AND ITS FOUNDER. 377 



maintaining before all mankind, that besides the law, there is some other 

 access unto God ; now it is indubitable, that besides the path of the Sheridt 

 or law, there is no access unto God/' 



Ba'yezid composed for his disciples, when they had entered on his dif- 

 ferent degrees of religious exercise, formularies of instruction, which 

 were delivered in his own name, and not in the name of God Almighty ; 

 and these were eight in number, adapted to the different degrees or classes, 

 into which his followers were divided. To the Afghans he delivered his 

 instructions, by means of treatises composed in the Afghan language ; to 

 the Hindus, m the Hindi; .and to the Persians in the Persic language ; and 

 such was the singular versatihty of his genius, that his writings in all these 

 languages, are admitted even by his enemies, to have been composed in 

 the most alluring and attractive style. When his disciples had reached the 

 eighth mystic degree of devotion, he informed them that they had now at- 

 tained perfedlion, and had nothing further to do with the ordinances, or pro- 

 hibitions of the law. He now informed them, that they might eat of what 

 they pleased, whether lawful or prohibited ; and though he had stated in a 

 prior Resdleh or treatise, "that no food should be eaten but what is lawful," 

 yet this he now explained away, by declaring " that it was unlawful to eat 

 •what was obtained by dint of requestor beggary, but that whatsoever was 

 acquired by violence, robbery or the edge of the scymiter, was lawful." 

 Now his purpose in the prohibition of beggary, adds Akhu'n-Derwe'zeh, 

 was to compel his followers to collect themselves into a body, and to ac- 

 custom them to procure their subsistence, by robbery and depredation. 

 This observation is undoubtedly justified by the historical fact; for no 

 sooner had he accustomed his followers to the use of arms, than he took up 

 his residence in the steep mountains of Afghanistan, plundered merchants, 



X 4 



