Produced by Michael Ciesielski, Keith Edkins and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) Transcriber's note: A few typographical errors have been corrected: they are listed at the end of the text. Original page numbers are shown as {99}. THE FAITH OF ISLAM: BY THE REV. EDWARD SELL, FELLOW OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MADRAS. * * * * * TRUeBNER & CO., LONDON. ADDISON & CO., MADRAS. 1880. _All rights reserved._ * * * * * MADRAS: PRINTED BY ADDISON AND CO., MOUNT ROAD. * * * * * PREFACE. The following pages embody a study of Islam during a residence of fifteen years in India, the greater part of which time I have been in daily intercourse with Musalmans. I have given in the footnotes the authorities from which I quote. I was not able to procure in Madras a copy of the Arabic edition of Ibn Khaldoun's great work, but the French translation by Baron M. de Slane, to which I so frequently refer, is thoroughly reliable. The quotations from the Quran are made from Rodwell's translation. The original has been consulted when necessary. A few slight and occasional errors in transliteration have occurred, such as Sulat for Salat, Munkar for Munkir, &c., but in no case is the meaning affected. In some words, such as Khalif, Khalifate, and Omar, I have retained the anglicised form instead of using the more correct terms, Khalifa, Khilafat, 'Umr. The letter Q has been used to distinguish the Kaf-i-Karashat from the Kaf-i-Tazi. E. S. MADRAS, _December 1st, 1880._ {v} * * * * * CONTENTS. Introduction. ... PAGE ix CHAPTER I. THE FOUNDATIONS OF ISLAM. The Quran--Its revelation--Miraculous nature--Arrangement of Quran--Osman's recension. The Sunnat--The authority of Sunnat--Tradition--Bid'at or innovation--Shia'h Traditions. Ijma'--Ijtihad--Four orthodox Imams, Hanifa, Malik, Shafa'i and Hanbal. Qias--Established by the early Mujtahidin--Sterility of Islam ... PAGE 1 Note to Chapter I. Ijtihad ... PAGE 32 CHAPTER II. EXEGESIS OF THE QURAN AND THE TRADITIONS. Inspiration--The seven readings--Work of a Commentator--Words and Sentences of the Quran--Use of the words--Deductions of arguments from the Quran--Divisions of the Quran--Abrogation--Creation of the Quran--Hadis or Tradition--Collections of Traditions--Classification of Traditions ... PAGE 37 CHAPTER III. THE SECTS OF ISLAM. The Shia'hs--The Imamat--Kharigites--Nur-i-Muhammadi--Imam--Isma,ilians and Imamites--Ghair-i-Mahdis--Da,iri--Mahmudiah--Khalifate--Sufiism--Persian Poetry--Darwishes--Omar Khayyam--Wahhabis--their rise--spread in India--doctrines and influence ... PAGE 73 Note to Chapter III. Wahhabiism ... PAGE 114 {vi} CHAPTER IV. THE CREED OF ISLAM