the soul departed for ever from his body. Padma too saw the trick through; and reconciled her tormenting heart to the tradition that when the desire was satisfied and the keen edge was blunted by the satisfaction the dying soul or the departing ego could leave the physical body which is a mere vesture for ever. Ghosts as a matter of course must inevitably observe promises that are given by them or conditions that are laid for them. Accordingly, when they all reached Bhanvad, the ghost was bound to leave the whole party unmolested and to themselves; so did Mângdo act. However, owing to the outburst of excessive love, for a moment they saw and met each other with lightning speed and then Mângdo disappeared for ever. Thenceforth, they used to pacify their hearts by observing each other from a distance. For Mângdo could not cross the boundary of Bhanvad; and Padma could not go daily to him from Una; so that she used to sit in her terraces till late hours in the night and the ghost hung itself in a well decorated form on the highest part of the aforenoted Banian tree in Bhanvad. Thus ends the strange folklore of Mângdo and Padma. I read this tale from a recently published book called "Kathiawad-ni-Juni vârtão," in Gujarati, the old folk-tales of Kathiawad, by Mr. Tribhowandas Trivedi of Mahuva; and I wrote to him to ask permission for my using the tale for the present paper, which he has so kindly given in his letter of reply. There are many folk-tales in Kathiawad which have a historical bearing, and some that are known to preserve the legends reciting the various exploits of rulers of ancient times who have been noted in history, but about whom research, if carried on still further, is calculated to throw more valuable light on their brilliant career in the field of fight. There are many controversial matters which, if viewed in the light of anthropology, can be regarded as greatly important for the purpose of arriving at some definite knowledge about them 625 “THE KHUTBA-() OF THE MAHOMEDANS AND THE DASTURI OF THE PARSEES." BY JIVANJI JAMSHEDJI MODI, B.A., Ph.D. C.I.E. (Read on 29th November 1922.) Our attention to the Khutba of our Mahomedan brethren has been drawn at present by the telegrams we have received of the election of a new Khalifa. It is said, that now the Khutbas Introduction. will be recited in the name of the new Khalifa. The object of this paper is to show, that there is, among the Parsees, as among the Mahomedans, a custom, whereby the name of the Dastur or the High Priest is recited in certain rituals. The recital is spoken of as Dasturi. What is a Khûtbâ! I The word Khutba ordinarily means any "Speech, harangue, address or sermon," but it has come to be specialised for the "sermon preached in the mosques on a Friday."1 2 Dr. Hughes thus speaks of a Khutba. It is the sermon or oration delivered on Fridays at the time of Zuhr or meridian prayer. It is also recited on the two great festivals in the morning, after sunrise." The injunction for the Khutba is said to have been based on the 62nd Surah of Koran where we read: "O true believers, when ye are called to prayers, on the day of the assembly,3 hasten to the commemoration of God and leave merchandising. This will be better for you, if you know it."4 The preacher who delivers the Khutba, is called Khatib. On Fridays, the 1 Steingass. 66 2 A Dictionary of Islam, by Thomas Patrick Hughes (1885), p. 274. 3 Friday is the day of assembly. It is called yum al Jumâ, i.e. The day of assembly. 4 Sale's Koran (1891), pp. 450-51. congregation first performs the ablutions and then says the four sunnah prayers. Then, the Khatib sits above on the mimbar (i) or pulpit. The Mu'azzin then calls out azân ( '¿!) or announcement, i.e., he calls people to prayers. After the call, the Khatib descends on a lower step of the pulpit and delivers the Khutba. In the Khutba, which must be in Arabic, the prayers for the Prophet, his companions and the king are essential. In India, as they have to live under a non-Mahomedan king, the name of the reigning monarch is omitted. But, we learn from a Khutba published at Lucknow, and as given by Hughes, 1 that the ruler is thus referred to: "O God! Bless the ruler of the Age and make him kind and favourable to the people." The Khatib is at liberty to vary his sermon as he likes in the latter part, but he must mention the name of the prophet and his companions. On the close of the sermon, he sits down, and he and all the members of the congregation say their own extempore prayers, i.e., petition God as they like and submit before Him their homage, praise, desires and wishes. During these private prayers, they hold forth their hands and palm inwards, and draw them down their face. Then follows the finishing portion of the Khutba. Mr. Hughes says: According to the best tradition, the name of the reigning Khalifa ought to be recited in the Khutba. . . In India, the name of the king is omitted and the expression Ruler of the Age' is used." Mr. Hughes then adds. "In India, the recital of the Khutba serves to remind every Mahomedan priest, at least once a week, that he is in a Dâru'-1 Harb 'a land of enmity. Still the fact that he can recite his Khutba at all in a country not under Muslim rule, must also assure him that he is in a Dâru'-l Amân or "land of protection." We see from this account of the Khutba, as given by Mr. Hughes, that, in it, there is always a mention of the name of the Khalifa or the spiritual head of Islamism and of that of the king, if he be a Mahomedan ruler, but as "Ruler of the 1 Op, Cit., p. 275. Age" if he be a non-Mahomedan. We find from the history of the Mahomedan rulers of India, that in their time, the recital of the Khutba in the name of the king was held to be essential to establish one's right to the throne and to declare his ascension to it. Invaders hastened to get the Khutba recited in their names in the Musjids. For example, we read in Vincent Smith's Life of Akbar, that Muhammad Hakim, the Prince of Kabul, invaded the Punjab and Khân Zaman, who supported him went so far as to recite the khutba or prayer for the king in his name."1 We learn that more than once Akbar himself recited the Khutba in place of the regular preacher. We read the following in Smith's Life of Akbar 2 66 Akbar as preacher. "At the end of June 1579 Akbar had introduced a startling innovation by displacing the regular preacher at the chief mosque in Fathpur-Sikri and himself taking his place in the pulpit on the first Friday in the fifth month of the Muhammadan year. The address (khutbah) usually given on a Friday is composed somewhat on the lines of the "bidding prayer," used in English Universities, and always includes a prayer for the reigning sovereign. Akbar, in order to emphasize the position of spiritual leader of the nation (Imām-i-âdil) to which he laid claim, availed himself of certain alleged ancient precedents and resolved to recite the khutbah himself. Faizi, brother of Abu-1 Fazl and Poet Laureate, produced a sort of khutbah in verse, as follows, which the emperor recited. "In the name of Him who gave us sovereignty, Who gave us a wise heart and a strong arm, Who guided us in equity and justice, Who put away from our heart aught but equity ;— 1 "Akbar, the Great Moghul," by Vincent Smith, 1917, f. 77. 2 Ibid, pp. 176-77. 3 For the Bidding Prayer" at Oxford, vide my "Religions Customs and Ceremonies of the Parsees," p. 81 n. 1. His praise is beyond the range of our thoughts, Exalted be His Majetsy-" Allâhu Akbar!" (Great is God !) To those eloquent lines he added some verses of the Koran, expressing thanks for mercies and favours, and having repeated the fatiha, or opening section of the Koran, came down from the pulpit, and said his prayers. According to Badãoni, he lost his nerve and broke down, but the other historians do not support that statement. He repeated the experiment several times." 99 1 The practice among the Parsees. II; Now, among the Parsees also, there is the practice of remembering both the ruler of the land and the spiritual head of the town, though both not in the same prayer or ritual. As to the Dastur or the spiritual head of the city. his name is mentioned in three religious ceremonies. The first is in that of the Bareshnûm purification; the second that of the funeral ceremony,3 when the body of the deceased is washed and placed in a corner of the house before being carried to the Tower of Silence; the third is that of the purification of the sacred fire.4 In the Bareshnûm the recital is by the Mobad or priest who purifies or gives the Bareshnûm to another person; and in the second by the Nasasalârs or corpse-bearers; in the third by the purefying priest. The Dasturi. The words of the recital run as follows : Ba dasturi-i Dâdár Ahura Mazda, ba dasturi-i Ameshâspandân. ba dasturi-i Sraosha ashô. ba dasturi-i Ádarbâd Mârespand, ba dasturi-i Dastur-i in Zamân. 1 "Akbar the Great Moghnl" by V. A. Smith, pp. 176-77. Religious Ceremonies and Customs of the Parsees," p. 128. 2 Vide my 4 Ibid, p. 216. |