SUPERSTITIONS.
The Arabs are a very superstitious people; and none of them are more so
than those of Egypt. Many of their superstitions form a part of their
religion; being sanctioned by the Kur-án; and the most prominent of
these is the belief in “Ginn,” or Genii—in the singular, “Ginnee.”
The Ginn are said to be of preadamite origin, and, in their general
properties, an intermediate class of beings between angels and men, but
inferior in dignity to both, created of fire, and capable of assuming
the forms and material fabric of men, brutes, and monsters, and of
becoming invisible at pleasure. They eat and drink, propagate their
species (like, or in conjunction with, human beings), and are subject to
death; though they generally live many centuries. Their principal abode
is in the chain of mountains called “Káf,” which are believed to
encompass the whole earth: as mentioned near the close of the preceding
chapter. Some are believers in El-Islám: others are infidels: the latter
are what are also called “Sheytáns,” or devils; of whom Iblees (that is,
Satan, or _the_ devil) is the chief: for it is the general and
best-supported opinion, that he (like the other devils) is a ginnee, as
he was created of fire; whereas the _angels_ are created of _light_, and
are impeccable. Of both the classes of genii, good and evil, the Arabs
stand in great awe; and for the former they entertain a high degree of
respect. It is a common custom of this people, on pouring water, etc.,
on the ground, to exclaim, or mutter, “Destoor;” that is, to ask the
permission, or crave the pardon, of any ginnee that may chance to be
there: for the ginn are supposed to pervade the solid matter of the
earth, as well as the firmament, where, approaching the confines of the
lowest heaven, they often listen to the conversation of the angels
respecting future things, thus enabling themselves to assist diviners
and magicians. They are also believed to inhabit rivers, ruined houses,
wells, baths, ovens, and even the _latrina_: hence, persons, when they
enter the latter place, and when they let down a bucket into a well, or
light a fire, and on other occasions, say, “Permission!” or “Permission,
ye blessed!”—which words, in the case of entering the latrina, they
sometimes preface with a prayer for God’s protection against all evil
spirits; but in doing this, some persons are careful not to mention the
name of God after they have entered (deeming it improper in such a
place), and only say, “I seek refuge with _Thee_ from the male and
female devils.” These customs present a commentary on the story in the
“Thousand and One Nights,” in which a merchant is described as having
killed a ginnee by throwing aside the stone of a date which he had just
eaten. In the same story, and in others of the same collection, a ginnee
is represented as approaching in a whirlwind of sand or dust; and it is
the general belief of the Arabs of Egypt, that the “zóba’ah,” or
whirlwind which raises the sand or dust in the form of a pillar of
prodigious height, and which is so often seen sweeping across the fields
and deserts of this country, is caused by the flight of one of these
beings; or, in other words, that the ginnee “rides in the
whirlwind.”[346] A charm is usually uttered by the Egyptians to avert
the zóba’ah, when it seems to be approaching them: some of them exclaim,
“Iron, thou unlucky!”—as genii are supposed to have a great dread of
that metal: others endeavour to drive away the monster by exclaiming,
“God is most great!” What we call a “falling star” (and which the Arabs
term “shilháb”) is commonly believed to be a dart thrown by God at an
evil ginnee; and the Egyptians, when they see it, exclaim, “May God
transfix the enemy of the faith!” The evil ginnees are commonly termed
“’Efreets;” and one of this class is mentioned in the Kur-án in these
words, “An ’efreet of the ginn answered” (chap. xxvii. ver. 39): which
words Sale translates, “A terrible genius answered.” They are generally
believed to differ from the other ginn in being very powerful, and
always malicious; but to be, in other respects, of a similar nature. An
evil ginnee of the most powerful class is called a “Márid.”
Connected with the history of the ginn are many fables not acknowledged
by the Kur-án, and therefore not credited by the more sober Muslims, but
only by the less instructed. All agree that the ginn were created before
mankind; but some distinguish another class of preadamite beings of a
similar nature. It is commonly believed that the earth was inhabited,
before the time of Adam, by a race of beings differing from ourselves in
form, and much more powerful; and that forty (or, according to some,
seventy-two) preadamite kings, each of whom bore the name of Suleymán
(or Solomon), successively governed this people. The last of these
Suleymáns was named Gánn Ibn-Gánn; and from him, some think, the ginn
(who are also called “gánn”)[347] derive their name. Hence, some believe
the ginn to be the same with the preadamite race here mentioned: but
others assert that they (the ginn) were a distinct class of beings, and
brought into subjection by the other race.
Ginnees are believed often to assume, or perpetually to wear, the shapes
of cats, dogs, and other brute animals. The sheykh Khaleel
El-Medábighee, one of the most celebrated of the ′ulama of Egypt, and
author of several works on various sciences, who died, at a very
advanced age, during the period of my former visit to this country, used
to relate the following anecdote.—He had, he said, a favourite black
cat, which always slept at the foot of his musquito-curtain. Once, at
midnight, he heard a knocking at the door of his house; and his cat
went, and opened the hanging shutter of his window, and called, “Who is
there?” A voice replied, “I am such a one” (mentioning a strange name)
“the ginnee: open the door.” “The lock,” said the sheykh′s cat, “has had
the name [of God] pronounced upon it.”[348] “Then throw me down,” said
the other, “two cakes of bread.” “The bread-basket,” answered the cat at
the window, “has had the name pronounced upon it” “Well,” said the
stranger, “at least give me a draught of water.” But he was answered
that the water-jar had been secured in the same manner; and asked what
he was to do, seeing that he was likely to die of hunger and thirst: the
sheykh′s cat told him to go to the door of the next house; and went
there also himself, and opened the door, and soon after returned. Next
morning the sheykh deviated from a habit which he had constantly
observed: he gave, to the cat, half of the fateereh upon which he
breakfasted, instead of a little morsel, which he was wont to give; and
afterwards said, “O my cat, thou knowest that I am a poor man: bring me,
then, a little gold:” upon which words, the cat immediately disappeared,
and he saw it no more.—Ridiculous as stories of this kind really are, it
is impossible, without relating one or more, to convey a just notion of
the opinions of the people whom I am attempting to describe.
It is commonly affirmed, that malicious or disturbed genii very often
station themselves on the roofs, or at the windows, of houses in Cairo,
and other towns of Egypt, and throw bricks and stones down into the
streets and courts. A few days ago, I was told of a case of this kind,
which had alarmed the people in the main street of the metropolis for a
whole week; many bricks having been thrown down from some of the houses
every day during this period, but nobody killed or wounded. I went to
the scene of these pretended pranks of the genii, to witness them, and
to make inquiries on the subject; but on my arrival there, I was told
that the “regm” (that is, the throwing) had ceased. I found no one who
denied the throwing down of the bricks, or doubted that it was the work
of genii; and the general remark, on mentioning the subject, was, “God
preserve us from their evil doings!”
One of my friends observed to me, on this occasion, that he had met with
some Englishmen who disbelieved in the existence of genii; but he
concluded that they had never witnessed a public performance, though
common in their country, of which he had since heard, called “kumedyeh”
(or comedy); by which term he meant to include all theatrical
performances. Addressing one of his countrymen, and appealing to me for
the confirmation of his words, he then said—“An Algerine, a short time
ago, gave me an account of a spectacle of this kind which he had seen in
London.”—Here his countryman interrupted him, by asking, “Is not England
in London? or is London a town in England?”—My friend, with diffidence,
and looking to me, answered that London was the metropolis of England;
and then resumed the subject of the theatre.—“The house,” said he, “in
which the spectacle was exhibited cannot be described: it was of a round
form, with many benches on the floor, and closets all round, in rows,
one above another, in which people of the higher classes sat; and there
was a large square aperture, closed with a curtain. When the house was
full of people, who paid large sums of money to be admitted, it suddenly
became very dark: it was night; and the house had been lighted up with a
great many lamps; but these became almost entirely extinguished, all at
the same time, without being touched by anybody. Then the great curtain
was drawn up: they heard the roaring of the sea and wind; and
indistinctly perceived, through the gloom, the waves rising and foaming,
and lashing the shore. Presently a tremendous peal of thunder was heard,
after a flash of lightning had clearly shown to the spectators the
agitated sea: and then there fell a heavy shower of real rain. Soon
after, the day broke; the sea became more plainly visible; and two ships
were seen in the distance: they approached, and fought each other,
firing their cannons; and a variety of other extraordinary scenes were
afterwards exhibited. Now it is evident,” added my friend, “that such
wonders must have been the works of genii, or at least performed by
their assistance.”—He could not be convinced of his error by my
explanations of these phenomena.
During the month of Ramadán, the genii, it is said, are confined in
prison; and hence, on the eve of the festival which follows that month,
some of the women of Egypt, with the view of preventing these objects of
dread from entering their houses, sprinkle salt upon the floors of the
apartments; saying, as they do it, “In the name of God, the
Compassionate, the Merciful.”
A curious relic of ancient Egyptian superstition must here be mentioned.
It is believed that each quarter in Cairo has its peculiar
guardian-genius, or Agathodæmon, which has the form of a serpent.
The ancient tombs of Egypt, and the dark recesses of the temples, are
commonly believed, by the people of this country, to be inhabited by
′efreets. I found it impossible to persuade one of my servants to enter
the Great Pyramid with me, from his having this idea. Many of the Arabs
ascribe the erection of the Pyramids, and all the most stupendous
remains of antiquity in Egypt, to Gánn Ibn-Gánn, and his servants, the
ginn; conceiving it impossible that they could have been raised by human
hands.
The term ′efreet is commonly applied rather to an evil ginnee than any
other being; but the ghosts of dead persons are also called by this
name; and many absurd stories are related of them; and great are the
fears which they inspire. There are some persons, however, who hold them
in no degree of dread.—I had once a humorous cook, who was somewhat
addicted to the intoxicating hasheesh: soon after he had entered my
service, I heard him, one evening, muttering and exclaiming on the
stairs, as if in surprise at some event; and then politely saying, “But
why are you sitting here in the draught?—Do me the favour to come up
into the kitchen, and amuse me with your conversation a little.” The
civil address, not being answered, was repeated and varied several
times; till I called out to the man, and asked him to whom he was
speaking. “The ′efreet of a Turkish soldier,” he replied, “is sitting on
the stairs, smoking his pipe, and refuses to move: he came up from the
well below: pray step and see him.” On my going to the stairs, and
telling the servant that I could see nothing, he only remarked that it
was because I had a clear conscience. He was told, afterwards, that the
house had long been haunted; but asserted that he had not been
previously informed of the supposed cause; which was the fact of a
Turkish soldier having been murdered there. My cook professed to see
this ′efreet frequently after.
The existence of “Ghools” likewise obtains almost universal credence
among the modern Egyptians, in common with several other Eastern
nations. These beings are generally believed to be a class of evil
ginnees, and are said to appear in the forms of various animals, and in
many monstrous shapes; to haunt burial-grounds, and other sequestered
spots; to feed upon dead bodies; and to kill and devour every human
creature who has the misfortune to fall in their way. Hence, the term
“ghool” is applied, in general, to any cannibal.
That fancies such as these should exist in the minds of a people so
ignorant as those who are the subject of these pages cannot reasonably
excite our surprise. But the Egyptians pay a superstitious reverence not
to imaginary beings alone: they extend it to certain individuals of
their own species; and often to those who are justly the least entitled
to such respect.[349] An _idiot_ or a _fool_ is vulgarly regarded by
them as a being whose mind is in heaven, while his grosser part mingles
among ordinary mortals; consequently, he is considered an especial
favourite of heaven. Whatever enormities a reputed saint may commit (and
there are many who are constantly infringing precepts of their
religion), such acts do not affect his fame for sanctity: for they are
considered as the results of the abstraction of his mind from worldly
things; his soul, or reasoning faculties, being wholly absorbed in
devotion; so that his passions are left without control. Lunatics who
are dangerous to society are kept in confinement; but those who are
harmless are generally regarded as saints. Most of the reputed saints of
Egypt are either lunatics, or idiots, or impostors. Some of them go
about perfectly naked, and are so highly venerated, that the women,
instead of avoiding them, sometimes suffer these wretches to take any
liberty with them in the public street; and, by the lower orders, are
not considered as disgraced by such actions, which, however, are of very
rare occurrence. Others are seen clad in a cloak or long coat composed
of patches of various coloured cloths, which is called a “dilk,”[350]
adorned with numerous strings of beads, wearing a ragged turban, and
bearing a staff with shreds of cloth of various colours attached to the
top. Some of them eat straw, or a mixture of chopped straw and broken
glass; and attract observation by a variety of absurd actions. During my
first visit to this country, I often met, in the streets of Cairo, a
deformed man, almost naked, with long matted hair, and riding upon an
ass, led by another man. On these occasions, he always stopped his beast
directly before me, so as to intercept my way, recited the Fat′hah (or
opening chapter of the Kur-án), and then held out his hand for an alms.
The first time that he thus crossed me, I endeavoured to avoid him; but
a person passing by remonstrated with me, observing that the man before
me was a saint, and that I ought to respect him, and comply with his
demand, lest some misfortune should befall me. Men of this class are
supported by alms, which they often receive without asking for them. A
reputed saint is commonly called “sheykh,” “murábit,” or “welee.” If
affected with lunacy or idiotcy, or of weak intellect, he is also, and
more properly, termed “megzoob,” or “mesloob.” “Welee” is an appellation
correctly given only to an eminent and very devout saint; and signifies
“a favourite of heaven;” but it is so commonly applied to real or
pretended idiots, that some wit has given it a new interpretation, as
equivalent to “beleed,” which means “a fool” or “simpleton;” remarking
that these two terms are equivalent both in sense and in the numerical
value of the letters composing them: for “welee” is written with the
letters “wä′w,” “lám,” and “yé,” of which the numerical values are 6,
30, and 10, or, together, 46; and “beleed” is written with “bé,” “lám,”
“yé,” and “dál,” which are 2, 30, 10, and 4, or, added together, 46. A
simpleton is often jestingly called a welee.
The Muslims of Egypt, in common with those of other countries, entertain
very curious superstitions respecting the persons whom they call welees.
I have often endeavoured to obtain information on the most mysterious of
these superstitions; and have generally been answered, “You are meddling
with the matters of the ‘tareekah,’” or the religious course of the
darweeshes; but I have been freely acquainted with general opinions on
these subjects, and such are perhaps all that may be required to be
stated in a work like the present: I shall, however, also relate what I
have been told by learned persons, and by darweeshes, in elucidation of
the popular belief.
In the first place, if a person were to express a doubt as to the
existence of true welees, he would be branded with infidelity; and the
following passage of the Kur-án would be adduced to condemn him:
“Verily, on the favourites[351] of God no fear shall come, nor shall
they grieve.”[352] This is considered as sufficient to prove that there
is a class of persons distinguished above ordinary human beings. The
question then suggests itself, “Who, or of what description are these
persons?” and we are answered, “They are persons wholly devoted to God,
and possessed of extraordinary faith; and, according to their degree of
faith, endowed with the power of performing miracles.”[353]
The most holy of the welees is termed the Kutb; or, according to some
persons, there are two who have this title; and again, according to
others, four. The term “kutb” signifies an _axis_; and hence is applied
to a welee who rules over others: they depending upon him, and being
subservient to him. For the same reason it is applied to temporal
rulers, or any person of high authority. The opinion that there are
_four_ kutbs, I am told, is a vulgar error, originating from the
frequent mention of “the four kutbs,” by which expression are meant the
founders of the four most celebrated orders of darweeshes (the
Rifá’eeyeh, Kádireeyeh, Ahmedeeyeh, and Baráhimeh); each of whom is
believed to have been the kutb of his time. I have also generally been
told, that the opinion of there being _two_ kutbs is a vulgar error,
founded upon two names, “Kutb el-Hakeekah” (or the Kutb of Truth), and
“Kutb el-Ghós” (or the Kutb of Invocation for help), which properly
belong to but one person. The term “el-Kutb el-Mutawellee” is applied,
by those who believe in but one kutb, to the one ruling at the present
time; and by those who believe in two, to the _acting_ kutb. The kutb
who exercises a superintendence over all other welees (whether or not
there be another kutb—for if there be, he is inferior to the former)
has, under his authority, welees of different ranks, to perform
different offices; “Nakeebs,” “Negeebs,” “Bedeels,”[354] etc.; who are
known only to each other, and perhaps to the rest of the welees, as
holding such offices.
The Kutb, it is said, is often seen, but not known as such; and the same
is said of all who hold authority under him. He always has a humble
demeanour, and mean dress; and mildly reproves those whom he finds
acting impiously; particularly such as have a false reputation for
sanctity. Though he is unknown to the world, his favourite stations are
well known; yet at these places he is seldom visible. It is asserted
that he is almost constantly seated at Mekkeh, on the roof of the
Kaabeh; and, though never seen there, is always heard at midnight to
call twice, “O thou most merciful of those who show mercy!” which cry is
then repeated from the mád’nehs of the temple, by the muëddins: but a
respectable pilgrim, whom I have just questioned upon this matter, has
confessed to me that he himself has witnessed that this cry is made by a
regular minister of the mosque; yet that few pilgrims know this: he
believes, however, that the roof of the Kaabeh is the chief “markaz” (or
station) of the Kutb. Another favourite station of this revered and
unknown person is the gate of Cairo called Báb Zuweyleh, which is at the
southern extremity of that part of the metropolis which constituted the
old city; though now in the heart of the town; for the capital has
greatly increased towards the south, as it has also towards the west.
From its being a supposed station of this mysterious being, the Báb
Zuweyleh is commonly called “El-Mutawellee.”[355] One leaf of its great
wooden door (which is never shut), turned back against the eastern side
of the interior of the gateway, conceals a small vacant space, which is
said to be the place of the Kutb. Many persons, on passing by it, recite
the Fát’hah; and some give alms to a beggar who is generally seated
there, and who is regarded by the vulgar as one of the servants of the
Kutb. Numbers of persons afflicted with head-ache drive a nail into the
door, to charm away the pain; and many sufferers from the tooth-ache
extract a tooth, and insert it in a crevice of the door, or fix it in
some other way, to insure their not being attacked again by the same
malady. Some curious individuals often try to peep behind the door, in
the vain hope of catching a glimpse of the Kutb, should he happen to be
there, and not at the moment invisible. He has also many other stations,
but of inferior celebrity, in Cairo; as well as one at the tomb of the
seyyid Ahmad El-Bedawee, at Tanta; another at El-Mahalleh (which, as
well as Tanta, is in the Delta); and others in other places. He is
believed to transport himself from Mekkeh to Cairo in an instant; and so
also from any one place to another. Though he has a number of favourite
stations, he does not abide solely at these; but wanders throughout the
whole world, among persons of every religion, whose appearance, dress,
and language he assumes; and distributes to mankind, chiefly through the
agency of the subordinate welees, evils and blessings, the awards of
destiny. When a Kutb dies, he is immediately succeeded in his office by
another.
Many of the Muslims say that Elijah, or Elias, whom the vulgar confound
with El-Khidr,[356] was the Kutb of his time; and that he invests the
successive kutbs: for they acknowledge that he has never died; asserting
him to have drunk of the Fountain of Life. This particular in their
superstitious notions respecting the kutbs, combined with some others
which I have before mentioned, is very curious when compared with what
we are told, in the Bible, of Elijah, of his being transported from
place to place by the spirit of God; of his investing Elisha with his
miraculous powers, and his offices; and of the subjection of the other
prophets to him and to his immediate successor.[357] Some welees
renounce the pleasures of the world, and the society of mankind; and, in
a desert place, give themselves up to meditation upon heaven, and
prayer; depending upon Divine Providence for their support; but their
retreat becomes known; and the Arabs daily bring them food. This, again,
reminds us of the history of Elijah: for, in the opinion of some
critics, we should read, for the word “ravens,” in the fourth and sixth
verses of the seventeenth chapter of the second book of Kings, “Arabs:”
“I have commanded the _Arabs_ to feed thee”—“And the _Arabs_ brought him
bread,” etc.
Certain welees are said to be commissioned by the Kutb to perform
offices which, according to the accounts of my informants here, are far
from being easy. These are termed “As-háb ed-Darak,” which is
interpreted as signifying “watchmen,” or “overseers.” In illustration of
their employments, the following anecdote was related to me a few days
ago.—A devout tradesman in this city, who was ardently desirous of
becoming a welee, applied to a person who was generally believed to
belong to this holy class, and implored the latter to assist him to
obtain the honour of an interview with the Kutb. The applicant, after
having undergone a strict examination as to his motives, was desired to
perform the ordinary ablution (el-wudoó), very early the next morning;
then to repair to the mosque of El-Mu-eiyad (at an angle of which is the
Báb Zuweyleh, or El-Mutawellee, before mentioned), and to lay hold of
the first person whom he should see coming out of the great door of this
mosque. He did so. The first person who came out was an old,
venerable-looking man; but meanly clad; wearing a brown woollen gown (or
zaaboot); and this proved to be the Kutb. The candidate kissed his hand,
and entreated to be admitted among the As-háb ed-Darak. After much
hesitation, the prayer was granted: the Kutb said, “Take charge of the
district which consists of the Darb el-Ahmar[358] and its immediate
neighbourhood;” and immediately the person thus addressed found himself
to be a welee; and perceived that he was acquainted with things
concealed from ordinary mortals: for a welee is said to be acquainted by
God with all secrets necessary for him to know.—It is commonly said of a
welee, that he knows what is secret, or not discoverable by the senses;
which seems plainly contradictory to what we read in several places in
the Kur-án,—that none knoweth what is secret (or hidden from the senses)
but God: the Muslims, however, who are seldom at a loss in a discussion,
argue that the passages above alluded to, in the Kur-án, imply the
knowledge of secrets in an unrestricted sense; and that God imparts to
welees such secrets only as He thinks fit.
The welee above mentioned, as soon as he had entered upon his office,
walked through his district; and seeing a man at a shop with a jar full
of boiled beans before him, from which he was about to serve his
customers as usual, took up a large piece of stone, and with it broke
the jar. The bean-seller immediately jumped up, seized hold of a palm
stick that lay by his side, and gave the welee a severe beating; but the
holy man complained not; nor did he utter a cry: as soon as he was
allowed, he walked away. When he was gone, the bean-seller began to try
if he could gather up some of the scattered contents of the jar. A
portion of the jar remained in its place; and on looking into this, he
saw a venomous serpent in it, coiled round, and dead. In horror at what
he had done, he exclaimed, “There is no strength or power but in God! I
implore forgiveness of God, the Great! What have I done! This man is a
welee; and has prevented my selling what would have poisoned my
customers.”—He looked at every passenger all that day, in the hope of
seeing again the saint whom he had thus injured, that he might implore
his forgiveness; but he saw him not; for he was too much bruised to be
able to walk. On the following day, however, with his limbs still
swollen from the blows he had received, the welee limped through his
district, and broke a great jar of milk at a shop not far from that of
the bean-seller; and the owner treated him as the bean-seller had done
the day before; but while he was beating him, some persons ran up, and
stopped his hand, informing him that the person whom he was thus
punishing was a welee, and relating to him the affair of the serpent
that was found in the jar of beans. “Go, and look,” said they, “in your
jar of milk, and you will find, at the bottom of it, something either
poisonous or unclean.” He looked; and found, in the remains of the jar,
a dead dog.—On the third day, the welee, with the help of a staff,
hobbled painfully up the Darb el-Ahmar, and saw a servant carrying, upon
his head, a supper-tray covered with dishes of meat, vegetables, and
fruit, for a party who were going to take a repast in the country;
whereupon he put his staff between the man’s legs, and overthrew him;
and the contents of the dishes were scattered in the street. With a
mouth full of curses, the servant immediately began to give the saint as
severe a thrashing as he himself expected to receive from his
disappointed master for this accident; but several persons soon
collected around him; and one of these bystanders observed a dog eat a
part of the contents of one of the dishes, and, a moment after, fall
down dead: he therefore instantly seized the hand of the servant and
informed him of this circumstance, which proved that the man whom he had
been beating was a welee. Every apology was made to the injured saint,
with many prayers for his forgiveness: but he was so disgusted with his
new office, that he implored God and the Kutb to release him from it;
and, in answer to his solicitations, his supernatural powers were
withdrawn, and he returned to his shop, more contented than before.—This
story is received as true by the people of Cairo; and therefore I have
inserted it: for, in treating of superstitions, we have more to do with
opinions than with facts. I am not sure, indeed, that it is altogether
false: the supposed saint might have employed persons to introduce the
dead serpent and dog into the vessels which he broke. I am told that
many a person has obtained the reputation of being a welee by artifices
of the kind just mentioned.
There have been many instances, in Egypt, of welees afflicting
themselves by austerities similar to those which are often practised by
devotees in India. At the present time there is living, in Cairo, a
welee who has placed an iron collar round his neck, and chained himself
to a wall of his chamber; and it is said that he has been in this state
more than thirty years: but some persons assert that he has often been
seen to cover himself over with a blanket, as if to sleep, and that the
blanket has been removed immediately after, and nobody found beneath it!
Stories of this kind are related and believed by persons who, in many
respects, are endowed by good sense; and to laugh, or express discredit,
on hearing them, would give great offence. I was lately told that a
certain welee being beheaded, for a crime of which he was not guilty,
his head spoke after it was cut off;[359] and, of another decapitated
under similar circumstances, that his blood traced upon the ground, in
Arabic characters, the following declaration of his innocence—“I am a
welee of God; and have died a martyr.”
It is a very remarkable trait in the character of the people of Egypt
and other countries of the East, that Muslims, Christians, and Jews
adopt each other’s superstitions, while they abhor the more rational
doctrines of each other’s faiths. In sickness, the Muslim sometimes
employs Christian and Jewish priests to pray for him: the Christians and
Jews, in the same predicament, often called in Muslim saints for the
like purpose. Many Christians are in the frequent habit of visiting
certain Muslim saints here; kissing their hands; begging their prayers,
counsels, or prophecies; and giving them money and other presents.
Though their prophet disclaimed the power of performing miracles, the
Muslims attribute to him many; and several miracles are still, they say,
constantly or occasionally performed for his sake, as marks of the
Divine favour and honour. The pilgrims who have visited El-Medeeneh
relate that there is seen every night, a ray or column of faint light
rising from the cupola over the grave of the Prophet to a considerable
height, apparently to the clouds, or, as some say, to Paradise; but that
the observer loses sight of it when he approaches very near the
tomb.[360] This is one of the most remarkable of the miracles which are
related as being still witnessed. On my asking one of the most grave and
sensible of all my Muslim friends here, who had been on a pilgrimage,
and visited El-Medeeneh, whether this assertion were true, he averred
that it was; that he had seen it every night of his stay in that city;
and he remarked that it was a most striking and impressive proof of
God’s favour and honour for “our lord Mohammad.” I did not presume to
question the truth of what he asserted himself to have seen; nor to
suggest that the great number of lights kept burning every night in the
mosque might produce this effect; but to judge whether this might be the
case, I asked my friend to describe to me the construction of the
apartment of the tomb, its cupola, etc. He replied that he did not enter
it, nor the Kaabah at Mekkeh, partly from his being in a state of
excessive nervous excitement (from his veneration for those holy
buildings, but particularly for the former, which almost affected him
with a kind of hysteric fit), and partly because, being of the sect of
the Hanafees, he held it improper, after he should have stepped upon
such sacred ground, ever again to run the risk of defiling his feet by
walking barefooted: consequently, he would have been obliged always to
wear leather socks, or mezz, within his outer shoes; which, he said, he
could not afford to do. The pilgrims also assert that, in approaching
El-Medeeneh, from the distance of three days’ journey, or more, they
always see a flickering lightning in the direction of the sacred city,
which they believe to proceed from the Prophet’s tomb. They say that
however they turn, they always see this lightning in the direction of
El-Medeeneh. There is something strikingly poetical in this and in the
former statement.
A superstitious veneration, and honours unauthorized by the Kur-án or
any of the Traditions, are paid by all sects of Muslims, excepting the
Wahhábees, to deceased saints, even more than to those who are living;
and more particularly by the Muslims of Egypt.[361] Over the graves of
most of the more celebrated saints are erected large and handsome
mosques; over that of a saint of less note (one who, by a life of
sanctity or hypocrisy, has acquired the reputation of being a welee, or
devout sheykh) is constructed a small, square, white-washed building,
crowned with a cupola. There is generally, directly over the vault in
which the corpse is deposited, an oblong monument of stone or brick
(called “tarkeebeh”) or wood (in which case it is called “táboot”); and
this is usually covered with silk or linen, with some words from the
Kur-án worked upon it, and surrounded by a railing or screen, of wood or
bronze, called “maksoorah.” Most of the sanctuaries of saints in Egypt
are tombs; but there are several which only contain some inconsiderable
relic of the person to whom they are dedicated, and there are a few
which are mere cenotaphs. The most sacred of all these sanctuaries is
the mosque of the Hasaneyn, in which the head of the martyr El-Hoseyn,
the son of the Imám ’Alee, and grandson of the Prophet, is said to be
buried. Among others but little inferior in sanctity, are the mosques of
the seyyideh Zeyneb (daughter of the Imám ’Alee, and grand-daughter of
the Prophet), the seyyideh Sekeeneh (daughter of the Imám El-Hoseyn),
the seyyideh Nefeeseh (great grand-daughter of the Imám El-Hasan), and
the Imám Esh-Sháfe’ee, already mentioned as the author of one of the
four great Muslim sects, that to which most of the people of Cairo
belong. The buildings above mentioned, with the exception of the last
two, are within the metropolis; the last but one is within a southern
suburb of Cairo, and the last, in the great southern cemetery.
The Egyptians occasionally visit these and other sanctuaries of their
saints, either merely with the view of paying honour to the deceased,
and performing meritorious acts for the sake of these venerated persons,
which they believe will call down a blessing on themselves, or for the
purpose of urging some special petition, as for the restoration of
health, or for the gift of offspring, etc.; in the persuasion that the
merits of the deceased will insure a favourable reception of the prayers
which they offer up in such consecrated places. The generality of the
Muslims regard their deceased saints as intercessors with the Deity, and
make votive offerings to them. The visitor, on arriving at the tomb,
should greet the deceased with the salutation of peace, and should utter
the same salutation on entering the burial-ground; but I believe that
few persons observe this latter custom. In the former case, the visitor
should front the face of the dead, and consequently turn his back to the
kibleh. He walks round the maksoorah or monument from left to right, and
recites the Fát’hah, inaudibly, or in a very low voice, before its door,
or before each of its four sides. Sometimes a longer chapter of the
Kur-án than the first (or Fát’hah) is recited afterwards, and sometimes
a “khatmeh” (or recitation of the whole of the Kur-án) is performed on
such an occasion. These acts of devotion are generally performed for the
sake of the saint, though merit is likewise believed to reflect upon the
visitor who makes a recitation. He usually says at the close of this,
“[Extol] the perfection of thy Lord, the Lord of Might, exempting Him
from that which they [that is, the unbelievers] ascribe to Him” (namely,
the having a son, or a partaker of his godhead); and adds, “And peace be
on the Apostles, and praise be to God, the Lord of all creatures. O God,
I have transferred the merit of what I have recited from the excellent
Kur-án to the person to whom this place is dedicated,” or—“to the soul
of this welee.” Without such a declaration, or an intention to the same
effect, the merit of the recital belongs solely to the person who
performs it. After this recital, the visitor, if it be his desire,
offers up any prayer for temporal or spiritual blessings, generally
using some such form as this—“O God, I conjure Thee by the Prophet, and
by him to whom this place is dedicated, to grant me such and such
blessings;” or “My burdens be on God and on thee, O thou to whom this
place is dedicated.” In doing this, some persons face any side of the
maksoorah. It is said to be more proper to face the maksoorah and the
kibleh; but I believe that the same rule should be observed in this case
as in the salutation. During the prayer the hands are held as in the
private supplications after the ordinary prayers of every day, and
afterwards they are drawn down the face. Many of the visitors kiss the
threshold of the building, and the walls, windows, maksoorah, etc. This,
however, the more strict disapprove, asserting it to be an imitation of
a custom of the Christians. The rich, and persons in easy circumstances,
when they visit the tomb of a saint, distribute money or bread to the
poor, and often give money to one or more water-carriers to distribute
water to the poor and thirsty, for the sake of the saint.[362] There are
particular days of the week on which certain tombs are more generally
visited; thus, the mosque of Hasaneyn is mostly visited by men on
Tuesday, and by women on Saturday; that of the seyyideh Zeyneb, on
Wednesday; that of the Imám Esh-Sháfe’ee, on Friday. On these occasions
it is a common custom for the male visitors to take with them sprigs of
myrtle. They place some of these on the monument, or on the floor within
the maksoorah, and take back the remainder, which they distribute to
their friends. The poor sometimes place “khoos” (or palm leaves), as
most persons do upon the tombs of their friends and relations. The women
of Cairo, instead of the myrtle or palm-leaves, often place roses,
flowers of the henna-tree, jasmine, etc.
At almost every village in Egypt is the tomb of some favourite or patron
saint, which is generally visited on a particular day of the week by
many of the inhabitants, chiefly women, some of whom bring thither
bread, which they leave there for poor travellers, or any other persons.
Some also place small pieces of money in these tombs. These gifts are
offerings to the sheykh, or given for his sake. Another custom common
among the peasants is, to make votive sacrifices at the tombs of their
sheykhs. For instance, a man makes a vow (“nedr”) that if he recover
from a sickness, or obtain a son, or any other specific object of
desire, he will give to a certain sheykh (deceased), a goat, or a lamb,
or a sheep, etc. If he attain his object, he sacrifices the animal which
he has vowed at the tomb of the sheykh, and makes a feast with its meat
for any persons who may choose to attend. Having given the animal to the
saint, he thus gives to the latter the merit of feeding the poor. Little
kids are often vowed as future sacrifices, and have the right ear slit,
or are marked in some other way. It is not uncommon, too, without any
definite view but that of obtaining general blessings, to make these
vows; and sometimes a peasant vows that he will sacrifice, for the sake
of a saint, a calf which he possesses, as soon as it is full-grown and
fatted. It is let loose, by consent of all his neighbours, to pasture
where it will, even in fields of young wheat; and at last, after it has
been sacrificed, a public feast is made with its meat. Many a large bull
is thus given away.
Almost every celebrated saint, deceased, is honoured by an anniversary
birth-day festival, which is called “moolid,” or, more properly,
“mólid.” On the occasions of such festivals, many persons visit the
tomb, both as a duty and as a supposed means of obtaining a special
blessing; fikees are hired to recite the Kur-án, for the sake of the
saint; fakeers often perform zikrs; and the people living in the
neighbourhood of the tomb hang lamps before their doors, and devote half
the night to such pleasures as those of smoking, sipping coffee, and
listening to story-tellers at the coffee-shops, or to the recitals of
the Kur-án and the zikrs. I have now a cluster of lamps hanging before
my door, in honour of the moolid of a sheykh who is buried near the
house in which I am living. Even the native Christians often hang up
lamps on these occasions. The festivities often continue several days.
The most famous moolids celebrated in Cairo, next to that of the
Prophet, are those of the Hasaneyn and the seyyideh Zeyneb, accounts of
which will be found in a subsequent chapter on the periodical public
festivals, etc., of the people of Egypt. Most of the Egyptians not only
expect a blessing to follow their visiting the tomb of a celebrated
saint, but they also dread that some misfortune will befall them if they
neglect this act. Thus, while I am writing these lines, an acquaintance
of mine is suffering from an illness which he attributes to his having
neglected, for the last two years, to attend the festivals of the seyyid
Ahmad El-Bedawee, at Tanta, this being the period of one of these
festivals. The tomb of this saint attracts almost as many visitors, at
the periods of the great annual festivals, from the metropolis, and from
various parts of Lower Egypt, as Mekkeh does pilgrims from the whole of
the Muslim world. Three moolids are celebrated in honour of him every
year—one, about the tenth of the Coptic month of Toobeh (17th or 18th of
January); the second, at or about the Vernal Equinox;[363] and the
third, or great moolid, about a month after the Summer Solstice (or
about the middle of the Coptic month of Ebeeb), when the Nile has risen
considerably, but the dams of the canals are not yet cut. Each lasts one
week and a day, beginning on a Friday, and ending on the afternoon of
the next Friday; and on each night there is a display of fireworks. One
week after each of these, is celebrated the moolid of the seyyid
Ibráheem Ed-Dasookee, at the town of Dasook, on the east bank of the
western branch of the Nile. The seyyid Ibráheem was a very famous saint,
next in rank to the seyyid El-Bedawee. These moolids, both of the seyyid
El-Bedawee and of the seyyid Ibráheem, are great fairs, as well as
religious festivals. At the latter, most of the visitors remain in their
boats; and some of the Saadeeyeh darweeshes of Rasheed exhibit their
feats with serpents—some carrying serpents with silver rings in their
mouths, to prevent their biting; others partly devouring these reptiles
alive. The religious ceremonies at both are merely zikrs,[364] and
recitals of the Kur-án.—It is customary among the Muslims, as it was
among the Jews, to rebuild, whitewash, and decorate the tombs of their
saints, and occasionally to put a new covering over the tarkeebeh or
táboot; and many of them do this from the same pharisaic motives which
actuated the Jews.[365]
“Darweeshes” are very numerous in Egypt; and some of them who confine
themselves to religious exercises, and subsist by alms, are much
respected in this country, particularly by the lower orders. Various
artifices are employed by persons of this class to obtain the reputation
of superior sanctity, and of being endowed with the power of performing
miracles. Many of them are regarded as welees.
A direct descendant of Aboo-Bekr, the first Khaleefeh, having the title
of “Esh-Sheykh el-Bekree,” and regarded as the representative of that
prince, holds authority over all orders of darweeshes in Egypt. The
present Sheykh el-Bekree, who is also descended from the Prophet, is
Nakeeb el-Ashráf, or chief of the Shereefs.—I may here add that the
second Khaleefeh, ’Omar, has likewise his representative, who is the
sheykh of the ’Enáneeyeh, or Owlád ’Enán, an order of darweeshes so
named from one of their celebrated sheykhs, Ibn-’Enán. ’Osmán has no
representative, having left no issue. The representative of ’Alee is
called Sheykh es-Sádát,[366] or Sheykh of the Seyyids, or Shereefs, a
title of less importance than that of Nakeeb of the Shereefs. Each of
these three sheykhs is termed the occupant of the “seggádeh” (or prayer
carpet) of his great ancestor. So also the sheykh of an order of
darweeshes is called the occupant of the seggádeh of the founder of the
order.[367] The seggádeh is considered as the spiritual throne. There
are four great seggádehs of darweeshes in Egypt, which are those of four
great orders about to be mentioned.
The most celebrated orders of darweeshes in Egypt are the following:—1.
The “Rifá’eeyeh” (in the singular “Rifá’ee”). This order was founded by
the seyyid Ahmad Rifá’ah El-Kebeer. Its banners and the turbans of its
members are black; or the latter are of a very deep blue woollen stuff,
or muslin of a very dark greenish hue. The Rifá’ee darweeshes are
celebrated for the performance of many wonderful feats.[368] The
“’Ilwáneeyeh,” or “Owlád ’Ilwán,” who are a sect of the Rifá’ees,
pretend to thrust iron spikes into their eyes and bodies without
sustaining any injury; and in appearance they do this, in such a manner
as to deceive any person who can believe it possible for a man to do
such things in reality. They also break large masses of stone on their
chests, eat live coals, glass, etc.; and are said to pass swords
completely through their bodies, and packing-needles through both their
cheeks, without suffering any pain, or leaving any wound; but such
performances are now seldom witnessed. I am told that it was a common
practice for a darweesh of this order to hollow out a piece of the trunk
of a palm-tree, fill it with rags soaked with oil and tar, then set fire
to these contents, and carry the burning mass under his arm in a
religious procession (wearing only drawers), the flames curling over his
bare chest, back, and head, and apparently doing him no injury. The
“Saadeeyeh,” an order founded by the sheykh Saad-ed-Deen El-Gibáwee, are
another and more celebrated sect of the Rifá’ees. Their banners are
green, and their turbans of the same colour, or of the dark hue of the
Rifá’ees in general. There are many darweeshes of this order who handle
with impunity live, venomous serpents, and scorpions, and partly devour
them. The serpents, however, they render incapable of doing any injury
by extracting their venomous fangs; and doubtless they also deprive the
scorpions of their poison. On certain occasions (as, for instance, on
that of the festival of the birth of the Prophet), the Sheykh of the
Saadeeyeh rides on horseback over the bodies of a number of his
darweeshes and other persons, who throw themselves on the ground for the
purpose; and all assert that they are not injured by the tread of the
horse. This ceremony is called the “dóseh.” Many Rifá’ee and Saadee
darweeshes obtain their livelihood by going about to charm away serpents
from houses. Of the feats of these modern Psylli, an account will be
given in another chapter. 2. The “Kádireeyeh,” an order founded by the
famous seyyid ’Abd-El-Kádir El-Geelánee. Their banners and turbans are
white. Most of the Kádireeyeh of Egypt are fishermen; these, in
religious processions, carry upon poles nets of various colours (green,
yellow, red, white, etc.), as the banners of their order. 3. The
“Ahmedeeyeh,” or order of the seyyid Ahmad El-Bedawee, whom I have
lately mentioned. This is a very numerous and highly respected order.
Their banners and turbans are red. The “Beiyoomeeyeh” (founded by the
seyyid ’Alee El-Beiyoomee), the “Shaaráweeyeh” (founded by the sheykh
Esh-Shaaráwee[369]), the “Shinnáweeyeh” (founded by the seyyid ’Alee
Esh-Shinnáwee), and many other orders, are sects of the Ahmedeeyeh. The
Shinnáweeyeh train an _ass_ to perform a strange part in the ceremonies
of the last day of the moolid of their great patron saint, the seyyid
Ahmad El-Bedawee, at Tanta. The ass, of its own accord, enters the
mosque of the seyyid, proceeds to the tomb, and there stands, while
multitudes crowd around it, and each person who can approach near enough
to it plucks off some of its hair, to use as a charm, until the skin of
the poor beast is as bare as the palm of a man’s hand. There is another
sect of the Ahmedeeyeh, called “Owlád Nooh,” all young men, who wear
“tartoors” (or high caps), with a tuft of pieces of various coloured
cloth on the top, wooden swords, and numerous strings of beads, and
carry a kind of whip (called “firkilleh”), a thick twist of cords. 4.
The “Baráhimeh,” or “Burhámeeyeh,” the order of the seyyid Ibráheem
Ed-Dasookee, whose moolid has been mentioned above. Their banners and
turbans are green. There are many other classes of darweeshes, some of
whom are sects of one or other of the above orders. Among the more
celebrated of them are the “Hefnáweeyeh,” the “’Afeefeeyeh,” the
“Demirdásheeyeh,” the “Nakshibendeeyeh,” the “Bekreeyeh,” and the
“Leyseeyeh.”
It is impossible to become acquainted with all the tenets, rules, and
ceremonies of the darweeshes, as many of them, like those of the
freemasons, are not to be divulged to the uninitiated. A darweesh with
whom I am acquainted thus described to me his taking the “’ahd,” or
initiatory covenant, which is nearly the same in all the orders. He was
admitted by the sheykh of the Demirdásheeyeh. Having first performed the
ablution preparatory to prayer (the wudoó), he seated himself upon the
ground before the sheykh, who was seated in like manner. The sheykh and
he (the “mureed,” or candidate) then clasped their right hands together
in the manner which I have described as practised in making the
marriage-contract: in this attitude, and with their hands covered by the
sleeve of the sheykh, the candidate took the covenant; repeating after
the sheykh, the following words, commencing with the form of a common
oath of repentance. “I beg forgiveness of God, the Great” (three times);
“than whom there is no other deity; the Living, the Everlasting: I turn
to Him with repentance, and beg his grace, and forgiveness, and
exemption from the fire.” The sheykh then said to him, “Dost thou turn
to God with repentance?” He replied, “I do turn to God with repentance;
and I return unto God; and I am grieved for what I have done [amiss],
and I determine not to relapse”—and then repeated, after the sheykh, “I
beg for the favour of God, the Great, and the noble Prophet; and I take
as my sheykh, and my guide unto God (whose name be exalted), my master
’Abd Er-Raheem Ed-Demirdáshee El-Khalwet′ee Er-Rifá’ee En-Nebawee; not
to change, nor to separate; and God is our witness: by God, the Great!”
(this oath was repeated three times): “there is no deity but God” (this
also was repeated three times). The sheykh and the mureed then recited
the Fát’hah together, and the latter concluded the ceremony by kissing
the sheykh’s hand.
The religious exercises of the darweeshes chiefly consist in the
performance of “zikrs.” Sometimes standing in the form of a circular or
oblong ring, or in two rows, facing each other, and sometimes sitting,
they exclaim, or chant, “Lá iláha illa-lláh” (There is no deity but
God), or “Alláh! Alláh! Alláh!” (God! God! God!), or repeat other
invocations, etc., over and over again, until their strength is almost
exhausted; accompanying their ejaculations or chants with a motion of
the head, or of the whole body, or of the arms. From long habit they are
able to continue these exercises for a surprising length of time without
intermission. They are often accompanied, at intervals, by one or more
players upon a kind of flute called a “náy,” or a double reed-pipe,
called “arghool,” and by persons singing religious odes; and some
darweeshes use a little drum, called “báz,” or a tambourine, during
their zikrs: some, also, perform a peculiar dance; the description of
which, as well as of several different zikrs, I reserve for future
chapters.
Some of the rites of darweeshes (as forms of prayer, modes of zikr,
etc.), are observed only by particular orders: others, by members of
various orders. Among the latter may be mentioned the rites of the
“Khalwet′ees” and “Sházilees”; two great classes, each of which has its
sheykh. The chief difference between these is that each has its
particular form of prayer to repeat every morning; and that the former
distinguish themselves by occasional seclusion; whence their appellation
of “Khalwet′ees[370]:” the prayer of this class is repeated before
daybreak; and is called “wird es-sahar:” that of the Sházilees, which is
called “hezb esh-Sházilee,” after day-break. Sometimes, a Khalwet′ee
enters a solitary cell, and remains in it forty days and nights, fasting
from day-break till sunset the whole of this period. Sometimes also a
number of the same class confine themselves, each in a separate cell, in
the sepulchral mosque of the sheykh Ed-Demirdáshee, on the north of
Cairo, and remain there three days and nights, on the occasion of the
moolid of that saint, and only eat a little rice, and drink a cup of
sherbet, in the evening: they employ themselves in repeating certain
forms of prayer, etc. not imparted to the uninitiated; only coming out
of their cells to unite in the five daily prayers in the mosque; and
never answering any one who speaks to them but by saying, “There is no
deity but God.” Those who observe the forty days’ fast, and seclude
themselves during that long period, practise nearly the same rules; and
employ their time in repeating the testimony of the faith, imploring
forgiveness, praising God, etc.
Almost all the darweeshes of Egypt are tradesmen or artisans or
agriculturists; and only occasionally assist in the rites and ceremonies
of their respective orders: but there are some who have no other
occupations than those of performing zikrs at the festivals of saints
and at private entertainments, and of chanting in funeral processions.
These are termed “fukara,” or “fakeers”; which is an appellation given
also to the poor in general, but especially to poor devotees. Some
obtain their livelihood as water-carriers, by supplying the passengers
in the streets of Cairo, and the visitors at religious festivals, with
water, which they carry in an earthen vessel, or a goat’s skin on the
back. A few lead a wandering life, and subsist on alms; which they often
demand with great importunacy and effrontery. Some of these distinguish
themselves in the same manner as certain reputed saints before
mentioned, by the “dilk,” or coat of patches, and the staff with shreds
of cloth of different colours attached to the top: others wear fantastic
dresses of various descriptions.
Some Rifá’ee darweeshes (besides those who follow the occupation of
charming away serpents from houses) pursue a wandering life; travelling
about Egypt, and profiting by a ridiculous superstition which I must
here mention. A venerated saint called See[371] Dá-ood El-’Azab (or
Master David the Bachelor), who lived at Tefáhineh, a village in Lower
Egypt, had a calf, which always attended him, brought him water, etc.
Since his death, some Rifá’ee darweeshes have been in the habit of
rearing a number of calves at his native place, or burial place, above
named; teaching them to walk upstairs, to lie down at command, etc.; and
then going about the country, each with his calf, to obtain alms. The
calf is called “′Egl El-’Azab” (the Calf of El-’Azab, or,—of the
Bachelor). I once called into my house one of these darweeshes, with his
calf, the only one I have seen: it was a buffalo calf; and had two bells
suspended to it; one attached to a collar round his neck, and the other
to a girth round its body. It walked up the stairs very well; but showed
that it had not been very well trained in every respect. The ’Egl
El-’Azab is vulgarly believed to bring into the house a blessing from
the saint after whom it is called.
There are numerous wandering Turkish and Persian darweeshes in Egypt;
and to these, more than to the few Egyptian darweeshes who lead a
similar life, must the character for impudence and importunacy be
ascribed. Very often, particularly in Ramadán, a foreign darweesh goes
to the mosque of the Hasaneyn, which is that most frequented by the
Turks and Persians, at the time of the Friday-prayers; and, when the
Khateeb is reciting the first khutbeh passes between the ranks of
persons who are sitting upon the floor, and places before each a little
slip of paper upon which are written a few words, generally exhortative
to charity (as “He who giveth alms will be provided for”—“The poor
darweesh asketh an alms,” etc.); by which proceeding he usually obtains
from each, or almost every person, a piece of five or ten faddahs, or
more. Many of the Persian darweeshes in Egypt carry an oblong bowl of
cocoa-nut or wood or metal, in which they receive their alms, and put
their food; and a wooden spoon; and most of the foreign darweeshes wear
dresses peculiar to their respective orders: they are chiefly
distinguished by the cap: the most common description of cap is of a
sugar-loaf, or conical shape, and made of felt: the other articles of
dress are generally a vest and full drawers, or trousers, or a shirt and
belt, and a coarse cloak, or long coat. The Persians here all affect to
be Sunnees. The Turks are the more intrusive of the two classes.
Here I may mention another superstition of the Egyptians, and of the
Arabs in general; namely, their belief that birds and beasts have a
language by which they communicate their thoughts to each other, and
celebrate the praises of God.
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Footnote 346:
I measured the height of a zóba’ah, with a sextant, at Thebes, under
circumstances which insured a very near approximation to perfect
accuracy (observing its altitude, from an elevated spot, at the
precise moment when it passed through, and violently agitated, a
distant group of palm-trees), and found it to be seven hundred and
fifty feet. I think that several zóba’ahs which I have seen were of
greater height. Others, which I measured at the same place, were
between five hundred and seven hundred feet in height.
Footnote 347:
According to some writers, the Gánn are the least powerful class of
Genii.
Footnote 348:
It is a custom of many “fukaha” (or learned and devout persons), and
some others, to say, “In the name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful,” on locking a door, covering bread, laying down their
clothes at night, and on other occasions; and this, they believe,
protects their property from genii. The thing over which these words
have been pronounced is termed “musemmee (for “musemma”) ’aleyh.”
Footnote 349:
As is the case also in Switzerland.
Footnote 350:
Also (and, I believe, more properly) written “dalik,” but commonly
pronounced as above.
Footnote 351:
In the original, “owliya,” plural of “welee.”
Footnote 352:
Chap, x., ver. 63.
Footnote 353:
A miracle performed by a welee is termed “karámeh:” one performed by a
prophet, “moagiz′eh.”
Footnote 354:
In the plural forms, “Nukaba,” “Angáb” or “Nugaba,” and “Abdál.”
Footnote 355:
For “Báb El-Mutawellee.”
Footnote 356:
This mysterious person, according to the more approved opinion of the
learned, was not a prophet, but a just man, or saint, the Wezeer and
counsellor of the first Zu-l-Karneyn, who was a universal conqueror,
but an equally doubtful personage, contemporary with the patriarch
Ibráheem, or Abraham. El-Khidr is said to have drunk of the Fountain
of Life, in consequence of which he lives till the day of judgment,
and to appear frequently to Muslims in perplexity. He is generally
clad in green garments; whence, according to some, his name.
Footnote 357:
See 1 Kings xviii. 12, and 2 Kings ii. 9-16.
Footnote 358:
A street on the south of the Báb Zuweyleh.
Footnote 359:
Like that of the Sage Doobán, whose story is told in “The Thousand and
One Nights.”
Footnote 360:
It is also said that similar phenomena, but not so brilliant,
distinguish some other tombs at El-Medeeneh and elsewhere.
Footnote 361:
Several superstitious customs, observed in the performance of many
ordinary actions, result from their extravagant respect for their
prophet, and their saints in general. For instance, on lighting the
lamp in the evening, more particularly at a shop, it is customary to
say, “Commemorate Mohammad, and forget not the excellencies of ’Alee;
the Fát’hah for the Prophet, and for every welee;” and then to repeat
the Fát’hah. It is usual to say, on first seeing the new moon, “O God,
favour our lord Mohammad! God make thee a blessed moon (or month);”
and on looking at one’s face in a glass, “O God, favour our lord
Mohammad!” This ejaculation being used to counteract the influence of
the evil eye, it seems as if an Arab feared the effect even of his own
admiring look.
Footnote 362:
See the account of the water-carriers in Chap. xiv.
Footnote 363:
Called the “Shems el-Kebeereh.”
Footnote 364:
The “zikr” will be fully described in another chapter, on the
periodical public festivals, etc.
Footnote 365:
See St. Matthew xxiii. 29.
Footnote 366:
Often improperly called “esh-Sheykh es-Sádát.”
Footnote 367:
The title is “sáheb seggádeh.”
Footnote 368:
In most of their juggling performances the darweeshes of Egypt are
inferior to the most expert of the Indians.
Footnote 369:
Thus commonly pronounced, for Esh-Shaaránee.
Footnote 370:
From “khalweh,” a cell, or closet.
Footnote 371:
“See” is a vulgar contraction of “Seedee,” which is itself a
contraction of “Seyyidee,” signifying “My Master,” or “Mister.”
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