the year 258 A.H. He
afterwards mysteriously disappeared. When he was born the words, "Say:
'truth is come and falsehood is vanished: Verily falsehood is a thing that
vanisheth,'" (Súra xvii. 83) were found written on his right arm. When he
came into the world, he pointed with his fingers to heaven, sneezed, and
said: 'Praise be to God, the Lord of the world.' A person one day visited
Imám Hasan 'Askarí (the eleventh Imám) and said: 'O son of the Prophet who
will be Khalíf and Imám after thee?' He brought out a child and said: 'if
thou hadst not found favour in the eyes of God, He would not have shown
thee this child; his name is that of the Prophet, and so is his
patronymic,' (Abu 'l-Qásim). The sect who believe Mahdí to be alive at
present, say that he rules over cities in the far west, and he is even said
to have children. God alone knows the truth.[74]
The other large division, the Ismá'ílians, agree with the Imámites in all
particulars save one. They hold that after Sádiq, the sixth Imám, commenced
what is called the succession of the "concealed Imáms." They believe that
there never can be a time when there shall be no Imám, but that he is now
in seclusion. This idea has given rise to all sorts of secret societies,
and has paved the way for a mystical religion, which often lands its
votaries in atheism.[75] {81}
The Ghair-i-Mahdí (literally "without Mahdí") are a small sect who believe
that Al-Mahdí will not reappear. They say that one Syed Muhammad of Jeypore
was the real Mahdí, the twelfth Imám, and that he has now gone never more
to return. They venerate him as highly as they do the Prophet, and consider
all other Musalmáns to be unbelievers. On the night called Lailat-ul-Qadr,
in the month of Ramazán, they meet and repeat two rak'at prayers. After
that act of devotion is over, they say: "God is Almighty, Muhammad is our
Prophet, the Qurán and Mahdí are just and true. Imám Mahdí is come and
gone. Whosoever disbelieves this is an infidel." They are a very fanatical
sect.
There is another small community of Ghair-i-Mahdís called the Dá,irí,
settled in the province of Mysore, who hold peculiar views on this point.
About four hundred years ago, a man named Syed Ahmad collected some
followers in the dominions of the Nizám of Hyderabad. He called himself the
Imám Mahdí, and said that he was superior to any prophet. He and his
disciples, being bitterly persecuted by the orthodox Musalmáns, fled to a
village in the adjoining district of Mysore where their descendants,
fifteen hundred in number, now reside. It is said that they do not
intermarry with other Musalmáns. The usual Friday service in the mosque is
ended by the leader saying: "Imám Mahdí came and went away," to which the
people respond: "He who does not believe this is a Káfir" (infidel).
There are several Traditions which refer to the latter days. "When of time
one day shall be left, God shall raise up a man from among my descendants,
who shall fill the world with justice, just as before him the world was
full of oppression." And again: "The world shall not come to an end till
the king of the earth shall appear, who is a man of my family, and whose
name is the same as mine." When Islám entered upon the tenth century of its
existence, there was throughout Persia and India a millenarian movement.
Men {82} declared that the end was drawing near, and various persons arose
who claimed to be Al-Mahdí. I have already mentioned two. Amongst others
was Shaikh 'Aláí of Agra. (956 A.H.) Shaikh Mubarak, the father of
Abu'l-Fazl--the Emperor Akbar's famous vizier, was a disciple of Shaikh
'Aláí and from him imbibed Mahdaví ideas. This brought upon him the wrath
of the 'Ulamá who, however, were finally overcome by the free-thinking and
heretical Emperor and his vizier. There never was a better ruler in India
than Akbar, and never a more heretical one as far as orthodox Islám is
concerned. The Emperor delighted in the controversies of the age. The Súfís
and Mahdavís were in favour at Court. The orthodox 'Ulamá were treated with
contempt. Akbar fully believed that the millennium had come. He started a
new era, and a new religion called the 'Divine Faith.' There was toleration
for all except the bigoted orthodox Muslims. Abu'l-Fazl and others like
him, who professed to reflect Akbar's religious views, held that all
religions contained truth. Thus:--
"O God, in every temple I see people that seek Thee, and in every language
I hear spoken, people praise Thee!
Polytheism and Islam feel after Thee,
Each religion says, 'Thou art one, without equal.'
If it be a mosque, people murmur the holy prayer, and if it be a
Christian Church, people ring the bell from love to Thee,
Sometimes I frequent the Christian cloister, and sometimes the
mosque,
But it is Thou whom I search from temple to temple."
In this reign one Mír Sharíf was promoted to the rank of a Commander of a
thousand, and to an appointment in Bengal. His chief merit in Akbar's eyes
was that he taught the doctrine of the transmigration of souls and the
close advent of the millennium. He was a disciple of Mahmúd of Busakhwán,
the founder of the Nuqtawiah sect. As this is another offshoot of the
Shía'hs I give a brief account of them here. Mahmúd lived in the reign of
Timur and {83} professed to be Al-Mahdí. He also called himself the
Shakhs-i-Wáhíd--the Individual one. He used to quote the verse, "It may be
that thy Lord will raise thee up to a glorious (mahmúd) station." (Súra
xvii. 81). From this he argued that the body of man had been advancing in
purity since the creation, and that on its reaching to a certain degree,
one Mahmúd (glorious) would arise, and that then the dispensation of
Muhammad would come to an end. He claimed to be the Mahmúd. He also taught
the doctrine of transmigration, and that the beginning of everything was
the Nuqtah-i-khák--earth atom. It is on this account that they are called
the Nuqtawiah sect. They are also known by the names Mahmúdiah and
Wáhídiah. Shah 'Abbás king of Persia expelled them from his dominions, but
Akbar received the fugitives kindly and promoted some amongst them to high
offices of State.
This Mahdaví movement, arising as it did out of the Shía'h doctrine of the
Imámat, is a very striking fact. That imposters should arise and claim the
name and office of Al-Mahdí is not to be wondered at, but that large bodies
of men should follow them shows the unrest which dwelt in men's hearts, and
how they longed for a personal leader and guide.
The whole of the Shía'h doctrine on this point seems to show that there is
in the human heart a natural desire for some Mediator--some Word of the
Father, who shall reveal Him to His children. At first sight it would seem,
as if the doctrine of the Imámat might to some extent reconcile the
thoughtful Shía'h to the Christian doctrine of the Incarnation and
Mediation of Jesus Christ, to His office as the perfect revealer of God's
will; and as our Guide in life; but alas! it is not so. The mystic lore
connected with Shía'h doctrine has sapped the foundation of moral life and
vigour. A system of religious reservation, too, is a fundamental part of
the system in its mystical developments, whilst all Shía'hs may lawfully
practise "takía," or religious {84} compromise in their daily lives. It
thus becomes impossible to place dependence on what a Shía'h may profess,
as pious frauds are legalised by his system of religion. If he becomes a
mystic, he looks upon the ceremonial and the moral law as restrictions
imposed by an Almighty Power. The omission of the one is a sin almost, if
not quite, as bad as a breach, of the other. The advent of Mahdí is the
good time when all such restrictions shall be removed, when the utmost
freedom shall be allowed. Thus the moral sense, in many cases, becomes
deadened to an extent such as those who are not in daily contact with these
people can hardly credit. The practice of "takía," religious compromise,
and the legality of "muta'h" or temporary marriages, have done much to
demoralise the Shía'h community. The following words of a recent author
descriptive of the Shía'h system are in the main true, though they do not
apply to each individual in that system:--
"There can be no stronger testimony of the corrupting power and the
hard and hopeless bondage of the orthodox creed, than that men should
escape from it into a system which established falsehood as the supreme
law of conduct, and regarded the reduction of men to the level of swine
as the goal of human existence."[76]
The Mutazilites, or Seceders, were once an influential body. They do not
exist as a separate sect now. An account of them will be given in the next
chapter.
In the doctrine of the Imámat, common to all the offshoots of the Shía'h
sect, is to be found the chief point of difference between the Sunní and
the Shía'h, a difference so great that there is no danger of even a
political union between these two great branches of Islám. I have already
described, too, how the Shía'hs reject the Sunnat, though they do not
reject Tradition. A good deal of ill-blood is still kept up by the
recollection--a recollection kept alive by the annual recurrence of the
Muharram fast--of the sad {85} fate of 'Alí and his sons. The Sunnís are
blamed for the work of their ancestors in the faith, whilst the Khalífs Abu
Bakr, Omar, and Osmán are looked upon as usurpers. Not to them was
committed the wonderful ray of light. In the possession of that alone can
any one make good a claim to be the Imám, the Guide of the Believers. The
terrible disorders of the early days of Islám can only be understood when
we realise to some extent the passionate longing which men felt for a
spiritual head--an Imám. It was thought to be impossible that Muhammad, the
last--the seal--of the prophets should leave the Faithful without a guide,
who would be the interpreter of the will of Allah.
We here make a slight digression to show that this feeling extends beyond
the Shía'h sect, and is of some importance in its bearing upon the Eastern
Question. Apart from the superhuman claims for the Imám, what he is as a
ruler to the Shía'h, the Khalíf is to the Sunní--the supreme head in Church
and State, the successor of the Prophet, the Conservator of Islám as made
known in the Qurán, the Sunnat and the Ijmá' of the early Mujtahidín. To
administer the laws, the administrator must have a divine sanction. Thus
when the Ottoman ruler, Selim the First, conquered Egypt, (A.D. 1516) he
sought and obtained, from an old descendant of the Baghdád Khalífs, the
transfer of the title to himself, and in this way the Sultáns of Turkey
became the Khalífs of Islám. Whether Mutawakal Billál, the last titular
Khalíf of the house of 'Abbás, was right or wrong in thus transferring the
title is not my purpose now to discuss. I only adduce the fact to show how
it illustrates the feeling of the need of a Pontiff--a divinely appointed
Ruler. Strictly speaking, according to Muhammadan law, the Sultáns are not
Khalífs, for it is clearly laid down in the Traditions that the Khalíf (or
the Imám) must be of the tribe of the Quraish, to which the Prophet himself
belonged.
Ibn-i-Umr relates that the Prophet said:--"The Khalífs shall be in the
Quraish tribe as long as there are two {86} persons in it, one to rule and
another to serve."[77] "It is a necessary condition that the Khalíf should
be of the Quraish tribe."[78] Such quotations might be multiplied, and they
tend to show that it is not at all incumbent on orthodox Sunnís, other than
the Turks, to rush to the rescue of the Sultán, whilst to the Shía'hs he is
little better than a heretic. Certainly they would never look upon him as
an Imám, which personage is to them in the place of a Khalíf. In countries
not under Turkish rule, the Khutbah, or prayer for the ruler, said on
Fridays in the mosques, is said for the "ruler of the age," or for the
Amír, or whatever happens to be the title of the head of the State. Of late
years it has become more common in India to say it for the Sultán. This is
not, strictly speaking, according to Muhammadan law, which declares that
the Khutbah can only be said with the permission of the ruler, and as in
India that ruler is the British Government, the prayers should be said for
the Queen. Evidently the law never contemplated large bodies of Musalmáns
residing anywhere but where the influence of the Khalíf extended.
In thus casting doubt on the legality of the claim made by Turkish Sultáns
to the Khalifate of Islám, I do not deny that the Law of Islám requires
that there should be a Khalíf. Unfortunately for Islám, there is nothing in
its history parallel to the conflict of Pope and Emperor, of Church and
State. "The action and re-action of these powerful and partially
independent forces, their resistance to each other, and their ministry to
each other, have been of incalculable value to the higher activity and life
of Christendom." In Islám the Khalíf is both Pope and Emperor. Ibn Khaldoun
states that the difference between the Khalíf and any other ruler is that
the former rules according to divine, the latter according to human law.
The Prophet in transmitting his sacred authority to the Khalífs, his
successors, conveyed to {87} them absolute powers. Khalífs can be
assassinated, murdered, banished, but so long as they reign anything like
constitutional liberty is impossible. It is a fatal mistake in European
politics and an evil for Turkey to recognize the Sultán as the Khalíf of
Islám, for, if he be such, Turkey can never take any step forward to
newness of political life.[79]
This, however, is a digression from the subject of this chapter.
There has been from the earliest ages of Islám a movement which exists to
this day. It is a kind of mysticism, known as Súfíism. It has been
especially prevalent among the Persians. It is a re-action from the burden
of a rigid law, and a wearisome ritual. It has now existed for a thousand
years, and if it has the element of progress in it, if it is the salt of
Islám some fruit should now be seen. But what is Súfíism? The term Súfí is
most probably derived from the Arabic word Súf, "wool," of which material
the garments worn by Eastern ascetics used to be generally made. Some
persons, however, derive it from the Persian, Súf, "pure," or the Greek
[Greek: sophia], "wisdom." Tasawwuf, or Súfíism, is the abstract form of
the word, and is, according to Sir W. Jones, and other learned
orientalists, a figurative mode, borrowed mainly from the Indian
philosophers of the Vedanta school, of expressing the fervour of devotion.
The chief idea is that the souls of men differ in degree, but not {88} in
kind, from the Divine Spirit, of which they are emanations, and to which
they will ultimately return. The Spirit of God is in all He has made, and
it in Him. He alone is perfect love, beauty, etc.--hence love to him is the
only _real_ thing; all else is illusion. Sa'dí says: "I swear by the truth
of God, that when He showed me His glory all else was illusion." This
present life is one of separation from the beloved. The beauties of nature,
music, and art revive in men the divine idea, and recall their affections
from wandering from Him to other objects. These sublime affections men must
cherish, and by abstraction concentrate their thoughts on God, and so
approximate to His essence, and finally reach the highest stage of
bliss--absorption into the Eternal. The true end and object of human life
is to lose all consciousness of individual existence--to sink "in the ocean
of Divine Life, as a breaking bubble is merged into the stream on the
surface of which it has for a moment risen."[80]
Súfís, who all accept Islám as a divinely established religion, suppose
that long before the creation of the world a contract was made by the
Supreme Soul with the assembled world of spirits, who are parts of it. Each
spirit was addressed separately, thus: "Art thou not with thy Lord?" that
is, bound to him by a solemn contract. To this they all answered with one
voice, "Yes."
Another account says that the seed of theosophy (m'arifat) was placed in
the ground in the time of Adam; that the plant {89} came forth in the days
of Noah, was in flower when Abraham was alive and produced fruit before
Moses passed away. The grapes of this noble plant were ripe in the time of
Jesus, but it was not till the age of Muhammad that pure wine was made from
them. Then those intoxicated with it, having attained to the highest degree
of the knowledge of God, could forget their own personality and
say:--"Praise to me, is there any greater than myself? I am the Truth."
The following verse of the Qurán is quoted by Súfís in support of their
favourite dogma--the attaining to the knowledge of God: "When God said to
the angels, 'I am about to place a viceregent on the earth,' they said:
'Wilt Thou place therein one who shall commit abomination and shed blood?
Nay; we celebrate Thy praise and holiness.' God answered them, 'Verily I
know that ye wot not of.'" (Súra ii. 28.) It is said that this verse proves
that, though the great mass of mankind would commit abomination, some would
receive the divine light and attain to a knowledge of God. A Tradition
states that David said: "'Oh Lord! why hast Thou created mankind?' God
replied, 'I am a hidden treasure, and I would fain become known.'" The
business of the mystic is to find this treasure, to attain to the Divine
light and the true knowledge of God.
The earlier Muhammadan mystics sought to impart life to a rigid and formal
ritual, and though the seeds of Pantheism were planted in their system from
the first, they maintained that they were orthodox. "Our system of
doctrine," says Al-Junaid, "is firmly bound up with the dogmas of the
faith, the Qurán and the Traditions." There was a moral earnestness about
many of these men which frequently restrained the arm of unrighteous power,
and their sayings, often full of beauty, show that they had the power of
appreciating the spiritual side of life. Some of these sentences are worthy
of any age. "As neither meat nor drink," says one, "profit the diseased
body, so no warning avails {90} to touch the heart full of the love of this
world." "The work of a holy man doth not consist in this, that he eats
grain, and clothes himself in wool, but in the knowledge of God and
submission to His will." "Thou deservest not the name of a learned man till
thy heart is emptied of the love of this world." "Hide thy good deeds as
closely as thou wouldst hide thy sins." A famous mystic was brought into
the presence of the Khalíf Hárún-ur-Rashíd who said to him: "How great is
thy abnegation?" He replied, "Thine is greater." "How so?" said the Khalíf.
"Because I make abnegation of this world, and thou makest abnegation of the
next." The same man also said: "The display of devotional works to please
men is hypocrisy, and acts of devotion done to please men are acts of
polytheism."
But towards the close of the second century of the Hijra, this earlier
mysticism developed into Súfíism. Then Al-Halláj taught in Baghdád thus: "I
am the Truth. There is nought in Paradise but God. I am He whom I love, and
He whom I love is I; we are two souls dwelling in one body. When thou seest
me, thou seest Him; and when thou seest Him thou seest me." This roused the
opposition of the orthodox divines by whom Al-Halláj was condemned to be
worthy of death. He was then by order of the Khalíf flogged, tortured and
finally beheaded. Thus died one of the early martyrs of Súfíism, but it
grew in spite of bitter persecution.
In order to understand the esoteric teaching of Súfíistic poetry, it is
necessary to remember that the perceptive sense is the traveller, the
knowledge of God the goal, the doctrines of this ascent, or upward progress
is the Tarikat, or the road. The extinction of self is necessary before any
progress can be made on that road. A Súfí poet writes:--
"Plant one foot upon the neck of self,
The other in thy Friend's domain;
In everything His presence see,
For other vision is in vain."
{91}
Sa'dí in the Bustán says: "Art thou a friend of God? Speak not of self, for
to speak of God and of self is infidelity." Shaikh Abu'l-Faiz, a great poet
and a friend of the Emperor Akbar, from whom he received the honourable
title of Málik-ush-Shu'ará--Master of the Poets, says: "Those who have not
closed the door on existence and non-existence reap no advantage from the
calm of this world and of the world to come." Khusrau, another well-known
poet says:--
"I have become Thou: Thou art become I,
I am the body, Thou the soul;
Let no one henceforth say
That I am distinct from Thee, and Thou from me."
The fact is, that Persian poetry is almost entirely Súfíistic. It is
difficult for the uninitiated to arrive at the esoteric meaning of these
writings. Kitmán, or the art of hiding from the profane religious beliefs,
often contrary to the revealed law, has always been a special quality of
the East. Pantheistic doctrines are largely inculcated.[81] Thus:--
"I was, ere a name had been named upon earth;
Ere one trace yet existed of aught that has birth;
When the locks of the Loved One streamed forth for a sign,
And Being was none, save the Presence Divine!
Named and name were alike emanations from Me,
Ere aught that was 'I' existed, or 'We.'"
The poet then describes his fruitless search for rest and peace in
Christianity, Hinduism, and the religion of the Parsee. Even Islám gave him
no satisfaction, for--
"Nor above nor beneath came the Loved One to view,
I toiled to the summit, wild, pathless and lone,
Of the globe-girding Kaf[82]:--but the 'Anka[83] had flown!
{92}
The sev'nth heaven I traversed--the sev'nth heaven explored,
But in neither discern'd I the court of the Lord!
I question'd the Pen and the Tablet of Fate,
But they whisper'd not where He pavilions His state;
My vision I strain'd; but my God-scanning eye
No trace, that to Godhead belongs, could descry.
My glance I bent inward; within my own breast,
Lo, the vainly sought elsewhere, the Godhead confess'd!
In the whirl of its transport my spirit was toss'd,
_Till each atom of separate being I lost_."
These are the words of the greatest authority among the Súfís, the famous
Maulána Jelál-ud-dín Rúmí, founder of the order of the Mauláví Darwíshes.
He also relates the following story: "One knocked at the door of the
beloved, and a voice from within said: 'Who is there?' Then he answered,
'_It is I._' The voice replied, 'This house will not hold _me_ and _thee_!'
So the door remained shut. The lover retired to a wilderness, and spent
some time in solitude, fasting, and prayer. One year elapsed, when he again
returned, and knocked at the door. 'Who is there?' said the voice. The
lover answered, '_It is thou._' Then the door was opened."
The great object of life, then, being to escape from the hindrances to pure
love and to a return to the divine essence, the Tálib, or seeker, attaches
himself to a Murshid, or teacher. If he prosecutes his studies according to
Súfíistic methods he now often enters one of the many orders of Darwíshes.
After due preparation under his Murshid, he is allowed to enter on the
road. He then becomes a Sálik, or traveller, whose business henceforth is
súlúk that is, devotion to one idea--the knowledge of God. In this road
there are eight stages. (1) Service. Here he must serve God and obey the
Law for he is still in bondage. (2) Love. It is supposed that now the
Divine influence has so attracted his soul that he really loves God. (3)
Seclusion. Love having expelled all worldly desires, he arrives at this
stage, and passes his time in meditation on the deeper doctrines {93} of
Súfíism regarding the Divine nature. (4) Knowledge. The meditation in the
preceding stage, and the investigation of the metaphysical theories
concerning God, His nature, His attributes and the like make him an
'Árif--one who knows. (5) Ecstasy. The mental excitement caused by such
continued meditation on abstruse subjects produces a kind of frenzy, which
is looked upon as a mark of direct illumination of the heart from God. It
is known as Hál--the state; or Wajd--ecstasy. Arrival at this stage is
highly valued, for it is the certain entrance to the next. (6) Haqiqat--the
Truth. Now to the traveller is revealed the true nature of God, now he
learns the reality of that which he has been for so long seeking. This
admits him to the highest stage in his journey, as far as this life is
concerned. (7) That stage is Wasl--union with God.
"There was a door to which I found no key;
There was a veil past which I could not see:
Some little talk of Me and Thee
There seemed--and then no more of Thee and Me."
He cannot, in this life, go beyond that, and very few reach that exalted
stage. Thus arose a "system of Pantheism, which represents joy and sorrow,
good and evil, pleasure and pain as manifestations of one changeless
essence." Religion, as made known by an outward revelation, is, to the few
who reach this stage, a thing of the past. Even its restraints are not
needed. The soul that is united to God can do no evil. The poet Khusrau
says: "Love is the object of my worship, what need have I of Islám?"
Death ensues and with it the last stage is reached. (8) It is
Faná--extinction. The seeker after all his search, the traveller after all
his wearisome journey passes behind the veil and finds--nothing! As the
traveller proceeds from stage to stage, the restraints of an objective
revelation and of an outward system are less and less heeded. "The {94}
religion of the mystic consists in his immediate communication with God,
and when once this has been established, the value of ecclesiastical forms,
and of the historical part of religion, becomes doubtful." What law can
bind the soul in union with God, what outward system impose any trammels on
one who, in the "Ecstasy," has received from Him, who is the Truth, the
direct revelation of His own glorious nature? Moral laws and ceremonial
observances have only an allegorical signification. Creeds are but fetters
cunningly devised to limit the flight of the soul; all that is objective in
religion is a restraint to the reason of the initiated.[84]
Pantheistic in creed, and too often Antinomian in practice, Súfíism
possesses no regenerative power in Islám. "It is not a substantive religion
such as shapes the life of races or of nations, it is a state of opinion."
No Muslim State makes a national profession of Súfíism.
In spite of all its dogmatic utterances, in spite of much that is sublime
in its idea of the search after light and truth, Súfíism ends in utter
negation of all separate existence. The pantheism of the Súfís, this
esoteric doctrine of Islám, as a moral doctrine leads to the same
conclusions as materialism, "the negation of human liberty, the
indifference to actions and the legitimacy of all temporal enjoyments."
The result of Súfíism has been the establishment of a large number of
religious orders known as Darwíshes.[85] These men are looked upon with
disfavour by the {95} orthodox; but they flourish nevertheless, and in
Turkey at the present day have great influence. There are in Constantinople
two hundred Takiahs, or monasteries. The Darwíshes are not organized with
such regularity, nor subject to discipline so severe as that of the
Christian Monastic orders; but they surpass them in number. Each order has
its own special mysteries and practices by which its members think they can
obtain a knowledge of the secrets of the invisible world. They are also
called Faqírs--poor men, not, however, always in the sense of being in
temporal want, but as being poor in the sight of God. As a matter of fact
the Darwíshes of many of the orders do not beg, and many of the Takiahs are
richly endowed. They are divided into two great classes, the Ba Shara'
(with the Law) Darwíshes; and the Be Shara' (without the Law). The former
prefer to rule their conduct according to the law of Islám and are called
the Sálik--travellers on the path (taríqat) to heaven; the latter though
they call themselves Muslims do not conform to the law, and are called Azád
(free), or Majzúb (abstracted), a term which signifies their renunciation
of all worldly cares and pursuits.
The Sálik Darwíshes are those who perform the Zikrs.[86] What little hope
there is of these professedly religious men working any reform in Islám
will be seen from the following account of their doctrines.[87]
1. God only exists,--He is in all things, and all things are in Him.
"Verily we are _from_ God, and _to_ Him shall we return." (Súra ii. 151.)
{96}
2. All visible and invisible beings are an emanation from Him, and are not
really distinct from Him. Creation is only a pastime with God.
3. Paradise and Hell, and all the dogmas of positive religions, are only so
many allegories, the spirit of which is only known to the Súfí.
4. Religions are matters of indifference; they, however, serve as a means
of reaching to realities. Some, for this purpose, are more advantageous
than others. Among which is the Musalmán religion, of which the doctrine of
the Súfís is the philosophy.
5. There is not any real difference between good and evil, for all is
reduced to unity, and God is the real author of the acts of mankind.
6. It is God who fixes the will of man. Man, therefore, is not free in his
actions.
7. The soul existed before the body, and is now confined within it as in a
cage. At death the soul returns to the Divinity from which it emanated.
8. The principal occupation of the Súfí is to meditate on the unity, and so
to attain to spiritual perfection--unification with God.
9. Without the grace of God no one can attain to this unity; but God does
not refuse His aid to those who are in the right path.
The power of a Sheikh, a spiritual leader, is very great. The following
account of the admission of a Novice, called Tawakkul Beg, into an Order,
and of the severe tests applied, will be of some interest.[88] Tawakkul Beg
says:--"Having been introduced by Akhúnd Moollá Muhammad to Sheikh Moolla
Sháh, my heart, through frequent intercourse with him, was filled with such
a burning desire to arrive at a true knowledge of the mystical science that
I found no sleep by night, nor rest by day. When the initiation commenced,
{97} I passed the whole night without sleep, and repeated innumerable times
the Súrat-ul-Ikhlás:--
"Say: He is God alone:
God the eternal:
He begetteth not, and He is not begotten;
And there is none like unto Him." (Súra cxii.)
Whosoever repeats this Súra one hundred times can accomplish all his vows.
I desired that the Sheikh should bestow on me his love. No sooner had I
finished my task than the heart of the Sheikh became full of sympathy for
me. On the following night I was conducted to his presence. During the
whole of that night he concentrated his thoughts on me, whilst I gave
myself up to inward meditation. Three nights passed in this way. On the
fourth night the Sheikh said:--'Let Moollá Senghim and Sálih Beg, who are
very susceptible to ecstatic emotions, apply their spiritual energies to
Tawakkul Beg.'
They did so, whilst I passed the whole night in meditation, with my face
turned toward Mecca. As the morning drew near, a little light came into my
mind, but I could not distinguish form or colour. After the morning
prayers, I was taken to the Sheikh who bade me inform him of my mental
state. I replied that I had seen a light with my inward eye. On hearing
this, the Sheikh became animated and said: 'Thy heart is dark, but the time
is come when I will show myself clearly to thee.' He then ordered me to sit
down in front of him, and to impress his features on my mind. Then having
blindfolded me, he ordered me to concentrate all my thoughts upon him. I
did so, and in an instant by the spiritual help of the Sheikh my heart
opened. He asked me what I saw. I said that I saw another Tawakkul Beg and
another Moollá Sháh. The bandage was then removed, and I saw the Sheikh in
front of me. Again they covered my face, and again I saw him with my inward
eye. Astonished, I cried; 'O master! whether I look with my bodily eye, or
with my spiritual {98} sight, it is always you I see.' I then saw a
dazzling figure approach me. The Sheikh told me to say to the apparition,
'What is your name?' In my spirit I put the question, and the figure
answered to my heart: 'I am 'Abd-ul-Qádir Jilání, I have already aided
thee, thy heart is opened.' Much affected, I vowed that in honour of the
saint, I would repeat the whole Qurán every Friday night.
Moollá Sháh then said: 'The spiritual world has been shown to thee in all
its beauty.' I then rendered perfect obedience to the Sheikh. The following
day I saw the Prophet, the chief Companions, and legions of saints and
angels. After three months, I entered the cheerless region in which the
figures appeared no more. During the whole of this time, the Sheikh
continued to explain to me the mystery of the doctrine of the Unity and of
the knowledge of God; but as yet he did not show me the absolute reality.
It was not until a year had passed that I arrived at the true conception of
unity. Then in words such as these I told the Sheikh of my inspiration. 'I
look upon the body as only dust and water, I regard neither my heart nor my
soul, alas! that in separation from Thee (God) so much of my life has
passed. Thou wert I and I knew it not.' The Sheikh was delighted, and said
that the truth of the union with God was now clearly revealed to me. Then
addressing those who were present, he said: 'Tawakkul Beg learnt from me
the doctrine of the Unity, his inward eye has been opened, the spheres of
colours and of images have been shown to him. At length, he entered the
colourless region. He has now attained to the Unity, doubt and scepticism
henceforth have no power over him. No one sees the Unity with the outward
eye, till the inward eye gains strength and power.'"
I cannot pass from this branch of the subject without making a few remarks
on Omar Khayyám, the great Astronomer-Poet of Persia. He is sometimes
confounded with the Súfís, for there is much in his poetry which is similar
{99} in tone to that of the Súfí writers. But his true position was that of
a sceptic. He wrote little, but what he has written will live. As an
astronomer he was a man of note. He died in the year 517 A.H. There are two
things which may have caused his scepticism. To a man of his intelligence
the hard and fast system of Islám was an intolerable burden. Then, his
scientific spirit had little sympathy with mysticism, the earnest
enthusiasts of which were too often followed by hollow impostors. It is
true, that there was much in the spirit of some of the better Súfís that
seemed to show a yearning for something higher than mere earthly good;
above all, there was the recognition of a Higher Power. But with all this
came spiritual pride, the world and its duties became a thing of evil, and
the religious and the secular life were completely divorced, to the ruin of
both. The Pantheism which soon pervaded the system left no room for man's
will to act, for his conscience to guide. So the moral law become a dead
letter. Irreligious men, to free themselves from the bondage and restraints
of law, assumed the religious life. "Thus a movement, animated at first by
a high and lofty purpose, has degenerated into a fruitful source of ill.
The stream which ought to have expanded into a fertilising river has become
a vast swamp, exhaling vapours charged with disease and death."
Omar Khayyám saw through the unreality of all this. In vain does he try, by
an assumed air of gaiety, to hide from others the sadness which fills his
heart, as all that is bright is seen passing away into oblivion.
One moment in annihilation's waste,
One moment, of the well of life to taste--
The stars are setting and the Caravan
Starts for the dawn of nothing--oh, make haste!
Ah, fill the cup:--what boots it to repeat
How Time is slipping underneath our feet:
Unborn To-morrow, and dead Yesterday,
Why fret about them if To-day be sweet.
{100}
Omar held to the earthly and the material. For him there was no spiritual
world. Chance seemed to rule all the affairs of men. A pitiless destiny
shaped out the course of each human being.
"'Tis all a chequer-board of nights and days
Where destiny with men for pieces plays:
Hither and thither moves, and mates, and slays,
And one by one back in the closet lays.
The moving finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy piety nor wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a line,
Nor all thy tears wash out a word of it."
Neither from earth nor heaven could he find any answer to his cry. With
sages and saints he discussed, and heard, "great argument, but evermore
came out by the same door as in he went." He left the wise to talk, for one
thing alone was certain, and all else was lies,--"the flower that once has
blown for ever dies." Leaving men he turned to nature, but it was all the
same.
"Up from earth's centre through the seventh gate
I rose, and on the throne of Saturn sate,
And many knots unravell'd by the road;
But not the knot of human death and fate.
And that inverted bowl we call the sky,
Where under crawling coop'd we live and die,
Lift not thy hands to it for help--for it
Rolls impotently on as thou or I."
Omar has with justice been compared to Lucretius. Both were materialists,
both believed not in a future life. "Lucretius built a system for himself
in his poem ... it has a professed practical aim--to explain the world's
self-acting machine to the polytheist, and to disabuse him of all spiritual
ideas." Omar builds up no system, he only shows forth his own doubts and
difficulties, "he loves to balance antitheses of belief, and settle himself
in the equipoise of the sceptic." {101}
The fact that there is no hereafter gives Lucretius no pain, but Omar who,
if only his reason could let him, would believe, records his utter despair
in words of passionate bitterness. He is not glad that there is no help
anywhere.[89] And though he calls for the wine-cup, and listens to the
voice within the tavern cry,
"Awake, my little ones, and fill the cup
Before Life's liquor in its cup be dry,"
yet he also looks back to the time, when he consorted with those who
professed to know, and could say:
"With them the seed of wisdom did I sow,
And with my own hand laboured it to grow."
The founder of the Wahhábí sect was Muhammad-ibn-Abd-ul-Wahháb, who was
born at a village in Nejd in the year 1691 A.D. The Wahhábís speak of
themselves as Muwahhid--Unitarians; but their opponents have given to them
the name of the father of the founder of their sect and call them Wahhábís.
Muhammad was a bright intelligent youth, of a strong constitution and
generous spirit. After going through a course of Arabic literature he
studied jurisprudence under a teacher of the Hanífi school. He then set out
in company with his father to perform the Hajj. At Madína he received
further instruction in the Law. He spent sometime at Ispahán in the society
of learned men. Full of {102} knowledge, he returned to his native village
of Ayína where he assumed the position of a religious teacher. He was
shocked to see how the Arabs had departed from what seemed to him the
strict unchanging precepts of the Prophet. Luxury in the form of rich
dresses and silken garments, superstition in the use of omens, auguries,
and the like, in the pilgrimages to shrines and tombs seemed to be altering
the character of the religion as given by the Apostle of God. He saw, or
thought he saw, that in the veneration paid to saints and holy men, the
great doctrine of the "Unity" was being obscured. The reason was very
plain. The Qurán and the Traditions of the Companions had been neglected,
whilst the sayings of men of lesser note, and the jurisprudence of the four
great Imáms had been too readily followed. Here was work to do. He would
reform the Church of Islám, and restore men to their allegiance to the Book
and the Sunnat, as recorded by the Companions. It is true, that the Sunnís
would rise up in opposition, for thus the authority of the four Imáms, the
"Canonical Legists" of the orthodox sect, would be set aside; but what of
that? Had he not been a follower of Abu Hanífa? Now he was prepared to let
Aba Hanífa go, for none but a Companion of the Prophet could give an
authoritative statement with regard to the Sunnat--the Prophet's words and
acts. He must break a lance with the glorious Imám, and start a school of
his own.
He said: "The Muslim pilgrims adore the tomb of the Prophet, and the
sepulchre of 'Alí, and of other saints who have died in the odour of
sanctity. They run there to pay the tribute of their fervent prayers. By
this means they think that they can satisfy their spiritual and temporal
needs, From what do they seek this benefit? From walls made of mud and
stones, from corpses deposited in tombs. If you speak to them they will
reply, 'We do not call these monuments God; we turn to them in prayer, and
we pray the saints to intercede for us on high.' Now, the true {103} way of
salvation is to prostrate one's self before Him who is ever present, and to
venerate Him--the one without associate or equal." Such outspoken language
raised up opposition, and he had to seek the protection of
Muhammad-Ibn-Saud, a chief of some importance, who now vigorously supported
the Wahhábí movement. He was a stern and uncompromising man. "As soon as
you seize a place," he said to his soldiers, "put the males to the sword.
Plunder and pillage at your pleasure, but spare the women and do not strike
a blow at their modesty." On the day of battle he used to give each soldier
a paper, a safe conduct to the other world. This letter was addressed to
the Treasurer of Paradise. It was enclosed in a bag which the warrior
suspended to his neck. The soldiers were persuaded that the souls of those
who died in battle would go straight to heaven, without being examined by
the angels Munkar and Nakír in the grave. The widows and orphans of all who
fell were supported by the survivors. Nothing could resist men who, fired
with a burning zeal for what they deemed the truth, received a share of the
booty, if conquerors; who went direct to Paradise if they were slain. In
course of time, Muhammad-Ibn-Saud married the daughter of Ibn-Abd-ul-Wahháb
and founded the Wahhábí dynasty which to this day rules at Ryadh.[90]
Such was the origin of this great movement, which spread, in course of
time, over Central and Eastern Arabia, and in the beginning of this century
found acceptance in India. In the year 1803 A.D. both Mecca and Madína fell
into the hands of the Wahhábís. A clean sweep was made of all things, the
use of which was opposed to Wahhábí principles. Not only rosaries and
charms, but silk robes and pipes were consigned to the flames, for smoking
is a {104} deadly sin. On this point there is a good story told by
Palgrave--"'Abd-ul-Karím said: 'The first of the great sins is the giving
divine honours to a creature.' Of course I replied, 'The enormity of such a
sin is beyond all doubt. But if this be the first, there must be a second;
what is it?' 'Drinking the shameful!' (in English idiom, 'smoking tobacco')
was the unhesitating answer. 'And murder, and adultery, and false witness?'
I suggested. 'God is merciful and forgiving,' rejoined my friend; that is,
these are merely little sins."[91]
After holding possession of the holy cities for nine years they were driven
out by the Turkish forces. 'Abdullah, the fourth Wahhábí ruler, was
captured by Ibrahím Pasha, and afterwards executed in the square of St.
Sophia (1818 A.D.) The political power of the Wahhábís has since been
confined to parts of Arabia; but their religious opinions have widely
spread.
The leader of the Wahhábí movement in India was Sayyid Ahmad, a reformed
freebooter. He was now born at Ráí Bareili, in Oudh, 1786 A.D. When about
thirty years of age he gave up his wild way of living and settled down in
Delhi as a student of the Law of Islám. After a while, he went on
pilgrimage to Mecca, but his opinions, so similar to those of the noted
Wahhábí, attracted the attention of the orthodox theologians, through whose
influence he was expelled from the sacred city. Persecution deepened his
religious convictions, and he returned to India a pronounced Wahhábí. He
soon gained a large number of disciples, and in 1826 A.D. he preached a
Jihád against the Sikhs. This war was not a success. In the year 1831 the
Wahhábís were suddenly attacked by the Sikhs, under Sher Singh, and Sayyid
Ahmad was slain. This did not, however, prevent the spread of Wahhábí
principles, for he had the good fortune to leave behind him an enthusiastic
disciple. This man, {105} Muhammad Ismá'íl, was born near Delhi in the year
1781 A.D. He was a youth of good abilities and soon mastered the subjects
which form the curriculum of a liberal education amongst Musalmáns. His
first preaching was in a Mosque at Delhi on Tauhíd (Unity), and against
Shirk (Polytheism). He now met with Sayyid Ahmad who soon acquired great
influence over his new disciple. Ismá'íl told him one evening that he could
not offer up his prayers with Huzúr-i-Kalb, presence of heart. The Sayyid
took him to his room where he instructed him to repeat the first of the
prayers after him, and then to conclude them alone. He did so, and was able
to so abstract himself in the contemplation of God that he remained engaged
in prayer till the morning. Henceforward he was a devoted adherent of his
spiritual teacher. In the public discussions, which now often took place,
none were a match for Ismá'íl. This fervent preacher of Wahhábíism is now
chiefly remembered by his great work, the Takwiat-ul-Imán, the book from
which the account of Wahhábí doctrine given in this chapter is taken. If I
make no special reference to the quotations given, it will be known that my
authority for the statements thus made is Muhammad Ismá'íl, the most famous
of all Sayyid Ahmad's disciples. This book was followed by the
Sirát-ul-Mustaqím, said to have been written by one of Ismá'íl's followers.
Wahhábí doctrines are now spread throughout India. In the South there is
not much religious excitement or inquiry, yet Wahhábís are to be found
there.[92] It was and is a remarkable movement. In one sense it is a
struggle against the traditionalism of later ages, but in no sense can it
be said that the Wahhábís reject Tradition. They acknowledge as the
foundation of the faith--first, the Qurán; secondly, the Traditions which
are recorded on the authority of the Companions, and also the Ijmá' of the
Companions, that is, all things on which they were unanimous in opinion
{106} or in practice. Thus to the Wahhábí as to the Sunní, Muhammad is in
all his _acts_ and _words_ a perfect guide.
So far from Wahhábíism being a move onward because it is a return to first
principles, it rather binds the fetters of Islám more tightly. It does not
originate anything new, it offers no relaxation from a system which looks
upon the Qurán and the Traditions as a perfect and complete law, social and
political, moral and religious.
The Wahhábí places the doctrine of the "Tauhíd," or Unity, in a very
prominent position. It is true that all Musalmán sects put this dogma in
the first rank, but Wahhábís set their faces against practices common to
the other sects, because they consider that they obscure this fundamental
doctrine. It is this which brings them into collision with other Musalmáns.
The greatest of all sins is Shirk (_i.e._ the ascribing of plurality to the
Deity). A Mushrik (Polytheist) is one who so offends. All Musalmáns
consider Christians to be Polytheists, and all Wahhábís consider all other
Musalmáns also to be Polytheists, because they look to the Prophet for
intercession, pray to saints, visit shrines, and do other unlawful acts.
The Takwiat-ul-Imán says that "two things are necessary in religion--to
know God as God, and the Prophet as the Prophet." The two fundamental bases
of the faith are the "Doctrine of the Tauhíd (Unity) and obedience to the
Sunnat." The two great errors to be avoided are Shirk (Polytheism) and
Bida't (Innovation). As Bida't is looked upon as evil, it is somewhat
difficult to see what hope of progress can be placed upon this latest phase
of Muhammadan revival.
Shirk is defined to be of four kinds: Shirk-ul-'Ilm, ascribing knowledge to
others than God; Shirk-ut-tasarruf, ascribing power to others than God;
Shirk-ul-'Ibádat, offering worship to created things; Shirk-ul-'ádat, the
performance of ceremonies which imply reliance on others than God. {107}
The first, Shirk-ul-'Ilm, is illustrated by the statement that prophets and
holy men have no knowledge of secret things unless as revealed to them by
God. Thus some wicked persons made a charge against 'Áyesha. The Prophet
was troubled in mind, but knew not the truth of the matter till God made it
known to him. To ascribe, then, power to soothsayers, astrologers, and
saints is Polytheism. "All who pretend to have a knowledge of hidden
things, such as fortune-tellers, soothsayers and interpreters of dreams, as
well as those who profess to be inspired are all liars." Again, "should any
one take the name of any saint, or invoke his aid in the time of need,
instead of calling on God, or use his name in attacking an enemy, or read
passages to propitiate him, or make him the object of contemplation--it is
Shirk-ul-'Ilm."
The second kind, Shirk-ut-tasarruf, is to suppose that any one has power
with God. He who looks up to any one as an intercessor with God commits
Shirk. Thus: "But they who take others beside Him as lords, saying, 'We
only serve them that they may bring us near God,'--God will judge between
them (and the Faithful) concerning that wherein they are at variance."
(Súra xxxix. 4.) Intercession may be of three kinds. For example, a
criminal is placed before the King. The Vizier intercedes. The King, having
regard to the rank of the Vizier, pardons the offender. This is called
Shafá'at-i-Wajahat, or 'intercession from regard.' But to suppose that God
so esteems the rank of any one as to pardon a sinner merely on account of
it is Shirk. Again, the Queen or the Princes intercede for the criminal.
The King, from love to them, pardons him. This is called
Shafá'at-i-muhabbat, or 'intercession from affection.' But to consider that
God so loves any one as to pardon a criminal on his account is to give that
loved one power, and this is Shirk, for such power is not possible in the
Court of God. "God may out of His bounty confer on His favourite servants
the epithets of Habíb--favourite, or Khalíl--friend, {108} &c.; but a
servant is but a servant, no one can put his foot outside the limits of
servitude, or rise beyond the rank of a servant." Again, the King may
himself wish to pardon the offender, but he fears lest the majesty of the
law should be lowered. The Vizier perceives the King's wish, and
intercedes. This intercession is lawful. It is called
Shafá'at-i-ba-izn--intercession by permission, and such power Muhammad will
have at the day of Judgment. Wahhábís hold that he has not that power now,
though all other Musalmáns consider that he has, and in consequence (in
Wahhábí opinion) commit the sin of Shirk-ut-tasarruf. The Wahhábís quote
the following passages in support of their view. "Who is he that can
intercede with Him but by _His own permission_." (Súra ii. 256) "Say:
Intercession is wholly with God! His the kingdoms of the heavens and of the
earth." (Súra xxxix. 46). They also say: "whenever an allusion is made in
the Qurán, or the Traditions to the intercession of certain prophets or
apostles, it is this kind of intercession and no other that is meant."
The third Shirk is prostration before any created beings with the idea of
worshipping it. It also includes perambulating the shrines of departed
saints. Thus: "Prostration, bowing down, standing with folded arms,
spending money in the name of an individual, fasting out of respect to his
memory, proceeding to a distant shrine in a pilgrim's garb and calling out
the name of the saint whilst so going is Shirk-ul-'Ibádat." It is wrong "to
cover the grave with a sheet (ghiláf), to say prayers at the shrine, to
kiss any particular stone, to rub the mouth and breast against the walls of
the shrine, &c." This is a stern condemnation of the very common practice
of visiting the tombs of saints and of some of the special practices of the
pilgrimage to Mecca. All such practices as are here condemned are called
Ishrák fi'l 'Ibádat--'association in worship.'
The fourth Shirk is the keeping up of superstitious customs, such as the
Istikhára--seeking guidance from beads {109} &c., trusting to omens, good
or bad, believing in lucky and unlucky days, adopting such names as
'Abd-un-Nabi (slave of the Prophet), and so on. In fact, the denouncing of
such practices and calling them Shirk brings Wahhábíism into daily contact
with the other sects, for scarcely any people in the world are such
profound believers in the virtue of charms and the power of astrologers as
Musalmáns. The difference between the first and fourth Shirk, the
Shirk-ul-'Ilm and the Shirk-ul-'ádat, seems to be that the first is the
_belief_, say in the knowledge of a soothsayer, and the second the _habit_
of consulting him.
To swear by the name of the Prophet, of 'Alí, of the Imáms, or of Pírs
(Leaders) is to give them the honour due to God alone. It is Ishrák fi'l
adab--'Shirk in association.'
Another common belief which Wahhábís oppose is that Musalmáns can perform
the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca), say prayers, read the Qurán, abide in
meditation, give alms, and do other good works, the reward of which shall
be credited to a person already dead.[93] Amongst other Musalmáns it is a
common practice to read the Qurán in the belief that, if done with such an
intention, the reward will pass to the deceased object of the desire.
Wahábís entirely object to this.
The above technical exposition of Wahhábí tenets shows how much stress they
lay on a rigid adherence to the doctrine of the "Unity." "Lá-il-láha,
Il-lal-lá-hu" (there is no God but God) is an eternal truth. Yet to the
Musalmán God is a Being afar off. In rejecting the Fatherhood of God he has
accepted as the object of his worship, hardly of his affections, a Being
despotic in all He does, arbitrary in all His ways. He has accepted the
position of a slave instead of that of a son. Wahhábíism emphasizes the
ideas which flow from the first article of the Muslim creed. But {110} on
this subject we prefer to let Palgrave speak. He of all men knew the
Wahhábí best, and he, at least, can be accused of no sectarian bias. The
extract is rather long, but will repay perusal; indeed, the whole passage
from which this extract is taken should be read.
"'There is no God but God,' are words simply tantamount in English to
the negation of any deity save one alone; and thus much they certainly
mean in Arabic, but they imply much more also. Their full sense is, not
only to deny absolutely and unreservedly all plurality whether of
nature or of person in the Supreme Being, not only to establish the
unity of the Unbegetting and the Unbegot, in all its simple and
incommunicable oneness, but besides this, the words, in Arabic and
among Arabs, imply that this one Supreme Being is the only Agent, the
only Force, the only Act existing throughout the universe, and leave to
all beings else, matter or spirit, instinct or intelligence, physical
or moral, nothing but pure unconditional passiveness, alike in movement
or in quiescence, in action or in capacity. Hence in this one sentence
is summed up a system which, for want of a better name, I may be
permitted to call the 'Pantheism of Force.' 'God is One in the totality
of omnipotent and omnipresent action, which acknowledges no rule,
standard, or limit, save one sole and absolute will. He communicates
nothing to His creatures, for their seeming power and act ever remain
His alone, and in return He receives nothing from them.' 'It is His
singular satisfaction to let created beings continually feel that they
are nothing else than His slaves, that they may the better acknowledge
His superiority.' 'He Himself, sterile in His inaccessible height,
neither loving nor enjoying aught save His own and self-measured
decree, without son, companion, or councillor, is no less barren for
Himself than for His creatures, and His own barrenness and lone egoism
in Himself is the cause and rule of His indifferent and unregarding
despotism around.'[94]
Palgrave allows that such a notion of the Deity is monstrous, but maintains
that it is the "truest mirror of the mind and scope of the writer of the
Book" (Qurán), and that, as such, it is confirmed by authentic Tradition
and learned commentaries. At all events, Palgrave possessed {111} the two
essential qualifications for a critic of Islam--a knowledge of the
literature, and intercourse with the people. So far as my experience goes I
have never seen any reason to differ from Palgrave's statement. Men are
often better than their creeds. Even the Prophet was not always consistent.
There are some redeeming points in Islám. But the root idea of the whole is
as described above, and from it no system can be deduced which will grow in
grace and beauty as age after age rolls by.
The Arab proverb states that "The worshipper models himself on what he
worships."[95] Thus a return to "first principles," sometimes proclaimed as
the hope of Turkey, is but the "putting back the hour-hand of Islám" to the
place where indeed Muhammad always meant it to stay, for
"Islám is in its essence stationary, and was framed thus to remain.
Sterile, like its God, lifeless like its first Principle and supreme
Original in all that constitutes true life--for life is love,
participation, and progress, and of these the Quránic Deity has
none--it justly repudiates all change, all advance, all
development."[96]
Muhammad Ibn 'Abd-ul Wahháb was a man of great intellectual power and
vigour. He could pierce through the mists of a thousand years, and see with
an eagle eye how one sect and another had laid accretions on the Faith. He
had the rare gift of intuition, and could see that change (Bida't) and
progress were alien to the truth. This recognition of his ability is due to
him; but what a sad prostration of great gifts it was to seek to arrest, by
the worship of the letter, all hope of progress, and to make "the
starting-point of Islám its goal." That he was a good Musalmán in so doing
no one can doubt, but that his work gives any hope of the rise of an
enlightened form of Islám no one who really has studied Islám can believe.
Wahhábíism simply amounts to this, that while it denounces all other
Musalmáns as polytheists, it enforces the {112} Sunnat of the Prophet with
all its energy.[97] It breaks down shrines, but insists on the necessity of
a pilgrimage to a black stone at Mecca. It forbids the use of a rosary, but
attaches great merit to counting the ninety-nine names of God on the
fingers. It would make life unsocial. The study of the Fine Arts with the
exception of Architecture can find no place in it. Ismá'íl quotes with
approval the following Tradition. "'Áyesha said: 'I purchased a carpet on
which were some figures. The Prophet stood in the doorway and looked
displeased.' I said: 'O messenger of God, I repent to God and His
Messenger; what fault have I committed that you do not enter?' His Highness
then said: 'What is this carpet?' I replied; 'I have bought it for you to
sit and rest upon.' Then the messenger of God replied: 'Verily, the maker
of pictures will be punished on the day of resurrection, when God will
desire them to bring them to life. A house which contains pictures is not
visited by the angels.'" In a Tradition quoted by Ibn 'Abbás, the Prophet
classes artists with murderers and parricides. Wahhábíism approves of all
this, and thus by forbidding harmless enjoyments it would make society "an
organised hypocrisy." It would spread abroad a spirit of contempt for all
mankind except its own followers, and, where it had the power, it would
force its convictions on others at the point of the sword.
Wahhábíism was reform after a fashion, in one direction; in the history of
Islám there have been attempts at reform in other directions; there will
yet be such attempts, but so long as the Qurán and the Sunnat (or, in the
case of the Shía'h, its equivalent) are to form, as they have hitherto
{113} done for every sect, the sole law to regulate all conditions and
states of life, enlightened and continued progress is impossible. The
deadening influence of Islám is the greatest obstacle the Church of God has
to overcome in her onward march; its immobility is the bane of many lands;
connection with it is the association of the living with the dead; to speak
of it, as some do, as if it were a sort of sister religion to Christianity,
is but to show deplorable ignorance where ignorance is inexcusable. Thus it
is plain that Musalmáns are not all of one heart and soul.[98] In the next
chapter I hope to show that Islám is a very dogmatic and complex system in
spite of the simple form of its creed.
{114}
NOTE TO CHAPTER III.
WAHHÁBÍISM.
In the Journal Asiatique, 4me Série, tome 11, a curious account is
given of the voyage of Mirzá Muhammad 'Alí Khán, some time Persian
Ambassador in Paris. This gentleman states that in one of his voyages
from Persia to India he met with a Wahhábí, who had in his possession a
tract written by the founder of the sect. This small pamphlet he
allowed Mirzá Muhammad to copy. I give the substance of the pamphlet in
this note. The original Arabic will be found in the Journal Asiatique.
It is of considerable interest as a protest against idolatry. It is as
follows:--I know that God is merciful, that the sect of Abu Hanífa is
orthodox and identical with the religion of Abraham. After thou hast
known that God has created His servants for the purpose of being served
by them, know also that this service or devotion is to worship God, One
and alone; just as prayer (Salát) is not prayer (Salát), unless it is
accompanied with the legal purification. God Most High has said: "It is
not for the votaries of other gods with God, witnesses against
themselves of infidelity, to visit the temples of God. These! vain
their works: and in the fire shall they abide for ever!" (Súra ix. 17.)
Those who in their prayers, address any other than God, in the hope of
obtaining by them that which God alone can give--those bring unto their
prayers the leaven of idolatry and make them of none effect, "and who
erreth more than he who, beside God, calleth upon that which shall not
answer him until the day of resurrection." (Súra xlvi. 4) On the
contrary, when the day of resurrection comes, they will become their
enemies and treat them as infidels for having served others than God.
"But the gods whom ye call on beside Him have no power over the husk of
a date-stone! If ye cry to them they will not hear your cry; and if
they heard they would not answer you, and in the day of resurrection
they will disown your joining them with God." (Súra xxxv. 14,15.)
He who says: "O thou Prophet of God! O 'Ibn 'Abbás! O 'Abd-ul-Qádir!"
&c. with the persuasion that the souls of these blessed ones can obtain
from God that of which the suppliant has need, or that they can protect
him, is an infidel whose blood any one may shed, and whose goods any
one may appropriate with impunity unless he repent. There are four
different classes of idolaters.
{115}
First, the infidels against whom the Prophet made war. These
acknowledge that God is the creator of the world, that He supports all
living creatures, that in wisdom He rules over all. "Say: who supplieth
you from the heavens and the earth? who hath power over hearing and
sight? and who bringeth forth the living from the dead, and bringeth
forth the dead from the living? who ruleth all things? they will surely
say: 'God,' then say: 'What! will ye not therefore fear Him.'" (Súra x.
32.) It is difficult to distinguish idolatry of this kind; but under an
outwardly orthodox appearance they go astray; for they have recourse to
divinities of their own choosing and pray to them.
Secondly, there are idolaters who say that they only call upon these
intermediary powers to intercede in their favour with God, and that
what they desire they seek from God. The Qurán furnishes a proof
against them. "They worship beside God what cannot hurt or help them,
and say, these are our advocates with God! say: will ye inform God of
aught in the heavens and in the earth which He knoweth not?" (Súra x.
19.)
Thirdly, those are idolaters who choose one idol as their patron, or
rather those who, renouncing the worship of idols, become attached to
one saint, as Jesus or His Mother, and put themselves under the
protection of Guardian Angels. Against them we cite the verse: "Those
whom ye call on, themselves desire union with their Lord, striving
which of them shall be nearest to Him; they also hope for His mercy,
and fear His chastisement." (Súra xvii. 59.) We see here that the
Prophet drew no distinction between the worship of an idol and the
worship of such and such a saint; on the contrary, he treated them all
as infidels, and made war upon them in order to consolidate the
religion of God upon a firm basis.
Fourthly, those who worship God sincerely in the time of trouble, but
at other times call on other Gods are idolaters. Thus: "Lo! when they
embark on board a ship, they call upon God, vowing Him sincere worship,
but when He bringeth them safe to land, behold they join partners with
Him." (Súra xxix. 65.)
In the age in which we live, I could cite still worse heresies. The
idolaters, our contemporaries, pray to and invoke the lower divinities
when they are in distress. The idolaters of the Prophet's time were
less culpable than those of the present age are. They, at least, had
recourse to God in time of great evil; these in good and evil states,
seek the aid of their patrons, other than God, and pray to them.
{116}
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