284

And those who speak of his corporeity, and consider
God as one of the bodies, such as fire, air, water, or
earth, say right, because he is in every soil of
beings. Likewise, those who hold him to be good
or bad, are not wrong; because nothing exists with-
out him, so that what happens can happen but by
his order. And those who as cribe the bad to them-
selves are right, because in practice they are the
movers of their works. So it is with other opi-
nions, such as those who consider God as a Father
with regard to all existing beings, and this opinion
is true.

The Sonnites recognise Abu Bekr (may God re-
ward him), as a khalif on the strength of his per-
fection: this is sufficiently founded. But the Shi-
ahs oppose that on the supposition of his deficien-
cies. Besides, every body may, conformably to
his own conceptions, have some objection to Abu
Bekr. In the same manner, concerning the future
state, there are contradictory creeds of nations, and
histories of their princes in the world adopted as
certain. All these contradictions of the inhabitants
of this world are to be considered in this point of
view—that they are more or less belonging to truth.

The Siifis maintain that vilayet, " holiness,"1 in

1 A possessor of velayet, a veli, " a saint," according to Jami (in the
Lives of Siifis) is destined to serve as an instrument for manifesting the
proof of prophetic mission. Extraordinary powers over all nature are