West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1886-10-22
THE PERSIAN RELIGIONS
CURIosITIEso OF ORIENTAL. CREEDs
AND DOGMAS W
eects That Have Bitter Eeuds Over
Trihing Differences of Opinion
-Ihe Sacred DerNish E,cnuh

There are many thing about the the
oryand practice fthe'preyailing religion
IN Ter In which aye, to use mild term,
queer. The Persiaus, says Wolf Van
Sehierbrand in tho New York Tones, are
Shceites, while the Turks and most of
the other l40, 200, 600 OF Mohammedans
arc Sunnites@ Between. these two prin-
clpal sects of Islam there is fierce conten-
ton, implacable haired, and unqnench,
able contempt zach for the other The
Sheeite considers the Sunnite nadii (im-
pure and his touch as halal '(dehlinS).
Just as IL he had come in contact with an
unclean thing or animal, such as hog
and the feeling is reciprocated by fhe
Sunnlte. They hate each other with
cordial aud enduring hatrel, aud
while 'cach'b Suhnstc' considers him
self as tho salt, Of the earth, he
deems tho Shceite no b. tier than the
dust at h feet, and vice versa. NOW IL
might be supposed that there arc many,
Rad radio variancos in the dogmas aud
creeds of their faiths But such is not
the truth. The real difference in their
belief Is very slight. One of the css n
tlal proofs that stsmps Noslenl; as. be-
logging TO the Sunni or dominant sect is
how he performs his ablutions The
Sunnite will begin ah his elbow. aud
from there, gradually working down,
VIII rub the last rub at the tins OF his
fingers. This, he says, is in strict ac-
cOrdancc with Mohammed's teaching and
practice. The Sheoite, on .thG other
hand, will proceed in an inverse mauper
in accomplishing the task, aud he thus,
Of course, literally S'gigcs'hiinSelf away
in the operation. A few of these grayc
distinctions, including precepts about
food and drink, are really everything ~
any account on which the two leading
sects of Islam differ, yet they have been
enough of a rock on which TO build them
up.
A protesting Sh cite believes above all
IN tn ceremonies taught by the moliah
lie will perform his prayers with prompt
ness and des atcl, knecling on his prayer
rug camel fashion. the face turned in the
direction OF Mecca, humping his forehead
against the ground at regular intervals,
ahd mumbling the requisite phrases,
whose meaning even is, in most cases,
wholly or pattially unknown to him. lie
will attend to his ablutions with equal
regularity, wetting tone cannot call il
washiugl his face, fee, and hands. When
praying the Shceitc will divcst himself
o. all wraps and OF every kind of orna-
rnent aud iewelIy, so as TO appear i'm
humble garb before Allah II is not in
cumbent on any Shecite ID pray in
IN squc, and, as matter of fact, Persian
mosques are not so we'll attended as a
rule, nor are they rs imcrous, as are
those in Turkey Almsgiying is still as
much in vogue among Sheeites as in the
days of yorc, although charity is not now
bestowed ms lavishly as of old. The
usual largess given To the everlasting and
ubiquitous dervish and bcggar varies
from five dcnar 20 two shahl, (onc-l alf
10 one cent and n half, even when
the donor is wealthy. For all that the
amount of money annually wasted in
thus encouraging professional bcggar-
dom and vagabondism is, for an
impoverished, thinly populated country
like Persia, som thing stupendous-run-
ming into millions. With the whole peo-
pie almsgiving is religious duty, not
wholly negle ted ayen by the worst II
becomes thus explicable how swarms
and swarms Of paupors born and bred in
indulgence aud dlcress infest the whole
wide country. and how in harvest time,
when hands arc scarce, these same beg
garly creatures VIII stand with palms
opened at the thrcsh old Of the very pov-
eriy ridden peasant whose fruit and
grain lie rotting in the field for want of
these same hands TO help him garner
them in.
Pilgrim Ige is another Of their relig-
lou, duties still faithfully performed.
These pilgrimagcs (ziarct) are made 10
Mecca, Korbela tnear Bagdad), KOum,
Meshed, and Shah Abdul Aim. ONLY
those pilgrims who have made the far
and dangerous journey TO Mecca are
properly styled had ice. But by courtesy
and as term Of haltcry the hadiee is
given 10 tho too who have merely
prayed at the shrines of inferior sanctity.
The journey 20 Mecca takes six months
TO perform, and that il is fraught with
considerable danger 10 life and limb Is
proved by the fact that out Of the q, 900
who started on the trip some few years
ago less than 1000 returned, the rest
having been made away with by pesti-
lence, dyscntcry, robbers, hunger, thirst,
and fatigue on the road
The moharrem is still generally OBJ
served throughout Persia. Everybody
goes about the streets clad in black and
blnds Of specially pious folks raise an
almost continual din n ght and day.
Many OF these bare their breasts and
heads 70 the fierce glare OF tho sun or
the icy breath Of the wind. for as the
other Persians still have lunar m jnths
the moharrcm rs we'll as tho other
mouths fall every year at a different
time, changing about from midsummer
% midwintcr in the course Of time
howl discordant walls Of "Ai Hussein.
ri llassanl" and behave themselves gen
orally like lunatics The great features
Of this month are the theatrical repre-
sentatious Of the suneriDgs OF these two
carly martyrs, Husscin aud Hassan,
and the popular commomoratiOns
Of their slaughter, such ne endless
readings and recitations and the tales
Of the professional story tallers and
mollahs arc kept up constantly. These
passion plays are called Tussei-
MIA, and arc performed in almost
every town Of any size in Persia There
is generally building with a stage and
an ampitheatre built as a rule with tho
money left by special bcquosts, devoted
70 the purpose Of tsese representations.
The largest Of their kind may be found
in Tcheran. Shiraz, crmanshah, Tabril,
Ispahan, and Mcshcd. Tie one in Tehe
ran was erected by the present Shah and
adjoins his palace. II is not BY any
means beautiful or imposing structurc.
but holds n good many pcOp g. and NAV.