iremyj 'ihvrmg the tu?niilt: o^cagi^iiecl liy file "Myhmmtn 

 .ar^tiiversary. : Resp6GtaI>le ' Soonnees ' ^ntl Siieeahs: -arB 

 cl?>theti iii green as mournirfg, during' the anniversary, 

 ^-per^oiis 'called ^ Ua» '%j Murs^ru KK^vfin (sili.f^-ers -of 

 elfegies) in honor of tlie martyrs, are always ready lb 

 iib \vhaf tliey cad in the way of their profession/ 

 • I shall now endeavour to explain the origin of the 

 exhibition of the Alums and their piocessionSj togotheir 

 ^wiih' that of the Mohurrum fakeers before " mentioin^d. 

 u^nd l shall next exert myself to show, how far tint} 

 'Cib-:tom is authorized by the Mahomedan laws, as- tlf<ef ■ 

 ol/tain among the Soonnees and" Shee'alm. ' ■ 

 ; ■ - As to the origin of -this custom {whe-n I say custooi 

 T do' not mean to take the- word ih- the ' feriguage of tbfe 

 ''Engliijh law • for, ■ I knov?' cusfom' implies time out oi 

 mind, and several other things such as reasonable com - 

 mencement, certainty and uninterrupted continuance, 

 ^c.) it is teiated, i^and how far one may depend upon 

 «tich a relation I ara rid£ now prepared to assert,) that^ 

 when FKo>ien, togs ther with seventy-two pefrsons of the 

 Frophet's famiiy and his o wn were slain x>n the plains of 

 Kurhula, as i mentioned before, the only surviving soh of 

 'B oosien nahied Zain-tiol -abideen was sent to Medina with 

 ^ij^whois of the surviving family' where, in " Mohurruiii 

 liext following, he fixed the Alnm/of his- lam'ented'fa- 

 ifier's' little' army in the court y^vd oi'his^d^elhbg 

 house, in honoi' of his memory. This ceremony lie foK 

 lowed up by prayers which he repeated every year until 

 lii^ dcaih. H is adherents, up to the piresent tiine, though 

 With many changes and alterations, have continued \t6 

 cdebrste the annivergary. Another account is this, 

 that Tamerfane/cluring his warfare in Arabia, found aii 

 Aluiii in the sandy desert iabout the spot where Hoosieii 

 wSs slain by the hands of his enemies. He took it to 

 he the ornament at tho top of the colours of the little 



