^71 SKETCH OF THE SIKHS,; 



ded,.wlietlier. their faith, or that of the Hindus, was the best» "' Vv^'ithout 

 '^f;,t!ie practice of true piety j both/' said Na'nac, " are erroneous, and 

 «^ neither Hindils nor Moslems, will be. acceptaljle before the throne :o£ 

 ^« God ; for the faded tinge of scarlet, that has been soiled by water, will 

 *^ never return^ You both deceive yourselves, pronouncing aloud Ra'm 

 " arid RahIm, and the way -of Satan prevails in the miiverse/* 



TT^HB courageous independence, with, which Na'nac announced his reli* 

 gion^to the ^uJ^(imm0 dm s,^ is a favorite topic .with,. his .biographers^ Hq 

 was one day abused, and even struck, as one of these relates, by a Moul^., 

 lah, for lying or the ground with his feet in the dire6lion of the sacred 

 temple of Mecca!/^ How darest thou, infidel!" said the offended Muham^ 

 medan priestj "/turn thy feet towards the^liouse of God/' " Turn them 

 "If; you' can," "said the pious but indignant Na'naCj " in a <iire6lion 

 "' where tlie Eouseof God is not." 



^-J^,A'KA£JJ.,-,4id.,npt^deny the mission of Muhammed. " That Prophet 

 «!..,'VV!,a^r.,^entv'^,h^,^aid, " by God, to. this world, to do good, and- to dis-^' 

 ^*- seipinate' . the knowledge of one God through means of the Koran i 

 *^j3ut:be,.r :^,#iWg:,on,;the prinei^^ pf free,,.will, which all human beings 

 «5 ;:e,3^eptcisre, introduced oppression, and cruelty, and- the slaughter of cows,*. 

 ^1^ for which he died." ; ^' I am now sent," he added,., "from heaven, to., 

 "--^ publish unto mankind a. book, which shall. reduce...all the names given, 

 ^*' unto-GoDj to one name^ ■ which is God ; and he. who calls- him by any 

 ^*- others shall fall' into" the path of the devil, and have his feet bound in' 

 " the chains of wretchedness : you have," said' he to the Muhammedans, 

 ""■despoiled the temples, and burnt the sacred Fe'das, of the Hindus; and 



^ '* Na'nac appears, on- this, ancl every 'occasidoj to have preserved his attaclimeot to tto 

 favorite dogma of tlie Minduu 



