MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 
calling a witness to our secret 
thoughts, which no one can know 
but God. They deem it a spe- 
cies of idolatry to erect magni- 
ficent tombs; but to kiss re- 
lics, &c. is idolatry itself; and 
therefore they affirm, that it is an 
action acceptable to God to destroy 
the inks of Mahomedan saints in 
Arabia and Persia, and to appro- 
priate their rich ornamentstoworld- 
ly purposes, for which they were 
designed. ‘They say, that it is 
wicked to mourn for the dead, 
for if they were good Mahome- 
ns their souls are in Paradise, 
at which their friends should re- 
joice. The Wahabees reject the 
whole of the traditions, limiting 
their belief to the Koran, which 
was, they say, sent from heaven 
to Mahomed, who wasan excellent 
man, and much beloved of God. 
They continue to preserve the 
usages of circumcision, ablu- 
tion, &c. which they found esta- 
blished, but consider them more 
as matters of practice and usage 
than of faith. The leading prin- 
ciple of this sect is their right to 
destroy and plunder all who dif- 
fer from them: and those Ma- 
homedans who do not adopt their 
creed are represented as far less 
entitled to mercy than either Jews 
or Christians. ‘Their progress was 
so great about ten years ago, as 
to excite considerable alarm in 
the Turkish government. Amot 
other places, they plundered the 
rich tombs of Aly and his sons at 
Nujuff and Kerbelah. Their in- 
roads are always dreadful, for 
they spare none who do not con- 
form to their opinions: but they 
have lately met with some se- 
vere checks, and appear to be 
declining. 
461 
THE SECT OF SOOFFEES. 
(From the Same.) 
In a chapter upon the religion 
-of Persia it is impossible to pass 
over the Sooffees. That extra- 
ordinary class of devotees have 
been before noticed; but they 
claim a fuller description. We 
discover from the evidence of Ma- 
homedan authors, that these en- 
thusiasts were co-existent with 
their religion. Their rapturous 
zeal, perhaps, aided in no slight 
degree its first establishment ; but 
they have since been considered 
among the most dangerous of its 
enemies. There can be no doubt 
that their free opinions regard- 
ing its dogmas, their contempt of 
its forms, and their claim to 
a distinct communion with the 
Deity, are all calculated to sub- 
vert that belief for which they 
outwardly profess their respect ; 
and their progress has, ¢onse- 
quently, been deemed as syno- 
nymous with that of infidelity. 
There is no country over which 
the tenets of the Sooffees have, 
at different periods, been more 
widely diffused than Persia. The 
great reputation acquired by one 
of their priests, enabled his 
descendants to occupy the throne 
of that kingdom for more than 
two centuries: but the mo- 
narchs of the Suffavean dynasty 
were too sensible of the aid which 
their power derived from the con- 
tinuance of an established and 
understood religion, to indulge in 
the rapt and visionary dreams of 
their pious ancestors, Their coun- 
try, however, continuedto abound 
with ‘persons who believed in the 
tenets which these had taught; 
