
ti Se a 
3. A ‘Witch-case’ in Medieval India. 
By W. Ivanow. 
In Muhammadanism, as in other great religious systems of 
the world, numerous survivals of natural religion and ma 
mportant part which has never been fully studied or correctly 
ius tod. Invariably disguised under a pious religious garb, 
these ancient elements preserve ail their original power not only 
in the popular beliefs of Islamism or in various customs and 
observances of ordinary life, but often at the bottom of many 
of the philosophical speculations of the orthodox, and especially 
of the sectarians or mystics.' To the mind of the average 
+e atheitaae in all countries many ot these beliefs are Uracil 
able from the most important principles of Islam. Such a 
faith in divination,? in the reality of dreams,’ in the power of 
amulets,* doetis charms and incantations, peculiar forms of 
prayer, as not only endowed with protective virtues, but as 
often terior actual cures for maladies of all kinds 
! Such are, for instance, the much discussed properties of the Divine 
attributes ( (ius! slyacJ! ) as well as cabbalistic speculations based on 
the rigors value attributed to every letter of the alphabet. 
2 The forms ; 
the favourite abbas (fal}, etc., are weli known. e more ‘ scientific 
methods are those of raml, jafr, qiya@fa and many others. There are also 
many poet and proba on * oo of divination, as by looking at 
the blade of a kn 
7 ry in ie ja ciapabctie) reality e ber cese so amazingly 
in many Muhammadan countries, is appar based on @ general (at 
least in Persia) theory that at the time of aoe tery spirit leaves his 
the unseen (just as the ordinary thought is believed to do always). The 
“ science of decane’) is therefore not confined only to the interpretation 
of dreams, but also deals with the methods of oo to learn to see in 
— exactly the things which are wished for (cf. a small work on these 
atters, M94 in the MS. collection of the A.S.B., without: Sita or sathor's 
elem 
There t variety of forms of amulets. Several volumes 
would be re aol ale Me “ately with ee ee in Pe : — 
are usually called du‘a (prayer), although special terms are app 
arious 4 h ( Mend with th veteceed shape, construc- 
tion hich they are worn, such as 
baztibas pital age a in ref ical use (besides those which 
are only recited), are n on paper, vellum of antelope ed skin, 
b , ete., in ordinary ik safron aye, rater, Some of them a 
only recited a special number of times, a particular hour, ete. ; fins mad 
Mra one be eaten, wanted some Tquid and swallowed, or 
