ceeding to the sacred cities of Arabia; far otherwise, inasmuch as at Bombay, where people flock from all parts-men, women, and children-passages to Jedda are arranged with suitable conditions as to space and medical attendance. A camp has also been established by Government in the city (A.D. 1904) where all clothes are disinfected, and every means taken to ensure the comfort and well-being of the pilgrims. After medical examination these latter are removed to another camp at Pir Pao, eight miles distant, where they remain till they embark and commence their voyage to the Red Sea. It is difficult to state accurately the precise number of pilgrims who annually repair to Mecca, but perhaps 40,000 to 60,000 may be taken as a fair average. Of these about one half journey by sea in the following proportions : It will be seen that the Indian and Turkish "Hajis are the most numerous, while the Malays come next in importance. The last are mostly Dutch subjects from Java, who are encouraged by their rulers to visit the holy places in Arabia, on the ground that "the experience gained on the journey as to the tyranny and extortion of the Musulman Government in the Hijaz tends to increase in a 'Haji' the sense of the advan tages he enjoys at home, and dissipates many of the illusions with regard to the temporal power of Muhammadanism." Mr Blunt, taking the year 1880 as his basis, estimates the number of pilgrims as follows : Ottoman subjects, including pilgrims from Syria and Iran, but not from Egypt or Arabia Sea. Land. The figures for 1902 in the former column were 33,849 (5958 from India) as compared with 60,093 (5251 from India) in the previous year. It is probable that Mr Blunt's totals much exceed the truth. CHAPTER XII THE SECTS OF ISLAM THE SUNNIS It is a belief common to the whole Muslim world that Muhammad, as regards all that he said or did, was supernaturally guided from on high; hence it follows that his words and actions constitute a divine rule of faith and practice; this is the doctrine which underlies the fabric of the Sunni creed with its (say) 145,000,000 of votaries, the name itself being derived from the Arabic word "Sunna," meaning regulation. In the early days of Islam the Prophet's sayings were not, it is true, committed to writing, but handed down by word of mouth, while the record of his actions existed not save in the memories of his faithful followers. In such circumstances, it may readily be conceived that the Khalifs who immediately succeeded Muhammad, and who had all of them been friends and companions of the Lawgiver of Arabia, and as such the repertories of his utterances, attained an influence but little inferior to that of the founder of Islam himself, and their authority is a dominant principle amongst the millions who profess the Sunni creed. To these "leaders of thought" also must be added the name of Ayisha, the favourite wife of the Prophet; nor must the companions of Muhammad, known as the "Evangelists of Islam," be omitted from the honoured list. It cannot be doubted that zealous efforts were made to hand down the traditions of the faith pure and undefiled, and indeed the Prophet himself denounced, in terrible language, the wickedness of those who purposely misrepresented his words. Yet in spite of all this care, spurious traditions imperceptibly crept in, and, so early as the second century of Islam, the evil had risen to such a height, that the most foolish and extravagant notions began to mar and disfigure the simplicity of the belief in one God, and men were taught to suppose that they would be consigned to everlasting perdition for the commission of the most trivial offence, such as, to quote one instance, wearing their trousers below the ankle. The result was the well-known "six correct books," compiled by six learned "collectors of traditions." The first of these collections, termed Sahihul Bukhari, is named after Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Ismail, a native of Bukhara, who was born A.D. 809. He was a man of middle height, spare in frame, and, as a boy, totally blind. The grief of his father was, on this account, intense. But one day in a dream, he saw the patriarch Abraham, who said to him, "God, on account of thy grief and sorrow, hath granted sight to thy son." Vision being thus restored to the lad, he was sent, at the age of ten, to school, where he began to learn the traditions by heart. When his education was finished, a famous doctor chancing to come to Bukhara, was mortified at receiving a correction at the hands of the young student; the audacity was astounding, but the stripling was undeniably more than a match for his elder companion, who had in fact to acknowledge his error. Encouraged by his success the youthful Bukhari set to work collecting and sifting the traditions, and it is said that at the early age of sixteen he was able to remember upwards of 15,000 of them. In the course of time he got together no less than 600,000, of which after careful examination he selected and approved of 7275, and recorded them in a volume which bears his name. It is said that he never sat down to examine a tradition without invoking the aid of the Almighty to prevent the occurrence of error. His memory was incredible. For instance, at Baghdad, the doctors and priests of that city determined on one occasion to put his knowledge to severe test; they accordingly selected one hundred traditions, and falsifying them, distributed them in tens to as many different persons, with directions that they should attend one of Al Bukhari's assemblies, and endeavour to entangle him in his talk. This was done, and in the midst of a large assemblage the pious doctor was called upon to pronounce his judgment. He listened in silence as one by one the questioners read their traditions, which had purposely been altered from the original text; in every instance the ejaculation was unchanged, "I am not acquainted with it." When all had finished, he repeated in succession the whole hundred traditions, as they originally stood. From that day his influence was |