1856.] Notice on the oldest work on Sufism. 133 



broke to pieces all our sticks, tent-poles, &c, and they gave suffici- 

 ent fuel to prepare some dinner, of which we and our companions 

 were much in want. At last on the 23rd we arrived at Snrsutti at 

 the foot of the Glacier, in the valley leading down to Mana and 

 Badrinath. We can readily understand why the people of Mana 

 have given up this dangerous and fatiguing pass, which is certainly 

 ten times worse than the Pindari Pass, on account especially of its 

 great distance from wood and from the nearest villages where any 

 supplies can be procured. "We slept a little below Dhanrau, where 

 we were fortunate enough to meet some people going to Thibet, 

 who provided us with some rice ; and in the evening of the 24th 

 we arrived at Badrinath, where the people had been looking out 

 with some anxiety for our arrival. 



Notice on the v-^J^I \d\jt of Mokdsaby being the earliest work on 

 Sufism as yet discovered, and on an Arabic Translation of a work 

 ascribed to Enoch. — By A. Sprengkek, M. D. 



Much has been written of late years on Sufism. The greatest 

 advantage of these essays, consists in the ignorance of the authors 

 of what Sufism means. They took a quotation from one book 

 and a quotation from another book without much regard whether 

 they treated on the same subject — and by the illicit process of 

 humano capiti cervicem jungere equinam they produced the most 

 phantastic systems, which were sure to be welcomed by an age which 

 loves the piquant. Illusion is the greatest pleasure in life, and 

 hypotheses are the charm of science, it is therefore, with some 

 remorse, that I introduce the work of Mo7^asaby to the notice of the 

 reader, as it may tend to destroy illusions which some worthy 

 orientalists have conjured up. I am consoled, however, by the con- 

 sciousness that my notice is extremely imperfect. 



It is considered as a settled question that Sufism was from its com- 

 mencement a system of metaphysics or pantheism ; or at least that 

 pantheism was its root and life, and asceticism a later addition. We 

 know that during the Middle Ages, members of religious orders 

 became pantheists but when will the day come that the followers 

 of Spinoza or Schelliug will turn ascetics ? As to whence this system 



