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J. O’Kinealy —History and Doctrines of the Wahhabis. [No. 1, 
act openly according to their vicious creeds ; on the contrary, we compelled 
them to follow one of the four Imams. We do not claim to exercise 
our reason in all matters of religion, and none of ’our faith demand such 
a position, save that we follow our judgment where a point is clearly 
demonstrated to us in either the Qoran or the Sunnat still in force, and 
though there has been no special command in favour of it, yet there is 
nothing of weight against it. As a rule, we hold the same as the four 
Imams ; but we reject all sects in connection with property inherited by 
our ancestors, and hold them preferred, although it is opposed to the Han- 
hali sect. We do not enquire to what sect a person belongs, neither do we 
abandon the forms prescribed by the four sects, except where we find a clear 
decision contrary to any of them and the matter is merely an outward 
observance, such as the action of an Imam at prayers. Hence we direct 
Malakis and Hanafis equally to collect themselves an instant, when 
standing or sitting before prostrating themselves at prayers, for on this point 
the evidence is clear. On the other hand, we do not prohibit the saying of 
“ Bismillah” in a loud voice, as is the custom among Shafi’is, neither do we 
direct it to be said inwardly. Where two contrary practices were in force, 
and the evidence in connection with each is strong, we declare both allowable, 
even though this is contrary to any sect. But this occurs only very rarely. 
The exercise of our reason in some matters of religion is not prohibited, 
nor can such be deemed contradictory to repudiating the right to exercise 
our reason in all religious matters ; for above all the four Imams followed 
their own will in some minor religious observances, even so far as to act 
contrary to the rules of the sect which they founded. 
We make use of the usual orthodox commentaries in striving to under¬ 
stand the Qoran, such as the Tafsir Jarir and its compendium by Ibn Kasir 
the Shafi’i, and so also the Bagliawl, Baizawl, Khazin, Haddad, Jalalain, and 
other commentaries. We also use the commentaries of the well known 
Imams to explain the Hadises, viz., ’Asqalani, Qustulani on Bukhari, 
the Nabawi on Muslim, Manawi on Jami’ug^agliir, and Mukhawwa 9 on 
collections of Hadises, as the Umahat us-sittah, or ‘the six mothers,’ their 
commentaries, the different books of all sects in all sciences, all ordinances, 
histories, grammar, and all sciences, helpmates to other sciences. We do 
not command the destruction of any writings except such as tend to cast 
people into infidelity to injure their faith, such as those on Logic, which 
have been prohibited by all Divines. But we are not very exacting with 
regard to books or documents of this nature, save if they appear to assist 
our opponents, we destroy them. As to the destruction of certain books 
belonging to the people of Taif by the Badawls, that proceeded from their 
ignorance, they were punished for it and so were others for the same thing. 
We do not consider it proper to make Arabs prisoners of war, nor have 
