1832.] the followers of Syed Ahmed. 491 



gifts distributed, may be conferred on the deceased, it is blameless ; but 

 then there must be no restriction as to times of distribution, kinds of 

 food, modes of serving it, or the descriptions of persons who a:e to be 

 privileged to share in it" — a condition, which at once strikes at the root 

 of all that is thought most valuable in the usual practices of the Fatiha, 

 and separates completely Syed Ahmed's followers from the ordinary 

 community. It will be seen, how the doctrine tends to break up 

 families, when one who has adopted it would refuse to join his brother 

 in the ceremonies thought most binding in commemoration of their 

 father's death. A variety of objections are urged against the proprie- 

 ty of the restrictions which are to be so entirely rejected. The sum 

 and climax of all is, that the observance of them, replete with abuse 

 as they are, has come to be considered as alone constituting the 

 real essence of faith ; that it is not for Saints, but to them that the offer- 

 ings are regarded as being made ; and that saints are therefore in reali- 

 ty worshipped, while God is neglected or forgotten. 



Besides the going in pilgrimages to distant tombs, and observing 

 the common ceremonies of the Fatiha, there are a variety of supersti- 

 tious practices connected with those usages, and with the veneration 

 paid io Saints generally, each of which is separately detailed, and 

 its relinquishment insisted upon in the Taqwiatul Iman. The 

 modes in which a pure belief in the Unity of God is departed from, 

 are there classed under the four divisions of " Ishrak f'il Ilm, Ishrak 

 f'il Tasarraf, Ishrak f'il Ibadat, Ishrak f'il Adat," or the assigning to 

 God an associate or sharer in his Omniscience, in his exercise of the 

 functions of Omnipotence, in the worship rendered to him, or the reve- 

 rence shewn to him in any of those acts, among the practices of com- 

 mon life, which are indicative in any degree of sentiments of adoration 

 or awe towards a superhuman power. Among the most popular practices 

 springing from reverence for saints, which are denounced as belonging 

 to one or other of those classes, are the applying to them for any par- 

 ticular desired blessing, as for children, &c. in the supposition, that 

 their favour can, in a manner, reverse the order of fate — the dedicating 

 in vows, and setting apart, animals to be sacrificed as offerings to them, 

 or in honour of them, and the placing distinguishing marks upon ani- 

 mals for that purpose, which is declared to be an impiety, though even 

 the orders of the law should be complied with by the" B'ismlllah" being 

 repeated when the animal is actually killed — the making offerings of 

 gratitude or propitiation to Saints after the birth of children — the giving 

 to children names implying that they have been obtained through their 

 favour j such as " Nabi Baksh," " Imam Baksh," " Madar Baksh," 



