The Dabistán, or School of manners, Volume 3 (of 3) translated from the original Persian, with notes and illustrations

As to what is said, that God commanded Iblis to adore Adam, and that, because he disobeyed, Iblis was expelled from the celestial court[8]――this tale is impious; because God does not command prostration before another object, nor induce any body to undue worship, as he did not create Iblis for the purpose of throwing men into error. In the second Fárúk, it is stated that Iblis does not exist; the Almighty God gave man free choice, and the faculty of acting well or ill: wherefore he takes account of his good and bad conduct.

This sect also maintains that, for marriage, neither witnesses nor ceremonies are required; acquiescence and agreement of two persons in a retired place are sufficient. Further, although in the time of Muhammed (the blessing and peace of God be upon him!) it was permitted to ask in marriage the daughter of relations, such as that of a paternal or maternal uncle, yet, after Muhammed, it was prohibited; likewise, connexion between consanguineous individuals, which was wont of old, became forbidden in Muhammed’s time. By Musaylima came the command of God to take to wife the daughter of one, between whom and the suitor not the least relationship is known. To contract marriage with more than one woman is not legal, but if any one wishes more, he may take another on the condition of temporary cohabitation.

To purify before prayer with sand or dust, when water cannot be had, is not right.

When one possesses a slave, male or female, who is an unbeliever, this slave, adopting the true faith, becomes free without requiring the leave of his master.

Whatever animal feeds upon filth which pollutes, this to eat is not allowable. Domestic fowls are not to be eaten, because they are winged pigs.

Musaylima forbade to keep the fast of Ramezan, but instead of this he prescribed the fast at night, in such a manner that, from sunset to sunrise, nothing may be eat nor drunk; and also abstinence from sexual intercourse.

Moreover, he abolished circumcision, for avoiding resemblance with the Jews. He prohibited all intoxicating liquors, such as those produced from the palm-tree, opium, nuts, and the like.

Muhammed Kulî used to read much in the second Fárúk, the book of Musaylima, which, having collected, he recited, and said: this doctrine came to me from my father and my ancestors, who enjoyed the noble society of Musaylima. He said and enjoined that, after the birth of a son, the first observance is not to approach one’s wife; the woman and man ought to turn their mind to God, and if one cannot effect it, he ought at least not to see his wife but once a day. According to the second Fárúk, it is allowable to have intercourse with another woman, inasmuch as it is another sort of contract. Muhammed Kuli said: “I saw Musaylima repeatedly in dreams, in which he disclosed what was unknown to me, and said: When by orders of Abu-bekr, Musaylima underwent the death of a martyr, and other Khalifs were movers of this event, therefore the Almighty God made them suffer the curse of mankind; in the same manner as he threw the Jews, on account of the murder of Jesus, into error and perdition.

“The murderers of Musaylima are liars and villains, and so are the murderers of Sáíd Al Shahái Hamzah.”[9]

[1] In the before quoted Memoir of H. T. Colebrooke (As. Res., vol. VII p. 342), we read, as taken from the account of Núrukah of Shúster, what follows: “The Sadikíyahs are a tribe of the faithful in Hindustan; pious men, and disciples of Sayyad Cabíru ’ddin, who derived his descent from Ismâil, son of Imám Jáfer. This tribe is denominated Sadikíyahs, by reason of the ‘sincere’ (sádik) call of that Sayyad. Although that appellation have, according to received notions, a seeming relation to Abú bekr, whose partisans give him this title; yet it is probable that the sect assumed that appellation for the sake of concealment. However no advantage ever accrues to them from it: on the contrary, the arrogant inhabitants of Hind, who are Hinduis, being retainers of the son of the impious Hind (meaning Hinda, the mother of Mâviyeh), have discovered their attachment to the sect of Shiahs, and have revived against them the calumnies which, five hundred years before, they broached against the Ismâilahs. They maliciously charge them with impiety. Such is indeed their ancient practice.…――In short, nearly thirty thousand persons of this sect are settled in provinces of Hindustan, such as Multan, Lahóre, Délhi, and Gujrát. Most of them subsist by commerce; they pay the fifth part of their gains to the descendants of Sayyad Cabír, who are their priests: and both preceptor and pupil, priest and layman, all are zealous Shiáhs.…”

It will be evident that the author of the Dabistán 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.

[2] Musaylima once professed the creed of Muhammed, 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 Yamáma, and gained a great number of followers; he dared even offer himself in a letter to Muhammed, as a partner of his prophetic mission, but received a refusal, with this address: “From Muhammed, the Apostle of God, to Musaylima, the Liar.”

[3] مشهد, Mashhad, signifies properly any place where a martyr has been buried, and is particularly applied to the burying places of Imáms, such as that of Kerbela, near Kufa, before mentioned. But the town of Tús, in Khorassan, has almost exchanged its proper name for that of Mashhad, “sepulchre,” because the Imám Risa, son of Mussa al Khadem, was buried near that place. Is it that which is meant above? Although the author says (Vol. II. p. 364), that he was in 1053 (1643) in Lahore, which is about 1200 miles distant from Tús, his visiting, the same year, both towns, is far from impossible. In the same year, we find him in Kirtpúr, in the mountainous part of the Panjab (ibid., p. 416), and in Kabul, which is on the road from Lahore to Tus.

[4] The moon acts a conspicuous part in the prestigious exhibitions of magicians. There appeared during the reign of Muhammed Mahadi, the third khalif of the Abbasides, from the year of the Hejira 158 to 169 (A. D. 774-785), in the town of Nekhshab, in Khorassan, an impostor, called Hakem ben Hasham, whose surname was Sazindah mah, “moon-maker.” Having but one eye, he used to hide his deformity under a silver veil, or mask, whence he was called al Mokanna, “covered by a veil.” So concealed, he pretended nobody could bear the effulgence of his face, like that of God himself. At the head of a numerous party, he was not without difficulty reduced by the ruling Khalif. Hakem’s particular mode of suicide will be adverted to in a note at the end of chapter VIII.

[5] Muhammed died on the 8th June, A. D. 632; Musaylima did not long survive him. He was killed, with ten thousand of his soldiers, under the reign of Abu-bekr, in A. D. 632, in a battle against Khaled, the son of Valid, who was sent with an army against him. Although the party of the new prophet appeared then crushed, yet we see by the account of the Dabistán, that its doctrine maintained itself as late as the seventeenth century of our era.

[6] Furkán, separating, discriminating, is another name for the Koran; and signifies any sacred book discriminating the right from wrong.

[7] Thomas Erpenius, the translator of Elmacin, calls her Thegjazis (Hist. Saracenica, p. 19); her true name was Sijah, the daughter of Haret, of the tribe of the Tamimites, or Taalabites, according to Elmacin (loco citato). She declared herself a prophetess, and gained ascendancy in the country of Bahrein, along the south-western shores of the Persian gulf, and in almost the whole tract between Mecca and Bassora. She offered herself as wife to the new prophet, in Yamáma, who married her, but she soon abandoned him.――(See Abulfeda, vol. I. pp. 208, 209.)

[8] We find in the Koran, chap. II. v. 28, the following passage: “When thy Lord said unto the angels: I am going to place a substitute on earth, they said: Wilt thou place there one that will do evil therein, and shed blood? but we celebrate thy praise, and sanctify thee. God answered: Verily, I know that which ye know not.――29. And he taught Adam the names of all things, and then proposed them to the angels, and said: Declare unto me the names of these things, if ye say truth.――30. They answered: Praise be unto thee; we have no knowledge but what thou teachest us, for thou art knowing and wise.――31. God said: O, Adam! tell them their names. God said: Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of heaven and earth; and know that what ye discover, and that which ye conceal?――32. And when he said unto the angels: Worship Adam; they all worshipped him, except Iblis, who refused, and was puffed up with pride, and became of the number of unbelievers.――In Chapter VII. v. 11. God said unto him: What hindered thee from worshipping Adam, since I commanded thee? He answered: I am more excellent than he; thou hast created me of fire, and hast created him of clay.――12. God said: Get thee down therefore from paradise: for it is not fit that thou behave thyself proudly therein; get thee hence; thou shalt be one of the contemptible.――13. He answered: Give me respite until the day of resurrection.――V. 14. God said: Verily, thou shalt be one of those who are respited.――15. The devil said: Because thou hast degraded me, I will wait for men in thy strait way.――16. Then I will come upon them from before and from behind, and from their right hand and from their left, and thou shalt not find the greater part of them thankful.――17. God said unto him: Get thee hence, despised, and driven far away; verily, whoever of them shall follow thee, I will surely fill hell with you all, etc., etc. (Sale’s Translation.)

[9] Hamzah was an uncle of Muhammed, and one of the first abettors of the prophet; he was killed by a servant of the Habeshi race, called Vahshi, in the battle of Bedr fought by Muhammed against the Koreish, in the third year of the Hejira (A. D. 624); the same Vahshi killed Musaylima with the same spear with which he had pierced Hamza.――(Abulfeda, vol. I. pp. 93, 213).