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Foreword to the 2006 republication

Antioch Gate presents the Dabistán-i Mazáhib, or, School of Manners. This is fully bookmarked facsimile eBook of the colossal 3-volume, 1,417-page work including a 62-page index (the original edition and subsequent editions of this book do not have the chapter heading on each page, whereas this eBook edition is fully bookmarked, so you can navigate at a click).

This book was translated from the original Persian, with notes and illustrations by David Shea (1777-1836) and Anthony Troyer (died 1865). It was edited with a preliminary discourse by the latter, and printed in Paris (1843) in three volumes. As with so many such books, please overlook the obviously biased manner of the Orientalist commentary on the translation.

As an appendix, there is included the 1809 Farsi edition, printed in Calcutta - a 545-page work edited, with a glossary, by Nazir ‘Ashraf, under the superintendence of William Butterworth Bailey Esq. (the latter became thereafter a director of the East India Company). Nazir ‘Ashraf also composed the epilogue to the Dabistán translation of Shea and Troyer, immediately prior to the index in Volume 3. The total length of this entire eBook is thus 1,962 pages.

The Dabistán deals with approximately twelve religions: the first that of the Zoroastrians (preceded by detail of the old religion before Zoroaster), then those of the Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Sadakiahs, Vahadians (Unitarians), Roshenians, Ilahiahs, Philosophers and finally the Sufis. Many sects too are outlined within these broad religious categories. Sikhism is covered just prior to the section on Tibetan Buddhism.

Authorship was commonly ascribed to the Sufi Muhammad Muhsin "Fáni" ("the Perishable") Kashmiri (c. 1615 - 1671 or 1672), but the original Persian work is now widely held to be that of a Zoroastrian Mobed (a "Mage" in the English tongue), namely Kaikhusraw Isfendiar ben Azar Kaivan. Oriental libraries seem to be more accepting of this Zoroastrian authorship than those in Europe. There have been later "concise" editions of this English translation that all omit swathes of footnotes and significant portions of the original text (for reference, the Special Introduction to the 1901 edition is given. It is the abridged 1901 edition which is commonly being republished today). Crowning the deletions, these later editions notably omit the chapter on the Sufis, which concludes the text, and the invaluable 65-page index that follows.

Although there are erroneous statements about Mohammedanism (e.g. that adherents consider the Prophet Mohammed to be the greatest Prophet, and that he is considered to be the author of the Qur'an and that the Mahdi is a Shi'i innovation) made by the author and translator, this is an extraordinary, highly-acclaimed landmark publication brimming with information and fascinating anecdotes, the work of a travelling scholar on his itinerary from noble Persia to deepest, darkest India in the mid-17th Century. You will not find many books so crowded, so rich, with history (arcane and profane) and so possessed of footnotes. There is scant wonder that this work has always been highly prized amongst the Orientalists of both East and West.

Meet "Antun" (Anton), the Frankish ascetic mentioned in Chapter 1 (p. 137-138), a man very much like the impoverished Templar Knights, a man who might well have been an early Rosicrucian - nowhere else have l encountered a reference to such a person, living in the East, the cradle of Mysteries.

Meet Mohammed Sâíd Sarmed, "the Naked Saint" - a Persian poet of rabbinical Jewish lineage, who later embraced Mohammedanism, and went to India as a merchant, where he fell in love with a young Hindu boy named Abhi Chand, whom he converted to a mixture of Judaism and Mohammedanism. In 1647 he was in Hyderabad, and there gave the author of the Dabistán the material for the brief chapter on the Jews. He co-edited with the author, a portion of Abhi Chand's Persian translation of the Pentateuch. This version, cited in the original Dabistán manuscript as far as Genesis 6:8, differs considerably from European versions. In this 1843 English translation, the discrepancies between Persian and other Genesis translations are listed, but the entire Persian Genesis text is not translated into English, presumably because anything outside of the list of discrepancies would concur with widely-available English versions of Genesis. Sarmed's tomb lies at the entrance to Delhi’s cathedral mosque.

Meet wonder-working fakirs and saintly men of many faiths, Hindu Yogis who secretly believe in the Prophet Mohammed, but who eat pork and human flesh. Gawk at those orgiastic, cannibalistic Yogis who would not even shy from incest, and others who were able to hold their breath for many hours, and marvel at Zoroastrian and Hindu adepts who have tamed illness and death via the science of Yoga. Not even the Tibetan Buddhists water themselves down here, collecting human bones and being divided into two main classes, one of which eats meat.

Learn about the Hindu and Zoroastrian "Yuga" systems, from authentic sources. Learn of the bitterness between Hindus and their Buddhist opponents. Pore over the profundities of the highly explosive chapter on the Philosophers, before finally alighting upon the chapter on the Sufis, which explores Ibn Arabi and touches on many lesser-known Sufi Sheikhs. This chapter was published as a work in itself, with an introduction by the venerated Sufi Idries Shah, who was a founding member of the Club of Rome ("The Religion of the Sufis: from 'The Dabistán' of Mohsin Fani" London: Octagon Press, 1979 [87 pages]).

The Dabistán is an excellent sourcebook on Eastern religions, a spring of revelations quite aways from the "New Age" literature which abounds today. The original 1843 edition here reproduced is the best edition you can have, now completely republished for the first time ever.
 

SPECIAL INTRODUCTION

[to the 1901 edition, not the 1843 edition being here offered]

TO see a people as they see themselves, if we may give that turn to the familiar phrase, might apply to the glimpse which this book gives us of Eastern thought, religious beliefs, traditions, and mode of life, as viewed by an Oriental eye in the early part of the seventeenth century. It is a work by an Oriental and written for Orientals, but we of the West may equally profit by its contents. "School of Manners" (in the old sense of morals) the volume was termed in the first partial version of it that appeared in English, and that title was afterward retained when a complete translation was published. But "School of Religious Doctrines, or Institutes," would be a happier designation, and that is the actual Persian title, Dabtstán-ul-Mazáhab that graces the opening page of the two old manuscripts of the Dabistán which the favored visitor may see among the treasures of the Mulla Firuz Library in India. A number of handwritten copies besides these exist, but it is interesting to think that at least two are preserved in this library which adjoins a Parsi temple in Bombay, and a description of the life and philosophy of the Parsi Prophet Zoroaster, and of the older Persian sects, so far as the author Moshan Fáni could learn of them, forms a large part of the Dabistán. This fact of itself may attract some readers to the subject.

With regard to the author, Moshan Fáni, we know that the year of his birth can hardly be placed later than A. D. 1615. He was apparently of Iranian extraction, if we rightly interpret one of his statements. When writing of India he says that "inconstant fortune had torn him from the shores of Persia and made him the associate of the believers in transmigration and those who addressed their prayers to idols and images and worshiped demons." It was for this reason, he adds, that he chose to describe the tenets held by the subtle class of Hindu reasoners after those of the Parsees. Although most of his life was passed in India he was a man that had traveled widely. Every­where he went he carried with him the keen appreciation of a scholar and the thoughtful observation of one who wished to learn and to understand the views of others. His note book was in his hand and with laudable self-criticism he was ever ready to correct his own impressions, if he found them false, or as he quaintly says in his Oriental fashion, "to draw with the pen of accuracy the line of erasure over all that was doubtful." Herodotus could have done no more. On every occasion he took the opportunity to talk with faithful believers of various creeds and sects and to inquire into their religious ideas and manners and customs. In this way he gives us some account of no less than a dozen different religions or philosophies.

Although the Dabistan presents a sketch of so many different kinds of doctrines and religious tenets, in the author's view there were only five great religions. These are Magism, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, and Mohammedanism. With Magism, or the ancient religion of Persia, he begins. Much that he says about the early history and religious views of Iran has little interest except as a picture of Oriental views and habits of thought, which the student, however, will value; the picture of Parsiism, moreover, is quite inadequate, but his narrative of the life and legend of Zoroaster is sure to be read by all who care to see what an Oriental has to say about this remarkable figure in history. It may interest others to know that a number of Moshan Fáni's strange stories about Zoroaster can now be traced to older and better sources, or again be shown to have little or no authority for their existence. The writer of the present introduction has brought out a number of such points in a recent work on "Zoroaster the Prophet of Ancient Iran." For this particular reason it did not seem necessary to correct some of the original translator's comments or footnotes on Zoroaster's era and teachings, but to allow them to stand just as they were reproduced in the plate proofs.

There is no question that with India and the speculations, beliefs and religious rites of the Hindus our author was well acquainted. His picture in general is a faithful one. He finds a place to include the special as well as the general. The theosophic views of the Vedantists and kindred sects are not wanting, and his picture of the Indian Yogis, Fakirs, and Mendicants, and of the Persian dervishes, mystics and religious devotees is as good as can be found in literature. These chapters are sure to be read with interest. It may seem surprising to miss a detailed account of Buddhism in a work like the present, for Moshan's short chapter on Buddhism is rather a description of the Jain religion of India, which was the rival creed in early times to that of the great Enlightened One. But it must be remembered that in our author's day Buddhism was almost extinct in India, the land that gave it birth, while Jainism is still to be found there.

For the same reason that there was little occasion to discuss Buddhism in detail there was also no special call to mention the beliefs and customs of ancient Egypt, as Egypt played no religious rô1e in Moshan Fáni's day, but he does include Tibet, and readers of Kipling's "Kim" may be interested in looking up what is said about the early pilgrim Lamas and spiritual characters of Tibet. The Sikh religion, founded by Nanak, is also not overlooked. To us of the West, moreover, it may be interesting to see a glimpse of Judaism and Christianity as observed by a native of the Farther East, who includes passages from Genesis by way of illustrating his description. His chapter on Mohammedanism is rather long and technical, as that was the religion of Moshan's own people. For this reason the editor preferred not to reproduce the entire section from the previously published translation of the Dabistán [NOTE: IT IS THE SUPERIOR PREVIOUS EDITION, DATED 1843, WHICH IS HERE BEING OFFERED BY ANTIOCH GATE], but rather to give its principal features, drawing largely on Troyer's preliminary discourse in the older volumes. The concluding chapters on the theosophical and philosophical sects will have an attraction chiefly for those who care to draw nearer to the Oriental habit of mind and thought, and they show us in spite of certain vagaries how faithful a recorder and critic our author strove to be.

Taken as a whole the Dabistán seems worthy of the praise bestowed upon it by that worthy pioneer in Oriental studies, Sir William Jones. It was he who gave the incentive to his fellow scholar Gladwin, to publish at least a chapter of the work in English, and this lead was followed by that faithful interpreter of Persia, David Shea. The translation of Shea, however, was left incomplete, and the last half was taken up and faithfully finished by Anthony Troyer, who prefaced the work by a preliminary discourse of more than a hundred pages. The translation of these two scholars was published in 1843, and is now extremely scarce. It is this rare work that is here reproduced, and the publisher is to be congratulated on his praiseworthy enterprise, which thus renders more accessible to Western readers so rare and uncommon an Eastern book. In issuing so diffuse a work, however, the editor was justified in making certain condensations and omissions, including most of the footnotes of the earlier edition, as well as in reducing the original preface considerably. In such matters I have been relieved of responsibility as to choice or method. On the other hand it has been my pleasant privilege to read the plate proof-sheets, taking the opportunity to correct certain palpable errors found in the original edition, while allowing numerous inconsistencies to stand, especially in the matter of spelling proper names. This has been done designedly to preserve the quaintness of the original, and it may safely be said that all that is really important in the original will be found in the present edition.

With these words the volume is sent forth; and though "East is East and West is West" the twain seem certainly today to be meeting more closely than ever in the past, and perhaps a ray of light from the East may come also through the Dabistán, the work of a little known Oriental writer who could not have dreamed that his treatise on the religious thought and institutions of his time would ever appear in its present dress in this New World and century.

A. V. Williams Jackson, columbia university, new york, December 9, 1901.

Tables of Contents of the 1843 Dabistán:

Volume 1: [574 pages]
 

Foreword to the 2006 Republication
Special Introduction [to the 1901 edition, not the 1843 edition]

Then begins the 1843 edition:

CONTENTS
Of the Preliminary Discourse.

PART I.
Introduction.
Section I.—How the Dabistán first became known—its author—the sources of his information iii
II.—Discussion on the Desátir xix

PART II.
Synopsis of the dynasties, religions, sects, and philosophic opinions treated of in the Dabistán.
Section I.—The first religion—the dynasties of Mahabad, Abad Azar, Shai Abad, Shai Giliv, Shai Mah­bad, and Yasan lxvi
II.—The Peshdadian, Kayanian, Ashkanian, and Sassanian dynasties—their religious and political institutions lxxvii
III.—The religion of Zardusht, or Zoroaster lxxxiii
IV.—The religion of the Hindus cv
V.—Retrospect of the Persian and Indian religions cxx
VI.—The religion of the Tabitian (Tibetans) cxxv
VII.—The religion of the Jews ibid.
VIII.—The religion of the Christians cxxvi
IX.—The religion of the Muselmans cxxviii
X.—The religion of the Sadakiahs cxli
XI.—The religion of the Roshenians cxlv
XII.—The religion of the Ilahiahs cxlvii
XIII.—The religion of the Philosophers cliii
XIV.—The religion of the Súfis clxix
XV.—Recapitulation of the Contents of the Dabistán ibid.

PART III.
Conclusion.
Section I.—General appreciation of the Dabistán and its author clxxix
II.—Notice concerning the printed edition, some manuscripts, and the translations of the Dabistán clxxxviii

CONTENTS
Of the Dabistán (vol. I.) - Introduction of the Author 1

CHAPTER I.
Of the religion of the Parsian 4
Section I.—Tenets and ceremonies observed by the Sipasian and Parsian 5
Description of the worship rendered to the seven planets, according to the Sipasian faith 35
II.—Description of the Sipasian sect 87
III.—The laws of the Paiman-i-Farhang and the Hirbed Sár 147
Description of the Great Angels 148
Description of the gradations of Paradise 150
Description of the infernal regions 152
IV.—An account of the Jamshapian sect 193
V.—The Samradian sect 195
VI.—The tenets of the Khodaiyan 201
VII.—The system of the Rádíán ibid.
VIII.—The Shídrangíán creed 203
IX.—The Páikárian creed ibid.
X.—The Miláníán system 204
XI.—The system of the followers of Alár 206
XII.—The Shídanian faith 207
XIII.—The system of the Akhshíyán sect ibid.
XIV.—The followers of Zardusht 211
Account of the precepts given by Zardusht to the king and all mankind 260
The Sad-der, or “the hundred gates” of Zardusht 310
Enumeration of some advantages which arise from the enigmatical forms of the precepts of Zardusht's followers 351
Summary of the contents of the Mah-zend 353
XV.—An account of the tenets held by the followers of Mazdak 372

CONTENTS Of the Preliminary Discourse

CONTENTS Of the Dabistán (vol. I)

Volume 2: [462 pages]
 

CONTENTS
OF THE SECOND VOLUME.

Title Page

THE SECOND CHAPTER OF THE DABISTAN

Describes, in twelve Sections, the religious system of the Hindus 1
Section I.— Concerning the orthodox Hindu system 2
Summary of the doctrines contained in the Budah Mimansa 3
Section II.— Of certain opinions entertained by this sect concerning the creation 9
Section III.— Concerning the religious observances and ceremonies of the Smartas, or orthodox of the Hindus 53
Section IV.— Of the followers of the Vedanta 90
Section V.— Concerning those who profess the Sankhya doctrines 118
Section VI.— Of the Yogis and their doctrines 123
Section VII.— Of the tenets of the Saktian 148
History of the illustrious Shaikh Abu Ali Hussain, the son of Abdullah ben Sina (Avi senna) 168
Section VIII.— Of the Vishnuian (Vaishnavas), worshippers of Vichnu 175
Of the Vairagis 184
Section IX.— On the creed of the Charvak 197
Section X.— On the system of those who profess the doctrine of Tark 203
Section XI.— On the tenets held by the followers of Buddha 210
Section XII.— On various religious systems professed by the people of India 216
The Nânac-Panthians (Sikhs) 246

CHAPTER III.
Of the religion of the Kera Tabitian 289

CHAPTER IV.
Of the religion of the Yahuds (Jews), in two Sections 293
Section I.— The information received from Muhammed Said Sarmed ibid.
Section II.— Upon the book of Adam 299

CHAPTER V.
Of the religion of the Tarsa (Christians) in three sections 305
Section I.— An account of the Lord Aisia (Jesus) ibid
Section II.— Of the creed of the Aisuah (Christians) 308
Section III.— Of the works of the Christians 312

CHAPTER VI.
Of the religion of the Muhammedans, in two Sections 322
Section I — Of the religion of the Sonnites ibid.
An account of the angels 337
An account of the Umaviyah and Yezidiah connected with the Ali-Ilahian 356
Section II.— Of the religion of the Shíâhs 362
Of the twelve sects of the Shíâhs 364
Of the religion of the Akhbárin 372
An account of the Ismâiliah 397
An account of the Ali Ilahian 451

Volume 3: [386 pages]

CONTENTS
OF THE THIRD VOLUME

Title Page

CHAPTER VII.
Of the religion of the Sadikíahs

CHAPTER VIII.
Of the religion of the Váhadiáh and Imaná
Section I.— Of the appearance of the individual Vahed, and an account of his person 12
Section II.— An account of some tenets of Vahed 14
Section III.— Upon some of the sayings of Vahed 16
Section IV.— On certain customs, forms of speech, and traditions of this sect 18

CHAPTER IX.
Of the religion of the Roshenian.
Section I.— Of the appearance of the lord Míyán Báybezid 26
Section II.— An account of the history of the lord Míyán Roshen Báyazid 38
Section III.— Upon the transactions of the sons of the lord Miyán Báyazid 42

CHAPTER X.
Of the religion of the Ilahiah
Section I.— On the appearance of the Khalifet of the All-Just 49
Section II.— On the dispute of the people of different religions 50
Section III.— Upon the virtues of the stars, according to reason, manifestation, revelation, and tradition 105
The Great Jenghis Khan 112
Section IV.— Upon the sayings of his Majesty (Akbar), dwelling in the seventh heaven 121

CHAPTER XI.
Of the religion of the Wise (Philosophers).
Section I.— Of the religion of the philosophers, and of some branches of their questions 139
An account of the pages of human actions and their recorders, and of the descent of angels and demons to the good and the wicked 153
An account of mountains and seas, and of what occurs upon the earth at the last judgment 155
Account of the tree Tuba, which is in heaven, and the tree Zakum, which is in hell 158
Section II.— Of the reputation and the truth of the prophetic dignity 172
Upon the meaning of revelation and inspiration 175
Upon the interpretation of the miracles of the prophet 177
Section III.— Of the successors of these philosophers, and the chief followers of this creed 204

CHAPTER XII.
Of the religion of the Sufiahs.
Section I.— Of some of their tenets 220
Section II.— Of the prophetic office, and explanation of the public declarations conformable to the revelation of inspired persons 241
Section III.— Of some of the Saints among the moderns, and of the Sufis whom the author of the work has known 284

EPILOGUE
Of Moulavi Nazer Ushruf, editor of the Persian text of the Dabistán, printed in Calcutta 315

Index 321
Errata

Some quotes from the 1843 Dabistán:

Volume 1, p. 35:

Lastly, it is stated in the Akhtaristán, that the Sipásíán tenets were, that the stars and the heavens are the shadows of the incorporeal effulgences; on this account they erected the temples of the seven planets, and had talismans formed of metal or stone, suitable to each star: all which talismans were placed in their proper abode, under a suitable aspect: they also set apart a portion of time for their worship and handed down the mode of serving them. When they performed the rites to these holy statues, they burned before them the suitable incense at the appointed season, and held their power in high veneration.

Volume 1, p. 42:

When the great king, his nobles, retinue and the other Yezdanian went to the temple of Saturn, they were arrayed in robes of blue and black hues; expressed themselves with humility, moving with a slow pace, their hands folded on the breast. In the temple of Hormuzd (Jupiter), they were dressed in his colors, as learned men and judges. In that of Bahram (Mars) they were clad in the robes peculiar to him, and expressed themselves in an arrogant manner—but in the temple of the Sun, in language suitable to kings and holy persons; in that of Venus, they appeared cheerful and smiling; in the temple of Mercury they spoke after the manner of sages and orators; and in the moon's, like young children and inferior officers.

Volume 2, p. 24:

The tenth Avátar is to occur at the expiration of the Kali-jug, for the purpose of destroying the Mle­chas, or “enemies of the Hindoos.” The Kalki Avá­tar is to take place on the third of Bhádún, in the Shakl Pachah, in the city of Sumbul, in the house of a Brahman named Jasa. Kalki is also to be of the Brahman caste. He will destroy the corrup­tions of the world, and all the Mlechas, that is, Muhammedans, Christians, Jews, and such like, are to be entirely extirpated: after which the Sat­yog, or “golden age,” is to return.

Volume 2, p. 47:

They all agree that this world is to continue for four ages: the first, the Rast yug, “the righteous,” which lasted one million seven hundred and twenty-eight thousand common years; during which, all human beings, high and low, exalted and humble, princes and servants, adhered to the practice of righteous­ness and truth, passing their glorious existence in a manner conformable to the divine will, and devoted to the worship of the Almighty; the duration of human life in this age extended to one hundred thousand common years. The second, the Treta Yug, which lasted one million two hundred and ninety-six thousand common years: during this period, three-fourths of the human race conformed to the divine will, and the natural duration of life extended to ten thousand years. The third was the Dwapar Yug, which lasted eight hundred and sixty-four thousand ordinary years, during which one half the human race performed good works and their life was limited to a thousand years. The fourth is the Kali Yug, or “iron age,” which is to last four hundred and thirty-two thousand years, during which three-fourths of the human race will be immersed in sin, infatuation, and evil works, and the term of human life reduced to a hundred and twenty ordinary years. These four ages (4,320,000 years) they call a Chakra, and seventy-one Chakras a Manwantar; on the expiration of seventy-one Chakras, there elapses one day of the life of India, the ruler of the upper world; and on the expiration of fourteen Manwantars, reckoned according to the preceding calculation, one day of Brahma's life is terminated.

Volume 2, p. 129:

Their belief is that Muhammed (to whom be peace) was also a pupil and disciple of Gorakhnath, but, from fear of the Muselmans, they dare not declare it; they say, that Bábá Rin Háji, that is, Gorakhnath, was the foster-father of the prophet, who, having received the august mission, took the mode of Yog from the sublime road of true faith; and a great many of them agree with the Muselmans in fasting and in prayers, and perform several acts according to the religion of that people. The sect of Yogís know no prohibited food; they eat pork as the Hindus and the Naźárains, and cow-flesh, like the Muselmans, and so on; they also kill and eat men, according to the custom of the Akmían, as will be related hereafter; and they drink wine like the Gué­bers. There are some of this sect, who, having mixed their excretions and filtered them through a piece of cloth, drink them and say, that such an act renders a man capable of great affairs, and they pre­tend to know strange things. They call the per­former of this act Atílía and also Akhórí. Although they have all originated from Gorakhnath, and adhere to him in the generality of their faith, yet some follow the road of those who attached themselves to the twelve divisions of the Yoga.

Among them, the restraining of the breath is held in great esteem, such as it was practised among the Parsian by Azar Hushang, and by the kings of that people. It is stated in the Bastán namah, that Afra­síab, the son of Pashang, was strong in restraining his breath, and it was on account of this qualifica­tion that, when he had escaped from the sling of Aâbid, he kept himself concealed in the water. This history is known. Among the Hindus and the Parsian Yezdanián, nothing is esteemed higher than this. I have said something of this custom in the article upon the Parsian Sipasían: in this place I shall state more of it.

Volume 2, p. 216:

It is to be recollected that, as has been stated, there are Samra­díán, Khodaníán, Radián, Shíderangíán, Pâikeríán, Mílánían, Aláríán, Shídábíán, Akhshían, and Maz­dakían, who are dispersed in Iran and Turan, and all appear in the dress of Muselmans, although in secret they follow each the path of their own chosen faith; in the same manner various sects are also established in India, but they do not appear in the dress of Muselmans. It is to be known, that the fundamental rule in the creed of the Hindus is the Smriti, that is, the “law,” and that all Rakshasas, that is, “devotees,” follow this way; the Véda, to them the heavenly book, prescribes the acts, and is a text, from which every sect may derive proofs of its particular belief, and all may agree in some points.

Volume 2, p. 223:

Madárían, …like the Sanyásís Avadhuts, wear the hair entangled; and the ashes which they and the Sanyásis rub upon their bodies are called bhasma; besides, they carry iron chains on their heads and necks, and have black flags and black turbans; they know neither prayers nor fasts; they are always sitting at a fire; they drink a great deal of bang; and the most perfect among them go about without any dress, in severe cold, in Kabul, and Kachmir, and such places. These also consume much bang, and to the praise of one of their sect they say: “Such a one takes two or three seers of bang.

Volume 2, p. 274:

Jehangir, on account of the money due to the army, and of the mulet imposed upon Arjunmal (as was said before), sent Har-go­vind to the fort of Gwalior, where he remained imprisoned twelve years…During that time the deputies and other Sikhs used to come and bow before the walls of the fort. At last, moved by pity, the king granted him liberty. After Jehangir's death, Har-govind entered the service of his majesty Amír-ul Múnenîn Abu-ul-muzafer shaháb ed-din Muhammed saheb Keran sani shah Jehan, the victorious king. When the Guru returned to Batnesh, which is a district of the Penjab, he attached himself to Yar Khan, the eunuch, who held the office of a Foujdar in the Nawabí of the Penjab, and whom he assisted in the administration. Har-govind returned to Rámadas­púr, where the Gurus Rámadas and Arjun-mal had built great edifices and dug tanks. There he sustained an attack of the army which Shah jehan, the shadow of God, sent against him, and the Guru's property was then plundered. From thence he fled to Kartarpúr; there too war reached him, and on this occasion Mír Badherah, and Páindah Khan, the son of Fattah Khan Ganáida, found their death. Before and after this, he encountered great dangers of war, but with the aid of God he escaped unhurt, although he lost his property. It is related by one, Sadah by name, that in this war a man aimed a blow at the Guru, who parried it, and struck him with his blade, saying: “Not in that manner, but so the sword is used;” and with one blow he made an end of his foe. One of the companions of the Guru asked the author of this work: “What was the purport of the words by which the Guru accom­panied his blow?” I said: “It was to give instruction, as it belongs to a Guru to teach also how to strike a blow with a sword; for a Guru is called a teacher: he did not strike out of anger, which would have been blameable.” 

Volume 2, p. 316:

Sacrament of extreme unction…is a friction by which they anoint a Chris­tian with holy oil, and they bestow this sacrament with some words which the Lord Jesus has spoken…Matrimony; this is an agreement which a man and a woman take together at the time of their binding themselves in wedlock, that during the whole of their life they will keep faith to each other. This is peculiar to the adults. This act is allowable to women frequently at the age of twelve years; to men at that of fourteen. The man is not permitted to take more than one wife, and the woman is bound to a single husband. The padri who gives this sacrament, after having ascertained that there is no objection to the marriage, and the com­pact being made before witnesses, unites both to each other in wedlock according to the conditions of matrimony.

Volume 3, p. 139:

The distinguished men of that class divide them­selves into two sorts: the one are the Oriental, the other the Occidental…The ancient philosophers of Greece, down to Aflátún (Plato), were Oriental; it was Araśtu (Aristotle), his disciple, who then took the lead in the doctrine, the centre of which with this class is the argumentative reason.

Volume 3, p. 145:

They say also that Isráfíl is one of the powers of the sun; the angel of death proceeds from Saturn; Míkáil from the moon; and Jebríil emanated from the tenth power of intelligence. As often as, on account of the revolution of the heavens or the motion of the stars, something suitable manifests itself in the elemental matter, compounded and uncompounded, it issues into existence by way of emana­tion from the superior wisdom; and the revelation of the prophet, and the instruction of the perfect to mankind, takes place by the intervention of the last-mentioned angel. On that account there is an intrinsic connexion between the souls of the prophets and this by-standing angel. According to the Eastern philosophers, Jabrííl is a god of a kind similar to human nature, and called in Persian Wakhshur, “prophet,” and Serósh pajám sipár, “Serosh, the message-bringer.” In the opinion of the philosophers, the crystalline heaven is the ninth heaven, and the heaven of the fixed stars the throne of God.

Volume 3, p. 209:

The prophets of Persia, such as Abád, Zardusht, and the like, are called Vakhshúr; the apostles of the Yonán and of Rome are Aghásá daimún (Agatho demon); Hermes, and the like, whom they name-“possessors of fame;” the prophets of the Hindus, such as Ráma, Krishna, and the like, are entitled Ava társ; and the prophets of the Turks, such as Aghríres and Aghúr khan, are distinguished by the name of Abul­mas . The prophets of Islám, from Adam, the father of mankind, to Muhammed, are called resul.

Volume 3, p. 233:

The Súfis say, according to the sacred text:

“God created man according to his image.”

We have the power of acting on account of our being the mirror of the supreme essence; if we say: “The action is ours,” it may be right; and if we say: “It is of God,” it is equally true.

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