DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4646#0034
34
followed them as they went through the ceremonies of ziyarat,
especially as they approached the tombs of Abubekr and Omar which
every man is bound to defile if he can-—and the supposed place of
Fatimah's burial. Here they stood in parties, after praying before
the Prophet's window ; one read from a book the pathetic tale of the
Lady's life, sorrows, and mourning death, whilst the others listened
to him with breathless attention. Sometimes their emotion was too
strong to be repressed. " Ay Fatintah, Ay Mazlumah ! Way ! way !—
O Fatimah ! O thou injured one ! Alas ! Alas," burst involuntarily
from their lips, despite the danger of such exclamations, tears trickled
down their hairy cheeks, and their brawny bosoms heaved with sobs.
A strange sight it was to see rugged fellows, mountaineers perhaps,
or the fierce Ilyat of the plains, sometimes weeping silently like child- .
ren, sometimes shrieking like hysteric girls, and utterly careless to
conceal a grief so coarse and grisly, at the same time so true and
real, that we knew not how to behold it. Then the satanic scowls
with which they passed by or pretended to pray at the hated Omar's
tomb ! "With what curses their hearts are belying those mouths full
of blessings ! How they are internally canonising Fayruz. (The
Persian slave who stabbed Omar in the Mosque) and praying for his
eternal happiness in the presence of the murdered man ! Sticks and
stones however, and not unfrequently the knife and the sabre, have
taught them the hard lesson of disciplining their feelings, andnothingbut
a furious contraction of the brow, a roll of the eye, intensely vicious,
and a twitching of the muscles about the region of the mouth, denotes
the wild storm of wrath within. They generally, too, manage to
discharge some part of their passion in words. " Hail Omar thou
hog! " exclaims some fanatic Madani as he passes by the heretic—a
demand more outraging than requiring a red hot black-north, Pro-
testant to bless the Pope." O Allah ! hell him" meekly responds the
Persian changing the benediction to a curse most intelligible to, and
most delicious in his fellow's ears." There is a note to this passage
as follows.
" I have heard of a Persian being beaten to death ; because in-
stead of saying " peace be with thee, Ya Omar" he insisted upon say-
ing " peace be with thee, Ya Humar (O Ass !)" A favourite trick is to
change Razi Allahu anhu—may Allah be satisfied with him—to
Razi Allahu An. This last word is not to be found in Richardson,
followed them as they went through the ceremonies of ziyarat,
especially as they approached the tombs of Abubekr and Omar which
every man is bound to defile if he can-—and the supposed place of
Fatimah's burial. Here they stood in parties, after praying before
the Prophet's window ; one read from a book the pathetic tale of the
Lady's life, sorrows, and mourning death, whilst the others listened
to him with breathless attention. Sometimes their emotion was too
strong to be repressed. " Ay Fatintah, Ay Mazlumah ! Way ! way !—
O Fatimah ! O thou injured one ! Alas ! Alas," burst involuntarily
from their lips, despite the danger of such exclamations, tears trickled
down their hairy cheeks, and their brawny bosoms heaved with sobs.
A strange sight it was to see rugged fellows, mountaineers perhaps,
or the fierce Ilyat of the plains, sometimes weeping silently like child- .
ren, sometimes shrieking like hysteric girls, and utterly careless to
conceal a grief so coarse and grisly, at the same time so true and
real, that we knew not how to behold it. Then the satanic scowls
with which they passed by or pretended to pray at the hated Omar's
tomb ! "With what curses their hearts are belying those mouths full
of blessings ! How they are internally canonising Fayruz. (The
Persian slave who stabbed Omar in the Mosque) and praying for his
eternal happiness in the presence of the murdered man ! Sticks and
stones however, and not unfrequently the knife and the sabre, have
taught them the hard lesson of disciplining their feelings, andnothingbut
a furious contraction of the brow, a roll of the eye, intensely vicious,
and a twitching of the muscles about the region of the mouth, denotes
the wild storm of wrath within. They generally, too, manage to
discharge some part of their passion in words. " Hail Omar thou
hog! " exclaims some fanatic Madani as he passes by the heretic—a
demand more outraging than requiring a red hot black-north, Pro-
testant to bless the Pope." O Allah ! hell him" meekly responds the
Persian changing the benediction to a curse most intelligible to, and
most delicious in his fellow's ears." There is a note to this passage
as follows.
" I have heard of a Persian being beaten to death ; because in-
stead of saying " peace be with thee, Ya Omar" he insisted upon say-
ing " peace be with thee, Ya Humar (O Ass !)" A favourite trick is to
change Razi Allahu anhu—may Allah be satisfied with him—to
Razi Allahu An. This last word is not to be found in Richardson,