703 
PER 
Setting no bounds to their veneration or their fanaticifm, 
they exalt him above human nature, attribute miracles 
to him, and almod deify him : nay, there is a feft, whole 
members inhabit the countries contiguous to the Sources 
of the Djihoun and the Sind, to the north of Can-dahar, 
who regard him as God, though they admit the, divine 
charafter of the Koran, and follow its precepts. It is 
chiefly among the lowed clafs of the people that thefe 
exaggerated notions are current: this caliph’s name al¬ 
ways figures in their oaths, and indead of commending 
themfelves to the divine prote&ion, they invoke that of 
Ali. The fuperior orders, however, make a great diffe¬ 
rence between Mahomet, the apodle of God, and Ali, 
the fon-in-law of that apodle; and, though they regard 
Ali as his legitimate fuccefl’or, they are far from making 
him his equal. 
Not only do the Perfians maintain the judice of Ali’s 
rights to the crown to the exciufion of the firff three ca¬ 
liphs, rights which he derived from Mahomet himfelf, 
but they admit no legitimate princes excepting his de- 
fcendants. Thefe princes are twelve in number. Ali is 
thefird, and Mehdi the lad, They bear the title of Imam, 
that is “fpiritual and temporal guide, or chief.” From 
the noblenefs of their origin may be inferred the quali¬ 
ties with which they are endowed. Supernatural know¬ 
ledge, perfeft fanCtity, and the power to perform mira¬ 
cles, are fome of the mod remarkable of their attributes. 
The twelfth imam was but five years old when he fuc- 
ceeded to the imamat; and he difappeared at the age of 
twelve years. Opinions are divided refpefting ' him. 
The Sunnites confider him as deffined to appear again to¬ 
wards the end of time, to call all the nations of the earth 
to the knowledge of Iflamifm; adding, that three hun¬ 
dred and fixty celedial fpirits will aflid him in this million, 
and that he will be the vicar of Jefus Ghrid, in the au- 
gud office of the Imamat. The Shiites, on the other 
hand, believe, that he dill dwells in this world, livingtin- 
known by men in a fequedered cave: his return is the 
objeCt of their wifhes and expectations; for he is to re- 
aflert the rights of his houfe, to edablifli a univerfal califat 
over the whole furface of the earth, and to bring all man¬ 
kind to the true faith, as is denoted by the furname of 
Medhi, or Director, which he bears. His proper name is 
Mohammed. This opinion has favoured the ambition of 
a multitude of impodors, who have given themfelves out 
for this imam, and who, by the adumption of fo Facfed a 
character, have collected numerous partifans. 
Purifications form one of the mod eflential practices 
of the Mahometan religion : “The body appears before 
God as well as the foul; it mud therefore be cleanfed 
from all dain previoudy to the performance of any reli¬ 
gious aCt.” Such is the principle on which purifications 
are enjoined. But bigotry has fo incre’afed the number 
of objeCts which make a perfon unclean, and carried its 
fcruples relative to legal purity to fiich a length, that the 
half of life might be Occupied with purifications. “ Re¬ 
ligion,” fays Mahomet, “ is founded on cleanlinefs of 
the body.” No pretext, not even want of water, can 
excufe theMuffulman from the duty of purifying him¬ 
felf before he fays his prayers. For want of running wa¬ 
ter he will ufe fuch as i's dagnant and muddy, earth, or 
even camel’s dung. Hence it may eafily be fuppofed that 
a Perfian is frequently more dirty after than before his 
purifications. Thus all inditutions, how ufeful foever 
originally, in procefs of time become corrupted. Mofes, 
in making purifications a religious duty, defigned to pre¬ 
vent thole difeafes which are engendered by negleCt of 
cleanlinefs, efpecially in a hot climate where perfpiration 
isprofufe. Mahomet adopted this principle and for the 
fame purpofe. Such was the caufe of this inditution, but 
what is its effeft ? If perfonal cleanlinefs be the emblem 
of internal purity, it mud be confeffed that the Perfians 
have very filthy fouls indeed. 
Mahomet, having received from God the principles of 
his new religion, promifed, in behalf of himfelf and his 
Vol. XIX. No. 1337. 
S I A. 
followers, to fay prayers fifty times in the courfe of each 
day: the lnkewarmnefs of men, however, foon obliged 
him to reduce the number to thirty. But the occupa¬ 
tion's of civil and military life were inceffantly interrupt¬ 
ed by thefe devotions; and the enemy availed themfelves 
of the fervour of the piety of the Muflblmans to dedroy 
their works. Mahomet, therefore, entered into a fecond 
negociation with God; and the number of prayers Was 
reduced to five. The fird of thefe five prayers Ihould be 
faid at noon, at which hour the civil day of the Mufful- 
mans commences; the fecond, when half the fun’s difk 
is below the horizon ; the third when it is fo dark that a 
white thread cannot be didinguiffied from a black one ; 
the fourth at bed-time; the fifth between the moment 
when the dars difappear and noon. As, however, the 
precept was fomewhat obfcure, thefe prayers have been 
reduced to three ; thofe for noon and evening, and thofe 
for bed-time and night, being faid together. 
The Koran in feveral places commands giving of alms. 
Every Muffulman who has acquired wealth generally de¬ 
votes part of it to the foundation of edabl ifh men ts of public 
utility, and that independently of the tithe required by 
religion to be given in charity, if he would enfure him¬ 
felf a quick paffage over the Pouli-firat on the day of 
judgment. Odentation, indeed, is more frequently his 
motive than piety; bur, be the caufe what it may, the ef¬ 
feft is beneficial. Charity may be faid to be the pre-emi¬ 
nent virtue of Mahometan nations : there is not a mo- 
ralilf, not a poet, but recommends the practice of it, and 
founds its praifes. “ Be ye like the trees laden with 
fruit and planted by the road-fide,” fays Djami: “they 
give fliade and fruit to all, even to thofe who pelt them 
with dones.” Molt of the cafavanferais of Perfia, as well 
as the bridges, ciderns, mofques, colleges, and baths, are 
pious foundations’. 
Ftifiiag is no lefs an obligation than purifications and 
prayer: it is termed by the doftors, the gate of religion. 
The fad of Ramazan alone is of divine command ; the 
others are of human inditution. It confills in abdaining 
from every kind of food from day-break till night, from 
allJht, and from temporal concerns and the cares of life, 
during the thirty days contained in that month: hence 
a perfeft dervife is defcribed to be “a man living in this 
world in a perpetual Ramazan.” This month is the 
ninth in the year of the Perfians, which is lunar: thus it 
runs through the diderent feafons, and falls in winter as 
well as in Cummer. But this fad mud be extremely dif- 
trefling in fummer, when the days are long. Let the Ca¬ 
tholic, who murmurs againd’ lent, which merely enjoins 
abdinenee from certain articles of food, confider the Per¬ 
fian, fummoned betimes to his daily avocations, over¬ 
powered with heat, fatigue, and hunger, taking as it were 
by dealth a few drops of water to quench his third, ab¬ 
daining even from fmoking, and waiting till the tardy 
departure of the fun (hall allow him to break a fad of 
nearly feventeen hours! 
The only pilgrimage enjoined by the Mahometan reli¬ 
gion, is to the caabali, or temple of Mecca, the objeft of 
the veneration of all true Mudulmans. The Perfians, 
however, are far from drift in their obfervance of this 
precept. They think, and judiy too, that this adt of 
piety cannot well be performed but by thofe who are in 
good health, and whofe circumdances will allow them 
to take fuch a journey without injury to their families. 
Many, however, acquit themfelves of this duty by fub- 
llitute. You meet in Perfia with numbers of Arabs, who 
fell the title of pilgrim which they have acquired, or who 
travel to Mecca indead of another for a certain fum of 
money. To prevent fraud, their employers require them 
to bring back the certificate which the (herifof Mecca de¬ 
livers to pilgrims. The Perfian who has vifited the facred 
city bears for the red of his life the honourable title of 
harljee, or pilgrim. On his return from Mecca, he ufually 
pad'es through Jerufalem and Hebron, which he alfo con- 
fiders as facred places, on account of his veneration for 
8 R Abraham; 
