1832.] the followers of Syed Ahmed. 481 



with Amir Khan's free-booting horse in Malwa. Quitting that 

 service, about the time when the body of Amir Khan's followers 

 was disbanded, he repaired to Delhi, and became a disciple of Shah 

 Abdul Aziz, a very celebrated devotee of the city ; the fame of 

 whose knowledge and piety has been widely extended throughout this 

 side of India. It is frequently said by Natives, that it was from Shah 

 Abdul Aziz, that Sjed Ahmed derived the peculiar opinions which he 

 subsequently promulgated, and the design which he adopted of preaching 

 up a religious crusade. It is at least certain, that the chief of his first 

 disciples, and the most constant associates of all his fortunes, were two 

 near relatives of Abdul Aziz, one his nephew, and the author of 

 this work, named Moulavi Muhammed Ismail, the other his son-in law, 

 and also partially a contributor to the book, named Moulavi Abdul 

 Hye. Of these persons, Muhammed Ismail is generally esteemed 

 to have been a man of much talent and learning. The extreme ho- 

 nour which he and his brother Moulavi paid to Syed Ahmed, who 

 was himself nearly illiterate, had a powerful effect in attracting towards 

 him the respect of the vulgar. They rendered him almost menial offices, 

 running, it is said, with their shoes off, by the side of his palankeen, when 

 he moved out, like common servants. Attended by them, he set out 

 from Delhi on his way to Calcutta, and thence on the sacred duty of a 

 pilgrimage to Mecca. He chose a circuitous route for the purpose ; for 

 he is said to have first gone north to Seharanpur, and then west with a 

 sufficiently intelligible motive to Rampur ; the jagheer held by the 

 descendants of the Rohilla chief, Fyzulla Khan, and the seat of a 

 large body of turbulent Pathans. From his first leaving Delhi, he 

 assumed the character of a religious teacher, and commenced spread- 

 ing his reforming doctrines. The general spirit by which these were 

 animated, (identical nearly with that of the tenets of the Arabian 

 Wahabis, of whom the sect of Syed Ahmed may perhaps ba accu- 

 rately termed an Indian imitation,) was the ardent profession of Mahom- 

 medanism in its primitive simplicity and fervour, and the utter rejec- 

 tion of all idolatrous or superstitious innovations, whencesoever deriv- 

 ed. It is obvious, that such tenets were well calculated to awaken the 

 sincerity of religious zeal, and to gratify the pride of Mahommedan 

 feeling ; while, on the other hand, they were likely to meet with much 

 opposition in the influence of long established customs and indigen- 

 cies. The manner in which they were at first actually received was 

 however highly favourable. When Syed Ahmed at last came down 

 to Bengal, he had got together many followers, and had established 

 an extensive reputation. He arrived in Calcutta with a considerable 



2 p 2 



