340 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [ August, 1906. 
the third is ele Me Y, Wa 1a,!=“ don’t do it.” These expressions 
are repeated in this order till ‘the last bead is reached. Accor ding 
as the first, ikem, or third expression falls on the last bead, the 
mee is favourable, indifferent, or negative, ve, khub, miydna, ya 
bad 
“From laziness, the Fatiha is in practice usually recited only 
once. This form of istikhdra takes little time or trouble—for 
most Persians ob a rosary in their pockets as a kind of play-thing 
—and is reso ats to on the most trivial as well as on the mos 
serious occasions.” 
(b) pane v2 2 : = Mc rte “is Saw: applied to seeking 
a fal or “ omen Hafiz. A volume of the Diwan of the poet 
is held i in the left aa and some a words as the following are 
aid :—Ya one at Hafiz-i Shirazi! tu kashif-< har raz-i; baray 
ma, biya va yak fal-i munasib-i hal biyandazi, “ Oh Khwaja Hafiz 
of Sh iraz ! oe art the revealer of hidden things: com e and | give 
us a good omen”; or Ya Khwaja Hafiz-i Shirazi turd bi- -hagg-t Shakh-t 
Nabat qasam mi-diham ki kull-i ahval ra dar in kitab- khud 
mu‘ayyan kun, “Oh Khwaja Hafiz of Shiraz! I adjure thee by 
Shakh-i Nabat * to point out in this book of thine all I have to 
do.” The book is then opened. The eyes are closed when doing 
so, and the volume is opened at hazard®; the first line of the right~ 
hand page is taken, and the seeker then turns back to the beginning 
of that ghazal. Ifthe omen is favourable, the ghazal following it is 
alsoread: this is called the Shahid-i ghazal- ¢ avval “The con- 
firmer of the first ode,” and if propitious, is acted on in preference 
to the first 
Persians also consult astronomers and soo ee 7 
before starting on a journey, closing a bargain, or even Ing # 
sleeping-room in a house; they believe, too, in lucky tates, roctabate 
numbers, and unlucky days 
Geomancy is supposed to have been discovered by Daniel. 
Geomancers, therefore, before casting say, “ Ya Hazrat-i Danyal.” 
(c) The 13th of Safar, the second month in the Muslim 
calendar, and the 13th of the Nauriiz, are ‘gpepially ill-omened 
Wa la, the first words of the formula, Wa . Tlah@ illa’lah. 
2“ Shall T or shall I not take a purge ' 
a European doctor, anxious rform a oeliaad operation, has fretted and 
umed Shen me after day the a on th 7 to b nfayou ble 
on the oan 
4 # There i is no fixed form 
Gkh-i Nabat, lit. “ ae “of sugar-cand f - : loved of 
y”; the name o ‘ oe e 
Hifi he aie Shakh gives the idea of something | me and w 
ning the nail of the forefinger of t ight Sony ‘theoagh the 
si op edges "of the erin = book being held in pro ‘eft hand by the back, 
ei Sr towards the sky. 
. unajjim, * astrologer,” and es i nujim, “astrology ”; falaki, 
int rom "3 and ‘ilm-i hai’at, ‘ astronomy.’ om mal, “ geom mancer 
geomancy”; and raml prt “& to divin e by geomancy i 
zich-i tal vie 
feautenn ' i kashidn, “to cast a horoscope.” Palgir is applied to any pro- 
