The ceremonies celebrated during the annual fast of Muharram refer to these historical facts, and help to keep alive a bitter feud; but to suppose that the only difference between the Shia'h and the Sunni is a mere dispute as to the proper order of the early Khalifs would be a mistake. Starting off with a political quarrel, the Shia'hs have travelled into a very distinct religious position of their own. The fundamental tenet of the Shia'h sect is the "divine right" of 'Ali the Chosen and his descendants. From this it follows that the chief duty of religion consists in devotion to the Imam (or Pontiff); from which position some curious dogmas issue. The whole question of the Imamat is a very important one. The word Imam comes from an Arabic word meaning to aim at, to follow after. The term Imam then becomes equal to the word leader or exemplar. It is applied in this sense to Muhammad as the leader in all civil and religious questions, and to the Khalifs, his successors. It is also, in its religious import only, applied to the founders of the four orthodox schools of jurisprudence, and in a restricted sense to the leader of a congregation at prayer in a mosque. It is with the first of these meanings that we have now to deal. It is so used in the Quran--"When his Lord made trial of Abraham by commands which he fulfilled, He said: 'I am about to make of thee an Imam to mankind;' he said: 'Of my offspring also?' 'My covenant,' said God, 'embraceth not the evil-doers.'" (Sura ii. 118.) From this verse two doctrines are deduced. First, that the Imam must be appointed by God, for if this is not the case, why did Abraham say "of my offspring also?" Secondly, the Imam is free from sin, for God said: "My covenant embraceth not the evil-doer." The first dispute about the Imamat originated with the twelve thousand who revolted from 'Ali after the battle of Siffin (657 A.D.), because he consented to submit to arbitration the dispute between himself and Muavia. Some years after they were nearly all destroyed by 'Ali. A few {76} survivors, however, fled to various parts. Two at last settled in Oman, and there preached their distinctive doctrines. In course of time the people of Oman adopted the doctrine that the Imamat was not hereditary but elective, and that in the event of misconduct the Imam might be deposed. 'Abdullah-ibn-Ibadh (744 A.D.) was a vigorous preacher of this doctrine, and from him the sect known as the 'Ibadhiyah takes its rise. The result of this teaching was the establishment of the power and jurisdiction of the Imam of Oman. The 'Ibadhiyah seem to have always kept themselves independent of the Sunni Khalifs of Baghdad, and, therefore, would consider themselves free from any obligation to obey the Sultan of Turkey. From the ordinary Shia'hs they differ as regards the "divine right" of 'Ali and his children. The curious in such matters will find the whole subject well treated in Dr. Badger's "Seyyids of Oman."