The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1878-03-12

A few days before Plus TX. breethed
his last the Pope OF the Mussulnans
passed away. Abdul Ghafur. the All
koond OF Swat (Ahkoond. be IL here
said means "teacher."O From Cash
mere to Mecca. from Bokhara 10 La
hore, in the politics OF highland Asia,
the Ahkoond has been much as the
Pore in the politics Of Catholic Chris.
tendon. Not the Old Man OF the
| Mountain nor the fanatic Ameer Of
Bukhara, murderer OF Stoddart and
Conolly nor the Sultan q Roum,
claimant OF the legitimate Caliphate !;
nor even the blind old zealot, Fsvsul,
| leader Of the Wahabee revival. has e1-
| ercissd such influence over the Mus
sulmans OF Asia as has the aseetic COW.
herd Of Geo!urs.
Abdul Ghafur was born OF shepherd
parents 10 1890, and ill he vas l6 herd
"a their cattle. Running away from
home lie sought out teachers, Arst az
Peshawur, then ut Khuttuk DESTROYS
! 4 greater distinction than that offered
by the ordinary career Of a moollah, J Q
vowed TO become derveesb and took
poss session Of the island Of BUkha, n
mere bsuk Of mud formed ut one great
I inundation Of the Iudns to disappear
at another. Here for II years be lived
| A hermit life. in o wretched hnt, eK-
pos 4 TO the cold blasts that ouly High
| Asia knows. aud having for food only
milk aud the ends Of variety of grass.
| Literally for months he remained
sqnatted on the ground facing toward
he Holy City aud bowling the Greed
aud the % names OF God, Rs the Rev.
| Nr. Hughes, a missionary tc Pesha-
8ur, and Sir Harry lumsden, British
officer, testify. The latter bad been
specially ordered 10 visit aud report
upon this fanatic, who had already be-
come pow erful ia the religious world.
/ lud cl his fame had already come to
be ears of the Sikhs, masters Of the
! Peshavur Valley, who had vowed ven
geance on their former Mahometan pei
.ecutors, and they attempted his lie.
| but he hed - the mountains. 81 great
vas now 1880 his influence that post
Mohammed courted his assistance
she lie struck against the Slkhs, but
| Ruuleet Singh was too strong Ion
Ameer and Ahkooud and the latter,
tfter fighting gRllantly in the khyber
Pass for the Afghans. fed 10 the Swat
| village OF Sydoo. which be was destln.
ed 20 make another Mecca.
ThOsSEat valley, a valley some 80 OF
so miles long 10y miles wide, vas
broken MP into three contesting tribe
ships, each claiming supremacy over
the others for its doctor OF the laws.
By craft and simulated miracles Abdul
Ghafur induced the clans 20 consoli-
| L. IL II
choosing, Svud Akbar. Then he re-
NOV ed bis rival saints by having one
Assn ssinated while at prayer aud de.
nouncing the other two 20 the British
Who had conquered the Punjaub. al
Wshabees. Dost Mohammed urged
him 20 preach holy war against th'
advancing iDfdel British, but the All
koond, vh1 saw that English soyer
eighty guaranteed peace aud prospect
" 10 the fsithful. repellod his over
turCs. Henceforward he continued &
exercise his influence in favor Of th,
British. or at least reirained from usinl
u against them, save when, in 1853, h
ior time checked Lord Elgin in IN,
= Umbeyla campaign by casting bis 10
with the Wahabees. This, however
vas only temporary, for he preache,
j ever afteTward that djrhad. or crer
cenlade, against the reformed 81 th
: WGhabees rise was even more merito
Z rious than Que agairst the intidel Brit
! | ish. IL was Wahabee assassins. by th
!. way, who struck down the Niceory
|. lord MAYO. and Chief Justice Norma:
e Of Calcutta.
: Tue Ahkoond's influence 10 would b
: almost impossible 90 overrate. Fu
y nearly half n century the Indian GoS
. ernment watched him as assiduousl
anl anxiously as Europe watches Bi.
marck or used 70 watch Napoleon Ill
IL 1852 Sir Harry Lnmsden wrote
j This saint has gained snch an ascer
dtucy over the minds of Mahometau
IN general that they believe he is SUI
piled Ivy supernatural means with tll
, necessarieS Of lie. Every morning, .
he rises from hiS prayers, be is said
ilod money sufficient for tue days e.
peDdituros. He is consulted in q
difficulties. "Tbe Pope Of SydOo,
! SAYS Mr.. Hughes, the missionuI
already mentioned, "reigns supreu
as the guide and director of the hear
81 men all over High Asia" Ihft
hundred pilgrims daily visited h,n
aud none came empty hsnded, wheih,
their home were Bengal or Dokhars,
Coustantinnple, cor Mesca ilself q,
even in the Holy City the Abkoor
vas held ia high repute). or Persia, ,
Iubis. These lie enteItained-isnS
the hOst of loo, 600 visitors every ye,
blessed, prayed for and admired.
His couOsels aud predictions We
sought upon every imaginable subjec
This man came io ask II he could ia,
fully learn Euglish, a language .vhiS
- tie ,racls denounced - ''tlre seed
iuidrhty;" THIS u LIS crippled .,
wuuld be hraled by ceTtisn ireaimsn
this bow his lawsuit in the Auglu-I
= dlau CONT, W u turu ont: az "a ~
80 whether hs h. uid decl, re war ~
uu u neighbur. rr tite Frauks. or Il
Russians Up To- the very last he 2
en- iainel his vigor. Last simmer Ame
ID Slisr Ali, 81 Canal. as his father. Do
-e. Molnmmed. had done before him, !
rd vted tile Ahkw,nd'r cn-pperatiun ~
"a blessing IN the military movemen
N b+iig prepared in Afshan $ az 90 tsl
is. ndvHnisg. uf the kusso-Tuskish WI
however " should rsSnlf. The Ame
lad, indeed, previously testified ~ L