THE BAYAZI. 



401 



' All innovation (Bida'ah, i.e. a practice unknown 

 to Mohammed's day) is error, and all error is in 

 hell-fire.' Possibly, however, this may be the 

 effect of Wahhabi neighbourhood. 



The faith of the Bavazi is narrow and exclusive, 

 a monopoly of righteousness, a moral study of the 

 infinitely little. Amongst Christians I can com- 

 pare him only with the e hard- grit ' style of Baptists, 

 who aspire alone to people a Heaven in which the 

 letter H is of no account. All who do not profess 

 his tenets are Kafirs, and, as it is a standing be- 

 lief that whoso calls a Moslem Kafir becomes a 

 Kafir himself, they are replied to in kind. Each 

 of the 73 schools naturally considers itself the 

 6 Najiyah,' or Saving Faith ; but it is not justified 

 in consigning to Jehannum those that do not 

 agree with it. The Bayazi condemn all the 

 Sunnis, and especially the Shafeis, who expect 

 actually to see the Deity (el Bu'uyah) dming the 

 next life. Quoting the debated passage of the 

 Koran 'Sight shall not see Him' {^}\ ^Sifj, 

 the Kharijis agree that if the Lord be visible, He 

 must be material and personal, consequently 

 created and unessential. In these matters they go 

 beyond their depth; but who, it may be asked, 

 attempts the subject and does not ? The idea of 

 the Godhead varies with every race, of which it is 



vol. i. 26 



