2

lima as " die Liar."1 These sectaries rail them-
selves al&o Ralmdniah; as they gave to Musaylima the
title of jRto, *' commiseratorf they assert, that the
words: Bismilla hirrehma nirrehim, " in the name of
" the bountiful and merciful God," relate to him,
that is: a God is the merciful Musaylima. Muham-
med Iiuli, the man so named, contracted friendship
with die author of this work in the year of the He-
jira 1055 (A. D. 1645) at the holy sepulchre. "After

44 charge them with impiety. Such is indeed their ancient practice.
" * * " * * * —In short, nearly thirty thousand persons of this
4< sect are settled in provinces of Hindustan, such as Multan, Lahtire,
'* Delhi, and Gujrat. Most of them subsist by commerce; they pay the
" fifth part of their gains to the descendants of Sayyad Cabir, who are
kt their priests: and both preceptor and pupil, priest and layman, all are
k4 zealous Shiahs. ****»"

It will be evident that the author of the Dabistan speaks of a sect
which bears the same name, but which owns another founder and another
Koran, although possessing some tenets common to other sects.

1 Musaylima once professed the creed of Muhamrned, before whom he
appeared as one of the deputies sent by the tribe Henaifa, when they
offered their submission to the prophet. But in A. D., 631 Musaylima
declared himself a prophet in the country of Yamama, and gained a
great number of followers; he dared even offer himself in a letter to Mu-
hammed, as a partner of his prophetic mission, but received a refusal,
with this address: " From Muhammed, the Apostle of God, to Musay-
" lima, the Liar."

2 ^.^,Mashhad, signifies properly any place where a martyr has
been buried, and is particularly applied to the burying places of Imams,
such as that of Kerbela, near Kufa, before mentioned. But the town of
Tus, in Khorassan, has almost> exchanged its proper name for that of
Mashhad, ki sepulchre," because the Imam Risa, son of Mussa al Kha-
dem, was buried near that place. Is it that which is meant above? Al-